Modern Vespa

Lol ok NOTED. Lets talk about the idiot lights. I left them sitting upside down with penetrating oil for days, but they still will not unscrew. What do you think the metric size is of these, as I think I'm going to accidentally destroy them trying to get them to unscrew. Waterproof dummy lights of different sizes I can get off Amazon.

*not my indicator in pic

It might be better to have the indicators back the headset so you can get leverage with a large slotted screw driver that fits into the large slot on the bezel. The Bajaj indicators are probably equally water resistant there is a rubber seal under the bezel cap which may prevent the penetrating oil from getting into the concealed threads. With the indicators removed and upside down spraying in from the bottom of the cylinder might help get the penetrating oil to where it needs to get? Keep at it. Here's a peek at what's going on under the bezel cap.

Ha!
I don't come to this forum for a decade but when I do there's a thread all about chetak's at the top of the list. Love it!

Did you know that Chetak is a mythical Indian warhorse? Embrace the heritage and unique things that set it apart (for better or worse). Replacing the headset would be sacrilege.
If you search my old posts you'll find the original electrical diagrams for the loom and headset key.

The bulbs in the headset lights are replaceable. I swapped mine out for 12v and the high beam works fine.

I'm running a px stator and 7.2amp 12v battery with a trailtec regulator/rectifier. Works well.

Good luck!

Hey all. My steering column has loose bearings. Can I just buy caged bearings instead or do I have to use a conversion kit for p series? Or is it easier to just put loose ones back in?

How bad is this? Do I need a new front housing? Also SIP says something about a conversion clamping kit? I've never replaced this so I don't really know what that is all about.

https://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/product/conversion-kit-suspension-arm-from-bolt-on-to-plugged-suspension-arm-stud-fixing-front-for-vespa-125-v30-30-vm-vn-vna-vnb5-026920-acma-hoffmann-c-150-vl-vb-vba-vbb2-212456-vgla-b-gl-067468-gs-vs1-5_J59902001

Yes you should be able to use the standard caged bearings on top.

For your second problem, are you just trying to fit the shock? Your link casting looks OK to me but you need to pull the cover to install the bottom of the shock with the lugs engaged in those two slots. If that's what you are fighting, others can give more complete advice and tricks on how it all goes together.

And I need use the loose bearings on bottom?

On my Bajaj project I used the standard caged bearing at the bottom for my Vespa P fork also, but I did have to change the outer race in the Bajaj frame.

Loose balls sound worse than they really are.

Just use some grease to keep them in place while laying them down.

context is all

You don't need a new front housing.

When you go to install the new dampener, clamp a board or piece of angle iron to the swingarm and that'll give you leverage against the spring to make it all fit. I've done it both with and without that technique. It's two minutes and no effort with the lever, thirty bloody, sweaty, profane minutes without.

It'll also let you make sure you get everything properly aligned when you torque it down.

My front bearings were loose, not caged. It was suggested I try caged. Is there anyway to tell if this is going to fit before I go to gooping it up with grease? Because I'll return them otherwise. David said they would bind if it didn't work, but by then I've already gotten everything back on.

Why? The non caged works just fine. Nevr have had a problem with them.

Because it was what scooter mercado suggested and I've now paid for. I may still have all the original (may...) but it is what it is. I did speak to someone else with one of these and he said he had caged. I wonder what happened to this one to end up with loose.

It looks like it fits your inner race OK, is that original or new? You should be able to try the unlubed bearing in the outer race up in the frame and see if it seems to fit there as well. If it seems OK, you could dryfit your fork to verify, or grease it up if you have enuff confidence it's gonna work, and put it all back together testing as you go.

That's the new. The flat side goes down correct?

Caged bearing is fine and less messy. Orientation is correct in your pic. Slap it with grease and send it…

On my newer Bajaj conversion I had to change the upper outer bearing race, but I have no idea what's in yours. Probably unnecessary but should be easy to dry fit check yours w/ just the new bearing before you grease it up and slap it in.

I put mine together obliviously, but like Dave said it felt all wrong. It was obvious on mine afterwards when I checked w/ the bearing that the original installed outer race was wrong, so I popped it out w/ a length of pipe and tapped in a new one the right size.

I have an old p series cable set and I was able to find a chart for those lengths. Which cables are different in a rally/sprint set? I want to do the electrical tape pulling the new through method.

