Modern Vespa

Hats off to you - great job!

Nice work. That's really sharp looking. I like the blue a lot.

Epic thread!
Took me a while skimming thru the pages but it was worth it.
Congrats on a stellar restoration project.......

Just in time to ride through that great fall color! Looks real sharp. Enjoy.

Looks great!! What a journey

Proper.

Thanks for the kind comments. Restoring this scooter took a ridiculous amount of time. But I feel like I now have the knowledge to keep a Vespa on the road indefinitely.

Best of all, the whole project turned me into a passable painter. It should make my VBB and bus paint projects go a lot better.

Next up is some cleaning up on the Stella. I'm planning to do some touch ups and blends using reduced rust oleum with acrylic enamel hardener. I have some racing stripes and some extra legshield trim. I'm also going to rebadge it as a Vespa…or maybe a Renault. Just a little fun with the least amount of work.

But most of all, some riding.

I vote for re-badging as a Renault!

I'm thinking that too! My first car was an '82 Renault Fuego that I had painted a Porsche polar silver. It was the best looking car I ever owned. I have the Fuego badge too. It would fit perfectly on the cowl strip.

I'm looking forward to a picture of the racing stripes in situ. I wanted to do something like that on the VBB's legshield, but black-only checkers. Never could find them online to order.

aaand...tried searching just for fun and immediately came up with something close... I expect they'd need to be cut down two squares, but could work...

I cut squares out of electrical tape back in the 80's to do checkers on my cowls and helmet. Rude boy sticker on the legshield and mod parka…I thought I was hot shit.

The pattern you found looks sharp.

I have this tradition with my neighbor where he presents me with a First Cav sticker whenever I get something on the road. Everything I drive has one. It starts a lot of interesting conversations when I get thanked for my service. I tell them about my neighbor, his service and our friendship. So far, no one has accused me of impersonating a vet. He gave me one for the Stella, but it's big enough for a helicopter, so I found a smaller version that will fit on the stripe.

A scooter already screams Death from Above so I thought understated might be better.

Still shaking out the new ride…literally. Shit just shakes itself loose. 70's air cooled transportation would prefer to be a trail of parts on the road.

Seems about right.

Nothing much to report which is a good thing.

Put a mirror on the 200. Left hand mirror is the only one of use and the only one regally required as far as I know. Still breaking in this bike.

I haven't even started the VR-1 engine yet. Received air bellows and a choke cable yesterday, but I think I'm still missing something. That's not what has been holding me back though.

The VMC 187 engine that I was ready to shelve indefinitely has been running well on the Stella. CHT's are good. It has been a joy to ride even while playing with the jetting a bit.

I could push the VR-1 build and get it in the Stella, but I would end up spending what's left of riding season shaking it out. Instead, I'm going to enjoy riding what I have.

You're learning, by resisting that urge and deciding to ride.

Especially when you live somewhere that "limited riding season" is a Real Thing. I wasn't aware that Upstate New York, was now a monarchy, but I hope it's at least a Constitutional Monarchy.