Butcher Storage is identified for 2 issues: they construct wild customized scooters and so they have zero regard for purists. It’s proper there of their identify.
“The etymology of the identify of our workshop is kind of easy,” explains Butcher Storage co-founder, Alex Mazan. “We love to chop the donor into items, for which the Vespa neighborhood dislikes us a little bit. They imagine that all the things should be saved unique.”
Butcher Storage has a number of hard-hitting Vespa customs beneath its belt. However the customized scooters you’re listed below are Vyatkas—Vespa clones that had been inbuilt Russia throughout the Soviet period. The unpainted one is a 1959-model Vyatka VP-150 (a duplicate of the Vespa 150 GS), whereas the blue one is a Nineteen Seventies Vyatka Elektron.
These two customized scooters additionally mark a major milestone for Butcher Storage, as a result of they’re the final two builds to roll out of their Saint Petersburg workshop. Alex, his co-conspirators Arseniy Chekar and Vlad Zaki, their workers, and their households have all relocated to Belgrade, Serbia. A few of them made the journey by aircraft, however the remaining trekked over 4,000 miles throughout Russia and thru Georgia, Turkey, and Bulgaria to get there.
It’s becoming, then, that the Vyatka VP-150 was constructed for a long-time fan of Butcher Storage. And though it seems tough on the surface, it’s full of intelligent mods that present the crew’s decade-plus expertise in constructing customized scoots.
Butcher Storage began by creating an in depth digital rendering of the proposed design in SolidWorks—an strategy that they’ve solely began utilizing not too long ago. Then they received their arms soiled, reworking the standard 150 with an assortment of customized components and scalped Vespa bits.
Step one was to combine the steering tube from a Vespa PX into the Vyatka’s metal entrance fairing. Subsequent, the fellows modified the forks from a contemporary Vespa LX150 by shortening the lowers and stretching the uppers, earlier than adapting them to the older scoot. Absolutely adjustable Bitubo shocks prop up each ends, provided by the German scooter components specialists SIP Scootershop.
Just like the Vespa that it’s based mostly on, the Vyatka VP-150 has detachable wheel wells and a small entry hatch beneath the entrance of the seat for servicing. However Butcher Storage had one thing else in thoughts.
They hacked the whole rear part of the physique off, earlier than welding the wheel wells and repair hatch on to the primary piece and filling within the hole left by the unique seat pan. The entire thing was then re-mounted on a hinge, turning it into one big cowl for the motor. It’s accessed by way of the primary ignition key and lifts on a hydraulic strut.
Lurking beneath the duvet is a boxy stainless-steel subframe, welded on to the scooter’s predominant physique. Mounted to that could be a new 12-liter [3.2-gallon] gas tank, additionally fabricated from stainless-steel.
The tail additionally homes the engine from a Vespa Cosa 200, bumped as much as 244 cc with a Quattrini aluminum cylinder equipment. A Mikuni TMX38 carb and an MRP consumption manifold feed the monstrous scooter motor gas and air. The clutch, crankshaft, ignition, and exhaust are all from SIP’s intensive catalog, as are the polyurethane silent blocks that the engine and shocks are mounted on.
The entrance wheel makes use of a Polini hub, linked to a two-piece Pinasco tubeless rim by way of a milled wheel middle from PLC Corse. A Voca brake caliper on an AF Components caliper mount grips a floating Polini disc. The rear wheel makes use of the Vespa Cosa’s hydraulic drum brake, upgraded with a equipment from Crimaz.
This construct was impressed by certainly one of Butcher Storage’s early breakout customized Vespas, so that they used the identical fashion of handlebars and sprung solo saddle. However the place the Vespa carried its headlight on its entrance fender, this Vyatka’s gentle sits in a extra conventional spot, with a tiny speedo from SIP sunk into the highest of it.
And if you happen to’re questioning if the shortage of paint is an aesthetic selection, it’s not. The shopper requested it that manner and plans to color it solely as soon as he’s run it in. “For the primary time, our followers can see our tasks of their naked kind and get an excellent have a look at all the small print with out putty, paint, or varnish, and with out embellishment,” says Alex.
It’s the identical take care of the Vyatka Elektron, which nonetheless wears its unique teal paint, plus 50-plus years’ price of damage and tear. Its proprietor additionally plans to color it at a later stage—however we’d depart it as-is as a result of the patina is a unbelievable decoy for the efficiency mods that disguise beneath it.
Mounted out again is a Piaggio ‘huge block’ engine, upgraded with the piston from a Honda RS125. The crankshaft is a bespoke affair, and the exhaust is a modified Solo system. Butcher Storage additionally reworked the consumption and transmission and put in a tunable Malossi CDI.
To compensate for the larger and stronger powertrain, Butcher Storage changed the Vyatka’s bolt-on subframe with a brand new, bolstered unit. It’s flanked by a pair of radiators, every geared up with a fan for additional cooling. An upgraded Bitubo shock props up the tail.
Shifting to the entrance of the scoot, the crew modified the steering tube in an analogous strategy to the VP-150. A CNC-machined ‘yoke’ is bolted to the highest, internet hosting a pair of underslung direct-mount clip-ons. The steering setup comes from SIP, as does the speedo and the scooter’s new LED lighting.
Butcher Storage additionally lowered the entrance forks and upgraded them with a pair of YSS shocks. The entrance wheel is a mish-mash of OEM components and a one-off hub, designed to accommodate a twin-disc brake setup. Galfer discs and SIP calipers deal with front-end stopping duties.
The workforce rewired the bike too, however they opted to not mess with the quirky artwork deco-like bodywork. “We tried to protect the unique Soviet design of the scooter,” Alex explains. “The entrance fender was narrowed and lowered, and the rear a part of the physique was modified to compensate for the rear wheel journey.”
Along with portray it, the Elektron’s proprietor plans to swap the wheels out for a swanky set of three-piece aluminum items. However Butcher Storage isn’t about to depart their final two Russian shoppers within the lurch—they’re staying in contact, providing as a lot help as they’ll as long-distance consultants. (They’ve already mocked up some colour choices for the Elektron.)
“For all followers of our work in Russia, our transfer is a giant loss and we’re grateful to our mates, subscribers, musicians, photographers for his or her huge help over the previous 10 years,” Alex provides. “With longing in our hearts, we depart residence to proceed creating in a brand new place.”
“Alternatively, we’re happy to announce that our storage has now develop into even nearer to the massive household of Vespa lovers. Belgrade opens up new alternatives for our mates around the globe to proceed collaborating to please our followers with new tasks.”
“We’re rising and creating—our butcher’s axe has solely develop into sharper, and our arms have develop into even stronger.”
Butcher Storage | Photos by Alexander Dymov
