Lambretta + Carello for Vespa

The headlamp in it's place.

I've been doing some scooter work as well as tending to my newly bought moped.
In order to get my Lambretta TV 175 series 1 going, I moved it to my friend Jim. He has the tools, a lathe, a weld and more, and he knows how to use them. The other day we started out with some of the electrics, it's certainly a tight fit in the headset.
Next task was to help me with the brackets for my Carello half moon fog lights. The ones bought at the Imola fair and that will end up on my Vespa 160 GS. Another friend had the crash bars, an original accessory from the 60's. Thank's, C!
Unfortunately the brackets I had bought had a inner dimension of 25 mm, and the crash bar tubes are 19 mm...
Jim made some washers on his lathe and the mounting was no problem, as you can se.
The chainguards, two of them, to my moped (motobici) Svalette was missing. With a strike of luck two spares can turn up the coming week. Fingers crossed...

It's a tight fit with the electrics and cables.

Not ready for start yet...

The Carello fog lights mounted on the crashbar...

...which will be fitted to my Vespa 160 GS.

Indian Lambretta for sale

This beauty are for sale in India right now. No, I'm not being ironic because this is an original Lamby 150 from the maker API. So much more desirable then the fake "Acmas" and other weird stuff.
In the advert it only says that it's a Lambretta in running order. But according to The Indian Lambretta Guide by Fanatic Scooters based in Brighton, it's a Lamby 150. The sidepanels obviously differ from an italian series 2 Li 150, but are original for a Lamby 150. Two single saddles instead of one long.
Lovely, I think the condition is superb!
And the price is right, approx € 300! How do I get it home?

Dealing with a stained seat

As you can see I have a stained seat. I posted a request for help on the LCUSA forum and here is what transcribed:

Below you can see what the seat looked like pre-cleaned with saddle soap.

"I placed my red bench seat upside down on top of its springs and grease made its way onto the seat quite visibly. Any reason I should NOT use Murphy's Oil Soap or some other leather cleaner on it?
If so, what do you recommend I clean it with and why?" - Jeremy

Below is a picture of the seat after three washes using saddle soap. See it shine.
"..probably vinyl and not real leather. Gonna be hard to wash with the hard rubber backing. I'd try mild soapy water and a soft sponge, don't scrub." - ALexM

Below is another picture of the seat after being cleaned in the natural sun light. As you can see the entire seat responded well to the cleaning, but the stain is still there and didn't seem to improve.
"Alex is right, mild dish soap or diluted Simple Green to clean the vinyl. If you want to make it look pretty after that then I recommend something like Meguiars Vinyl and Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner. Gives it a matte shine unlike Armor All which makes it look wet all the time and is so slick your ass will probably slide right off." - Ming

Below is a close up of one of the main stains after the cleaning.
"Try gojo hand cleaner with or without pumice" - Rude De / "What Rude De said. I have used it for many years to clean paintjobs too. Make sure to use non pumice on paintjobs." - DiryHandsLopez

Below is a picture of the smaller main stain. Picture is a little out of focused so you can't tell that the stain is worse than what you see here.
"IMO,
It depends on how old and worn the seat is. If its older, it will be more porous and likely to stain from any sort of cleaner you put on there. My guess is it is probably is a bit aged because if it was newer vinyl it might not have gotten stained from grease in the first place...just a guess. Therefore, if it was me, and especially if its an original seat, I would clean the whole thing with saddle soap (follow instructions, get it nice and foamy with a bit of water and a sponge and wipe it off right away. I like to keep a little bucket of water to rinse the sponge in) starting from the front and work toward the back. While going over that stained area, I would introduce a bit of simple green for a while if its stubborn but move past it fairly quickly until you do the whole seat. Then come back to it if you didnt get it all the first time around. Let it dry. If the simple green didnt work well enough and the whole thing looks like it responded well, I would do it all over again and then yes, try the gojo on the spot this time. I would avoid doing any sort of spot cleaning especially if the cleaner had any sort of a oily, solvent or parafin type base.

