Modern Vespa

My signature may have left some people wondering why it included a certain number of miles that was diminishing by hundreds every week or two. Well, after adding up all of the miles I've ridden on each of my bikes over the past 19+ years, I realized that I was getting very close to 100,000 miles. This past Sunday, on my way down the monthly ride of the Santa Cruz Scooter Club, I finally hit that mark! For those who are curious, here's the breakdown between all of my bikes at the moment I reached that milestone:

1965 Heinkel Tourist 103 A-2 - 18,349 miles over 15 years
1979 Vespa P200E - 36,309.7 miles over 16 years (nearly 1 1/2 times the circumference of the earth!)
1958 Heinkel Tourist 103 A-2 - 4421 miles over 4 years
1974 Vespa Sprint V - 41.3 miles over 1 month
2002 Bajaj Legend 150 - 7199.8 miles over 6 years
2007 Vespa GTS 250 - 19,470 miles over 2 years
2010 Vespa GTS 300 - 14,209.2 miles over 1 1/2 years

Although it's taken me 19 years to reach that number, I'm looking forward to racking up the next 100,000 a lot more quickly!

Congrats on your milestone.

What's the backstory on that Sprint V?

Congrats, btw!

Damn! Way to go, Bagel!

Wow!!! Congrats

I'm impressed. At my current pace I can match you by the time I'm 84. Sounds like a worthy goal to me.

Very impressive.

That's 4 times around the earth!

Brilliant!

Very cool. Keep those clocks rolling...

I'm only around 50k. Good Job.

Duly noted.

As promised, I owe you one 100,000 mile patch (which doesn't exist yet, but will soon).

congrats Bagel.

Way to go Bagel, 19 wonderful years of riding. 8)

Thanks everybody! Well, the short story is that the woodruff key slot on the flywheel side of the crankshaft is completely carved out on one side, so it wouldn't stay timed properly. I ended up riding it to work once, to Classico Moto Italia a couple of years ago, and around town a couple times, but I got tired of the flywheel slipping a little and making it difficult to start. So, I only actually rode it for a couple of weeks and for very few miles, but it did help me reach 100,000 miles. I have another nearly complete motor for it that I'm going to swap out at some point, but I haven't had the time. Perhaps sometime this winter or next spring, after I get my P back together.

The longer story, which deserves a thread of its own someday, is that it was originally a San Francisco Police bike, and it is the only one in existence that I know of, which still has one of the original decals. Here are a couple of shots from a few years ago:





The story of this bike involves a rear-end accident, a very special souvenir, a rescue from Hurricane Katrina and an incredible amount of serendipity. Eventually I plan to do a full restoration on the bike and I'm hoping that the SFPD will be able provide me with assistance and possibly a couple of new decals to return it to its original appearance.

While I'm posting pictures, I'd like to take a few moments to give recognition to the other bikes that have helped me reach 100,000 miles:

My 1965 Heinkel Tourist 103 A-2, which I found in a shed in Dalton, MA in 1986. This was my first scooter, which I brought back to life 1991, which launched my foray into the world of scootering. Sadly, it's been out of commission since 2006 with a holed piston. One of these days, I will bring it back to life once again!



My 1979 P200E, which I bought in 1992 after a neighbor saw me working on my Heinkel in my driveway. He was the original owner and hadn't ridden it in more than 10 years, after he had laid it down in the rain. All it needed was new battery, tubes, tires, and some fresh oil and gas, and even as a poor college student, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy it for $500!

Back in 2003:


In 2007, after the Cannonball:


My 1958 Heinkel Tourist 103 A-1, which I bought in Berlin while studying there in 1993. I had sold my car before I left with the intention of finding either an older Heinkel or an IWL Berlin. I found this one first and it got me around the city for the year I spent there, and I shipped it home when I returned to the States the next summer. Sadly, it developed a serious oil leak in the crankcase, and it's been dormant since 1997, to be resurrected at some point in the future.



My 2002 Bajaj Legend, which I bought from my ex-girlfriend after my truck died, my car died, the Sprint proved too unreliable, my 1965 Heinkel died, and the clutch blew up in my P200E, leaving me in a lurch. It's not the quickest or prettiest bike in the world, but it's a reliable workhorse that sips gas more sparingly than any other bike I've owned.



My 2007 Vespa GTS 250, which I bought as a salvage bike in 2008, specifically for the Cannonball. This was my first modern Vespa, and although it was seriously beat up, it proved to be a great bike. From what I could gather, it was wheelied, landed on its side, slid down a hill and did a faceplant into a curb in San Francisco. It was totaled and sold at auction, and the buyer also bought a totaled GT 60 (which happened to be wrecked on a ride I was on the summer before), and he replaced the smashed fender on my bike with the fender and light from the GT 60. Nearly all of the plastic parts on the bike were damaged and there was significant damage to the left cowl and legshield. However, with plenty of work and some deft sourcing of replacement parts, I was able to make the repairs and with the help of Vespa Santa Cruz, it received a fresh coat of paint. It carried me reliably across the country in 2008 and right now I'm getting it ready for a repeat this year!

