Modern Vespa

Nice one, Bill - always satisfying to get things back in order.

I had a scootery day today myself. There was a bit of a rideout on and, having decided to head along and gawk at the pretty scooters, I was duly swept up in the moment and found myself riding as part of a big massive swarm around the city and out to the East End. I've never ridden with more than one other scooter before so it was quite an experience and the weather was largely very accommodating.

It all seemed very well organised and credit should be given to the Glasgow Globetrotters and Clyde Valley scooter clubs who seemed to be behind the whole thing and quite on top of the traffic, as well as to all the other clubs from around the country who came out in force. I'm not involved with any clubs myself but I can see the attraction in riding around mob-handed.

Plenty interesting scoots to behold and when I get off my arse I'll post the photos in the Ride Report section.

thanks for the kind words everyone. i'm feeling a lot better and looking forward to some sun in india next week.

bill, don't sell the hornet - you love it and with your riding skills a 200 is faster than most people's 300.

Agreed, he took off down the road on my 250 like a scalded cat. There are some nice 250s on ebay right now with a big saving on new.

Awww, kitty love is the best love

Nice brunch at the Ace this morning. Thanks Bill. I forgot how nice it was to ride with others even on the Great North Rd and the North Circular.

I did cut the grass this afternoon but got a bit bored later.

Sooo.... went shopping for scooterbits. Just bought a Polini 9 Roller jobby (purely out of curiosity) and I can't believe I just spent £300 on a PM68. Hope it's a bit quieter than the last one with the new dB killer fitted.

Yes it wasn't a bad ride out to the Ace was it and we were joined by Jim and Big and Little Pepy.
What a delicious breakfast as well although Jim did seem to take a liking to my toast.
I have to say Doug seems to be a alot more suited to a 250 than a 300 after following him for many a mile this afternoon.
Genie and I had a nice ride back taking her route to and from work and she showed me a nice flicky bit that goes uphill right to left which I want to do again and again. Ahem.
Got home and gave The Hornet and through wash and polish and used the Swizoil Concours Polish I was given recently and now it shines like a pin - even more than before if that's possible.
I know it's mine so abviously I'm a bit biased but it's a really good example of a GT200 and still only has 11,000 Kilkometers and now everything on it works I'm swinging back the other way if you'll pardon the expression.
I honestly can't make my mind up on what to do with it now so I'm going to put it in fates hands.
The Hornet is available for purchase for £1500.


Bill XX

Bill's hornet is immaculate and a steal for £1500. Go on Alice, we know you like silver, but it is the best buy ever. And it now has a new ignition switch, new coolant and a new thermostat. Oh and I did the belt and rollers fairly recently. Keep it in the family. I'm not so sure about that one Bill. I like the 250 a lot but think that I just have found a bit more confidence - I'd be just the same on a 300!

I also did a little modification to my air filter. It does seem to make a difference, if a little more noisy. That extra noise will no doubt be drowned out by the PM...

Nice to bump into you peeps today........ 8)

Hello my dears!!!
Good to see you all in good spirits and keeping well.
Except for Kam, hope you're feeling better?

I got some news of my own to share with my beloved Skoks!

I got a new job (hip hip hurray!!) and it's great etc etc BUT....
it's in Hertfordshire!!!
I went to the interviews on Velma she did me so proud!!!

Got 70mph on her, luckily it was bright sunny gorgeous traffic free times and I got there in like half an hour!!

But on the long run I don't feel like it'll be safe to ride 40 miles a day on the motorway on wee Velma

so I considered that 300 I had my eye on, but I think unfortunately... I'll end up getting... A.., (sorry!!).. CAGE!!

Yes you heard right my friends I'm soon to become more than a wife or a (did I mention???) junior buyer! But also a cager... Oh well!!

I'm keeping velma as there's no way I can give up my quick London trips to Oxford street and mates' houses on the vespa. The cage is useless in central London.

I'm thinking a ford Ka, had it before and it's a bargain. Want to spend no more than a grand (I take pride in having s vespa that's worth more than the cage! Makes a point really;))

so if any of you are selling a car for up to a grand, have any tips or advise speak up, you know you're my trusted ones

I'll need to get a cage license too ugghh my Brazilian one expired 3 years ago..

