Vespa Hardware Sizes

I have been hunting archives and the web for a complete list of Vespa large frame hardware sizes and I have failed. I emailed individuals and sadly no one has such a list. I found an site called Scooter Culture, but it's no longer live.

I posted my request on Scooter BBS and thank you to John Stafford, who suggested to use a web time machine to look up the URL of scooter culture and low an behold I now have my list of metric sizes for the hardware and fasteners.

Your best bet is to open the link and create a PDF and print it. If that does not work click on the JPEGs below and print. I can not post PDF documents or I would and it would print better.





The fender to steering column bolts are 5mm x .80 x 18mm hex head bolts, no markings on the head. Good place for stainless since you can polish off the bolt head markings, and it's a non high stress location.

Furthermore, in speaking with Collin W. and Dave C. said:

"Basically, just get yourself a large assortment of M5-M8 Nuts, bolts, and wavy washers, and you're good to go. Parts falls off scooters sometimes too, so it's handy to have extras around anyways." -- Collin

"On a more serious note on nuts and things....

Vespas are pretty straight forward in this respect. Perhaps, this is why no list exists - it isn't strictly needed? There are a few odd-ball threads:

The earth stud is, for some unaccountable reason, M3.5, so needs a wingut and plain nut to match (Tap out an M3 when stuck).

The front suspension damper top nut is M8 with a fine thread pitch of 1.5 (I think?). This was, originally, a 14mm wrench drive size. Try getting hold of one of them!

Early(ish) GS 160's had M6 brass wingnuts holding the rear light in place (Bizarre!).

For the same GS's and earlier models, the gear adjusters were, also, brass and had matching lock nuts.

The M7 plain hex crankcase nuts can be difficult to source in the UK away from a scooter shop.

The seat/tank retaining bolts are also M7 (Later Vespa models did the sensible thing and were fitted with M8 bolts).

Headlamp rims are held in place by M4 raised countersunk slotted bolts (15mm length).

God only knows what type of threads are used on the carbs (Actually, God AND Delorto!).

Think that's about it on the dodgy sizes and types?

Apart from those items listed above, I can walk into my local fixing suppliers and buy everything else across the counter - even if I ask for STAINLESS STEEL?" -- Dave C.

If you know of another list or have one that is more complete or has different stuff on it please let me know. I would like to offer a Vespa hardware list as complete as the Lambretta hardware list that Gene, from Scooters O, published.

Some REAL Adventure Riding

This has got to be the ultimate in adventure riding, and in motorcycle films. Gaurav Jani's Film Riding Solo To The Top Of The World, documents his trip on a 350cc Royal Enfield from Delhi to the Changthang Plateau in Ladakh, bordering China.As a one-man film unit, he astonishes you, filming the landscape he passes by and the people he interacts with, capturing moments of beauty, pain, love,

Polishing your parts

Polishing parts is a very good idea to save pieces that you might otherwise think are junk. This is especially helpful with internal engine components and hardware. I have been doing a few different techniques lately to restore the beauty in parts and I have found that nothing works better than a bench grinder that has dual wheels. One wheel is typically a graphite stone grinder (DON'T USE THIS SIDE! YOU WILL ACTUALLY TAKE METAL OFF AND THIN YOUR PARTS!) and the other wheel is a heavy duty wire polisher (the side we will be dealing with). This tool is an extremely expensive investment, so if you don't already have one, you might want to try and make friends with some one that does! Luckily, my step-father has one. I can't even begin to explain how well this method works. Last weekend I used it on my gear selector, my clutch cover, my piston, and my cylinder and some random hardware. These parts were rusty, grimy, and extremely dirty. Now they look like they just rolled off of the factory assembly line.

Today, I tried to use a dremel with wire grinding tips to polish some parts. I don't recommend this method at all except for maybe very mild use to get into crevasses that you can't reach with the bench grinder. It works pretty well, but little bits of wire fly off of the dremel bits until all of the wires are gone and you're left with nothing. And this isn't a slow process. I bought two bits this afternoon. Within an hour of usage, both bits were reduced to nothing. So, don't do this more than necessary. Because of little wire fragments flying everywhere, I would especially not use this method on internal engine components as an alternative to taking the parts out of the case and using a bench grinder. It is absolutely crucial that the inside of the engine is COMPLETELY free of debris when reassembling it. And this frankly can't be accomplished with all of those little bits of wire flying inside the case. Take the time to take out the individual pieces and use the bench grinder. Your engine will thank you.

You may be tempted to wire polish your casings. While this will look very nice, a lot of people don't recommend it. Jeremy's blog goes into detail about it, but simply put; the engine case will get dirty, and fast. If you don't want to clean your engine case every day of your life, don't set it up for these high standards. Media blasting or a good scrubbing with paint thinner is sufficient.

Ciao.

Ordering Parts

We're now a single-income family, which has slowed down the financial dedication to the scooter restoration. My wife's birthday is in March and below is her "wish list" -- to be ordered from American Scooter Center in Texas.

Wish List:

$7 – Part#80349 – Piaggio emblem with adhesive strip
$33 – Legshield trim (chrome kit)
$39 – Rally floor rail kit
$29 – Glovebox rubber in Gray
$9.50 – Part#90525 – Speedo cable
$7 – Part#85072 – Center mat Black
$17 – Part#135231 – Cowl packing strip (rubber trim) in Gray

In the meantime, we'll get the bike on its own two feet with cables run as well.

A Hummer I'd actually consider...

A 400cc Hummer scooter?!?What?! What!?OK, so it's just a Design exercise, but it has some interesting features, and I know I'm not the only freak out there dreaming of a dual-purpose scooter. I also like the fixed front fender, which looks like it could be made to sport quite a front rack. But come on folks, a scooter is supposed to be step-through! Step-Through! Not just some lame indentation in

2º Aniversario do Blog

Parabéns ao VespaFriendsAlgarve.Blogspot.com

Pois fez no passado dia 28, dois anos de existência …. Quero agradecer a todos os Vespistas e não Vespistas que visitaram este pequeno espaço .

Muito Obrigado

VFA

Convivio Vespa 6 Horas Resistência

Boas Amigos

Como todos sabem tenho uma vespa preparada para este evento.... E como sabem está ao dispor daqueles que quiserem formar uma equipa para este evento...

Aos interessados é enviar-me um email ....

Convivio Vespa 6 Horas Resistência

A todos os Vespistas de Portugal e arredores....
A paixão pelas Vespas está sempre no ar...

Novidades estão quase a sair...
Estamos a tratar do assunto!!....

Não podemos deixar morrer o MAGNIFICO CONVÍVIO
que é as 6 HORAS DE RESISTÊNCIA !!!

Antes pelo contrario, este ano ainda vai ser melhor!!!!
...estamos a apontar para 30 DE MARÇO

Boas noticias para breve!
Está na hora de aquecer motores.

Todos juntos fazemos a festa!

Saudações Vespistas
Gonçalo P Monteiro
Nuno Maia F
Pedro Oliveira

(cópia de email enviado por Gonçalo Monteiro)

Reassembly Update #3

Until the end of Feburuary 2008, my plate is so full that I can't see over the top of it; therefore no work on the Vespa from me.

