Vespa Motorcycles

Buying a new or used scooter/vespa involves more than picking out the perfect make and model. It also involves dealing with the inevitable problems that arise. This page will hope to deal with many of the problems that you may encounter. If you require any specific information please contact me via the comments section at the bottom of this page. If you have bought a new Vespa... then be sure to check out Trailers for sale to make sure you don't make a mistake when buying a trailer or when using one to bring your scooter back home!

CARBURETTOR:

* When you clean a carburettor you often need high pressure air. A cheap solution is to connect a hose with an air pistol to the an ordinary car wheel. The wheel has to be pumped inbetween but it is cheap and does not require supply voltage. * Before removing anything from the carburettor, make sure that the crank is in a position so the intake is covered. By this you avoid to get dirt and perhaps parts in the crankcase. If you have to move the crankcase- put a cloth in the intake hole as a plug.

ELECTRICAL:

* Be sure that the headlight has good connection since if it disconnects while the engine is running, there is a big risk that you blow the rear lamp and speedo lamps due to over voltage. * Do not fit spark plug caps with an internal resistor to old vespas. It might be less radio interfering but makes starting harder. * Wiring schemes are rarely 100% correct - always write down connections and colors even when you are taking away the connectors for a short while. * A useful object when measuring the current through a lamp is a small piece of paper/plastic with aluminium foil glued on each side. This can easily be connected between the lamp and the connector The amperemeter is then connected with one electrode to each aluminium piece. Observe that the lamp will not shine until the amperemeter is connected. * If the headlight flickers when you turn, check that the isolation is OK in the area between chassis and steering head. This place is prone to wear due to the movement of the cables. * Sometimes when one tries to remove the flywheel the clip follows the center nut out leaving the flywheel on its axis. In that case you can use a clip plier of the opposite type (tips open when you press the handles) and hold the clip in the groove while turning the nut. Sometimes it helps to turn the nut so it starts pushing at the clip, give the flywheel som gentle hits with a small hammer on the rivets near the flywheel center, release the nut another 1/2 turn, new hits and so on. This helps to release the flywheel from the axis if it is badly stuck. * When refitting the flywheel, be sure to first clean the crank axis and the hole in the flywheel with alcohol or other fat solver. Otherwise, even if you tighten the flywheel nut hard, the flywheel may slip and shear the woodruff key and even ruin the groove in the crank axis. The drawback is that the flywheel might be harder to remove the next time.

FRONT HUB:

* Always remove the speedometer drive pinion before you remove the front axis (f.x. when you replace front bearings)

ENGINE:

* The nut holding the clutch to the crank is a peg nut and can be a real pain to remove. There is a special tool with the corresponding pegs in one end and a 17mm hexagonal shaft in the other end that I STRONGLY recommend. It can be found at most scooter shops and is only about $15. To remove the nut, bend away the locking washer and make sure that it is not jamming the sides of the nut. Put a 17mm socket on an impact screwdriver (they have the same square connection) and put the socket on the special tool. Place it on the nut and give the impact driver some short sharp hits with a hammer and voila'- off it goes. Sometimes some kind of plier or clamp is needed to keep the clutch from rotating but often the impact is enough to free the nut before the crank starts to rotate. * The clutch assembly is easiest removed with two screwdrivers levering it off at opposite sides. FIRST put a rag around the clutch. There is a woodruff key on the clutch side of the crank axis and this may fall off. Position the clutch so the woodruff groove points upwards and lever the assembly off. In case the woodruff key still falls off it goes into the rag instead of the gearbox. * When removal of the cylinder is necessary, and you don't wish to remove the engine from the chassis: Remove the four nuts and the washers on the cylinder head. Then remove the cylinder head. Screw two of those nuts onto one cylinder stud, and tighten the two against one another. This will make it possible for you remove the stud with a wrench while you turn the nuts counter clock-wise. Repeat this step with the other three studs. You should then bring the piston to BDC (bottom dead center). Carefully, lift the cylinder away from the crank case (you may need to hold flywheel in place) and slide cylinder off of the piston, taking care not to hit the paint. You will now be able to remove the cylinder completely. Remember, before doing any work on the top end, stuff a clean lint-free rag in the case below the piston. (this will ensure that no parts or dirt will fall into the bottom end!). BE CAREFUL: Doing this operation many times may cause wear on the engine threads - always drop some oil on each stud prior to re-application and be sure that the stud matches the threads correctly. * When removing the spring gear there is a caged needle bearing inside. Tap on the layshaft so the needles are visible and place a rubber band around them. Fully tap out the layshaft. When refitting the rubber band will slide off by itself when you tap the shaft in position again. No more crawling on the floor trying to find those missing needles!!

MAINTENANCE & CHASSIS: Regularly (at least once a year) take out and grease the following bolts:

1. Swing arm bolt 2. The bolt securing the muffler to the engine. 3. The bolt securing the lower end of the shock absorbers 4. The one below the crankcase (a long bolt) holding the engine halves together. The head end of the bolt is at the end of the swing arm.

If these bolts get stuck due to corrosion you will have severe problems with service/repair.

