Classic Scooter Collector

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>.