BACK TO BASICS..............
Looks good - but not going anywhere with that holed piston ?
Well I'm sure many of you have visited my blog about servicing my TS1 225 engine the other season , and also checked out my read on the fitting of the Agusto .
After about 6,000 miles of eventful riding over three years and as I was tootling along the A180 on a sunday morning to see mates at Cleggy for a coffee. The BAG decided to go BOOOM !, leaving a hole the size of a fifty pence piece in the top of my TS racetour piston. Not a single clue it was going to happen , no pinkin , sitting at a comfortable 65 on the motorway and only days before on checking the plug to find a lovely chocolate centre and black outer the sound of a boom and whooosh alerted me to grap for the clutch and coast to a halt on the hard shoulder.
As I've got some great mates it was phone call and Stu was on his way with the Renault Megane to take me back the 12 miles home . On careful inspection of the exhaust gasket , head gasket , base gasket , carb rubber (thank christ it wasn't that as I'd have not heard the last of it) and any other simple problems nothing was found to be leaking . The tell tale sign of a really grey /white plug told me something caused her to get extremely hot , and with all the speculation on amount of ethonal in fuels at the moment causing synthetic oils to break down I can only presume this may have been part of my issue.
Then I started to question had I done anything to change how it was running, did i put oil in the fuel ? yes after checking the fuel it was purple the colour of my Torco GP7 . Also had I changed any jetting / needle clip or had it even come off ? nothing at all , the seals on stripping it down on drive side and mag side was all fine . If not a little messy from all the debris from the piston in the reed block and crankcase .
So with the crank out and I went about starting to collect parts for the rebuild, this was looking expensive . Chatted with a number of people like Chalkie at replay scoots, Greeny and Jonny Gilbert plus Eric all know their stuff about Lammies and gave great advice . All similar conclusions and just about what I expected , it was gonna cost in the region of £400 quid to get her back as she was before the blow up. Now many at the minute are in a position where running a lammie is a luxery and I'm no different , It would just have to sit in the shed for a while and wait for Christmas to come and go before it's done.
I had a few bits done like the Crank re-aligned by the great guy on Normanby Road in the cycle shop and his hide mallet , what a amazing guy . The crank must have been 4 thou out on either side but he soon got it in the press and on the dial , BANG BANG and it was back to spot on and ready to fit . Then picking up some bits from Pat at Lambretta restore in doncaster, seals and a AF 225 head coz I thought might as well do the job right on a rebuild .
The only thing is things change and as Bridlington National came and went , looking at all those wonderful scoots in the custom show and watching all the Lammies and Vespa's riding along the seafront in the sun I just had to get back on the road SOD waiting until after the winter heeee heee.
Back to Pat's with a SX200 std barrel I'd bought from Wickstead Parts fair in sept, looking for a re-bore. But Pat had other ideas , like a magician out of his hat he pulled a Std SIL 200 barrel , piston kit all for less than i was going to pay for the rebore etc. Now I was stepping back in time a good 30 years and looking at rebuilding the scoot with a GP200 flavour , not really the same as the lightened flywheel and Agusto will be staying on to give it a little grunt low down in the gears.
The only thing was there was only a week before Mablethorpe VFM winter warmer , could I get everything to fit and running so I could have a little trek down the coast .
With a chrome Sterling exhaust borrowed off Weller Wannabe Andy , as it had a standard manifold on and once again saving cash as the JL3 I used was only for the TS1 and at £19 for another std stub I didnt want to spend anymore than I had to. I started out in the shed monday night to fit the engine back together.
Rooting through my cupboards finding my 18 front sprocket to put back on in place of the 20 I'd just fitted and the 82 link chain , fitted the AF crank back in after a major clean up of the big end bearings and the crank case to remove and bits of ali left over from the big bang. Next came the mag housing and stator . Luckily I'd placed three green marks with a CD pen on the stator and housing to get it in the exact spot it was when it came apart , hoping the timing would be just right . On finishing the drive sprockets and clutch refitting , got the side casing on all the nuts in place and noticed something on the floor under the engine. OMG it was the brass bush for the clutch, for some reason one of the locating sides had broken off and it had fallen out when I fitted it . Ah well unbolt it and start again after a buddy Stu had picked up a new bush from Beedspeed on his way home from work .
