Modern Vespa

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Accursed Caramba-virus has DMV offices closed to in-person transactions. They tell me I first need to get Safety Inspection - $7. 00 in Tejas. I ride Illegally to my 08:00 appointment - plate expired in 2018. Inspector takes my Proof of Insurance and mistakenly copies my OTHER Vespa's VIN. He didn't ask, I didn't check. Gave him a $5.00 tip and emailed the stuff to the DMV. They call back and say the VIN is wrong, and ISO has not been inspected in their records. Another ride to the Inspector's to obtain an amended form. No tip this time - they didn't even apologize!

Anyway rode back this totally-stock 2003 (tires date-stamped 2004) via the 75MPH bypass. Indicated top speed into a 5-10MPH headwind was 62. Came home to work on the stripped Kickstarter - see other post(s) - and install the Malossi Variator with the white spring. That belt cover was ON there. Plus my clutch bell splines appeared to be nearly seized. Sorted that out and a short down-the-street check ride was a REVelation. This engine can REV! Acceleration from a standstill? No comparison. Have to wait for a plate/sticker to see what happened to Top Speed, but it's feeling better already.


2001 Honda SA 50/72 Flash9. 2010 S50/78 Punkin. 2003 ET150 (ISO). All 3 can run near 60. Which one will soon go faster?


Last edited by Wheelman-111 on Mon May 04, 2020 5:12 am; edited 1 time in total

Well done. It's never easy is it.

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Perhaps not easy. But once you accept there is no controlling the destination, the fun comes from the journey. Had a wonderful 17 miles slow cruise tonight with Wheel-Boy on the Honda and Ms. Wheel-person around Deepinnaharta this evening.

P.S: ISO still on expired plates... added to the fun!

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It's the Wild West; Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced the State temporarily waived the requirement for "Current vehicle registration". Woo-hoo!

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2003 ET4 purchased with 341 miles on the counter. Lots and lots of Projects. Kicker refurbishing is next.
Update: Typo - the scooter had 541, not 341 miles.

Kickstarter now works perfectly.

Malossi variator and belt make a tangible difference in off-line and rapid acceleration, as it allows engine revs to spool up a little and apply real power instead of Chug-Chug with the stock unit.

Shed scratches fixed with Color-Rite Dragon Red pen. 2 Bigger scuffs will require a different approach.

Still on Pirelli tires date-stamped 3706. This replacement probably needs to be next. I hate watching my own front tire tread fling out in front of the scooter riding at 55 MPH.

FYI any DOT-approved road-going tire has an oval stamp like the one in my pic. 3706 means the tire was minted during the 37th week of 2006. It made me wonder why some previous owner decided to replace the tires when the scooter had less than 500 miles Tires might have been damaged, a desire for better performance or the P.O. was following the same thought process. But tires that are only 3 year-old don't generally don't need replacement

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Centerstand rose to horizontal with a CLACK! every time. Easy to spot that the rubber buffer was missing from the two holes in the left leg of the stand. $5.00 part from ScooterParts strore. You'd think installation would be straightforward; push the two little rubber cones protruding from the buffer into the holes. Nope.

I dont' know if there were dimensional changes over the years, but these things were not even close to going in without some reaming of the centerstand holes. Ended up needing almost 1/16" enlargement before success.

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Clutch pack splines were JAMMED on the transmission input shaft, making it challenging to remove. Spline damage is seldom confined to the male or female components, so installing my Shiny New Delta on that shaft risks transferring the issue to another clutch. Anticipating upgrading power down the road, but thinking new Malossi Primary Gears would give me a new shaft to work with the Malossi clutch.

Question: How much taller than stock will those primaries make the overall gearing? I plan to drop 6 - 12 grams from the variator weights to make up for the difference but can I get by on all-stock power output for a while? I guess I'll find out for myself and post when I have news.

If anyone has experience with this sequence and believes it to be a Colossally Bad Idea, I'm receptive to suggestions.

