Vespa GS 150 Fuel Tap

When I got my project Vespa GS 150 it came without some of the original parts. One part in particular is the glass fuel tap. Mine had the typical large frame fuel tap that is available at any scooter parts store. I have recently been on the hunt and I have come close but still do not have the original yet.

The large frame fuel tap from Motorsport Scooters

Here is a shot I got from somewhere online. Notice the glass sediment bowl and the fuel line curving to the left.

Here is another shot I got from an GS150 restoration I saw at 2nd Avenue Scooters. Also the "DELLORTO SEREGNO ITALIA" lettering on the tap.

These are the tap I bought from ebay and scoot.net both are not correct for a GS150. The glass one on the left is what you typically might find on most 1960's Vespa scooters but not correct for the GS150.

Notice the glass tap on the left and how the fuel line goes to the right. On the GS150 tap in the pictures above all the taps have the line goto the left.

Here is a scan from the Vespa Tecnica book and it has a shot of the tap and the fuel line curved to the left. If you know of the correct tap available please let me know as I am on the hunt for it!

Visiting a Restored Vespa GS 150 Cushman

Eric at 2nd Avenue Scooters gave me a call the other day and told me of a customer scooter that he was servicing. It was a 1961 Vespa GS Cushman just like the one I am restoring. I brought my camera as I had never seen another of these scooters in person and I wanted to take as many pictures as a reference for my restoration. Here are just a sample of some of the shots but if you follow my link to my flickr page you can view over 70 pictures.

New Old Vespa Scripted Keys

When I bought my Vespa it came with no keys. Now I have keys. Eric has hooked me up again and this time he had the Taylor 63V Vespa Scripted keys. He was able to score these keys from ABC Lock in Phoenix just around the corner from his shop for $2.50 each and he hooked me up at the same price! THANKS ERIC! We took these key blanks and my locks to them and they were able to re-keyed both the steering column and glove box lock. This makes me so happy. I love saving the original locks and not having to buy reproductions.

Laser Metal Bracket

So here is a sketch that Eric drew on wax paper. This is hopefully the metal bracket that we will use to help straighten this crooked scooter. We then went and had John cut out this bracket with his amazing water laser cutter. I can't believe water is cutting this steel! The steel is about 1/2" thick.

GS Fork Repair

Here is my GS150 fork. It has a chunk of aluminum missing and has been damaged. Luckily for me I had Eric at 2nd Avenue Scooters help me out! Thanks!

BEFORE

AFTER

Crooked Vespa

My original intentions to starting this blog was to share my experience and mistakes in restoring my 1961 Vespa GS Cushman. Yesterday I received some bad news. I meet Eric Lussier of 2nd Avenue Scooters in Phoenix, AZ with the happy prospect of getting my bike professionally painted back to its like new condition. I knew my bike was far from perfect with a dent in almost every side of my frame but I was not prepared for what happened next. Apparently the previous owner had some major accident or damage that has caused the rear half of the scooter to be twisted and off aligned about an 1/2 inch. Eric is very concerned that this may not be repairable or maybe very costly to repair. He is going to consult some other auto body experts to see what our options will be but he told me to be prepared to potentially look for another GS frame.

Another frame? This is a GS150 Cushman! The rare 1 0f only 500 in the USA and the World! Where am I going to find another frame? I know IF I can find another GS 150 VS5 that will work but I really wanted the GS Cushman version.

I never claimed to be an expert in Vespa's but after around 12 years in the hobby I took the plunge on a GS. This has become a very expensive experience. I knew it was going to be but I wanted that experience and I am sure paying for it. Here is what I have learned and I really hope someone someday will learn from my mistakes as I know I have. When purchasing a scooter you really need to take your time and look over the body in every detail. Good luck buying online. I bought this in person. I felt every dent but when I bought this scooter I expected it to be "easy" to fix the body work. If there is a dent you have to imagine the best way a to fix this is hammer and dolly from the other side. My dent and crease is in the center of the frame where you cannot access it from the back side. Eric showed me a recent Lambretta he purchased where the previous owner had two major welds in the frame that were hidden under the legshield. He knew to look for that. The seller quickly dropped his top dollar request and Eric appropriately bought is as a project bike. He knew this Lambretta frame was not road worthy and was able to get basically a parts bike. I on the other hand happily handed over my top dollar cash for a twisted Vespa that may need to have its frame replaced or major surgery to repair. This is a expensive lesson to learn.

Notice that the rear of the frame is pointed slightly to the left by about an 1/2 inch.

The air cover door seems to line up correct except the upper half of the frame is dented and twisted to the right.

You can see how the door lines up in the scratched paint (upper left) and the whole upper half of the opening is bent to the right towards the dent damage.

Apart

I have begun taking the scooter apart. This is always a scary moment for me as I wonder if I can really put it all back together again. One of my methods of my organization is when I remove a part or collection of parts I put them in a zip lock bag and label the parts. I once witness a person disassemble a scooter and they put every nut, bolt, washer in one bucket. That terrified me. How would you ever know where that specific bolt, nut, washer will go when it comes time to reassemble? He replied "that is what part books are for." He also told me about how many restoration he has done and that he was confident that he could do it. While I am not all that clear on how I am going to do this I too am confident that I can.