Modern Vespa

I'm trying to get my GT200 back up to scratch after leaving it at the back of the garage for 2 years and I'm sorting out a few little issues.

On the air filter side of the engine I'm getting a loud clackty clack sound while the engine is idling. Haven't tried riding down the road yet (not quite legal). Any ideas what's making the sound and how to silence it?

It's the rollers rattling around in the variator. You need new ones. Get a new belt and rollers, an mot, come over here, and I'll show you how to put them in.

I wonder if that noise is the rollers? Once the rollers start to get flat spots you might start to hear more noise from them.

Thanks guys. At this rate I'm going to be asking the wife for some mechanics overalls for Christmas. I'll definitely bring the GT200 along next month then.

The clackety-clack sound is definitely the rollers in the variator. My ET4 even does it at idle with brand new rollers. It goes away as soon as the revs are up and those rollers are thrown out into the variator by centrifugal force. Somewhat normal. There is an inbetween period, after wearing in, where they get quieter. My other half's Mojito with a leader engine does it too. It has 600 miles on the clock.

Does you noise sound like this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZmNdzLLeqs

My scoot was brand new and was making this noise. After 500 miles, it still was making this noise. Frustrated I took it back to the dealer and they could not solve the problem.

I later talked to somebody in Honolulu with a vespa and he said it might be engine vibrating or carb.

I had put in a larger idle jet a few days back and couldn't get it smooth enough to stop the clacky noise. I finally put the stock jet back in and was able to adjust the idle and air/fuel mixture so the the motor would idle smoothly. Low and behold the clanky noise went away.

Could definitely be the rollers, but it seems weird to me that you wouldn't notice the problem before you put it in storage. The rollers aren't getting any use while it's just sitting there, and they shouldn't wear down.

It's definitely coming from the back left side of the bike? If so I'd have someone else take a look at it for sure.

it takes no time at all to speed up your idle a bit. this usually solves the problem. Even brand new rollers will rattle a bit if the idle is set too low. It might not fix things for you, but its easy enough that its worth trying.

Agreed. As someone else has mentioned, an uneven idle will also cause the problem. So a bike that has been sitting for ages will not run evenly. QED.

Ride it and ride it hard.

I'll try racing it about on the roads and if that doesn't do it I'll try adjusting the idle but I need to do a few things first. It looks like it needs a new battery (more expense) - it didn't have enough charge to turn the engine the next day! Then it's an oil and filter change (I was supposed to do that today but I have lots of excuses). I'm also considering putting BBQ paint on the exhaust to preserve it a bit. Then I need to get an MOT and road tax. Then finally I can race about on the roads with it.