Modern Vespa

hi all, I'm completely new here and to scootering, but wanted a vespa for years now. I stumbled across a 62 Cushman VNB about a month ago and quickly picked it up (it was just over budget, so I splurged). the previous owner had stripped it, resprayed with rattle can paint, had the engine mostly rebuilt with a 20/20 carb and a slightly better pipe.

I've spent the last month replacing lots of rubber that was either missing, worn, or ugly, refurbishing and properly readjusting many things (cables, etc), and doing some respraying and lots of wetsanding. all these photos are current, but I haven't finished wet sanding or even started on proper polishing (I need to have the leg shield and floor reshaped and properly de-rusted before I work on the paint).

it all works, but needs some work: oil leaks (maybe unfixable, a previous owner bottomed out the engine good), carb adjustment (yaay wet fouls!), body work, and brakes (I've gotten them up to mostly useless, but I'd prefer functional).






as far as what I hope to do with the bike, I'm looking to make something I can have some fun with, so eventually a new motor (don't know if I want to try to find a 200, or go LML) with oil injection, a nice pipe, 10" wheels, probably disk brakes. and probably a side car eventually. even though the color isn't original, I rather like it.

you'll probably get a ton of questions from me on the upgrades and just riding in general as I've always been a car person (I drive and track an audi)


blah blah blah...hi.

edit: oh yeah, I do plan to keep all the original parts to i can do a proper restore in the future. also, no major modifications that are irreversible for that same reason.

that looks almost too nice to be a project!

+1 what project u would do with the vespa its look nice and awesome u just need to put ur butt in the sadle and have fun riding it congratz on the purchase and welcome to mv


cheer

well, those are the flattering photos after I spent time on it, there's still some of this:


and this:


to take care of (note the nice crease that is going to be a real pain)

yes i see it mate guess u have to paint it now and make her look more sweet

If it's your first scooter....and it runs ... just ride it.

Ride it, find some other project scooter to wrench on, if you have that itch...

Taking your only scooter, particularly if it runs, apart to re-build it ... and miss valuable riding time .... that's a sin.

This is why vintage scooter folk have so many scooters, i think. That way you can be assured that at least one of them runs, so you can wrench on the ones that don't.

yep

That's what I did...do I need to go to confession?

I did indeed miss out on a lot of valuable riding time.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my scooter now though!

Your bike looks great...

There's another reason, too...

So often people take apart their only running bike, and then don't know how to get it back together again. They get stuck on something, give up eventually, let it sit in the back corner of the garage, and end up selling it for a few hundred bucks as a bike in a box.

I've seen it happen plenty.

I agree, and do ride it, though in the winter when I'm not riding I have lots to do. plus, I plan to ride this to work eventually (about 20 miles each way) and in it's current condition I don't really feel that it's up to the task (lots of hills for the brakes that barely work to fail me on).

besides, I got this so I can wrench on the vespa instead of the cars.

Thats one reason. Another is that its good to have one to check how the project one should go back together, not that I have ever done that!