Modern Vespa

Ok it didn't really exploded but not that I've got ur attention. I was riding around town. I take off from a stop up shift to 2nd and then bam! All kinds of grinding and no go. The I don't think the engine seized. If you put it in gear u can push it along as if in N although with a bit of a grindind sound. Also kickstart is loose unless it's in grear then there's a bit of resistance. So did one or all of my gears go, did my clutch go, shift cruciform. I have no clue this is my first scoot and I've only had it about a month. So any help would be much appriciated. Ok I'm going to continue pushing it the 3+ miles home. Thanks in advance.

Wow I sound ignorant in that post. I wrote on the side of the road on my phone. Now that I reread everything it sounds like I'm listing reasons why I think it didn't seize when I meant to express that I thought it hadn't seized and then go on to list the symptoms. Sorry if there was any confusion

Picture please, does your kick stay all the way down? Sounds like you have broken something gear/ shaft? You need to open it up anyway. Get your tools ready or if you have a shop around ask for help... Brian

I think it's pretty likely that your clutch exploded. It's not uncommon on the small (6 spring) clutch bikes for a clutch basket to wear to the point where it 'flowers' out a little bit and lets the circlip slip out. At that point the plates spring out and you lose your connection between top and bottom ends of the motor.

If you're lucky this is all it is and it's possible there won't be much other damage. Clutch is pretty easy to check, so just tip yer bike over or jack it up, remove the rear wheel for clearance and pull off your clutch cover to take a look.

If it is your clutch, you'll most likely want to replace the complete unit, rather than reusing any of the parts from the old one. If you think you're going to upgrade the power of your engine at some point, it's worth looking into upgrading to a larger 7 spring (P200) or Cosa clutch.

hey there....


where'd you buy this 67? what shape is your headlight?

rofl. no seriously, i am rolling on the floor.

well. if it's not broken, do fix it (my statement, not the scooter). The answer to the question will more than likely diagnose the problem better than an Italian mechanic.

Isn't it just this one?

newbie going to look at a 67 sprint 150, and opinions?

right right. quoting myself in that other thread.... that's the first legit 67 sprint that i've ever seen.


now to diagnose the actual problem. My guess is you blew up your clutch. I did it on my sprint in the first weekend I had it. When you bought your sprint "a month ago" had it been sitting for an extended period of time? My guess is your corks were dried out, and the clutch finally heated up enough to pop the basket. A new clutch should cost you $100, fully assembled. Most places sell the assembled clutch already lubed, but if it's dry, take it apart and soak the cork pads in oil for 24 hours.

Thanks for the input everyone. I've been working so I haven't been able to get into it yet but I'll post some pics when when I do.

Ok so I finally got to work on the sprint and the clutch def went. Here are some pics I took.



This is pretty much how things fell out when I took the cover off.



Here's the inside of the cover. Bits of metal and cork.



I haven't taken the nut off yet. I'm debating on buying the actual removal tool or not. You can see the corks look pretty dry and some look like they're about gone.



And here's a bit more of a close up of the damage.

I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts are. Whether this looks typical of a clutch going or whether there might be some other underlying problem that helped cause this. Any input would be much appreciated. Also I've been looking around at clutches and I'm having a little trouble figuring out which 1 would fit my sprint. I'm hoping I actually get some responses it's been a bit since I first posted this.

buy the clutch nut removal tool. you're already ordering parts, so you can't use the "10$ shipping on a 5$ part" excuse. And you're going to have to need it to put the new clutch on. You'll use it more than you think, unfortunately.

The clutch isn't really related to the inner workings of the rest of the motor. Your clutch was dry, so it got too hot, so it shit itself. Pretty simple.

Here's the clutch you need.

http://www.americanscootercenter.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_40_41_187&products_id=376

You have to phone in your order, so just tell them it's for a VLB, and you'll be fine. Don't forget to order the clutch nut tool, and a new nut, and the tab'd washer.

Also, while you're in there, you should probably replace these too...

http://www.americanscootercenter.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_40_41_161&products_id=396

but make sure they send you the one for the VLB.

It might also be good to get one of these....
http://www.americanscootercenter.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=104_155&products_id=80

Your total with all the parts and tools should be about $150.

Here's a clutch that might work too. A little better price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Vespa-Complete-clutch-assembly-21-teeth-VBB-7-springs_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ84149QQitemZ130359335127

That's what I sort of figured. I'm still confused as to what clutch to get. I'd rather just buy a complete clutch than rebuild it but I haven't really found anything that says specifically that it will work for a sprint. I'm guessing I need a 22-tooth clutch but I'm not really sure after that.

nevermind lol I got beat to the punch

just get the clutch i posted, from ASC.

Sorry bout that, you added the bit with the clutch info and what not as I was writing out my reply, but anyway thank you very much, I hadn't looked at ASC. I'd only looked at scooterworks, scooterwest and I think scooters originali.

no sweat. Eric at ASC knows sprints like the back of his hand. He use to import Sprint V's by the crate load.

Ok so I replaced my clutch. The first time I installed it it didn't want to disengage so I took it out made sure that it would compress all the way. It did and everything turned freely. I put it back in and it was engaging and disengaging and everything seemed good. So I put everything back together and started to try and kick her over. All seemed as it should be and then bam the kickstart froze solid. I thought that it might have seized since I had the top end apart to decoked it and also ended up replacing the studs but the kick start is stuck even when I pull the clutch. So I'm thinking there might still be a few bugs to work out with the clutch. Any input on the situation would be greatly appreciated.

Yea scratch that the clutch is fine when u engage it the flywheel and piston move fine the kickstart is just frozen. Can this happen when the kickstart quadrant goes bad?

Scratch that again lol rolled it around in gear and it came loose pretty easily hasn't stuck since and is starting first kick now. The clutch action is very nice. Now I just need to get the idle adjusted and I'm good to go. The kickstart has always slipped every once in awhile so I'm thinking I'll have to address it at some point but right now I just wanna take it for a ride it's been a minute.

This just happened to my 66 Sprint on the way home last night. I had replaced the clutch cable a few days earlier and I had adjusted the clutch nipple a couple of times as it felt like it must have been slipping back on the cable as it was gradually dragging more and more while I had the clutch lever pulled in. On the way home it had gotten that bad that I would have to put it in neutral at the lights and pop it into 1st just before taking off. As I was changing back down coming up to a red light I heard a scraping/grinding sound and she stopped. When I manually turn the flywheel I can hear it scrape past something internally. I guess it's parts of the clutch that have come apart?
Will pull it apart tonight and see what the damage is!