Remember That "EPIC" Trip to Solvang I Mentioned? Well, It Was EPIC!

I'll give you all the details in June...

Step by Step Guide to Inspecting or Replacing your Modern Vespa Drivebelt.

Today I have a Vespa GT200 in the shop for a belt inspection. The owner is selling the scooter to a friend of his and wants to make sure the belt and rollers are in good shape. These instructions can be applied to any current Modern Vespa model. There will be slight differences between models (the GT200 is kind of unique in the variator department) but nothing radically different. Thanks to Edwin for bringing in his scooter for some service and thanks to Greg for asking what is involved.

Here is a typical San Francisco Bay Area Vespa, 99.999% of all Vespa scooters will have a dent or a scratch, we can thank people that try to squeeze their car into your parking spot for that.

First you'll want to remove the plastic spoiler. On GT200 it is secured by two phillips screws, LX's have one screw, GTS250's have one screw and a 10mm nut and finally 300's have the same 10mm nut but a TORX screw at the front.

Next you'll want to remove the 3 (or 2 if you're working on an LX) screws that hold the air filter assembly in place, be careful when removing the screw to the extreme left, on some models there is a nut keeping it tight, if it drops off you'll have to fish it out of some crevice on top of your motor with an extending magnet. Before you remove this screw, reach through and feel the back of it to see if there is a nut on it.

Once all three screws have been removed, you can wiggle the air filter assembly up slightly so you can get clear access to the transmission cover hardware. It is also a good idea to wipe the top of the trans. cover so that no dirt, stone chips or debris can fall into the oil filler hole.

Using a small flat screwdriver, carefully pry off the "hubcap", it has three mounting pegs on the back of it, pry it off gradually, close to the pegs.

You now have access to the 19mm nut (on GT200's). Remove this nut and the washer behind it.

Now remove the ten machine screws holding the trans cover on, you'll need an 8mm socket on a short extension. On the GT200, the machine screw on the extreme left also has a GROUND wire going to it. It is of VITAL importance that you do not forget to return this ground wire.

Temporarily remove the dipstick and grab the trans cover HERE-

And HERE-

Now, while applying LIGHT PULLING PRESSURE, wiggle the cover towards you, if it's stuck and doesn't want to come off, there are a couple of locating dowels on the back that can sometimes be a bit sticky. Use a small screwdriver if you have to and GENTLY pry it towards you. Alternate between wiggling and prying. Once the cover is loose, lift it up and away from the motor and then replace the dipstick.

This is what you'll see once the trans. cover is removed. The variator assembly is on the left behind the dipstick, an idler pulley is in the middle (not on LX models) and the "clutch pack" and drum are on the right. The toothed drivebelt can also be seen.

You'll want to remove the clutch drum next. It should be able to wiggle off. Sometimes it can be stuck on the splined axle shaft as this one was. Use a VERY SMALL amount of penetrating oil. I HIGHLY recommend DEEP CREEP by Sea Foam. It's an amazing product. Once you've let it sit for a few minutes, hold the drum at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions and try wiggling it off. If it still won't budge, hold the drum at the 3 o'clock position, gently pull it towards you and lightly tap on the axle shaft with a rubber mallet, after a few gentle taps, rotate the drum 45 degrees and give it a few more taps, repeat, repeat and try to wiggle it off again. Eventually... the drum will come off.

Here you can get a better look at what I call the "clutch pack" once the clutch drum is removed.

Now you're ready to remove the variator components. As mentioned earlier, the GT200 variator set up is fairly unique. It's a good idea to dab a little paint on the ring gear and fixed pulley half so you can align it properly during reassembly btw.

Remove the variator nut with an 18mm socket.

You can now remove the components, if you've never done this job before, you might find it helpful to lay the parts out in the order you take them off, from left to right-
Variator nut, starter ring gear, fixed pulley half, washer, belt and "clutch pack"

There are a couple of parts missing from this picture, the variator pulley and the sliding bush. These were stuck on the crankshaft and took some coaxing to come off. Again, the penetrating oil/wiggle method worked after about 15 minutes. Now you are ready to inspect your rollers, in this pick you can see the metal insert/core of the roller. Which is fine, however this roller was installed incorrectly.
THIS IS THE WRONG WAY FOR YOUR ROLLERS TO BE INSTALLED-

 The rollers HAVE to be installed with the PLASTIC SHOULDER TO THE RIGHT, if not, it will have a metallic rattle once the rollers begin to wear.

Examine the roller surface, you are looking for flat spots, these ones look perfect and can be reinstalled, remember the rollers have to be installed with the plastic shoulder to the RIGHT.