Now to check all the barrel and piston , cleaned and matched all the ports on the barrel . They might not be exactly the same as the crancase as it was for the TS so not perfect but should run ok , sooner bigger than smaller the wife always says heee heeee.
With them massive rings on the piston and remembering all them years ago not fitting a circlip right in the piston causing it to skip out and along the bore/piston over the crown and back down the other side on my SX I was very patient in chamfering the ports . They was like razors and if they was gonna grap hold of anything it wasnt going to happen to me again . I use Torco engine build lubricant which I'm told provides a great friction barrier for barrel walls etc or even anything the is a friction surface like small end bearings and engine parts that take a severe beating . After gettting the base gasket in place the piston rings in barrel all in place to slide down the first pain happened , The damn exhaust stud was poking in to the barrel so the long barrel stud couldnt get past . One trick a mate told me after I had just wound it out a little was he uses a titanium drill and just drills the end off the stud down the barrel studd hole ? not tried it but sounds simple enough. Anyway got it back on track and with the head all cleaned up and tourqed back down to 20lb it was looking good .
Now originally the carb on the TS was a little to big for this project , 34mm VHSB Delly. So on to ebay to see if I could find a reasonable 28mm model , I wasn't bothered if it was new as I have been watching loads of 28's that are taken of Aprilia 125's to make way for a 34mm . I was hopeful but after being outbid a number of times I gave in and just searched for a buy it now listing , Now Nige a good friend had purchased a couple of OKO, PWK carbs and they looked pretty good for the price and as they was similar style to the Dellorto's I have had success with it's better the devil you know isnt it.
Found a KOSO 28mm and it was only in Lincolnshire so should get to me in time to make the Mablethorpe . Fitted a manifold but the carb rubber that came with it din't match the manifold very well so of course out came the DICSPEED rubbers to find a match. Nice red one that also fitted the 25mm dellortos was perfect . Got the carb attached after checking all was well inside , floats jets etc only problem I could see was the budget carb jets had no numbers in sight ? the listing said 38 pilot and 138 main jet so give it a go and see what happens me thinks . After a number of kicks it came to life , but was all over the place and wouldnt tick over at all so looked at the spare pilot and main that came with the carb kit all for 49 quid ha ha ha. And guess what no numbers , i was looking through a magnifing glass with a torch and my glasses on for a good ten minutes at scuff mark on one side of the main jet before I realised and gave up .
Anyway I posted on the world wide Oracle that is Facebook for inspiration and along came Slacker from MB , with some great info for me to start with on tuning the carb . Jetex main jets fit as they are similar to the Keihin carbs having a 5mm thread , I have some of them me thinks , replaced the 138 with a 125 and with the fuel on reserve gave the engine another go (not after checking the timing with a strobe to make sure the Agusto was working ok after the blow up ? all those doubters can rest in the knowledge that it was spot on dropping from 22 degrees to about 18 on revving the engine ) . Off to Barton for some more fuel , the thing would only start with choke which was a bit of a pain as it was a flip choke , have you ever tried blipping the throttle with one hand as you clip a GP panel on with the other before the revs die . It had know tickover so it felt as though the pilot jet was way off . Rode ok over a couple of miles and felt good at about 4,500 revs , nice and smooth but crap when stood at traffic lights . On leaving the garage even thou the engine was hot it still wouldnt start without the choke so looking for a bigger pilot jet maybe .
As I posted on facebook again to friends , work in progress but although it wasn't finished for the ride to Mablethorpe at the weekend I'm optomistic it's the right thing to do over the winter months . Even if it is just to get some riding in , can't stand her being off the road and there's nothing better than therapy of Riding your Lammie is there .
Rich
Latest Update 24/11/2011
Just been out again for a little ride in the winter sun. Found the scoot starts ok now , possibly a 65 pilot /idle jet fitted and there's a story behind why I don't actually know the size. After trying a number of pilots from 32-50 found the scoot just wouldn't run at all on or up to 1/4 throttle, stripped the carb and the pilot tube where the jet goes had alloy from the casting blocking the outlet at the bottom ? so cleaned it all out and compressed air was blown through the carb to clear it all.
