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Hi Bernard
Email received with thanks and thank you for the feedback on the website.
LD125’s should run at 30mph (Or for your country 48kph) comfortably, so you should have no problems with this speed. If you’re lucky enough, you may be able to reach speeds of up to 49mph / 79kph.
You mention you’re thinking of purchasing a restored Lambretta LD, so consider taking it out for a ride first, to see how it feels.
Please remember that it’s a historic vehicle, so it will not be as smooth running as a later model.
Gears:
Please do not expect everything to be smooth running in the gear selection area. Often, this area requires some attention or may require getting use to.
Brakes:
Remember your brakes are not going to be as good as a later bike, so factor this into your ridding experience.
Paint Work:
Look at the paintwork. LD’s are simple to strip in regards to engine removal from the frame and metal parts, so a re-spray should be fairly straight forward. If the Lambretta is not an original paint spray, give some thought into this area and how you will match the paint code, should you need to. Should it require any work in this area either now or in the future, how will you match the colour. If your lucky enough, the person selling it may have a paint code they used when they restored it, which will aid you in going to a paint shop. Otherwise, you may need to look at a paint job at some stage and this may be an opportunity to restore it back to it’s original colour (If your not looking at a Lambretta that has been restored back to its original colour)
Electronics & Points System
If your not comfortable working on points systems and you are comfortable spending some money on your Lambretta, you may want to consider buying a Evergreen Varitronic Ignition system (Around £300 to £350), which will aid you in breaking down less frequently due to possible problems in this area. I use both. I particularly enjoy working on “old school” points / condenser / coil technology, but Varitronic technology is nice!. I’m not saying expect to break down frequently in this area. However, LD’s can be temperamental at times with points and condenser technology.
Oil Leaks
You may find that shortly after buying your LD, you discover the odd oil leak. This is not uncommon on many LD’s and can happen as a result of either oil seals going, oil overfill (Often seen as a result of oil coming out of the kick start area) and fuel tap leaks. Ensure you use the correct oils and remember to mix oil with petrol when filling up the fuel tank (See website for guidance or use the LD manual as a guide)
What Model?
There are various ways to identify what model you may be buying. Lambrettas with a Teleflex cable for gear selection & Italian ones with a Carburettor Inspection Flap (Also Teleflex) (Earlier models) can be more difficult to find some spare parts, so this may influence your buying decision and you may therefore decide to buy a later 1955 or 1956,57,58 model!).
How Much Should I Pay for a restored Lambretta?
A working Lambretta that runs and may need a little tidy up in regards to the paintwork tend to sell for around 2.5k at the moment.
Totally restored Lambrettas (including paint work back to factory colours), may sometimes sell for a little more.
LD125’s are easier to sell due to a person being able to ride it in the UK without passing there bike test.
There are a number of LD’s for sale online for between 3k to 9k, which I keep an eye on and regrettably never see them sell. Are they worth between 3k to 9k? I think some are worth the money being advertised. However, at the end of the day, you pay for an item based on what you think its worth to you. Unfortunately adding new parts to an LD does not necessarily aid in allowing a person to sell it for more.
If you have not already done so and you are looking at buying a Lambretta, please see the website and the links on the Lambrettas For Sale page. There are a number of overseas sites listed, which may be better for you to find one based on your location in Spain
Un-restored (I have added this section to aid others that may look at this as a News Post on the site)
Most un-restored LD’s (depending on the condition) sell for between 1.2k to 1.5k. Some sell for a little more and I never understand why when I look at the condition of them online.
When you look at the amount of time you may spend in restoring a Lambretta and cost of parts, and finding parts, there is frequently no money to be made from restoring an LD, so consider buying for pleasure only. Put a price on how much you’re willing to spend on it and look at your total cost and not just the purchase costs, then decide if your happy spending the time and money on it.
If you are looking at restoring a Lambretta, try to find one that is complete. Parts can sometimes be a challenging to find. As mentioned above, later LD’s (56,57,58) are easier to find certain parts for than the earlier models.
Try to avoid a Lambretta with a seized engine, as these can be a little challenging to work on, depending on how badly seized it is. Main problems I have worked on in this area include the mag flange housing, seized pistons and (Difficult to see) hair line cracks on cylinder.
You can normally pick up second hand engines for around £150 (infrequently) on e-bay.
I hope that this email is of some help.
All the best and have a good weekend.
John
www.lambrettajourney.co.uk