And in 6 weeks alex and I tie the knot!!
Happy days all around

take care everyone, lots of hugs xxxx

mrs fav!

Dessita - I know a guy who commuted from South London to Birmingham (100 miles roughly, each way) every day for many years on a bike. OK, it wasn't a scooter in his case, but it was just a 'something' (they all look the same to me) 400.

Your place to new job must be shorter than that. Take a STAND on this.

p.s. how are the other plans going?

dessa lovely to hear from you but .... a cage??? promise us that you'll get only a very tiny cage, and that you'll take velma whenever you can.

ask bill about the Ka - he loves his 'dwarf shark'

nice seeing everyone at the ace today - and thank you for the RAV sticker jim, it's on my windshield.

Thanks genie - Riders Are Voters isn't party politically polarised - just asking all candidates searching questions what they would do to improve our lot. The dismissive ones can be dismissed!

Westminster could get Very Interesting.

yeah I know, I'm a little disappointed in myself, but quite fancy having volumous hair and wearing heels straight from the house again like in the old days in Brazil when I drove my little red Ka (aka "Yves", after YSL who had hired Tom FORD as creative director at the time, who is as we all know GOD!!!)
...anyway....!

yes, little Ka nothing else and Velma stays as Alpha Vehicle of my household (after George who's solid as a rock and definitely the Alpha Male there), I'll never go into central London with the Ka, and Velma remains my sweetheart!

Jim - I just thought you know 70mph, she was a bit shaken, if something were to go (knock wood) wrong, it could go VERY wrong. And plus during the winter etc.
but of course I'll take her up there now and then, I had a lovely ride for my first interview at 7:30am, it was a lovely sunny open road

other plans are going full steam, there's never enough time to do it all.
currently finalising groom's attire.
the details shall remain secret until the "press release" aka official after photos are let out in the open!! hehe

in 5 weeks I'll be off, leaving my job in the company i've been with for 4 years, welcoming all of our family and friends from home, what a blast.
then enjoy 3 weeks of happy days and start as (have I mentioned!!!) junior buyer woooppiieeeee
i'm so pleased

anyway I'll see how I get on with the cage.
not spending any more than a grand on it as I said, it's purely steel around my body and a cocoon of warmth to take me into my new job and back

Bill - we should start a Ford Ka club and ditch these guys hehehehehehehe
(***shielding myself from rock throwing and abuse shouting****)

ONLY JOKING!!!

STOPPIT!!! I FEEL GUILTY ENOUGH AS IT IS!!!

So you should Dessa.

But I do know personal circumstances take precedence - so over to you.

Congratulations on the job, Dessa! Motorway commuting on a scooter is no fun, and scooters should be fun, so the cage is a necessary evil. Perhaps for nice days you can find a non-motorway route and give Velma an outing? You'll appreciate her so much more when you've been caging it.

Tempted by the Hornet but I'm really looking for something a bit cheaper and tattier that I can muck about with. I don't think Bill would ever speak to me again if bits of his former steed suddenly turned orange

(I missed out on a lovely-looking 200 last week because I was too ill to go and view it and somebody else snapped it up. Grr.)

Dessa. Be careful because you won't get much of a Ka for £1000 but I'll give you as much advice as I can.

Start looking on Ebay and Gumtree for what's available.

Congrats on the new job by the way. Well done to you.

Alice it's a shame that you don't want the Hornet because I'd like it to go to a good home and it wouldn't matter if you painted it because once it's someone else's I kinda lose interest.

Bill XX

cheers Alice and Bill

Bill I saw some grabs at £1100 on ebay and gumtree and autotrader already on Ka's
they aren't new but looked ok.
i don't want to spend too much money on it at all, then there's insurance and road tax etc... too many bills nah!

anyway wish me luck, I'm trying to reschedule my theory test for earlier!

x

When looking for a Ford Ka look for all the usual things - Full Service History, not too many owners, rust around the lower sills on the early models, check how high the clutch bites - the higher it is the more worn it is, look for leaks around the head gasket and rust in the coolant,wear to the inside of the tyres,play in the steering,blue smoke from the pipe when it starts from cold plus any squeels from the belts,play in the gear lever linkages,wear to the steering wheel,pedals and seat if the mileage is too low for it's age and always check the chassis no against the V5 document.
Oh and when the clutch is depressed listen for another squeel - that's the thrust bearing. Also check for grinding when you put it in reverse. Check for knocking in the UJ's when turning lock to lock under power.
The overhead valve engines on the MK1 Ka's last forever with regular servicing but I wouldn't go for one over 100,000 miles.

