Souped Up SUPER
It s not everyone’s favourite mo e , ut to Gav… this little ‘souped’ up Super is the best thing since sliced bread.
One man’s meat is another man’s gravy, a saying which suggests that what appeals to one individual doesn’t necessarily appeal to another. Some models of scooter are far more sought after than others and thus command higher prices, whereas the less salubrious, often perceived by detractors as ugly duckling machines, are deemed by some as less desirable. But those same machines have always attracted die-hard aficionados, who are devoted to, for want of a better term, the uncool creations…
Authentic gazpacho
Gavin Chamberlain is renowned for his liking, as well as expertise, for the P-range Vespa and Vespa Rally scooters, something which his personal collection of various examples of those particular ’70s-launched Piaggio (and Motovespa) models reflects. What isn’t, until now, as widely known is that Gavin has had a bit of a guilty pleasure, manifested in a bit of a soft spot for another ’70s-launched Piaggio model, the 150 Super. “I’ve always liked the lines of the Vespa 150 Super, especially the unique trapezoidal headlight and headset/ handlebar layout.” He obtained a Vespa 150 Super back in 2014 for a pocketfriendly outlay of just £150; a bargain when compared with the exorbitant sums being asked for some other Vespa models at the time. It’s a 1979 registered Super, one of the last four and a half thousand or so examples to roll off the production line at the Piaggio factory in Pontedera.
Summer vegetable
Gavin has two styles of scooter that particularly float his boat, one being classic originals, the other being street racers. At a first cursory glance, especially when it’s standing alone, his Vespa Super appears to be a classic original that’s been treated to a non-standard coat of paint makeover. However, that’s not the reality; on closer inspection Gav’s Super has 10-inch, as opposed to stock eight-inch, wheels – which is an indication that this scooter, despite initial
appearance, is not a standard example. Given what resides under the panels, this Vespa Super could be described as a street sleeper scooter, as it incorporates both of Gav’s preferred styles of scooters in one machine. The power unit for Gav’s Super is an SGE 190, which was at one stage SGE main man Stu’s own engine. Stu gives a bit of enlightenment about the motor. “I built a scooter for a customer seven or eight years ago, including the (this) 190 engine. Cutting a long story short, I ended up buying the scooter back. I checked and rebuilt the scooter and after a short while I changed the engine, swapping the 190 lump for a 260, which I raced. I put the engine up for sale, Gavin bought it off me soon after it was checked and rebuilt, so he’ll need to run it in first.”
Leek and potato
Actual build time for Gav’s Super took about 12 months, including within that time frame an impressive three-week turnaround on applying the new, burnished deep red livery, by Roadrash Paintwork in Leighton Buzzard. For the ensuing five years after purchasing the ’79 Vespa Super, Gavin sourced, acquired and amassed the various parts required for this particular project – some to replace stock items, others being upgrades or improvements to original parts. Paintwork and engine build apart, Gavin carried out all the physical strip down, build and set-up work himself, fitting work on the Super around other projects, maintenance on his other scooters, and on occasion
helping out less mechanically minded mates with minor problems on their scooters. With a 10-inch-wheeled SGE 190 engine, the front end needed balancing similarly with a 10-inch front wheel. A set of forks liberated from a Vespa Rally 180 had been lurking in the dark recesses of Gav’s garage/workshop for some 30-plus years and proved to be ideal, initially at least, to accommodate the larger front wheel. It was a bit of a metaphorical toss of a coin as to which forks he utilised, which the Rally forks won, with a set of disc brake P-range forks now reserved for another project. Gav finished building his Vespa Super in the early part of this year and, after clocking up a modest amount of miles, albeit at running-in speeds, he discovered that the rally front suspension unit was a bit too soft and spongy for him.
“Apart from the front suspension, which needs attention, probably a stronger, more
Apart from the front suspension, which needs attention, probably a stronger, more robust front shock absorber is what’s needed. I’m really happy with the finished Super
robust front shock absorber is what’s needed. I’m really happy with the finished Super, it only needs running in then it’ll be good to find out myself what an SG Engineering 190 can do. I’m nearly there now, it feels great.” Words and photographs: Sarge