OP
@jlreis28 avatar
UTC

Enthusiast
1964 Sears Allstate 125cc, 1958 Vespa VNA2T
Joined: UTC
Posts: 58
Location: Des Moines, IA
 
Enthusiast
@jlreis28 avatar
1964 Sears Allstate 125cc, 1958 Vespa VNA2T
Joined: UTC
Posts: 58
Location: Des Moines, IA
UTC quote
Good day to you all.

I am in a bit of a conundrum. The fork that originally came on my '64 Allstate has been cut and welded back together (bottom right). To fix it, the folks at Motorsport Scooters sent me a replacement off an Allstate they scrapped. My problem is that the forks are not the same. If you look at the picture, the replacement fork (cleaned up) is longer than the one that came on the '64 scoot.

Looking at the two of them side by side, I've notice that the threading is in different locations at the top and the pivot is likewise displaced at the bottom.

Will the replacement fork work or do I need to go after another one? Is there a way to tell which one belongs with the scooter? There is some stamping on the neck but I don't know if that indicates anything useful.

Thanks in advance for the replies. This is a tough question with an answer I suspect will only come from dry fitting parts before painting.

Justin
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⚠️ Last edited by jlreis28 on UTC; edited 1 time
@spunkyantlerdance avatar
UTC

Hooked
64 Allstate 177 71 sprint veloce
Joined: UTC
Posts: 239
Location: idaho falls
 
Hooked
@spunkyantlerdance avatar
64 Allstate 177 71 sprint veloce
Joined: UTC
Posts: 239
Location: idaho falls
UTC quote
I would have to see firsthand . But my question to you is have you ever ridden a allstate with original forks . It's almost a joke if it was not so scary! The first time you go over a bump at 30mph or over is a wake up call for most people . Vnb from over seas had vbb type forks .
OP
@jlreis28 avatar
UTC

Enthusiast
1964 Sears Allstate 125cc, 1958 Vespa VNA2T
Joined: UTC
Posts: 58
Location: Des Moines, IA
 
Enthusiast
@jlreis28 avatar
1964 Sears Allstate 125cc, 1958 Vespa VNA2T
Joined: UTC
Posts: 58
Location: Des Moines, IA
UTC quote
spunkyantlerdance wrote:
I would have to see firsthand . But my question to you is have you ever ridden a allstate with original forks . It's almost a joke if it was not so scary! The first time you go over a bump at 30mph or over is a wake up call for most people . Vnb from over seas had vbb type forks .
Judging from the condition this scooter was in when I bought it, I'd say the previous owners got a firsthand lesson in how much fun it is without a damper on the front. But I am slightly odd and have tried hard to keep as much original as possible outside the electrical and the paint. If it turns out to be a nightmare, well, I am always game for making changes.
@vp1 avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1419
Location: San Diego
 
Molto Verboso
@vp1 avatar
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1419
Location: San Diego
UTC quote
Riding without a damper isn't all that bad. Bouncy, but eh, WTH
@gtsberg avatar
UTC

Hooked
'79 P200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 400
Location: Dallas, Texas
 
Hooked
@gtsberg avatar
'79 P200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 400
Location: Dallas, Texas
UTC quote
You can always mod it to add the damper. I think there used to be a kit, but with used parts flying over the internet these days, you'll have no problem finding one off a VBB or similar that will work.
@gtsberg avatar
UTC

Hooked
'79 P200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 400
Location: Dallas, Texas
 
Hooked
@gtsberg avatar
'79 P200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 400
Location: Dallas, Texas
UTC quote
Yeah, looking at the pics you sent, the two forks look way different. The one looks longer by a fair amount. And fatter too. If I had to guess, it looks like they sent you sent you a P fork.
UTC

Addicted
1974 Rally 200, 1974 Rally 200 with sidecar, Vespacross bike
Joined: UTC
Posts: 609
Location: Atlanta
 
Addicted
1974 Rally 200, 1974 Rally 200 with sidecar, Vespacross bike
Joined: UTC
Posts: 609
Location: Atlanta
UTC quote
Does that second fork have a Piaggio symbol on it?
@mike_z avatar
UTC

Addicted
1958 Lambretta LI 190, 1968 Vespa Rally 180, 2005 Sym HD200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 507
Location: San Francisco
 
Addicted
@mike_z avatar
1958 Lambretta LI 190, 1968 Vespa Rally 180, 2005 Sym HD200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 507
Location: San Francisco
UTC quote
GTSBERG wrote:
Yeah, looking at the pics you sent, the two forks look way different. The one looks longer by a fair amount. And fatter too. If I had to guess, it looks like they sent you sent you a P fork.
not a P fork at all
@horse_shack avatar
UTC

Hooked
63 VBB/ 63 Allstate
Joined: UTC
Posts: 261
Location: Northeast of Pittsburgh Pa
 
Hooked
@horse_shack avatar
63 VBB/ 63 Allstate
Joined: UTC
Posts: 261
Location: Northeast of Pittsburgh Pa
UTC quote
Send that thing back and pick up a used complete VBB fork. Buy an original one, not an Indian repop, take it all apart, regrease and check everything, buy a new damper and dust sheilds if neeeded and hammer it.
OP
@jlreis28 avatar
UTC

Enthusiast
1964 Sears Allstate 125cc, 1958 Vespa VNA2T
Joined: UTC
Posts: 58
Location: Des Moines, IA
 
Enthusiast
@jlreis28 avatar
1964 Sears Allstate 125cc, 1958 Vespa VNA2T
Joined: UTC
Posts: 58
Location: Des Moines, IA
UTC quote
This was part of a mostly complete assembly. I have it stripped down for paint removal. Neither fork has a Piaggio stamp that I can find. Both are the same diameter tube. The biggest difference I can see is the distance from the stay to the pivot. It's about an 1.5 inch longer on the clean one.

Both have stamps on the underside of the stay. The welded fork has a stamped "A" and the replacement has a stamped reverse "R". The original is Allstate red under that off paint. The replacement was a mint colored green before Betsy took off all the paint. (I spend too much time with the blast cabinet.)

The more I look, the more I think the original fork snapped and some genius decided that the fork would work welded back together minus the break.
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