One front dust cover on the order list.
Now on to the leaking cylinder head.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Front wheel scrape
I got the scooter home and the sound that was emanating from the front wheel was not pretty. I removed the wheel and gave the drum a good clean, a bit of a sand and could see no obvious cause, there was a bit of brake dust but nothing out of the ordinary. I put the wheel back on and gave it a spin, once per revolution the scrape returned. Wheel off and brakes off It could only be one thing, the backing plate, I drilled out the rivets and took it off, now I had seen it before when I re-built the front end, it's rough, but did the job, this time it has to go. I put the brakes back on, the wheel and the softly sounding spinning wheel was just what the doctor ordered. I adjusted the brakes, easier because I could see them, and called it a day.
One front dust cover on the order list.
Now on to the leaking cylinder head.
One front dust cover on the order list.
Now on to the leaking cylinder head.
152 days
Picture the scene from the Lion King where Simba is presented as the new King of the jungle, the dramatic music, the minions in awe.....well that's how I felt today when a knock at the door revealed the postal delivery lady with, wait for it.....my wiring, cue music again. 152 days since the order went in, the first back order wasn't up to scratch, the second passed muster but took it's own time.
The lesson learnt was to double check to see if the item is in stock BEFORE you place the order.
But there's a catch, the Kit doesn't include a CDI so during the emails to-ing and fro-ing I ordered one, to be posted with the kit once the back order was finally sorted, They assured me they would email me a paypal invoice for the CDI, but never did, it arrived anyway....damaged. FFS.
The kit looks to be a reasonable quality, people who have used them speak of the ease in which they just drop into the scooter and work well. I won't be using it, I got impatient after the first 3 or 4 months of waiting and did my own. I'll hang on to it unless someone feels they might like to take it off my hands.
The lesson learnt was to double check to see if the item is in stock BEFORE you place the order.
But there's a catch, the Kit doesn't include a CDI so during the emails to-ing and fro-ing I ordered one, to be posted with the kit once the back order was finally sorted, They assured me they would email me a paypal invoice for the CDI, but never did, it arrived anyway....damaged. FFS.
The kit looks to be a reasonable quality, people who have used them speak of the ease in which they just drop into the scooter and work well. I won't be using it, I got impatient after the first 3 or 4 months of waiting and did my own. I'll hang on to it unless someone feels they might like to take it off my hands.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Here we go again.
So now all the warm fuzzy posts are done, back to business.
This buzzing is driving me nuts, I was told and also read elsewhere that apart form rattly bits, of which there are many, the buzzing may be due to a small leak from under the head, well last night I decided to take a look and the small leak I spotted a few weeks ago may have developed into a slightly bigger leak, there is spatter in a few spots, the head, exhaust and on the frame near it, and curiously on the shock spring which is weird, maybe the clutch breather?? sorry pictures to come, So now I am being forced into sorting it out before it gets worse. I will be pulling, cleaning and lapping the cylinder head and since I will have it off, will replace the studs and nuts, I will probably pull the cylinder off and tidy that up too.
Also today for no apparent reason my front brake shoes started rubbing on the inside of the drum, I stopped for fuel and loosened the nut that fixes the cable end and released the shoes, they still rubbed????? how so? got me stuffed until I pull the wheel off and take a look, I'll have a look at lunch time but will most likely wait until I get home, will be a gentle ride with not having front brakes.
History tells me that as soon as I start doing some work I will find something else and so it will all begin again, I say again that I am reluctant to delve too deep until my GT is sorted.
Gloria is running so well too...with the GT repair a month away. Fingers crossed. Photos to come.
This buzzing is driving me nuts, I was told and also read elsewhere that apart form rattly bits, of which there are many, the buzzing may be due to a small leak from under the head, well last night I decided to take a look and the small leak I spotted a few weeks ago may have developed into a slightly bigger leak, there is spatter in a few spots, the head, exhaust and on the frame near it, and curiously on the shock spring which is weird, maybe the clutch breather?? sorry pictures to come, So now I am being forced into sorting it out before it gets worse. I will be pulling, cleaning and lapping the cylinder head and since I will have it off, will replace the studs and nuts, I will probably pull the cylinder off and tidy that up too.
Also today for no apparent reason my front brake shoes started rubbing on the inside of the drum, I stopped for fuel and loosened the nut that fixes the cable end and released the shoes, they still rubbed????? how so? got me stuffed until I pull the wheel off and take a look, I'll have a look at lunch time but will most likely wait until I get home, will be a gentle ride with not having front brakes.
History tells me that as soon as I start doing some work I will find something else and so it will all begin again, I say again that I am reluctant to delve too deep until my GT is sorted.
