Gott in Himmel! It has taken forever to get these two German scooter projects to this point. As shown in the photos, I went with a yellow/gold color on the Heinkel Tourist and a deep, forest green color on the Zundapp Bella.  The original color for the Tourist was a bit more subdued harvest gold, but I wanted something a bit more lively. The leg shield will be black like the original.

The green is a close match to an original Zundapp color. The original color on this scooter was a metallic blue. I have a thing about metallic paint. Just don’t care for it and really can’t explain why. 

In both cases, my choice was a high quality DuPont single stage paint that costs around a hundred dollars per pint. The single stage coatings look more original. Two stage is definitely more durable and that’s normally what I would choose for a scooter that’s going to get a lot of riding. The majority of my restored scooters are Sunday riders. There are only a couple of bikes I ride all the time. 

The Heinkel frame and inner mudguards are powder coated the original grey. The Bella frame is at the powder coat ing shop now. It will be black like the original. The solid aluminum Bella rims will soda blasted and new Heidenau tires will be mounted on them. Those were very hard to source. My only other choice was Coker repros, which are terribly expensive, or a Chinese knock off of a Pirelli tread pattern. The next big step is to rebuild the forks for both bikes.

I’ve finished rebuilding the Heinkel engine, and admit to being a bit nervous about firing it up for the first time.

I’ve mentioned many times that selling one of my classics is always a tough decision. Space is always at a premium in my Seattle garage and after spending last weekend cleaning it out it and organizing things it was obvious that a decision needed to be made. After a significant amount of hand wringing and a couple of Heineken's, I settled on my all-original VM2.  It’s very rare to find one of these in original paint and in such good condition. It starts right up with a couple of kicks and shifts like it should. The light switch is missing, lost long before it came to me.  The front hub spinner and unusual cowl protectors came with it.  I’ve considered selling them separately in the past but been too lazy.

Every bike in my stable was hand picked and I tend to develop an attachment to each of them. On the other hand, I have a full range of ‘faro basso’ Vespa models from a 1951 V30 the last VM2 to roll out of the Pontedera in 1957. There are four unfinished Lambretta projects sitting in the garage, and a Zunapp Bella and Heinkel Tourist at the paint shop. It will be along time before I can get around to doing something with this old timer and the cash proceeds will help fund the completion of my numerous other projects. After exchanging a half dozen emails with the buyer, my impression is this bike is going to a good home. They seem like people who know something about ‘vintage’ scooters and will take care of it. Even so, I will probably get a little ferklempt when I take it to the shipper and drive away.

A couple of weeks ago, I got the itch to buy an old Heinkel Tourist I saw on eBay. It was in bad shape, but restorable.  It was tempting, but somehow I found the strength to not bid. No more new projects until all of the current bikes are finished. The last few projects bikes I acquired were good candidates but not very satisfying after the thrill of the hunt wore off. What I really want is to add some of the more obscure models such as a Rumi, TWN ‘Tessy’ or Ducati Brio to the mix (see below).

Another that I have been searching for is a mid 1950’s Peugeot. They don't run well, but the French get an A+ for unusual design. The French Bernadet “Texas'” had hand-tooled leather seats and saddlebags with fringe. An homage to the brief post-war fascination with Americans? Who knows.

Looking at the date of my last post, it is obvious how little time I have devoted to my scooters in recent months. Now that the warm and dry weather has arrived here in Mosstown, I will be a bit more active. The paint for the Bella and Tourist will be finished soon and I’m looking forward to seeing how they turned out.

There are few things more difficult than selling an old scooter that you had plans for. Last week, my all-original LD Mk1 went to a new owner in Las Vegas. It’s comforting that the new owner knows what he’s doing and will not ruin it. Even so, it’s a little depressing to let one go. The scooters in my stable were all hand-picked. I spend a lot of time hunting for the best project bikes I can find.

This LD Mk1 is completely original and in remarkable condition. There were several offers for it and there was no trouble in getting the asking price. It’s rare to find a Mk1 in the USA and even rarer for it to be in unmolested, original condition. I didn't need the money, but as I have said many times, space is becoming a problem. The space available in my Seattle location is limited. When finished with a restoration project, I normally ship the finished bike to my Chicago digs. Space is becoming a problem there as well.

