Modern Vespa

Hey everybody. I just bought my first Vespa today and am super psyched. Got a GREAT deal on a 2006 LX50 (perfect for around my town). It was in a crash so there is body damage (runs great though). I would like to start fixing it up over time and would love recommendations on what to do. The front panel is really screwed so need to figure out how to replace that. There is also no bucket liner under the seat so will need to get one of those. Pictures posted below.
Thanks, Ben

Welcome!

Oh man, your first Vespa and it's a project bike...

Do you have a budget set aside and accounts set up at Scooterwest and other parts distributors?!

First stop is the bodyman to see about straightening the leg shield (frame) and get the glove box reattached.

Thanks for the info. I do have money put aside for bike and will look into parts websites (for bucket under seat). Do you think the front panel is repairable? And would I bring it to a bike shop or any general bodywork shop? If the repairs turn out to be more trouble then worth I don't mind as plan on getting a 150cc Vespa in future anyways.

It's a bit hard to tell from the photograph, but I suspect that it is. OTOH, it depends on how much money you're willing to put into it. Crashing my LX with less damage cost on the order of $600 for body work...dents and painting, and it wasn't all that damaged. I used a general bodywork shop, FWIW. Did a good job.

I'm still wondering how so much stuff got stripped from your scooter....lights, pet carrier, etc. Kinda weird. Regardless, what you might want to do is do some eBay searching to see if you can pick up some of the pieces used. Could save a bunch over new. But what I'd do first is get a quote on the body work to see if it's worth the investment of the other parts.

Good luck!

Welcome in MV International from Latina (Italy).
It can be a good basis for a mid-term job done without haste, the advice to find pieces on ebay or other sites is the right way.

Welcome!

Vespa is a bit different than other modern scoots, as it has a frame/body "unibody" instead of a separate tube frame.

So having serious, visible dents on the frame, including the "front shield", has the risk of the frame being bend or structurally damaged. A good shop working with Vespas in particular could have a fast estimate on how serious the damage is, as they know the structure of the scoot.

So mayby clear this first and invest into other parts when the estimate is known?

Hopefully it turns out good, it's a handy looking scoot! I do like the look of the 50cc Vespas, they are somehow even closer to the original style than the big ones.

Rightly so as to have a mono body frame and be rigid it is more complex and expensive, mainly for this reason the Vespas have the highest price ... but ... in the event of an accident repairs are more expensive; i know that with special templates the frame can be checked whether it is crooked or not. Larger Piaggio workshops should have them and they are tools they own.

Good to know, my next stop will be the shop for a price estimate then. Do you guys know if the "pet carrier" (love the name lol) for the LX50 is the same size as the LX150 and S series? And on that note is the LX50 and 150 frame parts pretty much identical? Alot of people are listing parts for LX150 and was thinking they could possible fit my LX50. Thanks!

This is one I would have run from.

Sorry to say it, but really, all those parts missing, and frankly that's big damage to the front end. It's almost like someone crashed it, and was thinking it's a parts bike so sold a couple bits, then thought well maybe someone would buy the rest of it.... And someone did.

Those look like original tires, by the way. Did you check the dates on them? If they are original, they are safely beyond any tire OEM's recommendation of replacement due to age. So there's a couple hundred dollars.

But then, you say you got a great deal, so here's to hoping that's true.

The body parts you are missing can all be sourced from an LX 150, and probably an S model, too. You should check scooterpartsco.com for missing parts. I've found they sell quite a few OEM parts cheaper than I've seen them listed used.

If you're like me, that 50cc engine will get boring rather quick. Once you get the cosmetics in order, it's time for a big bore kit. I've put over 3,000 miles on mine since installing the kit, and it was the best money I spent.

It's a 50, and doesn't go fast enough to worry about the tires.

... damn true ...
Before buying all the missing parts i would make a list and calculate the total price, then i'd check if the frame is crooked and finally (if it's all right) i would make some considerations ...
I realize that perhaps by reading the comments you will not be very happy but we are also here to do "the devil's lawyers" (is this way of saying also the case in U.S.A.?)

Piu o meno. It's the devils advocate. But advocate in English is not attorney. We didn't get all our words from the Normans.

Tu conosci troppo bene l'italiano...
Remember that there was also Norman domination in Italy.

Thanks again for all the new info. The comments are about what I expected with the extent of damage, but it rides fine and for what I payed thats more than I would expect. I will go get some quotes next week and will let you guys know what they say. If it turns out to be not worth the cost I will probably just buy new front blinkers, horn cover and macgyver the front frame the best I can so my scooter doesn't look so ratchet.

Did it have a salvage title? Not that it means a lot -- insurance companies will total a scooter for very little actual damage. But you might keep that in mind when you go looking for your next scooter. Good luck and have fun!

I'd be willing to bet the price you get quoted for the body work on the legshield is more than what you paid for the scoot. It actually doesn't look that bad... the left side is separated from the glovebox assembly but the edge of the legshield looks relatively in place. Hopefully all that means is you need to either reattach or install new trim/beading to reunite the legshield and glovebox. As far as the dents to the front of the legshield, pop a front rack on there and it'll hardly be noticeable.

Good luck!

In Michigan the LX 50 is considered a moped and there is no title requirement. You simply sign the back of the vehicle registration to reassign ownership.

