To celebrate the occasional appearance of the sun here in Mosstown, I decided to get a long overdue chore completed over the Memorial Day weekend. My mission was to put the Bella R203 back together so I can ride her.

I love the R203. Big and heavy, it rides like a dream. Before I could take it on the road, I had to re-install the muffler and footboards. These were removed during the winter to be "dipped" and then ceramic coated. I wrote about all that here. After a little head scratching about where all the parts were and rooting through boxes, I found what was needed and got down to it.

It's important to "bag and tag" everything when disassembling an old scooter. Never throw anything out! Even simple things like nuts and bolts can be special sizes that are very hard to replace. I'm normally obsessive about that but lapsed in this case. The some of the hardware was missing along with the plastic gasket/welting that slips between the footboard and front cowl. The hardware was not too difficult to replace, but the gasket isn't something you find at a local hardware store. Replacements will have to be ordered from Clauss Studios. I continued on without them knowing that the footboards will have to be removed again.

It took about an hour and a half to put it all back together. The fuel that had been sitting in the tank for months (with stabilizer added, of course) was drained and replaced with a fresh four-dollar gallon. Unfortunately, the batteries were dead. The R203 is an electric start model. Charging did no good at all. New batteries are required. Shame on me for not disconnecting them. My charger has a 75 amp 'starter' feature that allowed me to get it going. As always the Old German started right up with a puff of blue smoke. 

As I rode around the block a few times re-familiarizing myself with the scooter, I felt a little anxious. The foot brake for the R203 are opposite to the "Italian" design on the Vespa and Lambretta - on the right side - and you shift through the gears with your right foot in a heel-toe motion. The front end seemed to wobble slightly. It has been two months since I stupidly dumped a bike on vacation in Florida and snapped three ribs like twigs. It still hurts. You might say I am now painfully aware of the slightest problem that might cause me to go down... unfamiliarity with the controls, a loose front wheel, etc. I'm not a nervous type, but not a big fan of pain either. I went back home and checked out the wheel and fork. An under-inflated tire was the culprit. There's nothing like an accident injury and a couple months of intense pain to inspire one to be safety conscious.

The rubber foot pads need to be secured. That can be done when the footboard-body gaskets arrive. If time permits, I'll also install the correct fuel tap and it's unusual control rod. You open and close it thru a hole in the body using the the ignition key. That hole in the body just to the left of the 'portholes' in the photo above is where you insert the key. Very clever, those German engineers.

I'm not going to fully restore this Zundapp. They are only original once and it is in very good condition with only 5000 miles on the clock. I am bothered by the crunched mudguard - caused by a careless neighbor backing into it. I cant decide if I want to pull it off, repair and repaint. Or just pound out the dent. That would be an obvious repair in either case. My somewhat over-optimistic hope is that I can find another, all original Coral Red replacement.  If anyone reading this has one... I would be happy to make a deal.

Ask any scooter collector what causes them angst and they will tell you it's not having enough storage. This is a common affliction among scootering enthusiasts whose garages or sheds are bursting at the seams.

Enter the purveyors of rented storage space - the U-Store-It pirates who feed on people with more stuff than they have room for. My rented space is 10x12 feet (or about 3.25 x 4 meters for you metric types). I have have used it for two years at the outrageous cost of $225 a month. By the end of this month I will have rid myself of this financial burden once and for all. And the hassle of having to drive a mile or so to fetch a part I need. 

Upon removing my GS 150, LD Mk1, and Vespa VM1 this weekend the space is finally empty, except for a few small boxes of random parts I couldn't identify. As far as scooters go, only the massive Cezeta 502 remains. I underwent an aggressive space planning effort to determine how I can cram all of the scooters I own into my garage and still leave enough room for my wife's car. My Ranger 4x4 truck has been exiled to outdoor parking. I sold my treasured 1999 Miata Anniversary Edition. It only had 12k miles on it but I couldn't bring myself to leave it outside. In further efforts to simplify my life, I have sold three project scooters I will not have time to work on anytime soon. I hated to see them and the roadster go, but a decision had to be made. The cost of storage exceeded my willingness to keep them. Besides, having an extra couple hundred dollars a month will go a long way toward finishing the projects I've decided to keep.

I have just enough room for the Cezeta in the garage and still allow my wife to get in and out of her car. It's tight, but she hasn't complained. As long as I stick to my promise of no more scooters in the dining room <g>. 

This lonely frame lost it's engine long before I found it. The person I bought it from found this scooter and another complete Mk1 in the back of an antique shop in Genoa. He had them shipped to the US along with the antique furniture and they both sat idle for a long time. He stripped the paint off and painted it like a clown cycle using rattle can paint. After stepping back to admire his work, he gave up. It sat in his garage collecting dust for two years.

All the red paint will be removed by a local blasting shop. Once that's done, I'll prime it myself, braze a few small tears in the sheet metal around the tail and edge of the leg shield, then send it off for paint. I haven't made a final decision, but I'll probably go with the beige/tan color offered on some of the early LDs.

This frame also came without side panels. The early Mk1 had the porthole vents vs. the kidney shaped opening. Those porthole panels with the hinged carb door are hard to find in the US, but as fate would have it a nice set recently went up for auction on eBay. I entered a respectable bid and won.

I have a very early LD engine that cost a kings ransom and nearly a year to rebuild. It's the same age as this frame. All the metal is in excellent condition with no significant damage or rust to repair. Even the tank is in great shape. It takes a while for my painter to finish a job, but once that's done the final assembly will go quickly since the engine is finished. After it goes in for paint, I'll start ordering the parts from my friends at Casa Lambretta.

I have a modern paint code match for the original Max Meyer beige color. I've read that there were also some LDs in this series that were available in a pale green color. I've seen illustrations of this variation but no photos. I like the idea of going with green and prefer that over beige, but have yet to find any information that will help me match that original color.

LDs are slow as molasses in January and thus are not a good choice as a daily rider. When complete, this one will enjoy a comfortable retirement as an occasional Sunday rider, looking like it just rolled off the assembly line in Milan over fifty years ago. 

An acquaintance of mine alerted me to a Heinkel A2 for sale locally on Craigslist. Turns out the seller is the same person I bought my 103 A1 from. After talking to him on the phone, I remembered seeing it in his garage when I picked up the A1. It is in good shape - not great. There is some plastic filler covering a repair on the front cowl. The seat pan and seat cushion and cover are missing.

If you aren't familiar with Heinkel Tourists, the first time you get close to one it's surprising how large they are. Big and heavy. It has been said the Tourist is the Roll Royce of scooters. Aside from some technical refinements, the A2 sheet metal is more streamlined than its predecessor. The lines and features like the bullet tail lights give the A2 a space age  appearance that reminds me of something from The Jetsons. 

Here's a photo:

This scooter will probably be a winter project, but the question is which winter that will be. I have to finish the A1 first. It's taking me forever. The frame and sheet metal are ready. I haven't finished the engine. So many scooters, so little time. I am determined to get the A1 done as well as my LD Mk1 and the basket case Bella I picked up in Boise this winter.

More on this old German after I get a chance to look it over closely. My hope is to do some minor repair and run it for a while before taking on a full restoration. The engine appears to be in excellent shape and the seller told me he had it running last summer. He's a straight up guy and I'm sure that's true. Anybody with a seat for this model they want to part with, please contact me.

Oh... and if you want to know more about Heinkels or connect with others who own them in North America, visit http://www.heinkeltourist.com .