my three cents.
mo peace and less grease, Beat

Oh, of course do this out of direct sunlight while the seat's not hot." - Beat

Below you can see a small tear I have in the vinyl. I hope to use a vinyl glue to prevent it from tearing any more.
"Sad and good news. The entire red seat responded well to the saddle soap. I washed it three times in a row. First with a light wash. Then heavy and finally a medium lather to wrap it up. The seat looks great, except for the fact that the stains are still 100% there. I feel a bit pissed at myself, because I put the seat in the situation that resulted in this stain unneccesarily. Stupid! I did not have Simple Green or Gojo. I assume you recommend Simple Green with the method you suggested and then Gojo if that's a no go? Any other suggestions?" - Jeremy

Below is a picture of the emblem and rear end of the seat. I want to determine if this is an original seat or not.
Does this look like an original stock seat to you guys?

Here is the entire seat below.
Above is the seat frame and the underside of the upholstered part.

What I find interesting here is there appears to be a price tag or some type of label on the underside of the seat.

Lambretta tool: Kieran Walsh's & Stewart Nicol's silent block extractor/installer

Below is one of the best homemade designed silent block extractor/installer tool. You can purchase these parts at Home Depot or alike in the electrical, plumbing, and hardware sections and you will be able to make this tool at a fraction of the $70 it costs to buy this tool.

Above is the plan designed by Kieran Walsh& Stewart Nicol.

The extractor is on the left side and the installer is on the right.



Here is the tricky cut outs to fit the engine case.

2 inch section.

2 and 1/2 inch section.

Thanx for sharing Kieran.

Lambretta tool set part #2

I want to make my own silent block (engine buffer) extrator/installer tool. I found these instructions in the LCUSA archive. The detailed photographs are helpful. I also asked fellow LCUSA members how they have done it and here is the response I got:

The original BBS thread here:

artclone
Member since Apr-29-03
20 posts Mar-12-04, 09:37 PM (EDT)
"RE: Lambretta Engine Silent blocks removal"
In response to message #1

I followed instructions I found on this list - do a search. The instructions below are good, but the original was better.

It is easy to make a good puller/press yourself. Bring your silent block to the local hardware store. I went to ACE. You can make a puller with standard, non-metric, parts - pipe and nuts, bolt, and washers.

There is no way to break a case using this puller. Broken cases are caused when people use hammers to do this job.

Go to the plumbing section and get a standard iron pipe wide enough to just fit over the silentblock (sb from now on) and a touch longer than the length of the sb. This is needed to pull the old silent block out.

Get 2 giant washers as wide as the outside of the pipe. These will be used for pulling and pressing.

Get 4 smaller washers as wide as the sb small end (the right ones will be a touch narrower) These will pull out the sb from the inside.

Get a bolt a bit longer than the pipe and 1/2 the silentblock and 6 washers and nut together, but not too long. It should be just narrower than the hole in the silent block.

Get a nut and a spare to fit the bolt

---------------------

this works perfectly every time. you pull the old sb out using all parts - slip the pipe over the old sb. Insert bolt and 2 small washers from inside of engine mount; nut, small and large washers on the outside. Tighten nut and bolt until sb comes out. Use heat if you really think you need to, but if the mount isn't coming out, the problem is probably with the way you are using the puller.

Check new sb and engine mount surfaces for obstructions and sand off if needed. Lightly grease the outside of the new silent block and the inside of the engine mount, gently tap sb in the case just a bit with a rubber mallet. Putting a new sb requires the bolt, nut, and 2 small and 1 large washer on both the inside and outside. Put bolt through outside this time. Press new sb in by tightening nut and bolt.

Here's a good picture of the real deal i found as well.

Lambretta Children's Clothing

Children's Lambretta clothing for sale.
I need to raise $450 for the electronic ignition set-up I want for my TV175. I'm a high school English teacher and a proud dad to a 2.5 year old, which means to my Lambretta it needs to wait a long time for parts money. It is my goal to completely rebuild the engine this summer and then some. In order to do that I need to buy my BGM electronic ignition. So I am creating a fundraising event for my TV. I am selling applique Lambrettas (think iron-on patches which are iron & sewn on and totally safe in the washing machine and will handle toddler abuse) on onesies for infants through 24 months. Pictured above is my son wearing one my shirts (Note: I have not added the cross stitching around the profile yet, which will add a nice subtle texture to it and make very durable).

