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| top = 200cc, below = 125cc |
Dan is a lovely chap. Head to toe in oil, so clearly a hands on man, and I immediately liked his style - he was interested, knowledgeable and happy to teach me some tips and tricks.
My first surprise was when Dan simply said
"Thats not a 125. Thats a 200!"
And to prove it he went and fetched a 125cc piston to compare mine to. As can be seen from the photo, mine clearly is not a 125cc engine. Now that presents me with a bit of a predicament, because in order to ride anything larger than a 125, i have to have a full motorcycle licence. Dan asked if my log book said it was a 125cc. It does.
"Happy days!" says Dan. And I take that as ...... well..... "Happy days!" ;-)
The next surprise is that Dan says my crank, bearings, piston, and rings are ok! they dont need replacing! He says the barrel, engine cases and port surfaces are "mint" and the gears look OK too.
While Ive got the engine to this level, he suggested (and I went with him on this) replacing;
- Main bearing and oil seal (this is the seal that had no alternative)- Output shaft oil seal
- Clutch plates
- Gear selector crusiform
- Kickstart gear (that was a little worn)
- Gasket set (obviously)
- Input shaft (this is the knackered one) and nut/tab washer - he had to order that bit for me - have a guess how much?
- and while we are at it why not a good quality gearbox oil
I was worried about the worn rivets on the primary drive gear, but with the tuned ear of a Vespa expert Dan gave the assembly a good shaking - no rattling - and therefore declared it as 'mint' (apparently the shock absorbing springs inside the assembly can go, and you will know this by the rattle)
All in all then, a lovely hour of discovery with Dan, and a grand total bill of £119.
I left with some sound tips on how to remove and replace the main bearing, and a big smile on my face. Shame that I cant do any work on this now for a whole week.
1 comment:
Sounds like a bargain. How good is it when you find someone who is prepared to share their knowledge. I have the same feeling about Patrick at Scooter Surgery, that's until I get his bill.
I loved the extractor tool, a bit over priced perhaps. Isn't it great when you make a tool and it works?
Great pictures. Perhaps you could mention how you find time to take them and with what camera. It may encourage others to add pictures to their blogs, me included.
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