It seems that there is a strain of the classic car and motorcycle community that is moving toward placing a lot of value on un-restored original vehicles. We here at Scooterlounge agree. We prefer an original scooter with some dings and scratches as opposed to many of the so-called restorations that we often see. Let's face it, a shiny new paint job does not a restoration make...
On the other end of the spectrum of originality are scooters for which the word "patina" has lost all meaning. Perhaps we've spent too much time around the California hot rod scene, but we sure have a healthy respect for scooters that have begun to succumb to rust's not-so tender embrace.
This scooter just turned up on Ebay with a fairly ambitious opening bid of $500. If this scooter can be salvaged, it will take a lot of time and money. Of course, leaving the paint as it is (which we'd prefer) would significantly cut down on the money investment.
Here, we have a scooter that looks like it could be a candidate for some mechanical refreshing. We really like the fact that the original paint is still in evidence, but has almost totally failed. Surface rust is speckled throughout, but it doesn't look too bad. The photo above shows the running in sticker still intact. You can also see the original key for the very oxidized column lock still present. Nice!
Now we see the deal-breaker. Oof! This rust is nothing short of catestrophic. While the seller claims that you could fix this with a floorboard replacement, we're dubious. This rust is so bad, that it most certainly extends throughout the frame. Even if you could fix it, why would you? It isn't like this scooter is remotely rare. No, this just became a parts donor. I think there are about $250 worth of good parts left, expecially considering the amount of WD-40 it will take to pry anything loose.