The Vespa scooter was born in Italy in 1946 as an economical way to get around Europe after World War II. Several iterations have taken place over the years, with perhaps the most popular and durable being the P200 (which stood for its 198cc 2-stroke engine). It debuted in 1977 and remained in production for years until after the 2-stroke powerplant fell out of favor with the ecologists (but I love that 2-stroke smell!). This edition from 1981 has been in storage for ages and needs some work. But being a Vespa P200 owner myself, it’s worth the effort!
Two of the best features of the P200E are its electronic ignition (that’s what the E stands for) and its auto-mix for the 2-stroke oil. Older Vespas require you to get a measuring cup and add “X” amount of oil to the gas every time you fill it up (the tank only holds 1.5 gallons). The injector eliminated that need, but you need to watch the clear sight glass below the seating position to be sure you’re not running low. In the same general proximity is the manual choke, which you’ll need to pump a couple of times to get these things to fire up.
The 12-hp engine on the P200E is capable of 60-65 mph in stock form. And with 10-inch wheels, that should be plenty fast for most folks. But performance kits are available that can squeeze a little more power out by increasing the displacement slightly. The seller has owned this Vespa since 2007 and rode it regularly until 2010 when the clutch side crank seal began to leak (a common issue after a few years). You can get it to run for a few minutes as-is, but this fix is needed.
We’re told that the seller’s riding days are over, and the repairs needed to this classic won’t get done on his watch. The seal kit and gasket set you’ll need will come with the bike along with assorted odds and ends. The all-metal body is in good shape with only a bit of surface rust. The plastic horncast for the leg shield is busted and you’ll need to source another one (lots of places online to get parts for these; I’ve owned the same 1980 P200E for 43 years and it still runs and looks good).
This scooter is original except for the exhaust, center stand, and brighter H4 headlight. It has a few scratches and scrapes because the 225 lb. machines aren’t hard to knock over. You’ll need to get a new battery (get the one that is sealed, not the one you have to add water to). The tires are rather ancient and you’ll want to get new ones (they’re not tubeless, so you have to get tubes, too). Overall, this is a nice project scooter that shouldn’t take a lot to fix up and they’re worth 2 to 3 times the current bid of $910 when done right. The scoot is available here on eBay from Hill City, South Dakota.
Well, I’ve always held dear the saying, there’s 2 things you should do late at night, and one is ride a scooter. The other is unmentionable here. As a natural born biker, and I’ve run the gamut, from a Honda 50 to a HD bagger, and like most bikes, except draw’r the line at scooters. Not sure why, they are a viable means of getting around, locally, and I read Vespa alone celebrated its 19 millionth scooter, so can’t argue that. Even though, I could actually use a scooter now, it will be a nice day in the Badger before you see me on one. The best thing was the spare tire. Any biker knows, when a flat tire happens, the fun stops there.
Eh, I say if you’re a biker, you’re a biker, as long as you’re on two wheels. I’ve owned 9 bikes in 41 years of riding, and my 74 Vespa was my favorite for getting around town (over the Triumph I owned at the time). If you need to carry something, it’s got floorboards for a shopping bag, mine went 50 mph, and the gears were fun. I wish Vespa would go back and make a new scooter with gears, All the new ones are twist and go. I suppose that would be like asking for a 2 stroke engine as well. Progress..
These are simple to keep running and parts are available. Scooterworks, out of Chicago was my go to vendor, but there are several others, and literally every part of the bike is available.
I still visit mine occasionally. A buddy of mine bought it for his son to ride around college, and he kept it after he graduated.
So Russ you like that two stroke smell, maybe you like lung cancer too, or lead in gasoline or asbestos. That’s what the “ecologists” have been working to reduce or eliminate. That said, I could see my daughter scooting around on one of these in the city neighborhood she lives in. There’s a reason they’re not making two stroke engines anymore though
….I too like the smell of a 2 stroke, Diesel exhaust fumes also, and my own as well…..it’s all about being a humanoid….weird species! 😁
In Athens Greece in the 70’s some guys added castor oil to the gas of their legendary Kawas 500 and that left a particular smell in the air that many people, me included loved. You could listen to the shrinking noise of a Kawa approaching fast and then smell the burned castor oil.
Now hold on, that’s going too far. The correlation between 2 stroke smell and lung cancer is not accurate. 2 packs of Lucky Strikes COMBINED with engine exhaust may have had something to do with it. We’ve made great strides in reducing pollution, and not from just eliminating 2 strokes. They compromised a small part of our airs pollution and the vehicles that had them fell out of date. Don’t forget diesel fumes, that are far more toxic, and even a 4 stroke lawn mower running at full throttle for an hour, puts out more pollution than 6 modern cars going 60 mph for the same time. Our health maladies are from a host of sources, 2 strokes were a small part of that. Fumes at a modern drag racing event too. EPA would LOVE to shut them down, but comprise a small amount of pollution. Plus the revenue those events bring in seems to exempt them somehow. .
Absolutely right. As long people staying in cars in front of a Starbucks or so for 25+ minutes just for a cup of coffee 🤮and letting the car running. They make more damage to the environment the a 1000 Vespas 😅👍🤠
So far as I know, two stroke motorcycles are still made, but for off-road use only. https://dirtbikemagazine.com/2024-two-stroke-buyers-guide/
A real scooter.
I used a PX 200 for a long time and it was excellent.
Now for some fun.
https://youtu.be/MT-W523mqho?
https://youtu.be/U_qaaKz2sWM?si=BCePnP1qJubiMH-O
I sold bikes in NYC in 1969. One night I rode a 200 cc Vespa home to CT. It was some higher-powered model, and would do 70 on the highway no problem. I always preferred motorcycles but that thing was impressive.
I had the use of one just like this for a few months while my car was down. It was fast enough to be fun.
The very first motorized vehicle I ever operated was one of these on the back roads of Wisconsin when I was a kid back in the 1960’s. What fun! The memory sticks with me, even to this day.