Simples: Duct tape.

Guessing that ultimately you'll not want to dump the money into it that would make it all right.

MacGyvering it might be the best plan, if it rides well and runs well. As said before, you well may want more power soon enough anyway.

If it was me, I'd at least start with that rear reflector.

It doesn't look like the glove box is broken. You could probably take it off, then bend the front of the scooter back so it will line up. You could do it with the glove box on too, but I'm not sure you can push it far enough back to hold in place where it needs to be.

And Roman domination in Gaul. And Scandinavian domination in England, which is where the world Law probably comes from. The Normans likely did contribute -iere, which the commoners changed to -yer, probably because it seemed phonetically correct at the time and the way they spell French words make no sense to someone who's not French. Most English words that don't seem vaguely French were the ones used by the Hoi Polloi, and even now you will find that if there are two words for something, like lawyer and attorney, the posh word usually has Norman origins.

... nothing negative, it was to point out how military dominations sometimes influence cultures ...

The front rack is a good call, I would also definitely use it. I'm going to see if I can bend the leg-shield back myself and have an order coming from scooterpartsco with all the missing crap + some capri blue paint. Will post pics when I assemble everything. Thanks again everybody!!

Hey Ben, welcome from a former Santa Barbararian and Gaucho. That's a perfect scoot for IV/SB. But no, you're not going up San Marcos Pass! 😉 Good luck with the fix-up.

The main thing is to make sure of is the scooter is not twisted. Looking at the photo's there is a chance it is. If that's the case it won't ride properly and could be unsafe. It doesn't need to be twisted by very much to cause issues. In fact, I've had bikes in the workshop where you definitely couldn't see it was twisted, yet the bike handled terribly and had to have extensive work carried out to fix it.

Of course, we don't know that, so what others are saying about getting it assessed is sensible. If it's not twisted or out of alignment in any way then the cosmetics don't really matter too much. It will be a good first bike, but it has to be running straight and true with good handling to do that. Over here it won't pass it's ministry test each year if it's out of alignment and will be classed as unroadworthy.

Good luck with this and keep us all posted on how it goes. Thanks!

I would buy the front leg shield new from dealer. when I checked for gts it wasnt much over 100.

91 bucks at af1 racing
6221145

Huh, I didn't realize they sold just the legshield. However, that would require the old one to be removed from the frame, the new one to be professionally welded to the rest of the frame, which would require a fair bit of disassembly and reassembly, which = $$$ in labor costs.

no body shop would straighten that front legsheild if they were aware a new one was only 90. it spot welds in place. its not as difficult as it may seem. its by far the correct way to fix the bike. the panel could even be painted first. then spot welded in place.

The cost of labour to do as jerryd is proposing would be astronomical. That panel forms a major part of the monoque frame structure partly carrying the steering tube, bearings, ignition etc etc. It's a huge amount of work compared to straightening out the dents. There are major issues too with realignment of the steering when doing that sort of work too. It shouldn't be undertaken by anyone except a Vespa dealer. And most won't due to the difficulty level. Not really practical and no one does it. It's normally a new frame if a bike is very out of true or has suffered extensive damage.

no matter how its fixed the cost (if left to normal body shop) exceeds the value of the scooter.

normal body shop totaled my 2008 mazda 5. saying it cost 6000 to fix. I took 5500 and bought the car back for 500. I went to salvage yard and purchase a used fender for 50. bolted it on my self. been driving it ever since. normal body shops defined as those ripping off insurance companies.

there are other body shops that will paint a whole car for 300.

savy will be needed to repair this scooter. just looking at pictures the frame is not gonna be bent. the outer parts of leg shield are very flimsy and dent very easy. if frame was bent it wouldnt drive great.

The smart body repair person, who intends to straighten the leg shield, would try that first before buying one thing.

But that's after determining if the scooter is twisted as mentioned above.

But that's before you buy it.

Not being critical of your purchase, just the facts of a body repair on a vehicle, at least that vehicle, which has limited $$$ repair room for a sensible, affordable re-build.

Thanks again for all the help guys. The parts came and I got around to working on it about a week ago and am very happy with the results. I was able to use a rubber mallet and brute strength to bend in the frame as much as possible. The lights and horn panel connected with no problem.

I do have one mechanical problem now though. I noticed the scooter would slowly stall at idle and turn off (I would have to give it a little bit of rev to keep it from stalling). At first I didn't mind this but its gotten worse to the point the scooter stalls and is extremely had to turn back on. I have to hold down the ignition for ~10 seconds while it slowly fades back to life. Even now when I'm driving it will seem to lose power then "stutter" forward. Anybody have and ideas? I have cleaned carb and replaced tubing, not sure what else to do. Thanks!

Shalom and welcome to MV from Israel.

Remember me...is it four stroke o two?

It's a 4 stroke!

It could be the dirty carburetor and / or petrol ... (is it a caburator?) Or the spark plug.

Is it all on the same tank of fuel? If so, I'd 2nd the bad petrol remark. Is the evap system still in place. I know there's differing opinions on this, but mine seemed to like life a little better without it. There's a YouTube video that makes removing it a snap.

Thanks for the input. I'll replace the spark plug and check out the Evap system this weekend. Will keep you guys updated.