Modern Vespa

Hello, my name is Erdi. I recently purchased a 1984 model px200e. I plan to completely strip the motorcycle in the first place, then I plan to handle the bodywork and painting, and then I want to install completely new electrical and mechanical parts on the motorcycle.

I planned the restoration in 2 stages, because customs duties are extremely high in my country:( and I plan to go to Germany and buy it myself.

First, I want to completely renew the exterior of the motorcycle, spend some time with it, and then install a Malossi 221 kit and an exhaust.

The modifications I want to make are:

first stage;

-paint,body
-modern looking lamps
-a new tail and gas cap design.
-front disc brakes
-bitubo shock absorber set (I have this)
-a big rear tire.

second stage;

-Malossi 221 cylinder set
-a sequential gearbox set
-a new carburetor and exhaust (I don't know what to buy,( I'm waiting for advice)
-ignition (I really don't know what to do)

Thank you very much in advance for your answers and advice, I can also share the restoration stages if you want

big rear tire? like what? I have/had two Malossi 210 cc and a Pinasco 215cc, I wholeheartedly recommend you stay away from Pinasco.

I never did the Malossi 221 because I just couldn't justify paying the extra unless I destroy the stock crankshaft grenading the engine so that is why I am on Malossi 210.

I had a bunch of exhaust and expansion chambers, you name it I have it or had it. I am now on SIP SR3 which in my opinion is the best box exhaust out there and I tested more than a half of dozen from the ultra expensive Hotwings 226s to cheap Sito+ to middle budget like the Prima or the cheap ones like the Boomstick.

Obviously you should be aware of the pros and cons of each exhaust. The stock boxes are neat and mod friendly, they wouldn't interfere with a tire change or adjusting cables and they offer great power. The lefty expansion chambers have the least restrictions of flow but you would have to relocate the spare tire. The right exit expansion chambers make also good power allows you to keep the spare tire and can interfere with adjusting cables (I have them all and a few of each).

The Malossi is a nice kit, I love mine. It is a big weak in the midrange and down low but the in the higher revs it gives you plenty of power. I ran into a issue of power delivery in 4th gear where sometimes at around 60 mph in 4th gear with the Malossi and a expansion chamber you truly have to tuck down to brake that wind barrier so that the scooter can pick up a bit more speed and enter that magic higher power band to keep accelerating in 4th gear.

Perhaps the 221 will help you with the extra cc and the torque. For city driving and rural roads I think you will be happier in an exhaust box. You need that torque in traffic lights. I don't know what type of riding you would like to do but the exhaust boxes offer in my opinion more usable power for day to day riding.

I am running all my scooters with exhaust boxes although occasionally I put the expansion chambers out of boredom.

Hoo boy, that's a big(ish) job. I know because I've done about 3/4 of your to-do list in fits and starts on one scoot over the years. Here's my two cents:

Paint,body
Do it right the first time! If you're not at all a skilled bodywork/ paint person, like me, find the right guy. Also, make 100% sure about the colour. Over time I've started to regret going off the original Piaggio palette. Something about the Alfa red I chose looks "off" on a Vespa.

Modern looking lamps
I don't know about "looking" but if it's actual throwing of light you're after, I'm having good luck so far with the SIP Performance LED headlight. It depends on having a DC power source. (see the ignition section below). Another great thing if you've gone DC is that you can chuck in LED turn signals and brake / running lights. They're brighter, put less load on the system, and (so far so good) seem to last longer.

Front disc brakes
You've got two options here: 1) install an entire new fork and headset lower & upper and reservoir & handle (that's what I did, it was spendy but the simplest); or 2) get one of those hybrid mechanical/hydraulic dealies from Grimeca, which get mixed reviews. Maybe there's some other option. I dunno.

bitubo shock absorber set (I have this)
Great choice. I'm really happy with mine and they've taken a beating for a couple years now and they're still working just fine.

