Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
Our 1997 Vespa PX150E, which we were initially restoring for renowned actor Jeffrey “Epy” Quizon (the son of the late, great comedian Dolphy), was almost complete when Epy changed his mind. He started a business and needed practical mobility for his business and for himself. So, Epy decided to trade his “Made in Italy” Vespa for two of our scooters – a Genuine Scooter Co. Stella 150, which was a 4-stroke version of the PX 150, and a Blaze Hubs 150, which Epy’s company used as their delivery scooter.
Before we can finish its restoration, our celebrity-friend Epy Quizon traded his beat-up green 1997 Vespa for our Blaze Hubs 150 (top right) and Stella 150 (bottom right).
With the ownership of the 2-stroke Vespa firmly in our custody, we intended to acquire the missing or broken parts and some accessories needed to make our iconic Italian scooter complete. We made a list of the missing parts that included the (1) chromed round side mirrors with long stalks, (2) horn, (3) bag hook, and (4) glass replacement for the instrument cluster. We also added a list of accessories to customize our PX 150E, including a (5) chrome folding front rack/carrier, (6) chrome folding rear rack/carrier with backrest, (7) chrome front fender-mounted bumper, and perhaps an (8) aftermarket side stand.
We wanted to replace our Vespa’s missing or broken parts like the side mirrors and horn (top row); and the bag hook and glass cover of the instrument cluster (bottom row). We’d like to install a side stand, too, if we can find one.
Prioritizing Other Projects
Now that we own the Vespa instead of our celebrity-friend, there was no more pressure to complete it and the motivation eventually waned. It didn’t help that we got another 4-stroke Stella 150 that was ridden more than the Vespa, and that we really had to work on our other projects, some of which you can read in this Project Cars section. At the time, we also had a fleet of motorcycles including a 2003 BMW R1100S Boxer Cup Replika, a 2013 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, Royal Enfield Classic 500 and Continental GT 535, among others.
We had the wheels, front and rear suspension parts, and drum brakes cleaned and repainted for a cleaner look.
Our Vespa PX150E saw seldom use when we got the red Stella 150.
To keep our seldom-used PX150E dry and prevent it from rusting, we parked it in our Quick Pro Caloocan workshop, where it was stored for a couple of years, which attracted a lot of inquiries if it was for sale. In 2000, we closed the Quick Pro workshop before the pandemic hit and moved our Vespa to JSK Custom Paint & Auto Works in Marulas, Valenzuela City, where JSK proprietor Johnson Tan offered to repaint it because he found the white-and-black finish a bit dull. However, JSK needed to prioritize the work on their customers’ vehicles, thus, our Vespa’s repaint was deferred indefinitely.
We parked the Vespa at our Quick Pro Caloocan workshop to keep it dry and also use it as a demo during pictorials of the workshop’s services.
We moved it out of Quick Pro Caloocan before the pandemic and stored it at JSK Custom Paint & Auto Works in Valenzuela City.
Set Aside and Neglected
Work on our Vespa was set aside for several months and it gathered dust at the JSK facility. When a super strong typhoon was predicted to hit the country, Johnson Tan advised us to get our PX150E to higher ground to escape the floods in their area. We took it home to our residence in Project 8, Quezon City, where it was parked in our open garage under a bike cover. After the storm passed, we took it to the shop of our friend, Aldrin Anderson, who specializes in vintage BMWs and old motorcycles. Aldrin and his technicians reactivated and detailed the Vespa, and we used it sparingly for short rides around our area.
To avoid being inundated in flood waters, we moved the Vespa, which was neglected for some time, from JSK to our Project 8, Quezon City residence. Note the low air pressure of the rear tire.
After a lengthy period of procrastination, we took our PX150E to the shop of our friend, Aldrin Anderson. for a thorough check-up before reactivation.
After it was checked, reactivated and detailed by Aldrin and his technicians, we used it sparingly for short rides around the neighborhood pending the renewal of its registration.
After a while, Aldrin helped find a brand new pair of chrome round side mirrors with long stalks and also helped us install and align them.
In 2024, we got a 2022 Harley-Davidson Softail Breakout 114, and the Vespa stayed under its bike cover more than it got ridden. After a couple of months, we noticed a puddle of oil under the Vespa. We made the mistake of kick-starting it (the battery was dead) and riding it to Aldrin’s shop where he found that the hose connecting the 2-stroke oil reservoir to lubricate the single-cylinder motor has collapsed, which starved it of lubrication and scored the cylinder wall, thus requiring a complete overhaul! Uh-oh! There goes our budget for the accessories…
A new Harley relegated the Vespa back to the garage, parked under a bike cover.
We started the Vespa every now and then and later found some leaks beginning to form around the fuel float cover.
When we found an oil leak under the scooter, we immediately took it back to Aldrin’s shop where the motor needed a complete overhaul.
Overhauled and Parked, Again
Aldrin and his technicians worked on overhauling the 150cc air-cooled single-cylinder 2-stroke motor as soon as parts became available. We fought the strong temptation to have the motor fitted with a larger bore, lighter crankshaft, and modified with speed parts from SIP, BGM or Pinasco Racing because we knew that stock and preserved PX150Es are worth more that modified ones. We also decided to retain the black trim pieces instead of replacing them with chrome ones because it complements the white-and-black paint finish.