Fitted a 50 pilot again and although much better it still needed more at the bottom end, now it's not really advised but I decided to take drastic measures , found the smallest drill bit in the entire world maybe and it looked slightly bigger than the 50 pilot so put it through one of the jets I had received with the carb ( it had no number whatsoever on it ) cleaned everything for the millionth time and fitted the jet. Hey presto the scoot now starts with out choke , so although maybe not right at anything below 1/4 throttle its something I can live with as It's being run in . I have a 127 main jet in for the top half and feels not bad , a little on the boggy side but the plug looks fine . Dark brown / black so nothing scary grey or white.
The agusto is still fitted and because of all the fuel problems I hear at the moment I have reduced the degrees a little so it now kicks off on around 18.5 degrees and drops back to about 16.5 as the revs rise (wont be doing much thou running in) . Until I get a couple of hundred miles on the clock it can tootle along and be reset as it beds in.
So I just wonder how many sunny days are left before the rain and snow arrives , lets hope nothing comes this side of Christmas and even if it does the wet gear can come out heeee heeee.
Rich
After about 6,000 miles of eventful riding over three years and as I was tootling along the A180 on a sunday morning to see mates at Cleggy for a coffee. The BAG decided to go BOOOM !, leaving a hole the size of a fifty pence piece in the top of my TS racetour piston. Not a single clue it was going to happen , no pinkin , sitting at a comfortable 65 on the motorway and only days before on checking the plug to find a lovely chocolate centre and black outer the sound of a boom and whooosh alerted me to grap for the clutch and coast to a halt on the hard shoulder.
As I've got some great mates it was phone call and Stu was on his way with the Renault Megane to take me back the 12 miles home . On careful inspection of the exhaust gasket , head gasket , base gasket , carb rubber (thank christ it wasn't that as I'd have not heard the last of it) and any other simple problems nothing was found to be leaking . The tell tale sign of a really grey /white plug told me something caused her to get extremely hot , and with all the speculation on amount of ethonal in fuels at the moment causing synthetic oils to break down I can only presume this may have been part of my issue.
Then I started to question had I done anything to change how it was running, did i put oil in the fuel ? yes after checking the fuel it was purple the colour of my Torco GP7 . Also had I changed any jetting / needle clip or had it even come off ? nothing at all , the seals on stripping it down on drive side and mag side was all fine . If not a little messy from all the debris from the piston in the reed block and crankcase .
So with the crank out and I went about starting to collect parts for the rebuild, this was looking expensive . Chatted with a number of people like Chalkie at replay scoots, Greeny and Jonny Gilbert plus Eric all know their stuff about Lammies and gave great advice . All similar conclusions and just about what I expected , it was gonna cost in the region of £400 quid to get her back as she was before the blow up. Now many at the minute are in a position where running a lammie is a luxery and I'm no different , It would just have to sit in the shed for a while and wait for Christmas to come and go before it's done.
I had a few bits done like the Crank re-aligned by the great guy on Normanby Road in the cycle shop and his hide mallet , what a amazing guy . The crank must have been 4 thou out on either side but he soon got it in the press and on the dial , BANG BANG and it was back to spot on and ready to fit . Then picking up some bits from Pat at Lambretta restore in doncaster, seals and a AF 225 head coz I thought might as well do the job right on a rebuild .
The only thing is things change and as Bridlington National came and went , looking at all those wonderful scoots in the custom show and watching all the Lammies and Vespa's riding along the seafront in the sun I just had to get back on the road SOD waiting until after the winter heeee heee.
Back to Pat's with a SX200 std barrel I'd bought from Wickstead Parts fair in sept, looking for a re-bore. But Pat had other ideas , like a magician out of his hat he pulled a Std SIL 200 barrel , piston kit all for less than i was going to pay for the rebore etc. Now I was stepping back in time a good 30 years and looking at rebuilding the scoot with a GP200 flavour , not really the same as the lightened flywheel and Agusto will be staying on to give it a little grunt low down in the gears.
The only thing was there was only a week before Mablethorpe VFM winter warmer , could I get everything to fit and running so I could have a little trek down the coast .
With a chrome Sterling exhaust borrowed off Weller Wannabe Andy , as it had a standard manifold on and once again saving cash as the JL3 I used was only for the TS1 and at £19 for another std stub I didnt want to spend anymore than I had to. I started out in the shed monday night to fit the engine back together.
