Modern Vespa

No one needs to drop a grand on this bike. Someone just needs access to a machine shop that's willing to work on a vespa to drill out the old bolt. There is absolutely no reason to replace the case, Vespa Boston just didn't have the tools. Vespa Motorsports in San Diego already agreed to drill it out for me so either I'll pay them $150 to do it or someone else will.

Once the bolt is out, the bike is good to go.

However, I do agree that $2k is too much. $700 is appropriate for a parts-only bike, but this is a registered driveable vehicle so it should be priced as a salvage vehicle would, which seems to be around $1200-$1500

Content deleted by tenders. A forum where management/moderators repeatedly quash and delete well-intentioned, constructive concerns about governance issues raised by multiple users does not deserve my participation.

It's not what you think you will pay, or what someone who hasn't seen it says it will cost to fix it, it's what the bill is once the bolt is out and the bike is back to working order. Even if the shop cost is $150, what are all the other costs involved in getting it there, getting it back to wherever you live, tagging it, etc? Did you call and sort of describe the problem then ask for an estimate of about what it might cost to fix it and someone gave you a perfect case scenario number to get you off the phone?
It will cost you more than you think to take it out to California, get it fixed, get it titled, and sell it. Cut your losses. They still make Vespas , and you can always make more money. If someone offers you a grand, take it. If someone offers you $500 and it's either take that or move the thing to California and deal with that nonsense, take it. If the bike doesn't have 7500 miles on it, a California buyer can't get it registered, so you will have to register it, and then sell it. Good luck with that. One problem with trying to sell it now is that anyone who knows about these things has already mentally written it off and many first time buyers who want to know if it's a good deal are going to ask on an internet forum that deals with Vespas. And start reading, and keep reading, and read some more, and then even more...

I know full well the issues with selling vehicles with rebuilt titles. In KY a branded title that's been repaired and deemed roadworthy again will state "rebuilt vehicle". I never rebuilt anything with ODO miles that wouldn't seem very low to any buyer. I also knew that my insurance companies policy was to de-value them by 25% upfront after repair. The loose use of the word salvage with this scoot is not what it is now-it's a rebuilt scooter with a major red flag waving and very unlikely to sell other than as parts , at least for now.
A scooter is a niche market item to begin with, then throw in that it has an un-resolved repair that even the owner cannot find anyone to fix and that said in one the whole USA's major population centers.
Yes it is "fixable" but no one can set a value on it other than "really cheap" for now. Just because you haul it all the way to California doesn't mean some highly skilled Hispanic is gonna save yer scooter for chump change?
I don't mean to come off nasty here but these rebuilt title vehicle cannot have anything that hinders the sale or they will sit for a very long time.
It takes all things going their way, other than the title to sell at all. When I sold a car that way I usually drove it from 4-18 months or so and sold it with under ~25,000 miles and for ~ 25-30% under retail private sale and sold as damned near perfect too.
At an auction it will sell and show up on ebay otherwise it's fixable and maybe you'll find someone like me to repair it and I'm not being smug here-nor do I work for money anymore.
I can see many repair persons sort of laughing off this scooter repair as it's not in their wheelhouse. Scooters are not so cool with many greasy people?
Link you pictures and information over to "The Garage" on ADV and you'll get similar and well meant advice as to how that broken fastener will come out.

Higher than the wheel you will have electrical issue for ever down the down with connectors corroding. OMG after Katrina we were getting "flooded" with flood cars that people had bought for a steal. Well till the electrical problem started.
We started running VIN Plates on Car Fax before we would accept a used vehicle from a customer for service there for a while. If it was a flood damage vehicle we would turn it away.

It's too late for this, but I thought this was an interesting video...

That is why I was trying to get him to contact a specialist and with all the boats and saltwater, there is one in that area.

Yep, some specialized knowledge and the right tools makes a big difference!

Good video

Those center-drilled bolt guides were fantastic! Those would have helped me out many times

Now I need to see the video showing how you drill a nice straight hole through a steel bolt.