Aldrin secured parts for the 2-stroke motor and then proceeded to work on it.
After the single-cylinder 2-stroke motor was overhauled, Aldrin and his crew detailed the Vespa again.
After the motor was overhauled and the Vespa was detailed, we became occupied with helping Terrafirma Motors Corporation launch the Hero motorcycle brand. Our Italian scooter remained parked in Aldrin’s shop for the better part of almost two years where, once again, it got a lot of inquiries if it was for sale. We even got a tempting offer for a straight swap, trading a slightly-used 3-year-old Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 for our 29-year-old Vespa PX150E. We were honestly intrigued with the offer, but thankfully, Aldrin talked us out of it by emphasizing that our Italian scooter has already become a classic.
For the ten months that we got involved with introducing Hero motorcycles in the Philippines, we once again neglected our long-suffering Vespa.
We got an offer to swap our 29-year-old Italian scooter for a 3-year-old British-Indian cafe racer.
Riding to the DGR 2026
Aldrin attempted to reactivate our Vespa when we wanted to ride it in the 2025 running of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR). However, because of the short notice, Aldrin’s shop was loaded with other repairs so we rode our Harley to the 2025 DGR instead. In 2026, we asked Aldrin to reactivate the Vespa early so we can ride it in the 2026 DGR. He found that the gasoline in the Vespa’s tank has become stale, which gummed the internal fuel filter and float assembly as well as the carburetor that mixes the fuel with the 2-stroke oil to lubricate the motor’s reciprocating parts. Rather than risk another overhaul caused by oil starvation, Aldrin thoroughly cleaned the fuel tank, pickup, carburetor and then carefully reassembled the fuel system.
Instead of the Vespa, we rode our 2022 Harley-Davidson Breakout 114 to DGR 2025.
For DGR 2026, we prepared the PX150E early. Aldrin cleaned the gummed-up fuel system and charged the battery while we changed the leaking front tire with the spare tire until we can get the proper 3.50 x 10 inner tube.
We rode the PX150E to the Amaron factory outlet in Caloocan and got a fresh new Amaron Pro-Rider ETX-9R motorcycle battery because the old one discharged quickly and was becoming weak.
Once the Vespa was running right, we went to the shop to retrieve it, and then rode it home with the reminder that the overhauled motor hasn’t been “broken-in” yet. We carefully rode it for the first 100 kilometers for its “break-in” period, installed a new Amaron Pro-Rider ETX-9R motorcycle battery from Amaron Philippines, and the rode it during the Manila leg of the 2026 Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride on May 17, 2026. From Quezon City, it rode flawlessly to Escolta, Manila then to Fort Santiago and the National Museum at Luneta, and then to the Century Park Hotel Manila for the “Revs and Revelry” finale.
We removed the old Amaron Pro-Rider battery and installed the fresh new one. We don’t have to use the kick-starter anymore because after all, the “E” in PX150E stands for electric start.
Our PX150E joined other Vespa scooters at Escolta during the initial meet-up for DGR 2026.
Okay, Eagle Eyes… Can you find our black-and-white Vespa among the parked motorcycles at Fort Santiago?
The Price of Neglect
Since May 2026, we’ve been riding our Vespa as often as we can. We ride it to buy bread or freshly-baked hot pandesal from the nearby bakery in the morning. We ride it to the 7-11, Mighty Mart or Alfa Mart convenience stores, and Robinson’s Easy Mart or SM Supermarket near our residence. We ride it to the bank, to the hardware store, to the auto parts shop, to a meeting or an event, when needed. We enjoy working the 4-speed rotary hand-shifter and clutch lever even though we instinctively move our left foot when shifting gears, sometimes forgetting that we’re not riding the Harley.
We posed with our Vespa underneath the shadow of the gigantic statue of Lapu-Lapu at Luneta Park during DGR 2026.
In a nutshell, we’re finally enjoying our Vespa PX150E after several years of “on-again, off-again” efforts to restore and complete it. We recently bought inner tubes with angled air valves for its 3.50” x 10” white wall tires because the front tire needed one. We found that the motorcycle shops around 10th Avenue in Caloocan City do not carry these size of tires and inner tubes, and that parts for Vespa PX models are now getting difficult to source. Thankfully, parts can still be ordered through Shopee and Lazada but we really have to be careful where we’re ordering from.
We now try to ride our beloved classic Vespa more often just to keep it in good condition.
It’s a good-looking, stylish and authentic Italian scooter that people now seldom see on the streets of Metro Manila.
It has dawned on us that we cannot – no, we MUST not – take our project vehicles for granted. Stale fuel gums up the fuel system so a fuel additive must be added to minimize the gum and prevent blocking fuel flow. The water content of the stale fuel can condense and rust the tank, making it unusable. Batteries of seldom used vehicles need battery tenders so it will last longer. Because of these experiences, we decided to sell some of our project cars and just focus on the ones that we intend to keep.
Of course, we would like to keep our 1997 Vespa PX150E for as long as we could – not just because it was once owned by a celebrity, but because it’s already a classic. It’s quite difficult to let go of an icon!