I decided to bail out on the High Rollers Rally and the Put Up or Shut Up competition. My day job has been keeping me very busy and there’s been little time to work on the bike I chose to enter. Moreover, the time, cost, and hassle with shipping a scooter to the rally was more than I wanted to bear. Ironically, after I cancelled my plans I learned that the LD I sold was being hauled from Seattle to Las Vegas by a few people going to the High Rollers rally. Oh well. Maybe next year.

It seems like every year around this time we get a break from the wet and gloomy Seattle weather. As March rolls in you suddenly realize the sun is coming up before 7:30 am and the winter darkness is waning.  Whenever there are few days of dry, sunny weather, motorcycles and scooters emerge like locusts. Monday was one of those, so I was determined to choose a bike and ride to work. The decision about which one was easy. The Stella. Having been too lazy on Sunday to do the usual Spring maintenance on the vintage rides, this was the obvious choice for a Monday commute. The older bikes need a bit of coaxing to come out of hibernation. Carburetors need to be cleaned. The stale fuel drained, gearbox oil checked, tires filled, and so on.

The Stella fired right up and I was ready - except for one problem. My helmet and riding shades were right where I left them but the riding gloves weren’t. A quick search didn’t reveal them. In a moment of weakness, I decided to go on without them. Let me just say that I enjoyed that first ride of Spring, but it took about an hour and a half to regain the feeling in my hands and face after arriving at the office. Exposing your skin to thirty or forty miles per hour at 40 degrees F isn’t a great idea. That night, I made the effort to find my gloves and was able to ride every day except Friday. I rode the ‘59 Zundapp on Wednesday. What a great machine.

The pain in my hands, and memory of the horrible road rash, broken ribs, and months of pain from the spill I took in Key West last March has motivated me to upgrade my safety gear before a new season begins. My gloves and helmet are getting a bit tired, and I never had a proper riding jacket. It really is a good idea to have an armored jacket and gloves. And a full face helmet. Good gear is expensive, but hospital bills cost a lot more.

My minimal, brain bucket helmet and cheap gloves have to go. I’ll order the best lid I can find this weekend. Why put your brain in a cheap helmet? A new jacket and gloves will most likely be Corazzo, a local company based in Portland, OR. The nice thing about Corazzo gear is that it’s fashionable and doesn’t look like the armored uniforms typically worn by the crotch rocket crowd. When it all arrives, I’ll post some photos and comment. In the meantime, I’ll be cleaning the cobwebs off some old scooters and dreaming about warmer, dryer days.

It has been a while since my last post and I’ve been feeling guilty about that. The truth is I haven't devoted much time at all to my scooters in the past couple of months. Like many others in these difficult times, I have been devoting a huge amount of time to my day job. And I spent the holiday season visiting relatives and friends. It’s clear that everyone is feeling some pressure as a result of the economy. When ordering parts, fewer items are in stock and backorders seem to take longer to fulfill.

My work schedule is very crazy right now and as a result I have begun to consider the option of removing myself from the High Rollers Rally and its associated Put Up or Shut Up National Scooter Competition. There are several dimensions to this situation. First, given the demands of my day job I’m not sure that I can finish in time. Second, the cost of shipping the scooter there and back is very pricey – and as I have mentioned before there’s no way I’m driving 2400 miles there and back. I have a reliable truck that’s suitable for hauling scooters, but that drive is way too time consuming. Third… I’m questioning the sanity of spending money on a trip to Las Vegas. I love nothing more than sitting in a swanky bar sipping a vodka martini. There are plenty of places to do that in Vegas. The wide range of restaurants are outstanding, but the thing is I’m not into the shows or gambling. I would end up dropping a couple thousand dollars for the trip no matter what I do there. Frankly, at this point in time there are a lot of other places I’d rather spend that money – or not spend it. My final go/no-go decision will be made the first week of March.

Over the holiday season, I decided that I need to thin out the herd and sell a few scooters I don't have time for. I listed one on the scoot.net classified pages. It received some some interest, but not a lot. I’m always a bit torn on the subject of selling. Each classic scooter is chosen carefully. I get attached to them. And the tire kickers, time wasters, and scammers that a classified ad attracts are terribly annoying.

