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So, this is my Blog, my thoughts / feelings / ideas. You may comment if you like. If you attack me, I come back at you with reckless / racist / suicidal abandon. If you compliment me, I thank you. If you don't ever visit again I don't care. Other than that, just enjoy what I write, or not.
Salagatle!


LIU - Look It Up!

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Monday, October 11, 2010

The Vespa project - parts I & II.....

As reported in my previous post on bikes and LuckL, we have been asked to see if we can get a Vespa scooter sorted. it leaks serious oil (are they not supposed to?), runs a bit eratically, and needs some tlc on paintwork, ect. Overall, not a bad condition, and a task we (LuckyL and I) feel we are in a position to tackle.
So, this is what the bike looked like when we got it (pics being reposted so you don't have to go look for them):-
Front View - The Badge could be re chromed, rest is OK. Some paint touch-up required.

Side view - have a new stand to fit. But this one would work with just a new spring. No matter - some paint work needed.

Other side, same comments as previous side....
 
So, we didn't get round to doing anything for a few days (weeks?) as LuckyL was away (Cape Town) and I'm not getting into his projects without him being there. This weekend (Friday afternoon / evening? LuckyL started to take it apart. Worked out how the wheel arches come off, drained the fuel tank, found that the whole carburetor was not properly assembled (loose screws and stuff) gaskets torn/ misaligned.... Easy stuff. Ans as we stripped, we worked out what could be wrong where. Overall, not too bad. The oil leak is most likely due to some missing nuts holding the casings together, and other nuts not being torqued.

So he did a lot of cleaning, we went to get a nut for the missing one, turns out it's a 7mm! Who the fuck uses 7mm? And 11mm spanner. I don't think I have used that since I got the st of spanners as an apprentice in 1976!!!! Also bought some of that gasket paper stuff while we were there.

We need to clean out the fuel tank, as well as the carburetor, as the owner was using the wrong 2 stroke oil. It's an old bike, uses mineral oil. He was using synthetic. That's why he had to clean / replace the spark plug every 5 km!!!

The back wheel was / is flat. Took that off quite easily (one nut!). So, this is the current state of the scooter:-
The motor - stripped. Oil drained (hardly a cup full came out - and it was filthy)!

It's up on the raised floor so it's easier for us to work on it. The motor is so close to the ground you nearly have to lie flat on your stomach to work on it.

Some of the parts (wheel arch covers....)

Old oil - drained, cleaning brush and some petrol for cleaning....

The carburetor parts, stripped for cleaning and proper reassembly.

Close up of the engine - still has points!!!!

Anyway, that's the current status. We are hoping that with proper reassembly and torquing of all bolts and nuts we can get the problem of the oil leak sorted out. Proper 2-stroke oil will sort out the spluttering and gumming up of the spark plug.


We still need to find out the process to have this thing licensed and stuff. It has no papers, so it's a matter of having the engine numbers and chassis numbers cleared at the SAPS, then getting the application to have it loaded in the system as a full rebuild from scrap (need an affidavit to say it was bought as scrap). Then roadworthy. This has it's own challenges, as the original scooter does not have indicators, or mirrors. We will have to retro fit some (temporarily anyway) to get it roadworthy, and then take them off again. Oh, the owner also wants us to add a hidden electronic cut out keyed switch. Apparently the key that comes with the bike is only to lock the steering wheel! it starts anyway, just kick the kick-starter!! And the steering lock is not too reliable anyway. So we need to sort that out too. (Quite simple really, even Fishman could do it!)

More to follow.
Salagatle

3 comments:

Fishman said...

Hold on! Do you have to strip it this far every time you want to service it? Those points seems to be hidden behind a lot of parts.

Wreckless Euroafrican said...

Not. In fact, once you remove the wheel arch, mudguard thing, You can access the points through some holes in the flywheel. quite easily.

Salagatle!

Divemaster GranDad said...

Looks like another lot of fun...and I can bet it'll come out your garage looking brand new again.

And who uses a 7mm spanner....bloody Italians, that's who... :-)