Modern Vespa

Good 'ole peer pressure. works a treat!

I think it will look cool and you get to save some cash for go-fast parts. grats!
you win!

If you're doing the clearcoat on bare method may I make one suggestion.

Take the rough and high parts down to smooth with some paper but keep it blotchy. You just wanna have a smooth to touch surface.

Then the trick part is to cut n polish as if you were trying to bring the luster back.

Wipe clean with mineral spirits to rid of polish or wax.

Then clearcoat.

Buy this stuff... and give us a full report.

Yes!!!

That thing is going to rule! Now you just need a Lucas pathfinder mounted on the leggy and an inline spare holder.

And I wouldn't do a thing to disturb that sweet finish. CC and done!

Ok. So I should have posted pics of the stripped frame before powder coating. The baking process has either caused the metal to change color, or the clear coat reacted with the metal. The color is hard to describe. It looks like a dark champaign with olive. I"ve got a great idea for replacing the piagio badge on the front. Any one know any good compound to coat paper with. I tested a tube of quick set epoxy with ok results. But any way, heres the pics. I took shots of as many welds as a I could.

Wow

Really not meaning any disrespect, but this is the bike with which you are willing to trust your life?

You're braver than I. And I do plenty of stupid shit.

I've drove it for over 6 years already. So what badge should I use. there are plenty of other frankenstein heads, but the raiden head is pretty cool. I can fix the scale when I put it in resin or what ever I find.

so, clear powdercoat? That's rad.

I guess the answer, then, is yes.


Hey, at least you're not trying to hide all the awfulness.

Skull and cross bones for the logo
It's going to bling in the sun so don't look down.

maybe some one can pencil whip me a raiden/frankenstein combination.

Wowe here I always thought mine was a bit of a bastard for some idiot replacing the vbb floor with a p series floor. Well like you said 6 years and so far so good.

Here is the Piaggio crest you need.

Can you do a frankystien with a rice paddy hat.

I'm feelin it.

How about POTATO?.... OR Adorn it with a boat load of the most valuable, rare, glossy, NOS Mod/chrome accesories you can and really wind people up...

If these are the kinds of "fixes" this forum is leaning toward promoting, this may just be the wrong site for us.

For anyone tuning in to this particular thread who may be unfamiliar with what a "bodge" is, please note that this type of unnecessary and inexcusably terrible welding to a monocoque, structurally integral frame is unsafe and against the intended design for these pieces of functional fine art. The photos contained in this thread make it plain to see this frame has been subject to serious degradation due to rust and untrained bodywork.

When you buy bikes of uncertain provenance, it very likely that this kind of poor quality is underneath that shiny paint and various chrome bits.

Furthermore, unless you decide to do all of the work yourself, buying one of these bikes may make it very difficult to find a reputable vintage scooter mechanic who will help you make your bike safe for road use.

Buyer, beware.

yeh thats why a clearcoat is the thing to do. all of those welds are typical for a monsoon season asian vespa, flaunt the shit heap

All good points and humor.

But a point has been made on what "advice" really is.

Reality, with humor aside, is that no funny drawing is going to change the fact that that frame is done.
It was not restructured by a design engineer and is for sure something I would and will never have to ride.

Lucky for us in the states is that we have dozens and dozens of good used scoots so this kinda thing is really a waste of time and money.

Holy moly, that thing makes my eyes hurt. I would ride it with pride (slowly).

Agreed, show it off. There is no amount of work that would put this completely "right" so making it a rolling warning to others is a public service. Finish it up with the superficial telltale signs like yellow boots and such.

So, how many patches does it need to move from "find some welds" into the "2 frames welded together" camp? Wonder what Jess' favorite charity is.

I realize that this kind of bike is an offense to purists. On the other hand, what the OP has done is expose all the subpar work so that it's easily visible. Despite all the protestations, it's not going to disintegrate into powder while he's riding it and since all the bad welds are easily visible now, he's much more likely to notice if a crack begins somewhere so I would argue that in fact he is more likely to notice if dangerous signs start to emerge. More likely than someone who is riding a shiny bondo-coated bodgecycle.

