Vintage Vespa Forum

I removed the head and barrel decoked the piston put back togeter fresh fuel and new sparkplug......started 3rd kick!!! Didnt even check the points and it runs like a swiss watch.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-06 03:10 PM by Richard Hollinworth.

That's awesome. My lawn mower doesn't even start that easily after sitting for 6 months.

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Webmaster, Two Stroke Smoke

Hey All,

I'm an old goat living in Vallejo, CA with my gf and I've had small bikes all my driving life. Most of the scoots were Lambrettas, but a couple of odd balls as well. I think the only Vespa I had was an older model that someone had hand-painted orange; ugh! Until a few days ago my latest ride was a Honda CH150. Bought it in 2002 with 8K miles and it now has 14K. It was in decent shape until someone hauled it off in the middle of the night. A few months later (on my birthday, of all days) I got a call from the local PD telling me that they found a guy riding my scooter and to come and pick it up! Wow, I didn't ever think that would happen! But now it has a different paint job (one that I can't stand) the ignition can be turned on with a screw driver, the side covers barely stay on, etc. and it's just not the same bike I knew and loved
So I'll be unloading the CH150 and start learning about my new P200e. Nice to be here and I hope my dumb questions don't get in the way...

radio

Hi, I'm Ed, from Texas and I want to thank you for accepting me into your fold. I was recently given a scooter, which I will be restoring piecemeal in the near future. It is a 67 Nam Vespa Sprint, with a 150 LML engine. I'll be dropping by occasionally, I am sure, for tips from those who've been there, done that and have the T-shirt.

What's up everyone?

I'm Matty and I live in Cincinnati. Been doing the scooter thing since 2000. I've owned a lot of bikes between then and now, some vintage, some modern, some embarrassing (I had a Burgman for a few months).

I started off with a Yamaha Riva 180 back in 2000. It was a mess. Barely ran. Had a lot of problems. I spent a lot of time working on it and getting it to be reliable. My small investment ended up costing me 3 times what I paid for it, but I learned a lot. Sold it to a guy who apparently drove it into a lake when he was running from the cops trying to avoid a DUI.

I wanted something that was going to be more reliable, and I wanted something metal and classic. I had always wanted a vintage Vespa but I couldn't afford one. I ended up buying a 2002 Bajaj Chetak from Mike at Scooterworld in Kansas City. He cut me a killer deal, and I rode that bike 20,000+ miles. One of my favorite bikes I've ever owned. But it sure was ugly.

While I owned the Chetak I horse traded a few other bikes. Ended up with a Kymco People 150 and another modern Chetak in my stable. I was able to sell those off and with the proceeds I bought my first Vespa, a 1979 P125. It was in rough shape. I spent a good 2 years restoring it. Since I lived in a small town, I didn't have a community to lean on for help, so I spent a lot of time teaching myself from the old Scooter BBS. I really liked that bike, but I had to sell it when I moved. Last I heard, it got stolen and wrecked pretty badly.

After I had restored the P I decided I wanted an older bike, so I bought a 63 VBB that was "totally complete" and "didn't need anything". That was inaccurate, but we all have to learn a scooter lesson. That was mine. Another restoration project that went waaaaaaay over budget. But I learned a lot and enjoyed the old timey scoot. I had enough parts left over to rebuild an Allstate that I picked up for cheap.

Somewhere between then and now I owned a Burgman 400, a Buddy 125, a Stella, and 3 modern Vespas (a 200, a 250, and a 300). There was a Motron and a Puch moped in there too. My latest project is a 74 Rally 200.

I'm glad to be here and hope to learn a lot from everyone!

Cheers --Matty

Welcome! I'm in Canton, OH area.
Sounds like we could all learn some stuff from you!

Hello All, been out of the scooter scene for a few years but getting back in an deciding to restore my GS project in the garage....if anyone is in or near Austin, would love company while I do the work.

Hey Everyone.

Antlerhand here, from Portland, Oregon. I have an old P2E that is having electrical issues, which is why I joined in here. (I'll post with a new topic.)

It's an original Portland scooter that has a dealer's sticker on the top of the taillight. Mario's Italian Motors. I bought it from an older fella in Beaverton in 1997, and have owned it since. I think I'm the fourth owner, but not positive on that. The badge on the steering column says it was manufactured 12/77, but it's titled as a '79. I think a mechanic told me, a long time ago, that it was old enough to have the Rally motor in it, but I'm not sure on that, either.

Unfortunately, I don't ride it a whole lot, but I'm hoping to resolve my issue and get back on the road a little more often.

Ciao!

-Antlerhand

Hello, if you can look at the VIN on the engine case we can tell the model/year for sure....but the 1979 P-series were notorious for the bad quality on the green wires...so I would take a look at the wiring loom (especially connections, and see if you can detect any corrosion.

Great. Thanks Brian! I'll try to get the VIN tomorrow and we'll see what we learn...

It's a VSE1M 0044963

Scooter help tells me it's a '78 P200E

Hi, I'm Daz from London.

Currently riding a 1968 Vespa 150 super and a fully restored Lambretta (SIL) GP200.

Welcome! I hope to do the Brighton rally someday. Until then, cheers! I have a black 66 Super, it's a little rough, but Audrey starts 99% of the time.

It's a VSE1M 0044963

Scooter help tells me it's a '78 P200E

new here, glad I found it!

Are there any vintage Vespa nuts around Akron OH? I am originally form Detroit area and there was no shortage there. Hit me up if so.