Gloria is running so well too...with the GT repair a month away. Fingers crossed. Photos to come.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Wildlife rescue
At this stage the wind picked up and the clouds rolled in and even though I was getting blown all over the road, I still enjoyed the ride, I dropped some paperwork off to an old client and headed home and as I pulled into the drive, the rain started so I was happy with that. A 100km day out, total 3305kms.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Just for a laugh.
Every year the Barry Sheene memorial ride leaves from Bairnsdale and they ride to the MotoGP site on Phillip Island, it is always a spectacle to see all the road bikes, cafe racers and what ever else, the one scooter rider (PX200) I know that normally does the ride hasn't come this year. The ride was this morning.
What I like to do is wait until all the bikes are parked up in the main street having hard core lattes and a pastry before heading to the Muster point and cut a few laps past them, giving it a bit of a rev as I go, now the Sito+ has a sound like a pinging popcorn machine so I don't have too much trouble getting thier attention. Nobody ever waves, no surprises there, some point and smile, but the majority either try to ignore me or just scowl in my general direction. Makes my day every time, I love it and will miss not being able to do it next year.
What I like to do is wait until all the bikes are parked up in the main street having hard core lattes and a pastry before heading to the Muster point and cut a few laps past them, giving it a bit of a rev as I go, now the Sito+ has a sound like a pinging popcorn machine so I don't have too much trouble getting thier attention. Nobody ever waves, no surprises there, some point and smile, but the majority either try to ignore me or just scowl in my general direction. Makes my day every time, I love it and will miss not being able to do it next year.
One year on.
A year ago today a rickety crate was man handled off the back of a ute in my driveway and a new chapter in my scootering life began.
It has been interesting and frustrating, fun yet challenging, a learning curve higher than I expected and I have had help and encouragement from all corners of the globe, I have tasted the camaraderie that exists between vintage scooter enthusiasts, as they tweak and tune, break and fix and most importantly the passion for such a simple yet hardy, confusing and yet so beautiful little machine that has withstood the ravishes of time, and the crafty workshops of Indochina, only to enjoy a resurgence in popularity that can only grow further.
The year in a nutshell. Brilliant, loved every minute, mostly.
I have built up a knowledge of the scooter through reading, asking, guessing, but mostly by pulling stuff apart to fix something that has broken or find something odd whist pulling it apart and the can of worms is cracked and the fun begins.
What I have spent to get where I am now, I couldn't say, but I have a box full of old, broken, useless, mismatching parts that I may make into some form of contemporary art piece one day, I'm keeping it to remind me where the Sprint was when I got it. I have replaced just about everything you can without pulling the whole bike apart.
The engine, I haven't touched it, save pulling the head once and the flywheel 3-4 times and cleaning it occasionally. Once it dies I will split the cases and see what exotic workmanship I find, until then as long as it runs, I'll maintain it and enjoy the riding. Speaking of riding, I have had a busy week or so with the new addition to the family and the things that go along with that and juggling work and two other young boys, the weather hasn't been the nice sunny, cool spring weather it should be. The scooter takes a back seat. I have managed just over 3200 kms on the clock and about 180kms when the speedo was broken, not bad considering it was off the road for at least 4 months. I've soft seized 3 times, forgot the fuel tap half a dozen times, stalled at the lights, tightened an exhaust bolt up on the side of the road, ask me how I knew it had come off..... walked the highway looking for a dampener bolt, a new one, that had come out, pushed the scooter to work on the footpath like an actual scooter because I thought I'd broken a gear cable, I didn't, it was a two minute fix. and numerous silly things that you only do once, learning the sequence of which the parts go back on...it goes on.
My favorite moment is giving up on the waiting for the wiring harness to arrive and just doing it myself. I wasted three months, still waiting too by the way, when in an afternoon I made up the harness, put all the bits back together and it worked, well a minor brake switch issue and the horn doesn't work since I haven't touched it since, and I was running a full set of working lights. That was very satisfying and had I listened to the good advice from a Mr Porter from MD, USA I'd have been on the road three months earlier. Thanks to everyone else who have offered advice when I have been lost in a head scratching moment, you know who you all are.
I do have a small list of things to do, but since the big move across the state is about six weeks away I'm reluctant to do too much while the GT200 is off the road, I need one running. Gloria is also due for a once over, grease this, clean that, check those too, that sort of thing.
The future....well the next few weeks will be busy, finishing working full time, packing up the house and moving, preparing the house for renting, actually moving, settling the young family into a new temporary home on my wife's family property while we look for land and build a new house, start a new job, thankfully I have one lined up, and the next chapter of our lives.
