Classic Vespa Scooters - anyone know about them?

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crammy69

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Ive had an itch for a while now to buy a scooter to use for short trips to local shops, and maybe even for the odd summer jaunt or scooter rally.

Ive seen the following on Ebay (LINK), and whilst it looks the part, I havent a clue what to look for. So, I wondered if any of you gents had/have any experience of them, and advise on what sort of general things to check for on scooters?

Cheers
Simon
 
Looks like a good one.
What are you going to do with it? You do know that if you bring it into the house it will make the house smell! Leave it out side unused and it will rust and fall apart like the Merc.
 
Why should I care, why should I care?.........

Looks GORGEOUS!! Great colour, great trim

And I hate scooters.
 
Ahem , back in my days as a mod (most of which are best forgotten !!) i'm afraid we used to look down on the Vespa as we all had Lambretta's & considered them a better made (& faster) machine. :D
 
Ahem , back in my days as a mod (most of which are best forgotten !!) i'm afraid we used to look down on the Vespa as we all had Lambretta's & considered them a better made (& faster) machine. :D

I get that impression from the various sites Ive started looking at!.
 
In the day, that is true - The lambrettas were much more modern and sleek (LI 150 anyone?)

But that was THEN when there was no such thing as retro.

Now (IMHO) the Vespa (wasp) nails it as it has character in spades.
 
Crammy my bro is selling his 06 plate if you wanted a modern one. He is in Bromley if you are interested.

Steve
 
Dont forget you need the uniform, Levi's, Parka,open face helmet,sunglasses.
And it should have as much chrome & mirrors as you can fit it with. Christ you've brought a load of memories flooding back :cool:
 
Ted, thats exactly what i had, Li 150. I always wanted a TV 175 but passed my car test first, & boy,was that the start of my dad's headaches,at times he couldn't get on his own drive, never mind in his garage :crazy:
 
Now (IMHO) the Vespa (wasp) nails it as it has character in spades.

Your so right!! I had a very early one with the headlight on the legshield and not on the handlebars and a rod gearchange from the handlebars to the gearbox. It was a nightmare to adjust!!

NormanC
 
Crammy my bro is selling his 06 plate if you wanted a modern one. He is in Bromley if you are interested.

Steve

Could well be, whats the model,colour, price etc?
 
Crammy just sent you a PM :)
 
I sold my 1980 P125X (not PX125) last summer for £600 as it was sitting in the driveway doing nothing...

My brother spent £2.5k restoring his 1964 GL including a bare metal respray, 12V electrics and a larger replacement engine . It looks beautiful but the engine siezes periodically when it gets too hot (last time on the westway fly over) so he may be looking to get rid of it.. he uses it to commute to work on.

Vespas are great fun for pootling about town with excellent tight turning circles and light weight - their performance and high speed handling is appalling and the brakes are comical to dangerous on the older drum braked variety I've ridden. Pre restoration/rebuild, my brothers GL would struggle to keep up with traffic out of the lights, has no indicators and an oval front drum (now replaced) would lock the front brakes if you so much as breathed on the lever. My PX was a much better performer but would refuse to tick over in heavy rain and the brakes in the wet wouldn't even lock the wheels.

One of my staff bought a reconditioned 1970 150GS (I think) and got through clutch cables every two weeks and spent relatively a lot of money getting the transmission rebuilt.. He was a big chap at 6'4 which may have put extra strain on it..

Then there is the faff of changing plugs all the time when you oil it up in the cold, messy garage forecourt spillages with 2 stroke oil and a small jug full of oily tissues..

No doubt a finely fettled example would perform as it was designed.

So in short, if you want a fun commuter you don't mind abandoning at the side of the road occasionaly, buy a vintage scooter.

If you want to go anywhere on the open road and crave performance, comfort and handling, stick to proper bikes.

Having said all that, if I had a garage, my PX would still be in it, they are just so cool for bombing around in a cloud of 2 stroke smoke on a sunny afternoon, cost nothing to run and make you feel like an extra in a Fellini film :)


Ade
 
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Ted, thats exactly what i had, Li 150. I always wanted a TV 175 but passed my car test first, & boy,was that the start of my dad's headaches,at times he couldn't get on his own drive, never mind in his garage :crazy:

This thread sure brought back memories. I too had a LI150 front chrome carrier. Front mudguard removed replaced with thin aluminium one. Dreamt of the TV175. Baffles out the exhaust.
Sold it to my sister. Can remember now when police called she had had an accident in high street. I went there and she had been taken to hospital ( just bruising). But scooter lying to one side. Policeman said can you take it home. I replied I'm not insured. He put his hand on my shoulder and said " I hereby insure you". And ...... I believed him.
Good old days of niavety. :)
 
I notice many words spoken regarding nostalgia, but none regarding safety.
The small wheels on scooters make them somewhat of a nightmare to drive when the road is wet.
And you better make sure you miss those manhole covers as well. They can be like ice in the rain riding a scooter.

Its a lovely looking machine and will attract many admiring glances, but be well aware of its wet weather shortcomings.
 
I notice many words spoken regarding nostalgia, but none regarding safety.
The small wheels on scooters make them somewhat of a nightmare to drive when the road is wet.
And you better make sure you miss those manhole covers as well. They can be like ice in the rain riding a scooter.

Its a lovely looking machine and will attract many admiring glances, but be well aware of its wet weather shortcomings.

Indeed, I have yet to take my motorbike out in the rain, for fear of losing it, and I imagine its not that pleasant to ride in the rain.
 
Indeed, I have yet to take my motorbike out in the rain, for fear of losing it, and I imagine its not that pleasant to ride in the rain.

When I used to ride I never took it out in the rain, unless I got caught whilst out on it. I actually took my advance bike test in the rain, scary as hell!
 
One of the many pieces of advice I gave my daughter when she learnt to ride.
"A motorcycle is the safest vehicle on the road in the dry. It is the least safe vehicle in all other conditions"
 
I notice many words spoken regarding nostalgia, but none regarding safety.
The small wheels on scooters make them somewhat of a nightmare to drive when the road is wet.
And you better make sure you miss those manhole covers as well. They can be like ice in the rain riding a scooter.

Its a lovely looking machine and will attract many admiring glances, but be well aware of its wet weather shortcomings.

Absolutely right Dave - but at 17 that was the last thing I ever thought of..cos at 17 I was going to live forever and someone aged 25 was old and past it..:D
 
Small wheels dangeous! Pah! Depends on who's riding the machine.

I had Vespa's and Lammies in the 60's and together with a Maicoletta, Triumph Tigress and BSA Sunbeam never had more fun on two wheels. Having said that I wouldn't want to own a 'classic' scooter and would go for a modern Vespa. The modern ones are much more reliable, extremely nippy and hoot around town.

Lots of old Lammies have had the original engine replaced with 200cc lumps.
 

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