I have a variety of templates, which include Series I, II, III, & a couple Lambros. Personally, I have always wanted to dress my son in a Lambretta shirt and I think he looks cute and stylish in this one-of-a-kind Lambretta shirt.

Onesies are for sale at $15.00 plus postage. I have a variety of fabrics that are friendly to both boys and/or girls. I just need to know the size of onesie, the model of Lammy you want, and gender of the child. I can use a color thread or a clear thread (basically invisible). Just let me know. If you are a LCUSA member you can PM me at JeremyJSutton.

Remagnetized stators

I asked Gene M. about the remagnitized stators when considering building a fully stock motor and this is what I asked Gene:


If I go with a 6-pole stator/flywheel and have Barry Gwin at SF Scooter Center re-magnitise it -- do you think it would be very dependable with a freshly rebuilt motor or do you like the SIL set-up more?

Gene's response:

Does he have a flux tester -- to see which magnets are low?

If the recharge has worked?

Remagnetized stators are fine -I ran my tv200 with stock 6 pole DC system for years. Strong flywheel too. Ignition was fine. Charging was fine. What was poor was the headlight power..the elec kit I have now puts out a lot more wattage for lights...

Bearing choices

I have been doing a lot of research on bearing choices and trying to make sure that I get great quality bearings. I spoke with both a scoot shop and two bearing distributors. SKF and FAG brand bearings are the most expensive bearings I looked at, but it looks like I will be using NSK. The bearing distributor has not been able to find the three needle rolling bearings based off of the numbers provided in Marti Sticky's book. Here's what I have so far:

- $27.35 for drive side main bearing "6305 VVC3 NSK (has rubber seal per Sticky's recommendation)"

- $50.63 for flywheel side main bearing "NU205M NSK (has bronze metal cages)"
* Alternative is $141 for FAG NU205E.M1

- $19.00 for endplate gear cluster bearing "6004 NSK"

- $11.12 for front hub sealed bearing "6201VV NSK"

- $60.00 for a RIV branded rear hub bearing

I will confirm that these are the best choices to go with.

Note: I do not need to order the front hub bearings as my front disc brake came with two brand new FAGs with metal seals still in unopened boxes.

It's all about engine bearings

Background reference: great information on bearing choices can be found here.

When restoring my wife's 1967 Vespa VSC. I quickly took to two mentors, because I am a total newbie. Those guys are Christopher Markley and Tom Giordano. They are referenced a ton on the blog restore of the Vespa. For this Lambretta I have added to mentors to my list, Stuart Werner and Mike Analt. So now I have four teachers. I am in the process of learning everything I can about the bearings that go inside a Lambretta engine. I don't like to just do things. I get obsessive and want to know about each piece before installing it and without a doubt bearings are parts that play an integral role in the performance and safety of your scooter.

First, I spoke with Gene Meredith and learned he sells URB bearings, but of course he explained
we can get any bearing you want. we normally use URB, which is a good high quality bearing, but if you insist on SKF I can get it, although it will be more $ and also NO guarantee what country the bearing was made in (SKF supply whatever is sent to them from whatever country is making x bearing at that time - which is why we prefer URB which is a good European bearing - used around here by most motorcycle shops and we use and have had no problem with them. they are EC which is extra capacity rating.

Secondly, I spoke with my mentors and got a greatly detailed answer that taught me exactly what I needed to know.

For the crank, you want to use an ECP (extra capacity) bearing. If you can get that from SKF, great. If not, go with the best quality bearing you can find. But then again, SKF has plants all over the world, and I'm not thrilled with their Indian production. Some of the Vespa Crankshaft bearings you get these days are SKF Indian, and I have seen several cage failures (and NEVER saw a cage failure on anything BUT these indian SKFs).

I've had good experiences with ZKL bearings.

