Original Published at The Vespa Wizard
So….at the end….how do I recognise an Asian import?
Here are some hints:
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Piaggio never produced a Vespa in a two colour tone and if you see one it means that it has either been repainted by the current or a previous owner or… it is from Asia
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Te speedo on an Asian Vespa is almost always new and indicating very few Km. Also, on some units, they mispelt Km ORA (Km per hour) and they wrote Km DRA. The new Speedos are very cheap and they leak water.
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Excessive use of chromed accessories such as bumper bars or the winged Piaggio logo as shown in the picture below
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Mirror mounting screws that are part of the brake and clutch lever pivot pin
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The headlight globe does not have a small reflector (separating High from Low) inside it
There are many other giveaways and you can find do your homework.
Here is another example of what type of damage I find on these Vespa from Asia: This flywheel was removed by forcing it out with screwdrivers or other implements placed between the flywheel and the crankcase
This piece of beer can was found around the crankshaft of a VBB Vespa to fill the space between the Flywheel and the Shaft