Vespa 125 U at the Imola fair

This picture was taken at the 2014 Imola mostra e scambio (show and fair). It has become a tradition to walk by this seller displaying his Vespa 125 Utilitaria from 1953. Restored but the colour feels a bit "minty". Or is it the camera or the computer?
This seller has repro items for 125 U, side cowls, petrol tank. Leftovers from the restoration maybe.

The Vespa in the forest

A good friend sent me the picture above. "I've found this Vespa while walking my dog in the forest" he told me. "But it's in very bad condition" he added. I of course told him that I wanted to pick it up and his response was "why?", the natural question from any sane person.
I was also tpld that it was stuck in the ground, due to frost. Anyhow I wanted to establish what model it is so we went to check. The initial guess was that it was a faro basso, a 125, but then a VGL or VGLA seemed most likely. The latter being to most common 50´s and 60's Vespa in Sweden.
Examining the Vespa I discovered some of the metallic blue paint typical for the Vespa Touring.
It has been stuck in the ground for 20-30 years is my guess. No engine but the swing with part of the brake drum is still there, and the stand. There is the remains of a house ground nearby, maybe it was "parked" by the house owners. Otherwise it would have been nicked a long time ago when it was in better shape.
I will dig it out, could be a nice garden statue!

That's me, sporting a stupid cap!

The Struzzo - It's a Vespa VL2

The Struzzo as found.

I managed to buy the Vespa "Struzzo" that was up for sale, in Sweden they we're sold under the moniker "Super". I thought we only got the VL3 to Sweden but this is actually a VL2, produced in 1955. The seller had started some "restoration", sand blasting and then applying grey primer. I'm not entirely happy with that.
Next step is to trace it's registration. Then we'll see...

It shared the space with Swedish mopeds.

Partly restored tail light, why?

The speedo, the same as on the Vespa 125, 1953-1954.

You can see the outline of the V in Vespa.

Home at last.

Girl on a Vespa Struzzo

This is a promotion picture from Piaggio. It looks like a Vespa 150 (VL1-3) but with another colour then standard light grey. Is it an Acma from France? The yellow headlight might indicate that.

"Struzzo" - Vespa VL3 for sale

 

This Vespa VL3 from 1955-1956 is for sale and I have an opportunity to buy it. It's registration has expired. The VL3-model was sold here in Sweden next to the Vespa 125 (faro basso) and Vespa GS. The earlier VL1-VL2 was never sold in Sweden. VL3 has the 150 cc/6 hp engine and 8-inch wheels. "Struzzo" is the italian nickname and it translates to "ostrich" for obvious reasons.

Another "Struzzo".

And another one.

Espresso and Vespa GS 160

An Italian moment last summer. A cup of espresso, doppio, and the view over my 1963 Vespa GS 160, series 1. With the a custom seat, re-upholstered after a Vespa accessory-seat from the mid-sixties. The tail light is from a scooter-moped, a 50 cc Italian Vispetta.

Flash Gordon's new scooter

The German scooters were not beautiful, but plentiful. This is a Walba De Luxe, 1949-1952. With Ilo 118 cc engine. Built with Flash Gordon in mind?
Walba was the brainchild of father and son, Waldemar and Alexander Balbaschewski.
I got the photo from the guy sitting on one above. Later it became some sort of agricultural device. Long gone...

Very strange covers on the handlebar and a turbine (!).

Vespa 125 cc from 1951

This Service station manual for Vespa 125 cc, the "Roman Vacanzes", is from 1951. It was given to me by it's original owner who had just such a Vespa, bought as new. Long gone by now...
The manual is very extensive, approximately 150 pages. All in English (sometimes in Italian!) but printed in Florence (Firenze).
The Operation an maintenance is marked "5th edition. Dec 8 1951". Among the Accessories is a plexiglass windscreen mentioned.