Im looking for a old vespa or lambretta. if poss an old ex project or similar. i want to restore and give it to my dad for his 60th birthday. if anyone knows any good contacts be much appreciated.
You could ask around at your local scooter club to see what may be available, or check out the old school scooter mags in WH Smiths/Borders etc.
cool cheers fella. any good year to go for? my old man was a true mod.
thats a great idea! my dad was a mod, wish i had thought of that for his 60thyou could have a look here:http://www.lambretta.co.uk/page.htmlbut they might be pricey update: just had a look at their stock (the ones in need of restoration), they are NOT cheap but i wish i could buy the '63 lambreatta 
I really know VERY little about geared scooters, but I think that you’ll find that old ones fall into these categories:
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ones that have been in the UK since new
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old ones imported from Italy relatively recently
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old ones from places like Vietnam, imported relatively recently and sometimes done up over there before import
I don’t know the pro’s and con’s of any of these categories. I only know that they fall into those categories from idly browsing Scootering magazine (which is a good place to look - WH Smiths generally have a copy) because those are the kind of phrases that come up again and again in the “For Sale” section.
I’ve never dealt with them, but I know that there’s a place on Lower Marsh (or is it Upper Marsh - it’s the road that goes from Waterloo Rd, opposite The Cut, towards Westminster Bridge Rd. Cubana is on the corner if you’ve ever been there) called Scooterworks who do up and sell old scoots as well as operating as a cafe. Maybe they’d be able to talk to you and give you an idea of prices and all that.
Mods were often very tribal as to whether they liked Lammys or Vespa’s, so maybe make double sure your dad isn’t a Lammy fan.
Also, you can get quite recent (but old-looking, i.e. old body shape) Vespas (or Bajaj’s - a Vespa copy done under license I think) from India, which might be cheap.
Hope that helps more than it confuses.
You got me looking now! http://www.mahaa-scooters.com/index.php is another place in the South that might be useful to talk to for ideas or a general overview. For info on Vietnamese Vespas, Google “Hanoi Scooters” (but they’re pricy too)
Looks like they’re pretty pricy, whether they’re projcect scoots or full restorations. You could get a new Vespa 250 GTS i.e. http://www.uk.vespa.com/en_UK/vespa/gts/gts250ie/default.aspx for that sort of money. Someone on the X9 site is trying to sell one with 600 miles on it in red for £2,300 at the moment. They’re not 40 yrs old, and purists would prolly rather have an original, but they look good, are full-sized (have you ever sat on an old Vespa? They’re knees-round-your-ears tiny. People must have been a lot smaller in the 60s) do 80mph, you can chrome and mirror them up, and they don’t break down every 5 minutes. (I’m biased. My Mrs has a GTS with lots of chrome and it looks lovely) 
Think i may of found one. if i get it il start sending in photos on progress.
It really depends what you want.
Prices for Lambrettas have gone through the roof. The cheapest projects will come from India (they’re often on eBay), but apparently it can be hard to get good quality ones.
For vespas, your best bet is probably going to be unregistered Italian or Spanish imports. Again, check ebay and http://www.scootertrader.com/. Often people will bring a van-load into the country and sell them off.
I’ve got an Italian friend who has occasionally brought bikes from Italy. If you have an idea of what you want, PM me and I’ll ask him if he has any contacts or knows of anything.
The easiest/cheapest projects will be PX type bikes (PX125, P200, T5) as parts are cheap and plentyfull. But if your dad is a true old skool mod, he may not like them much. My favourite is the Rally, but the older, the more expensive it’s going to be to restore.
Quite often these days, they will put PX engines in the older bikes as they are more reliable, it’s supposed to be a quite easy conversion.
For parts, SIP is almost always cheapest (http://www.sip-scootershop.com/) but it’s worth picking up a copy of scootering magazine and ring around if you need a lot. Or wait till summer and go to a rally.
If you need a specialist mechanic/shop in London, avoid Ska scooters. They’re cheap but rubbish. Scooterworks in Bermondsey are a little better, but it’s a bit a hit and miss. Craig and Lauren are great, but sometimes they’ve got some muppits working there. Avoid the Waterloo shop too, it’s a coffee shop and if Craig is not there, nobody will be able to tell you anything about scooters.
Scooter Emporium (Brick Lane) are really good but quite expensive. They’re always helpful though, and the mechanic there (Dan) is really good.
There’s supposed to be a really good shop in West London too, but I’ve never been there.
Great idea by the way. I hope, if I get gets, they’ll do the same when I get 60 
well i have 3 yrs to get a move on till the big do. thanks for the tips guys, much appreciated.
now thats what i call preparation
good luck
The shop in West London is Scooter Surgery, it’s run by ‘Patch’, really good bloke and knows his stuff!I have a 1970 Lambretta GP150, now with a Race Rapido 200 engine. I did a nut and bolt restoration on it last year. Cost including the original scooter around £4k.
You really want to get an Italian or Spanish known as Eibar or Sevetta) scooter, or only get a classic Vespa from the 60s.
Be warned there is a lot of crap out there!
If you need any help, drop me a PM and I’ll point you in the right direction.
There will be a good thousand+ scooters in London on Sunday, it’s the Great London Ride out to Southend. Meeting at Regents Park to leave for 10?
Might be worth a visit to give you an idea of what’s about?This is what mine looks like;
It would be along ride back home to collect a Vespa 50.
Isn’t amazing what you can do with old coke cans these days?
1969 vespa on sale here: http://www.southlondonmotorcycles.co.uk/ although they’ve had it for yonks and i never got a good feeling from the shop.
Scooterworks in Waterloo will sort you out…they always have loads in stock
If you can deal with the twat that runs the shop now that is.
Craig (owner) is a great guy, but he’s mostly in the workshop these days and there’s a kid in the shop the last few times I’ve been there that is a right twat. I doubt he’s ever ridden a scoot either.
speak to roy or steve at sgt motorcycles if your still after one. there intot hem aswell. 02085400889. tell them saj sent ya!
I can second the vote for scooterworks.
Retrospective scooters (retrospectivescooters.co.uk) in Turnpike Lane are also good - I got my '81 PX from there. It’s run by a good bloke called Niall. He set my PX up so well I haven’t even had to change a plug in about two years. He frequently visits Italy and can look out for a specific model of scoot if you have one in mind.
Scooter Emporium in Brick Lane are worth considering - I got my '73 Sprint Veloce from them. Good blokes, but can be expensive.
Hi Mate,
Just reading your topic and thought i would add my bit. when was your dad a mod in the sixtys as this is important. i have a lot of friends that have scooters as i do and you would not beleive how fussy we are for the originals. there are three series, series 1 early fifties, series 2 late fifties early sixties and series 3 which was the most popular. the li series 3 125, li special, the golden special, li 150, the most sort after scooter was the TV 175 or the TV200 which then became the SX200 which will coast now around £5000 to £6000 for a mint original. When looking for a rebuild make sure its not a indian import. On the frame should be a number with LI in front of it and it should be registered with the labretta club.
Hope this has help you .
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