There are a number of resources on this site designed to help you (a) identify the vehicle you have and (b) identify which parts are appropriate for your vehicle.
Quick tips on how to get the best result are laid out below, but more detailed information on searching our inventory of parts is viewable in the section 'How to Use This Site', which you will find in the menu at the top right corner of the homepage (click on the red box). To go straight to that section click HERE.
However, if you find yourself struggling with the site, or simply aren't sure whether the details you have about your vehicle are correct, please feel free to contact us and we will do our best to assist you with identification and parts ordering. Contact info can be viewed at the bottom of this page.
> Searching the site:
You will find that the most accurate, vehicle-specific results are obtained by using the green Search bar at the top of the page. The vast majority of our product descriptions contain references to applicable vehicle models and the original manufacturer part number, as well as details of applicable, model-specific production runs as determined by either a chassis number range or an engine number range or type.
If you know your full chassis and engine number details (see below for notes on this), this means you can identify your specific vehicle model and, with some degree of accuracy, the build date and/or variant, which in turn will permit you to fine-tune your search to save trawling through lists of unrelated parts. There are plenty of resources on the internet designed to help you to correctly identify your vehicle model info.
> Parts books & part numbers:
Once you are sure about your vehicle model, year and variant, you can use that information to access the relevant manufacturer's parts book or database and identify the specific part numbers for the parts you require. If you use those part numbers correctly in the green Search bar, you will then be able to narrow your search field even further.
Again, the internet is a good source for parts books and spare parts databases for specific models. In the case of vintage Vespa and Lambretta models, you will find links to parts books in the broader 'help' section of our site, accessed by clicking the red box in the top right corner, or go directly to that section by clicking HERE.
Given the many and frequent differences found in vehicles supplied to the Australian market, compared to other larger markets and the likelihood of post-delivery cross-matching of parts and even complete engines, particularly on older machines, it is very important that you are familiar with both your chassis number and your engine number as these will be invaluable in helping you to identify the correct parts, not only for your vehicle model, but for specific production years and variants too.
On more modern machines (early 1980s to current date) the chassis number is called the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and is a 17 letter/digit combination that provides coded information on the model, year of manufacture and variant. Earlier vehicles (1970s) may have a precursor to the modern VIN with only 12 numbers, but in Australia VIN plates did not become mandatory on new vehicles until 1989.
Older machines (1960s and beyond) will have no VIN plate and you will have to rely on stampings on the actual chassis and engine casing for identification. This can lead to headaches due to the prevalence of restamping or alteration of the numbers, particularly over the last couple of decades, on so-called 'restorations' imported from India and SE Asia.
For official Aussie imports, vehicles imported after 1976 also have a compliance plate which provides the chassis number (pre- and post- 17-digit VIN system) as well as the model type approval, engine capacity and compliance date. It's worth noting that the compliance date, which is the date from which the vehicle type/model was authorised for importation into Australia, is not the same as the build date and cannot therefore be relied upon as an accurate indication of the year of manufacture.
For spare parts identification, the VIN is the more important of the two as it gives us a clearer indication of the vehicle model details and, unlike the Compliance Plate, can be used to determine the actual 'build' date, which in some cases can be many months earlier than the compliance/importation date, crossing between one calendar year and the next.
On older vehicles, particularly on Vespa motorscooters, it is very important that you have the full chassis and engine numbers. In most cases, the 'numbers' will include letters and digits, and all are important in properly identifying the vehicle. Quite often we find that vehicles have been retro-fitted with an engine from a different model, so it is therefore important to be able to identify the model and year of manufacture of both the chassis and the motor to ensure that you get the correct parts.
On older Italian-made machines, be careful not to confuse the chassis number with the IGM number (or DGM number, from 1967), which is often located close to the chassis number. The IGM/DGM number is an Italian government manufacturing license number used between the 1940s and 1970s. It is not part of the chassis number (so don't include it if you are re-registering the vehicle), but, because it is model-specific, it can be useful in authenticating your vehicle, especially if you're worried that your prized piece of Italian motorcycling history may have been manufactured somewhere other than Italy. Sadly, vintage 'forgeries' are more common than you might think.
