Custom Creation: Vyatka VP150

And here comes the next Vyatka from the house of Butcher Garagebelgrade. In this case, it's a copy of the Vespa GS 150: a Vyatka VP150, which was produced without a licence in the former USSR from 1955 to 1965. Alex and Co. also took this scooter to task and modified it to their heart's content, as they had already done with the Vyatka Elektron. The result is impressive and is certainly one of the more exotic custom scooters. But let Alex tell us more about this project and its realisation.

The wolf in sheep's clothing

The etymology of the name of our workshop is quite simple. We love to dismantle a donor into its individual parts, which is why we are not very popular in the Vespa club community, as we believe that "it has to be original". The last two projects of our workshop before moving to Serbia were symbolically, but completely coincidentally, based on Soviet scooters, not Vespa as we are used to. They were the Vyatka VP150 and the Vyatka Elektron.

Almost a year after we opened, we built the Invader project based on a 1960 Vespa ACMA, which graced the cover of the English magazine Scootering and brought our workshop worldwide fame. And now, more than ten years later, we are ending our activities in St. Petersburg with a new edition of the project for one of our biggest fans. And of course, this version, built on the basis of the Vyatka VP150 1959 (a Soviet copy of the Vespa 150GS), has been created taking into account all the experience we have gained over the past ten years. Whereas in the first case we acted almost blindly, this time the design was preceded by detailed planning using Solidworks.

PX meets LX

We integrated the Steering Head from the Vespa PX and fitted a modified Fork (shortened lower section and extended upper section) from the modern Vespa LX150 into the front section of the bodywork. We constructed and welded a sturdy stainless steel box frame and connected it to the front part of the body. The rear part of the bodywork no longer has a structural function, but acts as a decorative bonnet that can be opened with the Key via a throttle cable. A new 12-litre stainless steel tank is mounted on the frame, which also serves as a dirt cover for the Air Filter.

Tuning with SIP Scootershop

Thanks to our German partner SIP Scootershop, we had no problems selecting the tuning parts: we used proven Bitubo Shock Absorbers with maximum adjustability, mounted the Engine on polyurethane silent blocks, VOGA front radial 4-piston brakes on AF-Parts hubs paired with a floating Brake Disc from Polini, a two-piece rim from Pinasco for tubeless Tyres, a milled and race team-tested wheel body from PLC Corse with a Polini hub.

For the project, we used the engine from the Vespa Cosa 200, which was also heavily modified: Welding of surfaces, milling, porting and installation of polyurethane silent blocks. The displacement was increased to 244 cc thanks to the Quattrini aluminium cylinder. The Exhaust, Clutch, lightweight sports ignition and Crankshaft are all tried and tested products from SIP Scootershop. This monster is powered by a Mikuni TMX38 carburettor and our upgraded MRP intake manifold. The rear brakes have been taken from the Vespa Cosa - a hydraulic drum, but the power is transferred to them thanks to a brake kit from Crimaz.

Just like the first version of the project, we opted for a classic chopper Seat and open Handlebar, but this time the Headlight Unit (which incidentally also comes from the Soviet "Verkhovina" moped) has moved from the front Mudguard to the top of the Sign and houses an electronic SIP Speedometer. The choice of Handlebar took a long time, but in the end we opted for a cruiser version of the Electra bike with a Tula 200 stem.

Move to Belgrade

These two Vyatka scooters also mark an important milestone for Butcher Garage, as they are the last two models to leave the workshop in St Petersburg. Alex, his co-conspirators Arseniy Chekar and Vlad Zaki, their employees and their families have all moved to Belgrade in Serbia. Some of them have travelled by plane, but the rest have "walked" over 4,000 miles across Russia and Georgia, Turkey and Bulgaria to get there.

"For all the fans of our work in Russia, our move is a great loss and we are grateful to our friends, regulars, musicians and photographers for their tremendous support over the last ten years," adds Alex. "With longing in our hearts, we are leaving our home country to continue in a new place. On the other hand, we are happy that our garage is now even closer to the big family of Vespa lovers. Belgrade opens up new opportunities for our friends around the world to continue working together to inspire our fans with new projects. We continue to grow and develop - our meat cleaver has only become sharper and our hands stronger."

Photos: Alexander Dymov

Photo gallery Vyatka VP 150