Rooting through my cupboards finding my 18 front sprocket to put back on in place of the 20 I'd just fitted and the 82 link chain , fitted the AF crank back in after a major clean up of the big end bearings and the crank case to remove and bits of ali left over from the big bang. Next came the mag housing and stator . Luckily I'd placed three green marks with a CD pen on the stator and housing to get it in the exact spot it was when it came apart , hoping the timing would be just right . On finishing the drive sprockets and clutch refitting , got the side casing on all the nuts in place and noticed something on the floor under the engine. OMG it was the brass bush for the clutch, for some reason one of the locating sides had broken off and it had fallen out when I fitted it . Ah well unbolt it and start again after a buddy Stu had picked up a new bush from Beedspeed on his way home from work .
Now to check all the barrel and piston , cleaned and matched all the ports on the barrel . They might not be exactly the same as the crancase as it was for the TS so not perfect but should run ok , sooner bigger than smaller the wife always says heee heeee.
With them massive rings on the piston and remembering all them years ago not fitting a circlip right in the piston causing it to skip out and along the bore/piston over the crown and back down the other side on my SX I was very patient in chamfering the ports . They was like razors and if they was gonna grap hold of anything it wasnt going to happen to me again . I use Torco engine build lubricant which I'm told provides a great friction barrier for barrel walls etc or even anything the is a friction surface like small end bearings and engine parts that take a severe beating . After gettting the base gasket in place the piston rings in barrel all in place to slide down the first pain happened , The damn exhaust stud was poking in to the barrel so the long barrel stud couldnt get past . One trick a mate told me after I had just wound it out a little was he uses a titanium drill and just drills the end off the stud down the barrel studd hole ? not tried it but sounds simple enough. Anyway got it back on track and with the head all cleaned up and tourqed back down to 20lb it was looking good .
Now originally the carb on the TS was a little to big for this project , 34mm VHSB Delly. So on to ebay to see if I could find a reasonable 28mm model , I wasn't bothered if it was new as I have been watching loads of 28's that are taken of Aprilia 125's to make way for a 34mm . I was hopeful but after being outbid a number of times I gave in and just searched for a buy it now listing , Now Nige a good friend had purchased a couple of OKO, PWK carbs and they looked pretty good for the price and as they was similar style to the Dellorto's I have had success with it's better the devil you know isnt it.
Found a KOSO 28mm and it was only in Lincolnshire so should get to me in time to make the Mablethorpe . Fitted a manifold but the carb rubber that came with it din't match the manifold very well so of course out came the DICSPEED rubbers to find a match. Nice red one that also fitted the 25mm dellortos was perfect . Got the carb attached after checking all was well inside , floats jets etc only problem I could see was the budget carb jets had no numbers in sight ? the listing said 38 pilot and 138 main jet so give it a go and see what happens me thinks . After a number of kicks it came to life , but was all over the place and wouldnt tick over at all so looked at the spare pilot and main that came with the carb kit all for 49 quid ha ha ha. And guess what no numbers , i was looking through a magnifing glass with a torch and my glasses on for a good ten minutes at scuff mark on one side of the main jet before I realised and gave up .
Anyway I posted on the world wide Oracle that is Facebook for inspiration and along came Slacker from MB , with some great info for me to start with on tuning the carb . Jetex main jets fit as they are similar to the Keihin carbs having a 5mm thread , I have some of them me thinks , replaced the 138 with a 125 and with the fuel on reserve gave the engine another go (not after checking the timing with a strobe to make sure the Agusto was working ok after the blow up ? all those doubters can rest in the knowledge that it was spot on dropping from 22 degrees to about 18 on revving the engine ) . Off to Barton for some more fuel , the thing would only start with choke which was a bit of a pain as it was a flip choke , have you ever tried blipping the throttle with one hand as you clip a GP panel on with the other before the revs die . It had know tickover so it felt as though the pilot jet was way off . Rode ok over a couple of miles and felt good at about 4,500 revs , nice and smooth but crap when stood at traffic lights . On leaving the garage even thou the engine was hot it still wouldnt start without the choke so looking for a bigger pilot jet maybe .
As I posted on facebook again to friends , work in progress but although it wasn't finished for the ride to Mablethorpe at the weekend I'm optomistic it's the right thing to do over the winter months . Even if it is just to get some riding in , can't stand her being off the road and there's nothing better than therapy of Riding your Lammie is there .
