Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
We recently revived our old 1997 Vespa PX150E, one of our old Project Bikes from our old MotorCycle Magazine, which we got from Jeffrey “Epy” Quizon, the versatile actor, TV host, and son of the late King of Comedy Dolphy. Please allow us to turn the clock back by 16 years to when we first started the restoration of our 2-stroke steel-bodied classic Italian scooter.
At a lunch stop during the 2007 Petron Xtra Mile Challenge Media Edition fuel economy contest, we were having a few laughs with the event emcee, Epy Quizon, when our discussion went to motorcycles and scooters. Epy told us that he owns a Vespa that came with a funny story. “I used to drive a sporty Honda Del Sol that I traded for a classic Mercedes-Benz to impress my dad, who was an avid Benz enthusiast. With its mechanical problems, the old Benz eventually became a money pit, and at that time, I didn’t have much money so I sold it because I simply cannot afford to keep it running.”
Epy continued, “I needed something nice and classic to take me me around and realized that a used Vespa scooter was the only thing I can afford with the money I got for the old Benz. In 1999, I bought a two-year-old Vespa PX150E and realized my frivolity: I had gone from a modern Japanese sports car to an old German classic car to a used Italian scooter. How’s that for being international?” But Epy had so much fun riding his scooter and for a time it was enough. “I was young and single and I had no responsibilities. The Vespa had lots of character and it was a chick magnet.” Even though he bought another car later on, Epy kept using his beloved Vespa.
Crashed and Abandoned
“One night, I had a nagging headache and rode the Vespa to a 24-hour drugstore wearing only my helmet”, Epy narrated. “On the way back, the scooter slid on some oil on the road and, unmindful of my injuries, I got up and rode back to the drugstore. The sales lady behind the counter was surprised when I said, ‘Do you remember me? I just bought some headache pills a few minutes ago. Now, I need some medicine for my body ache and wounds’”. The crash dented the Vespa a bit, but it still ran well. However, Epy wasn’t allowed by his manager to ride again to protect his appearance in gigs and bookings so he lent the Vespa to his friends, some of whom crashed it a few more times.
Several years later, Epy moved to a new house and the Vespa languished in a corner, forlorn and forgotten. “A scooter enthusiast friend of mine wanted to buy the scooter from me but somehow, I couldn’t part with it. I kept saying that I’d get around to fix and restore it but the months turned into years and I didn’t have time to work on it. He offered to fix it for me but I think he also got busy doing other stuff. So, my PX150E sat there waiting for several years.”
Offer for Restoration
After his “Epyc” (epic) tale, we offered to restore it for him as one of the MotorCycle Magazine Project Bikes. Epy was reluctant at first and kept asking, “How much will it cost me?”, to which we jokingly replied, “Not much, just an arm and a leg.” A month later, we went to his house to pick up the Vespa but Epy wasn’t home. RR Vela, his friend and personal assistant, helped us get the heavy steel scooter out and loaded onto our borrowed Ford Ranger Trekker. He confessed that he was the one who crashed the Vespa after Epy did but his stories were mostly about the good times they had riding it. He stated that the last time it was ridden was in 2001.
Upon closer examination, we found that damages were purely cosmetic but noted that the keys were missing as well as some parts and trim. Epy and RR promised to look for the missing parts and send them to us as soon as they can. We then came up with a game plan:
- Gather all the missing parts first and assess what is missing
- Check the 2-stroke motor, 4-speed grip-shift manual transmission, drums brakes and suspension to see if it all works
- Beat out the dents, repair the steel body, and apply a new glossy paint job
- Reinstall all parts and replace when necessary
- Restore and finish it better than new
While the repairs looked to be quite easy, we think they will be a bit expensive since the Vespa is an Italian scooter that will require Italian parts. Likewise, we have to restore it the right way or we will get a lot of flak from Vespa purists, of which there a several here in the Philippines. Here goes nothing… stay tuned!
PROJECT REPORT
Odometer Reading: 9,132 km
Mileage Since Last Report: Nada, we just got it.
Average Fuel Economy: It ain’t running, man!
Estimated Restoration Costs: An arm and a leg, harharhar!
Accessories Costs: Do female groupies count?
Service Costs: None yet.