Malossi 221 cylinder set
Which one, the MHR or the Sport? I love the 221 sport. Can't speak for the MHR but it's the more 'serious' of the two, and possibly less practical while being more fun. The only bit of wisdom I've accrued here is that *most people* who use their bikes to run errands get to work and go out for a rip in the countryside from time to time shouldn't be chasing after some ever-higher peak horsepower number. What most folks want is torque, starting down low, like the original PX200 that you now own. Out in the real world, this ends up being faster. It wasn't so long ago that 2 stroke power needed RPMs, and lots of them, but with box exhausts lately and certain kits (like the Malossi 221 sport, or the VMC explorer) you can approximate an original PX200, but on steroids. It feels "right". Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut if you like a screaming engine that needs constant shifting to stay on the powerband while you go get an ice cream, nobody's going to judge you. I'm just saying it gets tedious after a while.

a sequential gearbox set
Everybody I know who has this, loves it. And apparently it does add a safeguard against mis-shifting, reducing the likelihood of exploding your gearbox at speed. However I'm married to the traditional Vespa shifting. If I ever run out of ways to throw money at this scooter, that'll be one of the last things in the list.

Big Rear Tire
I've never gone down this road beyond upping all 3 tires to 100/90-10, which is a piddling 3% increase in size, and even that brought with it a whole pile of trouble. Know that with fat rear tire kits you're going to be hacksawing bits of your cases off and that can't be undone.

a new carburetor and exhaust (I don't know what to buy,( I'm waiting for advice)
I have nothing of value to add here about modern carbs, because I've stubbornly and perhaps stupidly stuck to stock SIs, and with the setup described above you're at or possibly slightly beyond what the SI can feed -- and it'll require a fair deal of painstaking jetting to get it right. As for exhausts, as I mentioned above, know that box exhausts ain't what they used to be and it's no longer necessary to get a giant clanging expansion pipe just to go fast. Box exhausts are quieter and more practical as well. I run a Polinibox and lots of others on here are big fans of the Sip Road 3.

ignition (I really don't know what to do)
If you want to run LED lights, the simplest approach is to install a DC Vape and then run the entire lighting circuit off of it. I've had zero problems with my Vape so far and it's got about 15,000km on it. I know I'm not the only one -- it's a quality piece of kit.

One thing not on your list is installing a new wiring loom. Assuming your bike's wiring is original from 1984, it's.... kind of a must.

Another thing not on your list is a stronger clutch to handle all of this. The VMC 10 molle is affordable and well-engineered and suited to the kind of power you're describing. Clutches in Vespa land are historically a total PITA. All kinds of design faults in them, esp. the Cosa 2. Install the 10 Molle and be happy.

You'll also need a 60mm crank of some kind, and should renew the primary drive while you're at it.

I'd be VERY hesitant to recommend a wide tire kit to anyone...unless they have plenty of fabricating skills. Yes you can simply bolt on a wide tire kit in probably less than an hour. But once installed it will cause a whole host of other problems. But first off, let's visit what needs to happen...

1st, you need to cut and remove about 10mm or 20mm (i can't remember off the top of my head) from the right side of the swingarm, which in turn locates your engine to the left the same amount you just cut off the swingarm.

2nd, you need to create more clearance on the engine side cowl for the the whole lower half of the flywheel cover if it's an early nonE start P engine cases. If you don't create clearance, then your flywheel cover will smash against the cowl.

If you have E start PX cases, then you'll not only have to clearance the lower portion of the cowl, you'll also have to clearance the upper rear portion of the cowl where the E start flywheel cover has a bulge in it (that bulge in the cover is for the E start cases).

3rd, you need to also relocated the upper shock mount to the right the same distance as you slid the swingarm to the right. If not, then it WILL cause the rear shock shaft to bind during the suspension travel. If it binds it will do a bare minimum of one of three things. It will cause the shock oil to seep past its seals. So now you have a blown shock. The other thing that will probably happen is that the shock shaft will bend. It it bends enough it will snap. From first hand experience a rear broken rear shock shaft at 55 mph is a scary experience.

4th, once you relocate the upper shock mount over to the right, you'll also have to notch out the frame where the shock is now jammed tight against it.

SIP should have thought about all of this right off the bat when they first developed their wide tire kits decades ago. It's almost like they purposely went out to break every basic suspension 101 physics design laws when they designed their kits.