But remember, the magneto side bearing is a two-part roller bearing. N204 or NU204 (I can't recall right now which). The rollers are held in place by a cage. Most N or NU 204 bearings made these days are made with plastic cages. But if you hunt, you can still find ones with bronze or steel cages. You want to use a bronze or steel cage bearing.

For a few years, (a reputable very shop) was selling plastic caged bearings. I had spoken with the Technical Service people at SKF, who said that the plastic cages were not meant to be used in constant contact with fuel. I raised this issue with (the very reputable shop owner), who spoke with (very reputable Italian distributor and Lammy Lover) about it. (The Italian Distributor) said he had been using them for years with no ill effects, and continued supplying plastic cage bearings. I decided to only use metal cage for my rebuilds. I think -- but am not sure -- that (the very reputable shop) has changed their policy and that their magneto bearings now only come with metal cages. I have not bought one lately, so I don't know.

You will not have an option to use metal cages with some of the needle rollers in the Lammy transmission. Some only come in plastic cage these days, but it does not matter. The transmission does not see gas -- only oil. So plastic is not a problem here.

Tom

When I lived in Harrisburg, PA I purchased my bearings from an industrial company, but I can't recall the name off the top of my head.

I have also been told that Power Transmission Services in Baltimore at 410-354-0010 is good and sells ZKL as well.

Preliminary Parts List

I am far from beginning the restoration of this scooter as I still need to complete restoring my wife's SS180, vesparestoration.blogspot.com, BUT seeing as a I am at a budget-stand-still with the Vespa I thought I'd start my parts list for the Lambretta TV175. The list below is in an Excel spreadsheet, but since I can not make a link for you to download it feel free to email me to request it and I will send it to you and if you're restoring a Lammy you can go ahead tweak it for your needs. I hope this list proves helpful.

I still need to compare my actual parts against this list to determine what I really need. I may also add the actual Innocenti part #s from the parts book to the final Excel spreadsheet parts list -- we'll see.

The list below was assembled using a Parts Catalog you can download for free from scooterhelp.com and a list of standard parts to replace for restorations from Stu Werner, which he gave me when I bought this TV from him.

** ** ** ** Parts List ** ** ** ** **

QTY: PART:

********* Engine Parts *********
1 Dean's Speed 190cc Kit
1 28 Minkuni carb
1 Clauss Studio engine mounts
1 Engine gasket set (possible to order as a kit for cheaper)
1 Rear hub back plate gasket
1 Engine rebound buffer w/washer
Engine mounting cones
1 Cylinder base gasket
1 Cylinder head gasket
1 Cylinder extended nut (for cylinder shroud)
1 Kickstart bump stop
1 8mm nut for exhaust std (engine case cover)
4 7mm end plate nut
4 7mm split washer for gearbox end plate
1 Chaincase cover gasket
1 6mm grease nipple (can I use sealed bearings and do away with the grease nipple?)
1 Oil drain plug (magnetic)
Other Parts TBD


********** Crank Shaft Parts **********
1 Crank Assembly: GP crank with TV arm (I have TV crank)
1 Oil thrower washer
1 Drive side bearing
1 Drive side oil seal
4 Bearing retaining screws
1 Hallite washer
1 Bearing distance piece
1 Piston wrist pin for Dean's Speed upgrade?
1 Small end bearing
1 Mag. Side (inner) oil seal (32x52x6)
1 Mag. flange circlip
1 Mag. Side (outer) oil seal (25x42x6)
1 Oil seal retainer
1 Flywheel side bearing (included with elec. start?)
1 COMPLETE crankshaft oil seal set (cheaper?)

********** Gearbox Parts *********
1 Main shaft bearing
1 Main shaft inner needle bearing
1 Kick start pedal rubber -- GREY
1 Gear cluster bearing
2 Shifter cursors ball bearing
1 Main shaft oil seal (32x45x6)
1 Kickstart shaft oil seal

********** Clutch Parts **********
2 Clutch basket needle bearings (or use alternative of G.P. bronze clutch bush
as longer lasting and more reliable?)

