Modern Vespa

Looks shit hot Vades, as always. Today I finally had some time to sort my carb out. Looked like the float needle decided to get stuck. It's in good nick so I gave it a jiggle and put it back. Scoot was revving like crazy at idle after I put everything back together. Had me puzzled... maybe I accidentally turned the idle screw?? Noticed that the thread was stripped on the float bowl cover so maybe that was the cause? Anyhow, turned down the revs and put on a new float bowl cover and she's sweet.

come to the decision im fucked off with scoots ..... dont get the time to work on them with all the hours at work ... me bones ache on a weekend n the bull is just fucking me about .....
so left it at work along with the orange one thats not getting touched .. went to the pub n came home on the bus .... twas a refreshing change n i dont miss it

Everyone gets the shits now and again mate. I know I've felt the same. Have a little break and you'll miss it.

Nowt wrong with taking a break, Bitz.

Been cycling to my new job these past couple of weeks myself...I took the bus once too, which was a fucking awful experience.

Scooting in tomorrow

I've had 'tennis elbow' since Easter,m& can't ride, can't change gears, so buses have featured in my life as well

i fkn hate buses theyre full of lesbians, skool kids with deodorant and pricks with "tennis elbow"

Bitza

Get yourself one of these:

Yeah.. just take 5 B.. you're just in a rut. The bus will get old quick and yer beautiful orange one will start calling.. take a break and take a new start..

.. and cheers Bobo!

That is so cooool!!!!
I NEED ONE NOW!!

That is so cooool!!!!
I NEED ONE NOW!!

Pulled the headset apart this weekend to see if I could track down a bit of a rattle that seems to be speedo related and my high beam not working.

People aren't kidding when they discuss the nightmare of Vespa wiring. Add 35 years and wads of electrical tape and it's a recipe for disaster.

The horror ... the horror ...

I dropped my voltmeter on some connections, got readings that made NO sense and threw everything back together. The Haynes manual talks about voltage readings on a Vespa like there's some crazy voodoo going on there. Looks like a project best left for weather less conducive to riding. Everything works but the high beam, so I seem to be in better shape than most. Hopefully this winter allows me the time to pull the whole front end apart anyway, so I'll sort it out then.

I was fortunate to get out and rid the newly-rebuilt Stella on what promises to have been the last nice weekend before winter arrives once and for all.

I put the rear rack and crate onto the Stella as well. I don't love the way it looks, but given that a big chunk of the riding I do is errand running, it's kind've mandatory.

Low speed is just about tuned, which is a good since it's a lot more trouble to get the cowlings on and off with the rack installed. Until I get the head planed down and the PWK carb installed, though, I think the tuning is done for a while.

Which means it's about time to start thinking about the next project...

What's the rack and crate look like on the back of your bike? Mine's kinda hokey, but it gets the job done.

I've been meaning to ask what everyone uses to get their groceries in.

I've since primered this with the intent to paint it white with rally stripes.

I managed to replace the inner throttle cable and.. I succeded. It may not be a big deal for most of you guys but I had never done by myself this on the VBB. I was really really happy! I found out that the old cable was about to go, with several threads broken. I was able to do that without completely removing the speedo. I just pulled it out enough to see the entrance of the outer cable.

So, I ended up replacing the carb for nothing (but upgraded to a 20/20!) but now it runs very well. I have yet to test it on the road (I remained in the neighborhood entrance road). Hopefully tomorrow will be warm (possibly the last time) and will ride to work.

Happiness!

I'll take & post a picture when I get home, but the pieces are this Prima rack from scooterworks:


and a movie industry milk crate:


The film crate is not noticeably larger than a standard milk crate at a glance, but actually holds a whole lot more stuff and fits well with my slightly ratty P-Series retro style.

I feel better that I'm not the only one. I cut a lid from plywood and hold it together with straps. The plan (short term) is to put hinges and a key lock on and add more permanent straps underneath.

I just use a cargo net and bungie cords. I wouldn't mind being able to lock it, but would go for a different crate entirely with closed sides if that was the case. What I would NOT want to happen is have the crate become an extension of my glove box, aka "the black hole of tools, empty packaging and random scooter-related crap."

After reading the "Roadside Repairs" thread I'm trying to figure out how to strap a 55 gallon drum to the back of my bike ...

Don't laugh.

http://pbmotorcycletrailer.com/50-gallon-whiskey-barrel-motorcycle-trailer-building-plans/

I like how that site has an entire section devoted to "Coffin Motorcycle Trailers."

^ Yeah, talk about planning ahead...

Changing the subject, the SIP pipe added a whopping 3mph to our top end.

So there it is: 54 big ones. I think we've about maxed what the Super's capable of with a stock piston and cylinder.

Now what?

