Today is catch up day at Vespatude. Things have been progressing, but I haven't had much time to sit down and give an update. I am encouraged and hope I will have my Vespa up and running sooner than I thought I would.

Right now I am waiting for a response from Chelsea at SCOMO. She may have a lead on an engine for me that would give me what I need at a much lower price than I thought I would have to pay. The downside is that she was supposed to give me the price a couple days ago. It is Saturday morning and I haven't gotten it yet. She says she is having some trouble finding one of the components and she would rather wait until she has everything to give me the price.

So, what is this engine? I went to ScooterBBS and contacted cphilip to get some advice on getting a 200cc engine. Phil was quick to respond that I probably didn't want a 200cc engine. The gearing would be too high for what I was looking for to pull my sidecar. He also felt that the power might be too much for the brakes.

He recommended that I go with a 125cc or 150cc engine and upgrade it with a 177cc kit. This would give me the lower gearing I need for the sidecar and also give me some decent top end speed - enough to stay up with traffic on Wade Hampton Blvd. but not so much that I might exceed the limits of the bike.

That is when I went to ScooterBBS to get some opinions on this approach. I got a variety of reponses. However, the bottom line appeared to be that for the money, Phil's approach would be the best option. It could potentially be half the price of what I would pay for a brand new Piaggio 200cc engine.

That is when Chelsea mentioned she had an engine that her head tech dude was using to train the newbies. It is a PX150E with a 24/24 carb, a Pinasco 177cc cylinder kit, and a Sito Plus exhaust. She seems to be having trouble getting her hands on the cylinder kit and that is what is slowing things down.

I'll just patiently wait. She knows I am hoping to get some word from her before I leave on vacation. Sure would be cool to give an update later today saying I heard back...