Modern Vespa

Thanks!
Thought about hitting u up - but figured I'd be tethered to my wife's timing.
Will keep this one for next ride

Not that dated!
SoCal Recommended lake Casitas.
Took 192 and 194 up to the lake.
Beautiful

Don't be shy next time. I could've picked you up at the airport for a quick flight out around the islands. Would've had you back before anyone noticed.😉

Ha!
Sounds spectacular.

Oh, and BN.
Truck is awesome.
Idk what to say.

Downside: Charging is a thing - inconvenient.

In return, u get a work truck that rides like a luxury SUV, powers ur tools, and goes like a Tesla.

It also drives itself - which is nicer than I thought it would be - two hands on the sandwich.
It's a remarkable vehicle.

I haven't caught up yet BUT I'd be worried about the stopping power of a mtb disc. You are running a ton more weight than those could probably wish to slow down. A mtb weighs what 18-28 lbs total…. I wouldn't risk that.

I second this. You'll turn that MTB disc blue in a heartbeat and warp the crap out of it. Dirtbike rotor minimum is my suggestion. By the way, just got an oversized rotor kit for my KTM so you're welcome to mess around with my old one.

The sidecar is orange, so it should fit.

Haha. Ik right?
I wait 100 pages to customize the sidecar, in a thread about sidecars… then disappear midway.

Thanks for comments on brake - and cool offer of disc.

I've taken on a house building project - CM22 style - which is to say I am way out over my ski tips…

It's eating my time.
Somehow managed to start that just as I'd stripped down the lathe to paint as well.

All this to say: no time for wrenching or fab'ing the sidecar frame - at least for time being.

Loaded up the unicorn and brought it for this ride - thinking it was 50/50 it might conk out for one reason or the other. Zero prep other than last minute air in tires.

Man it was good to get out. Something about the sound when it's just buzzing like a wasp on long rolling hills.

Few shots below of goings on keeping me from the sidecar project… ull get the sense.

Shouldn't that be Nedward Scissorhands?

L shaped rotary with bonded pad, 2yr ~4K mile check in.

I assume that was after your two-year, four thousand mile factory service (using only genuine parts and fluids)?

Love it! Nice to see you're alive.

Thanks for that - always nice to see The Orange Unicorn ripping it up on the freeway!

Well that's inspiring.

Awesome to see. Hope you and the fam are well and good, and good and well.

Dig it! Good to see The Unicorn is going strong.

What're the odds we're going to see the aluminum sidecar frame at ROM2025?

House build project has me wiped out by end of week.
I'm "going to the shop honey", on Saturday's and Sundays - but it's really just an excuse to ride the Unicorn and sit at the local cafe and drink coffee(s).

I frequently think about you guys when I'm blasting up the hill (that and the ugly nature of a seize).
The video is really a testament to Henkel (AKA loc-tite) epoxy.
I have more than a little of it in use inside this motor.
I thought the video would give a good example of the beating it's willing to take.

So, not exactly ONLY genuine parts and fluids, and no aluminum frame in the near future - but it's nice to be able to beat the crap out of the scoot a few times a week and have it repeatedly get the job done.

CM - next window of project time is to get the wide body build going so that I have a second ROM option for you to blow up.

When you put it that way, an aluminum sidecar frame seems a lot less interesting.

Good to hear the unicorn and YOU are doing well!

Giggles. Would definitely look forward to that build thread.

Short story long.

Still working on other project - but at the weekends I am blasting up and down the hill to/from shop.
Puts a smile on my face every time.

Too wiped recently to do any wrench turning.
Planning a little longer ride in near future so thought I better have a look see at the shape of things.

On way up to shop - rear tire blew out.
I was going to~ 65 at the time.
Really wasn't bad.
Little wonky but not uncontrollable.

Was kinda stranded so just rode the rest of the way to the shop, nursing it along.

My next door shop owner has recently moved, and he has some stuff I bought for Pennie's on the dollar.

I see yall with your fancy red and yellow lifts and it struck me that one of the things I purchased might do the trick, so…

https://youtube.com/shorts/cQD8XDtEbRM?si=lWSpU_KZTt1xrWDC

I have to admit, totally surprised you didn't have one already.

Wait… is that a bindlestiff holding up the hanger for the hack?

Need a cartoon rollerskate on that thing to complete the absolute perfection of that still life.

Seriously, congrats. That's awesome.

Me: converts cheap motorcycle lift into scooter lift.

Ned: converts cheap forklift into scooter lift.

Point, Ned.

Ned always gets the point! Look at KITT, The Orange Unicorn, those fantastic gates, the shop, etc, etc.