Now what... Start playing!

So the temp drops to 30-40s in the morning, 40-50 in the afternoon last few weeks. Having trouble riding the scooter without it stalling or bogging until it's fully warmed up. So I fatten up the jetting on the carb... and all last week to today has been 50s in the morning, 60-70 afternoons, so the scooter has been running boggy because it's too rich. But I don't want to lean out the jetting because the temp is supposed to drop this week. Also considering a windshield to keep the wind off my chest so I can ride till it snows, since the car parking at college is atrocious.

I also rock either a milk crate or 20oz/1L pop(soda) crate. Never knew those wide milk crates were from the film industry, I've been looking for one.

IDK, it runs too well and is still too original to dick with... I'm thinking we might need another scoot ... something to tear apart and turn into a real mover.... hmmm ...

And so it begins....

Where you been? I've been patiently waiting for updates on your 4T mods. I'm the only person here waiting for updates on a 4T.

Saw that one coming...

& a malossi 166 2-port ( not my choice, but I hear they work), 24/24 carb... No (case) mods needed...

Then a gear-up kit or similar & get dem wheels spinnin!

Then... Another scoot!

That ... is actually pretty sweet.

Jeez... it's like a law of nature, they're never fast enough.

If it was running like crap I'd have already split the case and put a bunch of go fast stuff in there. But why mess with an nice reliable engine? It is what it is ... all it really could use is a little sparkle... a little more grunt and a couple more clicks on the speedo.

So educate me. It's one of the late model Supers with a 3-port case. Any bolt ons out there that will make a noticeable difference and not blow the rest of the engine in a couple thousand miles?

Says the guy who's looking for just "a little more grunt and a couple more clicks on the speedo"...

That's how we all started at some point. First, you're happy if it works at all. Then you realize that it would be sooooo nice if you could run just a little faster on that one stretch of the ride to work. Or you go out and ride with people whose scoots, at least on paper, should be slower than yours and DEFINITELY not faster. And you start to search the forums and here we are.

To be honest, I'm impressed you got to almost a thousand posts here before the bug started to bite. For just a bolt-on, I'd say go with the DR. I know a lot of people here hate them, but they add good torque and will boost your top end a bit, too without being super-revvy. I've run and (and killed) multiple DR kits over the years. It's a decent amount cheaper than the Malossi and can be reworked to an impressive level of performance if the performance bug bites harder down the road.

My first DR was just a bolt-on for my Stella and I went from a top end of 52 when fully stock up to 62-65 MPH (on GPS, conditions depending) with the DR, 24/24, and a Prima pipe.

Alternately, you could go straight to the Malossi and would not go wrong in the process.

Obviously it would be optimal to tear the motor down and port out the cases for full benefit, but I don't think there's any reason you couldn't do either as a bolt-on.

Either way, I think you'll be pleased with the difference.

Thx chandler. I'll pm you with some q's.

Welcome to a world of pain and ecstasy! What Chandlerman said.... it's always "just a little bit faster" ad infinitum.

It's definitely worth thinking about finding another motor for your project. That way you won't miss out on that ride your mates are going on because you haven't been able to pinpoint the pinging/it's running hot at the moment/waiting on go fast parts/it's seized - again!

I must agree, the used parts I have collected are numerous, & riding time minimal... Last Rebuild lasted about 5miles before ring jumped into exhaust... But that's half th fun!

Yeah, I'm solidly a "one to wrench, one to ride" guy these days. Which scoot is which may change literally from hour to hour on any given weekend, but that's the beauty of the approach.

And if P200 motor happened to need a good home, I'd have a spare motor lying around, too...

Been there, done that. Boy did it suck. Naturally, I was also riding through a pretty crappy part of town when it did it just to add insult to injury.

Had a sweet ride in to work on the Primmy. Love that smallie! Clutch is marginal in 4th, going to do the XL2 upgrade soon. She'll pull the big hills at 50 in 4th but the clutch won't hold - this thing is a blast, especially as the temps get chillier 8) .

That's moving!
Sounds like she's quite healthy, but how big a boy are you? Fresh clutch?

Seems I recall you've done a few things to the motor, would you mind reminding me?

Remembered to take a picture of the milk crate on the back of the Stella.



My kickstand is kind've bent...practically a two-legged side stand at this point. Goes with the ginormous dent in the legshield.

DR130, 3 plate clutch with Polini spring, DRT short 4th, lightened flywheel, Polini exhaust, Polini CP21 carb. I weigh in at 150 or so. Yes clutch contains fresh Surflex plates and corks. If I restrain myself to 45 MPH in 4th on the hills in question, the torque doesn't overcome the grip. But it's so hard to do it when the motor's pulling strong and wants to go higher RPM!!! 8)