SCOOTER DETAILS

Name of scooter & reason: I don’t name my scooters, but my partner likes to call it Douglas (for obvious reasons) Scooter model: Vespa Douglas 152L2 1959 Date purchased & cost: May 2015 and it was around £1000 Inspiration for project: I’ve always wanted an older style Vespa and this came up for sale so I nabbed it, plus I’ve always wanted to fully refurb a scooter from top to bottom. It was certainly more involved than what was first thought Time to build & by who: I took just over a year to build/refurb and it was built in my little shed at the top of the garden (evenings and weekends). All of the welding was carried out by ‘my old man’ Steve Bumpass and the paint work was done by Sean Lee (an old school friend who has his own little spraying business) Other specs: The Scooter has a Standard 125cc engine (albeit a modern engine) as the original engine was shot. Complete new full leg shield replacement was required due to the original being rotten and beyond repair. New loom was installed, rear brake light added (pedal switch and conversion of the rear light) as the original scooter didn’t have brake lights. A SIP rear hub conversion was used so the modern engine would take the 8-inch rims (to keep the original look). Uprated front suspension spring and BGM damper to help the front diving when the front brake is applied Describe engine performance, power delivery and scooter handling: It’s certainly not a fast, speedy scooter! I used the SIP rear hub converter to keep it on 8-inch wheels and that does alter the gearing slightly, but it will tootle along nicely at 45mph. Handling is somewhat different from riding any of my others scooters, but I think that’s purely down to the 8-inch wheels. It is a very enjoyable ride, though Paintwork & murals done by: Paint by ‘Sean’s Spray Shack’ Hardest part of the project: The realisation that the whole main body was rotten was hard. Aligning the new leg shield, etc., was a tricky process Anyone you wish to thank: My ‘old man’ Steve Bumpass for all his welding skills. Sean Lee for the paint work and helping to decide on a colour. Lots of club members gave plenty advice, but especially Gary Nash, who seemed to have an opinion on every item of the build… though I did ask! Ricky Wiltshire for his electrical skills