What makes this worth nearly three grand?

(Well, over £2.6k at the time of posting)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/270640876246

I know nothing about these beasties, but it seems an amazing amount to
spend on a few bits of metal.

 

Vespa/Lambretta thingy in bits with loads missing.

I was talking to a chap recently who ran the local Scooter club.We got
chatting, and it transpired my G/F's ex used to have an original Vespa
from the 60's, and apparently they are very sought after now, and "would
you ask if he'll sell it? - 3k if complete"
**** knows why.
But people say that about 1950's Brit bikes, which I think are really
nice.

Alan.

 

The GP200 is one of the highly desireable Lambretta variants so this is
enough bits to make a convincing one.

 

Which would be worth what?

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/British-registered-concours-Italian-Lambretta-GP-200-/300471919118
Looks fairly typical, I could buy a bloody nice bike for less but Lambretta
nuts are a special breed.

 

That reinforces all my prejudices against concours rebuilds. Give me
something with a bit of 'patina' any day.

--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

The appeal is to people of means who, as teenagers, yearned in vain
after a scooter like this. So now they're trying to fulfill their
deprived childhoods.

Where I was a teenager (in Alberta Canada) you had to be 16 to drive
a car, but you could get a scooter license at 14. Well when I was 14
I may as well have wished for an aircraft carrier because the odds
of getting one were the same as for a scooter, ie arbitrarily close
to zero.

SQ

 

I can see the appeal of "as it left the factory", actually, but like
you, I prefer a bi of patina[1].

What I *hate* are the over-restored things.

[1] Rust.

 

In communiqué <1jpzggr.im7btrxrn2s7N%>,

With Morinis "as it left the factory" is always a bit of a lottery
anyway, as it depended on what they had in the parts bins on the day.
I can't be doing with people who will argue, for example, that a bike
has socket head screws where it should have cross point heads made of
cheese.

Of course I don't give a stuff, because the only bike I have that is
remotely "as it left the factory" is the Voxan, and that has
enhancements from original spec.

--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Early 1980s Ducatis were like that, too. Things like wheels and calipers
could vary from bike to bike.

Agreed. That said, I get a lovely sort of atavistic thrill in undoing
some fasteners which have plainly never been touched since the bike was
first built. It's knowing that the last person who touched that bolt was
the engineer who put the thing together. I like that.

Shiny bits in the oil?

 

In communiqué <1jpzio2.1n799qu31v5t5N%>,

So do I - when it comes undone OK!

<SNORT>
Still waiting for news from Limoges.

Mine has the 'Evo' kit (redesigned chain guides etc.), throttle body
intake mod (more power!), small custom machined alloy plate things
instead of plastic covering I forget what (which were made by a VCF
member and given to me as a gift at an AGC), later cans and a 2 teeth
bigger rear sprocket (even better acceleration). So not "as it left the
factory", but TBF you can't tell just by looking at it (except the
covers and the cans if you really know your Voxans).


--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Apropos of that Patrick just emailed me to say he still can't be certain
of fixing it within the time window that I will be in France, but the
new parts suppliers say that they can supply 'one-off' orders for
breakdown repairs. So I'm taking it on the trailer and will discuss the
best plan with him. Either I will leave it with him to repair and store
until my next trip, or, if he gives me a rough estimate that is eye
watering he can buy it off me for spares[1], or I will quickly get it on
the VCF web site and Ebay.fr for spares or repair.

[1] He also sells Guzzi, Benelli and Moto Morini. I could be tempted by
a 9 1/2 but they are a tad high and heavy, it looks as if Morini are
also finished and I don't want the hassle of an MSVA again.

--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

It is if you've got a ShiteOldItalianBike ;-)

 

In communiqué <1jpzu96.1p7le091ghelvkN%>,

Just slight surface corrosion adding verisimilitude to a bike with
interesting provenance.

--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

<VVBG>

And for Brit bikes: "Original liquid anti-corrosion protection system"

 

Thus spake The Older Gentleman () unto the assembled multitudes:

God's Teeth!

Blimey, if I'd been a bit more shrewd 36 years ago I would have kept my Lammie
SX200 and made a right old killing. Instead I just swapped it for an Ariel
Leader which I sold two years later for a fiver. Ee, if ah'd known then what
ah do now... ;-)

 

Yep, basically there are 3 models that are particularly desirable but
all must be genuine Italian in origin

GP200 with the 22/2 frame prefix
SX200
TV200 / 175

Any of these in mint proper condition will fetch in the region of £4500
- £7000!! personally I think it's fucking stupid but there you go.

Due to the demand and also due to the fact that a lot of guys buying
these models are in their mid life crises and have no idea what they
are looking at, the Vietnamese have made a trade of cutting and
shutting old lambrettas together and selling them as restored to
unsuspecting (stupid) punters!!

 

Definitely!
Shame whoever listed it listed it as a shaft drive not a chain drive
which is what it is and shows what the owner / lister might know and
more importantly not know.

But it ticks the "original brit reg" / "transferable number" / "GP200"
boxes which increase the price, also the fact it's been restored in
Gransport who are well known for their restos and looking at the
questions he's in no rush to sell.

 

Ah! I *wondered* why there seemed to be quite a few 'fully restored'
Lambrettas coming out of Vietnam...

 

****. me.

5.6K and not met reserve? You could scratch build one for less.