Modern Vespa

Ok guys yous gave me a lot of help in my first topic for mirror on my vespa now I have a few more questions regarding the following pictures.
First off is there suppose to be a rubber seal of some type for the lid on the front glove box and left rear fender hatch in the following pics? Also in the second pic you see a regulator of some sort is this normal? The po said he changed it over to 12v.







In this pic I want to know if the coil and whatever else yous are familiar with are normal stock electrical,











Lynn

Well where the cork is should be some sort of lock i think:)

There were no rubber seals there. And ya a lock where the cork is. The regulator looks fine, never seen a cdi like that though (5th pic)

Nothing about your scooter is original to anything. But what does it matter? Ride it.

Or, you could spend a shit-ton of cash trying to make it look "Italian." You should just ride it with Punjab Pride or go buy a not-from-India/Pakistan scooter.

Ordered a round lock for there.

Well you see the reason I ask these questions is so I can fix and replace what is not right, I take pride in my rides being right and the money I need to out it this old scoot is a drop in the bucket compared to what's gone into my other bikes so yes I am prepared to invest in doing it up right properly.
Lynn

Alright, I'll bite. There's a piece of rubber tube snuggling your coil and some weird electrical gizmo together.

You have 2 glove boxes and a wine cork for a lock.

Honestly, unless I see what the stator looks like, I can't make heads or tails of any of it. It's a far cry from stock but nothing that can't be straightened out (at least electrically) with a little more information.

I'm thinking any weirdness would be associated to the po changing it over to 12v from 6 volt. I have a manual on the way but mean while how do I get to the stator?
Ps I always thought the wine cork gave it character.

Post a picture of the flywheel on the motor (fan thing) we'll let you know.

Once I see the stator, I'll at least be able to tell you where to go from there.

Thanks a much , working the nite shift right now but I'll get a pic for tomorrow.

And here I thought it was the upside-down P-series turn signals installed in it that gave it character.

You should take the money you are spending and fly over to Pakistan and convince them to stop putting this shit on these scooters.


Last year I went to Mexico and rode a horse. It was an incredible experience. When I got home I went and found a horse and bought one. Can you tell me what kind of horse I bought? I want to make it into a more authentic horse. Is there any way to make it just like the horse I saw on my trip to Mexico?

Hahahaha. SFvsr why are you so mean? I mean I can't stop laughing at that one. God damn. What is truly scary is that I'm pretty sure you took that donkey pic.

What? That's a donkey? Are you sure? I was told by the guy I bought it from that it is a horse.

If I change the tail will it be a horse? Can I increase the performance of my horse?

I hate you for ruining my dreams.

Someone else took the picture of SFvsr.

Jackasses don't have imposable thumbs.

I had a horse before this most recent horse. He ate the plastic coating off his Fun Wheel and died. Never saw it coming.

Now that explains alot

What? That's a donkey? Are you sure? I was told by the guy I bought it from that it is a horse.

If I change the tail will it be a horse? Can I increase the performance of my horse?

I hate you for ruining my dreams.[/quote]

Damn u are witty and funny

Rgconner, As a complete outsider, excuse me for noticing, but I smell personal vendetta. I like you better before. Stay classy - after all it's just a fun wheel, a donkey, $25 and some drilled hubs. Party on!

I want to know if you intend trying to get it back to looking pretty much like it was originally(w/ perhaps 12V) or if you'd like to make it safe to ride without anything uneccessarily stupid going on.

Also how much you care what others think can affect what you eventually spend & how much effort you're willing to make.

We'll all know better what to advise if we know this, so I'll hold off until then.


Except I'd rock the piss out of those turns if they work & installation was well done. If you didn't know it, your rears are unique in all Vespadom.

I like. I see that you are a 'dog'.

OK, just for safety, pull your rear brake drum & see if it's all oily in there.


resume

My guess based on the engine side etch-a-sketch white wall would be " not so bueno". That's just a hunch though.

Thanks for chiming in , I do appreciate all input and experience. The reason I bought an old vespa is because there low tech and have a ton of character unique to all other scooters , that's my opinion anyway. I drove 1200 miles round trip to pick up this scooter with every intension from before even seeing it to bring it back to its first born state. I've been working on and built a couple british show bikes( winners) and I do all my own wrenching on my two 89 Harley's so I'm not at all afraid to tear this down to have it sandblasted and painted, rebuild motor and replace any suspect part. I want to make this as original as possible without taking any shortcuts. I've already placed an order today costing near 300bux and don't plan on stopping until its mint condition. This site was recommended to me from one of my buddy's from another Harley site I've been a member with for many years.
So hopefully that gives you an idea of what I'm after.
As for the signal Lites, they will be history as soon as the tins hit the body shop for paint.
You mentioned the rear wheel with oil, I take it there is a seal back there seeping, the tire is actually dry but still I suspect I will come across something. Manual is on the way.
Thanks
Lynn

Haha, good thing for google because I would always be on the dark with the new words I learn.

I should add that both front and back brakes are very bad with very little grab but that's not a huge concern as they will be refurbished. The back are worse but more than likely because of glazed pads and glossy drum surface as well as a hint of lube.

Okay... You have a challenging road ahead and you have PM. I'd just post it, but for most here it'd be deja vu. Cliff's notes: shiny himile import vs dull lomile domestic.

Best.

There isn't supposed to be any rubber on glove box except for those buffers. Actally there shouldn't be a glove box there at all. Great! Post in the projects section as you progress. You'll get plenty of advice from people here as you go.

Now, I'm thinking your restoration might get tricky. There is so much not right on this scooter.

