January 2013 Archives

This scooter recently sold for a very reasonable $3500 in Las Vegas. It was part of a large collection of MV Agusta motorcycles.

For 1952, the MV Agusta factory produced a 150cc version of the CGT Scooter. Like the 125, the engine was exposed, and the single-cylinder, 2-stroke engine was cooled by direct air without a cooling fan. The scooter had a 4-speed transmission, allowing for a top speed of 85 Km/h. The rear luggage box was a handy feature, and the mudguard kept the riders clothes unsullied. It had a fuel consumption rate of 3 liters per 100 km, and a fuel tank capacity of 7 liters. Approximately 1,000 units were produced.

This LD was just sold at the Las Vegas auctions for $4,000. This looks like a nice scooter. Given the large influx of Vietnam-provenance LD's that I've seen, this one is the real Italian deal.  Just from the one photo, it appears that it was redone by someone who knew something about Lambrettas. You can see all of the hardware on the forks was off for paint (always a good sign), and it checks all of the boxes for a nice LD.  The only quibble I have is the painted centerstand.  This appears to be a fair deal for both parties.

This video captures the attitude of just about every vehicle subculture that I have had the pleasure in which to partake. It reminds me a lot of what scooter culture was like here in the US in the 90's. I guess that as the values of vintage scooters has risen, the amount of "new blood" in the scene has declined. I think that many people who would have gotten a Vespa have gotten a moped. No matter, the moped scene is vibrant and interesting these days in the US. Some of the custom mopeds I have seen are truly amazing. It doesn't take a lot of cash to make a badass moped, but it surely does take some skill...

This is a very rare 1937 Moto-Scoot, made by Moto-Scoot Mfg. Co. Chicago, Illinois. It has an accessory headlight and tail light with an NOS battery tube holder. The rear body is all cast aluminum. This scooter had a completely rebuilt 4-bolt head Lauson engine - the original engine for this scooter. There was no clutch on this year, it was bump-start and go. I believe that the later models had a clutch, and these clutchless ones are quite rare.

This scooter sold at auction in Las Vegas for $7,000

I just spotted this porcelain Vespa sign on Ebay. It looked a bit strange, and when I looked closer, I realized it is a reproduction. The give-away was its size (small) and what looks like some overlap on the red and blue on the circle. The Vespa logo does not look right either, it just looks too fat, more like the modern logo, not like the old one. Also, all of the old signs I have seen have the Vespa logo going horizontal, and this one, it is tilted up, like on the scooter legshield. It looks like it should be that way, but the real signs did not have the logo like that. Normally I would not care, but this guy is asking $400 for this thing.

This 1960 MV Agusta Chicco scooter just sold in Las Vegas for $5,750. It was part of a massive collection of MV's. The owner had amassed one of every model of MV Agusta made. Fantastic. Too bad they were not sold as a lot, and are now scattered.

MV introduced the Chicco Scooter at the Milan Motorcycle Show in November 1959. It was popular, staying in production until 1964. While it had a conventional scooter profile, under the bodywork was a motorcycle-like powerplant. The 5.8 HP 155cc single-cylinder, 2-stroke engine had a horizontal cylinder and primary drive via a chain. The driven wheel cantilevered directly onto the gearbox output shaft. This engine had no relation with any other MV product and was specifically intended for this bike. Forced air-cooling kept the engine in one piece. The body used monocoque pressed-steel construction with a fixed front mudguard. Price in 1960 was 157,500 Lire.

I just love this photo. There are so many layers to it. Clearly from the context, this was taken in North Africa - Tunisa, Algeria? I'm guessing this was late 60's or maybe even early 70's. How did this Rumi get there? It was pretty rare even when new, and was not cheap. It must have taken a lot of skill for the woman to keep her head scarf on while riding!

Stanley from Holland with Vespressi has done a great re-purpose of a classic Vespa Ape. We here at Scooterlounge sure love Apes, and Stanley's is really nice. He has, clearly, set it up as a mobile coffee shop. We also love coffee, so you our excitement is two-fold! I can't imagine a more fantastic way to grab a cup of joe than standing aside this wonderful Ape! It also looks like he makes a really nice cappuccino.