Welcome to the forum Erdi. Can you put up a picture of your scooter?

Where are you from? I ask because sometimes it's actually cheaper to buy from the German shops online. When they send the parts outside of the EU they take off the VAT (19% I think). You may not get that as a walk-in. Something to bear in mind.

What sort of riding do you like to do? All highway, or in the town/city? Cruising or traffic light racing? It will have a big influence on the recommendations we can give you (except perhaps the ignition - Vape every time).

Friends, thank you very much for your valuable answers!

i already give up expand my tires thanks for recommendations it will be huge work for me and i dont feel safe

This is the first time in my life that I am writing to a forum, so I cannot tag your names, so I will reply separately.

scooterist

Where I live, there is a long coastline and long forest roads that I can climb if I want, and I want to ride along them,
However, I also want to use it to go to the bar quickly at night and to visit the city on the weekends.
For this reason, I am planning to buy Sip Road 3 or a Polinibox as per JimVanMorrissey's advice. Don't let all eyes be on me
However, I want people to feel that the px200 I use is not a standard machine.

The city I live in is getting quite crowded due to internal and external migration, so I will continue with Malossi 221

Thank you so much for your advice, it really helped!

JimVanMorrissey

I started disassembling the motorcycle after some cutting and trimming in line with the new design and applying the new design parts.
(I think on the weekend) I will deliver it to a talented body shop in the city I will always be able to use it in my father-in-law's hands.
Since it is an original px200e, I wanted to make some changes to its appearance

Buying a new fork is a really great idea but a set will cost bitubo money so I'll buy a disc brake compatibility kit
Or I will produce it I have a set of Brembo calipers that look nice and that I think I can fit

In order for the project to get off the ground quickly, I postponed the sequential transmission to the end of the summer and had a chance at a well-restored original transmission.
I want to give

The mechanic I will work with said that the original carburetor would work very well with the setup we wanted to install, so we continued with the original.
I decided to.

When I did some research for ignition, I found someone in the country who is an expert in this field and makes kits for this type of motorcycles, it is much cheaper than vape.
I will try my chance. I never think it will be as good as vape, I know the brand's reputation very well, if I fail, continue with vape.
I will make.

I added the clutch and a crank kit to my list

Jim, your information helped me a lot to research properly, thank you very much!

whodatschrome

Really valuable information!

I really gave up on a big tire based on what you said

Technical information is very valuable. Thank you very much!

Ginch

Thank you for your warm welcome!

My name is Erdi, I live in Antalya, a hot city in Turkey. I own a Gts250 Super,PX200E and a 1953 BMW R25/3
I work in my own company as an architect and designer. Motorcycle restoration is truly my passion

Since I live in Turkey, the government requires 40% customs duty for orders over 150 euros, so it is very difficult for me to order directly via SIP.
However, my very close friends live in many parts of Europe, and they visit me constantly. Bringing orders with extra suitcases
I want this, I have to so that it is not financially challenging. That's why I planned the project in 2 stages.

The city I live in is a long coastal route by the sea, with numerous ancient cities along the route (not as big as Amalfi, but still beautiful).
It is a city with huge forests opposite the coast I do not like extremely long journeys, although I have 80k+ km of experience.
It's still a little scary. I plan to use it in the city, on slightly rough forest roads and on asphalt. not every day, but at least 2 or 3 days a week
I plan to spend time with PX200

I am uploading the current version of the PX200 and the version I have started to design its little sketch but it will work i think. I will share the restoration stages from time to time

Thank you very much for your help in advance!

I would also like to share the motorcycles I use. Both motorcycles went through restoration processes by me

Looks amazing where you live Erdi!

I guess if you place your order using your home address but select pickup, you might still be able to avoid the German tax.

My ex-father in law restored that exact same BMW, a lovely motorcycle!

Currently the Malossi Sport is 415 euro, and the MHR is 445. The Sport is a touring cylinder which goes well with a box exhaust. The MHR has a bit higher port timings and produces a bit more power. The Quattrini 244 is 630, and makes around 30hp out of the box. The port timings slant it towards touring and does it beautifully. Just presenting a little extra info to digest.