But I did tell my buddy, Ted W., who has the scoot at his shop that he can tinker with it, but not to knock himself out. Just have fun, is what I said. Ted has ol'school shop experience that nears at least 2/3 of my lifetime. He does nearly all his own work on all seven "running" motorcycles in his shop. So you can say, I really trust him. He is teaching me a lot!

I just got a total surprise email from him, which reads:

1/29/08

J-bone,

You know I had that thought when we talked about stainless and the blog
is correct in that they aren't really any stronger.

The # 5 nuts and bolt will suffice, or even one with a higher rating as
long as the size 14mm is correct.

Update:
The tires are mounted on the wheels,
Rear shock is done and ready to install,
Complete Steering stem is in place. Top collar screw is hand tightened
right now. (I still have to locate the fender nuts/bolts)
I will be moving the scooter off of the large platform and putting it on
my m/c lift so that the front and rear suspension hang free and are more
accessible.

I will use the larger platform to lay out the rest of the pieces so we
don't have to keep digging in a box to find things. I also want to make
sure parts a clean before installing them. I am not throwing anything
away for fear of needing a non-obtainable part later on. After we finish
we can decide what to pitch and what to keep.

Maybe we can hook up after school and head for Lowes nut/bolt department
to get what we need. I will get the nut /bolt rating list for us to see.

We are making good progress.  
Later dude,

tedster

Hardare & Fasteners Part 2

A huge thank you to Paul B. for posting one the best comments this blog has seen yet in response to the previous post on hardware.

Paul B. commented:

"No. Stainless steel is FAR weaker than good quality mild steel. For most, non stress application, stainless steel RULES! I am a BIG stainless fan. But for stressed applications, like say, holding the wheels on, or, suspension components, original spec. mild steel (#5) nuts only. I mean, there really is no reason (other than for a show bike) to deliberately REDUCE the strength of the fasteners holding your (or wifes in this case) wheels on. Especially when the correct fasteners are readily available from Piaggio. Also, your original wheel changing tools will no longer fit the wheel nuts since, as you say, the stainless nuts require a 13mm wrench, and the original nuts are 14mm."

Thank you again Paul B. for commenting. I owe you big. You opened up a great conversation and I began to research it a bit by emailing my mentors for how they handle fasteners on their restorations as well. The bottom line is I will probably use galvanized steel now as opposed to stainless steel, based on your's and Tom G.'s suggestion.

Here is what I learned from Tom G.:

"It is true that stainless is weaker in tensile (and probably compressive) strength than mild steel, and of course this applies to fasteners.

That being said, I can't really think of an instance on a vespa where this will make any difference from a safety perspective.  I can't begin to imagine that stainless wheel nuts would be unsafe to use.

That being said, I don't really prefer the look of stainless to galvanized for wheel nuts, and most of the time I use galvanized for them.  I do frequently
use stainless for attaching body parts (like attaching front fender to fork on vespa, and attaching most lammy body panels to the frame).  Is this really a
good idea?  It is an open question.  Where you use dissimilar metals next to one another, the less "noble" metal corrodes preferentially.  In other words, if you use stainless fasteners to hold steel panels in place, the steel panels will corrode
(marginally) instead of the stainless fasteners that are in electrical contact with them.  If you were to use bare steel fasteners on painted steel panels, the
fasteners would corrode more quickly (and the panels would not corrode in the vicinity of the fastener as long as electrical contact is maintained).  This is
why roofers don't use iron nails to hold copper roofs in place -- the iron nails will completely corrode away, while the surrounding copper will not corrode. 
So strictly speaking, from a corrosion and protection of metal standpoint, the best solution is to use galvanized steel fasteners on painted steel panels. 
It is an extra "bonus" that this will also give you the correct look.  But only anoraks will care.

Good luck getting wheel rim nuts in 14" size anyhow. They ARE available from some specialty shops, but are quite expensive.  I never bother.  Frankly, I'm not
even sure that the 14" nuts were used on the SS anyhow.  Do you know for sure?  They were used in some places on the GS 150, and I think also for the GS160. 
But I'm pretty sure that by the Rally, the 8m hardware was all 13mm.  I'm unclear on the SS.

If you can itemize the locations you want to use stainless, I can give you my best guess as to whether that might present any problem." -- Tom G.

Parecem bandos de pardais a solta...

É a "new music" como lhe chamam em Inglaterra, mas trata-se apenas de mais uma fornada de artistas que estão a surgir em terra britanicas, como se não houvesse amanhã.
Se de cantoras/artistas no feminino, nos últimos anos fomos bem servidos, temos para todos os gostos e feitios, exemplos de Goldfrapp, Amy Winehoouse, Lilly Allen, Kate Nash, Bat For Lashes, apenas para destacar as mais mediaticas. Nos rapazes, a classe de 2008 conta com os Klaxons, e a euforia dos Artic Monkeys entre outros. Uma das músicas que mais me chamou a atenção, agarra no som, hoje em dia vintage dos The Jam. A banda chama-se The Enemy e faz lembrar Paul Weller e sus muchachos em plenos 17 anos. A rebeldia na voz e nas letras é tão idêntica a Weller que até arrepia. Vejam o video desta rapaziada e já agora descubram o excelente álbum de estreia deles "We live and die and these towns". Podem ouvir o álbum aqui.



Nós por cá, tudo bem. Se em idade adolescente não faltam as borbulhas e a energia própria da idade, porque não olharmos com atenção para para os nossos Pontos Negros. Vêm de Queluz e trazem muita energia para o palco! Como não podia deixar de ser, podem descobri-los no myspace deles, onde se pode fazer download do seu primeiro E.P. aqui.

Expomoto Batalha

No fim de semana fui à Batalha. Não sabia muito bem o que esperar do 2º maior salão português do género, mas conheço o de Lisboa e sei que mesmo esse é fraco, não trazendo muitas novidades e sentido-se muitas vezes a falta de um bom número de marcas.

À chegada fiquei bem impressionado com o elevado número de motos na estrada e no parque de estacionamento. Só por isso, num país onde tudo o que tem duas rodas parece ser no mínimo uma excentricidade, já fez valer a pena a viagem. Scooters vi muito poucas, mas isso também era previsível. Havia, no entanto, e logo no estacionamento, algumas preciosidades.

Lá dentro o espaço não era enorme, mas digno. Infelizmente a maior parte das marcas não investiu grandemente no salão, talvez fruto do nosso pequeno mercado ou da existência do Salão de Lisboa, com apenas umas semanas de separação.

O certo é que apenas algumas marcas estavam representadas, sendo que a maioria eram concessionários. Das com melhor apresentação destaco a KTM, Harley Davidson e BMW. As três grandes japonesas estavam presentes mas com uma dimensão quase amadora. Queria ter visto vários modelos da Yamaha, mas eles não tinham uma só scooter ou moto de baixa cilindrada no Salão! A Suzuki não fugia muito a este cenário, scooters só mesmo uma Burgman 400, as "novas" 125 e 200 não se viam em lado nenhum, e só a Honda, apesar do amadorismo, tinha uma representação minimamente decente.