********** Fuel System Parts **********
1 Fuel tank cap
1 Gas tank splash cup
1 Gas tank fiber ring
1 Strap bolt trunnions (one threaded & one unthreaded, set)
1 Fuel tap assembly FAST FLOW (includes: brass fuel tap, fuel tap joint, fuel
tap arm with joint)
1 Choke cable assembly (includes: choke cable elbow, choke lever retaining
sleeve, choke lever assembly, choke cable complete -- GREY)
1 Choke spring
1 GP200 complete exhuast (Large Bore) with U-bend
1 Exhaust gasket (large bore)
1 Exhaust u-bend clamp (can this be purchased at Hardware store?)
1 Muffler clamp assymbly GP200 (Same as above?)
1 Exhaust clamp -- big bore
1 Air filter
1 Air filter oval gasket
1 Long airbox bolt
1 Airbox elbow rubber gasket
1 Air intake assembly (intake gasket, airbox top O-rubber, air intake)
1 Air hose GP150/200 (G.P non cup type work? Buy clamps at hardware store?)
1 Air spring spring clip
1 Lower drain retaining clip

********* Frame Parts **********
1 Fuel tank drip trays w/collar set
1 Fuel tank door (needed?)
1 Fuel tank door hinge pin
1 Fuel tank door lock & key
1 Fuel rod/frame grommet (needed?)
1 Centerstand spring (needed?)
1 Lower frame cone (needed?)
1 Centerstand feet w/pins -- BLACK
1 Centerstand hooks pair (needed?)
1 Centerstand splash plate (needed? Included w/Stu?)
2 Fuel tank rubber buffer set
1 R/H side rear footboard bracket (needed?)
1 L/H side rear footboard bracket (needed?)
1 Rear frame plugs -- GREY -- set of four
1 Side panel beading -- GREY
1 Rear shock (Taffspeed or BiTurbo)
1 Rear shock wave washer
1 Rear shock nut

********* Headset Parts **********
Brass throttle roller
Brass gear roller
1 Throttle tube spring washer
1 Throttle tube shim
Throttle/gear shaft bush
1 Throttle adjust lock nut (Needed?)
1 Inner shift bush - Ser 3
1 Cable guide clis (set of 2)
1 Throttle shaft sleeve
2 Throttle shaft ant-vibration bush
1 Grips -- GRAY
1 Light switch housing screw
1 Light switch housing (alloy)
1 Hand levers set (stiletto style? Needed?)
2 Lever pivot screw Assy-LI
1 Light switch housing
1 Light switch -- TV/SX (Needed?)
2 Hand lever anti vibration cap & spring
2 Pulley screw - S1,2,3
4 5mm BLACK wave washer
1 Headlight Unit SX/TV3 (Needed?)
2 Gear/throttle pulley shim
2 Gear/throttle rod inner
1 Generic headlight light bulb holder (Needed?)
1 Top clip -- CEV? -- TV/SX/GP (Needed?)
2 Headset bolt (attaches from bottom)
1 Fork clamp w/ 10 mm allen bolt (set) (Needed?)
1 Gear change housing (alloy)
4 Headset saddle 4mm nuts
1 Speedo cable lower boot -- GREY
1 Speedo rubber gasket -- GREY
1 Speedo face plate (Needed?)
1 Shift tube metal collar
2 Gear/throttle rod clamp plate

********** Forks Parts **********
Upper fork rebound buffer (thin type) w/bolts (Needed?)
Lower fork rebound buffer (fat type) w/bolts (Needed?)
2? Fork link pivot bolt nut
2? Fork link pivot bolt
4 Fork link spacer washer
2 Fork link damp stud (Needed?)
2 Fork spring shaft (buy used or buy whole new Kawasaki or equivalent shocks)
1 Threaded fork cup (Needed?)
1 Fork lock ring (Needed?)
1 Fork link cup washer (Needed?)
1 Fork lock ring washer (Needed?)
2 Taffspeed fork springs (H/D F/Springs GP/LI/SX models)
2 Fork rod stop (Needed?)
2 Fork rod (Needed?)
4 Washers tav VIII (fig. 80 Scooters O)
2 Bearing -- upper steering
2 Bearing -- lowering steering
2 Screw on top bearing race
2 Lock washer for upper fork
2 Fork top screw on lock ring
2 Buffer, rubber fork bolt-in small
2 Buffer, rubber fork bolt-in large
1 Hardware kit, fork link
1 Steering lock screw

