My Vespa when I was in europe (camping trip northern France). Amazing how much shit you can pack on one of them. [/IMG]
I love vespas and other small scooters/motorcycles. When I was in college for graphic design I designed a vespa coffee table book as one of my class projects. I still haven't owned one though. I hope to one of these days.
I have a Ducati Brio. It is on my project list right after the Model A pickup. I bought it from the original owner. It is not easy finding parts for it.
Many hot rodders do like anything old and motorized. A couple drag cars, Rupp minibikes, Rupp snowmobiles, Cushman Scooter, Bonanza minibike, Speedway minibike, Cushman golf cart, Ford 8n in my brigade of old stuff
COOL! I gave up trying to find one of those years ago! If you didn't know, they originally came with knobby tires on them. A lot of the early Ducati engine stuff can be used on the Brio.
Hi Guys, In fact it's not a standard Vespa Wheel. The hub has to be really different. That would have been great. I plan to adapt a classic Vespa hub so that I would be able to use a classic 3.50x8 wheel but I'm still looking for pictures of the original configuration. if you have an idea.... Let me know. Here are my french scooters. Ciao Aurel 1961 Peugeot 125, my leopard version.... The 1956 version with a trunk over the front wheel, I love that one it's like driving a space ship.
Vespa's and a Moto-Guzzi in the que for restoration/sale as soon as I finish my '40 Ford cpe. hot rod.
This was at the 2007 pileup. Don't have any idea who's it it belongs to but it is very well done and looks to be lots of fun to ride.
not exactly a vespa style scooter but i just finished up a couple versions of my take on a classic "whizzerbike" style ride.
Here is one I painted for a mate. A bit over the top for a scooter but then again, the owner is a little eccentric!! Its a 1962 Vespa GS 160cc apparently quite rare. And, the trivia, in Italian Vespa means Wasp, probably because they buzz around and are annoying!! And as for the complainers saying this is a traditional hot rod site, well, yes it is, but, i think most of us here are also interested in anything old and mechanical!!! Hell, I would even appreciate looking at vintage stationary engines more than a thread on modern cars!!!!!
I started driving on a Vespa PX200E (199? something) then quickly moved to a 1963 Lambretta LI Special, had an indian Lambretta GP cutback, a 1959 Lambretta Series 2 (all of those with 200cc engines) and a Bajaj Chetak from the 80's, the indian vespa 150 special clones. I was also known around my local area as a go to scooter guy and built a couple for the people around here. After all of these, my last scooter i had, a Honda CH250 i welded the bodywork of a 57 Heinkel Tourist over the top of i just sold around 6 months ago. POS lol. I always wanted a Heinkel since the day i saw a picture of one and finally i got one and built it into a 250cc hotrod scooter.. i kinda rode that beat up POS around for a year and flipped it.. it was ok it was just one of those things you always wanted to do and then you did it and it was time to move on i guess. I love lambretta's and may get another one one day althought i am enjoying my harley sportster alot more these days to be honest but i have a special place in my heart for lambretta motor scooters and know i always will. I rode on these daily as my only transport for nearly 10 years. they are the Chevrolet of the scooter world, classy, classic lines, faster than their counter parts and can be a bastard of a machine all wrapped into one. Epic cool if you were into scooters. whats not to love. That's the 63 lambretta i rode around for about 5 years i guess... And that's the Heinkel / Honda hybrid. we used to call it "the axis" with germans and japanese coming together, with italian (lambretta) headlight and a few other lambretta bits ha.
Not really in the same catagory, but since the thread " So who rides motorcycles?" is closed in place it here and hope to bring back life in the 2-wheeler threads. Bike is my 1950 Sparta, build here in Holland with an English 200 cc Villiers engine with 8 HP. Bike is unrestored and only new tyres are on it and i drive it like this.
Crusing alleys in the San frenando valley one day in the eightys and I saw this (in pieces) in a back yard, went to the front and asked about it and the owner (who was retired, director of the T.V. series "The Rat Patrol" he said he picked it up in Madrid Spain where they were filming the T.V. show. (note the badges on the front) And brought it back the the U.S. when they were finished filming.The side car is a "Side Boy" made in Spain I belive.
I picked up one of these yesterday, a Testi three wheeler. Anybody have any info? http://www.cybermotorcycle.com/gallery/testi/Testi_1950s_B1_Three_Wheeler.htm
Photo taken a long time ago, my 54 Eagle on the right, my friends 57 Eagle on the left. We got these when we were 14 and now nearly 50 years later, we're still riding on two wheels. We both still wish we had those Eagles back. On any given day one of these would be a little faster than the other one. We learned about drafting at an early age. Run in the other guys draft, get up a head of steam, whip out to pass and maybe you might get your fender out in front of the other guy before you fade and fall back and do it all over again. Got my back up ride in the background in this photo. Those were fun times. I briefly owned a 1957 Mustang Pony with a Stallion trans. after the Eagle and quickly graduated to a 1941 Harley 45. Drew
forgive these, lab stuffed my film so gonna have to go back to Bali (dammit) cause i have yet to see any quite like this; seemed very Arlen Ness or something ... btw & ot; from an earlier trip - british frames with bus air-con motors i think;
Here is a link to a really good friend of mine that has a shop here in phoenix that does award winning work. http://2ndavenuescooters.com/
Wow.... there are a lot of Vespas on this board. Here is a pic of my Harley Topper. It's currently undergoing another engine transplant, but here it is before one of it's tours of Southern AZ.
here my chop lambretta pride by mark & anne's photos, on Flickr my streetracer with ktm sx 250 barrel and yamaha electrics my gp by mark & anne's photos, on Flickr here a video of a well respected scooter sprinter in england. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQZZHKMJ9RQ
Since someone revived this thread, might as well get some more Cushman coverage in. Here is my wife's 55 Eagle, her uncle bought it in the late 50's and she rode it when she was a kid . . .
Had this '59 Cushman truckster when I was a kid. That thing was a blast, had a 3 on the tree and would do about 60 in 3rd gear, also had a 2 speed rear end. I miss it.
The Jalopy Journal
