Modern Vespa

So got my piaggio x8 running finally , was the Bendix , now it's bogging down when revving , idles very well.
Noticed half pulley is smooth where the spigot goes in, is this normal or does it need to be grooved

Is this the outer variator pulley (the 'driving' pulley) that has the starter ring connected to it? If so, yes, it should be splined. If the belt had previously broken catastrophically, it's not uncommon for the soft aluminium splines to get shredded when the belt jams.

Replacements are not expensive.

Should have part coming today in post I think this has caused most of my issues of bogging down when revving.
Cannot believe I didn't realise it sooner

Right gents need serious advice think I have a major problem with the x8

Just got back from attempting to sort my scooter out after thinking it was the Bendix,

Well I'm back to square one,
Pulled the brand new variator pulley out which is days old, totally shredded again in the middle along with a brand new washer(outer) which is days old too.

Exact same reason before, what am i doing wrong am i torquing too hard (impact wrench)
But previous seller didn't have said wrench, and had exact same problem.
Splines still look good .
Pulling my hair out.








Looks like I'm going to have to buy another pulley and washer.

When you torque the nut, you have to make sure the pulley is up against the shaft shoulder. You can inadvertently torque against the belt. If you can, figure out how to manipulate the belt to let the nut push the pulley against the shaft shoulder.
You can try torqueing half way then start/stop the motor. Then check the outer pulley by wiggling it to see if it's against the shoulder. When you are sure the pulley is against the shoulder, then torque it fully.

Should I should have some excess from the spine coming out?

I don't know your bike. The Honda dealer did what I pointed out. When I service my bikes, I pay close attention to this.
On the drive shaft, where the threads end is the shoulder. The pulley MUST be seated on that shoulder when torqued. Use a torque wrench, not an impact wrench. Impact wrenches are great for removing nuts/bolts, but accuracy is achieved with a torque wrench.

The usual reason for stripped pulley splines is that the belt stopped the pulley from completely seating on the bushing and washer that surrounds the driveshaft. The clutch has to be opened by twisting it so that the belt is seated at least an inch down inside. This allows enough slack in the belt so it doesn't prevent the pulley from seating properly.

As above - do not use an impact wrench to tighten the variator nut. A torque wrench is obviously best, but doing the nut up "bloody tight" should suffice. Either way it's essential to use a decent variator locking tool!

Is there a washer on the other side of the pulley? there should be. I have seen variators self destruct like this because someone left the washer between the bushing and the pulley, or plate, off.

No, you can't, unless you put the variator cover back on. The bendix can do some amazing things with a less than positive outcome if you try to start a Leader engine without the cover on.
The odds are very low that the OP over-torqued the variator nut. If you take it to a shop, they hit it with an impact wrench, and it gets a lot more than 70 foot pounds.

Thank you for the replies I'm sure I tucked hlthe belt deep into the clutch,
Also yes there was a washer behind it ,has the pulley as a groove in the back for the washer to sit
Variator,bush,washer, pulley,washer, castle washer (raised humps)
Brand new with beville washer

Hi sutty,
The spines on the front pulley are designed for location and not load, there is a possibility that you have excessive end float on the crank (push and pull it) i would advise an additional .5mm washer added behind the nut then make sure the belt is pushed well into the rear drive pulley so the belt is high in the front pulley / variator half.
I always use an impact gun and give it a few "hits".
Cheers Andy

When you have reassembled with a new outer pulley half make sure that you can turn the engine over ( anti-clockwise from the variator side of course) without undue resistance. There should be some compression resistance but with the decompressor working normally this should not be excessive. Its just possible that if the engine has been turned in a reverse direction by an impact wrench it might have jammed the timing gear. Its also possible that there is no clearance behind the variator if you have incorrectly assembled it and the variator is jammed against the crankcase. The starter motor could quite easily strip aluminium splines if the engine won't turn.

Can't thank you enough gents

There is no play at all when I've just checked, sitting very solid

Also a washer behind pulley which sits inside recess

Just spoke to a dealer reckons could be a bent shaft. Not spinning true hence ripping the pulley
Any way of checking and it's straight
So I can rule this out as it would mean a new engine

If you are using the original variator, and it's an old leader bike, you might be using the wrong outer plate.. The original outer plate on the Leader Variator looked like the one in the photo, and we still see them on some old ET4s with the leader engine. We never got the pre-leader engine in the US, so I'm not confusing the two engines. If you have a TGB variator, the build date is probably stamped on it somewhere.
Whenever we put a Malossi or new Piaggio variator in the bike, we have to change to the new variator plate, which looks like the one you have, because the old style will rub against the variator cover. So if you have the early variator, it could be that with the new plate, you can't really tighten it down, because the splines are stopping the nut, but there's play in the variator.
I've got a couple, and SIP sells it, (they are closer to you) here is their link, with the OEM part numbers.

http://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/products/vbelt+pulley+rms+_c8208

Thank you I will try that one as the other two have been identical which have chewed.

Checked my splines throughout and basically there is slight play in and out a few mm on the clutch one is this normal,wheel obviously spins.
On the variator spline, it goes like this __-------__ weared in the middle .

That extra machining in the middle is absolutely normal - do not be confused by it.

Are you sure getting worried now the scoot is a write off

Every Vespa/Piaggio crank I've seen has the middle thinner. Here's mine on a GTS300 - different engine but same machining on crank.

Thank you for reasurance