[Mitch]

Hi folks,
I began posting on Stanher's thread but not wanting to hijack, have created this one instead.

I bought a 1980 SIL Vijay Super Mk I in 2004 from an importer in Leeds, England. This scooter has spent its life in Northern India and was received, dismantled, for shipping in a metal box.

[Mitch]

After a very hard life carrying, who knows, maybe up to five people at a time, now is the time for a makeover and a hard earned rest.
First its a total strip down, then off to the beadblaster, only a very light blasting mind, to remove all remnants of paint and rust.
At the same time, total strip down of engine and rebuild using decent quality parts - or so I thought until I broke the engine mount.
Major rethink required.

[Mitch]

Here's a few more pics of the Vijay in its raw state.

[SuperSelect]

Hey Mitch, interesting new thread.. ! I can see a number of nice scoots in one of the pictures. Is that your garage ?

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by SuperSelect

Hey Mitch, interesting new thread.. ! I can see a number of nice scoots in one of the pictures. Is that your garage ?

No, that's the Importer I bought it from in Leeds.

[SA7VA5]

Hey Mitch!

Great going!

Do let me know if I can be of any help or assistance.

Cheers!

Saurabh
vats.saurabh@gmail.com

[Mitch]

I decided to build a new 200cc engine and use as much of the old 150cc engine as possible. So off I went to the nearest dealer.
I sourced a cheap, 200cc engine casing, SIL crank, barrell, piston and head, GP200 box etc. In fact the only things I could reuse were the layshaft, kickstart mechanism and chaincase!

I had a go at polishing the chaincase.

....and fitted a new, nylon faced, chain guide/tensioner.

[SamuraiJack]

This is awsome! quesiton..

1. Why would you pick a Vijay Super?
2. Are you Indian? this will be good to know as well

[sen2009]

Holy mother of ...
I haven't seen one of these since last 20 years. I don't know how would you restore it back?!

BTW, how much did you pay for it to the importer?
I'm sure you paid more for the shiny box than the scooter.

[Mitch]

Hi guys,

No I am not Indian. Born & bred in Yorkshire.

I picked a Vijay Super because the latest (and final), Bertone designed Lambretta was the DL (or GP in the UK). Innoccenti sold the Lambretta machinery to SIL in 1972 and this was the scooter they were tooled up for. Because the Vijay / Allwyn were was essentially the same as the GP a restoration should be fairly straightforward and in the UK these machines are imported and transformed into Italian lookalikes.
It is BIG business here.

I paid around £300 which is about 21000 rupees, for the scooter and box.

Every single item can be sourced new in the UK, mainly Indian or Vietnamese stuff which tends to be poor quality, or Italian which is very expensive.

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by SamuraiJack

1. Why would you pick a Vijay Super?

Vijai Supers happen to have a lot of demand in the UK as they are basically Indian-made versions of a particular Italian Lambretta model, known as the GP (Grand Prix):

Lambretta Family Tree

Because of this even Vijais have found a better demand here lately.

Originally Posted by sen2009

Holy mother of ...
I haven't seen one of these since last 20 years. I don't know how would you restore it back?!

You seem to be not too familiar with the current status of these scooters yet!

As I mentioned, this being a derivative of the GP Lambretta, spares are available in plenty or more all over the UK/Europe!

[Sidman]

Originally Posted by Stanher

Vijai Supers happen to have a lot of demand in the UK as they are basically Indian-made versions of a particular Italian Lambretta model, known as the GP (Grand Prix):

Lambretta Family Tree

Because of this even Vijais have found a better demand here lately.


You seem to be not too familiar with the current status of these scooters yet!

As I mentioned, this being a derivative of the GP Lambretta, spares are available in plenty or more all over the UK/Europe!

Welcome to scootering, Gentlemen! Surprised that you're not aware of the recent resurgence of the scootering hobby...there are so many answers a classic scooter fan can give to the question "Why a Vijai Super?", I don't know where to start!
Maybe your dad/grand dad/uncle/elderly neighbour had a Lambretta, Vijai, or Vespa. Back in the day, these scooters were held in high esteem. So many older guys have struck up conversations with me, just because they see me astride a 1970 Lambretta. The fondness and conviction with which they talk about the days when they rode these scooters on our now-ruined roads would touch anyone's heart! You have to understand that back in the day, getting a brand new Lambretta was a kind of status symbol. I guess that Lambrettas and Vespas being of Italian origin, it also added that attraction of being a prime piece of Italian auto engineering. These are the reasons that our dads and grand dads would have for owning and liking these scooters. Some other reasons why classic scooters are becoming popular again:
Great fun to ride
Simple mechanicals and sturdy construction
Nostalgia for the simpler days
Restoring them is quite affordable, a great first project for a classic automobile enthusiast. You can't go badly wrong when restoring a scooter, and you'll learn a lot.
Plenty of other reasons, I'm sure other scooter enthusiasts here can add on....

[Mitch]

....and they can be tuned to go really fast

[Mitch]

So off go the frame and tinwork to the beadblaster. dents and bumps are removed, then primer is applied before the steel has chance to go rusty.

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by Mitch

So off go the frame and tinwork to the beadblaster. dents and bumps are removed, then primer is applied before the steel has chance to go rusty.

Great work by the looks of it! BTW, what are these holes on one of the side-panels, as seen in this pic.:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...k-p9050026.jpg