Modern Vespa

Today, with help of Trixie's miniature hands, the valves were set on my '20 GTS300.

The 'healing' (re-assembly) can now begin in earnest.

The Vespa has been resting on my table lift in a suspended state of general unusability for what I think must be, seriously, eight months.

I know, I know, it's a shameful situation, but I feel that I can now muster the mental inertia to get it back together, cleaned up, and parked at the Pump House coffee shop in Deadwood at 7:00 AM on Tuesday morning.

Tomorrow morning, I will spray the muffler with a fresh coat of flat black heat-resistant exhaust paint, then, while it 'sets', I will install the new valve cover gasket, spark plug, new air filter, screw, jiggle, and cajole everything back together....hopefully, and start it up later in the afternoon. If everything goes back together as it should, I will have it zipping down the road by 5:00.

I ginned up a special-use short flat blade screwdriver to work in the confined exhaust valve adjuster area by super-gluing a driver bit into a small socket. It worked rather well for this purpose, and with an 8mm open end wrench, was able to get things into spec, or very close to it.

The exhaust valves were tight at 6700 miles. Now, the .15 feeler gauge slides in and out with a slight drag, but I can still force a .20 gauge into it but it isn't easy, so I'm leaving it as it is, being better a tad on the loose side than too tight...(or so I've heard).

I bought a small round swivel mirror to help see when the TDC hole in the cam sprocket lines up with the line mark on the cylinder head.

I also purchased one of those extendable magnetic wands to fish out the steel tools and misc bits that were dropped down into the scooter's dark innards of the engine 'bay'. Very handy piece to have....often.

Anyway, I am very pleased to be able to report some real progress today, and post a legitimate scooter-related post.

Please keep it in mind that I am NOT a mechanic (or is it 'Technician' these days?), and this kind of service does not come easy to me, and if there was a servicing Piaggio dealer in my region I would be happy to turn this sort of thing over to the pros, but necessity requires another route, and so here I am, white lab coat, Buddy Holly heavy-framed spectacles, a wife with very handy small hands, and a willingness to help when needed to get this little bike off the table and back on the Black Hills backroads dodging whitetail deer and wild turkeys, as well as the occasional radar-equipped Meade County deputy.

Several relevant photos are in order...

Good on you! You gained that sense of accomplishment and confidence having worked through each hurdle. It's probably something that you would rather not do on a regular basis, but hey you did it and saved a few bucks!

And hopefully, the engine won't sound like a tin bucket of loose salad forks when I start it.

Zen achieved. Enjoy!

Loose valves are happy valves, so better a wee bit loose than too tight. I actually found it easier to adjust the valves on a GTS 250 that a LX 150 with the little access door provided on that model. Once the frame is jacked up, it's a piece of cake to get to. Check the spark plug and cap while you're there, along with air filter. And as the cover is off the CVT, you can give that a look over as well. All in all, an easy afternoon exercise to keep the scoot in good shape.

I have a new air filter ready to go in, and I replaced the drive belt, rollers, etc, less than a thousand miles before the valve clearance adjustment (at 6200 miles).

After the valve clearance episode, about the only other maintenance I'm planning to do early this summer is to change the coolant.

Oh, and a couple of new tires too.

Coolant change is an easy one as well. It just takes a bit of patience, like any job worth doing. I try to do all these tasks on my own scoots on rainy/really cold days. That way I don't feel like I am missing out on riding.

One of my 'problems' is that because we have three bikes and one Miata roadster, there's always something fun to ride/drive while another is laid up with overdue maintenance chores.

Doesn't sound like a problem to me. Might drive you a little crazy, though. I do all the maintenance on my old truck, my wife's car, my four kids cars and 2 son-in law's as well. It keeps me busy and out of big trouble - mostly.

I FINALLY finished up the GTS last night, put it all back together, valves checked and adjusted, new oiled air filter, freshly repainted muffler, aired up both tires, 17 in the front, 20 in the rear, pumped them up to 40.

Late yesterday afternoon, I attempted to start the Vespa for the first time since last October or November, don't remember. It turned over, but not with enough spunk to start, so I pulled the battery and had it on a 2 amp charger for four-five hours, re-installed it, and it fired right off. I made a very short test ride around the block and everything seemed right with the world, then parked it back in the garage as a running, rideable, bike once more.

Got up at 4:50 AM this morning and did a quickie bucket-wash job on the dusty booger, then headed out for a fifty mile backroad ride up to Deadwood for my ritualistic coffee and bagel day-starter.

The GTS ran perfectly and strong, which was a bit of a relief because if anything went wrong on that road I wouldn't have a signal on my phone to summon Trixie for a rescue.

But all went well, and the return ride was even better than the first, in spite of some light rain on the Deadwood side of things.

So, it looks like it may be a great scooter/MC day, because I might be getting the beautiful 1981 Honda CB900C that I bought a couple weeks ago back from the dealer after they dealt with the rear end oil leak it suddenly developed an hour after I bought the bike and got it home.

This morning's inaugural run up to Deadwood's Pump House Coffee Shop.

I am once again officially a scooterist...

Congratulations. I'd bet that the sweet taste of victory made the coffee and bagel that much better, too.