In 2000 (I think) I bought what I thought was a 1963 Vespa VBB2 off of ebay. I had always been a fan of the Vespas, and this one was beautiful, probably one of the coolest I had ever seen (and still is). (I've requested my full purchase history from ebay, but they say it will take about a week, so I don't have the specific details, just my vague memories.) The seller was somewhere in the midwest, maybe Nebraska, and I won the auction and he crated it up and shipped it to Boston. I drove down (I'm in Kittery, ME/Portsmouth, NH) and picked it up. I remember having a tough time reading the VIN to register it as it looked like the paint had been sanded off to see it, but that made it difficult to read. I'm not sure, but I think the seller must have provided a VIN on the bill of sale. That VIN is VBB2T169359. I rode her for about 8 or 9 years (based on the last time I registered her in 2008) but only put a couple of hundred miles on her, tops. At some point I put in a CDI unit with 12v upgrade, replaced the cables, put in a repro speedometer (never hooking it up) and not much else. Around 2010 I put her in my office as a display piece. A couple of years ago we sold the building where my office was, and I rented a place with a 5 year lease. 6 months later the building was sold, they canceled the lease, and told us to get the f*ck out (we were lucky because we had a lease and they had to give us 6 months notice. Other tenants were residential, had been there over 20 years, the lease had expired and converted to a tenant at will, and they only gave them 30 days. But that's a different story...).
I had 25 years of eclectic stuff in our office (I own a small marketing/advertising firm) that I had to move into storage. My wife has been riding me to get rid of everything, and I have sold, donated or given away a lot of it. But I still loved the beauty of the Vespa, and I wanted to keep it. She kept riding me (instead of the Vespa) as I hadn't started it in 15 years. She finally convinced me to sell it. I listed it as not running, noting that it had been on display, and got a few offers, the highest being $2700, and I thought it was worth more (I listed it for $3200). I kept getting questions about what it would take to get it running, and it got me thinking that I should go through it, get her going, and list her for more. I put a bit of premix in the carb, and she kicked right over! I was elated.
I took the carb apart and cleaned it out, and ordered a new gasket set. I put the carb back in with the old gaskets, and used an outboard fuel tank, and got her running. She was purring, and I fell in love all over again. I pulled the tank and the fuel tap. The fuel line dissolved in my hands. The fuel tap was pretty well bound up, so I ordered a new one, along with new bellows and a few other things. I cleaned out the tank and tap with vinegar. In the process I had to rip out the filter in the tank and I broke the vent tube. I pulled the tap all apart, cleaned everything out, and took a stainless steel straw that was a similar size as the vent pipe, tapped the vent hole and threaded the straw and made it all work. Put it all back together with new fuel line (still waiting for the new tap and the carb gaskets) and put fresh mix in. She started right up, and after a bit of tuning and cleaning out the idle jet again, she starts first or second kick every time. I changed the gearbox oil and took her for a ride. Next on my list is to look at the clutch and cables as shifting is a bit stiff. And, I figured I would register her again so I can enjoy her while I get everything sorted. I still had the old registration with the VIN above, and it would be pretty easy to just re-register it using that. But, I figured if I was going to sell it, I should confirm that the VIN is correct, and make sure everything is in order. Which brings us to this post...
I went out to the garage and loosened the left cowl to get a good view. Took lots of pictures as I cleaned the area, using a light in different positions to try to get the best photos so I could figure it out. But none of the VIN on the frame had any of the numbers and letters from the VIN I had originally used to register it 25 years ago. In fact, as I kept going back and forth to the computer, going back out and taking more pictures, doing more research, it started to become apparent that the VIN on the bike made it an Allstate from '58-60. The VIN on the frame is VA10T41092. That would make it an Allstate, and a 125, but I was pretty sure this was a 150. Looking at the VIN area, it looks like one of the old paint layers is an Allstate blue. I went to look at the motor number, and it is VBB2M200058, which makes it a 150 from about '64. Wow.
Over the years when I looked at other VBBs, I compared them to mine, and was always a bit confused by the differences, but I didn't worry too much about it. My choke was under the saddle on a wire you pulled out. Others were below the seat next to the fuel tap. Mine had a VBB speedo (I ordered a replacement, and it's not the squarish Allstate version), and I had 4 speeds, not 3. Plus the VBB motor. Piaggio badge on the front cowl. Lock on the glovebox. Rounded tail. Front shock. VBB taillight. Lots of subtle differences. I didn't really care, but now, I'm trying to figure it out, somewhat out of curiosity, but especially when it comes to registering it.
I'm thinking I register it as a 1960 Allstate using the VIN on the frame. But I'm wondering what other items you see that might be different from an Allstate. Different headset, obviously. Does that look like it is from a VBB? Is the front cowl different? Would love to hear what you all think.
If you've read this far, thank you. And good luck with your insomnia, I hope this helps. I will attach more pictures in a follow up post.
Hard to make out, but I believe this VIN is VA10T41092
Motor number
