Modern Vespa

Bare reminds me of this pic

For this, I'd vote for bare. Don't you want to close the holes in the rear fender though? I'd vote for bare with the brass brazing to cover holes and such, then clear.

"Surprisingly" comfy, but not quite super comfy. More comfortable than my Ancillotti seat.

Two votes for this.

Let's make that three! Looks great - I'd love to see that roll down the road...

But it leaves spring impressions on your buns right? So you HAVE to wear pants? Hmmmmm.

You do not want to ride naked springs with out serious fabric between you and them. If you have made it through puberty there is likely hair down there and well you get the idea. (all though you weirdos out in CA might actually shave to smooth but normal guys...) Any way why would you ride in any thing but pants??

Wait wait wait.... hold on there. You guys wear clothes?

That's what I was sayin' I love a good skinnyscoot!

Vader was caught nude on MTV on a bike.Another dude can't sell his cause of nude pic .Keep ya clothes on haha

No, no no. Shaving is so passé, and it leaves razor burn.

Waxing is where it's at. In fact, it's written into the California state constitution: all men must wax.

Women are free to go hairy.

I wasn't "cuaght".... I put myself there! shoulda put in some more shots!

ugh stater side stud mounts are shot, got a helicoil set coming in to fix that, most likely when I put motor #1 together I'll have to do the same thing.
I welded together a running motor stand so I can test the motor off bike in case it explodes, but I still need to source a flywheel before seriously run the scoot.

Ideal.. grind all fins off and tap four holes to mount some sort of plastic fan? For motor #1 I may just go that route since its a throw-away motor anyways!

Also got the tank sealer and glisten pc in. We will see how that works out after I do some finishing grinding on the frame and maybe braze brass in select areas.

from previous page, I also have a few new plastic fans that bolt on the 2 piece Bajaj & older Vespa flywheels. Look HERE for some pics.

Are BOTH of your flywheels borked? I could look back, but SEVEN pages, no way.

Both are ate up. First one has crack in middle and ate up outsides from ppl pulling the flywheel by its backside. Second one not cracked but worse off fin wise.

Not to say I won't use them but I'd rather not take shrapnel to the leg.

When dealing with the flywheel, think not only of shrapnel hitting yourself, but the cars or people around you.

I've heard horror tales of crank tapers breaking off and launching flywheels like rockets.

My vote is for ending this thread.

Considering the content of all your other posts ill take that as a vote of confidence!
I think im going to offically start calling you grumpy smurf (no offence to Grump!)

FINALLY got the helicoil M7x1.00 set. I could have saved 2 weeks of time and drilled out to a M8!

All well, got 'er done. Compression seems strong but I'll have to throw a tester on her to see where we are at Had to chase the stator mounting threads and cut up some new screws but that's now in. Oiled up the flywheel lube pad and I guess am ready to time the motor.

Had to get in to all the creases and crevices by hand and now I'm looking to polish the whole frame up one last time to get her shiny. A couple coats of rustoleuom under the fender and in the tank area and I'll be ready to brush on the por 15 glisten PC stuff.

Of course I guess I should get to work on, I donno, the rest of the bike? I see some shady welding (factory maybe?) on the front fork so I'll grind and weld.

There is no chance that motor number is original!
I have a vbc1m motor with the same top stamp, but the numbers below are stamped in th wrong size!

I have had a few cranks on my vbc snap off at the key.... They do make a scary noise when they separate, but that's th reason there is a flywheel cover... To ensure the spinning flywheel is retained!
I never knew that the cheesy shroud over the motor was to assist with cooling, so I had removed it to make the motor look cooler.

Post up some pictures of this freshly rebuilt engine.

I wouldn't say rebuilt, all I did was take it completely apart, clean it up and put it back together. I may have replaced some consumables like kick starter rubber pads, oil slinger and kick starter sping and rebuilt the crush drive and rebuilt the clutch, but other then retreading stator holes and helicoling the stator side cylinder studs, it was more of a refresh I think. I did use torque specs for all bolts and cleaned all mating surfaces to apply the new gaskets. I did plain gaskets with no sealing material but if it leaks I guess that is my next route.

Not to mention how much I've learned about the Vespa motor, which is well worth the price of admission.