 This is how rollers SHOULD be installed, plastic shoulder facing to the RIGHT. TO AVOID CONFUSION, BE SURE TO INSTALL YOUR ROLLERS EXACTLY AS SHOWN IN THIS PICTURE THIS IS THE CORRECT WAY FOR YOUR ROLLERS TO BE INSTALLED-

Moving on to the "clutch pack" assembly, this scooter sounded like an alarm clock at idle RPM's or one of those noisy Ducati clutches. The reason being is that the backing plate on this one is loose. The three holes are hogged out / stretched out (depending on where you live) and causing it to rattle at low revs. This is becoming more common on "higher mileage" scooters. This Vespa has 13,000+ miles on it. It isn't a safety or a reliability concern but, if your clutch pack is noisy, start putting some money aside and plan on replacing it eventually. The backing plate is what the screwdriver is touching in this pic

Since we are in here, it makes sense to deglaze the clutch drum and clutch pack pucks. Those of you that have a groaning noise when accelerating from a complete stop will appreciate this. Here is the inside of the clutch drum, as you can see, the contact surface is polished due to the slipping action of the automatic clutch design. These clutches are meant to slip, at lower speeds, but when it becomes excessive, the clutch can polish the drum and overheat. It's easy to do, especially here in San Francisco. Our steep hills, stop/start traffic and riding two up can quickly make a clutch overheat and make noise. For some reason, the GT200 is especially prone to this condition.

What we want to do is remove the glazing found on the drum and clutch pucks. Take some 60 grit sand paper and sand the drum contact surface...

Go in one direction, sanding at a 45degree angle, I do 3 full rotations going one direction, then I switch hands and go 3 full rotations in the other direction, this'll give you a nice, clean, crosshatched drum surface as seen here-

Next we turn our attention to the 3 clutch pack pucks. Give them a gentle sanding, applying LIGHT pressure and in a back and forth motion. All you're trying to do here is clean up the surface, you'll know when the puck is a uniform color that you did it right. This pick is shown prior to sanding-

 

So we've inspected the rollers, cleaned up the clutch pucks and drum, now for the belt. Drivebelts are and extremely hard wearing belt and can last up to 7000 miles or more. Vespa, being the company that it is has different replacement intervals for each model, the 300GTS Super has an extended belt replacement interval, even though it uses the same belt found on the 250. Having done countless belt services, I can recommend that you have your belt replaced or at least inspected at 6000 miles. There are people out there (on certain modern vespa forums) that swear up and down that they've gone XX,XXX miles on the original belt and it still runs like it was new. Fair enough, but remember, maintenance is cheap compared to costly repairs. Nobody wants to be waiting for a tow truck at the side of the freeway, like THIS guy did.

This GT200 belt measured out at 20.61mm, minimum thickness is 19.5mm so this belt is good for another 2000 miles or so.(The belt on this scooter was replaced once already) Obviously, you'll also want to inspect the belt for cracks in between the belt teeth.

 

Here's a list of MINIMUM belt thicknesses-

ET2 & LX50 17.5mm

ET4 & LX150 21.5mm

GT200, GTS250 & 300 19.5mm

Vespa drivebelts are DIRECTIONAL, make sure when you install the belt the arrows printed on the belt are facing forward and you can read the writing on it-

To reinstall/replace the belt, you need to place the belt on a level surface with the clutch pack in the middle of the belt loop, place a neatly folded rag on top of the cooling fan fins then, grab the upper pulley half and rotate it clockwise while gently pulling it towards you. (If that step is confusing, let me know and I will add a picture) The pulley half you are rotating is under tension from a spring so be careful not to get your fingers caught. Once the pulley half is held completely open, place the belt into the clutch pack, deep into the pulley and cinch the belt with either your hand or a pair of  vice grips...

Set the belt/clutch pack aside and inspect the idler pulley, give it a spin, is it noisy, excessively noisy? I've never had to replace one of these so a noisy idler would be unusual.

 

Ready for reassembly? Let's do it! Take the variator assembly and carefully slide back onto the crankshaft. It is of utmost importance that you correctly install the variator squarely onto the crankshaft, if you mess up this step, you've just cost yourself a fortune. Slide the variator all the way home and give it a wiggle to make absolutely sure it is seated properly. Take the slider bush and make sure it is COMPLETELY CLEAN, DO NOT OIL OR GREASE IT (regardless of what you've read on any modern Vespa forum) then place it in the center of the variator, you can also take a deepsocket, slide it over the crankshaft, mate it to the slider bush and give it a few gentle taps with a soft faced mallet to make sure it is correctly installed. PERFECT-

Next, install the belt and clutch pack together, you'll want to remove the vice grip pliers to allow the belt to clear the idler pulley, try to keep the belt deep in the clutch pack pulley as this will allow you to install the variator FIXED pulley half easier.

