Modern Vespa

Denver James delivered the goods this morning and I couldn't be more excited. With some gas and a new plug, it fired right up! I ran premix in this first 1/2 tank just to be on the safe side while I ensure that the autolube is working properly (seems to be drawing oil in so next fill up will just be gas). I plan to do new tires, change the gear oil and investigate why the front brake doesn't trigger the taillight but other than that I just plan to ride a while and fix things as they break and get more and more adventurous with trying new things with time. My first questions for the group are A) What would you check on a new to you bike of this era? B) Should I do anything about the surface rust in a few spots? I don't mind the look of it for now but I just don't want the rust to get worse over time…

Ok I'll shut up and post the pics!


Mmm, reflectors…

Little "R" on the badging I've learned is a good thing.

Tuna. I have a tail badge that needs to go on. Glue it?

Anyone know if this is the original speedo?



Very little rust which is nice

I did notice this brace is busted on the end, maybe from the stand smacking it?

Even though I'm pretty sure it's been repainted, still has some original bits

Aaaand a video of my first Vespa ride, ever!

(Excuse my giddiness and my amazement at the drum brakes actually stopping )

My favorite passenger also convinced me to give her a ride - after I confirmed that the wheels probably weren't going to fall off on a slow ride down the street!

the front brake probably doesn't have a switch, thus no brake light.

you're on the right track though, tires and tubes. check, lube and adjust the cables.

order up some spares ahead of time: oil tank sight glass & seal, fuel tap, fuel line & oil line & clamps, carb rebuild kit, carb box gaskets, inner cables (one of each), cable adjusters and pinch bolts, fuel cap gasket, the clutch soft parts (plates and brass), the tools you'll need.

don't buy a fuel tap wrench, if you're close you're more than welcome to come borrow mine. I think I have a spare clutch nut tool too.

that way at least you'll be armed to tackle most anything.

might want to swap out that seat for a correct one.

other than that, ride and ride and ride.

on the paint, I'd just buff it down and wax it real good. it's not gonna rust out around here.

for that busted strut, I'd probably weld that up. a good heat sink and quick blast tack should tighten that right up without damaging the paint too much.

congrats on the new ride!

Scoot looks great! At least some of that paint is OG. The silver paint on the 70's bikes seems to flake in a common and distinctive way. I have almost the exact same spot son my 76 SprintV.

For the badge on the back, correct way is hand-peened rivets. You can stick one on, but that's one aesthetic choice that I always go the hard route on.

For all the mechanical stuff, What Greasy Said.

I've had that same broken floorboard support on three bikes now. I weld it up, but since I'm painting, I don't worry about heat management that much. Like Greasy said, a good copper heat sink and quick tacks are definitely your best bet, though.

Normally, I'd say that if you need to borrow the clutch nut tool, get a modern hex clutch nut, but you have a six spring clutch, so you'd need to upgrade to a seven spring, which isn't a big deal, other than you'll need to break a flange off the inside of the engine case (vice grips are your friend) and that scares some people.

I love that you already have a passenger. My daughter was about that same age when I got back into scooters after a long hiatus and she LOVED riding two-up. I used to take her to school on my VBB and she absolutely loved it, even in Chicago winters.


I've been "Safety Last" for a long time

Thanks for the replies guys! I'll take all of your advice to heart and start ordering spare stuff as the budget allows. I'm so stoked that it already runs and plan to just ride it and fix it as things break. If (let's face it, "when"…) I pick up another scoot then maybe I'll be brave enough to try and do a full rebuild on this one but….if it ain't broke…

How did the idle sound in the video? Terry had adjusted it for me a bit before he sent it on its way but I just kind of dialed it to what felt right, but as we know I'm not very familiar with this engine yet.

Also, is there an easy way to tell which carb I have? It's a Veloce motor from '75, some resource say 20/17 and some say a 20/20 carb and I just kinda want to know which one it is. If I pull the cover off is it stamped somewhere or do I have to completely remove the carb to find out?