Rich
Latest Update 24/11/2011
Just been out again for a little ride in the winter sun. Found the scoot starts ok now , possibly a 65 pilot /idle jet fitted and there's a story behind why I don't actually know the size. After trying a number of pilots from 32-50 found the scoot just wouldn't run at all on or up to 1/4 throttle, stripped the carb and the pilot tube where the jet goes had alloy from the casting blocking the outlet at the bottom ? so cleaned it all out and compressed air was blown through the carb to clear it all.
Fitted a 50 pilot again and although much better it still needed more at the bottom end, now it's not really advised but I decided to take drastic measures , found the smallest drill bit in the entire world maybe and it looked slightly bigger than the 50 pilot so put it through one of the jets I had received with the carb ( it had no number whatsoever on it ) cleaned everything for the millionth time and fitted the jet. Hey presto the scoot now starts with out choke , so although maybe not right at anything below 1/4 throttle its something I can live with as It's being run in . I have a 127 main jet in for the top half and feels not bad , a little on the boggy side but the plug looks fine . Dark brown / black so nothing scary grey or white.
The agusto is still fitted and because of all the fuel problems I hear at the moment I have reduced the degrees a little so it now kicks off on around 18.5 degrees and drops back to about 16.5 as the revs rise (wont be doing much thou running in) . Until I get a couple of hundred miles on the clock it can tootle along and be reset as it beds in.
So I just wonder how many sunny days are left before the rain and snow arrives , lets hope nothing comes this side of Christmas and even if it does the wet gear can come out heeee heeee.
Rich
My replacement carb rubber Update..............
After having a conversation about the ever increasing problem of Lambretta carb rubbers, splitting, going brittle, or just being crap and falling off I praised the silicone based rubbers I have used on my TS1 for a number of years without (touch wood) failure.
The seed was set when I was told, “ Because my silicone one’s don’t have a ridge in to fit carb or manifold then surely they are prone to slip off when hot “. I did disagree because god my engine gets really HOT, but if for some reason a clip is not fitted correctly or maybe someone fitted a rubber with grease or oil on the face of the manifold and any other reason can be imagined to put a spanner in the works, I just had to see if I could come up with an idea to combat the invisible enemy heee heeeee.
So brainstorm over and here is my twist on stopping that firstly fit the rubber as usual to the manifold - I have yet to do the same to the carb end of the rubber but can’t see any reason it wouldn’t work the same- and tighten your jubilee clip to hold it on.
Then on the same side where the screw tightens the clip use a 3mm drill and make a hole about 1 inch away from the screw head, I looked at how the screw tightened the clip and closest to the screw it hardly moves so shouldn’t put stress on the new cap screw.
The silicone rubber is re-enforced with a canvas material so this strength I think stops the rubber splitting when the drill goes through it past the stainless clip and into the alloy of the manifold. You can then use a tap and dye set, use an M4 thread in the manifold. Drill the clip again separately with a 4mm drill bit so the cap screw goes through it cleanly. Replace the rubber and clip and line up the holes in each with the threaded hole. I trimmed a M4 cap screw so when it is fitted it is flush with the inside of the manifold intake.
When tightened in place and before fitting to the engine clean inside the manifold with a little abrasive paper so no loose alloy can dangerously be sucked in to the bore and destroy your cherished motor. I did wonder if I should use a star or spring washer under the cap screw when fitting but as I only used the 3mm drill through the rubber it is tight on the screw and hopefully stops it vibrating loose, if in doubt use a little locktight in the thread before fitting.
I’ve not been out and tested this yet but if anything it has to be better than the poor chap I stopped for on the way home from Cadwell Park whose scoot stopped after his carb fell off? I noticed his clip wouldn’t tighten very well on the solid rubber mount against the manifold and this then caused the carb to just rotate and with vibration fall off. I had only a tie wrap in my boot to put around the carb and bodge over the fuel rod to the tap on the tank, I hope it lasted his 60-mile to get home.
This little modification might just help some of you out there that have been in a similar situation on a dark wet night in the middle of nowhere.
Ride safe ......
