Modern Vespa

Classic Honda inline-4 in that condition is pretty amazing. The fairing isn't my style, but the bike is a honey. Truly a piece of history.

Last night I was able to jiggle the wiring mess into the new headlight shell, get a few cables re-routed, and get this old Honda back on the road in time for my 6:20 AM departure to Deadwood and the Pump House coffee shop.

The bike is SO much more enjoyable without that ton-o-bricks frame-mounted Vetter fairing messing up my 'experience'. Literally all of the annoying racket the fairing amplified and sent up and back at me has been eliminated, and all I now hear is the almost sewing machine whir of that smooth old Honda four.

I swear it even shifts better.

It's still a heavy bike, but most of it's previous top-heavy awkwardness has disappeared along with the fairing. In casual yet 'brisk' cornering, it steers absolutely neutral, leans over and tracks a line without any counter pressure on the wide bars.

I can now start to put a deep clean on the bike, or as much as I can do, gunk off the underside of the engine, and see how nice I can make it.

It's SO much better (to me) now that I have it more or less back to it's original stock configuration.

That is a super, super nice old bike.

It shows some age here and there, after all, it's 43 years old with almost 50,000 miles, but I'm very pleased with it and it's exceptional cosmetic condition overall.

I don't think that it's chrome engine cases and valve cover are stock, and might be aftermarket plated items.

Then...and now...

Torn seat recovered, rear rack removed, passenger floorboards removed, leaking rear air shocks replaced with conventional spring shocks.

Plated and insured.

Good-looking and very rideable.

You ain't just woofin'!!! That is one FINE looking and -- because I used to ride one myself -- VERY rideable bike!

Congrats!

Victor