Modern Vespa

I spent yesterday stripping-down the 2009 GTS 300 I recently got, to prep it for body repairs and repainting, and it seems that nearly every plastic part has damage (often screw tabs broken-off, but also some larger issues, such as the keyway surround being gone).

Plastic repair would be new to me, and preferably avoided, if I can find replacement plastic in decent, re-paintable condition.

For cars, there are "pick-a-part" scrapyards where they cannibalize non-usable cars for their parts. Are there such places for modern Vespas, where I might be able to get (for example) a good used rear leg-shield panel? Extra points if it happens to be in the SF Bay Area!

(I searched the forums to see if this had already been asked, but couldn't find anything recent. If I missed a similar thread, please let me know, so I don't rehash info that's already been discussed.)

Does this have everything you need? Seller looks motivated. Strike a bargain, I can help get parts to you. Scooter is in my part of town: [topic192836]

That's very kind of you to offer, Abner_Bjorn!
However it seems to me that there are a few complications:

He wants to sell the entire bike (I wouldn't need the majority of it)

He wants $500, but I don't want to spend anything like that much for the parts I need, and

When he says "the ignition was ripped-out", that might mean that the keyway in the legshield panel was broken out in the process (which is my scooter's problem)

Now, if he decides to actually part-out the bike, I would certainly be interested in parts like the 2 headset covers, the horn cover, possibly the legshield panel, etc.

I had three old Vespa GT200s, one needing a new engine, so I bought a wrecked GT several years ago.

I have used the engine, inner leg shield panel, headlight, wheels, seat and several small parts so far.

Not much left, so it worked for me.

Bill

Glad it worked for you. It wouldn't for me.

I have no idea if this scooter's parts are any better than mine. A bike that's been stolen and had its frame bent in the process is unlikely to be cosmetically very good.

An additional $500 investment for the bike, plus $X for shipping to SF, just to be able to harvest parts like the back panel of the legshields, and the headset halves, to then put on a bike that's worth like $2K is financially a non-starter.

I live in an apartment in the middle of San Francisco; there's no place to store an "extra" scooter here.
🤷🏼‍♂

It sounds like you know what you need and what will and will not work.

The spare GT worked for me because it had parts I knew that I needed, plus I have garage space to keep the left over bones.

Having three old GTs meant that I would need various parts, and the wrecked scooter with less than 1000 miles on it was perfect for the engine that I needed most.

I have since sold the cleanest of the scooters, keeping two that are old and very beat up.

But they are running well while being instrumental in many of the best parts of my life.

I doubt anyone would give me more than $500 for either of them but to me they are priceless.

Bill

3 options:

1) ebay for used parts. Prices are usually too high and parts are sometimes pretty rough. Might get lucky and find a deal, don't be afraid to lowball.

2) unpainted parts from Vespa. Look up what you need and check price using AF1 site. You will be surprised at how cheap unpainted parts are.

3) painted parts from Vespa. Most parts are available factory painted by paint code. Price is probably better than having them painted unless you are DIY or painting the whole scoot.

https://www.af1racing.com/Vespa-Scooters-All-Models

These guys in Fresno have a bunch of parts
https://www.yelp.com/biz/apf-motorcycle-salvage-fresno

The adhesive that is used in sticking together pipes for plumbing works pretty well on scooter plastic. You may not need the cleaner stuff, just the stinky goo. Look in a hardware store. It comes in metal cans that have a small brush inside and the cans are always far too big for the job, so buy the smallest. No matter what, by the next time you try to use it it will be hardened. Read the small print on the label and dive in. If you have the pieces there's nothing to lose by trying to glue it together again.

Works really well, essentially solvent welding.

But only on ABS, not all the plastic parts are ABS. However, they are all labeled on the backside as to what type of plastic.

ABS pipe cement works so well you can source ABS sheet and shape it into missing tabs and bond them on for permanent repair. Also works well as "bondo" for filling holes and scratches.