Modern Vespa

I was on the Amalfi Coast 2 wks ago and my wife and I rented a Vespa to ride the coast and I absolutely fell in love with the Vespa, and Italy. Italians ride their scooters like they have 9 lives but I loved how it handled and how relaxing it was! I was going to get a scooter 20 years ago but some Harley mechanic friends didn't respect scooters and talked me into a deal on a Sportster instead. It was fun, but short lived.

Well, 2 days after returning from Italy I looked on FB marketplace and saw a 2023 300 GTS Super with 650mi and a salvaged title for $1700. I have always been more into a mechanically sound vehicle and don't mind some cosmetic damage and I don't mind a project I know nothing about to tackle.

It was an "interesting" transaction but the story I could get was a guy bought it from an auction thinking he could just replace the legshield, only to learn it will cost more than the bike was worth to get it back to perfect. I have a salvaged title that I will have to learn how to register that I predict will be a project in itself.

I have ridden the bike on short trips in town. It feels fine. No pulling, no shaking, no wobbles, starts right up, and is super fun. I don't know what I need to get it to pass inspection, I'm hoping just get the horn working. But eventually, I want to cut the legshield and replace it with a new one from Scooter West. Plastic weld the glove box, add some filler and paint the parts Blanco White to match the bike. I have taken the glove box off and the top parts to inspect the frame and I don't see any obvious damage to the tube. Of course, it doesn't go back together perfectly, and the gap between the headlight and legshield is compressed. I can not even fit a screwdriver between the gap. And also dropping the fork and replacing the fender.

I have some concerns about the frame, but I am wondering if it's slightly bent. I can bend it back with a jack, but I am hoping the new leg shield will fix it. I am also doing the 650-mile maintenance recommended by Vespa, changing the engine and gear oil.

I've seen some projects where Vespas are brought back from the dead. You guys know more than I, and I am blinded by some naivety and the joy I already get from riding it.

What are ya'lls thoughts, did I mess up and buy a suicide scooter or did I get a deal on a performance bike that I can still enjoy and customize over the years?

I'm curious what that full key is for, cause it's not for a 23 GTS.

It also looks like the tiny "master" RFID is missing, which means you won't ever be able to code a new fob.

that's looking like an awful lot of work, and if the steering lock is damaged, yikes.

Topcase?! (There is also an empty luggage rack...)

Armedferret, the tiny RFID did not make it in the transaction from auction, to seller to me. But the keyless fob is there and there are no problems with the steering lock. Works perfectly. I am pretty impressed with the features on the GTS.
All of the electronics work. It was missing the latch on the glove box, which I replaced today and then could not get the box back open. The mechanism was activated, pushing the ignition, but would not fully unlatch. I heard there is a rubber band that I might need to replace. But it opened up with the help of pushing a credit card through the box to help the latch.

This is obviously the least of my problems with the bike.

But if I want to actually fix the leg shield, then yes, agreed, a lot of work.

Nothing wrong with a salvage title if you just want it for fun - including the repairs.

There's no case pictured where did you see one?

The plastic bottom of the top case that bolted onto the luggage rack completely broke off in the accident. I have the piece that is about 3 inch circle that I plan to repair and reattach with epoxy, hot staples or plastic welding and reattach it to the scooter when I need more storage.

I looked up the VIN and found some pics of the bike at auction. Top case included, but not secured.

The primary issue is whether or not the front assembly and fork are damaged at all. Even the slightest bend in it will change the camber and make the bike very unstable at speed.

Bikes that have been in front end collisions are the worst type of bike to try to repair.

As far as I know, your Vespa has a unibody construction that includes the front end.

Reminds me of my first time I visited Italy, that was in 1979.

I found these Vespa's and how people ride them fantastic. Of course you have to realize Italians are so to speak born on a scooter, which strongly improves their riding skills.

Back home I went looking for one and found a GS160, from 1962. The engine was not running, it had good compression but no spark and was painted in a horrible orange.
Got it running easily, repainted it in a Vespa grey colour and drove it for more than 2 years.

On your frame.
I was explained you can test the straightness of the frame in an easy way.

Poor a bucket of water on a dry pavement. Then from some distance, ride straight through the puddle. Then check the track your wheels leave on the pavement. If you see only 1 line, then the frame is fine.

That is what I have heard. It was a gamble. Now I admit that I have not had a lot of scooter time and do not exactly what this scooter should feel like. But, I have gotten up to around 65mph after saying a prayer that it doesn't get wonky and throw me off, and it felt extremely stable. Much later, when I drop the fork, I'll bring it to a shop to see if ithe fork t is out of line at all and hopefully not have to invest in a new one.

As for the front leg shield and it being one solid frame, a hammer and dolly would take an eternity to never get it back. So if I have to remove all of the equipment anyway, I want to just cut it off and spot weld a new one on. I have only found one thread and no videos on the process, so I am left to believe it is not a common repair.

Has anyone changed legshield on GTS300?

I could not find any leg shields on eBay, but ScooterWest.com had one.

PeterCC, interesting diagnostic experiment. I had not heard that before.

