Of all the hobbies you could have, Colby Thompson’s is pretty unbeatable. By day, he’s a company CEO?but after hours, he restores and modifies rare vintage scooters.
Based in Bend, Oregon, Colby’s owned, raced and built motorcycles since he was nine. ?I enjoy motorcycle creativity,? he says, ?especially builds that are minimal and raw in nature.?

His scooters?built under the moniker of Lounge Mercury Vapor?are the pocket-sized products of a quirky imagination and clever engineering. Sometimes Colby builds them squeaky-clean, but most of the time they’re dripping with authentic, hard-earned patina.
Here’s a closer look at three of his latest builds; two rare Cushmans that are over sixty years old, and a 1960 Puch.
1947 Cushman 60 Series This project started out as just a shell, lying in a field in Madras, Oregon. Colby decided to keep the weathered bodywork?but some of it was just too far-gone. So he fabricated a new seat pan and floorboard, and added new aluminum skirting.
?The patina was preserved to resemble a scooter that faded away, perhaps in the salty fishing docks of the Oregon Coast,? Colby explains. ?The Lobster sign [sourced form Amazon] was added to that effect.?

The 60 Series still has most of its distinguishing features?like its ‘trunk,’ which needed some massaging to fit properly. It also still rides on its fully functioning suspension, including a swing arm that’s hidden by the body. Colby installed so...