Purchase Condition
Arriving back from my trip overseas, I started investigating the world of Vespas. The range of models is vast given that the first Vespas came out just after the second world war and are still being made today.I started looking for Vespa shops and searched the papers to check out the market in Melbourne. I found three specialist Vespa shops which was encouraging but very few if any people were selling old Vespas privately. Most of the Vespa being sold had been restored and were asking between $5000 to $7000. After more searching, I eventually decided upon a shop owned Vespa that had a great body and strong engine but did not ride due to gearbox and brake problems. I bought it for $2800 which is a far cry off the $3500 they initially advertised. The guys at Scooter Market told me the bike had been fully restored about 10 years ago but had been sitting unused in a garage for the last couple of years. The 57 VB1 model is fairly unique among the Vespa scene with the more common 60's - 70's models being the norm.  I'm attempting to do most of the work in this restoration myself so I liked the fact that there wasn't lots of missing pieces to track down and hopefully the motor and gearbox would not need too much specialist attention.I had thought about some late model engine and brake swaps to go down the retro tech path, put I've since found out that the 57 model doesn't do a straight P200 engine swap. For some info on this type of work, check out scooterhelp.com, a great reference site with lots of information on restoring Vespas. My intention with the Vespa is to take it apart, clean it up, give it a fresh paint job, tidy up the electricals and fix up the gearbox and brakes so it can be ridden safely. I don't intend to ride it much but then that wasn't my intention when buying it. For me the satisfaction is in restoring and maintaining an old classic that I can enjoy for many more years to come. Next- Dissasembly and Blasting |