Modern Vespa

Slowly coming together.

It's funny that the best quality photo I can find of the a 1974 Rally in this one.

You MUST re create that pic when you are done!

Is that Hall and Oates ?

Yes.

Not sure how I feel about the rack.

Con:
1. It's super awkward
2. It kind of changes the lines of the bike

Pro:
1. It's pristine, 100% original and period correct. Basically every American Rally had one.
2. Also very useful for carrying things
3. The backrest is very comfortable for a passenger.
4. Like all the original American parts, it was super common at one point, and now pretty rare.

But mounted it to see is it its straight, and it sits perfectly.

That was the only accessory I had on my P150 in the late 80's. I know my gf at the time appreciated it. I strapped a steamer trunk to it when I moved into my dorm and hauled a lot of stuff with it.

I like it. I think it'll feel less out of place once you have the seat on, maybe?

The indicators and tail light already changed the lines of the bike. The rack kind of helps.

One reupholstered seat, with strap.

It's pretty amazing you can get all these parts from Pascoli. The only thing left is the original seat frame.

They even have the color right. It's like a almost black shade of blue.

It's not perfect. But it's pretty close to original. Probably closer than the reproduction ones.












Before shot.

Well done!

Looks awesome!

Those brake switches are a nightmare!

Turns out my wheel wasn't warped. Two of the studs had threads that needed to be recut, and they didn't tighten all the way before.


This was so hard to solder right. But works. I used the parts from a new swtich on the old blue one.

Taillight

Brake light

The feet from my seat don't line up with the P rack. :(

But like the look of it. Just very original 1970s.

Looks great, now get out there and ride it.

If anybody out there has a bbq rack they want to sell, let know.

There's one here!

BBQ Rear Rack

Ah, thanks.

Looks great!

Impressive work done!

Thanks!

I still haven't started it! I got distracted by life things. But it's so close!

Kind of back burner for a while.

But got some parts.

I was able to find just one source for the gray stripes. A place in Italy called Bicasbia Ricambi.

I think the original ones had a bit of a metallic sheen, but these are pretty close.




Looks naked without them

An original bike. Hard to tell if there's a metallic texture, or it's just the light.

I think I got my stripes from sip years ago. They were a decent match to the originals I thought.

Edit - just checked and they don't seem to stock silver anymore!!

Last edited by Rallygeek on Sat, 18 Feb 2023 07:56:52 +0000; edited 1 time

I think the BBQ rack in the first photo is way more pimp than the rack in that second photo.

Yep. No one makes them. Scooterwest used to as well, but they said they lost the vendor.

I think this one might the only supplier left. Pascoli had one set without a color specified.

These ones seem ... not too bad. I can't tell if they're matte or shiny without peeling off the top layer, though.

The quality seems good. They might be slightly dark, but at least are gray?

I love it.

Aah ok. If you can't get a replacement and you are not happy with the colour then I think you could probably get them copied in any colour by a vinyl decal specialist. They can scan a set and laser cut in any of the colours they can get.

My GTS has gloss black version of its original grey stripes done by an eBay seller who scans and copies.

I thought about that. I bet Scooterwest has the digital file. They had them manufactured, but sounds like they lost the vendor.

Getting the laser cut stickers shouldn't be too hard, but the right shape is a challenge.

If I remember, the material used on the originals was matte and slightly metallic, or shimmery somehow.

I'll try them in the sun.

I got mine from scooterwest. Got white. They seem ok I'll take a pick later

It's so hard to decide on this.


I think I'll use them. You can tell they're not original, but I guess the bike is no longer original.

It's hard to tell how close the color is. The old ones were so damaged, and just one cowl had them.






Before.

A Bar Italia build, but from like 10 years ago. I think these are the ones Scooterwest used to have.

Before shot in the same light.

A shot from a bike Retrospective had with original paint.

same bike

I think they look right. The thing about the stickers is that you can remove them and not damage the paint. So you have the option to change your mind.

I think you're overthinking this. Your original stickers look darker than the new ones, but the other OG ones are the same as your stickers.

Manufacturing variances mean that there's actually no such thing as "right" other than within a margin of error, which those new stickers look to be.

Stick 'em on and keep the project rolling.

Agree! Plus who knows how much a factor sun exposure plays in the original stickers.

Looks good from here. These things seemed to have a little variation anyway. Your scooter looks fantastic. A lot of it is due to your attention to detail.

As I get my scooter ready for paint, I realize that there are lumps, bumps and asymmetries that have nothing to do with accident damage, but just the way it was manufactured. I haven't "corrected" them. Vespas have a deceptively refined look due to their highly aesthetic design, but in some ways they are pretty crude and simple.

Use them

HJO, the bike looks amazing! Stickers look perfect on the white, don't sweat it.

Just realized mine are from sip here they are. But yours look good

I vote for applying them as well! They look really good and you can always change them out later if you find ones you like better. Only the hardcore scooterista's are going to (maybe) notice the difference anyway!

ooh. These came out really nice.

They're glossy, and the gloss matches the paint perfectly.

A couple of tiny little bubbles. I might be able to rub out.










Electro retro future


Last edited by hjo on Tue, 21 Feb 2023 01:20:34 +0000; edited 3 times

Total win! Those look awesome!

Rub or try a hair dryer and low heat.

Just gorgeous. You knocked it out of the park.