Modern Vespa

Welcome to the side of Modern Vespa where I'll be working on and riding something Not-So-Modern; a 1979 Vespa P200E.

This Vespa is my very first Vespa, and is also the newest latest greatest addition to my collection. I got this as my first Vespa back in 1998, when I was 18 living in SoCal. Rode every day for a long time, even years without a car; just this Vespa. Rebuilds, repaints, weddings, funerals, parties, rallies, a few bangs and bruises and lots of long rides; all good times. Then due to a change in circumstance and priorities... I sold it in 2013....

...and now 10 years later in 2023, after some shuffling and jiving and moving and shaking, with a little help and ALOT of luck - this beauty of a Vespa found its way back to me. I feel like the 18 year old young man all over again.

Now that the long ordeal to get get it back is behind me, I can focus on the future and the warm riding weather that is just around the corner. I'll be going thru this Vespa headset-to-taillight; inspecting, repairing, torquing, rebuilding, and most importantly - cleaning cleaning cleaning.

Overall it's in good shape, still wearing the same respray paint & 'restoration' I did back in 1999. It has its fair share of neglected bits and loose bolts that need attention. It feels good to go thru everything for my own peace of mind to know that whats there is done properly. It's like making it mine all over again. Thanks for following along on the new old journey.


Finally home again. That was a long 10 year detour.





Ready to get to work

a few old pics


back in 1999 after repaint and rebuild

This dude is sharp IMHO. Living that scooterist life 1998. This photo was captured on film and printed in an actual photography lab using chemicals and stuff. Not cuz its cool (it is), but because thats how it was done in the oledayz...I'm older now

Wait, so you shaved the turn signals? Gorgeous bike, you did a great job!

I started by cleaning. First a general wash n spray, then a deep dive into the engine bay, rear frame, and the engine itself. I removed the rear tire and got to work a scrubAdubdub


yuck. thats not my grime.

more yuck. really not too bad

rear tire off, rear shock off, engine dropped and getting clean.

View of the work station, and bench with parts removed. Also the jack-lift I made for scooter jobs like this.

A Spray n Wash makes it Fresh n Clean. Still looks good after all these years!

Mucho better. I love seeing the bit of burgundy original paint peaking out.

Under is side just a bit grimey, not too terrible. Rear brake pedal removed to replace cable and allow access to clean inside tunnel.

Sparkly! Here you can see the metal plates welded to the frame on the centerstand mounts. I welded these 1/4' plates on in an attempt to repair and improve the all too common floor cracking issue. 24years later and it's all holding up strong

another view of the plates. Nice n strong

Yes, I shaved the turn siganls, trimmed the rear bumper, shaved the headset-idiot-lights, and the turn signal switch too.

With the rear end nice and shiny, its time to add something new to my old ride. My first upgrade wlll be a Clauss Studio's upper rear shock mount; along with the full spread of Clauss suspension bushings to go along with it.


Clauss Studio's rear upper shock mount, rear lower shock bushing, front shock upper bushings *not shown, swingarm bushings which are in the mail

mocked up using the original shock mount hole. I marked the second hold to drill in the frame.

second hold drilled using a step bit. easy job.

upper view of the new hole, and the original

bolted in nice n snug.

Fits great, looks strong.

Hopefully this holds!?!

Next upgrade - long studs on the rear hub.


using my diy hub holding tool for its actual intended purpose. Instead of swinging it around like Thor with Stormbreaker.

Hub popped right off lickety splitsy's. Inside and brake surface look good. Original Piaggio brake shoes

Piaggio original goodness. Just needs a little wash

double-nut'd all the stud's.

just enough room to back them out, then grind off the back swedged portion; before removal of the stud

Silver or Blue zinc... both grade 10.9. M8x1.25-35mm, button head allen

I chose the blue zinc for something different. *camera went dead so I did not capture the part where I chased the threads and chamfered the back edge to allow the bolt to sit flush.

Nice Long Stud. I dressed the mounting surface as well.