Someone's gotta do it - I'm glad it's him, and maybe someday I'll get the honor of visiting his shop.

I love it. Fun to watch someone go all in and take something to the nth degree. I have enjoyed following along with the projects of this creative and highly talented individual.

Hey guys - looking for some experience/insights. (^ Thanks for the prior kind comments).

When putting away last weekend:
Pushing into garage> hack frame caught on the curb> caused abrupt stop> headset came out of alignment with front wheel as I was holding hand grips to push.

Loosened pinch bolt, snugged back up, fairly snug I thought, rode around block, and headset slipped out of alignment again.

So that's the symptom.

Now maybe just making the bolt tighter is all I need to do - but I wanna make sure I'm understanding the lay of the land/ looking for some knowledge:

1. I have a PK fork from SIP. Pic below - there are two machined slots for a bolt, I am guessing the PK had a larger pinch bolt and SIP machined my new slot?

2. With the pinch bolt sitting loose in the hole, I can move the headset relative to the fork. See video. Is this normal? Assuming yes, then

3... the fork is held in relative alignment by the headset pinching it, not by the bolt interfacing with the fork's slot? Or is the bolt supposed to force absolute alignment?

Note - in examining, I noticed that my headset sits a little high - likely resting on the locking nut at the top of the fork tube. There is a small misalignment of my headset pinch bolt to the fork tube slot.

Tks in advance for the feedback.
-CM2

Perhaps a little more than normal? I feel like it's to put it into rough alignment, then the pinch bolt is to hold precisely.

I wonder if your headset has a little more wear than normal? How close are the visible clamping parts of the headset when it's done up tight? Not touching I hope?
Also, how much is the clamping bolt moving around in the holes while you're pushing the headset back and forth? Could they be enlarged slightly? I'm thinking that the additional stress of the sidecar may transfer to those two connections (pinch bolt and headest-to-fork) causing excess wear, which you're only starting to see now.

Thanks Ginch. So if its the headset pinching that maintains the alignment, (sounds like yes) than it shouldn't be problematic if the pinch bolt doesn't align perfectly. Sounds like thats the case. The headset does not appear to have any abnormal wear. It does take a lot of torque when I hit the front disc - but it never comes out of alignment. Means normally, the headset pinched on the fork is sufficient to hold in place - Until now - which occurred after the incident.

ever so, maybe. but for them to get worn, it would mean the headset was moving relative to the fork - which has not been the case - so I thin the extremely subtle wear, if any, is normal. Bolt does not jiggle around when residing in holes for headset.

The incident was a one time strike -with me pushing the handgrips as the bike abruptly stopped. it was enough to offset the headset to fork alignment. I don't think I have excessive wear - but I definitely have some marginal alignment between the headset and fork tube.

I'm concerned about breaking the headset if overtightened. I suppose it's possible I have a crack I haven't found yet. I will assemble and re-torque and see how it goes.

Is it possible you just didn't do it up quite tight enough? If it is cracked, I'd rather find it when overtightening than on that hairpin bend.

Ned if I may, is your headset bolt the type that has reduced section on the grip portion? I agree that the pinch should hold the headset fast. Im wondering if the pinch bolt was relieved in an effort to compensate for an offset groove in the fork tube. Would be ideal to have a solid shank pinch bolt that would coincide with the groove in the tube and still have the headset on straight. If your headset is worn I think it would be more difficult to get a good purchase on the tube when tightening down the bolt. Since the headset is easy to spin, it might be possible to add some thin shim stock to get the required tighter tolerance for a secure fit. You could also add some meat to the tube groove and sand till it fits the pinch bolt. I'd do some measurements first. Hope you get her ship shape.

Another thought popped into my pea brain. Tig welding the fork tube notch with a silicon bronze filler rod would be much easier to shape and wouldn't harm the tube with excessive heat. Just another avenue to explore.

The slot is just there for preliminary lining up of the headset. The secondary use is that it creates a sort of crumpled zone so that the bars don't twist too far and smash into the knees (in the event of a wreck)…at least those are my theories.

The extra slot on the PKXL conversion fork shouldn't make much of a difference when it comes to clamp holding. That being said, i've filled in the unused notch in the past with a mig welder.

One question, does the very top of the fork tube slide all the way up into the headset until it bottoms out in there? If not, then you might be loosing out on clamping power there. In some forks i've extended the top of the tube by however much it takes to make the two fit all the way together.

And don't torque down the pinch bolt too tight. I've read reports of the headset cracking. That being said, take a REAL close look and make sure that your headset doesn't have some very small cracks in it (in the clamping area).

EDIT: looks like you already are concerned about a potential/possible crack.

When it slipped after I had recentered and tightened, my mind immediately went to repair solutions:
- I could shim!
- I could tig and file!
- I could over-bore one side, make a bushing, slide busing onto the bolt, trap the busing on the bolt by tiging a pot belly shape onto the bolt, then put the whole assembly in the headset.

And then I thought - maybe I should ask the boys what the natural state of affairs actually is - so that I knew what I was trying to accomplish...

I think the original intent - now having circled the wagons with y'all - was for the bolt to keep the headset from coming off in your hands while riding - buster Keaton style. The pinching action of the headset is there to clamp it in place from twisting relative to the fork.

Does my headset move more than stock? yes - probably - but that is more likely due to the "grade A" alignment of the SIP modified fork to my headset bolt. Yes - it's possible - and bordering on probable. I was a little tenuous about how much it should be tightened. Had a vague recollection that cracking the headset by over tightening was a thing? . Good point

There's no evidence of a crack - but I don't wanna discover one at the wrong time. I think I will super glue a little shim on there for the time being - so that if it does slip, it has limited room to move without friction.

Short of putting on boots/pinching the front wheel between my feet, and whacking the headset to see if it will move after tightening, I'm not sure how I will test. It did go back out of alignment on the first breaking - so it will likely show itself again if so.

Thanks all for weighing in. I feel like I have a better sense of what it's SUPPOSED to be doing, now.

*shivers*

That boroscope video triggered me. Colonoscopic nightmares...Thoughts of drinking PEG and the ensuing misery. PTSD (Post Traumatic Shits Disorder).
Good news...on review of the vid... We dont see any polyps!

OK, seriously not much to add. I think you probably need to disconnect cables and flip it back completely to thoroughly check for cracks. Kinda in the area marked in pic below. Maybe ya did... but I didnt see a pic?

If no obvious cracks, I wonder if the weight and torque of the hack could have wallered out that same area in your headset?

Shim for short term fix sounds good...

But, if you end up uncabling and disconnecting the harness, call Kajiit, borrow a headset to fit to the fork tube and see if it is any better. I'd bet uh-huh.

I had to resort to a layer of hvac tape to the fork so the headset would stay put. Thought I would crack it if I tried to tighten it up any further.

I had to knurl the top of the fork once and turn it back down to bring the fit between the two into line. Given the fork is in really good shape I'd give a think about how to do that on the inside of the headset and rebore it to fit the fork.

Thanks you guys.
Really helpful to get the gamut.
Full set of good solutions from the crowd for improving as well.

My perspective currently:

I really don't think it's worn from use - though I transfer significant loads through it.

-The loads are a twisting load rather than a prying load.

-The headset has no play when I have the bolt out. It's a good net fit when un-tightened.

- the movement came from a sudden jolt, and stopped when the bolt contacted the fork beyond the slot.

For these reasons- I think there are two distinct possibilities.

1. I need to just properly tighten.
2. I have a crack and I won't be able to tighten.

I'll have a look with microscope for any signs of hair line fracture in area Birbs called out.

Short term:
I will shim by super gluing some sheet metal in the slot to limit the DISTANCE the fork can offset.
I will re- assemble and tighten.

Longer term:
At some point, when I have the headset off, I'll do some machining to better align the bolt to the slot so it sits more deeply.

Will be about 10 days until I can address and get a close look.

Appreciate the insights and ideas.

If ever there was a time for an old steel beer can shim... THIS is the time.

I wonder if you could make use of the second slot in the top of the fork? Just a thought.

Perhaps you could cut down a bolt or something that would effectively fill that slot, and leave it very very slightly proud of the fork. When you tighten up the main clamp bolt, hopefully it would exert some pressure on the filler part and make for a tighter fit all round?

Another good idea
(Both the beer can and the second slot).

Keep in mind: this thing has ~4 - 5k miles on it - of rugged riding. There's been no issue - and the current issue wasn't a wear one. It didn't fail in use.

I was pushing it so my body weight was on the handlebars when it stopped dead as the frame caught a 4" cement curb.

The fit remains snug with no bolt at all. But it's possible I simply cracked the headset.

Now that I know the headsets job is to pinch the fork/ no bolt interference required - I want to get back to that state.

On the other hand, given that the bolt is a saftey rather than being loaded against the fork, I suspect Ginch had it right the first time: I probably didn't tighten it sufficiently when I re aligned.

If it's cracked, and untightenable, all those forces y'all are imagining will make it spin out of alignment again the first time I grab the front brake.

I don't think it needs anything special - it hasn't up til now, and it shows no sign of wear - unless it's just plain cracked.

Dying to get back to it to see - but it's gonna be next weekend before I can take a look.

22-25 ft.lbs is what you want on that headset bolt.