Novidades não havia quase nada. Queria ver as Aprilia Scarabeo, que finalmente serão importadas para o nosso país, mas a Aprilia não estava representada. De facto, não só não havia novidades, como estavam expostos alguns modelos que já não fazem parte dos catálogos das marcas, caso da Vespa GT ou da Honda Pantheon!

Mesmo assim, nem tudo era mau, e as motos estavam todas bem acessíveis aos visitantes, ao contrário do que acontece nalguns salões. Era possível sentar-nos e sentir o peso em quase todas elas, e sem com isto atrair automaticamente um vendedor de falinhas mansas. Esta descontracção foi o melhor do salão, pois experimentei e observei de perto scooters e pormenores que nunca teria feito de outra forma.

Estive sentado numa Scoopy 300, mas não me despertou muito a atenção. Parece ser uma máquina muito prática, é ligeiramente maior que a minha 125, mas não sei porquê, não fiquei impressionado.


Perdi imenso tempo na área do grupo piaggio, pois estava fascinado com as últimas PX e outros modelos da marca. As grandes Xevo e MP3 não eram propriamente novidades, a Vespa S nunca tinha visto ao vivo, mas o que gostei mesmo foi de sentir o peso e experimentar a disposição dos comandos das velhinhas PX 125, prestes a desaparecer. Acho que sou demasiado grande para ter uma, o que é uma pena.

Por fim, havia ainda o salão de motos usadas, que decorria paralelamente. Era simplesmente um armazém cheio com filas de motos. Scooters eram muito poucas, mas, tal como nas motos havia a possibilidade de fazer uns belos negócios, como é o caso desta MP3 por menos de 5,000 Euros.

Nesta fase o cansaço já apertava e era altura de recuperar forças. No final o balanço era bem positivo e só espero que o mercado tenha crescimento e que isso se reflicta no Salão da Batalha.

Sexy Vespa Messenger Bag

So one of the things I'm doing at Vespa Ridgefield, is going through some of the inventory that has been hanging around too long, or worse yet, has been stuck in a corner of a basement. There are definitely some strange artifacts, and rifling through them has been kinda fun.Some items I'm putting on ebay. And I promise I won't be blogging about every obscure nut and bolt I list, but when I come

Hot Rod Al Pipe

I paged the Bajaj Yahoo Group to see who has a Hot Rod Al pipe and how it compares to Phil's POC pipe. The Hot Rod Al pipe is a little less expensive, but both are basically in the $300 range.

I asked riders to write a review of the pipe and include photos as well as a movie showing the speedo with audio of shifting through the gears.

Chris P., of Calif., responded and told me he planned to buy a pipe. I recently checked back in with him via email and this is his response:

"hey Jeremy, I installed the pipe today and it is awsome. It is loud but not too loud and I could real feel a kick in the horse power. I was also toping out at 55mph before 60 today so I am very stoked. I didnt get any photos of the install but it is very easy. I also did the tricks mod today. Hot Rod Al will probably not be making any more of the pipes so you may want to pick on up ASAP. Al is also going to a custom made 26 carb on it in a few weeks. I will try to send you photos and a video of the pipe." -- Chris

I look forward to Chris's review, photos, and video to share with you.

The story behind Bajaj

Below you find high resolution scans from Vespa, style in motion, which documents how Bajaj, as a company came to be. It gives a good history for you to tell every time someone asks, "hey is that a Vespa?" It does not address the 1980s and 2000s attempt to sell Bajaj in the USA.

Click on the photos to enlarge to read or to print.

Reference: Vespa, style in motion

Some additional literature here for your reference. These are high resolution scans and you should be able to click on it to enlarge and print for your own reference files.

These pages came from, Vespa style in motion











Close up photos help a bunch!

Engine tear down

Yesterday, I finally got the piston loose from the engine. I just decided to get out a hacksaw and cut the connecting rod in half. After that, one good whack on the sliced half of the rod connected to the piston got it un-seized. From what I can tell, the piston will be fine. But I will need new rings and a new connecting rod. The cylinder will be fine after a good cleaning.

After freeing the piston, I could finally finish splitting the engine case. I took a heat gun to the main bearing for a few seconds then lightly tapped the seem of the engine case with a rubber mallet and it started to slowly come apart. Then I realized the gear selector needed to come off. You may have noticed in my previous engine pictures, there was some sort of cement all over the gear selector. I guess the previous owner decided it was a good idea to do that instead of replace a gasket. Luckily, it all came off with a chisel and light hammer

taps. But the gear selector is so rusty that I might as well replace the whole thing.

I still don't have the tool to remove the clutch, so I got it as disassembled as I could and then just did a lot of cleaning with paint thinner and a wire brush and rags. You would really be surprised what a little bit of elbow grease can do to these old engines. You can really bring them back to looking just like new. And it really isn't hard work, in fact it's pretty relaxing. If you are doing a restoration, do yourself a favor and opt to rebuild your own engine instead of buying a new one or having some one else do the work. It is so rewarding to see how everything works and bring all the luster back into the heart of your scooter. When I split the case, there was rust, grime, sludge, and dirt everywhere (see pictures). I'm not done yet, I'll post pictures in the next few days of how clean it all is when it's ready to be put back together.

I can't get to the clutch assembly yet, so I can't tell if anything in there needs to be replaced. As far as I can tell, everything is alright. The bearings are even in pretty good shape. But I would still like to replace them. Does anybody have any tips for getting those suckers off? I can't get to the clutch side one yet, but I am having trouble with the crank side one.

That's all for now, be on the lookout for some clean engine photos in the next few days.

Ciao.

Asterix-Punk Computing

Retro-Futurists take note:Neatorama has a great post up on the history of computing. Examples go from flint-napping-punk, stone age calculating devices inscribed on baboon fibula, to transistor-punk, Eniac, the first room-filling digital computer.Of course my favorites are somewhere in between technologically, if not chronologically.Witness the beauty that is Blaise Pascal's Pascaline:The second

Another quick blog

Oh, I wanted to mention something just for people who are looking to buy an already restored scooter instead of doing it yourself.

You should already know by now not to trust Vietnam bikes. Well, there is a company out of New York City trying to front like they are providing American restorations of VBB 150's. Well, they are duping a lot of people. They came really close to having my business at one point. I wrote the owner an e-mail a few months ago to see if we could work out a deal. They had just weeks before raised their price and I offered to provide free photography for advertising (from a renowned music video director and musician photographer that is a friend of mine who is doing our engagement photos) and mention in our invitations/news paper that the scooter was provided from their company in exchange for a small discount. I let them know that if you keep your eye open on craigslist and ebay, you can find other American restorations at similar prices that they expect.

Their only response to the lengthy e-mail asking for a small discount in exchange for some killer advertising was "An American restoration similar to our prices? I'd like to see it"

So on top of deceitful, and over-priced, they're also *ahem* douche bags.

