Words of wisdom by Mark Carter of Carter's Classic Scooters
The Asian Bodge Lambretta where to begin?
When the LCoA approached me to write an article about Asian Restored Lambrettas, AKA “The Viet Bodge”, my initial thoughts were to go softly, softly with the approach, but then after a quick minute of reflection I though no bugga that.
Despite the number of warnings provided and the free advise and education we give, the tail still seems to wag the dog with so many people making emotional decisions and diving in head first, risking their life's on an un-roadworthy bike and financial heartache.
So let's start off by getting one thing out in the open…THERE are NO good ones. Now let’s repeat that, THERE are NO good ones. Every single one will have some kind of problem, and if you think it doesn't you’re simply accepting substandard.
So what’s the big issue? It's a Lambretta from Italy isn’t it?
Well yes but south-east Asia had a ton of scooters imported in the 60s and 70s, which are being dug out of wrecking yards after surviving the thousands of KM’s travelled, and years of abuse laid upon them, along with rotting away in tropical weather. They’re then ‘restored’ and sold to unsuspecting westerners as ‘vintage’, yet they’re held together with coat hangers and craft glue, and that's just the body work.
So they appear cheap, Can they be fixed?
Truthfully yes and no, but no self respecting scooter mechanic will take this kind of work on. The issue is, as an example, someone brings a bike in and says, “The lights don’t work”, and expects it just to be the globes. When you then call to advise it needs to be completely rewired as none of the wiring matches factory, and the headlight unit is plastic and held in with self tapping screws and cable ties. You then find a big crack in the handlebars that has been cheaply filled and will break off after the first big bump, and then find the rust and crack in the frame when running a new loom underneath. You then call the customer to advise they’re up for a huge bill, and due to lack of education and knowledge they feel you’re just out to rip them off.
Note: this is a true example, and unfortunately the norm and not a once off.
Some of the other problems:
The Internet is full of horror stories, just Google it. But my point is to warn you away unless you are fully prepared to do your homework and accept the price that comes with buying one of these bikes. In the past I restored a genuine TV175 Series 3 from Asia. The customer always wanted a TV175 and believed the cost was worth it. It took a lot of time and money to get it back to spec. Was it worth it, well yes the owner believes so, but the bike certainly tested our patience.
So if you want to buy one and take the risk, go for it, but be prepared for lots of ongoing costs, safety risks and people saying I told you so. You’ll also need to quickly become mechanically skilled and knowledgeable with vintage Lambrettas, as Scooter Mechanics are refusing to work on them worldwide.
So if you are going to buy a Lambretta do your homework and here’s some tips.
When the LCoA approached me to write an article about Asian Restored Lambrettas, AKA “The Viet Bodge”, my initial thoughts were to go softly, softly with the approach, but then after a quick minute of reflection I though no bugga that.
Despite the number of warnings provided and the free advise and education we give, the tail still seems to wag the dog with so many people making emotional decisions and diving in head first, risking their life's on an un-roadworthy bike and financial heartache.
So let's start off by getting one thing out in the open…THERE are NO good ones. Now let’s repeat that, THERE are NO good ones. Every single one will have some kind of problem, and if you think it doesn't you’re simply accepting substandard.
So what’s the big issue? It's a Lambretta from Italy isn’t it?
Well yes but south-east Asia had a ton of scooters imported in the 60s and 70s, which are being dug out of wrecking yards after surviving the thousands of KM’s travelled, and years of abuse laid upon them, along with rotting away in tropical weather. They’re then ‘restored’ and sold to unsuspecting westerners as ‘vintage’, yet they’re held together with coat hangers and craft glue, and that's just the body work.
So they appear cheap, Can they be fixed?
Truthfully yes and no, but no self respecting scooter mechanic will take this kind of work on. The issue is, as an example, someone brings a bike in and says, “The lights don’t work”, and expects it just to be the globes. When you then call to advise it needs to be completely rewired as none of the wiring matches factory, and the headlight unit is plastic and held in with self tapping screws and cable ties. You then find a big crack in the handlebars that has been cheaply filled and will break off after the first big bump, and then find the rust and crack in the frame when running a new loom underneath. You then call the customer to advise they’re up for a huge bill, and due to lack of education and knowledge they feel you’re just out to rip them off.
Note: this is a true example, and unfortunately the norm and not a once off.
Some of the other problems:
- 150 motors converted to 200 with Lambretta 3 Wheeler top ends welded on and out of alignment.
- Worn out engine cases with broken threads, damaged bearing housings, shims made out of coke cans, gaskets made from cereal boxes.
- Incorrect fixings over the whole bike.
- Wires twisted together and not correctly crimped or soldered.
- Fuel tanks full of rust and sediment.
- Body panels weighing twice as much as they should, as they’re full of filler.
- Paint and chrome applied directly over rusted parts.
- Worn out engine internal parts
The Internet is full of horror stories, just Google it. But my point is to warn you away unless you are fully prepared to do your homework and accept the price that comes with buying one of these bikes. In the past I restored a genuine TV175 Series 3 from Asia. The customer always wanted a TV175 and believed the cost was worth it. It took a lot of time and money to get it back to spec. Was it worth it, well yes the owner believes so, but the bike certainly tested our patience.
So if you want to buy one and take the risk, go for it, but be prepared for lots of ongoing costs, safety risks and people saying I told you so. You’ll also need to quickly become mechanically skilled and knowledgeable with vintage Lambrettas, as Scooter Mechanics are refusing to work on them worldwide.
So if you are going to buy a Lambretta do your homework and here’s some tips.
- Make sure the bike has a known history, try to find previous owners and speak with them.
- Join local forums or speak with local mechanics to see if they have worked on the bike and it’s history (many sellers may say XX worked on it and he said it was a good bike) – call and find out if this is true!
- Make sure the bike is registered and has local history.
- If it is not registered, then ask for any import approval forms – You are unlikely get it on the road without this.
- Do not make an emotional purchase just because you had one as a kid or your mate had one and it brings back memories.