* Wax-type car rubbing is very good to clean aluminium parts with. Take some on a cloth and rub. It is heavier and cheaper than f.x. Autosol and gives a very good shine. Especially good on the front hub cap that often is heavily oxidized. * When replacing the wire sleeve for the clutch, handbrake, gas or gear wires, first remove the inner wire. Peel off some 10mm of plastic sleeve at one end of the old and the new wire. "Unwind" the metal wire sleeve using a small plier and make a small hook in each wire sleeve end. Connect the hooks and press them together using a plier so they sit really tight. You can now insert the new sleeve while using the old sleeve as a guide to pull it through the chassis. Be sure not to pull to much in the old sleeve so the pressed hooks open. * An empty egg box (multi egg type) is very useful when taking apart something in a certain order- just put one piece in each egg cup in the order you remove them and it's much easier to reassemble.

Loosening stuck bolts:

1. Clean away as much of the corrosion around the bolt as possible 2. Spray generously with CRC-556, Holts penetrating oil or other thin oil/rust solver 3. Repeat step 2 times a day for a week (omit this if you are in a hurry but it really helps!!) 4. Heat the area around the bolt with a blow torch or a welder until the oil starts to smoke.(Warm-air guns are too slow, the heat must be concentrated and intense) 5. Turn the bolts by striking the spanner/wrench with a small hammer. NOTE:If you have to strike on the thread side of the bolt to get it out - first put on two nuts that are tightened together. The top threads of the bolt is below the upper part of the upper nut. In this way you save the top threads and if they still are damaged they will be restored when you remove the nuts. User short sharp blows and a small hammer. 6. If this does not help, spray on more solver and repeat 4 & 5

Removing a screw with a damaged head: My own private opinion is that easy-outs (conical shaped reverse thread screws) should be avoided like the plague. The shape makes the screw expand and stick even harder. Besides the easy-outs are prone to break and are very tricky to drill out. I recommend this method:

1. Punch a mark for the drill in the damaged screws head. Be careful to have it absolutely centered. 2. Drill a hole in the center of the screw using a drill that is almost the screw kernel diameter. To do this you need an upright drill. Do not even try to use a hand-held drill. The drill will most likely wander out to the sides and damage the threads. 3. try to scrape away the top thread screw rests using a large needle or pointed plier, thereby exposing the top threads of the hole. 4. Use a thread tap of the same size as the drilled screw and cut new threads. If you are lucky (and strangely enough you often are!!) the tap will run in the old threads and cut away the rests of the drilled screw. If it does not - try scraping away more thread to give the tap a new and better grip.

"VESPA Scooters 90,125,150,180 and 200cc Owners Workshop Manual" All rotary valve models. 1959-1978 by Jeff Clew. Haynes Publishing Group, 1974,1982

ISBN: 0 85696 126 4

Haynes Publishing Group Haynes Publications, Inc Sparkford Nr Yeovil 861 Lawrence Dr Somerset BA22 7JJ, ENGLAND Newbury Park, CA 91320, USA

"VESPA P/PX125, 150 & 200 Scooters (including T5) 1978 to 1991 [] 123cc [] 150cc [] 198cc; Owners Workshop Manual" by Pete Shoemark. Haynes Publishing Group, 1990

Order#: 707-7P3 ISBN: 1 85010 464 6

Haynes Publishing Group Haynes Publications, Inc Sparkford Nr Yeovil 861 Lawrence Dr Somerset BA22 7JJ, ENGLAND Newbury Park, CA 91320, USA

Ok so you have crashed and now need to get some new parts. This Shopping list details everything you would need when buying a Vespa in parts.

Shopping list when buying a Vespa in parts

ENGINE • Engine block (if this is in parts - think twice)

• Cylinder

• Piston

• Cylinder head

• Cylinder cooling hood

• Flywheel cooling cover

• Flywheel

• Stator plate with coils

• Muffler (also check threads in engine block)

• Kick lever

• Gear selector box with cover

ELECTRICAL:

• Ignition coil

• Horn

• Light switch (of the correct type)

• Engine electric connector box

• Front lamp with lamp holder

• Rear lamp

• Brake light switch (if fitted)

• Turn signal lamps with switch (if fitted)

• Battery (if fitted)

• Rectifier/regulator (if fitted)

• Wiring

FUEL SYSTEM:

• Petrol tap

• Lever for petrol tap

• Carburettor with jets

• Carburettor box

• Air filter

• Choke lever and wire

MANOUVERING:

• 2 levers for handbrake and clutch

• Brake pedal

• Front and rear brake drum

• Front and rear brake pads

• Speedometer

SUSPENSION:

• Front fork with front hub unit

• Upper and lower steering bearing

• Front and rear shock absorber

• Front and rear spring

CHASSIS: • Chassis

• Left and right engine cowls

• Glove compartment lid

• Lever for chassis cowls

• Front fender

• Luggage rack (only for single seat saddles)

• Tank

• Steering head with handles

• Steering lock with correct key

• Glove compartment lock with correct key

• Saddle

• 6 Floor strips of aluminium

• 6 Floor strips of rubber

• 12 end parts to aluminium floor strips

• Rubber floor mat (if fitted)

• Support stand

• 4 rim parts with 2 tyres

This shopping list does only include parts that are either expensive and/or hard to find as spares and is therefore not complete. If you find that parts are missing, either make a lower bid if you know that you can get hold of the part or skip the deal. If you for example have bought a GS150 with missing cylinder, muffler and carburettor it will cost you approximately an extra $300 to get it running.