Modern Vespa

I'm calling it a Spermy Vespa because of the artwork on this 1980 P200... but more on that later.

For reasons having nothing to do with the scooter itself, I haven't been able to begin restoring the P200 that I bought in early January Checking the Checklist .

I've decided that I'm going to do a basic in-the-frame engine rebuild as described by Robot on the Scooterwest video. [topic168069.] If I decide to do more, like replace the bearings, I'll pull the engine and do the rest of the job.

While I was waiting to start work on the scooter, I did a little more search into the paperwork and I found out that the guy in Colfax who sold me the scooter is an assh... uh,... disreputable person. When I asked him about the current registration, he looked me in the eye and lied through his teeth! He told me that he never registered the scooter in his name but that he went to the CA DMV and confirmed that the scooter had been registered as PNO by the PO and that the only outstanding fee was the current registration. I later found out that, the scooter has NOT been registered as PNO since 1994 so with outstanding back registration fees and penalties, the cost to license it will be $750... a bit much for an $800 scooter. I hear Vermont calling!

I will not name the seller here but will caution anyone about doing business with a seller who lives in Colfax, CA. If you need to know his name, PM me.

Cool artwork LuckyBear

"is that hair gel" on your scooter?

wow that is interesting paint. Looks like a great deal before and probably a decent deal after still bummer how that ended up though. At least there is an alternative. I have the same fly screen and was thinking about trying it out. Now I see how the brackets go!

Looks like a decent deal even with the dmv headache. Solid looking, should work out well.

Congrats on the Blu Sperm Bank! It looks solid, and like others here I think it seems like a good deal; even with the DMV fees. $1550 for a (what appears to be) solid P200. Not bad at all. Sling that giant windscreen for some scratch back. Probably best to just pay the CA fees, as Cali is a stickler for that stuff and out of state plates. You wont be able to "wash the title" and re-register in California with the Vermont title; since its still in the CA DMV system. That's illegal anyway.... You'd have to rock the green plate. Some do it and get away. If it was me, and I intended to really ride it, and I get the feeling you do; having the legit California title and plate is money well spent. That's my 1.5 cents. Congrats and good luck bringing spermy back to life!

Gotta say... I thought those were peanuts, Get yourself a top hat and a monocle and call it the Planters bike. Agree with all that's a good deal even with the penalties and taxes. Love the OG windscreen, It does sure suck that the seller didn't come clean.

seems like Mr. Peanut would be a better scooter name than Mr. Sperm, but to each his own

At first it looked like macaroni to me, but now it looks like Amoeba.

I have the enormous topcase that often accompanies the large windshield, I like to think of it as the Professor Dork package. I don't have the shield (I have a fly screen).

In California if you don't plan on riding or driving a vehicle for a year and just park it in the garage you still have to pay fees? If so what kind of crap is that? It looks like you can say it hasn't been operated.



https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/brochures/howto/htvr14/!ut/p/z1/pVFLU8IwEP4tHDh2dkvfx6hIaUWcQaHNpdNHSuvYpJTQ6r8nMOoNHDWXzc7st_s9gEIElKd9vU1lLXj6pvqY2kk4v5vq_gzDmfVAkIS-v1xP15OZZ8AaKNA2rwuIET1mGRZqLCsdzWQT1LKC2RorTM8pXZO5tn2azrlsZQVx0fRJLrhkXCaMj1H1Y2wP2X6MWSfy6tAx9a3EIIUqsu90EzZnPnjhEQR6nW6s8E7izdHV3RWGy9Wjg4QEvh6YT-jd67DpazbACxddo-SvfqnOx88LlyhY9j8vBD8pVInVr7sdJcrok7nvEqK_OK32TLrF7WKr6KWy0mpeCohOIIi-QRCdQap8xUPP_K4E1DaNa3xocdAPw3PZbNz9jTcno9ER8dEjNg!!/


https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vr/vr_info

There is a workaround if the bike is more than 25 years old and you are a collector, but it's still a pain

I thought it looks like Cheetos

Basicly, in CA you must pay registration each year. If you dont pay then late fees and penalty's are added and compounded each year. These add up real fast. You can also put the vehicle on PNO ( Planned Non Operation), which is a small fee and avoids any late fees and penalties. Either way, ALL fees must be paid when a vehicle title is transferred. This is supposed to be paid by the previous owner before transferring. Obviously that doesn't always happen.