When I first bought it:


And on the Cannonball in 2008:


And last but not least, my newest daily rider, my 2010 Vespa GTS 300 - the first and only vehicle I've ever bought brand new!

Taking delivery in April 2009:


And how she looks today:


I'd like to give thanks to all of my scooters for carrying my butt around for so many miles and for putting up with all the use and abuse I've put them through. To those who are under the weather (largely my fault), I promise to do right by you and get you going again as soon as possible! Many thanks Jess, I appreciate it very much and I'll be looking forward to it!

GREAT!! Now, go rack up the next 100,000.

I think I can match the OPs milage, so here goes....
(All honest recollections of the miles I've done on my own bikes -)

1997-1998 - Yamaha SR125 - 7000 miles
1998-2002 - Honda CB500s - 34,000 miles (11,000 in the first year!)
2002-2008 - Triumph Speed Triple - 29,000 miles (820 in a day once!)
2008-2009 - Ducati Monster 696 - 6000 miles

And in between I've had several smaller bikes and scooters as commuter machines

Honda CG125 - 6000 miles
Yamaha DT125 - 1000 miles
Gilera Runner 180VXR - 15,000 miles
Peugeot Elystar 150 - 5000 miles
Aprilia scooter - 1000 miles
Vespa GT200 - 2000 miles.... so far....

So I make that about 106,000 miles in about 13 years, around 8150 miles a year.

I'm actually surprised it's so high to be honest, I've never added it up before!

This is impressive on two levels:
1. the mileage is very impressive
2. the fact that you have kept records across all of those years

Hats off, congrats

Nice collection of scooters that carried you over all those miles. Congratulations on your accomplishment Bagel.

Incredible! Congratulations!

About six months ago, it occurred to me that I should create a log book of all the bikes I've owned for exactly this reason. Who / where I bought it from, how much I paid for it, miles when I bought it, and miles when I sold it. I managed to gather up all the information I had about all my bikes present and past, even calling up a few people I had sold bikes to for confirmation of dates and mileage.

I'm happy to report that I've recently crossed the 50,000 mile mark (the vast majority of it on scooters) in just under 5 years of riding.

I encourage everyone else to keep a log book if you have more than one or two bikes. It doesn't have to have anything more detailed than a single page for each bike with the vital stats. You'll be glad you did someday.

Great advice--thanks.

I figured I could just do this off of the title when I sold a bike . . . but if I don't actually do something like this, it won't happen.

Awesome, congratulations

I'm not inspired to ride 100,000 miles by this...but I'm never getting rid of another bike

Congrats BAGEL I'm impressed. I've ridden a lot of and on over the years but wouldn't even come close. Here's to another accident free 100k PETER a big congrats to you to. Also impressed and again may you have another 100k+ accident free miles 8)

Awesome, and congrats, bagel!

Thanks! Actually, the record keeping part was pretty easy, all I had to do was look at the odometers on my bikes, since I made a note of the mileage was on them when I got them. Perhaps the more impressive feat is keeping those odometers working over all those years! Actually I know that I have more miles than that on my 1965 Heinkel and my P200E, since they both had brief issues with the speedo cable drive mechanisms in the past, so I probably have put on another 1000 miles between the two of them... but the numbers posted here are at least what is verifiable.

Judy - well, they weren't 100% accident free miles, but at least they were free from any serious accidents. I had two small spills on my 1965 Heinkel, one in the snow and one in the rain, both where I landed on my butt at low speeds. Another one was on my 1958 Heinkel, when I took a turn too hot, scraped the floorboard and picked up the rear wheel, which caused me to slide out and lowside tires first into the curb. No damage to the bike except a scraped floorboard edge and a broken mirror, a torn spot on the elbow of my jacket and a little road rash. Oh, and then there was the time a year or two ago when I accidentally sideswiped the left rear quarter panel of a brand new Honda Civic with the brake lever of my GTS 250... doh!

GO BAGEL!
I loved reading the history and stories behind each bike!!!

Since I just racked up over 10K on my GTS 300 in about a year (actually, now that I think about it, it was a year to the day I got delivery - awesome) and 5K + on my LX150, at the current rate I only have 10 more years to go to reach 100K. Unless I do a Cannonball or two

Congratulations!

I must have hit my first 100,000 miles around 1977, or a bit sooner. Thats the year I wrecked my 1974 Suzuki GT750 with 61,000 miles on it's odometer.

Before that, I rode my 1973 Yamaha TX750 16,000 miles before selling that POS in the spring of 1974, so that's 77,000 miles on just those two bikes.

Before those two, I owned a 1965 Honda S90, a 1970 Bridgestone GTR 350, a 1967 HD Sprint 250, a 1965 Honda 305 Superhawk, and a Kawasaki 90.