Of course, this was before I realized that they were also Viet-crap bikes in disguise. And I'm more than glad that I am doing my own bike that I will appreciate more.

Ciao.

Well, time to slow down a bit

My weekend plans are kinda screwed. Well, not terribly.

I was supposed to have the frame and a few of the body pieces media blasted this morning and then spend the rest of the weekend prepping the body so that I could spend the week priming/sanding and paint next weekend.

I showed up to the paint strippers this morning at 10 as I was told to. A guy helped me unload all of the pieces and place them into the facility. Then the guy tells me that he will try to get it done by the end of this next week. A few days ago, I was told it would be done when I brought them and the parts would be in and out in about an hour.

I was kinda pissed, but I wasn't about to try to take my parts somewhere else. I just kinda brushed it off and kept my mouth shut.

So it looks like the weekend will be entirely spent on engine work. Which I suppose isn't a bad thing, but I just don't have all of the gaskets here to put it all back together when I'm done. So I was kinda hoping to do all of that throughout the week in between primer coats.

Oh well, tomorrow will begin with a little bit of (actual) work. I have to go to a customer's house at 10am cause I gotta make that money when I can! Then after that, it's time to get down to business with that piston. Wish me luck.

Ciao.

Michael Franti and Spearhead

That last video I posted got me thinking about Spearhead.They played at my Alma Mater during the later half of my freshman year, and my roomate Sparky had one of their posters up for the remainder of the year. The next year, when I'd cook up five gallons of my infamous Cajun Dragon's Breath red beans and rice, at least one of my room mates would start into the chorus of "Beans and Rice." There's

Some MP3/Fuoco Updates

OR: The Day Late and a Dollar Short Scooter ReportOver several months, I've let scooter news items slide with the rationalization that Brian over at 2StrokeBuzz, Steve at The Scooter Scoop, and Dave at Scooter Cast, were covering this type of stuff earlier and better than I. Plus I get a lot of my scoops from the scooter forums, and feel a bit the leech if I repost stuff from there too often.But

Let me rephrase myself a little...

To avoid confusion, in my previous post, I wasn't talking about any high-end, essential parts. I was talking about tid-bits that add up to be expensive. Like gaskets, gromits, rubber, trim, junctions, etc. As Jeremy stated in a comment on my previous entry, try to get as many authentic italian made parts as possible. Don't settle for run of the mill reproductions on complex parts. But as for 12v upgrades, asian/indian made is the only option. When you buy these CDI upgrade kits, even from scomo or scooterworks, you are getting parts that were sold to them by scootrs. But the same is true with a whole lot of those little rubber bits and pieces and hardware.

Reference: Paint Considerations

There are a few ways to go with paint . . . but the most common two are (1) one-stage and (2) two-stage.

I have heard that one-stage is tougher for the daily rider and two-stage is higher quality for custom work or museum restoration.

We have a two-stage paint job on the SS.

I called my paint shop today, because I never asked for "touch-up paint." He explained to me that because each stage of paint is "activated" that any traditional touch-up would prove less than satisfactory. He told me of a local paint supplier shop near my house and told me to bring in a painted piece, which they will scan on their computer to make a color match. I am to ask them to match that color as an "acrylic enamel" and for small stone chips from the road and such I may be okay, but for larger scratches and dents it won't help.

Word to the wise.

Straight from the folks at scootrichmond.com, I found out that most of their parts and scooterworks' come from scootrs.com

I had never even heard of the place until the Scootrichmond folks told me about them.

Well, they are CHEAP. I wouldn't necessarily trust them with heavy mechanical or quality concerning parts just to be safe. But I got everything I needed from them, including shipping for about half the price it would have cost from an American company that resells their parts.

That's scootrs.com. Bookmark it.

Ciao.

Beatle Bailey Scoots (and Bikes!)

One of the things I'm adjusting to with this move, is just how many extremely talented folks live hereabouts. Keith Richards and Jose Feliciano both have been known to show up at a local saloon's open mic, for instance.Or, these cool ads for our shop, that were tweaked by legendary cartoonist Mort Walker, creator of Beatle Bailey and Hi and Lois. We had a drawing for an original comic by Mr.

Scoot.net Ads

Yesterday, I posted an ad on scoot.net looking for a 12v upgrade stator and flywheel. This morning, I had 3 e-mails from people who thought my Vespa was for sell. So I checked the ad to make sure I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't, it all checked out fine.

Read what you're trying to buy gooberheads!

Ciao.

Mild progress today

So, I work for myself. It is nice because since I am also a full time student, I can still have plenty of time for my family. Well, today was my wife's first day of college. I was excited because A) I'm proud of her, and B) For her to go to school, I can't work on Wednesdays. Instead, I need to stay home with the baby. (The older of the two goes to day care, and to preschool in the fall). I thought to myself "Hot damn! The baby normally takes about 4 hours worth of naps throughout the day, that means on Wednesdays I can have a little dedicated Vespa time!" Especially because it is normally 2 naps of 2 hours, so I can have a couple good working blocks. Not today. Oh no no no. The baby was cranky. So all that I got done was taking her on a field trip to pick up the paint. After talking to a few bike owners and from what I remember of my old pal Tim (Custom painter at Big Dog Motorcycles), it is best to use a single stage paint on any sort of every day rider that doesn't have custom paint jobs (designs, flames, what have you) because it is much more durable and chip resistant. With custom jobs, you really don't have much of a choice. I was told a 2 stage (paint coat, top coat) is also good, especially for show quality, it's just a little better for an every day rider to have a single stage. I'm going with a seafoam green.

After school tonight, I squeezed in a good hour to finish getting everything rounded up for the big media blast on Friday. I decided I would just let them handle the Fender and fork, and finish up the little specs I left on the rims. I think if I never use chemical stripper again, it will be too soon. I started taping up parts that are already down to bare metal. So far, the pieces completely ready for priming are the engine cowl, the head, the lever attachments, and the gas tank. While disassembling the fork, found I will need a new shock, though. No biggie.

Ciao.

How to clean your engine cases

I recently read that some folks like to use "oven cleaner" to clean up their engine cases. Warning! It's a bad idea!!

Also, don't polish your engine cases. Hard to keep clean. Not original either. Just clean them up or bead blast them, which is what I did.

I have had this discussion before with my mentors and just emailed them to confirm that I was right.

Here's what Tom G. said:

Bad idea.

Cases are aluminum, and most oven cleaners are
lye-based (caustic soda).  Lye reacts with aluminum.
Frankly, I don't know if it weakens it or not
(probably not upon temporary surface contact), but it
does leave dark stains on it.  Ugly.

Scrape as much as you can with a plastic, wood, or
even metal scraper, and then wash the residue off with
solvents.  Not necessarily paint thinner either, but
ok to use it if you like.  Gasoline is cheap (but
explosive!), and there are proprietary parts washing
solvents out there which are less combustible, and
have additives to deter evaporation.

Here's what Christopher M. said:

I agree with Tom. If you buy parts washer fluid at an auto parts store,
avoid the Purple Power stuff. It creates some sort of effluoresence on
aluminum. Not sure if it eats metal, but it gets ugly. Easy to brush off,
though. I like the paint thinner that is listed as reduced odor. It still
stinks, but not as much as the regular stuff.

