Modern Vespa

Ah! Collections for the box o shame!

If it's from SEA nothing surprises me anymore. I've seen it all rafterman. I've got the 1000 yard stare.

-g

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/mcy/d/arlington-vespa-150-pair-scooter/7259747291.html

what say ye?

Looks bodgy to me.

Look at the horncast in the first photo! It looks like paper mache that got wet.

Look under the left rear cowl, another line of rust coming through that seam.

looks even worse than mine and mine looks like a ruffles potato chip!

Oh boy. Only [edit] $11,995!!!

https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/1969-Vespa-SPRINT+150+S-5014972686

All the detail shots on this one cured me of ever wanting to rebuild one of these for fun.

There is almost nothing left of the original bike but the frame and case. Every bit of hardware is replaced by low-quality reproduction parts.

And very strange modifications. Like what is that plastic sleeve in the tank? Why did they put a PX style rear brake?

the plastic insert looks to be a grit strainer

At least this guy admits it and kinda prices appropriately.

https://daytona.craigslist.org/mcy/d/kissimmee-1968-vespa-gt-180-fully-redone/7288945584.html

"GT 180"

lol, he made up a whole new model

It was a limited run, 1 of 1...

Yup i thought that was funny. GT 180!

Seems like a fair price for 'museum condition'

https://daytona.craigslist.org/mcy/d/orlando-wts-1962-gsa160-museum-condition/7288500930.html

That color is sick. And not in a good way.

Added a few front light and price tag jumped to 24k? Holly smoke...

wait it's a 1966 Super but with Acorn tail-light + VBB headset... oh wait there are more to it... the yellow boot.

nice glove box on a 90.

https://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/mcy/d/new-york-vintage-vespa-90/7294783358.html

10K. "Only serious inquiries". HAHAHAHHAHAHA.

How about "Only serious sellers."

OK, price is crazy, but the scooter looks legit apart the glovebox, unless it's an old Italian accessory. I don't think they even bothered bodging smallies in SEA...

I only put it here cause there was nowhere else to put it, but yeah glove box only addition I could see. It's the price that got me! Maybe for a pristine original 90SS, but a plain ol 90? That is the most expensive glove box addition ever.

He thinks that a 'restoration' done there is a good sign.... but the interesting thing is the last sentence below. And where do you come from, old broken SS180?
Here: https://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/mcy/d/utica-1957-vespa-125-restored-as-150/7292847676.html

Sadly, the black one looks like it's probably from the same source.

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/mcd/d/tempe-1966-piaggio-vespa-down-oac/7297561201.html

Keys under seat? 74 frame?

https://sacramento.craigslist.org/for/d/gardnerville-1961-vespa/7296755821.html

Man, if I only had $3500 sitting around.

That scooter looks like something I'd drink if I had an upset stomach.

"OK, price is crazy, but the scooter looks legit apart the glovebox, unless it's an old Italian accessory. I don't think they even bothered bodging smallies in SEA..."


Down to $7k... Getting warmer

I saw that yesterday and laughed. Still about 6k north of true.

This is surprising.

Mixed in with Bello Moto's huge collection of super rare bikes, is this.

https://www.bellomoto.com/1975-vespa-sprint-veloce-bv13

Sadly, this showed up in the VCOA newsletter tonight

I certainly hope this has the header "any bikes but this one" under it.

Hi, all! Newbie here needs help.

What's wrong with these? Why are they bodges? I see some aftermarket stuff (chrome, seats, speedo) but couldn't these still be solid bikes with parts that were added or replaced with aftermarket if they couldn't find original? Trying to learn what to look for. I was interested in these until I joined here today to ask about them and was swiftly told not to be.

1962 Vespa 150
1962 piaggio vespa 150 completely restored runs and drives just needs fluids beautiful collection piece it is stored in st augies pizza in st augustine florida as a show piece only has 102 original kilometers add wouldnt let me post it with 102km come check it out for sale 6,000$ obo
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/429416834826827/

1967 Vespa 150 (Super?)
Very nice Vespa 150 spirt all original just took second place riding into history st augistine very collectible price will be going up come take a look.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1096152460874193/

[/url]

Whats wrong with them is not visible in a picture *clues* are in the pictures.

Let me tell you the tale I watched in person, and have seen on here many times.

1. "I am sure its fine, just needs a tune up- so what if it has yellow boots?"
2. "Wow, I rebuilt the carb and it still wont run."
3. "I have compression, gas and spark, but it wont idle"
4. "Took it to the local Vespa mechanic and he wont touch it- doesnt he like money?"
5. So, I am noticing some cracks in the weld spots, and some rust coming through, should be ok though right?"
6. "I'll have my buddy rebuild the engine, he will know what to do."
7. (buddy) "Dude, this motor is toast. I cant believe how bad it is inside there"
8. Dumbstruck buyer: "Its all clean and chromey outside, it should be good"
10. (Bank account) "OW! HEY! STOP IT!"
11. New motor in bike, buyer is now out $3-4K in repair costs and FULLY INVESTED. IT MUST RUN NOW.
12. "How come I am seeing rust everywhere now and the bondo is cracking and the chrome looks like hell? Buyer goes back and reads this whole thread front to back, then the light bulb goes off.
13. Buyer places ad(ad on Craigslist) "Vintage Vespa, low miles, have spent 3-4K on repairs- my loss your gain"
14."Anyone here on MV have a scoot they want to sell?"