All this applies while a vehicle is still in the CA-DMV system. If registration is not paid for 7 years or more, the vehicle vin is removed from the system, and you must go through the steps outlined in the link above to get a new title and registration.

Now, I'd like to know more about this work around for collectors....

Yeah, that paint is something... my wife is the one who says they look like little Spermys so "Blu Sperm Bank" works for me although "Mr. Peanut" might be more socially acceptable. As I understand it, the original owner dipped a Styrofoam packing "peanut" into some sort of paint and stamped them all over the blue paint. (She was an "artist"). The trouble is that I don't know what paint she used so I don't know how to remove it.

I've been having some success by rubbing them out (so to speak) with Turtle Wax polishing compound, but it is SO SLOW and a lot of work. I'd like to find some chemical to remove the spermys without destroying the blue paint but since I don't know what the paint is, I don't know what to use. So far I've tried lacquer thinner, turpentine and adhesive remover but without success... and one of them removed the blue paint. Any suggestions would be welcome.

I'm thinking that I might leave one squiggle to explain why I call it the Sperm Bank... or Mr. Peanut.

How about P-Nut

I've had success removing respray paint with regular Paint Thinner. Some suggest Acetone for more aggressive stripping, but I like the gentle-er nature of the thinner. More work and time, but less likely to strip the old paint; but that doesn't work on all paints. It's really hit or miss / case-by-case with this type of thing. Especially when you want to save the original paint. Even more so when the paint is dried out like yours appears to be. More chance of it coming off when buffing.

Cant really say anything specific without knowing what paint the peanuts are done in. It would be great to save that Blue and bring it back to life! Pick a somewhat hidden spot and give it a go with various techniques. Slow and steady is the way to go here.

Under a cowl on the spare tire side maybe? Maybe underneath to see if it eats off the factory paint?

I am unpainting a whole damn scooter that has fairly nice original paint underneath. I've tried most all solvents - lacquer thinner, acetone and MEK(ketone) seem do work OKish, but my favorite is CRC aerosol gasket remover. Find my thread to see pics of it in action.

In case you're interested- I'd pay $400 for the cowls (if the paint/metal looks as good as it does in the photos)- might help with some of the reg fee.

I'm pretty sure that is Asian, it has coronavirus all over it.

Yes Christopher, I'm pretty fed up with California even though I was born and raised here. ("The miners came in '49, the whores in '51, and when they got together, they produced the Native Son")

The DMV is typical of the crap we have to put up with... we can't even buy ammunition now without a background check... but I don't know where else I would want to live. But that's another topic.

When I first looked into buying Spermy I ran the license number through DMV and found that the scooter is still in the system but that I couldn't register it online. After I bought it, I had the VIN and was able to do a more detailed search and that's when I found all the back fees. I wanted to check DMV while I was buying the scoot but the seller lives in the woods and I couldn't get internet service... think Deliverance. I took the "disreputable person" at his word and that's why I got screwed. I sent him a bill for the back fees, more to annoy him than with the expectation that he would pay it.

I didn't know about historical vehicles option... I'll have to look into that.

Also, to Whodadschrome... No, that's rubbing compound... not "hair gel", but I like your thinking!

Last edited by Fatbear5 on Sat, 29 Feb 2020 17:52:39 +0000; edited 1 time

I don't know what it is about P200s, but every one I every had was a legal hassle. I guess, now that I think about it, all of them have been a legal hassle. But this last one (1966 Allstate) was the oldest of all and the one I had to do the most work to obtain title - but it was totally worth it. Hang in there and good luck.

Goof-Off might work to remove those peanut skins. It's fairly safe on most automotive paints, but I would definitely test it out first in a non conspicuous area first.

And you can easily dab up a few acrylic screen for a windshield. I don't know how close a plastic/hobby store is located near you though. There's a TAP Plastics about 45 minutes from my house, so that's convenient for me. I'm envisioning a transparent blue screen (though it would probably be too dark to effectively see through though). Around here (PDX), that a sheet of plastic that size would probably cost around $40 from TAP plastics.