Install the washer...

 Install the variator fixed pulley half, be sure to inspect the large anti-vibration o-ring for cracks, if it's not in perfect condition, replace it. Only the GT200 uses this o-ring. It helps absorb the ringing noise made by the starter mating with the starter ring gear...

 

which is installed next. Make sure you line up your paint marks! Install the nut and torque to 61.2 foot pounds. (ET4, LX150 & GT200 models ONLY. GTS250 & 300 55foot pounds) If you don't have a torque wrench, buy one, you'll be glad you did, you'll use it all the time to service your Vespa. (P.S. Don't trust any mechanic that doesn't own a torque wrench.)

You are now ready to reinstall the trans. cover, make sure these two brackets are down, out of the way so they don't get sandwiched between the trans. cover and it's mating surface...

Remove the oil dipstick and refit the trans. cover. I find it goes on easiest working front to back (left to right as you're looking at the Vespa from the side). Once in place, make sure you didn't catch the above clips and replace all 10 machine screws that secure the cover. REMEMBER! DON'T FORGET YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THE GROUND WIRE IS CONNECTED! Install the washer, then the nut to the axle shaft, then torque to 44.2 foot pounds (all common models, 50cc Vespa scooters might be different.) Replace the dipstick. You'll need this tool to help you torque the nut to the correct specs, this is the real deal Vespa factory tool, available from me or from your local dealer.

The tool in action...  

The rest is easy, install chrome Vespa hubcap, secure air filter assembly and go for a road test. This job from start to finish should take you less than two hours. If there are any steps you find confusing, if you have any questions, or would like to order parts for this or any Vespa repair, please contact me directly at service@vespistisf.com

Thanks for reading!

Tom.

P200E Update

The 1979 Vespa now has new shocks, tires, oil line and fuel line. I'll be riding it to Solvang, California via back roads with friends this weekend. Highway One, along the Pacific Coast will start the route from San Francisco, cutting across to beautiful Highway 25 near Hollister.

Highway 25 is built (almost) on top of the San Andreas fault. It's not a road widely used by cars or trucks, it's not all that popular for fast moving motorcycles either as the speed limit is on 25mph on some of it. This makes it perfect for a vintage Vespa in my opinion. It's spring here so the scenery should be lush and green.

The main destination in Solvang is the Solvang Motorcycle Museum. You can check them out at www.motosolvang.com

Estimated travel time is over 9 hours. I am sure it'll be longer than that with fuel, food and photo stops. Here's a few links to check out the scenery---

http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/Highway25.htm

http://www.sundaymorningrides.com/road/3265373/

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,53020.0.html#.UW83Q0riv0c

On the way back we will be taking Highway One all the way back!

How to Choose the Right Shop to Fix Your Vespa

If you hope to have a long, healthy relationship with your Vespa, you're going to have to keep it well tuned. This means for most, at some point, you're going to have to pick someone to fix your ride. If you're riding a MODERN Vespa, chances are there is a dealer (relatively) close to you. If there's no dealer for many miles, you'll have to find an independent shop or fix it yourself. This post offers my suggestions on what to look for when choosing a shop or mechanic.

1. Do they specialize in Modern Vespa repair?
Chances are, the shop DOESN'T service Vespa scooters exclusively. A MODERN VESPA specialist is usually only found in densely populated, urban areas, usually where there is what can be considered "year round" riding season. (*Since I relocated my shop from San Francisco to Emeryville, I have had to open up the lifts to other makes of scooters- Honda, Yamaha, Genuine, Aprilia and SYM. There's either not enough Vespa scooters in the East Bay, or, people are unaware that I'm here.) For most of the United States, Vespa shops are multi make, selling other marques alongside Vespa. It's not uncommon to walk into a dealer and see Vespa scooters lined up next to Japanese street bikes, cruisers and dirt bikes. The mechanics in these shops will work on ALL the scooters and motorbikes sold in the shop. It's unlikely the guy that fixes your Vespa actually rides one daily. Is that a bad thing? No, not really, but finding a mechanic in this type of shop that enjoys working on Vespa scooters is RARE. Ideally, you want the tech that services your scooter to at least have an interest. If you're in the Mid West, you'll have to go to some independent shop where they may fix Harley Davidsons... or snow mobiles... or jet skis... or chain saws... Again, is that a bad thing? No, but, it helps if the tech is familiar with them and likes what he or she is servicing.