The idle sounds good.

The biggest thing to be aware of is that when something starts to sound "off," i.e. not returning to idle properly, you can't ignore it, you need to tackle it, especially if it's a possible air leak. Ignoring it is a recipe for for a seize, and nobody wants that.

Heh heh, I knew you'd like that thing! Glad it's treating you right so far.

Some answers:
1. I like to glue badges on rather than peen the pegs over in case needs to be removed. I use a gob of ShoeGoo on the peg from underneath smooshed into backside of frame. Reliable to hang on and remove with no trace if you ever need to. Same on all badges, it just works well and completely reversible like it was never there.

2. Yeah, I think it is the original speedo and the miles are probably right for the frame. Who knows the miles on the motor, that's not original it turns out as you know, it's way BETTER!

3. I'm pretty sure carb is a 20/20 but just pop the cover & filter off, and snap a pic so we can confirm. Pull all the jets & post up the numbers while you are in there so we can critique.

4. Get your fresh rubber on there, those old tire probably won't explode immediately, but who knows when you are out feeling your oats and wanna see just how fast she'll go!

5. Idle sound funny? Sorry, not my problem anymore, did you push the choke back in? Here's your chance to learn more, start here : Mixture screw adjustment, got a good link?

6. Somebody close by w/ a legshield trim roller tool please speak up. I sent a proper aluminum replacement and I believe the tool will be needed soon.

7. Yeah, you could shop for a proper seat, but maybe lower priority. Anybody holding?

8. Welding that broken brace. Been there, done that, look here: https://modernvespa.com/forum/post2367050#2367050
(hint: frozen hamburger)


Finally, if you are itching to start 'improving' things, start shopping for a modern box muffler and researching flow matching carb, airbox & and intake port as well as drilling the heart in your filter if not already done. Next up would be to choose a nice kit.... then ignition and ......

Thanks for all the info, Terry. Idle sounded fine to me but I just don't know what "normal" is. I'll try and get the carb open and snap some pics soon. I plan on doing tires this weekend!

on the carb this is what you're looking for:



if it says 20/20, bueno. if it says 24/24 that's okay too. 20 anything else it's upgrade time.

right now, I'd focus on just massaging everything to make it the best you can. replace the worn and wonky bits with good quality stuff along the way. do all the low-buck/no-buck upgrades you can and splash for trick parts when needed: need a clutch? how about a *better* clutch. need a tap? go with a fast flow. exhaust sucks? get a box exhaust. that sort of thing.

fight the urge to go whole hog and be like: imma re-cable this, the electrics suck imma rewire this, imma take this apart and restore it.

just. freeking. ride it.

then get a project to go bonkers on!

This is the best advice you're going to get on this topic.

"One to ride, one to wrench" is the dead minimum if you're going to do more than basic maintenance until you're at the, "Meh. Blew up the top end. I'll rebuild it in the morning" level of experience and hoarded spare parts, and by then you'll probably have more than one bike anyway.

plan on the magic number! $200. that's the number for a scooter order. every time. seriously, unless you're ordering one very specific thing only or something dumb like two woodruff keys and a nut and circlip and shipping is $12 for $5.50 worth of parts that is the magic number. hi, my name is greasy125 and I'm an enabler. come to kajiit house of wares. leave with good project bike!

on the carb adjustment, the idle should be ticking over at a reasonable rate but not sound needlessly fast or crash hard into gear when you shift into 1st. the idle screw should be adjusted so that while on the center stand with a rev it throttles cleanly and returns smoothly and doesn't run on.

Nice ride, love the original paint. Kudos!

Nice! Welcome to the club. WE DO get a ton of riding days in socal. I try to ride one of mine every other day or so, shakes the cobwebs off my brain.

My neighbors must think im nuts, because I take the same route every time. A little evaporust OR mcguires wheel cleaner (GREAT for surface rust) and you can leave the paint as-is.

