Modern Vespa

Thoughts on this dealer?

http://www.scooteraz.com/

Anyone been ripped off and sold junk?
Asking because I know of someone that just bought one.

Dave

This such a touchy topic, this the reason I went modern.

look this one has black boots !

now if they just stop putting the winged piaggio badge on the front we will have no easy way to warn the noobs

first, if comes in 2 tone, comes with drilled in cowl bars, and matching front guard and leg shield trim, second if it is advertised as a vintage restoration and cost is too good to be true. There are so many good original Vespas from local scooterist. take the time to look into it and ask question from local scooter shops that have been around for a while. if anyone has any question about a scooter they are not sure about, send a PM. I'll be happy to point out what's crap!!!

They are pretty though. Kind of remind me of super-models, pretty on the outside but functionally challenged on the inside

extremely well said....

Is all what is said actual first hand experience or are you all speaking from hear say?

Just as a reminder that this thread is about this particular dealer,
Not Vietnam Vespa restorations in general, Anyone have info or experience with this dealer?


Dave

Here say-baby.

Although I did buy tubeless rims from [redacted] after reading a decent review in Scootering and they did bend. I've bought other cosmetic stuff from them and they seem ok. But as far as complete bikes I've only heard bad stuff.

Dave you posted as I was posting and sorry I have no particulars on this dealer.

I've heard of them all, [redacted], ScootMD, ScootAZ...

Thanks anyways.

Dave

You could get a really good deal if you purchased 20 at a time.
Then you could sell them to all your friends.

Or just ride one and keep the other 19 for parts....

Englishman in city restores Vespas to former grandeur

For nearly a decade, a British citizen in Ho Chi Minh City has been buying worn-out Vespas, refurbishing the motor scooters and exporting them to the UK, US, Germany, France, and even to their home country of Italy.

Patrick Joynt told Thanh Nien at his showroom in Tan Binh district that he had a Vespa when he was just 13. Captivated by its beautiful design, he studied its construction from books, to the point that he could dismantle and assemble it at will.

In 1997, during a trip to Vietnam, he saw locals in the city burning around on their timeless Vespas, and his love for the motorbikes re-emerged.

Recognizing that he would have no competitors, he opened a shop specializing in refurbishing the scooters on Pham Ngu Lao Street, famous as the living quarter for foreign backpackers.

He was forced to wear multiple hats - as the buyer, mechanic and salesman. He started to travel to many provinces in the south to hunt for the rare bikes, buying spare parts from his home country, Germany, Italy and India and morphing them into brand new units.

He later hired several Vietnamese staff and has several foreign staff in his new showroom and workshop, aptly called Saigonscootercenter.com.

All told, his products have been shipped to 15 different countries around the world.

Painful experiences

He recalled a time when he had paid for three Vespas to be delivered the next day, only to find out he and 6 others had been duped. The seller had fled.

Another incident that left him nearly bankrupt was when he returned to his home country and asked a trusted friend to manage his store. The guy turned out to be a crook and sold everything before absconding.

Rather than abandoning the job, he started from scratch.

"Nobody can cheat me now that I am seasoned".

It takes him 10-12 weeks to restore one Vespa, but many Vietnamese shops do it within a week, so it's no surprise where the quality lies, he said.

However, his pride and joy now is not a Vespa but a Lambretta scooter. He replaced all its parts with imported ones, and even went through the pains of hand-carving the intricate detail.

"It's one of a kind," he said laughing "Only foreigners can drive it 'cause a Vietnamese at the wheel would only draw the police."

In past years, his business exported several bikes a month, but the numbers are on the rise.

He now plans to open a café to introduce his scooter collection and organize city tours on the fashionable motorbikes.

http://www.thanhniennews.com/features/?catid=10&newsid=26444

Probably not. I'd guess as soon as the complaints hit Google they change names and get a new website. But it could be the exception. Keep in mind: it's not a positive thing if noone has heard of 'em.

Would you buy a used car sight unseen from a company noone has heard of across the ocean based on a snazzy web site?

Only if it claims to be from Nigeria and they need my bank account number first.

After all that has been said and pictures posted about Vietnam Scooters, Why would you even consider buying from any of these guys, take it from me, I have seen and ridden some to say they are good from far but far from good, I have been restoring Vespas and Lambrettas for 15 years, I have had people ask me to restore there Vietnam restored scooters. Repaint cause the paint is peeling off or the motor is leaking or just stop running. I have past every single one.
After calculating what they spent on the scooter and what it will cost to fix, they could have bought a GS150 or a Lambretta SX200, around $6000.

no direct experience with this dealer-- at least that i know of, or that anybody would admit to...

but as the saying goes: if it looks like a duck...

best,
-greasy

honestly, even if the bike was brought over from vietnam unrestored for very cheap, and restored here by someone who knew what they were doing, THEY WOULDN'T BE USING VIETNAMESE PARTS ON IT!

*sigh* those things hurt my brain to look at.

From their site: The way I read this they are OK with welding frames (i.e. the typical(?) practice of welding two or more frames together to make one "good" frame.

From speaking with US mechanics, this is about the most dangerous thing you can do.

No thanks.......

i wouldnt want to be hurling down the road at 60mph on two 10" wheels (or sometimes 8") and not knowing who's restored my ride or know exactly what was replaced etc....no thanks, i dont care what helmet you give me!

I see within the forum that someone's friend did business with Scooteraz located in Vietnam, I would like to know whether the dealings with this company were satisfactory and if there were any problems, if so what were they. How is the paint and scooter holding up today. Please answer my inquiry.

Thanks
Pete

Take this post by emcosa in this thread to heart:

"After all that has been said and pictures posted about Vietnam Scooters, Why would you even consider buying from any of these guys, take it from me, I have seen and ridden some to say they are good from far but far from good, I have been restoring Vespas and Lambrettas for 15 years, I have had people ask me to restore there Vietnam restored scooters. Repaint cause the paint is peeling off or the motor is leaking or just stop running. I have past every single one.
After calculating what they spent on the scooter and what it will cost to fix, they could have bought a GS150 or a Lambretta SX200, around $6000."

RUN away, don't walk, hurry!

I have to agree with Eric...and I puked in my mouth a little after seeing only a pic. IMHO, your friend got taken for a ride on and for a POS.

Seeya,
Eric

F me this is an ancient thread. Guaranteed the scoot is a POS.

You do realize you are responding to the seven year old part of this thread?