Modern Vespa

Agreed, if you read the original post you can see that TWO ppl are best and even ol' Bitz noticed the big ding in his cowl and suspected a loading error. There are other improvements noted as well... I think w/ good locks and guide rails that I'd chance loading a lighter shifty up there by myself if I had to, but I'd wanna anchor the stand somehow. Hell, add a front wheel chock target and I'd just DRIVE the damn thing up there probably!

You are not alone. I built something similar. I used it twice and nearly dropped the scooter both times. I promptly took it apart and didn't look back. Maybe I would have got better at it with practice but I didn't want to risk it. It also may have worked better if there were an electric winch to pull the bike up slowly instead of powering it up but that would have been expensive and complicated. I recommend the Harbour Freight lift.

Good points. I like the life idea, although I've never had one myself. I did have a sturdy table/platform I built, with a ramp. Easy to push up a scooter without dropping it. But of course the platforms takes up floor space. I don't mind though, as my space is and was all about the scooters! I'm planning to get a real lift table one o these days.

I use old hospital beds at work as stands, the bed are rated at 500 lbs and I can move it up and down with a remote. You can find them cheap enough sometimes free on older beds if there broken. As long as the up down motor works who cares if a side rail is broken as you'll want to take them off anyway.

That sounds interesting. Pics please!

Not allowed to take to have cell phones or cameras at work. Here is a reference I found online.

https://www.farmshow.com/a_article.php?aid=27390


https://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/showthread.php?193979-Home-made-table-lift&p=2385756&viewfull=1#post2385756

Probably what most people do... but my flywheel holder for torquing it all down...

Now that we have a proof of concept, maybe somebody else can use this one:

Enjoyed this old thread with some tool hacks. So, thought I'd attempt to continue with a new post.

I'll move it on with an old hack I learned decades ago. Needed a dead blow hammer. Was 60 ft. in the air. Didn't want to climb down the gantry to the tool shack. I did have a ball-peen hammer. My coworker was sitting on a small stool. He stood up and removed one of the rubber feet. The rest is history.

Later, I found another use for this hack. Needed to drive a stud into a flange adjacent to some expensive aluminum. An aluminum surface that I didn't want to screw up. Cut out the face of the rubber foot leaving the edges intact. That rubber foot is now a keeper in my tool box.

I also wanna share my homamade clutch plate removal tools since i dont have a clutch pulley and my clutch stut fishing tolls, when i open the clutch cover the stut qent inside and for times i thought about open the cases but the cost will be bigger so i took a peek and i saw the stut mocking me, i soon take a glue gun stick and a alumonium wires, burn the wires and put inside the glue, burn the other side of the glue and hit the stut body while the glue still hot after things get coll down, i just hook it up slowly and vola the liltle guy learn his lesson not to mock me up again


Glue gun stick and a aluminium wires

14mm long bolts and nuts and used bearing

I was asked to post this over here as well as in the thread I posted it in. Sherwin Williams will provide free paint matching. So if you pull off your cowl or whatever it is and take it in they will can scan the paint color and will get you extremely close to the color of your ride. Certainly it will match the probably faded color much more so than the factory paint code color.

The paint you want to use is their All Surface Oil Based Enamel (https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/all-surface-enamel-oil-base) in gloss. This comes in quarts and is fairly thick so it can work well to fill paint chips, etc.

When you bring in your part to get scanned it will be more accurate if you bring them a non-glossy surface so if you can remove the wax and scuff up the paint with some 2000 grit wet dry or rubbing compound you will get a more accurate result. Obviously you will also get a better result if the Sherwin Williams employee likes you, so certainly showing up at 4pm on a Friday with a cold six-pack will help.

In terms of painting there are a couple different options:

This paint is really thick and it can work for you or against you. On large flat surfaces it is very difficult to brush out a smooth finish without slightly thinning the paint. But for small chips you can use the torn end of a paper match to dab paint into the chip hole and build up enough paint to fill the divot. This takes a little bit of time as you need to allow each layer to fully cure before you add more paint but once it is slightly proud you can set sane and polish with very good results.

The other way to get this paint on is to spray it. If you have an airbush or spray rig you probably don't even need this whole tip-trick commentary, but if you don't then the Preval sprayers work very well for applying paint in a way that looks better than brushing it on (https://preval.com/). All I can tell you here is that the more you focus on light coats, allowing each coat to dry and wet sanding between coats, the better your results will be.

Here is the paint work I did to cover up where the PO dumped the bike. I was in a rush and it was too cold and so my paint wrinkled, which is why is looks ugly, but the color match is spot on.

Hal

whereshaldo you have a name/number for that color.

Its Stella Orange, but not the early Stella Orange (or maybe the later Stella orange?). Regardless its just based on the color match from my cowl. I can take a picture of the label of the paint, but its just as easy to take your cowl in.

Hal

ya I have a later (09) stella in the color,

Mine is an 08. Here is the label on the paint FWIW.

Thanks for the code

Today I changed out the original Zippy spare on my 2008 Stella. When I changed out the other tires when I bought the bike they were hell to get off and I was looking for a better way to do this.

I was especially inspired by this quote from a thread on getting tires off rims. I knew there had to be a different way to do this and so I ended up with this arrangement. The heart of the matter are two 9" long 2x4s screwed together to create a base that the one half of the split rim sits on. You then need to brace down the back edge so that it doesn't lift and then brace a lever to press the bead off the rim. It too me longer to cut the 2x4s than to pop the tire off.