Thanks, Tierney! I'm going to try and clean it up really nice to bring out the best in the paint.

And trust me Greasy, no enabling needed, I've had the two wheel sickness for a while now. (My wife really screwed up and put in our wedding vows that she'd always support my motorcycle habit and I never let her forget it! ) All sounds good and makes sense. I figured I could keep this thread going for my noob questions as they arise, so as not to clutter up the board with random little things. I'll do my best with the search feature as well

Yep - keeping a running thread can be so useful. Nice bike, you're gonna love it.

Congrats on your sweet new ride, Robot! Love the pic with your enthusiastic young daughter. So much more fun to come as you get familiar with your new toy. Giddiness is EXPECTED!

Question for the pros…is the slight tilt of the front wheel within the range of normal in this pic? Not sure if it's something I should look in to or if that's just kind of how they sit when on the stand

I don't think that kinda lean is normal

Nice bike Phil. Love the original paint and the distinguish US model tuna can tail light.

There are a lot of little things you can do.

Unfortunately, that's not normal. You have a bent fork.

Looking at garage door in background is scooter sitting level on center stand? Don't think it's that far off but.

Try pouring some V8 down the fork tube?

Sorry! I had to. Does look bent though sadly.

Viagra?

The mudguard's a little crooked, but yeah, looks like fork may have had an encounter with a curb at some point. Is the headset on straight?

Slightly bent fork isn't the end of the world. How does it track?

It's true. I rode my VBB with a fork bent way worse than that for years.

It might be slight off on the stand but I don't think by much (the left leg of the stand has punched through the rubber boot and the other side hasn't so it might be leaning a bit).

Denver James did mention that he noticed the headset was a little loose when he was loading and unloading it. He showed me by holding the front tire with his feet and tweaking the handlebars (like after you crash your bike as a kid). He had to pull pretty hard but he suggested I check the torque on it. Is it the bolt just under the speedo, above the column lock, that I should check?

I've only ridden it up and down the street for a few minutes (still in the process of getting it titled in CA) but I don't remember it tracking terribly. I can ride and check again tonight or tomorrow. I was going to put new tires on this weekend but I'm wondering if I should sort the fork out before I do that so the tires wear properly?

If it needs new tires, put some new tires on it. You won't wear it enough to make a difference any time soon. Like...this year.

Lol, very good point.

So I got a tire on today. Slow going since it was my first time changing a split rim tire, but I think next time it will go significantly smoother. One challenge was reliably jacking up the rear enough to get the tire in and out easily. May either get a floor jack or a bottle jack that will allow me to lift by where rear suspension attaches to the case or maybe next time just carefully lay it on it's side for the rear. And a chock for the front wheel seems like it would help a lot.

By far the biggest challenge was getting the large half of the rim to seat on the tire so I could get the smaller half attached to it without pinching the tube. I was able to tap in to my dad-strength to remove it (surprisingly very little rust) but getting it on just was not happening. I finally came up with the idea to use some extra long 8mm bolts and thread them through the holes that mount to the hub. This way I could put enough air in the tube to keep it out of the way, and then slowly guide the two halves together by tightening the nuts on those bolts. Then it was easy to attach the bolts that hold the rim together and inflate the tire to get it to seat all the way.

I'm hoping to have my registration runaround taken care of this week so I can actually leave my street!


Even with the big guns (dish soap, WD-40, lol) I couldn't get the first half of the rim on the tire. Ignore my crappy set up!

Extra long bolts to help guide the rims together.

I even managed to get the valve stem relatively straight. I'll take it.

Not bad!

There's a much easier way though. I just went through this with all 3 wheels. Get big zip ties. 4 per wheel. Put the tube in the tire and slightly pump it so it's outta the way and set in the tire slightly. Zip tie the tire shut as much as possible. Slather tire paste on both tire bead and the rim. You'll be able to just push the rim onto the tire with light pressure. I was actually amazed at how easy it was. Then once the tire is one you cut the zip tie and pull them out, tighten the nuts and then pump it up.