If you find yourself in the Utrecht area, you really owe it to yourself to find where they are set up. You can follow their route here.

You can check out photos of the restoration here.

The beginning of the year is when the big motorcycle auctions take place in Vegas.  This year there were only a few scooters among the choice bikes up for sale at the Bonhams auction.  You can check out all of the bikes that were for sale on their site.  Be amazed at the eye-popping insane $480,000 paid for a 1939 BMW race motorcycle.  I'm sorry, I do love me some motorcycles, but the fact that someone paid almost half a million dollars for a single bike is a sign of the horrible skewing of wealth in this country.  If you were the buyer, would you not be ashamed to show your face after such ridiculous "let them eat cake" excess?  I would... 

Anyhow, there were a few scooters for sale. 

First up is this handsome 1969 Lambretta 125 DL. This one is painted in one of the original colors, but no mention if it is original paint. The auction listing indicated that the motor was punched out to 175, and clearly the original forks have been changed or modified for use with front dampers. Does this affect value? I would say that those are attractive modifications if this is for someone who wants to ride it. Are those people at a Bonhams auction in Las Vegas? Clearly not, since this scooter did not sell. Either the punters wanted something more stock and original, or the reserve was un-realistic. Auction estimate was $5,000-$7000, which I think was pretty ambitious for a 125. I've seen several sell in the $4000 range about 5 years ago, though none have come up for sale recently, that I know of. This one looks tidy, but I think that originality is king when it comes to high dollar scooters these days.

Next is this very cool 1957 Victoria R200. It looks very German, no doubt about it. I have to say that I've never seen one of these, and I doubt any made it to American shores. This one just oozes patina. You can just see a hint of the touring stickers on the front mudguard in this photo. The paint appears to be original. You can be sure that nobody else will be rolling one at your local scooter rally. This scoot sold for a very reasonable $1495. Quite well bought for a rare scooter. I would have certainly bid on it if I were in Vegas.

There were surprisingly many mopeds up for auction this year. This Flandria Kingline Deluxe was the coolest of the lot. Just look at it! It has the styling excess of a late-50's Detroit behemoth, but all packed into a 50cc moped. I love it. Sold for $2185, and most certainly worth it.

Sorry guys, it has been quite awhile since I have posted on the blog. You know how it is, life has been pretty hectic, and I have not had a lot of time. But I'm back now, and hopefully posting most every day.

So, I have been working on my friend's SX200 over the holidays. I had previously done quite a bit on it in order to revive it from its decades long slumber. I had gotten it running ok, but it had one residual issue. It would run with the key in the "ignition on" position, but as soon as I put on the lights, the ignition would die. I first thought that the problem lie in the key switch. After talking to some folks about the issue, it seemed that I should look in another direction. Bad grounds can cause ignition problems with a old/weak ignition system. This scoot still is on the all-original points system. I checked the spark, and it is consistent, but not the biggest fattest spark I've seen.

With all that in mind, I set to work on the electrical system. I basically went through it from back to front. I took all of the connections apart, and cleaned all of them. Certainly tedious work, but with electrical stuff, you really have to be methodical. The photo above is of the rear light, and the wiring connections. I cleaned all the wires, the connector, the bulb, and the bulb connector tangs. I did the same with the junction box, the headlight connectors, etc.

Here is the high/low switch. It is really in rough shape. When I took off the cover, the switch fell apart in my hand. It is still operable, so I cleaned it all out, and put it back together. The action on it is not super-positive, but it does work. Best to keep it, since it is the original switch. At some point when it totally craps out, then it will be replacement time.

After cleaning every connector, I started the scooter, and it worked! Yay! It really was just bad connections in the wiring. I feel like I generally have a good understanding of electrics, but this one was, and still is a bit of a stumper. I thought that the ignition and the lighting circuits were separate, running from separate coils on the stator plate. I have no idea why poor grounding on the lighting circuit would have any effect on the ignition. In any case, the results speak for themselves. This scoot is back on the road!