The scooter I chose to sell was my all–original 1955 Vespa “faro basso”.  I have several of the early and late 50’s handlebar Vespa’s and don't feel too bad letting one go.  It is all original and runs great as you can see in the video. It’s rare to find an unmolested low lamp these days. So far, there have been no serious offers but I’m not in hurry - nor will I entertain silly lowball offers.   

It’s hard to not let dreary weather, a busy work schedule, and the flagging economy get me down. I’m going to make some time to work on my bikes in February and go to the gym. Both are very therapeutic and some healthy distraction from everyday responsibilities is probably a good thing. With a little luck, maybe I’ll find a way to make it to Vegas.  

Paint for the Mk1 frame and body parts is complete and it looks great.

An LD always takes a long time to reassemble. There are a lot of small parts. You also have to be very careful to not scratch the new paint when putting an LD back together. It’s a good practice to use masking tape to protect the finish – especially when mounting the engine and leg shield.

The saddle frames were blasted and etch-primed a few weeks ago. The front and rear frames, the tubular toolbox, torsion arm, and hubs were originally finished with a silver/aluminum paint. The front hub has not been dismantled and blasted yet. It will be easier to paint them all at the same time, so laying down the finish coat on these parts will have to wait.

The next step was to drop in the engine and reassemble the fork. Next, mount some rims. After that the wiring loom and cables will be installed. Except for tires, none of the parts needed for all that have been ordered. I held off on placing an order until I can find the time to take inventory of my LD parts on and.

Recently I have been reconsidering entering this scooter in the P.U.O.S.U. build-off.  My concerns center on the cost of shipping the bike to Las Vegas and the possibility of it being damaged in transit. It will run more than $1000 to get it there and back. On the other hand, I could load it on my truck and haul it to Nevada. That’s not a great option in my mind. Driving long distances is one of my least favorite things to do. The trip from Seattle to Vegas would be about 1000 miles one-way.

Times are tough with the economy. Thankfully, I have no financial worries but a few of my old friends are out of work and have been for a while. Calculating the high cost of the restoration, then adding at least two thousand on top of that to participate in a rally and judging contest seems a little selfish. Maybe a bit frivolous. There’s plenty of time to make a decision between now and the end of March, but it’s definitely something that’s been on my mind.

It sounds like the name of a comedy team. These two scooters have taken a long time to get to this point. As indicated in a previous post, the Heinkel frame was powder coated the original gray color. The fork has been rebuilt. Once the new bearings and shocks arrive from Germany, it will be reinstalled along with a few miscellaneous parts that have been refinished. The engine rebuild will be last. That’s the opposite of my usual approach. Below is a photo of the repaired body shell. The front cowl is almost finished. It needed a lot of work.

It really is great to have access to all the Heinkel parts through the Club. I wish all old scooters had such a well managed organization of enthusiasts. Language is a bit of a challenge. I always hoped that studying the German language might come in handy someday.

There’s not much information about the original colors beyond a description, but I will retain the original ‘harvest gold’ and black combination. The leg shield is very rusted at the bottom and I still haven't decided if it should be replaced or not. Either invest a lot of time and effort in repairs or toss it and get a replacement. The latter is a lot faster and simpler.

The Bella needed very little metal repair. It was in very good original condition with a thick coat of bad paint on it. The engine is still in the frame, which is rusty and needs to be blasted and powder coated along with the fork. I’m nervous about the availability of Zundapp engine parts, but I will cross that bridge when the time comes. The battery cover and side panels/doors had been chromed by a previous owner for some odd reason. Blasting them worked well in providing a good base for paint.

My other Zundapp Bella is Coral Red, so I will choose something else for this one. For the moment, Forest Green appeals to me. Originally it was a light blue metallic. I don't care for metallic finishes, so that’s not an option.

The schedule for laying down the finish coat on the Heinkel and the Zundapp Bella is about two weeks from now.

After a bit of welding and grinding, the frame and sheet metal prep is nearly finished. Following the phosphor treatment, the frame and panels were primed with a base coat, sanded, then a hi build primer applied to take out some of the imperfections.

The parts shown in the photos await final wet sanding before the top coat is applied. This will be single stage urethane. Two stage was a consideration. It’s more durable but it doesn’t look as original as single stage paint.

