Modern Vespa

With the winter in my mirrors it's time to stop the mods and ride

Awesome two-tone paint job. And the white walls seal the deal. Looks great.

That's excellent. A first rate job you've done there.

That is so nice

BLING BLING 8) 8)

Very very nice!

nice scooter!!

top marks for the paint job. 8)

A beautiful paint job. I never thought that two-tone would work with a GTS, but you've carried it off with great flair. Where did you find the chrome curry hook; it's a 1000% improvement over the original!

Love the style. Back in the day when we first started being Mods, we used to call the white-wall and two tone look, the Florida look. Thats why I assume Florida bars were named Florida bars. I like the chroming, especially the chain case. Is it easy, does it cost an arm and a leg? I hope you pick up compliments, and yet again, your scooter demonstrates that you can personalise a so called souless scooter. Good job fella!. Gass silver machine 250 GTS.

very classic nice job!

The curry hook is just the original with a little chrome plating thrown over it.

Mods weren't restricted to just one country. You're right I did try to replicate a Californian Mod look. I didn't know about the bars though. Maybe that's why I find it hard to ride past them.

I absolutely love it, but I think it needs a black seat, like the one from a Super with the white piping.

Good choice. I like this seat too. All I want to do for now is wear out the one I've got. I think come next winter's mods this will be hard thought decision. Thanks

The chrome was easy. I bought second hand or new parts, including wheels and chromed them. All up about $1000Au just for the chrome work. I then just swapped everything over one weekend but there were many hours just sitting around (drinking) thinking about what to do. I think I sat and built about 10 different bikes.

WoW! This is a Great looking Scoot! Thank you for sharing such a beautiful scoot.

Thank you so much for your kind words. I owned a Harley for over 10 years and no-one said anything nice there. I've figured out where all the beautiful people went. They bought a scooter (because they weren't afraid) and rode off sharing kindness and optimism. Woohoo

I love it! Stick with the tan seat, definitely. Black is too common these days.
Reminds me of my last Hog, she was red and white...

That's it! I knew there was something that your scooter reminded me of ... and it's a full-dresser two-tone Harley from the 1950s. What a great trip down Memory Lane!

I'm not usually a fan of 2 tone paint jobs but that looks sweet!

VERY nicely done!


Cheers,
Dan

I love it and you will regret it if you go to a black seat. The tan is so much cooler in the sun!

That's *easily* one of the nicest GTS custom jobs I've ever seen. Ever.

Well done, mate!

Thank you very much for your comments. Everyone here is so nice. If I had have known the scooter community shared this much love I would have bought one years ago. Think of the money I would have saved trying to be a poser on my Harley for 10 years.

Beautiful ! Awesome! Bravo Complimenti!

Man that is beauiful scooter.

Great work!

Great looking scoot, tastefully done IMO. Especially love the chrome tranny cover and stand!

Best,

Mark 8)

Edited to add: There are other saddle options, including this one:

http://www.sip-scootershop.com/EN/Products/602935M0BR/Seat+PIAGGIO+Vespa+GTS+250300.aspx

...and the seat on the new Super Sport:

GTS 300 SUPER SPORT @ Eurpean Motorshow in Brussels

Although a scoot THAT nice maybe needs a custom saddle...?

Thanks Mark. I think next year I'll replace the seat with the split GTV type and get it re-trimmed.

Gee you know you've done something special when an Italian compliments you on modifying an Italian icon. Thank you. Actually I think I saw you in a Super Mario game.

If you haven't already ridden on that saddle, I would advise you to try one out before spending a small fortune on one.

As stunning to behold as it is, the two piece saddle sits you further forward and more upright on the scoot - uncomfortably so for many, including myself. Some actually do the opposite swap!

Best,

Mark

Hi Mark. Hmmm good point. As you can tell I'm 6' and no lightweight.

Awesome job on the customizing!!!!

Hey Monit, so how do you actually get parts chromed? Do you send them to a special shop? I doubt it is a do it yourself job, right? Is there anything you need to be careful of, e.g. chroming one side or making sure to leave room for screw holes and clearances? As you can tell, I'm a rookie. In any case, you have a great looking scoot!