Very cool ya got your ol bike back! I honestly can't count how many have left the stable that I wish I had again. Looking forward to following and seeing the progress!

Oh yeah! Very nice! Very nice indeed!

It'll be way cool having your first scooter back on the road.

I'm curious - what clutch are you putting in? Or what's in it now?

I'm thinking a VMC clutch may be the way I go in the future. I've got two, wait, three scooters that I want to go through and I'm thinking of going big, as in good stuff.

First - who is that handsome young man?

Second - this is like getting a second chance with a first girlfriend to get everything right!

I'm gonna soften the language a little - but I'm just sayin': experience has it's benefits. She may moan - but it's a completely different one.

If vespas have sole - and we all know they do - then her sole is gonna appreciate this a great deal…

Incredible to get back ur old scoot.
Love this.

It has an SIP Cosa 2 Sport. Seems like a nice setup, runs smooth and releases well. Machined steel w/ a welded banded. Not as light as the alum versions, but is for sure strong. The steel and cork plate tab's are a bit hammered, so new one's are on the way from Mercato. I went with SIP CR80 style plates, so I think it should be a nice little further update


SIP Cosa 2 Sport. With a big bolt and wrench I use for a compressor.

All layed out for inspection. Cork material is ok, but all the tabs are hammered. New full set of cork and steel are on the way.

I love this analogy so much. It is very appropriate, and oooooh so true This beauty is appreciating my touch all over again. More progress today, updates to follow. Man this feels good!

Thanks man!

More progress in various areas. Tearing down to build it back up. Next stop, pulling the headset and dropping the fork to address a few issues.

fork bearings needs greasing. Headset wiring is routed incorrectly thru the steering column & headset causing binding/pulling of the bars when turning, steering stops needed work, etc etc etc


Headset off, engine out, lets dive in deep

fairly dry and very dirty.

lower bearing is not too bad. I cleaned it all out and repacked with fresh grease.

bearing race and lock rings all cleaned up on the scotchbrite wheel. New top bearing and the very old original tool



steering stops are a little blown-out on both sides.

lets fix those steering stops gently... with a big heavy hammer and chisel. A few solid strategic whacks with the BFH, and its good as new

That'll make ya stop in yer tracks

The next phase of this is to repair, redo and reroute some of the wiring harness. The harness was routed incorrectly thru the column & headset, which causes binding/pulling and has been slowly tearing thru the sheathing. So, we pull it out and redo it -


first I figured out why the horn wasn't working... I guess these wires should be connected?

headset removed to see where the wires and cables are. The wire bundle on the left should be on the right, behind the steering column lock

slow sawing action of turning the headset over the years slicing away

pulled both harness leads down from the headset to make repairs

I cut out the old torn sheathing, spliced in new; and taped it all up.

Pulled both harness's back up thru the column in the proper position. One sheathing has been repalced, one was in good shape so I left that intact.

I worked on pulling new cables. I chose the SIP Performance cable kit. This is the first time using these cables, and my first impression is that they are top notch quality. The outer sheathing alone is so nice and tough! Not like most cable kits where the out sheathing just tears and rips if you breath on it wrong. So far I am impressed.


Full kit for the P200E

New outer sheathing for the shift cables, and new clutch cable

I'm trying an experiment. I ran the sheathing for the shift cables all the way from engine compartment to the headset. It made running the second cable very easy, and I think add's a little protection for the cables.

I added marine grade heat shrink tubing over the cable outers, in areas of friction and wear; to help prevent tearing thru the outers over time.

heat shrink over the clutch cable.

Progress updates. I've been busy wrenching, and not much focus for posting... so I'm doing my best here. Some of these updates may be out of order, but its mostly all there lol. Thanks for keeping up!

Its time to hit the (rear) brakes! Cleaning, maintaining, and swapping in a T5 brake cable & lever conversion.


