For their 30th anniversary, the team from SIP Scootershop have once again conjured up something very special. They proudly present their new custom Vespa, which was assembled and optimized in-house. In the end, we have the pleasure of marveling at another work of art in the Vespa series. With their creation, they also want to encourage other Vespa fans to customize their Vespa and really make it their own. Because, of course, the Vespa is not just a vehicle, but literally a companion for many years.
Lots of expertise with custom Vespas at the SIP team
The custom scooters that have been created at SIP Scootershop in recent years have won numerous awards, broken records and earned themselves a firm place in the scooter scene. Models such as the classic Vespa Rally “Street Custom”, the “Glorious Basterd”, the impressive 90 hp racing machine BFA “Something Special” or the nostalgic Vespa VM2 125 “1953” are just some of the outstanding projects that have been created.
As the company’s 30th anniversary approached, the desire to tackle another custom project grew. The first meetings were convened and ideas started to bubble up. SIP co-founder Alex reports: “We are inspired by scooters all over the world and see what is being built there. We have put all these impressions together in this custom project and want to give something back and show what is possible in other scenes.”
Co-founder Ralf adds that special inspiration came from Asia this time. The scooters that are built there particularly impressed the team.
The Vespa Sprint as a classy street racer
Once they had agreed on a design, Christoph and Basti were tasked with implementing the project. “Ralf came to me a year before the Open Day,” recalls Christoph, ”and said that I should install a GTS engine in a Sprint or Primavera.” Basti qualified because of his job at SIP Scootershop: “In Purchasing, I mainly deal with parts for Modern Vespa, so I know the vehicles and the market well. We were at the Vespa World Days in Bali (Indonesia) in 2022 and got an impression of what the scene is like there. So we have to put together something as badass as they build over there.” Their task: to build a classy street racer based on a modern Vespa Sprint.
Here you can see the vehicle used for the project in the Modelbase. So get into the workshop and start wrenching!
The initial plan was to install a Vespa GTS 300 engine, but the technical effort involved was too high. They also preferred solutions that could be rebuilt by customers. Fortunately, the store has all the right parts to turn a 150cc engine into a 300cc engine. A different crankshaft with a longer stroke and a 182 cc POLINI cylinder gives it 260 cc, about the same as the 300cc GTS engine.
The cylinder head was modified, a different gearbox used and the drivetrain adapted. The exhaust comes from the motorcycle sector and the POLINI injection system has been mapped. Every part of the engine is hand-picked and all the screws are made of titanium, much to Basti’s delight: “Nobody uses screws like that, so we had to do it. The engine also had to be black, because it just looks cool.”
Masterful paintwork by Marcus Pfeil
“Two factors are crucial for the custom build,” explains Christoph, ”the engine and the paintwork. We built the engine ourselves, so we still needed a top painter.” Fortunately, Marcus “Pfeili” Pfeil has been a friend of the company for many years, so they took the frame to him in Austria to decide on a style together with the entire SIP project team.
Pfeili describes how he went about it: “All the very different parts on the scooter had to be brought together in a common denominator, i.e. the modern carbon parts, CNC milled parts, plastic, metal: all uniform in one look. To achieve this, we deliberately worked with a 3D effect that makes people want to touch the scooter because they can’t believe that the surface is smooth.” The end result is best seen in the video.
In addition to the 3D effects, Pfeili used various fonts and languages for the “performance & style” claim. Marcus Pfeil skillfully refined the rough and rugged look of the “Real Steel” metal-effect paint with real gold leaf elements in the lettering and contour lines. A truly unique work that does justice to the occasion and the scooter.
Meanwhile, the workshop in Landsberg was struggling with various difficulties. The switch from Euro 5 to Euro 3 was made at short notice. This meant that the built-in wiring harness had to go and the new one also had to be modified to control all the lighting via buttons and Motogadget. The replacement took a whole day and the SIP Open Day drew inexorably closer. “But despite all the difficulties, it was fun to build such a scooter,” says Christoph, describing the progress, ”because while you’re working on it, you keep coming up with new ideas.”
The technical equipment
As a little finger exercise for the ambitious coachbuilder, the side covers were designed to open like a classic Vespa and polished to a high gloss. A lot of work went into this remarkable detail, as well as the front mudguard, which was forged from aluminum as a true work of craftsmanship.
Basti explains: “We chose the SIP MK II aluminum rims, which were upgraded to disc brakes at the rear with the JS MANUF conversion kit. At the front, we fitted the race-proven Ottopuntouno Endurance mount with Hurricane brake callipers and custom-made steel flex lines. For the lighting, we opted for the XO headlights, which are popular in Asia – with a Playstation look. The rear light comes from the same manufacturer and was made available to us exclusively as a prototype. We developed the indicators with LED running light and position light together with Koso and they are now available in the store. The rev counter/speedometer comes from SIP Performance and was artistically integrated into the cockpit by Pfeili.”
“For the seat, we involved the specialists from NISA in Italy, who developed a prototype to match the ‘Tribute’. Compared to the original, we have made the lines sportier and flatter. Over the course of the year, a production-ready model in various versions will emerge. The length-adjustable side stand is CNC-milled and comes from the manufacturer Prodigy from Taiwan, which we distribute exclusively in Europe. The brake pumps, on the other hand, were supplied by the German brake guru Magura and they meet the highest standards.”
Overall, the equipment of the “Tribute” is a combination of modern components with various materials and high-tech elements that underline the special style of this custom Vespa.
World premiere for the Tribute Vespa
The big moment came on May 18, 2024 at the Open Day in bright sunshine. The custom scooter “TRIBUTE” was presented to the enthusiastic audience and everyone was amazed. Alex and Ralf had also finally found a name: “With the term ‘Tribute’, we are creating a tribute to the global scooter scene. And because SIP stands for ‘Performance & Style’, we immortalized it on the scooter in many languages and fonts.”
“It was just great to see how enthusiastically people reacted to the custom,” concludes Ralf, ”but our great respect goes to Christoph and Basti, who implemented the project perfectly. Thanks to you guys!”
Technical data on the custom Vespa
- Name: SIP Vespa “Tribute” 30 years
- Displacement: approx. 258 ccm
- Cylinder head 3 V modified
- HP: approx. 28
- Injection system E3 modified & Polini injection module
- Open intake
- Front brakes: Magura HC1 on 4-piston radial
- Rear brakes: Magura HC1 on 2-piston GTS brake calliper
- Suspension: SIP Performance
- Handlebars: SIP Dropbar
- Fork: 20 mm shortened
- Lights: XO LED
- Indicators: SIP LED / side indicators
- Control electronics: MOTOGADGET, “mo.unit blue” Bluetooth
- Mudguards: Speedway Style ALU
- Side flaps: removable ALU
Notepad
All the parts installed on this vehicle have been recorded as a practical notepad, so you can easily view the parts you are interested in yourself:
