Modern Vespa

I lost an end cap somewhere along the way when looking for screws, nuts, and rivets. SoCal hooked me up with a much needed end cap to complete the job. Respect to those guys that peen their own rivets. The first few are a PITA, but gets easier the more you do them.
Floor rails are done on the smallie!

Looking sharp!

so many smallies on here lately



can someone please show off a nice practicle T5

Got my crimper and a bunch of terminals from vintageconnections.com. Nice stuff if you want OEM style bullet connectors, spade connectors, etc. Gearing up for an AC conversion on the Primavera since my regulator appears to have died. I think I'm going to do a bunch of pics and write it up in the Projects section for those who have these 70's US bikes.

New set of tires came in today. Just need to order two more sets....

Ordered up a new regulator for the p125.

Ordered cables, tube, fasteners, and some other bits for one of the p200 bikes.

Ordered a halogen bulb for the rally 180.

I swear I can hear spring coming....

Got the clear carb box cover in the mail today. I'll get a photo this weekend.

I was imagining how this would work... wouldn't you have to introduce smoke or something to be able to see the path of the gas?

I was thinking more about just being able to see how everything fit. and maybe watch the spit back pattern. But if I had the smoke machine...

I smoke. I just take a big puff and blow into my intake to look for air leaks.....

Took apart the Stella's carb to clean it today. Thick, sticky gasoline coating the inside of the bowl and bottom side of the top, blackish green goo clogging the jets. Took it apart as much as I could, the the float valve is stuck closed, and have it soaking in carb cleaner. I looked at buying a rebuild kit, but can't find one. Luckily you can get this carb for $20-30 off EBay.

The green goo isn't the killer. That's just weirdness from the brass and ethanol and what not. The white powder is when I start thinking new carb.

It's not that I think the carb is ruined, it's the seals are cracking and I can't find a rebuild kit.

Converted my Primavera over from 6V DC crappy US setup to 12V DC. Wrote it up in the projects section: https://modernvespa.com/forum/post2137050 . Added to the tips and tricks thread.

I broke down and ordered a set of new rims for one of the p200 bikes. Ended up tweaking the old ones and still don't have the old tires off the original rims.

If I broke down to get a gift for my P, it would be this Ducati speedo setup for Vespa headset that includes a trip meter. 8)

Looks like several available at Speedo King and no, I don't get a cut
Here: http://scoot.net/classifieds/forsale.html?id=58666

I swapped a new fuel tap, fuel line, and converted that awful black plastic lever to the old style hockey stick lever on the running p200.

Now it won't run.....naturally.

Also totally lost the the Kickstarter engagement. So how it MUST have the cases split.

I need some advice. I need to build up material around the outside of the ports on my Stella's cylinder head so I can open up and, more importantly, shape the ports more. I went as big as I could with the material that was there without going so thin as to make me worry, but it still wasn't enough for a decent job. Does anybody have any experience with those low temp aluminum brazing rods? Could they work to build up a layer of extra material to reinforce the port walls or would I be better off bringing it to a welder to have him TIG weld some extra material?

Another option would be to use epoxy, but I don't know if I would trust epoxy around that area of an engine. Even using a good epoxy like Devcon or Marinetex, I'd be afraid of the heating and cooling cycle causing delamination, and if that happened, it would be next to impossible to remove all the epoxy so it could be welded.

I guess when you say 'cylinder head' you actually mean 'case'? That is usually the area where you would want to enlarge.
Subetherbass went through his LML case in that area a few years ago - it's pretty thin in there - and so grabbed what was locally available... this stuff.



It's hung in there for years and has survived several seizes, it's rated to 500 farenheit and doesn't look like coming off any time soon. It grinds pretty much the same way as aluminium (although I'd wear a mask) so you can get it off easily enough should you really need to. Great stuff.

It's a Stella 4T, so the ports are in the head.

It isn't so much about the temperature that the epoxy can withstand, it's about the difference in expansion ratios between the epoxy and underlying aluminum. I know plenty of guys have used epoxy on cases without problems, and plenty of 4 stroke tuners have used epoxy to shape intake ports (while some would never). It's just I don't know if I trust the long term ability of epoxy in an area that will cycle between 350-400*f and outside temp regularly. Maybe I'm being paranoid. I do have a second head on the way, so I can try out epoxy, or brazing, and if it fails, I can get the other welded.

I'm looking for something In can do myself, since the area that needs material added is very tight and hard to access, so paying a welder to do it will be expensive (I assume).