Birth of another scooter restore blog

Keep your eyes on Eric's VBB. He's moving forward. Watch his restoration progress! Cheer him on. Bloggers need compliments and support. It feels like working in a vacuum at times and appreciative readers go a long long way.

Reassembly Update #2

Front shock is installed on the fork. It's ready for the front fender. Need to find hardware (go through my boxes) and take it to a hardware store and replace it with stainless steel hardware and install the front fender. I also need to polish the exposed bearing race so it glitters in the sun once more.After that the steering column can be installed.

I did not tape up bearing races on the top of the steering column and the bottom of the steering column before paint and THEREFORE had to remove the paint. Make sure to tape that up before you paint. If not, use a razor blade to cut around the paint and then chip away or sand away to avoid chipping any paint that will be exposed. Don't ruin your new paint job!

Ted used his Dremel tool, on a low setting, with light emery paper and ground off the paint of the bearing race without damaging the race or the paint.

Rear shock is almost rebuilt and ready to attach to the rear hub.

Inner tubes are purchased and tires will be mounted on the rim and then on the hubs. It's time to get the bike down on its own two feet.

The lower bearing cover appears to have been damaged while being removed. It is soaking in solvent and if the bend is minor it will be straightened again -- if not it will be replaced.

Parts update.

The last 3 days, I have thrown down a lot of money to get the most expensive parts out of the way. Really, the bike was pretty complete when I got it and some new parts had been purchased by one of the previous owners. By the time I got it, it had all new cables, a new wiring harness, a new center floormat, and rear brake rubber.

This week, I have ordered:
A headlamp assembly
A taillight lense
New bulbs
The floor rail kit
A new chrome horn
A gasket replacement kit
New grips
A 12v flywheel
A 12v stator
12v junction boxes
A new speedometer assembly
A new exhaust
A buddy seat
A set of kickstand feet

Of course, as the restoration progresses, you will always find pieces that need replaced along the way that you hadn't planned. As of right now, the piston and cylinder are questionable (I previously mentioned, we are going to try and un-jam it this weekend). And I think that Ken has the know how to get the glovebox cowl back into shape so that the door will fit back on correctly. But as of now, here's the known parts that remain necessary:

Carb
1 Brake/Clutch lever
kickstarter
legshield trim
cowl trim
cowl rubber
helmet latch
emblems
mirrors (optional accesory)
rear rack/spare tire attachment (optional accesory)
3x 3.5" x 8" whitewall tires
3x 3.5" x 8" innertubes


So really, as of now, I've got most of the purchases out of the way. But again, I'm more than sure that I will find other things that need to be replaced. The engine casing isn't split yet. Once inside, there's a lot of common pieces that need to be replaced. Like oil seals, bearings, cruciforms, etc.

We'll see where things go once the engine is split open this weekend.

Ciao.

O quê, Vespa TT? Isso é para meninos!

APE TT é que está a dar...

The next few weeks ahead...

So, here is how things have been going...

I have sanded and grinded and chemicaled myself out. I give up. I caved in this morning and decided to get the frame media blasted. So, I called a place called SoftStrip who said they can fit me in on Friday morning at 10am. It should take about an hour and cost about $90. Honestly, if I knew it was that cheap, I would have done that from the beginning instead of waste 20+ of my own labor hours toiling away. This is as far as all of that has done. The only thing that really kept me from wanting to media blast is that it seems that it will take away the body filler that had previously been applied. And although on the smaller pieces, they were over-bondo'ed into submission, it was used very wisely and responsibly on the frame. But fortunately, it was just applied to the front of the legshield, so it shouldn't be all that hard to recreate. Anyhow, Friday morning = Media blast. The rest of the weekend = body prep + what will be covered in the next paragraph.

3 Days of letting PB B'laster soak in, and the piston is still seized. I'm not surprised, I never really seem to get an easy break, so I imagined this would happen. Jeremy ended up using a hydrulic press and a hacksaw. I might have to go the same road, but my step-dad (Ken, he's helping me all weekend with body and mechanics.) and I might have a few different tricks up our sleeves beforehand. As the engine is coming apart, it really seems that the only thing terribly wrong with it is the seized piston. It is also cleaning up incredibly easy. Just a little de-greasing oven cleaner and a rag does wonders. I just can't get the damn casing to separate. I took a heat gun to the bearing under the stator, like other blogs suggested, but it still won't budge in the slightest bit. Again, maybe Ken will have something up his sleeve this weekend. He has much more experience with mechanics than I do(albeit, not Vespas, but old model cars).

So, I had a heated debate with myself about whether to keep true to the roots of the VBB and keep the 6v system, or drill a hole in the side of the frame, upgrade the stator/flywheel/junctions/wiring harness, and run off of a 12v battery system. A lot of people say that the old magneto set-up is just awful and it is worth the price and labor and actually adds desirability and value even though it takes away from the original state. Well, when disassembling the engine, the debate is over. I pulled the flywheel and noticed that a fin is chipped off. And one of the wires to the stator has a terribly damaged sheeth. So since those are really the two most expensive pieces of a 12v upgrade, I might as well do it since I have to anyway. I'm sure that I will be much happier with the outcome anyhow. A buddy of mine has a sprint with the original 6v system and is very unhappy. He is going to have me give him an upgrade too, so at least I will have the experience first.

To finish off today, I found a picture that my beautiful girlfriend, Danielle snapped of me right when the delivery truck door opened and I got a glimpse of my new toy last Friday. I think I look thrilled. Oh, by the way. Never set a deadline on your Vespa restoration project. But, I am hoping to have this done in time for our wedding. We are getting married on June 7th, and don't want a crappy limo. We want to ride off on a restored seafoam green '63 VBB 150! So, I'm not necessarily planning on it... just hoping I get lucky enough for the experience.

Ciao.

Ser ou não ser?

Coincidência ou não, acabo de chegar a casa, depois de ter estado na esplanada do Noobai, ali em Santa Catarina com o rio aos pês e lá ao longe a ponte. Que final de tarde, tão lisboeta. Estivemos na conversa e falava-se de comida, de vinhos essencialmente de boa mesa. De locais, onde se come bem e que estão bem decorados. Enfim de coisas boas. Mesmo não percebendo patavina dessa bela língua de trapos que é o neerdelandês. E que até acho sexy. Acabo de descobrir (via Billy dos Vespa Friends Algarve) esta espécie de reportagem/anúncio publicitário. Trata-se de um nuovo restaurante italiano em Amesterdão, que tem uns bancos inspirados nas nossas Vespas.
Deixo aqui a questão; aqueles referidos bancos/acentos serão um bom objecto de design?. Ou não são de todo?. Escultura/Mobiliário? Neste caso, serão um elemento sexy no decor do restaurante? Será demais ou uma ideia fantástica? Se a ideia pega, já estou a imaginar uma gelataria na Costa da Caparica com as mãozinhas do Cristo-Rei!?! Vou ver novamente...

