I enjoyed the process so much that I'm doing it again, with a very derelict & forgotten '63 VBB that had been sitting in, apparently, a cow shed for years (a very special smell, which is slowly disappearing).
Anyway, I don't have room for a second bike, so will sell the small frame when I finish the VBB in a few months. I'm wondering how much to ask. Any guidance/guesses greatly appreciated.
Here's the good and the bad: It's a 1980 American Vespa 100, and I didn't really know what that meant when I bought it. Turns out it originally had DMV-mandated turn-signal pods front and rear, a DC battery system to augment the AC system, and a battery-side door. The Euro 100 lacks all of those, I think; it's simpler and more streamlined. I decided to build it more like the Euro model; I wanted the bike that a guy named Enzo would have been zipping around Milan on in 1980. Thought it would look nicer and be simpler to build.
So, I went after simple, reliable and fun.
For fun, I converted from 3-speed to 4-speed gearing, and added a 135 P&C set. For reliability and simplicity, and my sanity, I made the electrical system as minimal as humanly possible (I think?): Went from 6 to 12-volt; installed an electronic ignition stator; went all-AC (i.e., got rid of the battery and wiring); put in a bare-bones BGM harness and--maybe overdoing it, but I thought it would look cool--sourced an older headset that used only the right-side chrome-covered switch (the 100 normally has two rectangular swiches). Doing all that made the wiring a whole lot easier, which, as a noob, I needed. And I really like the simplicity of the single switch.
Paint is always an issue, I learned (this came in 20-year-old primer, with rattle can underneath, so keeping it original was never an option) and I couldn't see investing thousands. Don't own a large compressor, wanted something better than hardware-store rattle can, so went with Eastwood 2K epoxy in a spray can. The bad is that it is NOWHERE NEAR like a professional paint job. Looked at that way, it's dismissible. But looked at from where it was to where it is, and my expectation for my first paint job, I'm actually really happy. The big deal is that the paint went on evenly, without, as far as I can tell, a single drip or sag. Given my expectations, I was stunned, and decided to just leave it like that. No sanding or clearcoat. Just a nice charcoal-gray bike, not flat but not super shiny.
The other deal with a 100, of course, is the battery door. When I bought it I didn't know they no longer exist. There's a guy here on Modern Vespa who is going to re-pop them at some point, and I've put in my deposit. Meanwhile, I McGyvered something out of 1/16th aluminum. Looks OK and I don't think about it anymore, but, yep, it's definitely there.
Other than that, virtually everything is new on the bike. Every bearing, gasket and seal; cables; brakes; SIP banana; tires; and all sorts of things that likely got snatched while it was residing in a junkyard (carb, saddle, speedo, etc).
So, that's the bike and its provenance. I have NO illusions that I'll get out what I put into it. I accept the differential as the cost of tuition in Vespa Rebuild College. Plus, I had a lot of fun.
On the other hand, it's starts and shifts easily, everything works exactly as it should, it's chock-full of good parts, and it's a fun little bike. Clean title and registration.
How much should I ask for such a thing?
Many thanks!!
