Vespa PX200 E (Disc) 2003 - Real Piaggio Vespa - original 200cc UK scoot.

This is my cherished Vespa PX reluctantly for sale. I bought it on ebay myself. back in June 2008. I use this regularly for commuting. but also take it out any chance I get for recreation. because it is such a joy to ride. The 200cc 2-stroke is unmodified. but it has plenty of pull away from the lights. keeping you in front of traffic.  The mileage declared in this listing is correct at the time of writing. The mileage in the photo is now a couple of weeks out of date. By the way. the dash actually reads in km. so it's now at 24. 25km - hence my putting it down as 15. 01 miles. Don't ask me why it's in KM. Piaggio always did it that way. even for the UK. Why am I getting rid of the Vespa?The only reason I'm selling it is because I have this for short range city riding. and a large BMW touring bike for my motorway commute to Yorkshire. Now I work just 40 minutes away and ride through heavily congested high street traffic with bollards and buses. the big bike isn't getting used at all. So while it needs to go. I need a scooter that can deal with the odd Motorway trip if I do occasionally need it to. and that's not the PX unfortunately. I know people ride to rallys on these all the time. but I'm going somewhere. I don't want to take all day getting there. It accelerates quickly. but it tops out at about 60mph. I tend to think you are literally taking your life in your hands on something that size. going no more than 60mph on the M25. So I'm getting a big. plastic maxi-scooter. Like I said. this is a reluctant sale - chopping in something with such character and style to part-pay for something with little of either. but needs must. About this Vespa:It was bog standard when I bought it. and I have gradually added some nice bits to it. while still keeping it real for everyday use. This is not a concours condition show bike. but it is a damn sight better looking thanmost twist and go scoots and you can use it all day long in London or wherever. without it missing a beat. It turns on a penny. so it's a doddle to thread yourself inbetween cars and cut through lines of traffic. The turning circle on PXs is tiny. Much less than on modern Vespas and even with the crash bars. it's narrower than most modern Vespas. Experience with chrome crash bars on previous Vespas meant that I got all stainless steel shiny bits for this Vespa. The crash bars are all stainless steel. the wire headlight grille and the fan cover are all stainless. and there are stainless nuts and bolts wherever safe/possible. I did used to run it on stainless rims. but they cracked because stainless is more brittle than regular steel and the wheels take some serious punishment crappy UK roads. So basically it all stays shiny with the minimum of effort. The lights on the front crash bar are not wired in. but I have often considered wiring in LED bulbs to them lights as daytime driving lights. It could still be done and run the wires down inside the hollow crashbar to keep them tidy. The AA badge is a genuine one. not a remake. Hence the yellow is a bit faded. the front headlight bulb is halogen because the standard ones aren't that bright. but the downside would normally be that the lights dim when idling. To counteract that. I have put full LED bulbs in the tail light for both brake and tail lights. but also for safety. because there's no risk of them blowing either. Never underestimate the importance of brake/tail lights on a scooter. The glove box lid is a slightly different shade of white (more ivory) because it's not the original - the welded hinge broke on the original so I just replaced it with this. The mirror stems aren't original either. because the originals are so slender that they just vibrate badly and make everything looks blurred. I fixed that. I quite like a few mirrors on a classic scooter. but they would prevent me from filtering through traffic. so I have just 3. 2 on the right because it covers the blind spot. and one on the left. so that I can still wiggle past car wing mirrors. The seat is an old style sprung saddle. which is actually a little bit taller than the stock grey foam saddle that came with it. The pillion sissy bar and rear carrier is all stainless also. and is so useful. I have used this scooter for doing the school run. so the kids don't fall off the back. and we can sail past the line of stationary people carriers and SUVs. smug in the knowledge that they're probably using as much petrol to stand still as we are for the whole journey. There are stainless steel switch covers and sundance grips on the handlebars. The centre stand is also stainless. Anything else you should know about this PX?To be honest. the electric start doesn't always work. I always prefer to kick it over anyway. because it doesn't kill the battery so much. It's a good starter. works 2nd kick every time. First kick if it's been run already that day. You need to start it on the choke. unless the engine's hot. but literally just to start it. 10 second running. and you should push the choke back in again. The carb probably needs a cleaning. as I've found that it's started idling a little lower. this winter. so far. I've just twisted up the idle speed a little to compensate. but if I were keeping it. I'd take out the carb and give it a clean. That's the beauty of these machines. they're so simple to maintain. The mirrors and mirror stems are not stainless. and are spotted with rust - impossible to prevent unless you are meticulous and rub them down with oil every day. That's the whole reason I got stainless steel for everything else.  The tyres are Schwalbe Weathermans. which I have found to be excellent all year round tyres. The front is whitewall. but the back is blackwall. There's plenty of wear left in them.  Oh. and the Vespa badge from the right hand engine cover is missing. I guess it fell off. The legshield badges are all still there. and the one on the left hand cover is the original self-adhesive type. so doesn't rely on a a couple of dodgy pins to hold it on. This is a bonafide Italian PX200. not a 125 with a Pollini kit or anything else. The 2003 is the last year that Piaggio made the 200cc for the UK. I've been brutally honest with this listing. because I have nothing to hide. It's not in perfect condition. cosmetically speaking and it does have some quirks. but itis mechanically sound and has never let me down. Even punctures don't stop it. because it's still the only type of scooter which carries a spare. and YES. you can change it by the roadside. It's a real everyday scooter. which because of the all-round protection. you don't have to feel too precious about. but when it's cleaned and polished. comes up beautifully. Seldom are workhorses as good looking as this. Message me if you want to come see it. I am still using it. so the mileage will be creeping up on a daily basis. but not by much. Happy bidding.  Sorry to lower the tone of the listing. but this bit is just for the numpties: This scooter is in Surrey. so NO I WON'T DELIVER IT TO INVERNESS. or anywhere else far away or overseas. If you bid and win. you can turn up and ride it away or arrange collection and delivery yourself. But I'll need you to settle up within 3 days of winning the bid. however long it takes you to organise the collection. Those are my terms. I've priced it to sell quickly. because I need the money. Don't bid and win. then take 2 weeks to pay up. and don't bid and win. only to turn up and then start kicking the tyres or haggling. You have a whole week to arrange a viewing with me. View it before bidding - kick the tyres then. if you must. then bid only if you accept that this scooter is exactly as listed.  

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