Modern Vespa

This post is for anyone who may be thinking about doing this but wasn't sure about the part of the manual that says ...To fit, follow the removal steps but in reverse order... Overall it is a pretty simple procedure and saved me a bunch of tankfuls of gas that would have gone to labor fees.

Here is how I reinstalled my rear tire after getting my new tire mounted. A local Yamaha shop mounted and balanced it for $23.00.

You will need to have a 6mm hex key to do this plus a good set of metric sockets from 9mm and up along with your other compliment of tools. I am sure that there are some things I forgot to mention but this is the gist. Hope it helps.

Added: start at the bottom and go up...dang it, I too fell victim to the switcheroo that happens between formatting and the final upload of multiple files on this forum. Sorry but I don't have time to go back and fix just now.


The new tire is a Heidenau K58 that I got from Scootershop.com. The old was the crappy Michelin Pilot that came on the scooter....got 3500 miles on it and some in here say that was a a lot for that tire. As you can see I may have squeezed out too many

Slid the muffler back over the exhaust pipe and bolted it back in place. Put muffler clamp in place and tightened. Done!

Reattached the shock then the parking brake (to the rear) and the rear brake (forward) I also put the mud guard screw back in as I forgot it on the last step. The axle nut cover and cotter pin are back in place...don't forget to get a new cotter pin.

Put the bracket back on and bolted to the engine. Put the spacer and axle nut in place. The bracket bolts take the 6mm hex key.

Close up shot of the cone shaped spacer that goes on the axle after the wheel.

Wheel back on the axle. Had to put it in top first under the mud guard and hold the shock back. Goes on pretty easy.

New tire ready to go. If you look close you can see that I put most of the bolts I took out when I took the tire off back into their holes so I wouldn't mix em up.


Last edited by stickyfrog on Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:20 pm; edited 5 times in total

Nice post, great photos!

I just want to say that, based on my experience, the Michelin Pilot Sport tires are not crappy at all. The low mileage is caused by the soft and sticky compound which offer great performance overall. Pirelli Diablo's are the same way.

Yeah good point. Being a commuter I was amazed at how quickly it wore out so that is what I thought of as crappy. But when it was newer it performed nicely.

Last edited by stickyfrog on Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:10 pm; edited 1 time in total

I don't remove the rear shock from the parking brake bracket. Other things you will need to do this job

24 mm socket for the wheel nut

Torque wrench able to apply 120 newton/meters of torque to the wheel nut

10 mm socket for removing the rear brake caliper (not the parking brake but the actual brake caliper on the front side of the brake disc).

I also recommend you zip tie the front brake lever down if you are not using a work stand, if something bumps the bike while the rear wheel is off there is a chance it could slip forward and off the centerstand. Using zipties on the front brake lever prevents the bike from rolling foward.

Thanks Sticky, 07 Mp3 250 12,500 m.

Nice job on the tire change. Pics really came out great. They will really

come in handy when I do mine. I still lovin those Sticky Pilots that came

on mine. Your tire tread looks great. That's the 1st one I've seen. I know

what you mean , they don't last long. But man do they handle all

conditions. I'm waiting on my Mini-tire changer thats on back order to get

here. Just one question pertaining to the exhaust. Is there any special seal

like I hear the 500's are having that develop leaks?


Thanks again, and let us know how the new one rides Dave

Thanks Sticky, 07 Mp3 250 12,500 m.

Nice job on the tire change. Pics really came out great. They will really

come in handy when I do mine. I still lovin those Sticky Pilots that came

on mine. Your tire tread looks great. That's the 1st one I've seen. I know

what you mean , they don't last long. But man do they handle all

conditions. I'm waiting on my Mini-tire changer thats on back order to get

here. Just one question pertaining to the exhaust. Is there any special seal

like I hear the 500's are having that develop leaks?


Thanks again, and let us know how the new one rides Dave

There is a bushing and i was real careful when i pulled the muffler and put it back on to try not to disturb it...so far so good...it sounded normal today and i put 50 miles on it. I don't know if it is the same as the 500 though.

And I agree on the pilot sports...I still have em on the front and they are great. Good tire for what it is designed for.

Oh, I am interested in the tire changer you ordered. What kind is it and where did you order it? Thanks in advance for your answer.

Sticky,


Glad to see the forum is back up. I looked at your pics again and I didn't

notice the 1st time how many weights the shop put on your wheel. That's

a bunch. The tire changer I'm waiting on back order is The Harbor Freight

mini-tire changer. I guess China is taking a well deserved month off after

those great Olympics. I already have the I think it's called the Mojo-lever,

and the Marc Parnes balancer. Also a set of Mich. Pilots. I worked at diesel

garage, and use to change big-rig tires. This is gonna be a hoot! Can't

wait to give it a go. Thanks for the tip on putting the bolts back in to help

out on re-assembly.


I think some body got spanked last night,

Later , Dave

I always disconnect the muffler pipe at the cylinder head..Why take a chance messing up that bushing..

Sooner or later one of the studs that holds the pipe to the cyclinder head will get screwed up. This seems to be a very common problem and very costly to repair, the bushing is cheap and easy to repair.

Also, folks use anti-seize

It prevents seizing, galling, cold welding, rust and corrosion in fasteners, use high temperature anti-seize made with copper or graphite for exhaust system and manifold bolts.