This works better- a piece of weed wacker line with a cable stop. Push the line through the new cable housing then through the old one. Tug it right through.

I use a tandem bicycle cable from the bicycle shop and feed it through the new outer, then the old, and pull the old out and the new in!

Weed whacker line would work the same though - I'll have to remember that one.

I have a length of 1/16" stainless cable from the hardware store I use for cable replacement.

I use a length of Stainless welding wire fed through the old and new outers. cable clamps, and then a 4 in z bend. the z bend lets me cork screw around the inner bracings. The z bend also helps pulling looms through.

Huh. I think I can that! I was going to leave the old outers but since I've pulled the headset and pulled the old motor and the tank is off... seemed a bit stupid of me not to use the opportunity.

Hamara bajaj!

It looks downright sexy with the glovebox off (temporarily). So this hole in the photo is inside the glovebox. Easiest way to run some wire through here to under the tank? I guess I'll need to get an external mount 12v outlet to mount here.

Also: Looking for suggestions on mounting stereo speakers on the glovebox. I guess this my midlife crisis project.

Also with the dr177 kit on the 2 port engine. Can I use a standard metal base gasket? The one in the kit is 3 port.

Yes. On your 2-port engine, the third port on the DR cylinder will just sit over a flat surface — and that's totally fine. The kit doesn't require that third port to run properly.

Performance will be a bit milder than on a true 3-port case, but you'll still get a nice boost in torque and rideability over the stock 150cc setup.

I still have the p200 engine that was rebuilt by Lee Lux on the floor of the garage to put in. I'm not going to have time till the summer to get this done. Who knows when I'll be able to rebuild that original bajaj engine!

I'm stuck right now on how to get the new engine mounts in.

Threaded rod and some washers. Pulls them in nice and easy.

Here's how:

So I've gotten ahold of a 1979 p125x, and I'm pulling the motor to put in the bajaj. It's points. I want to put a dr177 on it and call it a day. I can't find much info in this pinasco doohickey that turns the original stator into an electronic ignition.

https://www.lavespadue.it/en/spare-parts-accessories-for-vespa-and-ape/electrical-parts/coils/pinasco-25350012-electronic-points-conversion-control-unit-for-vespa-125-150-160-180-200-px-pe-gl-gt-gtr-super-t5-ts-ss-gs-sprint-vn.2.25.1047.gp.19905.uw

Opinions?

I'd just buy a proper electronic ignition.apsi, if you're looking to go super-cheap on the top end, just get a cast iron VMC. About the same price, but thirty years more modern engineering.

Well... about that. I thought I was going to put it on the 2 port motor. So I already have it, and it cost my less than $200 (OLYMPIA 177cc). After buying the p125x, I need to scale back my ambitions (insert gif of money flying out of empty wallet). If I could find a used to close to free stator/flywheel/ducati cdi that would be fantastic.

If only there was someone to trade this bajaj sprint motor for some things to get the build done.

https://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/product/racing-cylinder-olympia-177-cc-for-vespa-125-gtr-2-ts-150-sprint-2-v-super-2-px125-150-pe-lusso-cosa_10070000

The Bajaj engine would be as good and my opinion better than Piaggio engine if you rebuilt the original Bajaj engine appropriately. Transplanted engines in this would be blasphemy. The same money the same performance would be realized with either but one would be a bastard.

Is this true?

Changing over to CDI... (Post 1189442)

The flywheel on p125x will work with points or a cdi?

On my 1981 P150X original ignition was points. When changed the stator plate to Ducati and CDI it works without problem with original flywheel.

Regarding the idiot lights, given this scooter will be used as a commuter, a great idea would be to get a fast flow fuel tap with reserve light function, and hook it up to the high beam idiot light on the headset. That way, you can keep riding seamlessly through the whole tank, and the light tells you when to start looking for a gas station.

Interesting. Do you know of a good tutorial of someone who had done that?

No, but I've done it twice, and I could help through the process.

Do you have the wiring diagram for your specific bajaj model ? Installing the fuel tap itself is no more complicatted than replacing the old one with the new one (you'll need to buy/borrow a special tool for that); it's hooking up the wires that can be tricky. There's a direction for the current to go: get it right, it works; get it wrong, you get sparks flying all around your gas tank (true story).

Errrrr. I think because I can theoretically install a SIP speedo on my new to me P, I'll experiment with doing it on there instead.