I'd buy an old very cheap gts, strip it to the frame and then transfer everything onto that frame, including the forks if they are not bent. Then sell all the working parts from the frame donor bike.

I thought about that, but the more I read and looked for parts, and correct me if I am mistaken, the 2023 and later GTS HPE models are different then the older ones, right? Would the parts from my bike and all of the "guts" fit an older GTS?

Worst case.

Everything will go in. But you might have to get creative with mounting some of the wiring harness as they have made a few changes.

Agree. And if you find a donor, when you add up what the OP paid, what he needs, and the time it takes to sort everything else, the money spent would be pretty close to buying a new or very low mileage perfect example.

There was a thread over on Adventure Rider in which a lister rebuilt a 2010 GTS, IIRC, and replaced and polished everything. When he was done he sold it and said he should have bought a new one.

The salvage bike in this thread can be parted out for a nice profit.

Depends on how cheap a gts you can get. If it's registered, then it's just the time to strip the bike and transplant everything. Then you are on the road with an old frame and all new insides, plus you have a lot of working stuff to sell.

I can relate to this point. The intent of this impulsive scooter purchase was just to have a mechanically "new" bike that would be fun to zip around on. The body damage didn't bother me terribly. It takes away a certain worry about scratching it or something happening to a cherry bike.

But as I think about fixing it, scope creep has me thinking about replacing the legshield which I'm just dumb enough to try. Partly because I have never tried spot welding, and the project seems interesting. And it gives me an excuse to buy a spot welder to add to my tool collection.

When I think about the idea of investing in another bike, scattering all the parts all about my garage and rebuilding it into another frame and trying to make the electrical fit in a place that it wasn't designed to go, it's kind of a boner reducer for me. I think if that were the case, I would just go spend a few more grand and get a scooter already in good shape. I also haven't really seen to many really cheap GTS Vespas around Austin that don't already have body damage that would make $$ sense.

That being said, lets say I were to take this thing apart, learning the ins and out of it and tried to part it out. Has anyone heard stories that would be an estimate on what it could return? If nothing else, what is your Vespa educated guess? Perhaps I could parlay it into a scooter that was in better condition. Either way, I want a Vespa to ride.

Or I ride it dirty for now, still having fun with a bit of envy for all the other pretty Vespas out there .

Most of the people with experience welding legshields onto Vespas work in Vietnam. This isn't the sort of repair that you are going to see much of in the US, mainly because labor to do it right, as well as the equipment to hold it in place, likely add up to more than the bike will ever be worth, especially with a salvage title.
Before you go much deeper, it might be a good idea to put it alongside a Vespa that wasn't totaled, and take some measurements, to figure out how far out of alignment the front end is to the rest of the frame, then see what it would take to get that back into place.

You scored !
Put a fender on it and ride it.
Function not fashion
Whatever you choose to do it will still amount to having a big smile when you're rolling down the road.
Try AF1 racing in Austin they have used Vespa parts don't know what you would find but it's worth checking out.

If it tracks straight and steers without any discernible 'funnies', then I'd just ride it.

If you want it to look better, use a hammer and dolly and maybe a slide hammer to get it as near as possible to 'good', then use bondo. Trying to weld on a new front shield without considerable experience of sheet-metal welding will lead to the whole thing being a write-off.

This sounds like reasonable advice. I'll just ride it for now and continue to get a feel for it and be on the look out for any "funnies" and focus on that before I try and make it pretty. I need to remember that I got it for the ride and not get ahead of myself.

I have taken the handlebar headset and glove box off a few times now to do a little body work on it. I used a heat gun to manipulate the headset clips and got the gaps to close when it is off the bike. But when I reinstall everything and insert the screws, it does not go back together with out gaps and I can't get the all the clips to "clip". And the mirrors are a little off from the center of the holes and the nuts hit the plastic and pull the front and rear pieces apart
a bit. I'm hoping it is because of the legshield affecting the glovebox but now I'm a little worried that something else is bent out of whack. Fortunately, most anything can be fixed.

I think I need to find a new bike and take some measurements from the handlebars to frame and seat and compare them.

Congrats on your '23 GTS. It brought back memories with a similar situation '22 Primavera 150 that I have. I did a writeup a few years ago in the Project Reports section. My "Ill Ratto" thread sunk to page three now, but it should give you an idea if you want to try some amateur body work on your GTS.

IMHO, work out the dents the best you can and use bondo. It's white, so it should be a lot easier to DIY color match it. Your only into it for $1700 and she's a runner. It's a low milage drive train and essentially a new bike that will have a rebuilt title. Enjoy it for what it is. That's the lesson I learned with my project anyway. Plus, we all know how opinions go... Good luck!

Bearcat, what a wonderful documentary of use what you got, make it happen, fix it up, beautiful diy restoration. You definitely put some perspective on the work ahead but inspired me that it can be done. Thank you for sharing that.

Thank you. What ever route you go, you can do it! My wife and I have been enjoying our Vespa. The salvage bikes can be a gamble, but very satisfying if you plan on keeping them and running up the milage. I'm looking forward to your project report thread!