One minor challenge was getting the old side panel handles out. They had been rusted in and wouldn’t budge. Heat, penetrating oils, nothing worked. They ended up needing to be cut off and drilled out.

The paint shop will take care of it from here. A lot of parts need to be ordered. Backorders seems to be more common now that ever, so it could take several weeks for all the parts to arrive.

next up after the paint is cured: fork, rims, and tires. Then the loom and cables.  

I met the next milestone with my #2 Zundapp Bella. This is the R203 that I made the trek to Pocatello, Idaho to pick up last year. The sheet metal has been media blasted. The photo shows the result. The parts are very straight. Very little repair needed.

My new blasting shop does a terrific job and they are very prompt in getting the job done. I will prime it this weekend and put it away for a while. No plans for the finish coat at this time. The engine needs to be removed from the frame. I have a few OEM finish colors in mind, but haven’t decided which one. Before that happens, the frame needs to be media blasted and powder coated. 

After several weeks of inactivity due to a short vacation and the demands of my day job, I have resumed work on several projects:

Lambretta LD Mk 1 - The blasting shop called to let me know they were finished. The voice mail informed me of the final cost. I thought my head was going to explode after listening to the message. The cost was about 40% higher than the same job a year ago and about 30% over their original estimate. What’s even more annoying is discovering that they didn’t remove all of the old filler. “As a matter of policy”, they don’t do this since it can lead to the blasting process wearing thru or warping the metal. No matter. The remaining filler will be removed. My restoration projects conform to a strict, no “Bondo” policy. Puget Sound Coatings wont be getting any more business from me. I’m sure they don’t care.

This is the scooter that I have entered in the Put Up or Shut Up Build Off in Las Vegas. The damp, wet weather has arrived here in Mosstown, so I’ll treat the metal and prime it right away to prevent surface rust from forming. That can happen in a matter of days after blasting. You can see some evidence of this in the photos.

Zundapp Bella R203 - This is my #2 Bella – a project scooter purchased about a year ago. All the sheet metal was sent out out to be stripped. Some of the body parts – battery cover, and the hinged access doors on either side of the engine cover - had been chromed by a previous owner. That’s not original and it looks cheesy. Bella parts are hard to find, especially sheet metal. The stripping process won’t remove the chrome but should rough it up sufficiently to provide some tooth for the primer and final paint.

Heinkel 103 A1 - I picked up the frame and mudguards from the local powder coating shop. They did a really nice job. Quick turnaround as well. I like dealing with these guys. Fair prices and good quality. The shop isn’t interested in doing this kind of work for others and has asked me to not advertise their name.  

After dismantling my first Heinkel two years ago, a 103 A1, and examining it piece by piece I gradually realized what poor condition the bike was in. The original frame on my A1 was rusted clean through in one area. So I went looking for a donor. This frame came from a donor scooter I bought about a year after my initial purchase of the A1. You see it here (below) just prior to taking it to a shop to be blasted and powder coated last week.  

I planned to also have the fuel tank and all the baffles and shrouds blasted and powder coated. Until it became apparent that the baffles were total crap and had been previously repaired and painted - badly. The tank had also been refinished and primed but looked OK. I decided to just send the tank along with the frame to the powder coater and order replacement baffles/heat shields.

The powder coating shop owner called me a couple of days after dropping off the frame and tank to tell me the media blasting revealed several large holes in the bottom of the fuel tank. They had been filled and painted over. It was difficult to resist the temptation to be angry with the guy that sold the A1 to me. I should have examined the bike more closely and negotiated better. Oh well... it was my first Heinkel and I wasn't sure what to look for. Now I'm wiser, but have to buy a lot more replacement parts than originally planned. 

I finally got around to joining the Heinkel Club of Germany. It's an impressive operation. The Club is also a business that caters only to members around the world. They sell spare parts and apparently bought the entire inventory, tooling, and rights from Heinkel when they exited the scooter business. It's good thing I have some skill with the German language. English is not supported. This makes ordering a little difficult - but at the same time interesting and educational. Except for an occasional business trip to Munich, there have been few opportunities to take advantage of the four years I studied the German language. Now all that studying years ago is really paying off and I'm enjoying the mental exercise of reading and writing in a language not my own. It's amazing how much you remember.