One thing I am excited about the move is being closer to Melbourne and being able to participate in the activities of the new Vespa Club of Melbourne and even closer is Geelong, where there is also a growing group of Vespa riders planning regular ride outs, these guys are connected to the Melbourne Club also and the future looks bright as the Club is rapidly growing after only a few months and there is always something happening.
http://www.vespaclubmelbourne.com.au/
The Sprint V's future is in the hands of the gods, what the future will bring, I don't know, what I do know is that as long as I'm riding, from now on if it ain't broke, I'm not going to try and fix it.
If it does break, you guys will be the first to know.
Cheers for reading, hope you have enjoyed it so far, I do feel that it is far from over though.
It has been interesting and frustrating, fun yet challenging, a learning curve higher than I expected and I have had help and encouragement from all corners of the globe, I have tasted the camaraderie that exists between vintage scooter enthusiasts, as they tweak and tune, break and fix and most importantly the passion for such a simple yet hardy, confusing and yet so beautiful little machine that has withstood the ravishes of time, and the crafty workshops of Indochina, only to enjoy a resurgence in popularity that can only grow further.
The year in a nutshell. Brilliant, loved every minute, mostly.
I have built up a knowledge of the scooter through reading, asking, guessing, but mostly by pulling stuff apart to fix something that has broken or find something odd whist pulling it apart and the can of worms is cracked and the fun begins.
What I have spent to get where I am now, I couldn't say, but I have a box full of old, broken, useless, mismatching parts that I may make into some form of contemporary art piece one day, I'm keeping it to remind me where the Sprint was when I got it. I have replaced just about everything you can without pulling the whole bike apart.
The engine, I haven't touched it, save pulling the head once and the flywheel 3-4 times and cleaning it occasionally. Once it dies I will split the cases and see what exotic workmanship I find, until then as long as it runs, I'll maintain it and enjoy the riding. Speaking of riding, I have had a busy week or so with the new addition to the family and the things that go along with that and juggling work and two other young boys, the weather hasn't been the nice sunny, cool spring weather it should be. The scooter takes a back seat. I have managed just over 3200 kms on the clock and about 180kms when the speedo was broken, not bad considering it was off the road for at least 4 months. I've soft seized 3 times, forgot the fuel tap half a dozen times, stalled at the lights, tightened an exhaust bolt up on the side of the road, ask me how I knew it had come off..... walked the highway looking for a dampener bolt, a new one, that had come out, pushed the scooter to work on the footpath like an actual scooter because I thought I'd broken a gear cable, I didn't, it was a two minute fix. and numerous silly things that you only do once, learning the sequence of which the parts go back on...it goes on.
My favorite moment is giving up on the waiting for the wiring harness to arrive and just doing it myself. I wasted three months, still waiting too by the way, when in an afternoon I made up the harness, put all the bits back together and it worked, well a minor brake switch issue and the horn doesn't work since I haven't touched it since, and I was running a full set of working lights. That was very satisfying and had I listened to the good advice from a Mr Porter from MD, USA I'd have been on the road three months earlier. Thanks to everyone else who have offered advice when I have been lost in a head scratching moment, you know who you all are.
I do have a small list of things to do, but since the big move across the state is about six weeks away I'm reluctant to do too much while the GT200 is off the road, I need one running. Gloria is also due for a once over, grease this, clean that, check those too, that sort of thing.
The future....well the next few weeks will be busy, finishing working full time, packing up the house and moving, preparing the house for renting, actually moving, settling the young family into a new temporary home on my wife's family property while we look for land and build a new house, start a new job, thankfully I have one lined up, and the next chapter of our lives.
One thing I am excited about the move is being closer to Melbourne and being able to participate in the activities of the new Vespa Club of Melbourne and even closer is Geelong, where there is also a growing group of Vespa riders planning regular ride outs, these guys are connected to the Melbourne Club also and the future looks bright as the Club is rapidly growing after only a few months and there is always something happening.
http://www.vespaclubmelbourne.com.au/
The Sprint V's future is in the hands of the gods, what the future will bring, I don't know, what I do know is that as long as I'm riding, from now on if it ain't broke, I'm not going to try and fix it.
If it does break, you guys will be the first to know.
Cheers for reading, hope you have enjoyed it so far, I do feel that it is far from over though.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
A new addition
At 2 am I get an elbow in the ribs six hours later.......
Welcome to the family little Campbell, Younger brother to Angus, 4 and Merrick, 2.5 he is a wriggler and has a big appetite. He weighed in at 7 pound or 3.15kgs and was 51 cm, both mum and bub are happy and healthy and his brothers can't wait to meet him.
As for the scooter, she's doing great too, next week it will be a year since I got the Sprint V, so I'll do a summary then.
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