Rear brakes As acquired. Not too bad. A bit grimy, with some room for improvement.

greasy peezy brake arm.

this adjuster must be removed, and the hole in engine case bored out slightly to fit the new cable outer end.

drill that threaded adjuster hole out a bit.

new T5 rear lever installed, cable test fit.

The cable outer is 20mm too long...

I added a bend to the lower leg of this return spring. To allow the spring to better fit the shape of the engine case.

New O-rings, grease packed seal. The rear drive bearing is sealed, so the grease is just to lube the seal for extra precaution.

New Malossi race pads. I added grooves for dust evacuation.

hub fit and ready roll. Other than torque, cotter pin & figuring out the whole too-long cable situation...

more variety of progress


New INOX cover for the oil sight glass hole, as I'm using premix; and CNC choke knob

New cowl pin & latch bushings on both sides.

backside of the oil sight glass cover. Curvature matches the shape of frame perfectly, and snaps in place. However, the metal tabs don't hold tight, so it floats around showing gaps around the edge. Diameter should be approx 2mm wider.

New rear shock. SIP Performance road (or something like that). I drilled out the lower bolt holes to 10mm, on both sides of the shock. That proprietary 9m/10m bolt that comes with the shock is just....stupid. I run 10m rear shock bushings anyway.

Installed easily into the Clauss Studios upper mount.

New Clauss studios engine mount bushings.

Out with the old gummies. This one was easy!

New front. Tight!!

New rear. SO tight tight tight

OleLumpy back home again

Headset work, after sorting out and rerouting the wiring, cables, etc.

New SIP cable pulleys, new adjustable levers, and general assembly.


Lets start fresh with a pair of brand new Grabor switches.

Key switch works great, so I just cleaned up all the contact points.

New SIP "Quick-Action" shift pulley

New SIP "Quick-Action" throttle pulley

New Adjustable levers from Aliexpress. These were about 20% the cost of buying from one of the large retailers. Nice box

Great packaging.

Mocked up. Fit perfectly into the shift lever housing. We all know orange is the fastest color.

Showing comparision of an original Vespa lever (in chrome), and the new Alum lever. The Height (the part where you grab & pull) is about 80% taller than the original. Seems like it will be very comfortable.

Had to make an adjustment to the spacer washers that sit on top & bottom of the lever on MC. The recessed portion where the washer sits on the new lever is a smaller diameter than the original. I ground down the outer diameter of the washers to fit.

Install with the freshly rebuilt Master Cylinder.

Shift side looks good against the chrome. The chrome shifter should add atleast 0.05bhp

New grips for maMITS


Tape up for the overspray. Then hit with a light coat of 3M Super 77 spray glue. I also hold up a piece of cardboard for the overspray.

Grips on and sitting tight! I chose ProGrip dual density. Open ended grips, as I'll be using bar end lights. Again, we all know orange is the fastest color.

fun little detail for my P - series

Super nice brother! I'm diggin the Claus mounts, the sip quick action throttle and shift pulleys, and all else you're doing.

First class - giving me ideas and things I wanna do to my p200(s)

YOU'VE BEEN BUSY! Looks great and man what an adventure! gonna follow you on this trek. Oh and love the pre beard pic!

Thanks man! Just trying to dial in some stuff, and fine tune those details; both mechanical & aesthetic. Mechanics being the priority of course. Rally and Road ready is the goal!

Yes Sir! I am always busy! Alot has happened since you were up here. Projects came and went, some finished some not. All good fun. This one will be back on the road very soon

Cool that you got your old ride back in good condition. I like the upgrades you are working on.

I apologize if I've told this story before. For the last 30's years, I had a recurring dream where I would find my old ride from the late 80's under a pile of lumber in an abandoned garage. Of course, after digging it out, it would start on the first kick and I would ride into the sunset.

Shortly after my 50th birthday, I could stand it no more and bought a '62 VBB. I named it Rosebud, though I think the Murder Hornet is a more suitable name.

Now I have 3 scooters. One for every decade I went without having one.