This 103 A1 project has been very educational in other ways. The Germans had some very different ideas from the Italians about how to design a scooter. After spending a few years "getting smart" on classic Lambretta's and Vespa's, I thought a Heinkel or Zundapp would be a piece of cake. Not so. There's no substitute for experience.

This old scooter may not be as pretty as it once was, but I have to admit that it's pretty remarkable that this survivor runs as well as it does. In spite of the fact that it isn't ridden much, it always starts with a minimum of coaxing and a quick spritz of starter fluid. I drained the tank, put some fresh fuel in and fired it up this weekend after a year of storage. It became evident that the carb needed cleaning and a fresh plug might be in order, but I didn't have the time so I put up with a little sputtering and bogging.

The faded original speedometer says it has clocked 10,500 miles and I have no reason to question it. I've owned this bike for several years and haven't done a thing to it other than clean it up. The silver-blue paint is original and faded but apart from few dings here and there it looks pretty good. I have been meaning to buff it out to bring some of the color back, but haven't found the time. Besides, I kind of like the patina.

One of the curved support rods that allow the engine side cowl to swing up for maintenance has cracked where it is welded to the cowl. It's hard to tell for sure, but it looks like the engine has never been dropped or the cases split. The lights still work. Both shocks work fine, brakes are good. There's a bit of rust on the front rim but both front and back are in otherwise good shape and the tires are in usable condition with no signs of dry rot.

I rode it around town for about two hours. It smoked like crazy at first so I thought the rings might be bad. After about 15 minutes of riding it was back to exhaling the normal waft of blue smoke you would expect from an old Vespa when idling. I think there was a lot of oily funk in the silencer that needed to burn off.

I've debated fully restoring this VB1 a couple of times but decided against it. I will have to drop the engine eventually and do a complete rebuild, but wont refinish the frame. I'll pressure wash it, buff it out and put it back together. Some minor repairs like the cowl support and some new rubber will be part of that. For safety's sake, the tubes and tires need replacing. I'm not sure about repainting the rims. If I can figure out a way to refinish them without making them look too new (and out of place) I'll do that. The silencer can be dipped and re-sprayed with black rattle can. And of course the carb needs a rebuild. The only thing missing on this VB1 are the keys for the column lock and cowl toolbox. I have some original blanks with the Vespa logo on them and might have a locksmith try to cut some new keys for the original locks.

Unfortunately there's no documentation on this old Vespa so it's history will remain forever a mystery. The low mileage might suggest it was imported for the US market and has been here since it was new. Whoever had it before me took good care of it. It's a rare survivor and definitely one of my favorite classics.   

While I'm waiting for the paint be completed on my LD Mk1 project, I'll turn my attention to the Li 150 S1 that's been waiting to be reassembled for quite a long time. After dropping off my LD at the media blasting shop, I was feeling ambitious and decided to put the Li engine into it's frame. Of course, I was only able to find one of the engine mount cones. I tore through a half dozen boxes of parts, getting increasingly irritated with each one.

I put extra effort into organizing parts. I tag and bag everything upon disassembly and when I misplace something it drives me crazy. After two hours, nothing. So I called Casa Lambretta. I'm expecting Alex, but somebody named Susie answers up the phone, looks up the part #, informs me that my credit card has expired, then tells me I might have it the next day if she can get the order ready in time. Susie was friendly, helpful, and efficient. But tomorrow? Yea, right. I figured she's just new and full of enthusiasm. Imagine my surprise when the parts arrived at 4pm the next day. Casa Lambretta never fails to impress. Outstanding customer service - every time.

So, with some help from Susie and her parts I was able to mount the engine. As you can see in the photo, I have not restored the fork and hub yet. My plan was to powder coat them. The problem is I approached this backwards. I should have powder coated the fork and hubs - and the tank, headset, and tool box which are also unfinished - before painting the frame. It's easier to match paint to powder than the other way around. I'll figure it out. Right now, I'm leaning toward painting them and shunning modern practices like powder coating, although for rims, forks, and tool box it's a better choice. Much more durable. The paint is single stage and the colors were chosen from original Li150 colors. The PPG equivalent paint codes were provided by Casa Lambretta.

I hope to get this scooter back together in time to ride it this summer. I'm not optimistic but will give it a try. Next, I need to order a new rear shock, rear hub, and a wiring harness.