Maroy..I don't know about every body else but you and Reno Bob are my hero..You both put the mp3 on the map..What rear tire did you run? I have changed at least 20 rear tires myself and never had a problem yet..

OT - how come you and some other folks always put extra line-feeds into your posts? I mean, why take all that extra effort just to mess up the formatting? I could have PM'd this but there are several folk who do this for some unfathomable reason, and this is directed at them as well.

Because the cylinder head bits are a darn sight more expensive and are far harder to get at. The collar is there for a reason - to allow the pipes to slide one relative to the other - and so they should separate easily *by design*.

Jimc,

I thought double spacing would be easier on the eyes. Will adjust font .
Hey Jimc , have you seen any of those yellow Vectrix cruising London rescueing stranded motorists? I saw a good write up on www.theaa.com in " motor cycle and leisure magazine". I think they are like our AAA here
in the states.

Also , I don't know why I sometimes am posting double posts. Can anyone
help?.

Thanks, Dave

Jimc,

I thought double spacing would be easier on the eyes. Will adjust font .
Hey Jimc , have you seen any of those yellow Vectrix cruising London rescueing stranded motorists? I saw a good write up on www.theaa.com in " motor cycle and leisure magazine". I think they are like our AAA here
in the states.

Also , I don't know why I sometimes am posting double posts. Can anyone
help?.

Thanks, Dave

Jimc,

I thought double spacing would be easier on the eyes. Will adjust font .
Hey Jimc , have you seen any of those yellow Vectrix cruising London rescueing stranded motorists? I saw a good write up on www.theaa.com in " motor cycle and leisure magazine". I think they are like our AAA here
in the states.

Also , I don't know why I sometimes am posting double posts. Can anyone
help?.

Thanks, Dave

Those double-spaced posts are miserable on the eyes and reading continuity.

Regarding the double posts, any chance you're double clicking the Submit button?


EDIT: On my computer, it's impossible to double-click the Submit button.

Thanks Keith,

I check out that adj. of mouse.

Dave

There I go again, bad habit I guess

Separate paragraphs are fine - just not breaking up a sentence into what look like paragraphs.

Do you get error messages when posting that make you submit again? I've had that happen to me a couple of times. Also the server can take a while to respond when posting, but here I hear a small sound when I press the submit button, so I know it's taken. After that I don't touch it again even if the page takes ages to refresh.

Yes, I've seen them all over the place. I don't know how well they've worked out, with the limited range and then the charge-up time. I do know some courier firms tried them but all found them not fit for that purpose.

Thanks for letting me know about the changer.

If you used to mount big rig tires why do you need a changer at all? You should just be able to hold the wheel in one hand and snap that little tire on like a rubber band with the other. Then spin it on your finger like a basketball to balance it. Really though let me know how you like it when you get it.

And you don't have to worry about that darned lambda probe

I started with a
MICHELIN PILOT CITY 140/70P-12 (03400024) = $46.61
as did a few other riders, NO ONE to my knowledge was happy with the durability of this tire during the cannonball. Basically the tire is good for 1,500 miles so bring two spares if you hope to go coast to coast on the Pilot City. Only one tire performed worse in terms of wear and that was the Avon, Reno Bob will have to tell you about that.

Judging by the wear of the Pirelli GTS 24 I mounted after the Pilot City, I feel I probably could have gone the entire distance with GTS 24.

While we are on the topic of tires, which is the best tire for future changes.
Size:?
Brand: ?
Cost: ?
I've found a shop (not Vespa) that will change my tire for a lot cheaper than my dealer. He orders the tire and it arrives three days later.
Stickyfrog, let me know how that Heidenau k58 holds out.

Will Do!

Toof..The best Mp3 mechanic who now works at Motorsports Scooters say's If you torq everything you should have no problems..

8)

I came all the way from Washington D.C. to Reno Nevada a distance of about 2600 miles, on the Michelin Pilot City. It looks to have another 300 to 500 miles left on it. The ride home was mostly Interstate Highway 65 to 75 mph for hours on end. I changed tires twice in the race. The first change was on day 2 in Ceder City Utah. That was the day everyone else in the race was playing in the sand. I was lucky to find a mechanic on a Saterday to change the Avon piece of crap with 1200 miles on it and down to the wear bars. It was a good thing I had a spare rear tire with me to change out the Avon with. On the road it's not what brand of tire to use,it's if you can find a tire in the size you need!!!! The Pirelli Diablo 62p I had with me went from Ceder City Utah to Ocean City Md. and then back to D.C. Where I changed it to a Pilot City that brought me home. In D.C. all they had was Michelin Pilot City. When we came through St. Louis Mo. mory got the last tire they had. On the road I stopped at a lot of places but no tire. They would say we can order it but didn't have one on hand. So with that being said always bring your own tire if the trip is over 3000 miles.

Since new I have changed the rear tire 5 times and the tire I like the best is the Pirelli Diablo 62p. I now have 15200 miles on the 250 and the last 7000 miles were put on in 19 days. What a scoot!!!!!!!! It never let me down. Would I do the the CBR again? In a heart beat!!!! What a scoot!!!!

R.B.

Coast to Coast and back again.