Modern Vespa

The pictures I have seen on the Internet of the P200E fuel valve show the text on the right hand (foot brake) side of the valve. On my P200E the text is on the left hand (clutch) side.

Does that matter? Is pointing up still the main fuel and pointing down still the reserve? And straight out still off?

Thanks

get rid of it and get the euro style kit. It will strip in time anywhay or break.

The biggest problem with those things is that they get worn and sloppy and then don't close or open fully.

best $15 you ever spent - http://www.scooterwest.com/items/?_pageCCS=t#page=/item_details/Vintage-Vespa-P-Series-Euro-Rod-Kit-For-USA-Type/1810

To answer your question, yes it does matter. Your lever is installed upside down. The text is supposed to be on the engine side. When installed that way, Up = ON, Down = RESERVE, Straight out = OFF. The way yours is installed, on and reserve are reversed, and straight out won't shut it off.

Bad memory and lack of pictures/notes. I started thinking about the plastic lever orientation after tap replacements years ago, while trying to reuse the USA wonky lever. Scootermercato and Scooters Originali make note of the different taps used on USA models and different positions of the black lever with available replacement taps.

http://www.scootermercato.com/Scooter-Parts/Fuel-Taps-and-Parts/180056

http://scootersoriginali.com/products/vespa-conversion-plate-usa-fuel-rod-to-euro-rod

I have replaced at least six taps with the newer, non-USA types and used the black lever. I think it required disassembling the tap, rotating the disc 180 degrees, then also rotating the lever assembly so that the words were on the engine side of the selector. Up ON, center OFF, down RESERVE as original. Fuzzy on the details, but they do work.

I still have three of the P's with new taps and the words on the engine side that work as original.

I've looked at numerous online pictures and THINK the words were originally on the clutch side. I have one fuzzy picture of a rusty one owner P that followed me home that seems to show the lever and words on the clutch side. railfancwb may have an original. I don't really know.

hp explained it well in this thread:

P200 gas valve question

I guess I should have said I think the text is supposed to go on the engine side. I don't really know how they were originally installed. All I know is that our 40 yr-old lever functions correctly when it's oriented that way ... UP=on, OUT=off, and DOWN=reserve.

^^^^And I don't really remember if I had to flip the disc or just the lever assembly. A whole lotta thinkin' goin' on. Sunny and beautiful, finally! Fall ride about to commence.

I actually prefer the lever and words on the engine/kicking side. Seems more logical. Whatever works, no concours concerns here.

railfancwb, the engine should eventually die in the center position, drain down to the short tube in the tank when up or ON, and empty below the short tube when down or RESERVE. I like that about the lever, Up to drain the upper tank, down to drain the lower tank. Petcocks for Dummies.

Push nearer the base than the tip, or hook it with your finger, try not to kick it, and it might not break.

Sorry about the sidetracking.

For original install orientation the text should be facing away from engine, towards clutch/spare side.

USA lever positions: lever down=on, lever center=run, lever up=reserve (this will match the text when oriented correctly)

If you replace the fuel tap below the tank with a newer item but reuse the USA lever your fuel positions will not match the above. If you're some kinda purist there's some voodoo you can do with a dremel to the disc part of the new tap which will remedy this, but I don't remember all the details, and anyway if you're not careful it will leak.

Thanks very much, hp. Yesterday I looked and remembered the upside down wording and backwards operation with the lever rotated to the engine side. Makes me wonder if someday anyone will care enough about correctness to thrash it out like original nuances on the older models.

This is a picture taken years ago after I finally got the lever to operate after a tap change by rotating to the engine side and the upside down wording. Don't know why I put the filter there.

^ That's how ours is. It doesn't shut off if it's flipped the other way. Maybe our tap disc or gasket is reversed? Who knows, it works so I'm not messing with it. And I'm with you bb, having the text on the engine side and pushing the lever "down" for reserve makes a little more sense to me ... but only a little.