2. Is the mechanic factory trained and certified?
If you're at an official Vespa Dealer, the tech is REQUIRED BY VESPA PIAGGIO USA to be factory trained and certified. Ask! If the answer is yes, ask to see the certificates, if the shop refuses to show you, LEAVE! If the tech is not certified, LEAVE! At an independent shop, ask what experience the tech has working on new Vespa scooters. Ask him as many questions as you need to feel confident in his or her abilities. Of course, Vespa scooters are no more complex than any other scooter or motorcycle, but hopefully during the conversion with the tech, you'll be able to figure out if yo feel confident in his or her abilities.

3. Do they use original Vespa parts?
I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH... INSIST ON ORIGINAL VESPA PARTS!!! I know for a fact that there are dealers and shops in the San Francisco Bay Area that use non original parts. They will lie through their teeth, telling you that aftermarket parts are an improvement on the original. Pardon my language but this is total B.S. They sell you aftermarket parts because there is MORE PROFIT IN IT FOR THEM. That's it, short and sweet, they can source incorrect parts easier, with a better profit margin than they can with OEM Parts. ASK if they use original equipment parts and if they say yes, ask to see them. It's YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY and you have that right.

4. Do they have Vespa parts on hand?
Shops familiar with MODERN Vespa scooters should have common wear items in stock. Spark plugs, brakes, filters, belts, rollers etc. If not, be aware that you'll be without your scooter for q u i t e  a  w h i l e . Sometimes it's best to order your own parts, from me here at VespaRepair.com or Scooterworks.com or whatever your favorite Vespa shop is. Whenever possible, please support your local shop, nothing beats personal face to face service.

5. Are they interested in fixing your Vespa?
No? Do they hmmm and hawww when you ask them when they can fix it? Leave, if they aren't interested in your Vespa then their heart won't be in it when they're working on it.

6. Do they use the correct fluids?
You're modern Vespa takes 5W-40 FULL SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL. This is the ONLY CORRECT OIL TO PUT IN YOUR SCOOTER! Do not use anything else. If you frequent a popular Vespa forum and search this topic, you will read many posts on people using "the same oil I use in my car without problems". These people are using INCORRECT oil because they are too cheap or lazy to source the right oil. What other reason could they have? These are the same people that "change the oil filter every other oil change" Really??? That's like taking a shower and putting your dirty clothes back on. Vespa has spent 1000's of Euros, 1000's of man hours and ruined plenty of motors figuring out which oil was best suited for their motors. ONLY 5W40 FULL SYNTHETIC GIVES THE CORRECT PROTECTION AND FUEL ECONOMY. Please use it, your Vespa will thank you.

7. Is the shop clean and organized?
It should be, pride of work is reflected in how clean the shop is, but, as always, that's just my opinion. Ask to see the shop area. What's your first impression? "Damn this place is messy!" or "Damn, this place is clean!" Some people may equate a messy shop to a busy shop and a busy shop to a good shop, this is possible, but in my mind a clean shop is an efficient shop.

8. Does the mechanic own a torque wrench?
Ask to see it, if the tech doesn't have one or can't find it right now, get out of there QUICK! Vespa has a torque spec for just about EVERYTHING. Wheel bolts, brake calipers, axle nut, variator fixed pulley etc. (can you see what I'm getting at here?) all have to be torqued properly. Using an impact to make things tight isn't right, it's lazy and dangerous. So, ask to see the torque wrench. Back in 2006 when I started at the San Francisco dealer, another tech came over to me and commented on how much I used my torque wrench, he insisted he could "just tell by feel when a bolt/nut was torqued right" Well, if you were to ask him what the specs were he wouldn't be able to tell you. Thanks to using my torque wrench 1000's of times, I can rattle off torque specs that are burned into my long term memory... brain cells well spent. LOL.

9. Do you have access to the mechanic or are you dealing with the business owner / service writer?
It's always nice to meet your mechanic, to put a face on the person fixing your ride, to ask questions and get first hand, knowledgeable answers. "Brakes pads should be replaced soon, in the next month or so" can easily become "the brakes are ok for now" or "they're fine" by the time the news goes through the service writer to get to you. Meet your mechanic, learn his or her name, ask what he or she rides, does he or she give you attitude or have a friendly demeanor? It this someone you trust your life with? Better be.