Scoopy review

Lembrei-me de uma coisa. Já falei muito da minha Honda SH, mas nunca perdi muito tempo com as suas características e capacidades, e esse género de informação que pode interessar a um comprador curioso ou indeciso...

Bom, a Honda SH 125, conhecida como "Scoopy" (embora esse nome não surja em nenhum lugar da mota) é uma scooter de roda alta muito popular em países do Sul da Europa, como Espanha e Itália, onde domina o top de vendas há anos, mas não tanto aqui em Portugal. Segue o esquema típico destes veículos, com rodas de 16 polegadas à frente e atrás, um motor enérgico para os seus 125 centímetros cúbicos de cilindrada, que no meu modelo de 2001 são servidos por um carburador. Não tem "ar", ou seja, tem mistura automática e tudo o que o condutor tem que manusear são o acelerador e os travões.

Dispondo de 13 cavalos, mais coisa menos coisa, a Scoopy consegue arrancar à frente do trânsito nos semáforos (a maior parte das vezes). Em cidade, mantêm sempre fôlego mais que suficiente para que eu me sinta seguro, mesmo a subir, ou nas grandes avenidas, onde ninguém parece cumprir os limites de velocidade. No entanto, as vias rápidas que nasceram em Lisboa um pouco por toda a parte trazem já problemas sérios, uma vez que nem sempre é possível manter-mo-nos ao ritmo (louco) do trânsito. Eu evito circular por estas vias sempre que posso.


Mesmo assim, as performances são muito razoáveis, a Scoopy arranca sem esforço e notavelmente depressa até aos 40-50 km/h, circula sem esforço a mais de 70 km/h e chega supostamente aos 105 km/h, embora na minha mão só tenha chegado aos 100. Não costumo forçar essas velocidades com frequência: eu meço quase um metro e noventa e ofereço muita resistência aerodinâmica, além de que a partir dos oitenta nota-se que o motor já vai em esforço. Digo isto pelo som, uma vez que a Scoopy não tem naturalmente conta rotações, embora disponha de um agradável mostrador com velocímetro, indicador de temperatura e indicador de combustível, sem luz de reserva. Possui ainda um relógio digital e um conta quilómetros parcial.

Em andamento a Scoopy é confortável, fruto do assento longo, largo e ergonómico, perfeitamente capaz de transportar duas pessoas adultas, e de umas suspensões muito razoáveis (forquilha telescópica à frente e um par de amortecedores atrás, estes com 3 posições de regulação). Mais uma vez, o meu metro e noventa por vezes condiciona o conforto, nomeadamente com passageiro, mas a solo, e em geral a moto é um sitio agradável para se estar. Um aviso sobre a altura do banco, para mim está perfeita, mas para os mais baixos pode ser um problema.


A travagem é só razoável, não muito forte. Isso sim, é bastante segura, fruto da travagem combinada: é quase impossível bloquear qualquer roda, mesmo a de trás! Circulando por Lisboa, as rodas grandes fazem notar as suas vantagens, uma vez que as inúmeras irregularidades e buracos de Lisboa são ultrapassados quase sempre sem problemas, embora com algum desconforto provocado sobretudo por abanões e sacudidelas de alguns plásticos. Isso pode ser um problema específico desta unidade, uma vez que ela já tinha tido algumas quedas antes de eu a comprar...

Em termos de aspectos práticos, a Scoopy peca pela falta de espaço debaixo do assento, mais uma vez, não é defeito, é feitio, já que isto é um problema comum a quase todas as scooters de roda alta. Lá caberá só um pequeno capacete Jet, mesmo assim a sua utilidade não é negligenciável. Por outro lado, a plataforma plana para os pés, mais um conveniente e muito inteligente gancho e a cómoda grelha porta-bagagens ajudam a transportar cargas na Scoopy.
O passageiro dispõem também de poisa pés retracteis, e para finalizar a lista do equipamento é de referir que a Scoopy tem um muito útil, mesmo que pouco usual, travão de mão, uma pequena palheta que prende a manete esquerda e assim imobiliza as rodas.


Para finalizar, de referir que a Scoopy nunca me deu problemas mecânicos, tive apenas que trocar de bateria uma vez. As revisões são feitas na Honda cada 4000 km e os consumos são muito agradáveis, nunca gastei mais que 8 Euros para encher o depósito, o que se traduz num consumo médio de 3 litros por cada 100 km...

Para mais informações podem consultar os dados técnicos aqui e ler um ensaio do mais recente modelo, aqui (em Francês)

So here it is...

By the suggestion of fellow Vespa restorer, Jeremy, I have decided to start a blog to keep a record of the restoration process of my 1963 Vespa VBB 150. So, to start it all off with, this is where I'm at...

I have wanted a VBB 150 for about 4 years now. I owned a 2003 ET2 that I got as a High School graduation present, and I just fell in love with everything Vespa. Tragically, that Vespa was very short lived. I got in a head on collision with a drunk driver, and luckily I survived, the Vespa did not. I had it only 4 months but had put over 7,000 miles on it. That's how much I loved it.

While a new one was great and all, I really started leaning towards the classic models. The Sprints, The Supers, The GSX's, The 150's, even the Allstates. I knew one of these was what I wanted, but finding just the right one would be hard. I kind of centered in on VBB 150's as my favorite model. Something about them just really got me. A year ago, I even got one tattooed on my leg. (I know it looks a little flakey in the pic, it was still healing.)

So finally, after years of searching, I found a good example of a Vespa VBB 150 that needs to be saved without being in too bad of shape. I got it on eBay, and it showed up at my door last Friday afternoon. Within an hour of owning this diamond in the rough, I already had it taken apart and brought to the basement to prep it for the make-over it so desperately needs. The picture might make it look like a desirable fire engine red color. I hate to have to say that it is actually a very ugly magenta/raspberry color. And a very terrible job at that. This specific piece was chosen because: The actual condition of the body is very pleasent, every essential part to get it running was included, and it would make for a perfect project bike.

As you can see, there's cables spewing out the head. That is because the previous owner bought this bike just the way he sold it to me. The person he got it from started to restore it, but just kind of gave up and sold it. And the guy I bought it from already has several functional Vespas and just didn't make the time to work on this one. It was taken apart to be painted (again, poorly), and all the electronics, levers, and cables taken out and the engine half disassembled. This is how I received it from the freighters. A slightly assembled bike and a box of parts.

So as of now, the bike is disassembled, all of the body pieces are down to the bare metal, ready to be painted, the frame is in the process of being sanded down now, and the engine is partially taken apart. The only body piece I think might need to be replaced is the glovebox side cowl. It has been abused with bondo and the door won't even fit back on because the metal is so warped. The only thing that actually seems to be wrong with the engine is that the piston has seized. So I am currently working on removing the piston from the cylinder. I will have an update soon with the body pieces ready and how the piston went through.

VBB Restoration Advice

I received an email asking for potential websites and resources for restoring a VBB -- Vespa Super. Below is the email transaction of what I recommend. Please note that I am far from an expert, but I am always happy to share anything and everything that I have learned in this process.


