Modern Vespa

The wagon's been my year-round daily driver for 21 years. Newest vehicle I own.

I love this!

Oh ! So nice !!

Your passion for older machines extends well beyond two-wheelers. Kudos to you Moto for the commitment to keep 'em on the road.

I don't like the look of today's cars. In the mid 80s when I was a new driver, my first few cars happened to be only 1970 model years (Datsun 510 sedan, Dodge Dart w/ a slant 6, and then BMW 2002 coupe.) I miss the 2002 the most.

I bought the first 96 in '74 which was only 5 years old but the floors rotted out and I have been driving these things daily for 49 years. I decided this wagon was going to be the last so whatever it takes it gets.
I had a 510 wagon in '72 and it is the one car I wish I had held on to. I have no wish to own a car that's smarter than I am.

I got the piston pounded through and the motor dismantled to a point. The front case had something like dark honey in it and the rear drive case was more like pine tar. Like the trans case was changed but the drive case never.

Found some odd things like the clutch bell not properly indexed to the shaft so it sat too far out and the spring towers ground the cover a bit (no real harm) and slipped. Probably why it came off the road... Also found some cool wire connectors in the frame.

This thing's fascinating. So mechanical and virtually nothing in common with a Vespa or '59 L. The kick start mechanism with its spider gears and two-stage pedal alone is a trip.

I counted ten zerks on this machine.

Little WD40 and a brass brush that'll be like new.

I love those saabs! We used to have a 2-stroke 96 in our family. If you ever go to let one go let me know - my father, shown here, is still in VT and misses it a lot!

That lammy is a killer score

Wow. That is an oddball and of an engine. Zerks, as in zerk fittings for a grease gun? Those Saabs are cool too. Thanks for sharing.

Well, I got the motor all apart and it looks to be in pretty fine shape. The clutch bell grinding on the cover filled the front case with glitter and so all the bearings will get swapped. The seals are hardened. The crank's OK and there's little wear on the wrist pin bushing, which I'll replace along with an over-size piston. The gears all look nice. The drive shaft/rear end seems fine so I'll just leave it alone and flush it out.
There are clear signs that this has all been apart before so I am not sure what's been replaced.
So far, from one source, all motor parts, cables, brake shoes, and some other odds and ends are just short of a grand... Maybe another $500 to get it on the road .

Awesome cars Moto! That piston is devastated. Are the rings melted onto the piston?

I haven't tried prying a ring out. It's just a solid mass. Looks like water got in there by the pitting in the cylinder and all the corrosion. Maybe the plug has been out all this time.

That's a great score you have found a very expensive item over hear 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 l used lambretter many moons ago and found them great and easy to work on you have your hands on a real antique scooter there ! I to am going to get one for old times sake ! I really love the J series one's vespa type frame and lambretter engine best of both worlds love to see the final out come 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿👍 best foot forward soulboy74

When i was 15 and getting into all things mod and scooters, but couldnt ride one, there was this rumour that at the local university there was a Lambretta that was hidden somewhere, left by students in 1972 following an off. As kids we would search the grounds, outbuildings etc looking for this elusive Lambretta, often chased off by the site manager, a very stern man called Jon Barker. Leaving school i found myself working at this uni at 18, the year is 1984. "Jon, is it true about this lambretta, thats it hidden here somewhere?". A wry smirk on Jon's face was yes. Roll on to 1995, im still working there, took a year sabbatical to finish my degree, graduate, im back at work. Jons retiring and as a gift I gave him a computer and screen as now worked in IT. It was stuff needing to go and he was very grateful. He said "come on, ive got something to show you." Leading to a big wooden garage in a carpark, he unlocks the padlock and there propped up against the wall is an LD150 mk 3, one side a bit rusty where the rain had leaked on to the panel. "Its yours he said, as long as you can take it today!" The nearest property i could push it to was my mums bungalow, dad had passed away, he wouldnt be pleased as loathed scooters having put up with my previous four he helped me work on. In mums garage it stayed for a few years, wreaking of foul stale fuel. Gaining property of my own, scooter was moved to mine and after a while i decided to look at it.

It was seized, but believe only seized as been standing. The history was students just abandoned it after falling off. I soaked the barrel which was half way down the barrel with god knows what, soaked again, soaked again and with a block of wood managed to tap the cylinder off. Rafferty Newman central lambretta importer in the UK was still running back then, they gave me some new piston rings. The scoot was showing 2600 miles on clock. I prised out the old rings, stuck in the new. Reassembled the head. Rigging up some 2 stroke mix in a bottle and fuel pipe to carb i went to the top of the drive. Now this is no word of a lie. I kicked over the scooter once, nothing. I kicked the scooter twice and it started. The lights came on, the horn worked. Meshing it into gear i drove down the drive towards the garage.... the brakes didnt work and just missed crashing into the new metal door i had fitted week before. Testimony to the fact that if you dont dick about with standard scoots, they will go on and on.

I parted company with the LD for a big sum of cash, sold as seen via scootering magazine, it was all complete but i didnt have the inclination to restore it given the performance of the machine. There were no tuning modifications for it and i believe at the time, people had tried but as the drive shafts arent particularly robust they will shatter. The model D's of course were all shaft driven, like a vespa before going to chain driven, hence tuning opportunities are restricted. Yes, they do change hands for lots of wonga in the UK but they are very niche. When i get home i will try and find the photos of it.

update:- could only find one digitized photo, we didnt have digital then, just a point click and develop, i have the oringal photos somewhere, when i can find will post.

Wow! fantastic story. (Pic please?)

Could only find one digitized photo, placed in thread post. All point click and send to chemist to develop back in them olden days. Also remembered it had the nice airscoop embellishers on the panels as extras. It was all there. I actually bought a T5 MK1 with analogue speedo with the LD sell and still had money left over. 65mph all working versus possible 48mph on the LD with tons of engine refurb. Bear in mind back then the internet didnt exist and wasnt so easy to source parts just like that.

And, what became of the T5 ?

Ok I drove the T5 for a couple of years . Paid £625 for it and then flipped it for a £1000 then went mental dark side and bought a 2 stroker Italjet 180 dragster in orange ; 80mph fully auto , the thing was crazy quick and used to drive with feet on pillion fit pegs so to lean crazy into corners. I then had a lull in scoots until my current px 177 which I've owned for a good ten years plus a pk small frame . Thing is when you are into scoots that much when 16 it's in your veins, 41 years later still driving them. Would be like losing a big part of me not to have one to drive.

The poster getting an LD for $400 is amazing . It will be a real head turner when sorted. I've seen LDs converted in the UK to SX engines etc with some mad 30 bhp engines; be nice to get it back to working order and Potter about at 45mph getting admiring glances. I used to like the NSU prima too, looks like a lambretta but isn't

Terrific story, great photos. Yes, RIP to dads who probably knew better than we do vis a vis scooters.