Modern Vespa

There must be a trick to getting the two ball bearings and spring back in without sending one across the workshop?
Cheers.

A couple methods:

Replacement of the shift dog/gear selector

Or go for some Chinese take out and ask for some extra chopsticks (the type that you need to split apart). Trim the chopsticks so that they fit within the channels that the shift dog rides in.

Slip in the spring and one ball bearing in the axle and cover it with one of the sticks. Grab the other ball bearing and take the other half of the chopstick and now cover the other side. Now carefully slip the shift dog into the axle and as you push it will slide the chopsticks out and shift dog in.

Good luck.

Thanks mate.

No worries, here's another link just in case you forget how the gears drop in.

Gear stack Assembly - smallframe

First, replace that worn one with a new one, otherwise you will be taking it apart again to replace it and the gears.

Second, make sure you buy the right one for your bike.

Third, slide the spider on at an angle so that one leg is just covering the hole on the bottom, add a ball, the spring, and just barely advance the spider so it holds the spring (while still at an angle to hold the lower ball. Roll the next ball into place, put the whole thing and your hands into a plastic bag, use a small flat implement (screw driver, chopstick, etc.) to push the ball into the hole while keeping the pressure on the spider and when the ball goes down, the spider will cover...Done!

Have fun! After you do it a few times, you will be able to do it blind-folded!

Thanks again.
I'm rebuilding for someone else, he bought it at a farmers market and doesn't really want to spend much on it, I think he just wants it to run to sell it, his call, I'll push for a new dog though.
It's an orphan 75cc Spanish made smallie, so I'm being wary with the parts.
Appreciate the advice guys, Cheers.

Might be covered in the links, but I had good luck taking two Bic pens apart and using the tubes to keep the balls positioned. Took a few tries for sure. And heed the advice in doing it with a towel underneath to catch loose/projectile balls as they inevitably spring out the first few tries.

http://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/main/base/Details.aspx?ProductNumber=63791000

I bought this tool and found it to be quite helpful. If you don't feel like spending the money, you could probably make one out of a thick piece of metal or wood that fits into the slots of the shaft, and then drill in a small indentation for the ball. Maybe even a domino would work? That being said, I spent hours trying to do this with homemade tools. When I finally sucked it up and bought one from SIP, I got it on the second try.