I hold Bar Italia in the highest regard. Period. But let's not be dramatic...threatening to leave the forum if people approve of what the OP is doing. That's pretty much what that last Bar Italia post hinted at. There are far more standard projects here than bodge projects. And while I would never buy an asian import, I find this thread interesting and fun.

The OP is going into this with his eyes wide open, and with warts exposed. All of us accept a certain amount of risk just by virtue of the fact that we are riding around on two wheels.

Nobody from the purist crowd criticizes guys who cut down frames into skellys and don't hire a registered engineer to find out if the frame still has integrity, right? Let's let the OP have his fun.

Just my $.02.

Might I suggest a St. Christoper Medal?

OK I couldn't resist. RAIDENSTEIN!

maybe with "E pluribus unum" in there someplace.

Perfect! That's awesome.

OK this is the official SEAbodge crest!

Hey Len Smith, cheers, well said.

I love the raidenstein. thats kind of what i'm looking for. wished I could do that stuff my self. I'm going to drop the raidenstein into CAD and see what it looks like scaled to the right shape and size.

Very well said and thought out.

Just WOW.

Yes. No offense taken cause I am not a purist. I like to see peolple try things out of the box.

I also subscribe to the idea that when doing so that you disclaim any notion that it is "right".

If I suggest something out of the box I always include "as a disclaimer".

Len, the reason I even mention any of this is because if NSM is here to have fun, poke fun and help with ideas and advice, but in fact direct away from one of the main things here in the states which is having a good solid bike and not ending up with a really bad investment of time and money, then NSM is wasting its main directive.

The goal of this thread should not be to say this is cool but actually a really big waste of effort.........especially here in the states where good bikes are a plenty.

And if this is a project maybe its best placed in the "project section".

No disrespect, but I bet good money if it were in the projects thread it would have died on arrival.

Anyway, my point is, is this thread makes "no sense" in the true meaning of the expression.

panchoboots, thanks for all the effort and photo documentation.

You have taken what to the uninformed is a beautiful, polished, treasured keepsake, and revealed the work of the artist/sculptor who made that magnificent sculpture.

Sort of impressionistic.

The pretty thing was from a different artist, more akin to a makeup artist.

I can't even color well inside the lines.

I think this and other unbodging project threads are the best deterrent of bodge buying. By seeing what you have to do to get these bikes up to par instead of just pointing out shiny bits, two tone paint, incorrect headsets or fenders, and wood screws think any first time buyer will be more convinced steer far away from these imports. And lets face it, that's pretty much who is buying these things. I also enjoy seeing just whats under that paint and body filler.

I think it's great that NSM makes unsuspecting buyers aware of the problems and the risks related to buying bikes that have been cobbed together and painted pretty. In fact, I often do my best to educate unsuspecting buyers myself.

But the OP is not an unsuspecting buyer, he/she knows exactly what they've got, and they are making it a visual reminder. It's an interesting project, and the OP is an adult, making their own decisions. Once the person knows what the risks are, why do we feel like we need to keep telling this person "what you are doing is wrong." By whose book is it "wrong?"

And as far as making no sense, that could easily apply to so many of us (myself included ) who spend far more rebuilding a scooter than it will ever be worth. How does that make sense? That Sprint project I built and sold last year probably cost me a thousand dollars more than I sold it for (don't tell my wife!) but i totally loved doing it. Does it "make sense"? nope.

By the way, I am getting smarter about projects. I pay way more attention to overspending than I used to, so now I try to make sure I can break even if I ever want to sell a scoot.

I guess my point of view is this: Let's keep on educating people who come here about the problems and dangers of bad bikes. But wouldn't we be better off letting educated adults do their builds without feeling that we need to lecture them about it?

Fair enough. I guess many disagree with me as my half boob went away.


I don't think I was lecturing as much as maybe sayin that (if you reread my post)the frame is not a solid frame, i'm sure the op would agree on that, and that maybe that could be mentioned while we all(including me) have fun coming up with drawings.

I DID say already that clearcoating was a cool idea.

What I was eluding to is that we don't want every sandblasted bodge to be paraded on here as "a solid bike" when we have so many great good proper used bikes here to buy(at least stateside).

That's all

Word.