November 2012 Archives

Last weekend I got some time to work on a few scooters that had found their way to my garage. First up is the PX150 that is the daily ride of Steve, one of the Scooterlounge backbone support team. It seems that something strange had happened, and although the motor would start and it would go through the gears, the scooter would not move. Steve suspected that something in the clutch had given out. Time to find out...

I'm just back from a week vacation for the Thanksgiving holiday. I have some projects lined up in the garage for the weekend. Hopefully I will have some time to get to them. If I do, expect some fix-it posts coming up next week!

I've beenw working on an SX Lambretta recently.  It has some big, and some little things to attend to.  One of the little things was that it was missing the rear frame badge.  It isn't a big deal, but it is these little details that really pull a scooter together.  This is a job that just about anyone can do.  I got a nice reproduction badge from Jet200.  Then, I had to pull the frame holder.  It is held on by two nuts under the frame.  In typical Lambretta fashion, it isn't just two nuts, but the whole assembly uses a stupid amount of parts.  There is the frame holder with two studs, two nuts, two flat washers, two lock washers, and two clips that make the nuts have a flat surface to tighten up.  Silly really...

Of course, even the easiest jobs get complicated on an old vehicle. This was no exception. One of the studs had problems with the threads (or was it one of the nuts?). So the nut had a hard time coming off. When it was off, I had to dress the threads on the studs with my handy metric die set. Replaced with a new nut, and she's good to go.

Here it is with the new badge,ready to install.  I could have polished the aluminum, but opted not to.  The whole scooter is very original, and has slight patina all over.  If I start polishing, it won't ever end.

So you want a 60's Vespa Allstate? Well there are at least four of them on eBay right now, so it is a great time to be looking.

The one above, in Ohio, looks pretty decent, especially for the $1600 buy-it-now

Another one, in Massachusetts, looks quite nice and original, bidding starts at $2000.

Then there is this one, in Seattle, which looks like it was in perfect shape, until the recent owner took a spill on it. Buy-it-now for $2100.

Finally, this one in Missouri, looks tatty but complete. It is $1550 or best offer.

Yup, there are lots to choose from, all around $2000 or less. The Allstates are a good place to start off in the scooter hobby. They are cheap, look good, and are assuredly not "fake restorations." On the other hand, you often find all kinds of crazy farm-engineered bodges on them. Usually they are easy to sort and get back on the road. Take your pick!

I've been very busy recently with work and life, and have not had a lot of time to get into the garage.  I was able to steal a bit of time to work on an SX200 that has found its way onto the lift.  It is a fantastic scooter, probably the best un-restored SX that I've seen.  It spent most of its life in the dry desert of Arizona.  That is great to stop rust... it is as dry as a mummy's tomb there.  However, the heat and dryness does a number on any rubber bits.  I'm replacing a lot of those things on this scooter.  I started off with the legshield trim.  It was hard and cracked.  I started by removing the clips at the top and bottom of both sides.  Surprisingly, the bottoms were easy to get off, but the tops were stuck.  I had to pull out my very useful hand-impact driver to get them off.  One even required a generous application of heat before the retaining screw would budge.  Once I had the clips off, the trim came off easily.