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Speaking of Caramba-virus with time on our hands, here's a weird one:

The first time I pulled off the headlamp/bar covers, I observed what looked like a second, empty speedometer cable fitting adjacent to the (fully functional) existing cable. Pulled it out to find a segment about 8" (20 cm.) long of speedo cable casing broken off at that point. What??

The 541 mileage indicated on the odometer seems plausible based on the scarcity of belt dust under the cover, but what explains this "extra" cable?

The clutch sticking to the splines is relatively common. Not enough grease inside when the factory installed it. There is a hole on the fixed pulley that is supposed to have a bunch of grease pumped inside before the clutch is assembled and when it is serviced, but it's seldom done. It puts the grease in just the right place so it lubricates the bearing and coats the splines.
As far as the speedometer cable, I suspect either one broke at the factory, and they left it in, or they switched the speedo to US at the factory and broke the cable when making the switch. If they are the same cable, and look about the same age, this is probably what happened. Unless it went bad and someone decided to do a quick drag of the new one through with the old one and just cut the housing.

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A package is arriving from Scooter shops almost daily lately, affording me some Garage Therapy. Last night a Size 9 battery. Apparently the P.O. installed some random ATV battery in size 14. While it fit the "footprint" of the battery tray, it was almost an inch too tall. This made it impossible to install the tidy battery cover, which at least was present in the pet carrier on purchase.

The CHROME battery arrived featuring an LCD display that gives actual voltage and signals with a Beep when attention is needed. Neatened up the underseat!

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Thanks MotoVista for your reply. I suspect you are correct, but mysteries abound. Sure is interesting. Previous owner replaced tires in 2005 or 2006, deeply scratching the front rim, especially, in the process. Apparently not ridden much after that...

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Parts have started rolling in. Plan to do upgear before 187cc cylinder to avoid spline conflict with Shiny New Delta clutch. Might be a bit tall, will drop weight in variator in an attempt to compensate.


Clutch nut was removed once with inelegant bench vise method. New stuff is always fun!

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Stock pipe and wheel removed, gear oil sure doesn't look 17 years old. 2006 Pirelli removed from rim - whoever worked on it before sure wasn't careful, and Michelin City Grip installed by hand. Stiff 70 profile 10-inch tire was challenging but installed without additional damage. Will install Malossi 17/44 primaries and Delta clutch this weekend.

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Both Michelin City Grips mounted now. Used all the cuss-words I know, and invented some new. Thick, stiff sidewalls pitted against prodigious Wheel-srtength augmented by The Miracle of Leverage.

I barely prevailed. Gears and Delta clutch must await more time.

You’ll like those tires but mounting them on the rim is something I’ve been happy to pay a shop to do. It is SO much work for laypeople, but SO easy for the shop.

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After inventing new cusswords for about an hour last night, I succumbed to temptation and ordered THIS.

You’ll be back in the cussword lab before you know it. I am pretty sure the Vespa axle size is too small to fit that tool. But if you figure out a way to use it please post it! I gave up and took it to the shop.

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Pretty sure the front wheel won't be a problem, but you're right if the tool's stud is larger than the rear axle splines, I'm hosed for the back tire.

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Getting another day of Garage Therapy. Mounted shiny-new taillamp surround and front suspension cover - now it doesn't rattle!

More serious business to the Malossi clutch and Wing bell. Left the 17/44 primaries off for now - ratio goes from 7.86 (Not "about" 7.75 I assessed by counting spins) might be a bit tall for stock 150cc power, even dropping 10 grams from the current 84-gram variator load. Anybody run this setup feel free to comment.

Peeled the belt cover off easily this time - getting faster. New 46mm Buzetti clutch nut made that part easier than the bench vise. Reassembly resulted in new questions to ponder. No way the cover would sit down over the new clutch using the 5.3mm spacer used with the stock clutch & bell. Took some measurements and found the Wing bell has about 6mm more hub thickness than the stocker. Not sure why the numbers don't add up exactly, but deleting the spacer resulted in perfect fit. (I didn't think to measure the span of the splines on the clutch shaft...)