My brain is having trouble understanding how this tire removal contraption works. Can you explain it or show it in action?! I have recently been looking back into some tools to mount tubeless again as I really hate my sip tires and am looking to swap them out early. Would rather not sit there swearing at them with tire irons for an hour or so!

I've said it many times.. sip performer tires are dog crap. Especially on wet roads. I'm constantly fish tailing at red lights and slipping on crosswalks when turning.

Honestly, I've replaced about ten tires by now. Always tubed tires on the split rims. I've tried really hard not to scratch the inside of the rims with metal tools, to prevent them rusting. I removed tires from rusted rims once, that was a massive pain in the ass. Anyway, what I've found works best is, first run some liquid dish soap around the bead and give it an hour or so to soak in. Then get a couple of large clamps and some blocks of wood. I use them in various combinations, but basically a mix of squeezing the tire as much as possible in the clamps to apply some static pressure, and then putting a wood block right at the bead and hitting that with a hammer to help move it. I think I've also used my bench vise to squeeze the tire.

Here's a crappy drawing to try to illustrate how it works.

There are three things you need to achieve.

1. Elevate rim off the ground so you have space for the tire to drop off the rim.

2. Hold the far side of the tire/rim down to keep it from being levered up.

3. A long lever to push another 2x4 down against the bead.

Yes, it has been posted up many time about using flat blade screwdrivers to pry out the clutch. But if you're not careful, you can gouge up the clutch sealing surface on the case. I've been using these little motorcycle tire spoons for many, many years to lift out the clutches in largeframes. The spoons (or whatever you like to call them) have smooth rounded corners, so it would be VERY difficult to damage the case. They also have the perfect curve on the ends that lifts, rather than pries on the clutch. I found them in my old Honda XR200r's tool pouch back in high school. I kept the levers around for some reason. They've been living in my Vespa toolbox for the past couple decades now.

No idea what brand they are, but here's a pic if someone recognizes them.

That sequence of photos is great. Such ingenuity!

Tire iron: https://tinyurl.com/y2t43epb

Bad grounds are a common problem but here's an easy fix: They come both external tooth and internal. I think the external could be better for this.


I prefer these.


But these are likely better than standard lockwashers for a ground connection.
I'd use stainless if I could in either case.

I like those Voodoo but I actually prefer these from Bel Metric. These are what came as original on Citroen and they are really nice lockwashers - they're like NordLock-lite but with the advantage of really creating a nice ground and having great locking properties.



Next time I see you I'll try to remember to bring a handful in some different sizes to try out.

You can get them at https://www.belmetric.com/external-serrated-star-washers-c-563_579_1218_1237/

Hal

KTM makes a very nice 6mm ground washer as well. They call it a "contact washer". # 58411098100 They're about 90 cents, but they are VERY nice. I don't have any pics.

Now I can find this where EVER I am! Thanks, Mike.

Rediscovered this treasure thread!
Thanks to all of you.

Got a solid method to remove the trickiest bearing in the P's, etc: The driveshaft shifterbox-side bearing.

Bearing was in fine shape. New set came with it so why not.

Some pics:


1 1/4" OD fender washer. Available at almost any hardware store. Mark it with a Sharpie to grind.

Fits.

5/16" bolt with an additional washer.

Homemade bracket. A 1" cut of tube larger than the OD of the bearing would work as well. Nut pre-tensioned.

Heat gun planted for 5 min. Propane torch would be faster.

With the nut pre-tensioned, you may hear the bearing release with a slight pop. Then it pulls like butter.

*The 1 1/4"(32mm) OD fender washer is a perfect fit. Only grinding needed is the side edge and the notch at the top.

That's a nice trick. I popped the needles out of the bearing and used punches etc along the inside lip of the outer race along with some heat.

Your method is cleaner and less risk of dinging the case. Thanks for sharing.

Love it Ray!

This is a good tip! I've always just done a gentle tap-tap-tap around the edge. This would be easier and less risk of damage.

What about a version that Pushes, instead of pulling. A Bar bolted to the selector box mount studs, large bolt threaded thru that pushes on the washer/bearing race

Sorry if this has been posted before ... it's a lengthy thread, and this is super basic.

Putting new tires on split rims. A little dish soap and one of these helps a lot. Don't forget to put a little air in the tube first to keep it from pinching.

Yes, putting on new tires can be a pain but the real problem is getting the old tire off the rim in the first place. I found this helpful.

I've never had a bit of trouble putting a new tire on a split rim. Getting the old ones off? Absolutely. But to put the new one on, I just assemble the whole thing, then inflate the tube normally. It pushes the tire onto the rim with no effort whatsoever.

I like Robot's method of running over the wheel with a Jeep.

I think it's getting the studs through the holes enough to get the lock washer and then the nut on with enough thread to tighten it down. Certainly something you COULD do in the field, though. One of he reasons I like the Stella is the whole "spare tire" deal.

Tight new Michelins on brand new rims, we just went thru exactly this! So I left off the lock washers, snugged the nuts, popped the tire in place w/ air, pulled the nuts one at a time to add the lockwahers - problem solved w/ no damage to new rim paint and risk of enraging owner.