From Australia (via Nitro), more photos of what you’re likely to find under the paint and inside the engine of a poorly-restored Vespa from southeast Asia (or anywhere, for that matter)
4 thoughts on “Vietbodge photos”
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When scooter news breaks, we put it under a tarp in the garage.
From Australia (via Nitro), more photos of what you’re likely to find under the paint and inside the engine of a poorly-restored Vespa from southeast Asia (or anywhere, for that matter)
Comments are closed.
Holey moley.
It’s always worse than you think it could be, innit?
That body had more bumps & craters than my forehead when I was 14.
This reminds me of all those “What’s wrong with this picture?” threads on the BBS. The problem is, it’s not so easy for a noob (or even a non-noob) to spot these asian “restorations.” So how in the world are you supposed to know whether what you’re buying is an asian hack job? Especially if you’re buying from an individual as opposed to a reputable shop. I’ve read lots of threads on the BBS trying to glean a way for the non-expert to make this determination. All I’ve been able to come up with is to carry one of those Bondo Detectors (essentially, a magnet) that the used car folks use. That way you can at least check out the body and stay away if it seems to have large areas of bondo. I’d like to hear if anybody has a better idea. Thanks!
The yellow kickstand boots are a good start… You’d think they’d have wised up by now, but they haven’t. Accessories are a good giveaway, most of the Asian restorers tend to use the same suspension cover and little chrome bits that are rarely seen on American scooters. White seats are also common.
If you’re totally clueless what to look for, it probably just comes down to price, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Other than some of the rarer models, restoring a Vespa *properly* costs more than the final product is worth, so most restorations are a labor of love, and they weren’t done with a quick sale in mind. When you buy a restoration from someone and they seem sort of clueless about where it came from and don’t want all that much money for it, chances are it’s asian. If it doesn’t run, don’t fall for the “It just needs a new battery” or “it just needs a new spark plug and the carb cleaned out” line. No one’s gonna knock $1000 or more off the cost of a scooter rather than spend $20 and a little time to fix a simple problem.
Checking the VINs is a good idea, too. The engine and frame #s are more likely to match on an well-done restoration, though that’s not always the case. If the VINS are missing or don’t match up to a Vespa VIN listing, then it’s probably either not genuine piaggio stuff or it’s been doctored.
B.
Also, 10″ wheels on a scooter designed for 8″ wheels are common in Asia. People here do it, too, but it’ll usually be because they want a P200 engine and disc brakes on an old frame, the asian restorers do it cheap and it doesn’t look right. That’s something you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t a scooter nerd, but it’s obvious to me.