Cold compression test (almost busted shin off) is 125psi but honestly I was just hoping for no leaks. Mission accomplished! perhaps if it doesn't blow up a quick hone and piston rings are in its future.

Next... I guess I need to go through the rest of the bike and put it back together to actually test it. I did build a motor test stand though so if I run in to more Pakistani shenanigans I might just time it there and see if it blows up. OH and yah still looking for a flywheel that won't blow up.

Either way here yah go!

The flywheel you show is the common vbc version... Well it's the common one on th New Zealand ones anyway.

Crass?
SSeals?
Beedings?


Just curioua

I dont understand exactly what you said but I think I know what you mean. I did not change bushngs as they were not scratched or dented. I did replace the shoulder washer on top of the gear stack as best to spec as possible. I did replace clutch cover oring. I did clean surfaces and install new Gaskets. I replaced any circlips i removed including piston head. I did replace axle / hub bearing. With crush drive rebuild i also did new needles on top.
If it dosent blow up and i do tear it apart i would also remove bearings to strip case completely, replace bushings, port head/ polish surfaces, check tolerences and grind crank if needed etc... A real rebuild.

you kill me. BUT you're doing what I do a lot of & HIDE it.... but only on 'auxiliary' bikes, reserve fleet. Proper is best long run and you do WANT long run in a serious bike. That said, it IS interesting to see just how long you can keep still serviceable parts working.

TOTALLY with you there. 3rd party hearsay but (maybe) Piaggio sold these by claiming the motor only had three moving parts and they guaranteed the transmission for the life of the scooter. Fact or fancy, this notion appeals to me.

Take a pic of the other side(business end) of your flywheel for me & get your wallet out again for the shipping plus cost of a bottle of cheap whiskey for me & Tommy when we shoot pool so I can win.

Oh, jimmy means 'replace the cruciform too' (if you do the real rebuild), you'll likely find the 'business end' surfaces that smash into flats in the gear slots are probably worn & curved, not square and flat. No fun riding & shifting that after a total rebuild if you like having it stay in gear.

There. I fixed my lousy typing.

AH HAH. Ok, so I wasn't going for a full rebuild but it seems I was almost there. SFvsr's constant whispering of sweet nothings made me figure the motor was doomed to fail because it didn't come straight out of grandmama's closet from Italy.

Flip the crux and shoot the bearings, throw some rings on and I guess I would have a full rebuild!

I guess the JBwelded motor #1 would be a good candidate for just leaving "as is" and perhaps I should tear down motor #2 again and do the rest of the work?

Luckily I bought 2 and 3 of everything so I could order the bearings/rings/crux if I feel I might have something worth having here. Your on, I'm in suit and tie underground right now but when the overlords let me back out I'll snap the pics for yah.

BTW, I see a bunch of new cases on ebay for $200 or less... would that be worth it to just gut the welded motor and move the internals? I guess $150/200 would not be bad for a backup motor? I donno just thinking ahead now, perhaps too far ahead.

I think Jimmyb was just inquiring whether you replaced the basic consumables since you went to all the trouble to tear it down.

If the seals haven't been refreshed you'll be asking questions soon about why the engine doesn't run, won't idle, etc.

Sorry you got yourself into this- I watched those scooters go on Craigslist here in Atlanta from day one and knew they'd be nothing but heartbreak for people down the road.

Don't be sorry, this would be my hobby and I feel what I've learned is worth the cost. I only have a couple hundred in everything and, honestly, I've spent way more for way less in the past. I feel comfortable working on Vespas and confident I know exactly how bad it can get.

If you want a REAL mess, jump in to Chinese scooters. That's where I'm coming from and trust me, Vespa parts are far easier to find and work with.

What was done to the frame and what was done to motor#1 was out of necessity. Chinese scooters seem to just be plain old lazy and cheap. If something brakes they just throw it away and get another, over and over and over.

Whoever worked on these Vespas seems to not had that choice. Case breaks on you GY6, get another. case brakes on your vespa, TIG weld it and use JB weld type material to fix the combustion chamber?!?

