I know that it's off topic, but I seem to recall that there were some vespa owners on here (Scootergirl?). Here's the deal; my sister, who has always given my dad and I grief for working on old cars has finally caught the bug; sort of. She wants me to help her build an old vespa. Since I have no idea about the things, I thought maybe I could gather some info and maybe get some leads on a scooter to start with. I can't believe this is coming from the girl who won't even ride in my dad's convertible and won't even take a second glance at the wayfarer. I'd like to help her out and build something cool. Any help from any vespa owning HAMBrs would be appreciated.
These guys would be a good source for parts and info. http://www.sportiquescooters.com/ And these guys may be in you area, they may be a good source too: http://www.maddogscooterstuff.com/
this is a good resource. http://www.scooterhelp.com/ and this is kinda like the hamb, but for scooter types http://www.scooterbbs.com/ excpet there are more "jive turkeys"- i know that's hard to believe......... the thing with scooters, especially vintage vespas -newcomers have two challenges a) getting the bike running and/ or mantaining the bike b) learning to ride- if the highway patrol in you're area has a learners course, have her take it. heck- take it with her...... copy the email addresses of all that apply to this post- i'm sure we'll all be willing to help.
Not to point any fingers but....JASONIC!!!!!!!!!!!HES GUILTY!!!!!!! Talk to him about those thangs....
If you need parts and/or advice call me at the shop - American Scooter Center 800-978-3772 ask for Jason. or email me jason@americanscootercenter.com
Dont talk to Jason, he'll make you buy stuff to make it go really fast, and thats real dangerous on 10" wheels. -Jason
Shoot me an email and I will send ya a pretty good list of links. They are in my favorites and I dont know how to post them here without copy and paste every link. chopped54@hotmail.com
Vespa??? Bwahahahahahha... get real buy a LAMBRETTA!!! More style across the board and more of a challenge to keep going (unless you find a GS or SS180 for cheap)...
[ QUOTE ] I would be afraid to ride anything made in Italy. [/ QUOTE ] You know, I would generally say the same thing about anything made in France, but I dated this French girl one summer and, well ... I just worked on my Vespa P200 for about 5 hours tonight. We had the engine torn down and back together in that time -- and had time to replace the front shock and put on a new expansion chamber.
I'm telling you Lambretta!!! I just spent 3 hours trying to get the damn master cylinder out of my Chevy (bastard GM engineers!!!) got fed up and spent an hour trying to get an original 1956 CEAT tire off my D150 Lammys rim, even more frustrating than the master cylinder!!!! Ciao Bella!!!! Oh and screw the French, my motto is never trust anyone who makes cars with only three lug nuts on em! (uhh certain HAMBers excluded from that as I am only kidding!)
there are two main categories of scooters: classic auto the classic are the manual shift types old vespa, lambretta,etc the autos are the new modern type (new Vespas are autos, even) on personal experience, I would look into getting a classic vespa from the 70s, P series 125 or p200. These are the most "engineered" and there are tons of parts available. This is a great way to get started, and still allows the rider to shift gears. Vespas and lammies from the 60s and before look cooler, but are more of a challenge for parts, top speed, etc... everyone that I have met that has opted for an auto scooter, has ditched it and gone for the classic style. www.scooterworks.com is a great resource for all things vespa
Qouth Ratboy: "Oh and screw the French, my motto is never trust anyone who makes cars with only three lug nuts on em! (uhh certain HAMBers excluded from that as I am only kidding!)" Fooking good thing you added that last... :-D Oh, and as for the "I wouldn't ride anything made in Italy...have you ever heard of: Laverda, Moto Guzzi, Benelli, or, possibly, DUCATI?!?!?!? The last is undoubtedly the fastest, quickest, and best handling twin ever built, anywhere!!! Cosmo
Hey there! I'm gonna say what I say to everyone that asks this question... Unless she is already acquainted with scooters/motorcycles and rides already, I'd probably tell her to shy away from a vintage bike for a first bike. Vintage bikes are indeed lovely and special, but for all the obvious reasons, they can also be a headache. I think it's a bad idea to put an inexperienced rider on a bike that's potentially prone to mechanical issues... it's just one more thing to worry about. If she insists on vintage, find something that's running and hopefully owned by someone who knew their shit and maintained the bike well. AVOID E-bay like the plague unless you have someone check it out. There's a ton of Asian import deathtraps on E-bay that aren't much more shiny accidents waiting to happen. The folks on scooterbbs.com will be able to spot them a mile away. There are a few great new bikes that have vintage styling, The Stella, Bajaj Chetak, and even Yamaha Vinos/ Honda Metropolitans. I'm not a fan of the latter two, simply because they are tiny, plastic and top out at around 35 (not fast enough for roads over 25 mph unless you wanna get run over!) She could even go with an older Vespa P200 and do fairly well as they are pretty reliable. My daily scoot is a Bajaj Chetak and I love it. It cruises at about 50 and will do 60 if I need it to. I have a 65 Allstate (Vespa 125 under the Sears label) that is a project bike. You can't beat the styling of the Allstate and it's the first bike i fell in love with and knew that one day I'd have one. I'm hoping it will be farily relaible with the complete resto and upgrades (better fork and 150 top end) I have in the works. If she's mostly interested in learning the mechanics, vespas are easy to work on. I did my engine rebuild with a little help and a few nights worth of work. It's certaily a good place to start learning basic mechanics if that's what she's into. So... the bottom line... try to get her on a good reliable bike for starters (many of the ones above are good choices and have a warranty) and then start looking for a project bike after she's had some time to ride and decide if she really likes it. It would be a shame for her to get into restoring a vintage bike and get frustrated along the way and quit the hobby alltogether. I'd never try to shy anyone away from restoring a bike, but at the same time I want her to have fun doing it and not be relying on it for trnsportation when she could have a driver also... I shudder to think about all the fun things I would have missed out on while I was messing with the Allstate if I didn't have the Bajaj. Lambrettas are sexy bikes too although (arguably) somewhat more finicky. They engines in Lammys are centrally balanced, whereas Vespas are heavier on the engine side. This makes Lammys handle a little better. It comes down to personal preference ulitmately, and everyone has a favorite! If she has any questions, have her e-mail me sbarich@comcast.net and I'd be happy to help her.
