Modern Vespa

OK then... As the SS180 saga is on going, I pulled the Rally 180 engine I got from Terry outa storage. The plan is to rebuild the R180 engine and slap it into the 1971 Motovespa GT160.

I am starting to think my love for all things 180 is actually a curse. See below. After pulling the clutch I found a ANOTHER blown cir-clip land. You can't make this stuff up. It will be a much easier fix than the blown land on the SS180. But come on! I am due a break god d@&^it.

Scooters are stupid.


1971 Motovespa GT160

VSD to go in the 09C

Stop me if you have heard this one before....


Last edited by Birdsnest on Fri, 18 Nov 2022 20:01:22 +0000; edited 1 time

That one's definitely easier. Just drill and tap…

SIP have a ready made repair retainer for that but has to be fully broken first
https://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/product/cluster-circlip-bearing-crankshaft-sip-clutch-side_87805000
As Safis I would probably make my own though.

Dang, that Spanish is one bonata Senorita!

And that is some luck, or coincidence. But, you know, there is no such thing as either. Probably come Karmic crap from who knows what when you were a child, tailored specifically for you.

Boy, that is a sweet looking scoot.

needs more batman...

and ham....

there is currently an interregnum on ham bets and transactions until after the first of the year.

i can't help if the poor machine is crying out for ham. if it needs ham it needs ham.

Salt pork for the sting

Must split cases….


Holy ham bets Batman!

Please be patient and gentle, I am 99.8% sure this will be her first time. You must be firm to succeed, but try not to force anything unnecessarily.

Hahaha!

Oh definitely not the first. Weird case screw… Missing crush washers… no clutch nut cover…
the blown land…

She's been around the block for sure. And that's absolutely OK. She's a beauty.

let's hope for the treasure of Don Benito once that chest is cracked!

The 160 just wants to stay a 160!

Scoot sadly did not come with a GT160 engine. I thought about chasing one down as piston ported Vespa's are such a lovely riding experience…

But, as the GT 160s were notoriously slow AND hard to find parts for, I opted for the vsd. 🤷‍♂️

This one was stubborn… pin and the long bolt through the swing arm were fussy and rusty.

Looks pretty tidy and solid inside. That crank main bearing is certainly different. Cool engine stand, too -- where's that from?

Thanks engine is very clean. Should be a goer!

That is a factory Piaggio engine stand. They made them available to dealers, "official service stations", and *I think* even sold them as accessories for a time.

Will surely be a rewarding project. Love motovespas!

Engine assembly update.

Drilled and tapped the retainer for the main bearing around Xmas.


Then went about the normal assembly tasks and when I got to the cruciform yesterday I had an interesting hiccup. I had a brand new in bag piaggio cruciform. The correct variety for a 1960s to 70s LF and the bugger would not fit! Tried the old one and other spent cruciforms and they all dropped in like butter. Luckily, I found another loose but unused cross in a parts stash from Kajitt's House of Where's. Thanks G!

Stack is back in black, no slop, and ready.


The spent OG cross and the brand new Piaggio cross that WOULD NOT fit.

Pass go and collect a slice of hamz.

Also …quick shout out to Captcha (Kyle) who rescued me with a KS quad.

I had forgotten that I pilfered the rally's quad for my SS. I would have been waiting for mail order but Kyle had one on hand. *hat tip*


Chewed and screwed on top. Favor flavor below.


Last edited by Birdsnest on Sun, 08 Jan 2023 23:37:38 +0000; edited 1 time

Progress.

Not as much as I had wanted, but I'll take it…

nice! glad to hear that the lagniappe came in handy. you can thank the shipping department with gifts of tuna or meow mix.

Almost there on the engine... Close enough that I rolled the GT160 home from storage.


Pinasco EI on board.

Spanish Plate courtesy of Kajiit!

Question... fly side crank taper ona Rally 180 crank.

M12
1.25 pitch or 1.75 pitch?

Do you have a tap and die kit? They usually come with a thread gauge for these very moments of need.

Indeed... alas it is in the garage and I was hoping to pick up the nut at the local HW store on my way home from work. My google-fu has found a reference on SIP that it is 1.75. ...will roll dice.

May Paco breathe favorably on your roll.

None of the above.

1.5 pitch as measured

*sad trombone*

confirmed off my rally 180 crank M12X1.5

*double paco snorts*

+1 tail swish

I was gonna say you should have bought both but it's funnier yet that even then you wouldn't have had the right one.

Foiled again.

Cutting into my slim-Jim'and scratcher funds.


:-/

well you can return it still. but yeah slim jim funds are important.

as long as you're not into the bail money slush fund!

That was used to buy an ET3… ahem


New shoes and after some clutch mounting silliness the engine is ready to go in the scoot.
Weather permitting should have a roller this evening.


New shoes, and ready to step up and out.

If you can't do the time, don't do the ET3. Video or it didn't happen. And coasting in neutral while making "vroom vroom" noises doesn't count.

Oh shit... i meant "roller" as in - engine in frame, back wheel on, etc. Will not be running for weeks. Lets be clear.

In that case, I guess coasting in neutral making "vroom vroom" noises *would* count.