Modern Vespa

Shirley you must be kidding?
And yes, I just called you Shirley.

Please look at that scooter again... the list is long on tell tell signs of Vietnam.
Rubber mat
Front blinkers
Yellow boots
Too much chrome
Low miles
Two tone paint
New seat/cover

etc etc etc....

etc etc etc is right Dr. O... that bike is a Perfect example.. Perfect of a VN "Restoration"... Make no mistake.. the serial # prefix for that bike is VNX10

AND

Only 4 grand!

here is another with a similar setup. BUT....just to put your mind 100% at ease...this one has been looked at by a Certified Pee-agheo Mechanic !

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/mcy/3328779388.html

although the ad does not specify what that mechanic said AFTER he inspected it.

The Best part is he bought it for his granddaughter to ride at "collage". I don't know about you, but when I ride, I prefer riding in dioramas, not collages.

thoughts on these two:

Number 1
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=21954218&cat=210&lpid=&search=vespa


Number 2
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=22129286&cat=210&lpid=&search=vespa

The silver one looks bodge. It should have a glove box behind the leg shield. The cream one looks safer, but with only 3 small photos, it's hard to say for sure.

the second cream one has what looks like a smallframe headset. I would avoid both.

Missed my point completely. Yes, it spent its life in Vietnam and was bodged here. What factory was it made in? Yes, they make beautiful LX's here now but they didn't make Sprints here. It is from Italy. You'd be an idiot though not to say the truth though. I was just saying that this guy is being economical with it.

Re: What?

By the mid-1950s, Vespas were being manufactured under licence in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Spain; in the 1960s, production was started in India, Brazil and Indonesia.

i knew somebody was gonna say that. but how long did each outside plant produce and in what quantity? did they have the same parts and tooling? did they produce every single part required to get a scoot up and running? was there oversight from pontadera?

our Danmotor factory (Indonesia) were indeed under control by the piaggio italy, from the tooling till the factory tools and they even give the mechanic a profesional knowledge and they have supervisor sent direct from the pontadera to make sure everything meet the quality they demand, sadly the plant were shut down in 2006 due to the attack from all cheapo japan moped and the japan autos scooter

one thing for sure, the reason why there is bodge despite we have the factory is cause people look for a cheaper way.. an illustration, one person can buy a super nor a sprint for $30 here around 1990 with that low price there's no way they want to take the bike to the dealer that will ask them $50 to do the engine mapping and it just the service price not to mention the parts

hope u get the idea mate beside vespa is consider a bulletproof bike here so folks think they will last 50 more years even without proper maintenance

have a nice day to you all and cheer

this


*my apologies for thread clutter if previously posted, 1st I've seen

Only Rallys came with legshield gloveboxes. And it looks pretty authentic.

Whoever said "small frame headset" doesn't know what they're talking about either as there are (apart from the SS50/90) just the small-headlight headset (AKA US headset) and the larger headlight (AKA Euro headset). The smaller headlight one were used on both large and small frames.

the SS 180 had a leg shield toolbox standard as well.

Ha ha. Tedford got busted by Jamesjohn.

Somebody correct me on this one.

Isn't the ss18o, rally18o and rally 200, the same bike but different engines?

Curious

SS180 had the trap headset I think.

Huh? Define 'same bike'.

No. It came with both.

No.

Hey Chris,

Did they start out with the trap and migrate to the round, or did they make both at the same time?

I think the last year of import into the USA had the round-style. I'd check with a shop like Bar Italia or ScootersO for the anorak details; I'm not that kind of guy.

It was just at the end of 1968 and for U.S. market only. The reason was to fulfill a Department of Transportation requirement for sealed-beam headlight.

The differences between an SS 180 and a Rally 180 (or 200) are myriad. Fork and frame, to begin with.

That price for a solid SS180 is within the realm of possibility.

I knew about the DOT headlight.

When I see the cowls and frame I always wonder about the differences.

I had the rally 180, but back then I all I cared about was how it ran.

they seem to be getting better at it ................. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=261122812842

What a big fat liar!

Indian by the looks of it but like you say, doesn't shot from the rooftops apart from the obvious colour change.

Experts---Tell a complete amateur (me) if I pulled the trigger prematurely. Recent E-Bay purchase: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/78-Vespa-P200E-Scooter-200cc-Piaggio-/110965385878?forcev4exp=true

Fender and cowls are presumably repainted. Selling dealer (boats and cars are their main business) says that the previously MIA title has now been located by the gentleman's survivors and passed along to the dealer, and says that the PO was apparently the original owner of the bike, titled in his name from a Columbia, SC Vespa dealer in 1979. Dealer claims that they had the bike "cleaned up" and have been running short errands on itfor the past 8 months or so.

A not-so-rough diamond or a probable bodge? Thanks, in advance, for your insights and expertise.

Konrad

It looks pretty good to me. Ps are not bodge and this has all the hallmarks of a legal American P. Not perfect for sure but the price was reasonable IMHO.

Sweet P. 200's are very rare here anyway. No way anyone would let them go.

You would be surprised at how many people tell me that it's not a real SS180 because of the headlight!

And so did the GS 160 MK II

If I learned anything out of this thread:

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/mcy/3404404296.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/mcy/3421090930.html

what a knob this guy is. he has never ridden nor started it....he has too many toys.

Bodge season downunder.
First up standard bodges x 3
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fully-Rebuilt-1966-VBC150cc-Vespa-with-all-accessories-/251191011798?pt=AU_Motorcycles&hash=item3a7c26a9d6&_uhb=1#ht_500wt_1220
Second a nauseating cutesy anthropomorphic description
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vespa-VBB-1962-Super-150-Emma-/190762371631?pt=AU_Motorcycles&hash=item2c6a52ca2f&_uhb=1#ht_1200wt_1220

Finally a pair of customs. Maybe I'm wrong here but the fact there's 2 and the seller seems to know nothing about them makes me suspicious.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vespa-Refurbished-/271113404033?pt=AU_Motorcycles&hash=item3f1f9e3e81&_uhb=1#ht_500wt_1220

With all accesories? That is one with the lot! The exotic background, the patterned paving, the wheel 8 feet in the air... the chrome... the chrome... the chrome...

Standard bodges. What do you think of the last 2. Nam or not?

That's hard to say... just going on the seats and spare wheel cover you might think so... some people actually like the brown. Certainly not your average Viet bike.
My girlfriend thinks she recognises the black one with the flames from the VACC rally a couple of years ago, ridden by a "biker type".

Even the panel guards couldn't keep the paint from falling off this classic bodge --- in huge chunks, no less. The photo of the speedo is fuzzy, but it looks like the likely-replaced odometer is showing over 7,000 miles. That has to be some kind of record.


http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/mcy/3440472855.html

"Joe who I'm with liked riding me in the City and sometimes I had to carry his partner, too."

-Ick

Sweet, 1966 fenderlight!

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/mcy/3445885018.html