Modern Vespa

Greetings from San Jose, CA!

Recently, a work colleague shared that his wife had bought a (modern) Vespa, and how much fun it was to buzz around on it. It reminded me of the smallframe Vespa I had as a teenager - I bought it from a friend of my brother, engine seized, for £15 - about $30 in those days (1986, I think?). I can't remember whether it was a 50, 90 or 100, but we rebuilt it as a 100, and I had a year or two of fun, including replacing the stock piston and barrel with a Malossi high compression kit, until I was hit by a car. I was ok - just bashed my ankle - but the bike was totaled.

Anyway, I looked around, and found a 1979 125 ET3 at Bello Moto in SF. I went up to take a look a couple of weeks ago, fell in love, decided to take the plunge, and rode it home yesterday, 70 miles "avoiding highways", mostly along Skyline Boulevard.

The bike is in perfect shape - it was restored in Italy, then shipped to the US, so I'm not looking at restoring or modding it, just saying "Hi" and looking for other Vespa riders in the South Bay. I searched the web - there are a few clubs but it looks like they're defunct - none of the websites have any events or content from the past 3 or 4 years.

Of course, I've been reading all the resto threads, so I'm also tempted to look for a good candidate. Maybe a PX or something that would be easier to work on?

Great story, it sounds like you started out for 30 bucks long ago at the bottom end of the market but made it work well enough to be tempted back now to top end of the market with the most beautiful old style smallframe in tiptop condition for a few more dollars likely - a perfect example of an ET3 from a top seller!

But with prices today it's probably gonna be more than 10 x 30 bucks just to get it registered and plated.

Welcome! And what a great looking scooter! Check out black sheep scooter club in sf. That's a great club. And Bello Moto takes care of the dmv stuff right?
Coming up in SLO is the rides of march rally. I am going to try and make it down

Congrats and welcome. (I hope to ride my ET3 by sometime in 2030. 😂)

I think I will manage 2035!!

😂😂😂

Also forgot to say great bike, you will love having a smallframe.

A bit of hard work and a lot of good fortune - I can't complain! Thanks! Not much more - $268.00 for registration and $85.00 for 'documentation fee'. Thanks! I'll take a look at Black Sheep, though SF is a long ride from home, as I discovered at the weekend! Yep - see above - white glove service! Looks like fun, but San Luis Obispo - 182 miles, avoiding highways Thanks! Thanks, I do already!

That's better - no yawning gap!

Modtastic mirrors!

I got fed up with the mental arithmetic every time I saw a speed limit sign, so I put the label maker to use!

What's the max speed you are getting?

When I opened her up on the way home from SF, I was too terrified to study the speedo, having not ridden on wheels that small in 35+ years!

I'll let you know next time I get the chance!

Haha! It is exhilarating Quick search says top speed is 98 kph or 61 mph. Just wondering how accurate that is. Oh but the Vespa speedo will only give you an approximation so if you have a gps on your phone that's more accurate.
Oh and great use of the label maker

Back in the late 80's, my high school marching band took a week long trip. 2 of the 4 busses we were on, were German. The driver of the bus I was on, had a 3x5 index card taped to the center of the steering wheel with the KPH to MPH graduations written out, LOL. Was fun to sit in the front row behind him, and peak over the top of his shoulder/head to see just how fast we were going.

GPS app measured 56 mph max today, WOT on a straight, which is also the max speed quoted in the literature.

Not too shabby!

Following our adventures in the Santa Cruz mountains last weekend, I dropped Primrose off at Bello Moto today for some TLC.

Sadly closing this topic out. Bello Moto's estimate to repair Primrose was more than the agreed value on my insurance with Hagerty, so they totaled her. They asked if I wanted to buy the wrecked bike, but I already have one project in my garage, and I wanted to move on, get their check, and buy another ET3, so I declined.

Bello Moto had a red 1981 ET3 in stock from when I bought Primrose. Scott, the sales guy there, said he'd sold it when we spoke a couple of weeks ago, but, when I spoke to him yesterday, it turned out that that sale fell through, so it was still available. I made him an offer, which he accepted, and I'll be driving up to SF to bring the new (old) bike back tomorrow.

I'll try to keep the tires in contact with the road this time!

Wait… they wouldn't give you the totaled bike?

Naw. Full stop. If haggerty totaled it. Get the wrecked bike back. And at the very least sell the engine, fork etc.

Ps - red eT3 is gorgeous! CONGRATS!

No - they wouldn't give it to me - they asked me if I wanted to buy it, but I didn't even ask for the price - I just wanted to move on and get the payout so I can replace it.

Apparently Copart will come pick it up. What happens next is anyone's guess.