Maybe, it's kind of a crap shoot. If you can find a small shop w/ an experienced welder and the right equipment it's probably your best bet for a good job at reasonable cost. Call around and ask for referrals at machine shops, motorcycle repair places etc.


20 euro to weld up a rotary pad and took him 10 minutes. Be sure it is perfectly clean and that it's preheated before welding.

My apologies then.

not today but more like its recently.. after thought about it for sometime i finally able to said yes to a friend request to build their bike and as reward he help me fund on my p series cut down

dont laugh but he want me to put round headset on his excel not only that he ask me to completely tear down the og paint (dont tell him but i kinna hid the og paint under the new paint in case he change his mind in the future)

as for my own project since the two bikes share the same engine (vlx) and he want to change the whole parts in his bike with a brand new so i can keep his old parts as a donor to my project.. on second though lets laugh, here's the pics coming

maybe i can finished it by the end of the month as my smallie is demanding me touch her as well

have a nice weekend to you all and cheer

Today I found out my work is on to me and banned NSM and forum pages...

That sucks. Thankfully I get a daily quota of half an hour, for modernvespa, on my company's firewall...

I think I like this. Reduced weight for improved performance! And bonus, original paint.

PS Nice paint job on the Excel.

Finished making some kickstart return springs for a MotoBi Springlasting.

I will never again look at a broken or missing spring and fret about where I'm going to find a replacement.

Nice work!

I first charged and installed a new battery and regulator in the p125. When it still didn't have proper charging and power to lights, I began researching just how the whole harness/ circuit works and all the little details which could lead to issues. Then I made a diagnostic chart tied to the schematic.
Lastly, I went on a local search for a new headlight....turns out most makers have discontinued them.

Are you looking for the sealed beam headlight? Look at Napa for H5006 bulbs. $11

I hate buying fasteners at Menards, their bins are always messed up and it always seems that the one you need is out of stock. I needed some assorted lock/wave washers, spent a good bit of time digging around, and they only had one 3 pack of 6mm wave washers. I need more than 3, so tomorrow it's off to the local Hardware Hank to get them.

Yesterday I spent a few hours working on the intake port. Got it shaped pretty good with some hss/carbide cutters, now just need to smooth it a bit with some sanding drums/diamond bits, and maybe add some epoxy to shape the floor better. Then work on shaping the exhaust port and polish it, the combustion chamber, and piston crown. Then lap the head and cylinder. Then I can bolt everything back up, installing the Cosa clutch and Polini cylinder I bought 2 years ago.

If you guys want some good ideas on how to shape intake and transfer ports on two strokes, seriously read up on four stroke head porting. Stuff from professional motor tuners who spend dozens of hours shaping a port on a junk head with modeling clay and a flow bench to find the best flowing shape. Bigger isn't always better, it's all about shape/cross sectional area to keep up velocity and attached flow and the correct application of surface finish, and the correct direction of flow to promote cylinder filling and swirl/tumble to keep the the mix uniform. Part art, part science, and way more time and money than any of us have to figure it out.

you know the square arse can be drilled off on the spots E ..... ive done one you just end up with 3 holes that need a big loght to cover ... or weld em up n do something trick .....
like the 'cutdown' it needs an armandos paint job with borders round the cutouts on the legshields

Hi MJRally

Is the H5006 a direct substitute for the GE 4420 that I have now in my 1980 P200? I've had a hard (expensive) time finding the 4420 and would like to find something else I can buy locally. Are there any other replacements for the 4420?

Is there a direct plug & play LED bulb that would work?

You can always switch to the Euro reflector/bulb setup, then you can use an LED bulb. But you'd have to go full DC or at least install a rectifier on the headlight circuit, LEDs and AC don't play well together.

Has this been posted? 400cc.

Not sure if 400cc is possible? A long stroke crank for a smallframe is what, 54mm? So if you managed to get a 60mm crank in there somehow, then the bore would need to be 92mm... you see where this is going?

Biggest displacement I've seen declared in a smallframe is 209cc by BFA Motori (former BSG Corse) and that is with a full CNC engine case...

https://www.facebook.com/pg/bfamotori/videos/?ref=page_internal

GP One... also a CNC case... they say 270cc but I'm not sure where they're hiding the crankshaft!

http://www.gp-one.at/projekte/rotax-270.html

Here's the cylinder they're using, it's a Rotax Ski Doo cylinder from an 800 triple. Bore is 82mm and stroke is 75.7mm. Doesn't seem to add up tp me.

One small step towards organization. Amazing how much room spares take up.

Who am I to argue?