𝔾𝕦𝕝𝕗- 𝕍𝔼𝕊ℙ𝔸

They you have it. One of my favourite projects. A rebuilt, modified Vespa 2 stroke, repainted, custom decaled, retrofit HID headlights and aftermarket carbi and exhaust manifold. All so I can do 32 kph on the highway.

The first time I laid eyes on it, it was abandoned in a stairwell on the 4th floor outside my friends apartment, corroding away in the dark. He had a proper 250cc bike- he had no use for this 49cc “thing”. He was unsure what to do with it, so he gave it to me. This wasn’t love at first sight, no. It barely ran, and when it did, it chugged- a smoke machine on wheels. It also didn’t start 9 times out of 10, electrical start was basically a running joke, it never ever worked. The kick-start pretended to work, and took about 30 minutes of brie force to turn of over the engine, if it ever did. It was frankly pathetic, but I saw potential. There was something, something special about this small 49cc thing. And if I had it, I was going to find it. So we cued the music, and got to work.
Eventually.

My mechanical knowledge was not the best, so I couldn’t really do much. But we knew this mechanic and maybe he could help us. 4 months in his garage and it was no better than the day we left it there. Used mechanic. But then I got wind of this guy- rumor was he could fix anything, given the right price and tools. So we towed it to his workshop, and trusted the mystic mechanic. The main problem was the carburetor- and there was no way he could get a hold of one, but, there was a guy that knew guy that could get one, from the far south, in a small village in China, there was a carb from a newer model that might just work. 2 weeks later, the engine kicked, and this time even with electric start. We were back in business.

I used Alice (as I had affectionately named it) for a good few months- 18 to be exact, before I just couldn’t anymore. It was too special to me to be driven and abused daily, and when I did use it I was so terrified of it falling over, getting scratched or getting stolen- that was it. It was time to retire. And that is where we are now. Custom showroom in my living room, admired by all, as it should be.
Alice, is home.