Modern Vespa

Ahem... I have a yellow super that's becoming a scooter problem. Like a stray dog fed once it just won't leave... Thing just keeps hanging around.

For me too! That's what happens when you work on a some one else's scoot because they run them until it dies.

So...? Fabbri or Crimaz??

I can say for certain that the Fabbri will be up to whatever you throw at it. No experience with the Crimaz clutch, but their XL2 clutch cover is a quality piece of kit.

(The Crimaz front disc master cylinder setup, on the other hand, isn't the best piece of engineering, but it looks good and works adequately if you're willing to do some tweaking)

Unrelated: Does anyone know definitively how you pronounce Crimaz?

Is it cri-MAHZ (which is how I've always read it in my head), CREE-moz, which is how it's pronounced in SIP videos, or something else?

Cry-mz

Like crimes... as in I want to commit go-fast scootering crimes.

What I do to scooters definitely qualifies as crimes, so that works for me.

1. I always thought it was Cree Maz and I'm sticking with it cause I'm old.

2. Arguably too old to be doing this - but like mispronouncing Crimez, my brain doesn't recognize the change.

Ned, I agree that what you're doing up there is a Crime-mz, but more in an OSHA violation than go-fast kind of way.

Based on the angle, that's a second story roof?

I'm looking at the angle of your hips and ankles. Is that a 6/12 pitch roof (or is it a 8)? Nice work on banging those seams in tight.

Apparently not old enough to NOT be up on the roof showing off! 😝 Reminds me of my roofing days in the 90's. My arm would fall off swinging a giant hammer like that all day.

It's worth the wait. The pipe in the vid is a Yasuni R. It pairs pretty well with the kit on the scoot (Athena 70 "Sport", same as the original Stage6 Pro Mk.1). It's also a touch lazy due to the LPC crank. I need to get over to the shop and finish reassembling the HPC engine. That's rowdy compared to this.

Not entirely sure how it's pronounced, but Craig assures me that it translates as "almost fits".

Was fiddling with the carburetor on my small frame, meaning putting in and taking out the tank repeatedly in order to be able to access the actual carburetor properly.

The fuel rod that is connected to the fueltap is such a hassle when removing the tank, you leave it attached to the fuel tap and wrestle the end part through the hole in the frame or you disconnect it at the fueltap meaning you have to try to reconnect it by getting that annoying pin back through the holes and the rod, while not being able to see what you are doing.

Decided to just cut the rod in half and make it possible to disconnect it in the middle, much easier access plus you can see where the hole for the pin is. Can now leave one end in the frame and other end connected to the fueltap while taking out the tank.

Ah, the joys of rust repair. Always a longer detour than expected. The hardest part is getting out rusted assemblies without removing those that are still good. A little bit more left to cut grind and chisel out.

Where was your bus driven before you got it? Bikini Bottom?

*giggles*

It was salvaged from the cargo hold of the Rainbow Warrior.

Pullled the Soupah out of storage and prepped it to go to its new home in Arizona.

Nice!

I may have already mentioned that Speedo King makes me think of a big fat guy in a tiny red speedo wearing a crown and a leopard print cape.

Sorry to paint that picture.

Wow, that Super is beautiful!

There are some specifics included here that may be concerning. <3 Indeed. Hard to part with this one, but I have too many burritos on my combo plate. This thing needs to be on the road and I kept bumping it back b/c it was "just a super". *rolls eyes* It deserves better for sure... and AzLynch will do right by it.

It's going to AZsSlynch - AWESOME

that super looks amazing, and it's going to a good home, hooray!

Thanks Birbs! Looking forward to getting acquainted with the Soopah Life. It's been a while since I've had 8"s.

Needed a break from rolling plastic spider condos anyway. I'll be making time to clear the lift this weekend.

Big thanks to Birdsnest for hooking a fellow inmate up and Denver James for bringing the '74 Super previously and heretofore known as Dave to the Dirty T.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Dave.

I dig the yellow. Looking forward to seeing it returned to well-deserved glory!

Threaded plugs are bad. Pushing a bike across 4 lanes during Friday traffic jam, really bad. Not spotting the plug cap had jumped off the plug even though I'd open the cover? Bad bad bad.

Dig it.
Happy to see Dave land in Arizona… or.. "maybe it was Utah"?

Been a bit under the weather since Thursday, but it really hit on Friday. Developed an attachment to the porcelain throne, if you catch my drift.

I suspect it was a meatloaf recipe that had been "doctored" up. Clearly, there was some malpractice involved.

Today, I said I'd try to do some housecleaning.

I've had this box of parts sitting around and I'm going to start fitting them up where they belong.

Pre-Christmas engines. The restored red PX I did last year had the rear axle and hub f'ed up hitting a huge pothole and the other one is a Malossi 221 getting a 62k km overhaul...

Overall, how did the internals look after 62K km? Pics suggest it wasn't beaten like it owed someone money.

If the metal can't take an air hammer with a nibbling, it's gone.
I've painted in the snow, and on the beach in the tropics, I hear you.
New parts aren't meant to be exactly like the OG, because they know it has to be worked in no matter what, and why the metal is a different grade, to make the forming better.
Personally I should have worked at a muffler shop for a few months to learn how those guys do it. And why does the hottest sparks find the worst places to burn through to the bone?

I finally pulled the Sprint's motor out of the VBB and replaced the cruciform today.

At the same time, I pulled off the 8" hub and pre-mix airbox, as this motor is going back into the Sprint once it's back together.

It'll get pressure tested today and assuming it passes, be test riding today or tomorrow.

Then, I can move on to the P200 motor that's been in the Sprint. It has a couple things going on, starting with a bad rear hub seal that decided to start leaking at Snakes on the Trace this fall, so it'll be good to have it back in one piece.

I'm contemplating going wild with it and replacing the Malossi 210 with a VMC 244. We'll see...

Wow, I'm so impressed. Nice work.

Pretty much all of it had to come out except the door track itself. Inner box section will be made to bolt on and be removable. Worked great on the other side.

DO IT

You won't. (A Philadelphian's way off encouraging you to do it)

+2

Dismantled the top end on the Buddy 150 engine today. Most of it looked pretty good for a nearly 13K mile unit. Was definitely running rich; likely due to a PO's hokey carb repair. It had been running decently before I decided to screw with it.

Two things bothered me:

1. The piston pin had some unpleasant looking wear.

2. The cam chain looks like it's gotten a bit out of spec.

My theory is that this engine's had a couple of deferred oil changes in the past.

Aside from those two items and some tiny pitting on the rocker arms, the rest looked good to upgrade.

The cam chain sucks, as removal involves splitting the block and pulling the crank, which means I need to order more seals and bits like the intake seal and the cam chain tensioner that I assumed would be in the new kits (spoiler: they weren't).

This is getting paused for a day or two to celebrate a carpenter's birthday, so I'll ruminate on it a bit. Maybe finish another project and kick it off the lift for road testing so I can start Dave's proper inspection without the "shiny new toy" goggles.