Another Lambretta LD project begins, continuing the never ending cycle of joy and frustration connected with restoring classic scooters. I have mentioned this particular scooter a number of times in the past so I wont repeat its life history or how it came to me. What's new is I have been taking a few days off here and there, and this has given me just enough time to organize my scooters and parts, get rid of stuff I don't want, and make some measurable progress on a project or two.

I have to confess my primary motivation for choosing this Lambretta was that I became tired of tripping over it and moving it around my overstuffed garage every time I wanted to reach something behind it. I dismembered it a few months ago to make it easier to store. It took about four hours to round up all the pieces. I put them all in the center of the garage and stared at them for a while, contemplating my dread of starting yet another project vs. transforming garage clutter into a classic LD Mk1 scooter. This has become sort of a ritual with me. I loaded it up and put it in the truck. Off to the sandblasting shop we went.

I noticed that there were couple of small tears in the sheet metal just behind the rear seat. I'll weld that after I get it back from the blaster. It normally takes about a week for the work to be completed. I'll clean and treat the parts with metal prep solution. That leaves a phosphate coating which helps the primer adhere to the metal.

So what color will it be? I've already decided it will be the beige color that was offered on this model originally. A lot of pieces were missing on this scooter when I bought it. I was very lucky a few months ago and was able to score a couple of the porthole style Mk1 side panels. Those are very hard to find in the US. I have Mk1 engine that is from the same production run as the frame. There are lots of decisions to make, parts to order, and arrangements to make for painting. Here I go again.

This is what the finished product will look like:

I've been giving some serious thought to entering a North American build-off competition that begins at the end of August and ends at the High Rollers Rally in Las Vegas in March.

It seems like a no-brainer since I'm always working on one restoration project or another. My only reluctance toward entering is the time and effort involved in getting the finished scooter to Las Vegas for the judging. The thought of driving 900 miles doesn't appeal to me and shipping there and back is a hassle. That aside, I'm really tempted and only have a couple of weeks to make up my mind. The deadline for entry is August 29.

The organizers of this event have done a great job putting it together. My first order of business would be to decide what project bike to choose. I could go with a Vespa VM1, Lambretta LD Mk1 or Li150 S1, Zundapp Bella R203 or Heinkel 103 A2. Right now, I'm leaning toward the LD or the Bella.

The rules are pretty simple. You can't start working until the competition begins. It's necessary to provide some photo evidence to assure that everyone is starting from scratch, and photos need to be sent in periodically to keep everyone honest. You can outsource some work, but this has to be disclosed. For example, I no longer do my own paint. It's toxic as hell and to do it right you need the proper equipment and facility.

Everyone loves to win but that's not my motivation to sign up for this build-off. I'm anxious to see what scooters other people enter and admiring their handiwork. It would also be the first time I can meet face to face some with of the "online" people I've met over the years. Besides, this trip would be a great way to enjoy a little sun and escape the gloomy March weather here in Mosstown. Right now I'm about 98% certain about entering.  I'll mull this over for a couple more weeks and think about what scooter to enter during that time.

Over the years, Forward Air has been my preference for shipping scooters. I recently sold a Vespa VL3 on eBay. The buyer, who is in Germany, arranged for HaulBikes.com to do the pickup. I was impressed with this service. In many ways, I prefer it to Forward Air. HaulBikes rate table is pretty reasonable and it's easy to determine exactly what it will cost. The service is door to door. The driver, Pat (see photo below), was great about calling in advance and letting me know when he would arrive.

It was tough to give up my only VL series Vespa but I am out of space and have way too many projects. The VL3 will first go to Milwaukee, then to South Carolina before making the trip across the Atlantic. It seems a bit expensive to ship a project scooter such a long distance but when you consider the US Dollar and Euro exchange rates and the increasing scarcity of old Vespa's, it's not too far fetched.

I've put another project bike, an LI 150 Series 1, on the auction block. It is in need of a full restoration but it's all there. I have two other Series 1 Lambretta's so this one isn't too hard to let go. I would prefer trade it for a Series 3 or one of several "odd scoots" like a Tessy, 1950's Peugeot, or an NSU Prima. Or maybe a Fuji Rabbit or Mitsubishi Silver Pigeon. Currently there are no classic 50's Japanese scooters in my stable. Given my space constraints, I'll need to be more selective about acquiring new bikes and continue selling off my unwanted or duplicate models.