Spectacular job! I was thinking that the tan looked good, but now that you mention the black seat, I agree! It will really set off the white wall tires!

Great job! Well done!

That looks pretty darn awesome!! Good job with all the details.

One thing I must ask about...
How did you do those floor strips? I'd love to get the stainless steel ones, but I want to keep some rubber under my shoes. You've got the perfect solution, both bling and practical. Was that a set that you found somewhere, or were they custom made? I'd love to know!

Oooh! I just noticed you painted the glove box tops to match the bike! Very neat! I've been considering doing the same thing. The awesome brown ones i got to match my seat are fading to something rather ugly. Haven't seen those painted to match before, but it looks great!

Your scoot looks really great! Where did you manage to get the chroming done? I am in Sydney and I have tried everywhere. Thanks in advance.

FLOOR BOARDS: You can buy the stainless inserts from here http://www.sip-scootershop.com/EN/Products/MV100513/Floor+stripes+set+VESPA+GTSGTV+stainless+steel.aspx
I bought a polishing wheel for my 6" bench grinder and after about 20min, vwala, bling. My local rubber retail store had strips the right width to allow me to still see some of the stainless board. I ground the ends of the rubber round on my grinder and glued them to the stainless using adhesive. Your local auto or hardware store will have something. The comfort difference from the original setup is so incredible it should be stock on all models.
GLOVE BOX TOPS: Sand with a grey Scotch-Brite hand pad (Product number 7448 from 3M). When complete spray several coats of plastic primer. Once dry apply several coats of your color. Now it's time to add the clear coat and give them a nice gloss. Your local automotive paint distributor will have the primer and clear in a pressure pack and can also make up your scooter's color in a pressure pack as well. If I can do it anyone can do it. All the best. Gary

CHROME PLATING (Electroplating) ALLOY: After the removal of your engine part it must be stripped bare of any bearing, seal or attachment. Explain to your electroplater the areas you want done and they can also show you what needs removing. Chroming takes about 2 weeks. You will need to replace all the bearings and seals with new ones, your local Vespa dealer can do this if you're not comfortable doing it yourself. The layer of chrome plating applied is not thick enough to worry about any build up on threads or where bearings and seals go.
CHROME PLATING - PLASTIC: Remove the part from your scooter. Sand with a grey Scotch-Brite hand pad (Product number 7448 from 3M). When complete spray several coats of plastic primer. Once dry apply several coats of high build primer. These products are available in a pressure pack from your local automotive paint distributor. Vespa use a fine 'Goose bump' finish on most of their parts which helps hide fine scratches from general use. This primer fills this finish so several coats will be necessary. When dry use soapy water to sand the primer with 800grit wet and dry sandpaper and then hand it to a plastic electroplater. If you don't fill the goose bumps it will give you a dull silver finish instead of a bright chrome look. Basically the smoother, the shinier.
CHROME PLATING - BOLTS & SCREWS: It's always best, where possible, to NOT chrome them but replace with stainless steel ones and polish them on a bench grinder with a buff pad. This way your chrome won't crack when doing them up and will always look shiny.
All the best, Gary

Try these guys even though they're in Melbourne. Aluminium alloy is light so it should not be that expensive to post. You could also Google electroplating (alloy) for Sydney or go to your local Harley shop and ask where their customers get their chroming done (that's what I did). All the best, Gary.

Master Plating
12 Fulton Street, Oakleigh South
Vic 3167
Tel: (03) 9544 3522
Email: meplating@bigpond.com
Web: www.masterelectroplating.com.au

Thanks, Monit!! Sounds like some pretty easy DIY stuff. I already have primer and a Krylon that matches my GTV very well, so I'll just need to prep and gloss it.

I'm not sure I'm up for taking the glovebox off to get to the "gills," but the bits that you just sprayed with chrome paint look a lot better than I would expect. I'll add that to my to-do list!

I need to do a lot more riding before the weather turns cold again, but these sound like some great and relatively easy winter projects for me. Thanks so much for the inspiration!!