Thanks - this is quality advice. I'm lowering my price to $499

You are probably correct - there was a reason. I bought a new 2018 GTS after he said he couldn't work on it. They're slime balls.

Buy bolts, drive to machine shop, have them drill hole with metal lathe.

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I've said this several times now in this thread but I've been to 3 machine shops and all refused to work on a vespa

In this case they'd be working on a bolt.
Don't tell them it's for a Vespa.

And I told you NOT to go to a machine shop, start calling car dealers or boat repair shops and ask to speak to the Service Mgr. Then ask if they use a Bolt Extraction service company and if they do ask for their number.
Think in your area you would have been successful calling boat service centers.

Your post a few up literally says to go to a machine shop

Yes go to machine shop to get bolt drilled out to use as a tool. Not to remove broke bolt unless you take them just the part with the broken bolt.
AND there different types of machine shops Automotive and Industrial. Not the same animals.

He's dropped the price under $500. It's probably worth that.

[SOLD] $499 2015 Matte Black GTS 300 Super Sport - Salvage

I'd pay that near me-but only if I liked the engine miles which has never been seen as yet???
I would not however pay that for a rear hit scooter that is in Boston.

The body and miles are the looming questions, not that bolt which is a routine repair.
It will sell only to someone who plans to break it down.

There is no damage. The rear end was repaired already. The bike has 5,800 miles.

BIKE WAS SOLD

I ended up getting three people interested and sold it for >$500 and <$2000 to the first person that showed up with a van. Thanks for all your help everyone.

Sad? All for a sheared bolt! Amazing!

Man, the thing of scooter owning nightmares. This thread has me convinced I'm going to shear off the bolt when I go to put my winter tires on. At 40K miles perhaps if it was going to shear off it would have already done so.

Are there things I should do before applying torque to that bolt?

You could soak it with PB Blaster or similar.
But really, at 40,000 miles you have replaced the rear tire a few times.
I've never had a problem with my MP3 removing fasteners that I had previously removed.
*I tend to apply anti-seize to them the first time around.

i sometimes will give a bolt a little tap with a hammer to give it a shock to help it break free a little before i start trying to loosen it

Now I've got one !

Must be a disease.

My secondhand scooter had a bracket at the front of the seat. What for I don't know. The seat rubs when refueling so I thought I would remove the bracket.

What do ya know. One of the 5mm bolts that holds the seat is sheared off.

To revisit getting broken bolts out of your engine, if you have tried and failed to do it, here are two ways of trying to get a professional to do it. One seems to have a significantly higher success rate than the other.

Google Automotive Machine Shop.

Find one. Call them, preferably on your lunch hour when the people at the shop who know what they are doing are out to lunch.
Ask if they work on Vespas. Try to describe to the person on the phone what a Vespa is.
Call the next one.
Ask if they work on Vespas.
Call the next one.
Ask if they work on Vespas.
Call the...

or

Google Automotive Machine Shop.
Scan customer reviews for words "motorcycle" and "bike"
Ignore reviews about how messy the shop is, unwilling to rebuild an engine for $20, unfriendly they are on the phone to people who call and ask if they work on Vespas, etc.
Drain oil and coolant and remove engine from Vespa. If you lack the mechanical aptitude to remove and replace the engine from your Vespa, you have no business trying to drill out broken bolts from the engine case.
Carry engine into shop that is closest and has the word "motorcycle" or "bike" in some customer reviews.
Ask, "I've broken off a bolt. Can you get it out?"
"Yes. What's this out of, some sort of motorcycle?"
"Yes."
They will call you when it's time to pick it up.

If you don't have the mechanical aptitude to remove and replace the engine, put the bike in a truck and take it to one of these shops. The guy at the counter, who doesn't seem to understand what you are asking them to do on the phone, will more than likely come out with you to try and figure out what you are talking about, and there is a good chance he will say that they can help you. And remember that they are helping you. You are not their bread and butter, so it's not a case of whether they are fortunate to be getting your business, but whether or not they are willing to stop doing the things that do pay their bills, to do you a favor and help you out.

Exactly