Modern Vespa

There is a lightly used, but definitely seized, PX200 motor sitting in my garage. Assuming the cost of parts is less than $2000, what is the best motor I could build for commuting? I am very handy with a wrench, but I don't know much about hot rodding the Vespas and there is a lot to learn.

Depends on your commute but I would say stock

I need to be able to go up a 6% grade at 60 mph. My stock PX200 would pull just under 50 mph. So I am looking for 10 mph over a good running PX200. My motivation is to either make my current scooter work, or put the $2000 down on a 300 GTS.

If you're looking in that direction as an option.. put the 2k down on a 300 Super.. those are awesome as far as moderns go.. take you up that grade at 60 no problem!

Malossi 210 cylinder kit maybe? Aluminum which should handle the needs of a commuter bike and tons of power

I'd hate to say it, but a kitted bike for an everyday commuter going up a 6% hill may not be a good idea. As you know kits are great, but you jack up reliability in a way. Not that all kitted scoots cannot be reliable. I think we all know what im talking about (I don't want to stir up any kind of pot). For a reliable bike maybe the modern maybe the way to go, while you use the vintage on rally's and such.
Or get an older 250 gts. Those are pretty powerful too and cost much less.

I would personally repair that P200 engine and put a cylinder kit. I sold my 2012 GTS 300 sport (graphite gray) which I paid $7200 out of the door.
The scooter was very fast and very smooth but extremely boring.

My limited efforts at modifying two strokes have resulted in three fried motors, which I gather is not all that unusual. If somebody could come and tell me "I built this great motor and it went 40,000 miles with just a decoke every six months" that is the sort of engine I am looking for. Unfortunately there are so many variables that I can't seem to get a handle on what is possible and what has been successful. Maybe what I want just isn't possible. I was thinking that 20 hp might be reasonable but maybe that is just too much. I know 15 hp is a little shy of what I need. 15 hp is a Pinasco cylinder and and a Sito pipe.

I haven't done those k's yet on my Rally yet since rebuilding, but from the little I have done the Pinasco kit, matched ports, Sito+ and the shortened 4th gear are perfect for me, and from what I have heard from folks that have used these kits, a good long lasting tourer. Mine are on a p200e engine.

See, this is what im talkin about.

I try to tell my work buddies this and most don't get it. They think I should get a real scooter or a real motorcycle.

I am not bored at all when riding my little 2t to work at 5am. No traffic and its my serenity for the day. Riding home in LA traffic is exactly the opposite.

If I was on a Harley or a 300 automatic it would be a totally different experience(I have owed one and riden the other quite a few times).

I like the 300 supers but I for one think 60 on a grade is very doable with a 2t set up without sacrificing reliability.

You will have to go with a modified setup.
You will have to design a motor built around a slightly larger carb and a pipe that is awake at those rpms in the 50 to 60 range so you are not operating at WOT.

I commuted to work over the Sepulveda pass on the 405 for about 3 months while working in the Vally.
My set up was a 210, 24g carb, jim lomas righty.
With that setup I was having to maintain a high rpm(7500ish)to stay on the pipe.
That was uncomfortable because that put me around 70ish mph. If I dropped a little then I was off the pipe and hard to regain again uphill.

The malossi is a revy kit and I felt if I had a larger carb and a different kit then I could have had more leverage in that range in traffic.

Not boring at all though. If I was on barkalounger or a noisy twin it would have been boring.

It would seem that non-boring (kitted PX200) may not provide the required commuting performance. I say "may", since YMMV. Meanwhile, the "boring ride will, without question, meet the commuting performance.

Sometimes you just can't have it all, unless you own one of each.

The only daily driver scoot I've had was the p125, it won't even hit 60mph without a grade. Instead of asking it do something like do 60mph on a 6% grade and be disappointed in it when it falls flat, I found ways around it. Like instead of taking the hwy I stick to smaller streets to get across town. It may take a little longer but I don't ride a scooter cause it's the fastest mode of transport. Over the summer when the scooter was down I did buy a 'real motorcycle' an ninja ex500. Gave a broken flat screen and paid $62 in back fines for it. It's fun and will do hwy speeds but is missing something that I got from riding the scooter. In the past I've owned harley D's as well and they just weren't the same either. I've been on modern auto scoots and can't say they hold the same thrill either. I'd put the old p200 back together, if you're using the top end all the time go with a big pipe to give you more top end power. The bigger piston couldn't hurt but is kinda pricey. If the crank is shot you could get a stroked crank for it. Maybe change the gearing to lower your top speed but give you the most power at around 60 - 65mph. Wouldn't a p125 gear set do that?

Jimmy and 318ti are right in pointing you towards getting your gearing right for the ride. If you are really going to climb that hill, you'll need to be in the power band at the engine speed you will get for the road speed.

I've had my Lambretta set up with too high RPM and too low RPM for the 50-55 MPH I want to carry on my commute to work and/or local scooter events. Getting it right is key, but a bit harder to do on a Vespa since the only changes you can make without splitting cases are tire diameters. So optimally you know where the power band is on your setup and then gear to suit.