Anyway, it's buttoned up for now. Saving for the Malossi 187 kit, at which time I may mount the Polini primaries.

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Tires, clutch & vario done. Time for fun!

Wheel-Boy & I installed Tuff tech. Lead wire JUST long enough to reach coil wire. Needed a route from handlebars to main trunk as short as possible. Filed a small notch to suit (pics), behind glovebox & under floor board. Ziptied 5 spins around, buttoned up.


Notch for lead wire.

Wire bedded in

Did you have to do anything special to get the HF wheel tool to work with the Vespa rims? It just did not work for me.

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I dunno. Haven't yet received the HF tire changer tool. I plan to bolt it to a double layer of Hardwood and mount it to a hitch extender for the Family Truckster. You should know something about me: I get impatient so I tend to tackle a job before I receive the tools ordered to facilitate its completion. ISO tires were mounted entirely by hand, on a piece of cardboard with trusty tire irons and much profanity Once I recveive the HF tool, Punkin's tires are 10 years old and will be replaced using that tool. I will report once I have anything useful to share.

Brute force is my favorite tool too.

Leave those tires out in some hot Texas sun seem to reduce the needed brute force.
Nice looking scooters there.

Art

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Thanks Tweetie! Juan: Mine too. Wheelman gots Gorilla hands. So Here's the Tach Readout from my Top Speed run over the Copano Bay Bridge. About 68 upwind and 72 back. Indicated speeds are Italian Propaganda.

I don't know if I want to continue in blissful ignorance or check mine with the GPS.

Art

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So HERE is the clip of the tach in operation.

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Wish it were a bit smaller and less... Nerdy I thought as I completed the installation of my newly-arrived "Flyscreen". Sure is a lot bigger than the Vespa one on Punkin, and what's up with that straight-up angle? Maybe Clark Griswold would like it, but pretty m'eh to me. Something had to be done!

I get ahead of myself, sometimes. The "Instructions" were a poorly-drawn trajedy. (Pic1) Eventually tried all 7 wrong ways you can assemble the pieces before stumbling into the right one. But then... there-s that angle. Something a meter maid might enjoy, perhaps?

Recruited the assistance of trusty Bench Vise and a 4-foot long jack handle to provide Leverage, and bent the mounting struts as shown in Pic2.

Better, I think, but it's a matter of taste.

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Scored a pretty-nice used 11" rim last night for $15 - couldn't resist. Before ordering tires - Punkin's are 10 years old! - I decided to see if it would work on the 2003 ET4 ISO. The rim fits the hub perfectly, although the 2003 wheel bolts are several mm shorter than the 2010 S50. Torqued on, rode a short way down the street. Suspension compression didn't allow the tire to foul the fender , nor did hard stopping. However...

The steering felt … Weird. The larger-diameter rim/tire left an uncertain feeling on glide - not super-scary, but then again I didn't exceed 25MPH. The pic tells the story of certain alteration of the rake/trail numbers that explain the weird feeling. Not sure if I can get used to it or not, and a higher-speed run might reveal further steering misbehavior. I didn't search if anyone else has tried this, but reporting my impressions.

If all else fails, I may custom-paint the new rim and install Punkin's new tire on it.

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Infrequent rides, dry cleaners, grocery-getting, all shared between 3 scooters, ISO has lived with us for 2 months now. Purchased with 540 miles, here's a pic at the Post Office.

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Opened a new thread with that title to help any future ET4 owners. The TX12 BS battery fits the battery tray perfectly, and still allows the battery cover to be mounted. The #14 size fits without the tray but is too tall for the cover. Malossi cylinder needs as many CCAs as possible. 12 seems to work.


Same footprint and still short enough to mount the cover!