Yes, Whodatschrome I was thinking about picking up a small piece of plastic at our local plastic outlet (like TAP) and then cutting and bending it to shape. I've never been a fan of windshields but since Spermy is already set up with the proper mounting brackets I might just give it a try. I'm wondering if anyone has an old helmet face shield they want to get rid of. I've seen guys modify those into a small shield..

Might just be me, but that scoot looks more like a Sperminator than a Sperm Bank.

Add Xylene to the list of solvents that MIGHT disrupt the semen-t bond between the paints without deflowering the underlying blue.

Try Krud Kutter Graffiti Remover.

Test on an inconspicuous place first but I'm 99.9% sure it won't hurt the original Max Meyer paint, which was impressively tough.

Fatbear I have the same wind screen and could trace the upper if you want a template. The plastic is flat not bent and forms easily to the fiberglass bottom.

regarding the DMV and back fees, there is a way out. I'll need to dig out my notes on the sections of the VC, but as long as the vehicle has not been operated on the road you should be able to get them waved.

The key things are:
0. the vehicle has not been opporated on or over any public roads in the great state of California.
1. the vehicle is of historic interest (age mostly but the fact that an "artist" was in there as well should push it over the top)
2. you are a collector, and you are.
3. you create a statement of fact explaining 0-2 and very nicely ask that the back fees be waved as per VC section blah blah blah.

I'll look up the VC sections or an older post that has them.

If resistance is met at the DMV you kindly ask that they submit it to Sac and let them approve or reject it.

While we don't have back fees her in the wonky state of South Carolina, obtaining a title has gotten a lot harder. No longer will the local DMV listen to your tale of woe, or give you title because you used to live in Vermont or bought from Georgia where they don't bother to title anything that old. Now. there are forms that have to be sent to the state that are evaluated on a case by case basis. Pictures, history, bill of sale, VIN checked by local DMV or police officer , etc... But it is doable. Good handwriting (whenever possible), a clear. concise, solid back story, and respectful attitude go a long way here. It still sucks that you are dealing with a lazy sod, but as long as it comes up as not stolen or salvage, you should be good to go. You also have the genius of all things mechanical and state business in your corner and of course I'm talking about Mr. P. Owens.

I bet that thing will clean up nicely LuckyBear you need to bring it to Oregon for a road test. I'll even buy you a spot of tea.

found the other post:

http://modernvespa.com/forum/post1310404#1310404

Lots of good stuff on working with the DMV... thanks everyone! I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and go down and talk with the people there... that will kill a day!

Getting started on my actual project was a little more difficult than I expected. Last year I bought a used Harbor Freight motorcycle lift and it has been in a shed all winter. I moved it into the garage and found out that it goes up alright, but I couldn't get it down (Insert obligatory Erectile Disfunction joke here). I discovered that a pin had fallen out of a connector so going back to basics, I fixed it with a bent nail.

So far, I've cleaned the engine compartment and removed the carb. The scooter last ran in 1994 and has been stored outside for at least a year so there is a lot of built up grime and crap. So far I've been scraping it off with a putty knife and spraying degreaser liberally.

I have a couple of rebuilt carbs ready to go so I will use one of those and rebuild this one later on.

wow it looks like it might be untouched the inlet looks brand new.

Looking good so far. I pulled the cylinder and was very pleased to find that it is looking good. No apparent damage to the cylinder or the piston so I will reuse them although I will replace the rings. This engine has 23k miles.

I've never replaced rings but I'm guessing that I slide the old rings down to the bottom and off and then slide the new rings up.

Looks like I might have been wrong that piston has a bigger hole measure the ring gap with the rings in the cylinder they might be perfectly good from the looks of it.

Is this right!

I started to remove the front wheel to change the brake pads and found an unexpected nut. As I recall, when I've changed brake pads in the past, the front wheel was held on with a castellated nut so have to wonder if this nut is some sort of homemade substitution.

There was a wheel cover on this scooter at one time and I'm wondering if this unusual nut was part of that installation.

Yes, that nut is right. It is held in place by staking the outer. I don't recall seeing one on a P however.

It's a normal P nut...get it?

Yes, Whodatschrome, I get it... and I like it! Clever comment.

Thanks for the verification on the nut though. It's something I've never seen before and I was concerned that someone might have bodged the front wheel. I figure that keeping that on the axle is kinda important.

Skip the CA DMV hassle and get a mail away state reg. So much easier than dealing with the CA DMV...