Modern Vespa

Information and general discussion around the Dakar vespas from 1980. Ideally looking to get in touch with one of the original team members

That's AMAZING!

Must

Have

Photos!!!

Was it one that was used or one of the replicas? A fair bit of info here from last week - Dakar Vespas - interesting video

Photos to come,

Its the real deal! one of the 4 bikes that was raced

How did you get this bike ?
We want to know the full story, that is exciting !!!!

12" wheels?

huh? Huh? Hoax?

https://www.dakardantan.com/paris-dakar-1980/tcherniavsky,vespa+p200e,5.html

It seems Dave has gone

Y?

I was just thinking of this skit!

Dave's busy

not sure what happened to my post

I'll have some pics for discussion next week

It is the 125x model (German VNX numbers), so not one of the original 4 raced in the 1980s daka by Marc, Bernard & Yvan

But has same fork and body modifications. Purchased from an old South African guy with the last name Sherman in 2007 who was in his late 70s and said he raced it. the guy who bought it didn't quiz him much at the time so limited information.

Would be great to chat to one of the original team to learn a bit more about the 125x models that were fitted up for racing. Not 100% sure if it did race in the Dakar now after trying to dig for more info or whether it raced some other events or may have been used as a training bike.

Front mud guard had also been cut away, apparently after a crash. The engine was seized (apparently in a race in south America) when it was bought in 2007 and has since been rebuilt.

You edited it?

From the reading I've done it was suggested that the frames may not have matched the engines (that was my take anyway). However with the 200 motor being a known quantity, and available at the time, there's no way they would have used anything else.


What's your plan for it? What did it cost you?

I know for certain that the original 4 where all 200cc but there is reference to the 125x and 150s that were also modified and used for training and some smaller events I believe

Lots more digging to do! Thank god for google translate as pretty well all the deep Lore on these scooters is in French!

Indeed all 'standard'P200E. Not all thát modifies either. Nor was it planned as far ahead/detailed. It should be understood that at the time the Dakar race was not all that race yet. It was a totally different event at that time. I mean, a hardly modded CX ccould makeit and some got on the leader board with an R4. Most entrants used only mildly modded vehicles.
They ran more on ignorance and foolhardyness x grit than on vehicle preparations.

Lastly the Vespa blokes HEAVILY depended on the supporting LandRover. Regardless of how strictly one interpretes their results, it is AWESOME they arrived!!!

Today's Moroccan amateur holliday desert events for Pandas, R4s and even Vespas are WAY more professionaly organised and ditto verhicle prep than the 1980 PD.
One of my watering holes is a tank stop on the route from the ferry to France and it is very informative to see the vehicles and talk some to the participants.
Back when the Dakar still went to Dakar it was the same on the down run to the ferry. Só cool.
Today's holliday raid adventurers and vehicles are at least on par with the average PD entrants 20 agao. Go figure 1980 when it was all néw.

Very cool! I suspect this scooter may have been used for some of these types of less rallys.

But he did race with a team of others on 125Xs and 150s all with the same upgraded forks as used on the 1980s team. and the scooter was produced 1979.

I'm in Tech Support... when we get a call from an angry dick & they ask who they're speaking to we use the name DAVE... as there is no "Dave" in the office... we do it purely so when they call back we can say "Dave's not here man"

You're just stringing us along, right?

Dave's not here man

I lost a bit of interest when I found out it was the 125 and not the 200!

don't think it has the significance that I thought it did

Well how about showing us the pictures then? You know, for old time's sake.

This post did not age well

Like fresh milk

Show some pics, it might be interesting anyway