********** Front Hub & Brake Parts **********
1 Cheaper to buy frontt disc brake assembly (including windows and "I" cap?).
I currently own the disc hub, but nothing else.
1 Front hub w/ studs
1 Front axle
2 Axle bridge
2? Axle domed nut
1 Axle nyloc nut
2 Axle seal
1 Outer axle washer
1 Inner axle nut
1 Speedometer gear drives
1 Speedo drive assembly (Brass)
1 Speedo drive worm
1 "I" Cap for disc brake
1 Hub window grilles for disc brake (set of 4)
1 Front brake lever assembly for disc brake
1 Front brake disc
1 Static pad adjusting stud
1 Disc brake pads
1 Brake shoe return spring
BEARINGS?

********** Rear Hub & Brake Parts **********
1 Rear hub cone (Needed?)
1 Rear brake shoes
1 Rear hub nut/washer kit

********** Tires **********
3 3.5"x10" Pirelli SC28 or Michelin S83 or ?
3 3.5"x10" inner tubes
1 3.5"x10" rim

********** Electrical & Wiring Parts **********
1 CDI/Coil unit for GP crank (Electronic ignition kit)
1 Ser. 3 AC electronic ign. wiring harness
3 6x25 bolt - stator plate (Needed?)
1 6mm washer -- BLACK
1 Wiring junction box

********** Trim, Cables, Gaskets, Seals, Etc. in GREY unless indicated otherwise **********
1 Leg shielding beading (Needed?)
2 Endcap, legshield upper
1 Endcap, legshield lower (Exists?)
2 Endcap, Legshield bead lower
1 Horn cover to leg shield left & right side gasket
1 Horn cover to front fender
1 Horncast bottom side Ser 3
1 Horncover side gray Ser 3
1 Front fender to leg shield left & right side gaskets
2 Side panel gaskets left & right
1 Side panel rubber
1 Tail light gasket
1 Brake light switch rubber boot
1 Mud flap (Needed?)
1 Leg shield floor rail rubber inserts ONE SET (Needed?)
1 Aluminum floor rails channels SET of FOUR
4 Rubber, aluminim channel
1 Aluminum channel hardware kit
1 One set round and rectangle rubber frame grommets
10 Round floor gasket (Same as above?)
10 Rectangular floor gasket (Same as above?)
1 One set of Six plastic floor strips
1 Bridge piece gaskets front & rear
1 Air scoop gasket
1 Brake pedal rubber in BLACK (Needed?)
2 Side panel buffers with clips (Needed?)
1 Ser. 3 handgrips pair (Needed?)
1 Toolbox to frame gasket
1 Toolbox upper & lower grommet/buffers
1 Toolbox lock
1 Toolbox rubber
8 White plastic seat washers
12 Metal end clips
2 Front outer finishing nuts
4 Finishing washers inside leg shield
2 Glovebox door upper buffer
2 Glovebox door lower buffer
1 Glovebox lock with handle/key
1 Steering column lock with keys
1 Complete cable set
1 Speedo cable
1 Speedo drive seal
1 Front brake adjusters
1 Rear brake adjusters
4 Fork rebound buffers large
1 Horncover/horncast badge shield (Needed?)
1 Clip for horncast badge
1 Leg shield "TV175" badge
1 Leg shield "Lambretta" badge
2 Side panel "LAMBRETTA" badges
1 Horn cast badge clip
1 Bulb, headlight - 12 volt 35/35w light bulb
1 Bulb, headlight - 12 volt 21/5w light bulb
1 Bulb, festoon 12v 5w
1 Bulb, bayonet speedo - 12 volt 5w light bulb
1 Pilot - 12 volt light bulb
1 Tail/Brake - 12 volt light bulb
3 Gear & clutch protection sleeves
3 Gear & clutch cable trunnions
2 Fork link blots, nuts, washers
1 Gas tank straps (Needed?)
6 Strap Buffer
1 Gasket fender, front
1 Mudflap rear
1 Seat hardware kit -- LI/TV
1 Front brake cable ferrule
1 Rear brake cable ferrule
3 Cable protection sleeve
1 Hardware, cable trunnion large
2 Hardware, cable trunnion small
10 F/Strip push nut