I have stopped talking about it and finally begun selling off a few scooters and parts. In the past couple of weeks a Lambretta LD Mk3, Vespa VL3 and two engines found new owners. My recent post about getting rid of an expensive rental storage space resulted in the contents landing in my garage. After seeing it all in one place, it became clear that it was time to sell a few things. A second LD Mk3 will be picked up by its new owner in August. All of these scooters were project bikes. It was tough to let the VL3 go, since it was the only one in my stable. It's been sitting in storage for a couple of years. Representing the last of the great Vespa handlebar bikes, the VL3 was one I probably should have kept, but like they say... sometimes when you love something you have to set it free, right? The buyer is from Germany so I assume it will be making it's way back to Europe. What a strange, intercontinental journey this old Vespa has had.

There are a few more scooters, parts, and accessories to sell. This is not enjoyable. While it is true that the online selling/auction process helps sellers reach a lot of potential buyers, at the same time it can be a huge pain. The people who make make ridiculous lowball offers are particularly annoying. So are those who ask if a 55 year old classic scooter can be ridden on the freeway. I listed a bare Vespa frame on eBay once and a guy asked me if it ran. Another time, the winning bidder on a 1955 Vespa Faro basso sent me an email saying he was praying for the money to arrive so he could send it to me. I guess you have to take the good with the bad when selling.

Next on my selling list is a couple of bare Lambretta LD frames. One is a Mk3 and the other a Mk1. I may sell my Li150 Series 1 project as well. I'm still debating that. Once I'm settled on what scooters to keep, I'll begin going through parts to determine what will be needed for future restoration projects.

The few people who have come to know me either online or in person know that I am not a member of any scooter clubs and don't attend rallies. If others do, I don't take issue with it. It's just that I have an aversion to clubs of any kind, as well as confederations, federations, alliances, brotherhoods, fellowships, fraternities, guilds, leagues, orders, organization, society, guilds, unions, aristocracies, associations, clans, gangs, cooperatives, orders, or circles.

Among the many things I try to avoid in my life are gatherings, assemblages, companies, conclaves, conferences, congregations, conventions, convocations, crowds, groups, meetings, and of course, rallies. I suppose this point of view could be interpreted as some kind of elitist or even anti-social behavior. It's really not. A rally is supposed to be a get-together of hobbyists or other like-minded enthusiasts, primarily to meet and socialize. Too often, it ends up more like the rally as it is defined in British theater - a quickening of pace for heightening the dramatic effect in a scene or act.

For every fun, interesting, or knowledgeable person at a gathering there are two whiny, scandal-mongering, or oversensitive yentas hell-bent on creating drama and ruining the whole thing. For some reason the most contemptible, annoying people among us seem to love a crowd and feed on having an audience. It's more than I can stand. Too bad, because I do enjoy talking to others about scooters. And admiring the work of others.

I wish there were something in the scootering world that more closely resembled a classic car or motorcycle show. There are scooter events like this in Europe. Sort of a cross between a show and a swap meet. I was lucky enough to attend one in northern Italy a few years ago and was in awe of the size of the event and the huge selection of rare and interesting scooters and parts. None of it cheap though. Those days are long gone. 

What I like about the idea of a show is that there are no commitments or club aspect to it. It's a gathering of people of course, but you are free to browse and engage people in anonymous conversation. There are no members, group rides, dinners, pub crawls, or club politics to deal with. Just scooters, and the talk remains focused on scooters. While strolling around, I thought about how cool it would be if there were also an auction at these events for people looking to buy collectable scooters. Like the Barrett-Jackson classic car auctions in Arizona. Maybe there was, but if so it wasn't obvious. I did see some clubs represented, but it seemed like most of the people there had no affiliation with them. Clubs are a bit more civilized in Europe, but that's a topic for another day.

For a lot of people who collect things, it is fun to show off your stuff now and then. I'm going to explore entering a scooter in an antique car or motorcycle show (or two) and see how it goes. Maybe others will like the idea and join in. Perhaps this is a better way for me to be a little less isolated and have fun at the same time.

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>.