Skip directly to 14 and thank everyone here later.

Yup. There are some things that *could* be legit, but only are legit in very special, specific cases, neither of which are these bikes. Other things are, for some reason, recurring bits of workmanship that you get to know after looking at enough of these. Others are just the result an experienced eyes, even looking at those tiny pictures, and others still are as much about what is NOT being shown in the pictures.

So let's look at that red one real quick (because I only have a couple minutes, so this may not get completed)
1) Legshield glovebox on a Super. Only happens on a bodge. Someone correct me on the details here, but I believe that the only bikes with both a legshield and cowling glovebox were some Bajaj Sprints, and even then, it had a different shape to the glovebox, much boxier for carrying larger things than that one.
2) Chromed fork top. Always seem to show up on bodges
3) Key under the gas tank. Bodge.
4) the uber-shiny two-stage paint. Doesn't mean it's a bodge, but budges all use two-stage paint when an actual restoration would be single-stage.
5) No picture of the motor, so we can't see the electrical, CDI/Coil, closeup of the shifter or kickstart, etc.
6) The floor mat (and thus probably the tunnel/floorboards) very likely came off a post-1979 pike, i.e. a PX of some sort
7) You can barely see the seams of the frame due to heavy skim-coating
8) Even at a distance in a crappy picture, you can tell the centerstand is beat to hell.
9) the front fork looks "off" in that picture of the front tire. Maybe not, but it's hard to say for sure from the angle
10) "No fluids in it" is a convenient excuse for why it's not running at the moment. Too convenient, if you ask me...
11) It looks like it might have a high beam indicator on top of the headset (can't say 100%), but 1962 bikes didn't have that, full stop. That didn't show up until later.

Others can jump in to add more, but as I said over in your original intro thread, read the Bodgespotting thread and look at the pictures (some of them are annotated, which will be very helpful early on) until you can spot at least the major features.

I'll leave the black one to you as an exercise to get started

Don't let this dissuade you--many people have started their Vintage journey looking at bodges, but once you develop an eye for the aesthetic, they'll start to look ugly as hell to you, too.

Those bikes aren't original at all.

That's the problem with them. They're all after-market parts, many of them not correct for the model.

A lot of them are assembled from parts, and low-quality reproduction parts.

The only things original on a lot of them are the frame, headset, and sometimes the engine casings.

Paint and body filler can hide a lot. And you can't tell without sandblasting them.

But they're restored to look pretty, and not really be ridden. And sell to Americans who think they're valuable collectors items.

You see so many now. They're impulse buys, then get ridden 10 miles.

If you can find one cheap, might be fun. $5500 for that Super is way too much.

Here's probably a good reference for the restoration process. This is beautiful work, and it's great to save them from the salvage yard.
but.

In the US, you can find lots of Vespas in original condition. Like this one. Still has original paint, and all its original parts.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/190450202903016

Thank you for the very detailed list of specifics! Experience has no equal. I appreciate your input and knowledge. It is discouraging to see SO MANY of these like this when SO MANY were made. I think everything I've looked at is junk. And I am going through that 3,000+ posted thread.

I did not see any vintage bikes on here. What reputable places would you recommend me looking at for these scooters? I know Scooter West but that's all.

Thank you again for your time and help!

Thanks so much! I have a lot to learn. Been doing research all week. Thanks for your knowledge!

The video is a perfect example of a bodge job. Just the engine rebuild had me cringe. Not a single new part in there and the engine already had a lot of bodge job done to it cause of excessive wear. Just pause and look at the worn out and rewelded bearing seats. This is the whole idea, slap on some really nice paint job on everything, have the engine working just to ride for 20 - 100 miles before blowing up and sell it to an unsuspected victim...

And the frame. It's a million rough welds and hammer marks, all covered in a thick coat of body filler.

I've seen some of those for sale here, where the paint is flaking off in big chunks. Or the restorations are a few years old and already look incredibly weathered. Even the pretty paint is often very short shelf life.

[/quote] tumamilhem

I did not see any vintage bikes on here. What reputable places would you recommend me looking at for these scooters? I know Scooter West but that's all.

Thank you again for your time and help![/quote]



Try and find a local Vespa club near you if possible. The members can help you search and steer you clear of any bodges

My 58 Allstate has the high beam indicator though?

What a clown joke!!! Their good stuff is way overpriced and now peddling junk at their typical deluded prices. Jeez

tumamilhem

I did not see any vintage bikes on here. What reputable places would you recommend me looking at for these scooters? I know Scooter West but that's all.

Thank you again for your time and help![/quote]



Try and find a local Vespa club near you if possible. The members can help you search and steer you clear of any bodges[/quote]

I wish. Nothing close to me. Even the one cycle shop that sells them only has 4 new models. And I live in the biggest city in the US and by the beach whete scooters would be preferred.

Ironically, two of my bikes (my VBB and GL) came to me originally from Florida.