Eric,

Congrats. Note: Be very careful with all eBay purchases. 90% are crap! It sounds like you may have found yourself a 10%'r. First off, please read my post (I think there may be two) on Things to think about during "Disassembly." If you are new to this process as I am, you will want to get all of your ducks in a row before moving forward at all. Also, this may feel like a big pain in the butt, but consider reading my blog from day one to present, because I too had a SERIOUSLY seized piston and show what it took to get it free (more than PB Blaster) and I also had many other issues, which I am sure you will experience as most restorers do. I promise it's worth the read. Before I restore my 1963 TV175 I am going to reread my entire VSC blog.

Now to answer you questions:
Great overview of restoration -- http://vespavillage.com/
Restoration of a Vespa Super -- http://www.scooterhelp.com/restorations/vbb.html
Maintenance of VBB -- http://web.mit.edu/scz/www/scoot/vbb-repair.shtml

Use Scoothelp.com to download info on your model, specifically the "parts" and "maintenance" manuals. Study those like there will be no tomorrow!

Eric, if you can salvage the original paint by treating rust and bringing back a little of the original luster of paint I suspect that would be a smarter move than repainting. If it's an option. The blog recommends products for this. It will cost at least $1000 to have it professionally painted and the value of the bike will not increase that much, if it were a MKII, VSB or an SS90, it would be a wise investment.

If you plan to do any bodywork or paint yourself, jump onto the forum at www.autbodystore.com, and ask many questions. This will prove better advice than you get on BBS, etc. These guys are hardcore and really know there stuff more than most.

Search the web relentlessly and study every square inch of your bike -- how it the day it left the warehouse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFKiLgX5mFY&feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=l_Fjfs9LWRw

Email people that post videos and such on your specific bike and ask away as well.

Be relentless in your documentation of the entire restoration. Blogging forces me to record everything immediately and in great detail. It's a wonderful tool for me and the readers as well. I recommend starting a blog on the process. Walk your readers through your experience, writing it down forces you to process it.

Anything else you need at this time Eric?

Good luck and PLEASE keep me posted.

Jeremy



Eric W. wrote:
I got a 1963 VBB 150 off of eBay (no, not a vietnamese one, one that needs A LOT of work). Within an hour of owning it, I had completely taken it apart and moved all the pieces to the basement to prep it for paint. I have the Haynes manual, but it walks through disassembling the engine in the craziest, vaguest manner possible, at least to me. You seem to find some great material, would you happen to know where I could find a nice walk-through for this engine?

Also, I think that the only thing actually wrong with my engine is that the piston is seized, I'll definitely take up your recommendation with the PB Blaster and give that a shot to get that sucker loose. But I would still like to figure out how to get the engine completely apart because I'm sure it could use a good cleaning behind the ears.

Thank you much!
-Eric W.

Breaking Bad: The Dragon's New Favorite Show

So, we have cable now, in our new house, and even before the writer's strike hit, I was underwhelmed with plethora options it offered me. Aside from Food Network offerings, there wasn't much that I felt I couldn't get on the internet or DVD.But the ads for Breaking Bad on AMC definitely intrigued me. The idea of a drama based around a High School Chemistry teacher going to the dark side and

Rust Removal

While doing my weekly research on LCUSA (Lambretta Club of America) I came across this product, Quick Glo, that some use to remove rust from spots on parts that can not be soaked in Evaporust; such as a rusty floor board. This product removes the rust and brings back some of the original shine of the original paint.

This would be a great product for myvesparestoration.blogspot.com to use, because his paint job is in good shape and paint is not a necessary investment for that bike's restoration.

Reassembly Update #1

The front shock has been attached to the fork and the front hub has been out back together with a brand new pivot pin. For the roller bearings in the pivot pin use a thick "sticky" grease to hold them in place -- kind of a grease glue, for lack of better description.

The rear shock is being rebuilt and then the steering column will be mounted and the engine will follow.

I will post some pictures and more details as soon as I can. Feb. is going to be a tough month for me so not a lot of detail expected until later in Feb.

Paying Dues, or Jimmy Olsen's Blues

Well, I've progressed to working at Vespa Ridgefield full-time, and am basically loving it.I add the qualifier to that statement, because at the tender age of 36, it kinda feels like I'm starting all over again. While I enjoy everyday at work, everyday is also a reminder of how much I have to learn. The concept of the aspiring journalist starting out in a newspaper's mail room comes to mind.Which

Brevemente numa esquina perto de Si

Calendario de Encontros e Afins 2008

Infromação enviada pelo nosso amigo carteiro vespista N.Mexe

5/6 Abril - Torres Vedras

19/20 Abril - Abrantes

25/26/27 Abril - IberoVespa /VC Lisboa

3/4 Maio - Vespamania

10/11 Maio - 1º Vespas em Movimento

17/18 Maio - Vespas do Marques

24/25 Maio - Estoril

31 Maio/1 Junho - Ourém

7/8 Junho- Alentejo/Litoral

15 Junho - Almorol

22 Junho - Bairrada

28 Junho - Castro D´aire

5/6 Julho - Oeste

12 Julho - Freamunde

19/20 Julho - Bom Sucesso

26/27 Julho - 2º Vespas em Movimento

6/7 Setembro - Fátima

13/14 Setembro - 3º Vespas em Movimento

20/21 Setembro - Alpiarça

3/4/5 Outubro - Guimarães Lisboa

Ano Novo Vida Nova ....

Pois é Caros Amigos Vespistas....

Quero desde já agradecer a todos os que têm vindo aqui a este blog quase diariamente para ver se há novidades....
Pois não tem havido novidades como sabem tudo o que acontece no nosso Portugal a nível de vespismo é do Alentejo para cima e como nenhum dos membros deste grupo se deslocou a nenhum desses eventos nada foi relatado sobre eles … pois acho que não vale apena estar a falar das coisas onde não se vai.
Contudo vamos ver se este ano de 2008 vai ser um pouco melhor a nível de participação nos eventos nacionais e nos passeios ocasionais organizados por nós ……

No Bairro...