Wow! That red really pops! It's an amazing color.

Many of us have 1st hand experience with insurance payouts and salvage vehicles. Since you forfeited their offer to retain your scooter, the insurance company will send a tow truck over to pick up the scooter. It will sit at a Copart storage lot until it's time for it to go to auction. Copart has exorbitant fees, so whatever the winning bid come to, the additional fees will pretty much double the price on it. So let's say the highest bid is $500, the winner will only be able to get that scooter out the front door of Copart for close to $1000. There are more lucrative ways for you to retain the scooter and still come out ahead financially...as well as a potential buyer to get a great deal on a crashed scooter.

Hagerty are asking $765.54 for me to keep the bike. It seems like it should be worth more than that if I part it out, or restore it myself, right?

Hmmmm... Depends how fubar the scoot is?
Assuming the engine is ok... maybe 300.00 to 400.00
Headset ok.... maybe 150.00
Fork OK... maybe 150.00
Seat Ok... maybe 50.00
Tires and rims.... maybe 50.00 to 75.00

So, it would be close. But, it would also require a lot of hustle to hawk the bits and bobs. It would be good opportunity to learn from dropping a smallie engine as a bonus. I guess it would depend on your own personal time vs money equation.


Good on ya for getting a haggerty policy but ask them to add a "crash/total" rider on the new policy. In Texas said rider only costs a few bucks a year and you get the wrecked bike bike back in addition to the payout.

"The more ya know."

Buy the bike from Hagerty. There's easily $765 worth of spare parts … good head start on building another smallie or engine.

Having just seen the bike again when I picked up my red '81 ET3, I don't think it would need much work to make it rideable. The frame is straight, the engine runs. After the crash it ran ok at 1/2 throttle, but bogged down when I opened it up, so I guess the carb needs some attention. All of the damage appears to be cosmetic.

One option would be to restore it myself, then go through the Revived Salvage Vehicle process. Most of the estimate to repair it was the labor in stripping the frame and reassembling everything. If I did that myself, I could have a second ET3 for cheap.

I hear Egig has some fun engines for smallies

I'd haggle down their salvage value price and offer them $400. If they want $765.54, that means that amount also has to cover their tow charge (for transporting it to the storage lot), auction fees (that they have to pay to copart). Be adamant with them that the frame is bent/tweaked and the engine doesn't run right anymore, and their salvage value is too high. Low ball offer them the $400 and see what happens. It also pays to talk directly to your insurance adjuster on the phone, don't attempt to email the offer. It's also helpful to talk to an adjuster who can make the decision to lower the salvage valve, and not one of their underlings.

Oh - I didn't realize that was an option. I already accepted their offer and sent them a copy of the title. Oh well - I'll know better next time!

I'd pay 2x that for the bike as it is.
Does it now have to go to salvage title?

Yeah - I thought their offer was reasonable. Unfortunately, yes. Hagerty is pretty unequivocal about that:

NO WAY!

I'd pass up such a deal, $765 for a known good runner that you can straighten the owies and touch up the paint yourself to get a $2K+ respectable looking flip even w/ the salvage title and complete back story of minor damage revealed. Or keep it if it fixes up good and you fall in love again, nothing wrong w/ that!


Doesn't really look like it needs that much! Kinda depends on how deep you wanna get into the painting - Check in w/ SoCalGuy for the best painting tips.

You'll need an edge straightener tool like this, Bajarob makes the best one, maybe he'll sell you one or lend you his. Here's more on how to get the frame edge back where it's supposed to be: Scruffy AllState, crappy headlight finally fixed! (Page 2)

So I ended up keeping Primrose. She's still at Bello Moto - I couldn't bring her and Scarlett back on the same trip, but I'll pick her up sometime soon.

Since I've already got one project, limited garage space, and there are limits to my wife's tolerance of this obsession hobby, I'm thinking I'll let her go to someone who is going to bring her back to some version of her former glory.

Since Ray8 set my mind in motion with his comment, "I'd pay 2x that for the bike as it is", I've sent him a message with first refusal. If Ray declines, I'd be happy to pass her on with the salvage title for $1500.

As I said to Ray, If you're interested, PM me, and I'll form a list.

I picked up Primrose at the weekend and brought her home. Looked under the little cubby under the seat (not sure of the official name!) and found the air filter, detached from the carb. Not 100% sure whether it came off during the crash, or the shop removed it when they were looking it over. There are two loose screws in the bottom of the tunnel, under the carb, that look like they fit the air filter. It shouldn't be too difficult to reattach, even given my big hands!

My 23 year old son is making noises about adopting Primrose, so I might just make her rideable and pass her on to him.