Rich
The seed was set when I was told, “ Because my silicone one’s don’t have a ridge in to fit carb or manifold then surely they are prone to slip off when hot “. I did disagree because god my engine gets really HOT, but if for some reason a clip is not fitted correctly or maybe someone fitted a rubber with grease or oil on the face of the manifold and any other reason can be imagined to put a spanner in the works, I just had to see if I could come up with an idea to combat the invisible enemy heee heeeee.
So brainstorm over and here is my twist on stopping that firstly fit the rubber as usual to the manifold - I have yet to do the same to the carb end of the rubber but can’t see any reason it wouldn’t work the same- and tighten your jubilee clip to hold it on.
Then on the same side where the screw tightens the clip use a 3mm drill and make a hole about 1 inch away from the screw head, I looked at how the screw tightened the clip and closest to the screw it hardly moves so shouldn’t put stress on the new cap screw.
The silicone rubber is re-enforced with a canvas material so this strength I think stops the rubber splitting when the drill goes through it past the stainless clip and into the alloy of the manifold. You can then use a tap and dye set, use an M4 thread in the manifold. Drill the clip again separately with a 4mm drill bit so the cap screw goes through it cleanly. Replace the rubber and clip and line up the holes in each with the threaded hole. I trimmed a M4 cap screw so when it is fitted it is flush with the inside of the manifold intake.
When tightened in place and before fitting to the engine clean inside the manifold with a little abrasive paper so no loose alloy can dangerously be sucked in to the bore and destroy your cherished motor. I did wonder if I should use a star or spring washer under the cap screw when fitting but as I only used the 3mm drill through the rubber it is tight on the screw and hopefully stops it vibrating loose, if in doubt use a little locktight in the thread before fitting.
I’ve not been out and tested this yet but if anything it has to be better than the poor chap I stopped for on the way home from Cadwell Park whose scoot stopped after his carb fell off? I noticed his clip wouldn’t tighten very well on the solid rubber mount against the manifold and this then caused the carb to just rotate and with vibration fall off. I had only a tie wrap in my boot to put around the carb and bodge over the fuel rod to the tap on the tank, I hope it lasted his 60-mile to get home.
This little modification might just help some of you out there that have been in a similar situation on a dark wet night in the middle of nowhere.
Ride safe ......
Rich
A MUST part for all lammie owner's - Agusto , the little magic black box ?
Supplied by Chalkie at Replay Scooters http://www.replayscooters.net
I’m sure there is a few of you Lambretta riders out there that have found this little piece of genius in electronics, the Agusto can make any lambretta far more reliable from a highly tuned motor or your cherished LI 125 series 2. Just fit it inline between your 12v stator and the Cdi unit and adjust accordingly.
I have fitted a 7000 to my TS1 225 and just was amazed at the difference in starting, performance at low revs and how smoother it feels through the gears.
Below I hope to take you through the simple process of fitting your own, and lets hope you can believe with your own eye's an ear’s.
Chalkie at www.replayscooters.net introduced me to the Agusto after he fitted a couple to my mates RB250 and another’s RB225, they’re 3x different model’s the 6000, 7,000 and the 8,000. All three have slightly different levels of adjustment but the 6,000 are the most preferred for the majority of Standard machine’s with a wider level of adjustment.
First of all make sure you have the right tools, if you need to remove the flywheel to adjust the timing then a flywheel-holding tool and removal tool is a must.
A 17mm socket for the flywheel nut, 19mm socket (for removal tool), an ignition-timing disc (Cambridge lambretta have the best I’ve seen), a 10mm socket for the stator plate nuts, some may have Allen head screws as replacements. An ignition strobe light gun, the best and most reliable way to check the timing. A plug timing stop tool (find how to make one in stickys), this will help you find TDC to measure the timing degrees.
Stage one is to check what the engine timing is set at before you start messing, remove the left hand footboard and flywheel cowling. Then take the strobe and when it’s connected to the HT lead and to the spark plug (some are powered off a battery) point the light towards the top of the Flywheel. An arrow can be seen on the flywheel and it should line up with a mark on the magneto housing, this is your timing in degrees possibly 17-19 on RB or TS1 engines. A good tip is use a little white paint on the arrow to make it clearer to see when using the strobe, the arrow will look almost static as the light shines on it.
