Hails Vespa Smallframe APSL PL170

Here we have a 1984 vespa scooter built under licence in India by Andrha Pradesh Scooters Limited . These scooters are rare as not many were ever completely built up the PL170 abbreviation of Pay Load 170 . This is what we would say in todays market a limited edition s its made up off all old parts from various models ( Primavera , 50 Special and pk electrics and engine . for more info trying searching
Andrha Pradesh Scooters Limited PL170 Vespa
Andhra Pradesh Scooters Limited was an Indian state-owned and run factory that ran from
1974 to 1986. The governmentbacked factory initially produced the Allwyn Pushpak
scooter, which was more or less a GP150 Lambretta with a few superficial changes. Piaggio’s presence in India was initially via a hook-up with Bajaj, which ran for a decade from
the early 60s to early 70s, the licence expiry in ’71 coinciding with an Indian governmentintroduced privatisation programme. Bajaj did continue to manufacture ‘Vespas’ for many
decades; despite them being Vespa lookalikes, it was without Piaggio endorsement or licence. During the early 80s Piaggio brokered two deals in India, both with input and agreement with the Indian government. One was with Lohia Machines Limited to produce what
we know as the LML, based on the PX model. The other was with APSL to produce a smallframe scooter. This would be for the short-lived PL170; its model name is an abbreviation
of Pay Load 170 kilograms. It’s believed the deal with APSL was similar to much earlier
ones made between Douglas (Bristol, England), AMCA (France) and Piaggio. With the APSL
PL170, it seems, in the main, Piaggio supplied scooter parts in kit form, assembled under
licence to be marketed in India. The PL170 Vespa is what some older scooterists would describe as a bitsa, as a hybrid of several Vespa smallframe model parts that have been combined in its construction. The basic frame is the longer 50 Special type, stamped V9A, with
a drilling in the legshields, high up the steering column area, to house a combined PK type
ignition key and steering lock. On the engine side of the frame, the door flap access/panel
retaining clasp has a larger hole to accommodate a larger (than its Italian counterpart),
more robust, screw close secure clasp, with the opposite side panel housing a toolbox
within the panel, complete with a Primavera-style door. Handlebar assembly is basically
that of a 50 Special, including headlight and speedo, to the right-hand side is a PK horn
and light switch, and a black blanking panel on the left. The engine was pretty much a
PK100 with a 12v electronic ignition and 16/16 carburettor. The PL170 was only made/assembled by APSL over a threeyear period, between ’83 and ’86. Several variants unique to
the PL170 model include the horncast, a PK/PX style one, except, instead of being plastic,
the PL variant was metal. Additionally, some of the later PL170 models boasted an Indianmade MNMCO speedometer instead of the Italian-made Veglia, as fitted to Italian-made
50 Specials as well as early PL170s. After the initial models of PL170, an Indian-made mud
flap and centre floor rubber mat was fitted. Also, the rear light unit on most PL170 scooters
was similar to that of a Primavera ET3. It was marketed with a single seat and rear pad as
standard. The APSL PL170 Vespa wasn’t much of a commercial success; how many examples of the PL170 were produced is currently unknown and unsubstantiated at the time of
writing. There is relatively little documented information available regarding this particular Vespa model, made under licence.