Modern Vespa

I've got a couple of small dents on each cowl that I would like to remove myself. Whats the best way of doing this? Just bang it out from the opposite side?

Thanks

I used a hammer and dolly to get them close.

Then I used this thing that was like a cheesegrater, but for metal. I could bend it to the shape of the cowl curve. That took out any peaks from hammering. Sorry, I don't know the name of this tool.

From there, I used a minute amount of body filler and sanded it smooth and primered.

in the UK i bought one of these sets and it served me well on my classic mini for all dints. I assume you can get something similar over your end

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cbp7a-panel-beating-set/path/bodywork-tools

That looks like a nice hammer and dolly set.

Here's a pic that is close to the file I was using. This one seems to stay straight. The one I used could be bent to the shape you were filing.

The dents are smal enought that I may be able to gently bang them out from the opposite side. Any thoughts on the suciton cup device?

a friend did it for me, he used a soft hammer and a piece of wood, worked great. It was a fair size dent too.

and I did it on my mudguard...

Bodyfile?
Also great for ripping thru body filler before it's properly set to get a rough shape to the filler/repair.

You don't want to do that, you'll likely overstretch the metal. Invest in a hammer and dolly set. You can get away with a cheap set from ebay and the likes if you only plan on occasional use, just don't expect them to last or expect the same quality as Sykes Pickavant sets etc.
Practically impossible to explain in writing how to do this but the basic premise is to let the dolly do the work in pushing out the dents from behind while gently hammering 'on and off' the dolly working around the ding. Takes time and practice and a keen eye/hand to get right so probably better practising a little with some scrap metal.