Since 1977, I've added about 300,000 additional miles, including about 27,000 on two 650 Burgmans (with our new 2009 Concour, I'm riding my 41st motorcycle)....but none of my 'grand total' lifetime mileage is on sub-300cc scooters, so my miles may not count here.

BAGEL yeah don't we all wish they could be accident free. I'm projecting 100k NON accident ones for ya 8) Who knows maybe my guardian angels will keep an eye out for you. Altho mine aren't accident free ones either but i've had 3 accidents in my life that i shouldn't of lived thru so their keeping an eye out for me

Thanks Judy, I'm wishing for nothing but accident-free miles for you going forward too!

PeterPoddy and Scooterdoodler - well done! Though I would like to point out that even though it is a major accomplishment to ride 100,000 on motorcycles as well, riding them all on nothing but scooters, including more than half of those on vintage bikes, is something altogether different and relatively uncommon here in the US.

Just out of curiosity... is there anyone else who has ridden over 100k just on scooters?

I agree.

8)

Props, Bagel.

I want to be you when I grow up!

As we say down here...
Choice!

Never thought to keep track. I know that I put at least 62k on my VNB during the 41 years I owned it, as it had 1k when bought and a bit over 63 k when I filled in that block on the title transfer. No way to account for the couple of years when I needed a new speedo cable.

No idea of the miles piled up on the various and sundry other scooters I have owned over the years, or during the years (1958-64) I regularly rode my uncle's Vespa before buying my own in 1964. The current PX has 12k "Aviator 47" miles on it, and the Derbi I sold recently had 8k on it. So I can only account for 82k with certainty.

Well done, Bagel, and wishing you a safe and fun quarter million (sounds better than a mere 200,000) in the future.

I did just over 100,000 miles in my previous Vespa life:
1966-67: 150 Sportique 7760 miles until run down and written-off by a police car
1967-82: SS180 ~93,000 miles.

Apart from the encounter with the Law, only one spill-dropped the SS180 one evening in a hairpin bend kindly filled with diesel by a lorry (no serious damage apart from a broken kickstart shaft).

Have just reached 14,000 km (8,700 miles) on my new PX200.
Thanks to Jess I am now able to sport two 50,000 patches on my jacket and it will only take me another 11 years to get the next one; by that time I may be demoted to a Zimmer frame.

I entirely agree with Jess on keeping logbooks. My first was started from day 1 as a requirement of my job and I kept the habit going. Looking back gives me so much, remembering the fun and the occasional struggles with weather, broken cables, flats, etc. And they provide a clear record of all the journeys, especially the really long ones. When I started riding again, I didn't have to rely on memory for such things as maintenance, tyre life, petrol mileage etc.

Bagel. Thx for taking the time to tell us about ur experience. Long posts take a fair bit of time to craft, especially w pics. Congrats on the miles. It's particularly impressive that u did so many of those miles on vintage bikes.

BTW, Vespa Santa Cruz has moved from the spot u purchased the 300 from so hit their website for the new address before u go looking for them.

Best
Miguel

Fuzzy has over 50k on 2 MP3's in less than 2 years

Well done, KenM! I don't suppose you still have that SS180, do you? Those are gorgeous bikes!

Miguel, yup I stopped by there to see them before they had even opened the new shop! BTW, I can't recall if we've met on any of the Santa Cruz monthly rides... if you haven't been on one yet, you should come and join in the fun, the 2nd Sunday of every month at Fins Coffee on Ocean St. I won't be there next month since I'll be on the Cannonball, but I plan on being there in October.

And congrats to Fuzzy, that's a hell of a lot of miles to rack up in less than 2 years!

Awesome, bagel. Thanks for the back-story, especially that of the SFPD Sprint V. In my opinion, you should keep it as-is and preserve the historical quality of it. I can also appreciate a full-resto, too, and I totally understand wanting to do one on that bike in particular.

Impressive Bagel!! 8)

Sadly, Bagel, no.
I was at sea so much that it was out of use and sat outside quietly rusting in our rainy climate. After 15 years of great service (if I ignore the 3 seizures and one set of broken rings) and with 100K on the clock, it was an embarrassment to me, for it was a key part of my life. One day a young bloke came up, noted that I hadn't used it much lately and asked if I would sell it. The sale value in 1982 of a 1966 Vespa was NZ$50, so I asked him how keen he was and whether he would look after it. When he gave the right answers, I gave it to him complete with the Piaggio workshop manual, spares, etc. It wasn't too long before I regretted it and, although it took me 26 years , I resolved to get another. Sadly, I didn't keep a note of his details and the MV registration office here has no record of it beyond 1992, so I can't find it. I didn't know then how rare they were; only 35,699 were made, but many came to NZ as kits for local assembly to avoid tariffs so they didn't seem rare at the time. Strangely, I didn't give the piston-porting any thought in spite of starting on a rotary valve scooter and I had no idea until recently that it was the last. How I would like to restore it now!
To me, the PX200 is the successor to the SS via the Rally. I always liked the angular style and the performance which the PX has gone on to evolve.