Back in 2005 a friend of mine bought a vietnamese / SE Asia imported scoot like yours. It looked nice, but nothing worked properly. He tried to fix it, that didn't work. In the end, the whole frame (which was welded together from two halves) was sandblasted, rewelded and painted. He put in a px200 engine and a pk-fork and turned it into a nice little scoot, but it is far from original and it was a whole lot of work..

Magg, very well put. So diplomatic!

Yes Magg I realize the front box was added as were the signal Lites. So I will ask, you said your friend couldn't get it working properly, what exactly couldn't he get to work? You alao said nothing worked properly. What exactley does that mean? Nothing covers a wide area. Everything about my scooter does work properly other than it needs a clutch cable which I snapped and a brake job other than that I've already had it out for a 50 miles and had no problems.
Not trying to be argumentative here but I keep hearing everyone sees so much not right but there not being explicit and its getting very frustrating. I did some research about what to watch for about the bodies and it Basicly suggested using a magnet and check for bondo over welds which I did.
Thanks
Lynn

Boy, oh boy.

Look, you may not like the way SFvsr said what he did, but he has a salient point. When you are embarking on a project such as complete stock vintage scooter restoration, it's good to start with a solid candidate. Otherwise, you are going to spend a whole lot of time and money and energy on things you normally shouldn't.

It's our opinion (Bar Italia Classics) that you are going to uncover a whole lot more wrong than electrical tape goo on wires and inner tube rubber bands as you go through this bike. This bike features some very ... ahem ... inventive "fixes" that are visible in the photos, each photo revealing that things are a little worse than the previous shot. It's our opinion that you are indeed starting off with a donkey in hopes that it will, with enough plastic surgery to make Joan Rivers blush, become a horse.

We're not saying this to be mean or to get you down. We're just sharing information here. Just know that the $300 you've spent so far is a drop in the bucket. Realistically, we can see you easily spending $3,000 (if you do the work yourself) just getting this bike to an almost acceptable restoration level. If one of our customers came in asking us to do what you're asking with this bike, we'd most likely steer them in the direction of a better restoration candidate. It's not because we want a sale, but because we want to save them heartache and heartburn.

You've already spent a lot of time and energy to get this thing, so we understand if you want to push on. And, if that's what really makes your heart soar, by all means, go for it. But, please, next time you undertake a big project such as vintage scooter restoration, please consult those in the know before you buy.

Good luck.

Edited to note: We are only speaking up because you said this: "I want to make this as original as possible without taking any shortcuts."

True enough the pictures do show some shaddy work, the college kid I got it from put new rubber and converted it over to the 12v and once I understand what he did and how it works I will rewire solder and shrink tube it properly. I did have a pm conversation with a gent here and he did shed some lite on sort of what it's all about and beleive me I take it all in and will get down with the magnet one more time. This is in no way going to be my cross country bike, we already got those and I know what goes into keeping them fit for 3000 mile weekend runs, I just want something the wife and I can be happy with going out on a little jont.
Lynn

When you have it sandblasted for paint, take a look and make sure it's not bodged together from two or more frames.

If it is, and your value you and your wife's safety, I suggest cutting your losses.

Your first jaunt may be your last.

Well he's already heard this: Remember folks, it's NOT easy. What are the five stages again?

Also there does exist the chance that the frame is sound with bad stuff done to it. At least OP is willing to find out before he goes nuts on it.

Lynn, if you get a cheapo sand blaster from Harbor Fright, maybe you could 'inspect' the bottom side before full teardown & complete sandblast. Drain all the fluids, lay it on a blanket, mask the topside with another blanket & have at any suspect areas you see. Angle grinder & wire brush wheel for helpers. Not a 100% look, but could be sufficient to know if problematic.

Lots of critics for the pics you could then post. Just an idea...

Your welcome!

The thing is that his scoot was a classical bodge job. Wood screws held parts on the engine case together. Home made seals and wrong bearings all over the place. Coke can shims, home made swingarm on the fork, etc.. It actually ran, but couldn't be maintained because nothing would fit.

It was a worst case scenario, but still repairable. I'm not saying your's is that bad. You just need to be prepared for the worst..

Now that makes some scense I really had no idea what you guys meant with the chassis being bodged. I'm in the shop taking a look and one of the guys asked for pic of the stator of something like that.where would the joints be or would it be obvious? Just looking for something to watch for. I could go at it with a wire wheel on die grinder easy enough. If its bodged it's junk but if its ok its getting painted anyway.

Got home after work and pulled the shroud and got a few pics as well as an up close of whatever number was stamped on it and took a few other pics of the area as well including under the floor boards as well as I checked again with magnet, I can honestly say that if someone attached this together with another chassis then they are really good. Wish I had another to compare it to for the contours, I can tell after closer look there is going to be some rust build up under the rattle can spray job someone did.Best I could do with an iphone.












Thanks
Lynn

Thanks again Magg for making that a bit clearer, I am understanding much better, I'm almost getting to the point of overload but then again I love working on bikes and I love learning something new, so guys please don't think your beating a dead horse because all your input even in the most direct way is being a real eye opener and was not wasted I even appreciated SFvsr's analogy in a weird way.
You know the more I think of it the more I can remember this association with something being bodged together such as my buddies tha really had no money so when we blew a base gasket on an olg 68 Bonnie we would use a cornflake box cardboard and it worked for a while and down the road someone would buy the bike just like many of us do with the scooters and realize how something was retro fitted at the time because thats all that would work, and there were many instances of bodging just to keep something on the road so you could ride.

I bought this VBB frame a while back. The paint was very good, but you could tell it had some bog (bondo) in it. Had it sandblasted.

Some real obvious signs of body work there Ginch.

fwiw, looks like you've got a P-series rear brake pedal (through the floorboard), rather than the original vintage style (post on side of center tube, above floorboard). That's a bit harder to recover from.