Ever since Max Yicheng broke onto the scene, he’s made one thing abundantly clear: he can apply his signature style to just about any bike. The man behind the 2LOUD Custom moniker has wrenched on everything from big fours to pint-sized Honda Cubs, with stunning results every time. So when a friend asked for a custom Vespa, Max was all too happy to oblige.
Max’s friend loves classic Vespa scooters in particular, so the donor bike was pieced together from the Italian marque’s greatest hits. The body is a 1960s Vespa 90 unit, while the two-stroke engine comes from the newer 1980s PK 125. But neither are in original condition any more.
Not only has the monocoque chassis been restored to showroom condition, but it’s sporting some tasteful mods too.
The horn, although customized, sits front and center like it always has on vintage Vespas—but the front fender adornment is new. Max kept the period-correct Vespa and Piaggio badging too, but that’s where the OEM stuff ends.
Vespatisti will immediate notice a major change up in the cockpit. This Vespa wears a set of custom bars, stretched and dropped in a sort of scooter-cum-café racer style. The steering housing has been rebuilt to match, and is kitted with a new headlight from Germany’s SIP-Scootershop.
Max installed a custom CNC-machined throttle and lever assembly too, along with new grips and one-off bar-ends. Finishing things off are vintage switch clusters, with a single mirror attached to the left of the fairing, lower down.
Also unmissable is this Vespa’s new café racer-style tail section. Featuring a traditional stitching pattern and a customary rear hump, it’s executed perfectly—right down to small details like the carefully crafted seat hinge. The seat flips up to reveal a storage compartment, while the hump forms part of the fuel tank.
Max finished the rear half of the scooter off with a hand-formed engine intake cover, and a cheeky Mooneyes taillight. The tidy floor trim kit and side stand are also fresh additions.
Look even closer, and you’ll spot non-standard wheels and suspension. The rims come from SIP, and are wrapped in Bridgestone Battlax BT-39 scooter tires.
Each end’s held up on a new BGM shock, and Max has even customized the braking system.
Then there’s the motor, which has had almost as much work as the rest of the bike. Inside you’ll find a 136 cc upgrade from Malossi, complete with a racing crankshaft from Mazzucchelli. Max also installed a new seamless clutch with carbon steel plates, and a lightweight CNC-machined distributor with a custom cover.
A PWK30 carb feeds the motor via an MRP intake manifold. Gasses exit via a custom JL titanium exhaust system (also supplied by SIP), featuring a ceramic coated header.
There’s nothing too loud about the Vespa’s paint scheme though. It’s been finished in a timeless piano black, complemented by a selection of chromed and electroplated parts, and just a hint of pin striping.
The whole thing is so tasteful, that from a distance it could easily pass for a stock vintage Vespa. But under close scrutiny, it displays the kind of charming style that we’ve come to expect from Max’s work.
It also makes a strong case for customizing vintage Italian scooters that purists might otherwise leave alone. More Vespa customization, anyone?