Anything else just ask.

Bill XX

A few picture from The Ace Cafe here if you fancy a butchers.....

http://www.gtsownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2592&start=60

Thanks Pepy. It seemed to me that the turn out was alot bigger than last year.
I really did enjoy the ride from Hackney to the Ace using the A1.

I've got my fingers crossed for good weather this weekend so we can ride to Lunch with the Stars on Sunday.

Actually having said that lets hope that the weather holds for the weekend after as well.

Crossing my fingers and toes.

Bill XX

Not sure crossing your fingers will help

And I'm supposed to be riding to Tintagel on Good Friday! Looks like it might be a repeat of the trip we did on New Year's Eve 2006, when we got so soaked coming back the staff at Exeter services put a 'CAUTION WET FLOOR' notice next to our table.

sleet on thursday and thunder showers on saturday gah. what happened to spring???

It sprang off!

OTOH, Lidl has dark chocolate Easter eggs filled with creme de cassis, so it's not all bad news.

The weather is shit. I just took the ET4 down to Scootech along the A12 and spent most of the time being blattered across my lane by the wind. Really unnerving. Now I need to go out again. Grr.

Sorry. They're the ones in the purple bag

It was very gusty on my way home last night and again today, especially passing side roads. Unnerving is right!

Those are Cherry not Cassis, but taste lovely. I've just eaten a whole bag.

I've had some fun today.







The PM is lovely. It is loud but not as loud as the pre decibel killer one. The Bitubo on the front really does make a dramatic difference compared to the stock.

So much shiny!!

I definitely have cassis at home. I believe they had advocaat eggs too, but that seems somehow wrong. Egg-flavoured egg?

A meta egg?

The PM looks good, doug. I'd like to hear it - my own was so loud that my ears rang!

You can ride it tomorrow if you want. Genie has asked me to ride down to yours with her, if she's still going.

Awesome!

(I use that word sparingly)

Your scoot looks beaut doug.

I like that.

Thanks all. It actually does have a nice sound. The old one I had was a hooligan. When I fitted it and started it, the house shook. This one was mild mannered on start-up, just slightly deeper than stock. Even revving it a little didn't cause offence. It is quiet while cruising but on WOT it is a real snarler. Much nicer tone than the old one.

The bitubo makes a huge difference. The front end with the stocker felt a bit wandery and clonked a bit over bumps. When I went to LIDL to get the eggs, I forgot that I had installed it, I was concentrating so much on the PM, and I suddenly thought this feels different. Much smoother, actually rides better, which surprised me. I haven't adjusted it at all yet, just installed it the way it was out of the box. Thanks Kam for the push...

It looks lovely Doug and yes I am very jealous.

Hang on a minute, am I the only one with a stock GT ?

Got a spare shock going Doug ?

Rah rah rah.

Bill XX

You can have the standard one which is a bit firmer if you want....

I couldn't just take it off you Doug, I'll have to give you something in return.

I have to say that crome can looks really good with the Grey/Blue of the GT.

The reason that I wouldn't go for the bitubo shock is that red doesn't go with green and I think it would look hideous on the Hornet.

Your votes please.

Bill X

You can take the spring off and get it powder coated. The GTS spring is chrome unlike the GT one which is black.

Interesting thought that. I'm working on the belief that a barely used 250 shock that is a little stiffer is going to work better than a 7 year old standard one.

I think my problem is that I like things standard or at least standard looking.

On the few occasions when I've tried to modify things in the past the variables have created more problems than they are worth so I ususally leave things alone.
At least you know where you stand with standard.
I sound like a luddite don't I ?

My pathetic attempt to sell the Hornet has met with failure so it looks like I'll be keeping it for at least this year.

It's not a bad old stick is it.

Bill XX

Quite a few people have substituted the GT shock with a GTS one. I shall refrain from saying do a search, because I can't be bothered.