Thats a pretty good dream. thanks for sharing. If only it were that easy IRL. Glad you got your Vespa per decade now

Worked on the centerstand


The stage is set, and the frame is floating; thanks to my handy heavy as hell diy scissor jack stand thingy

Pieces of the puzzle. Most of this I had in stock already

INOX shouldered eye bolts. M6x1.0. These will replace the 4x centerstand bolts. These are too long and will be trimmed

Bolts trimmed & a rough cut of the top reinforcing trim plate

Bolts sit flush, as it will sit against the floorboard

Trim plate final form. Rounded, smoothed, champhered, and finish sanded.

Fits pretty good!

Added the Chrome centerstand, and now a sidestand too

The sidestand goes against the floorboard, then the centersand.

I modded the sidestand support a bit, to increase the lean angle for a bit more stability. Basicly I shaved the 'stop' to bring the angle of the stand slightly more forward.

I drilled a second hole further away, to get more stretch on the spring

and some nice shiny sparkly new fancy metal stand feet.

Those center stand bolts are pretty slick. Lots of room for re-engineering the P center stand. I approve. I have the metal feet on my Stella. I like them. Sits a little bit higher and lets me drag the ass end into/ out of tight spots.

What a story! What a Vespa!

I don't want to upset you, but the levers you got is not so good as it seems.

Not upset. Thanks for sharing. A friend has these levers and likes them, so I rolled the dice. For $30 I wanted to form my own opinion. If they don't work out, then I have plenty of other options waiting on the shelf

Lets add some technologies. 2 Trail Tech gauges. Cylinder head Temp & Tachometer. I pulled these off another project that is collecting dust.


Trail Tech Temp gauge w/ 10mm ring sensor, and Tachometer

Tacho on the right side

Cylinder Head Temp on the left side

I mounted both gauges using these awesome brackets, made by the awesome MJRALLY

perfect fit

I ran both cables thru the frame to exit with the main harness at the engine. Note the CHT connector, and the smaller Tacho lead wire just to the left

10m ring sensor tucked in under the top left cylinder nut. I used a slightly larger diameter washer and re-torqued all the head nuts. Sensor tucks in nicely out of the way. I'll finish the tacho sensor wire later

I made some progress on the lighting system and related wiring.


I'm using these amz LED bar end lights, for now. They shine bright white and/or amber. I've used them before, and they work great; especially for the price of <$13.

Those look really cool. You've got me thinking....

They look even better lit up at night. I'll wire the white as running, amber as indicators.

*that post was actually supposed to have way more, but it published before I could finish, cuz I got distracted... welcome to my life

And I can't say enough good things about the Trail tech gauge mounts that MJRally made. They are the best!

Come to think of it, MJRally should probably get the toaster badge for these bad boys!


The temp on the left. I've got the rev counter on the right

He even included the screws and all for mounting the gauges to the brackets

more lighting progress continuing the post above


I added sheathing to both wire bundles, then ran then thru the tubes.

Not too shabby. The motogadget version has alum details instead of plastic, and finer acrylic lens; but these work great for me on a budget

throttle side wire ran thru the tube along with the throttle cable. there is plenty of room without binding.

back in '99 I removed all signals, even @ the switch & color matched the switch covers for a monotone look. The bondo/fiberglass work was starting to show its age quarter century on.... now updated with a new switch and cover

So fresh

So clean. with an OG horn button for character

when I deleted the signals on the body, I kept the wiring harness intact; bundled up and tucked inside the tunnel.

I pulled those indicator leads back out and cleaned it up. I ran a fresh set of brown & blue wire from these 2 near the horn, up to the headset; which will then connect to the bar end lights.

I SECOND and Nominate MJRally for the toaster badge! They really are great! I had these on my smallie, and they fit great there too.

Which headlight?.... PX w/ clear lens, or COSA w/ fluted. Both take an H4 bulb.




After I get everything situated and working properly, I'll try and compare this amz special LED bulb.

Description says it works AC or DC, and with same light pattern as an halogen h4; only brighter. We will see. See what I did there.