I have a '74 Vespa 150, everytime I ride it I'm transported to my inner homosexual. It's an uncomfortable place, kinda like sitting in a bean bag chair filled with pinecones. Or wearing the same adult diaper for four days straight. Children laugh at you, rednecks try to run you over with their 4WDs, and bike messengers want to race you and sometimes win. In these days of high gas prices it's good to have something that gets 55mpg but remember that you're also getting 55 laughs per hour too.
[ QUOTE ] It's good to have something that gets 55mpg but remember that you're also getting 55 laughs per hour too. [/ QUOTE ] Unless you're a girl.. than it's quite the opposite. And then again, you'd also have to give a shit about what people think...
co'mon Nads..... is that the only time you're transported to you're inner homersexual? be honest.......=)
[ QUOTE ] I have a '74 Vespa 150, everytime I ride it I'm transported to my inner homosexual. It's an uncomfortable place, kinda like sitting in a bean bag chair filled with pinecones. Or wearing the same adult diaper for four days straight. Children laugh at you, rednecks try to run you over with their 4WDs, and bike messengers want to race you and sometimes win. In these days of high gas prices it's good to have something that gets 55mpg but remember that you're also getting 55 laughs per hour too. [/ QUOTE ] OMG, that's about the funniest thing I've read here. Funny -- because it's true.
[ QUOTE ] If you need parts and/or advice call me at the shop - American Scooter Center 800-978-3772 ask for Jason. or email me jason@americanscootercenter.com [/ QUOTE ] NICE , jason , had no idea you were around , definitely buy your shit from ASC. they totally hooked me up as other suppliers fell flat on their faces. I would reccomend looking for a 60's model vespa known as VNA's, VNB's, allstates. these are large frame vespas and will take the more modern motors with out any modifications. these earlier bikes used 8" wheels but those are pretty sketchy, and the more modern motors use 10" wheels. you will have to convert the front fork. using one from a PK125 is the most common swap, and they pop right in with all the same hardware ( more or less, check scooterhelp for specific details) I would reccomend a p200 or an lml 150 motor. both will go highway speeds respectably and the p200 is a blast if you ever take it for a test run. I built my bike this way , with an older rally 200 engine and allstate frame and the thing has never let me down, and its like a bat out of hell with just and expansion chamber. good luck , feel free to PM me with Q's. Ian
there are tons of vespas in spokane. i bought mine there and totally rebuilt it. i may be able to get you in touch with some folks who have bikes to get rid of. i recommend the P series bikes. reliable, good power, good parts availability, and pretty common and easy to find. any questions, pm me.
[ QUOTE ] nothing like going 75 on wheelbarrow wheels! [/ QUOTE ] 75 try 95 , thats what I'm talking about. Ian
Many women scooterists gravitate to Lambrettas due to their superior, uh, "vibrational tendencies". Or so I'm told. Seriously, Stacy's right; avoid ebay, over 50% of the scooters on it at any given time are third-world quicky-bondo-shiny shitbox deathtraps. ALWAYS inspect a scooter in person before laying down the long green.
Yeah, it takes a real man to go 90mph on ten inch wheels! I raced with the ASRA about five years ago. I raced a stock class P200 of Fabio's and a small frame tuned by Viince Chu. Anyone from the SW should know of Vince. He builds some of the fastest and most reliable scooters! His ASRA #1 plate PK was dyno'd at over 26hp AT the rear wheel over four years ago. He built a street Lammy with a short stroke 190 that dyno'd at over 36hp at the rear wheel! To give comparisson, a stock P200 is only making around 10hp at the rear wheel. These things are a blast to tune and ride. And in the city, a lot more fun than any M/C. You can cut traffic like no ones business! Duane 60 Comet 50 Buick Super (For Sale) Several Vespa's
COSMO you drive a due chevau (or however you spellit!!) ? Bwahahahhahaahhaha... I LOVE those things they are one crazy car. Actually the French have built some badd ass cars : Traction Avant one of the coolest 30s cars in my opinion, those crazy Citron and Peugot vans made of corrigated stampings, too cool. Still don't trust em though (the french not the cars, can you say Vichy???) As to tuned scoots man you can sacare the shit out of yourself with how fast a small displacement tuned two stroke can go (up to about 60-70 mph) I regularly left Harleys, sportbikes etc.. standing at the lights til we hit around 55-60 on my P200.. NADS I fucking LOVE you!!!! one of the best scooter related things I've read, had me dying
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