10. Does the mechanic / business owner / service writer take the time to explain the repairs?
If you have questions, get answers, if the answers aren't clear or too technical, ask to have them explained or better yet have them show you on the scooter what is going on. The service writer and mechanic are there to serve YOU, without YOU they don't have a job. If they don't show how much your business is appreciated, you're in the wrong shop. DON'T GET ME WRONG, this doesn't mean you should be able to ride in and act like you own the joint. First, there are rules and regulations to adhere to- no unescorted customers in the service area for one. Remember the golden rule, Treat Others as You Wish to be Treated, the best way to get treated like a jerk is to act like one, if you are respectful and you still get treated poorly... you guessed it, you're in the wrong shop.

OK, so if you read #10 you will have noticed I adhere to the "Golden Rule" when dealing with others. Another personal rule I live by is one I figured out by being a CUSTOMER LIKE YOU, that's right. I became a mechanic because I DIDN'T TRUST MECHANICS! I always felt like they were "on the take" so, I taught myself mechanics the other expensive way, by buying worn out cars, trucks, vans & scooters and fixing them myself. Sure it was expensive in the beginning. I bought my first car at 15, I beat up 1964 VW Beetle for $400 in 1985. Back then I "changed the oil when it looked black", unaware that it should be done every 3000 miles or 3 months. (Please, don't email me about how the 3000/3 months thing is an Big Oil Conspiracy) But I digress, like you, I was and still am, a customer, and after I had a bad experience with a business I was sitting thinking about what happened when I realized-
THERE ARE THREE KEY ELEMENTS TO EVERY BUSINESS TRANSACTION- A PRODUCT OR SERVICE, PAYMENT AND FINALLY TRUST, WITHOUT TRUST THE CUSTOMER DOESN'T WALK AWAY FEELING CONFIDENT IN THE TRANSACTION AND WILL SEEK IT ELSEWHERE IN FUTURE TRANSACTIONS.

Ultimately, when you boil it all down to nothing, you have to be able to TRUST in the mechanic and the business with whom you are doing business with. The only way to trust someone is to spend time with them. The time spent with your mechanic is short, maybe 5 minutes when you drop off your scooter and 10 minutes when you pick it up, make sure you make that 15 minutes count. If he or she can't GIVE you 15 minutes of their undivided attention then find a shop that realizes how important you are and, like any relationship, be loyal. Honest mechanics appreciate loyal customers.

Fun With the Daily Driver...

I took my personal 1979 Vespa P200E out for a ride with some friends on Sunday. We ventured up into the East Bay Hills, cutting through the UC Berkeley Campus, onto Grizzly Peak Road and onto Skyline Drive, then we looped around Lake Chabot and back towards Oakland. It was an awesome ride, full of twisties, rapid climbs and drops in elevation as well as some fast straights.

One thing became painfully obvious, my shocks are in severe need of replacement. I have had replacement shocks on hand for a while, as well as replacement gas and oil feed lines, which is a good thing to replace if the gas tank has to come out anyway.

The front shock replacement was a breeze, took about ten minutes. I replaced the front with a Vespa OEM shock. The rear, however, was a let down. First, the brand sent by my supplier was ESCORT. "Ok... looks ok... I'll give it a shot" I thought to myself. So I proceed to remove the seat, rear rack and gas tank to gain access to the upper shock mount. So far so good until... I compared the two shocks side by side, the new shock was easily two inches longer than the old shock, I figured that it's possible the original 34 year old shock could have collapsed or compressed, but, where the lower mount mates to the lug on the motor the new shock was too narrow. There was no way it was going to fit. So, now my Vespa sits waiting for the replacement SEBAC brand to arrive. I'll let you know ow it fits in a week.........

WE HAVE MOVED and Other Things of Interest...

Some of you that read the blog on a regular basis probably know that I have / had a shop in San Francisco, California. Well, I had to move the shop to a new location as the old place was being "torn down / turned into condos". Well, as it turns out the property owner just wanted me out of there so he could sell the building, bummer.

The new shop is located at-
4052 Watts Street
Emeryville, 94608
California.

So, on to something specifically Vespa related...

I'm currently working on setting up a Vespa Ownership 101 class. How to check your tire pressure, check your oil level, check your coolant level, best way to minimize spilling gas when refueling, correct use of turn signal switch, a Q+A session and How to Change Your Oil. The class will of course be free and one lucky attendee will get a FREE OIL CHANGE! Sound good? If you're interested get in touch with me at-
service@vespistisf.com Let me know what kind of scooter you have and what you'd like to have covered at the "Vespa101" class. A date has yet to be determined but I'm thinking either this month or next month (April 2013). Let me know if you're interested.
Tom.

Something to Look Forward to in 2013, ROADTRIPS!

BARACUTA G9 - LONDON TO WOOLACOMBE from Polymath films on Vimeo.

If this doesn't get you itching to ride, please... CHECK YOUR PULSE!