********* Hardware **********

Note: (a) use stainless steel hardware (lower maintenance and remains shiny!) which can be bought from a home improvement or hardware store. (b) You can download a list of hardware sizes from Scooters O in NJ.

Feb. 11, 2007 -- The Purchase: 1962 Lambretta TV 175

When hunting down a fuel tap wrench for 1967 Vespa SS180 restoration project we called Stewert Werner to see if had one we could borrow, because the wrench was not available for purchase and if you can borrow it's a penny saved. We asked him if he had any Lammys for sale and he said, "no." When we called to tell him we found a wrench he said, "by the way I found a 1963 TV 175 in the rafters in my garage. Want to buy it?" In late December, 2006 we went to Stu's house to check out his "1963 Lambretta TV 175 with two motors" he had for sale. We liked what we saw. He spent hours with us going over what parts were missing and all of the resources (trustworthy ones only) that are available to us for this restoration. He also showed us what books we should purchase and which weren't so good. He also recommended upgrades, ie GP electric, and explained in detail how that can be done. He gave us the history he knew of, which is limited. He bought the bike from Scooters O in NJ. It was imported from Italy. Stu had planned to restore and resell. He owned Lancaster Lambretta and has personally put many bikes on the road. Stewart had asked for $1,300 for the scooter, which was 98% complete except for some common and pretty-easy parts to find. At the time we did not have the full amount. We offered him a deposit and he just smiled and said, "how about a handshake?" We shook hands. We agreed to meet in three to five weeks. Normally I would never buy a disassembled Lambretta, because I am not familiar with all the parts and would not know what is or is NOT missing.

I knew Stu's reputation for being a person of integrity and checked in my mentor of restorations, Christopher Markley, and a few other people about the deal. The response I got was, "it's a very good deal, especially with two motors, and Stu will be very honest and upfront with you," which has proved to be true.

Stu offered to create a total parts list for me and give me the list. He also offered to go through his personal stock pile and look for any parts that are missing from the TV. His machinist destroyed the TV 175's forks -- so Stu offered Li S3 forks instead along with a weld job to remove the TV rings, which are unique to the TV, and have them welded to the Li forks (the rings are the only noticeable difference to these forks when the bike is assembled). Stu also offered me a few xerox copies from his "secret Lambretta file," which I will not disclose.

On February 11, 2007 Stu asked me to come over and pick up the bike -- he wanted his garage back. He needed to get us a disc front brake to include in the deal from a second bike, but was not able to; therefore he dropped the price to $1,100 thinking he had originally asked $1,500 for the bike. I reminded him he asked $1,300 for the bike so he dropped the final sale to $1,000 even and said that was as low as he could go. A front disc brake costs $430 new and we have half it. Stu kept the two forks for his welder (all included in the final price) and I cut him a personal check.

He also agreed to deliver the finished front fork to us along with the parts list. He said he would like to go over the parts list in detail with us as he looks over the entire bike with us one final time to make sure the parts list is perfect. I think that speaks volumes about who he is as a person. He is of the old world when a handshake was enough. He's a dying breed in today's society.

After I brought the bike bike home I cross-referenced the Serial Number: TV175 503***and learned the Lambretta is actually an 1962 bike as opposed to 1963.

Restoration on this bike will begin after we complete the restoration of my wife's bike -- a 1967 Vespa SS180. Restoration of this bike is half complete at this time and is documented at www.vesparestoration.blogspot.com.

Below is a picture of Stu Werner sitting on his late 1950s Series I "Frame Breather" with his kitted blue/white Series III and cream Series II Lambrettas.