Modern Vespa

Okay...minty fresh might be a bit of a stretch, because I'm just going to get it cleaned up and put right mechanically for sale, not truly getting it minty fresh, but a reliable bike that you won't worry about anything that happens to it.

The motor is a Stella motor with a DR 177 and (at least for now) a SIP Road 2.0.

The first couple of updates were over in Today, I... This thread picks up where those leave off.

Hopefully, I'll leave the fires over there for a while, too.

It needs a bath!

Side bar:
Can you show us more of the rear roller thing under the back of the scoot?

Glad to!

It was something I made as a project when I first got my welder. Which was coincidentally about the same time I pulled the motor from the Stella without an immediate plan to replace it, so I made this thing for easily storing/moving scoots with no motor in them. It also folds for storage in case I don't have any engine-less scoots.

The width is to give it enough lateral stability that the bike didn't need to be on its center stand.

Solid.

I remember a lot of posts about this scooter, it's good to bring it back to life! It deserves to be ridden.

Isn't that DR177 all hot rodded and stuff? Are you planning to build it as it was or are you planning to mellow it out for sale?

Great idea, the folding part for storage makes it extra kick ass!

No, this is a totally different motor for the bike and it was built with the DR, but is stock except the top end and exhaust--and I'd do a stock exhaust if I had a non-catalyzed one on the shelf. I'd be hesitant to do anything but a mildly tuned motor in a bike I was selling unless someone specifically wanted it tuned out.

(On a not-totally-unrelated note, I'm contemplating putting the Sprint's motor back in it and selling it, too, which would be something of a violation of that rule. It's a BGM 177 with a 60mm cut crank, SIP RoadXL, 24/24, and set up to go fast. The "how much to de-tune" conversation has begun in my head, with your P200 experience being very much in my mind.) If a tool is going to exist in my workshop, it either needs to be compact when not in use or used all the time. There's really no in between.

yes - a regular non-modified DR and some sort of box exhaust (sip road?) will not scare the customers, most likely. I think you're hitting it on the sweet spot there. Remember my other recent experience was trying to sell a stock 125, which also went nowhere (too slow, blah blah blah). You're in the goldilocks spot with this choice.

That's kind've what I'm hoping for here. It won't be a pretty bike, but it'll be a functional bike.

get it Vaderkleen for max dinero

Even at its very best, it's going to be way below Vaderkleen. I'll give it a good wash overall and get under the cowls sparkling, but it's still gonna be a little bit ratty. Waaaaay too many miles and adventures for anything else, even if the speedo only shows like 6,000. That cable's spent most of its life broken.

I spent some time today cleaning of the worst of the schmutz off the frame, then installed the motor.

I discovered on the test ride that the shift cables were backwards. How is it that I screw up something which should be, at worst, 50/50 odds, 75% of the time?

When I went back out later, it'd leaked gasoline on the workshop floor, but I just left that for now. I'll clean it up in the morning and track down the source. Hopefully it's something dumb/easy that I didn't check like a loose hose clamp.

Still, first kick start from dead cold is nothing to sniff at.

Next up after fixing the fuel leak will be electrical.

[quote="chandlerman"]
I spent some time today cleaning of the worst of the schmutz off the frame, then installed the motor.

I discovered on the test ride that the shift cables were backwards. How is it that I screw up something which should be, at worst, 50/50 odds, 75% of the time?

When I went back out later, it'd leaked gasoline on the workshop floor, but I just left that for now. I'll clean it up in the morning and track down the source. Hopefully it's something dumb/easy that I didn't check like a loose hose clamp.

Still, first kick start from dead cold is nothing to sniff at.

It's incredible how human are scoots can act. Clearly this one is sour for being sent to the corner while the others are pampered. Cage a dog and neglect it and it turns evil. Got to love them all equally. 😉

I spent a little time this evening getting the wiring back to a stock state, then installed and connected up the regulator. Amazingly, it all worked first try.

I even finally properly ran a new tail light wire to replace the one that's been run outside the frame for at least fifteen years.

Next up is a battery, seeing if the electric start is going to behave, and knocking the worst of the dents out of the cowls.

I'm not going to make it pretty, but I will clean up and galvanize the rusty spots, like on the mudguard.

It might even be DoTD time by this weekend.

Just a thought…

I thought we already determined that Booberry *is* the sketchy friend

Besides, the Stella is getting sold once I clean it up a (very) little bit more.

My Stella has the exact same scrape pattern on the mudgaurd. I've been meaning to touch it up, but I'm not in a hurry to make it pretty. Perfect bikes for no fuss knocking around. Tractor paint, sturdy frame. What's not to love?

Yep. It's that big, blocky P mudguard. When the bike goes down, those front corners hit every time.

The scrapes go well with the dents in the cowls, though.