The Vespa P200E

Here is the introduction to my first vintage Vespa, a 1980 P200E, with about 8,000 original miles.

The P200E is an air-cooled 200cc 2-stroke Vespa, and the last of the Vespa line to be sold in the US before Piaggio pulled out of our market prior to the modern ET2 and ET4 Vespas. The P-series is also the last of the manual transmission Vespas produced by Piaggio. P200s like mine are known for their more "brick-like" 80s styling when compared to early 60s Vespas, but they are also known for being arguably the most reliable of the vintage Vespa models. They have a 12V electronic ignition system, an auto-lube system which mixes 2-stroke oil with the gas from a separate tank, and fairly modern suspension. The recently deceased Giorgio Bettinelli rode his PX200 roughly the equivalent of 6 times around the world. The engine is off-centered to be accessible on the right side of the scooter, while on the left side there is a hidden spare tire.

Here I'll be documenting my entry into the world of classic Vespas!


First step - to repair the damaged front fender and repaint the VERY cheap sea-foam green body parts (the paint looks better in the pictures).





I'll be using the following sites as resources:
Vespamainenance.com - a website basically dedicated to maintaining this specific model, and Scooterhelp.com