Back to the Future
An ETS that nestles in a corner of Armandos Scooters’ workshop proves there’s no need for a flux capacitor to be transported back to the 1980s.
An ETS that nestles in a corner of Armandos workshop proves there’s no need for a flux capacitor to be transported back to the 1980s.
Depending on your point of view, the 125 ETS was either the ultimate incarnation of the sporting smallframe Vespa or a desperate attempt by Piaggio to breathe life into their PK range. Launched at the Milan Motorcycle Show in 1983, the 125 ETS separated itself from the rest of the PK range with a space age headset, boxy sports seat, bold graphics and a redesigned horncast. Ironically the latter couldn’t accommodate the horn, which was moved into the toolbox, where it hid behind a grille that had been punched into the legshields.
Sporting Life
The ETS can trace its ancestry back to 1965 and the introduction of Vespa’s legendary 90SS. Although the SS’s distinctive dummy motorcycle-style tank and vertical spare wheel held sales back in some markets, it proved that there was solid demand for a sporting smallframe Vespa. With most sources quoting a production run of around 5300 machines, the 90SS remains one of the most sought-after Vespas of all time. In 1975 Piaggio reworked the Primavera 125. Fitted with a three-port engine and electronic ignition, the new model was christened ET3. With its Rally 200-style ‘go faster’ stripes and a return to the ‘step through’ format, the ET3 found a ready market, particularly in Japan. When production ceased more than 144,000 examples had been sold, a number that’s not reflected in the high prices a good specimen can now command. While the SS and ET3 have an established and dedicated following, the ETS is largely a forgotten model. Few will argue that the
PK’s boxy appearance was an improvement on the classic small frame’s sensual lines. Even Piaggio seemed displeased with its looks and constantly meddled with details throughout its short production life. However that doesn’t mean the ETS was a bad product. Thanks to reworked porting, a strengthened crank, higher compression and larger carb, the ETS boasted a full 2bhp boost in performance over its predecessor. Unfortunately the ETS was quickly outclassed by the arrival of another Vespa product, the legendary T5. The styling cues which had made the ETS unique were slowly absorbed into the PK range and after just under 12,000 machines had rolled off the production line, the model was quietly dropped from the catalogue.
Fortean Times
By definition any vehicle that leaves the production line as a ‘sports’ variant is destined to live fast and die young. Whether it’s an XR2 Fiesta or Vespa ETS the survival rate is low, with most examples having been wrapped around a lamp post or gutted for racing years ago. If finding a straight example is difficult, finding one in factory specification should be impossible, yet here it is. First registered in February 1987, this lovely little ETS began its life on the roads of Cardiff; however, its reign was short. For whatever reason, perhaps apathy in the face of a looming MoT, its tyres last touched tarmac in February 1990. Its whereabouts over the intervening decades is something of a mystery but it clearly involved dry storage. Earlier this year Giulio was working at the Armandos shop when he was surprised to receive a call from a confused owner. “He said that he was trying to sell a Vespa no one had heard of,” said Giulio. Instantly recognising the machine’s scarcity, a deal was struck and the machine quickly collected from its resting place just north of Bradford. As Giulio went on to explain, the machine was in exceptional condition. “We drained the fuel, changed the oil, fitted a new plug and it started straight away. The front damper has blown and as it’s fitted with the wrong exhaust we’ve the correct expansion chamber on order. Other than that it’s ready to go.”
True Romance
Looking around the ETS it’s clear that the scooter’s had a life. There are a few scuffs and the odd piece of touch-up paint but surprisingly little rust. Even the original floor mats, surely a collector’s item in their own right, aren’t concealing any nasty secrets. If it were in better condition I’d question whether it was an older restoration, in worse condition it’d be unremarkable. As things stand it’s a pleasure to walk around but riding it is a different matter. I learned to ride on smallframes, went to my first rally on a 50 Special and passed my test on a PK125. Since then I’ve sampled a few tuned examples but never an ETS. I don’t know what I expected but in a word it was ‘more’. Despite being one of the bestperforming factory smallframes ever produced, the ETS only generated 8.5bhp. It’s easy to see why it lost out to the T5. Admittedly the lack of an expansion chamber will be holding this example back, but when compared to even the most mildly kitted modern smallframe, the ETS feels somewhat pedestrian. Having said that, if funds and space allowed, this particular machine would be heading back
to my garage at the first opportunity and an instant row with Mrs Stan. If there’s such a thing as the perfect amount of patina then this ETS has it.
The question of what to do with such low-mileage machines is always problematic. They’re usually not good enough to be part of a museum but use them and they lose much of their charm. Personally I think this ETS has languished for long enough. If it were mine I’d take out the original engine and put it into storage, unmolested, for a future owner. I’d then build something on fresh cases, but keep my ambitions low. A bhp figure in the mid to upper teens would give the ETS usable performance without needing an upgrade to a front disc brake. There are plenty of smallframes available for that kind of modification but this scooter deserves far more sympathetic treatment. A few days spent carefully applying T-Cut or perhaps even splashing out on a professional valet would result in a true head turner. Park it at a scooter rally and I guarantee a crowd; enter it in a show and a trophy’s almost guaranteed. Incredibly the whole project could be executed for not much more than the going rate of a roadworthy Indian GP. Given the state of today’s scooter market, that’s incredible value for money.
Whatever the next lucky owner does with this slice of 1980s nostalgia, I hope
they don’t expect it to reach 88 miles per hour. They’ll still need a DeLorean for that type of time travel!