Sabado, 19 o LGare vai ser mod, no verdadeiro espírito original. Driving
Beat vai estar pregado aos decks das 23 às 3 da manhã a escolher Jazz,
Hammond Grooves, Soul/R&B, Ska/Rocksteady e Beat!
Quem tem vindo aos Modernist Night Out's já vai conhecendo o estilo e as
preferências, mas desta vez vai haver muitas surpresas (não fossem 5 horas
em vez de 1 hora e meia!?), principalmente no início...por isso apareçam cedo!
Para não variar, o 2º número da fanzine modernista vai estar disponível no
local.
O L Gare não é muito grande, mas tem grande ambiente e o pessoal que
presta a necessária assistência etílica é do melhor.
Apareçam e serão bem recebidos! O Corto Maltese 'tá lá sempre!
Venham de scooter, a pé, de carro ou de transportes, mas apareçam!
O L Gare fica no Bairro Alto - Rua da Rosa.
Quem entra pelo Príncipe Real, desce a rua do forno dos bolos, passa o
mercado e é pouco depois do lado esquerdo).
Quem vem da Calçada do Combro passa por baixo do arco e é sempre a subir,
com o bar do lado direito, antes de chegar ao mercado.
Até lá
Driving Beat

Antes, Agora e Hoje! Them (e Van Morrison)

A net tem destas coisas, para quem não viveu nos anos 60, podemos hoje em dia deslumbrar-nos com a imagem e o som das bandas da altura. Sentimo-nos uma espécie de arqueologo da cultura pop. Cada teclanço, descobrimos uma camada de história. Uma das grandes bandas que grangeou algum sucesso, estavamos em 1964, eram os Them. Vinham de Belfast e praticavam um furioso e potente rhythm and blues. Na voz, destacava-se Van Morrison, que mais tarde fez uma notável e brilhante carreira a solo. Nesta gravação, um dos pontos alto do popular programa Rock Steady Go, podemos ver uns Them em inicio de carreira a espalhar brasas sobre a assistência. Aposto com voçês, que nenhum daqueles jovens que estão ali, imaginaria que 40 anos depois, que a aquela mesma música iria fazer dançar muitas gerações e sonorizar muitos anúncios para tv. "Baby, please don't Go" é um original de Big Joe Williams, os Them elevou o tema a hino á escala global, atingindo os top 40 americano e inglês. Os Them, após a saída de Morrison optaram pela fase psicadélica, curiosamente actuaram diversas vezes com os The Doors de Manzarek e Jim Morrison, O outro Morrison, optou pela blue eyed soul e pela folk e tornou-se numa lenda viva.

The Scooter Scoop Sells Out!

Of course I kid!I kid because I love!The Dragon wishes extreme congratulations to Steve Guzman of the Scooter Scoop for his new job as US front man for Italjet scooters.While it has been mentioned in the scooter blogsphere that Steve is putting his credibility on the line with this development, and even Steve himself has said that he may stop reviewing other scooter manufacturer's products

Scootercast Update

So, since moving I've been playing catch up on a lot of aspects of my life, in particular, my online life. One of my most shameful procrastinations has been the pile up of Scootercasts in my podcast subscriptions.I have been trying to catch up for sometime, but quite honestly, it felt like a never ending battle. Dave is so diligent with his podcasting duties, that listening to a couple a month,

Scooter..? Porquê? (Parte 2)

Pensei em muitas maneiras de conseguir utilizar a bicicleta como veículo utilitário, mas falhava sempre alguma coisa. Se fosse muito perto, ia a pé. Qualquer coisa acima de 2 km já merecia a pena, mas para distâncias maiores que 12 km havia o factor transpiração, teria que levar roupa para trocar, eventualmente tomar banho. Onde? E depois havia as estradas. Na altura não morava em Lisboa e as principais vias de acesso para mim eram a A5 e a estrada marginal. Nem mesmo a Marginal, com o seu sistema de semáforos (e agora radares) oferece as mínimas condições de segurança a um ciclista.

Ainda penso que a bicicleta é o veículo supremo, ecológico, divertido, uma proeza de engenharia e simplicidade onde somos nós que brilhamos (ou não). Mas eu precisava de outra coisa...

Resolvi experimentar os pequenos motociclos, esses descendentes da moderna bicicleta. Para isso tive de tirar a carta de mota, um desejo muito antigo. No inicio de Setembro de 2006, montado na Yamaha XJ 600N de uma escola da capital, passei no exame. Muito haveria a dizer sobre o ensino de condução em portugal, mas isso fica para uma outra oportunidade. Com a licença na mão, uns dias depois, não tive mais que pegar na fiel Scoopy, que estava já parada à porta de casa. Sim, porque ainda antes de passar no exame de condução já tinha combinado a compra da Honda SH 125 da minha amiga Ana, que trabalhava agora tão longe de casa que a scooter pouco uso tinha.

E porque escolhi a Honda SH, além do preço e a confiança? Bom, para começar sempre tinha admirado o design das scooters, a ideia de esconder as partes móveis e potencialmente sujas da mota, de proteger o condutor parcialmente dos elementos, tudo era mais requintado, tudo nas scooters parecia mais civilizado. E as scooters eram todas motociclos (e ciclomotores) de baixa cilindrada, justamente os únicos que me interessavam. Eu queria simplificar a minha vida, não complica-la. As motos de grande cilindrada consomem tanto como os automóveis e têm uma manutenção igualmente dispendiosa, sem serem nunca mais práticas.

Desde esses começos no final do verão de 2006, deixei de usar e depois vendi o carro. Agora moro em Lisboa, onde a Scoopy repousa sozinha na garagem do prédio. Uso a scooter todos os dias. Com perto de 10.000 km de experiência, já me sinto menos maçarico e já conduzi em todo o tipo de estradas, desde Autoestradas a estradas regionais de montanha. E não me arrependo nem um bocadinho das minhas escolhas.

190cc Bajaj Mod

Roy wrote an article on how he designed and built his 190cc kit on "All things Bajaj." Comments are posted there as well.

Here's what Roy wrote:

a lot of research went into this and those so inclined may benefit from this. first i decide on the maximum size that the cyl could be sleeved to this is determined by the engine case as it can only be opened so far (70 to72mm) that sets the piston size at (63 to 67mm) working with Marvin at Kustom-Kraft.com tel 888-697-4343 (tell him roy rhodes set you) we decided on 65mm this allows for two over bores if needed and gives a displacement of 189.1cc if you went the max at 67mm you would have a full 200cc. but no room for boring. the piston i decided on is a Honda ATC200 81-86 std size 65mm this piston has a dished top and must be machined down in a lathe also the skirt must be shortened this is also done on the lathe the piston pin dia is 15mm the stock pin is 17mm i machined a sleeve on my lathe and locktited it into the rod small end. the cyl head must be mounted on the lathe and a recess cut to match the new cyl dia this is then blended into the combustion chamber and additional material removed from the chamber to bring the cr down in my case 10.75 to 1 at this cr the electric starter just will turn the engine over but if its up on compression i must jog the starter or kick it past top before it will spin the motor. Marvin supplied a custom cut copper head gasket and i used 2 stock base gaskets to seal the cyl you can only raise the cyl so much before the cam chain becomes tight. and that is how i did it doing all the lathe work and cyl head work myself, is there a better piston to be used?, or Marvin said that a custom piston could be ordered but cost is a factor. total cost for this work was $380.00 but as Marvin now has all the info on hand the next customer may do much better also if you supply your own piston they can be had for less im using a ProX2430 cast piston which Marvin supplied.

one thing i forgot is that the engine case must be opened up to accept the larger cyl liner this can be done by stripping the entire engine and having a machine shop do it but i stuffed the engine case with shop towels cotton balls more shop towels and then sealed it with modeling clay then i made a guide from 2in thick oak and used a 2 3/4in hole saw to open the engine case up a little clean up with the dremmel and then remove and clean the engine just for good measure i flushed the engine with a parts cleaner pump and cleaning fluid and then did the final assembly.