Hardest part was just pulling the zip ties back out, which still wasn't much since they got a little tire paste on them too so they get pretty slick. I can take pics or a video to show if you'd like.

Progress! I love it!

The trick when jacking up a scoot like that is to have a block of wood that you can put under the centerstand. With the centerstand raised up 4", you can just hoist the rear end higher than your jackstand will hold it. I use a couple of pieces of 2x10" and stack them. You can even drop the engine in the frame with a stack of three.

As to getting the tire on the rim, I just use air pressure. Get the tube inside the tire by whatever means necessary, fit the halves of the rim together as best you can. I've always been able to do it with the stock bolts, but maybe I'm just luck. Then air it up. The tire will pop onto the rims just fine and you're good-to-go.

Lastly, there's a wealth of accumulated knowledge in Random tricks, share your best little tips & shortcuts. V oodoo and Ginch went through a created an index a few years back, so it's not as opaque as it once was. So much goodness and hive mind knowledge in there.

Thanks for the additional tips, guys! Yeah I was going to use a couple bricks under the stand to rock it backwards to be able to do the front tire tonight. I don't really like the feel of the bike up there with the frame resting on the jack stand. That area on my bike has been chewed up pretty good by a PO drilling the hell out of it to mount the license plate so I'm afraid structurally it's not as robust as it normally is. I like your zip tie idea, Friday. I'll give that a go next time. But what is this tire paste you speak of? Specific lubricant to help the tire on to the rim? Because that's where I got hung up, getting the tire around the fat side of the rim to even be able to get the other side close enough to bolt together. It was just a super tight fit.

Also, I torqued the nuts to 15-16 ft/lbs (based on a Robot video I watched, but he was on a small frame). Is that generally the right amount? Seems like not very much for wheels but I'm a recovering Over Tightener so…

Yeah Tire paste is a lube specifically for mounting tires. Dries clear and doesn't eat rubber. I use it to run the wiring harness too. Super slick. The tire just slides right on. Just lube both the tire and wheel. It's ridiculously easy to mount with that. I've done it the cram it on there and pull the rims tight with the bolts on my 10" wheels. Wasn't terrible but this way was no work at all. Embarrassingly easy.

And 16ft lbs is correct for the wheel rim nuts.

some like astroglide, some like KY.

me, I just talk dirty to 'em and make it happen.

15~17 lb/ft is totally cool.

you can totally get the front off with just a 2X4 under the left leg of the stand. just don't go too far because the motor is on the other side and it'll tip on ya! it's here when you find out quickly that you do not have the reflexes of a cat and you are, in fact, all elbows.

I went to change my front tire tonight and realized I only bought enough new hardware for one wheel. Oops.

I had the wheel off by the time I realized this so I decided to put it back on for the time being until I get the new hardware. When I was tightening down one of the wheel nuts (with a torque wrench) one of them would get reasonably tight but then just spin. From what I can ascertain from my online research, this seems to mean I'll need to replace that stud, correct? Is it worth running a die over that stud to see if it'll clean up or just plan to replace it?

I'd run a die over it and try another nut too. if it still doesn't want to grab try a different washer thickness and you might get lucky. failing that, R&R the stud

Thanks Greasy. I was going to see how it does with the new hardware and go from there. I'll try and clean up the threads on it a bit next time I have it off too. Maybe a little blue loctite on that one if it won't behave until I get chance to replace the stud. Unless loctite is a no-no on wheel studs for some reason…

Can you post a photo of the stud? If it's stripped, you'll want to replace it sooner than later. If the nut is stripped, that's obviously an easy fix...new nut. who dis?

Good new gents, stud seems to be fine. The old nut was stripped. Seems like a PO might have had some hardware store bits on there. I preemptively ordered a new stud so at least I'll have a spare on hand.