I'd like to think that someone loved these things, I can feel it. It resonates just running my hands across the welds... some 14 year old Pakistani boy in the 80's watching his grandfather oxyweld magic back in to the family's vespa, 12 years later the same boy is oxywelding the same frame while his 5 year old is watching in wonder... a little tear rolls down his face (most likely due to no welding mask)... the motor's scars speak to 40 years of history.

And it was running and driving to boot? No main jet, no air mixer? Tank full of rust? Its like Johnny-5 man.

Or maybe I was just sold a pile of scrap. (channeling my best friend on this board).

Build FORD tough? Built Vespa Rough.

Why worry about a bit of jb weld holding a motor together?
If it fails, put a new lot on!
I Was porting the cases on mine last year, and went straight thru the case... Simply bunged some jb weld (or similar), then ground even more out! It's still holding, & I thrash it on a daily basis... Stop being so scared of a dodgy repair! I also left the bearings in place, & simply packed cloths, and taped them in place to protect them. The technology in these motors means there will always be some form of metal in the soupy oil that is removed from the motor... Just think of it as light weighting the motor.

For V oodo and friends. Note a few things. Motor #1 (jbweld special) the flywheel center is longer by about half an inch. Also note that flywheel #2 ("good motor") looks almost like the flywheel could be taken off, look at the lip between flywheel and fan molding.

Am I just crazy? Should I drill out the center pins and see if it comes apart?

From memory scooterhelp.com has something on drilling out th rivets.

You won't be able to do this.

Please replace it. Otherwise there'll be another 7 pages.



Do you need one?

^^^ agreed! Those are a mess. I'll post a pic & SFvsr & others could advise opinion if it will fit. Or messed up somehow I didn't see. It's as old as yours and not in the best shape either.

SF, are you asking if he needs one more page or a working flywheel, you lost me?

Yeah, this is all a little silly, but some ppl dig this kinda poop & we don't have a 'DumbShit' section yet.
Almost, not quite learning what not to do. Learning anyway for sure.

Yes, I do need one for sure. I understand what your saying as well.
I was unfortunate enough to miss the last bid on a really nice new looking one on ebay for very reasonable price from Seattle.

BTW for most people SFvsr's comments are rude but to me they are plain and straight forward. He means what he says and he says what he means. You are absolutely right! You get the spirit of this build. You just have to sit down and think, what would I do if I was in Pakistan and had no money to buy a new one. I consider this the challenge.

I absolutely second 'DumbShit' section. I believe this is also the underground spirit that Vespa's had in Europe. A kind of bohemian punk counter culture and attitude that inspired putting 100 mirrors, lights and turn signals on the front of a Vespa and gave birth to cutting leg shields off, extending the forks, etc etc.

That is the type of culture I'm channeling I think. I get many feelings from working with this bike really. Even if it blows up I'll have a good laugh and start making art I won't think twice to cut and stretch the frame in to a two hump two seater with two sets of handle bars.

I'm satisfied with and happy that our manual shift old metal scooter culture is big enuff to accommodate all of us, especially over the internet if you're not a constant dick and are here cuz you like the place . You can usually even be mildly ugly or dumb and it's OK as long as you're not a dick and rarely learn from your dumbness.

There's a whole spectrum of us. I love Mr Vader's pristine cutting edge stuff as much as anybody, but also what you are doing. You are both pushing the envelope, just in different directions. Also you are new, but few nonpros here are more experienced than he is. Some of the pros here, like SF, have more experience than most of us nonpros combined. Good that you know better now about your newness. I like to help ppl that are trying to get or keep their old stuff on the road on a budget. Just do it safe for you and others as SF continues to remind you or I'm simply aiding & abetting.

I will drop that and return to flywheels that likely won't grenade. My #1 is the one available to you. Notice the one chipped fin. #2 is for reference and maybe somebody knows why they are so different. Can #2 be used with either points or CDI stator? It seems much newer & both are Piaggio originals. Anybody know?




#1




#2

Flywheel.

ONLY ONE CHIPPED FIN. Sold.

I was browsing scooterhelp.com and couldn't find (yet) the article on drilling rivets but what I did just notice is on both your flywheels and both my flywheels what looks like 4 pressed in area's where all the 2-piece flywheels would have bolts for plastic fans/etc.

I drew a quick diagram to illustrate. I'm thinking this may be what scooterhelp.com has? I'll dig deeper.