To check if this is correct say 19 degrees, remove the spark plug and fit the timing stop tool, rotate the flywheel clockwise until it comes to a stop (The piston will hit the timing stop in the barrel) but do not force it. The arrow on the flywheel will now be pointing maybe at 11pm as on a clock face towards the top of the flywheel. TIP, Ciro at Replay told me this use a black marker pen to make mark opposite the arrow on the mag housing then use a screw driver and hammer to mark the housing at 19 degrees in the centre of the mark. As the housing is alloy it stands out well against the black background when using the strobe light. Now do the same the other way anti-clockwise, opposite side of the housing say around 1pm and mark up once again next to the arrow.
Now you can fit the holding tool and remove the flywheel nut (17mm) remembering that it’s a left hand thread, so to undo you will be pushing down on the ratchet towards the back of the scooter. Take this nut off and screw the flywheel removal tool in place and fit a 19mm socket to the nut on it to push on the crank and pull the flywheel away from the housing. Now place the timing disc on the crankshaft thread and use the nut to hold it in place. The TDC mark should be at the top (approx 12 o’clock), look at the marks you made earlier and place the TDC mark on the disc exactly between the two marks. The next mark you see on the housing before TDC you strobe on the mag housing will be the timing firing point on the disc. Hopefully around 19 degrees before TDC on tuned engines but anything up to 21 degrees on standard engines. Just an update to this rule is that now with present Unleaded fuels some builders prefer a lower setting in degrees than ever before. I've heard mention by some that they set the timing around 15-16 degrees on tuned motors, still not really sure about that and myself I would keep them between 17-19 even on standard engines. Many a scooterists has holed their piston with settings to high like 21-24 degrees so BEWARE or this becomes a costly hobby.
Now you have your marks and settings recorded (this is a safety precaution in case you have trouble fitting the Agusto so you can put it all back to original). One last thing to do is scribe a mark on the stator and mag housing at say 19 degrees it’s exact location, it's possible to make (and maybe a good idea) also marks for 18, 17, degrees so you can choose what your happy with. You can now loosen the stator 10mm nuts and rotate / move the stator plate as far as possible anti-clockwise on the bolts or studs. Tighten the bolts or nuts up again and fit the Flywheel again as tight as possible (if you use a torque wrench set it to about 50lb).
Now fit the Agusto, I used a 7000 model for my TS1 from advice off Chalkie at Replay Scooters after all he is the one with years experience in tuning lambretta’s. A more standard machine may possibly use the 6000 and a fully tuned RB would possibly need an 8000.
Take the red wire from your Cdi unit that comes from the Stator (this could be a yellow wire on some Indian stator plates). I find fitting the Agusto to the footboard mounting leg on the right-hand side is a good position for it, mainly for access. Plug the red male connector from the box to the female red wire connector you have just removed from the Cdi. Then take the red female connector from the Agusto box and plug in to the vacant spade on the Cdi you have just made, the black wire from the Agusto box will go to an earth. You can use one you have established on the Cdi or like me drill a hole in the leg beside the box and located it there. BUT make sure the paint is cleaned away when you bolt the earth to it for a good contact.
Now make sure you have put everything back in place correctly (including the strobe and plug) and kick the scoot off, with the engine on tick over the arrow on the flywheel should now be just in front of your original timing mark (19 degrees) possibly about 23 degrees then as you rev the engine to say about 9000rpm or your maximum revs if you dare you will see it fall back to your original mark on the housing. If it doesn’t go all the way back to your mark then switch the scoot off, remove the flywheel and slightly move the stator back clockwise a little at a time until you get it spot on the mark.
If for any reason the arrow falls back past your original mark say to about 15 degrees you will lose the engines top end power. To fix this you can remove the Stator and open up the holes on them where the retaining bolts go to give it a little more movement anti clockwise. And if you just cannot get it right it may need one of the other models mentioned for your engine. Give Chalkie a ring and he might advise you from the specs on your engine. Something else to think about is I've had it mentioned to me to put a bigger main jet in after you have fitted the Agusto, myself I haven't but one thing to remember is the engine will be running much better, burning the fuel better lower down in the gears and responding better on the throttle. So if you feel happier fitting a couple of jet sizes up the engine will cope with it as I'm sure you will ride it harder due to the quicker feel to the engine.
When you feel happy you have it right then fit the cowlings back on and footboard and take it out for a spin. You should notice straight away how much easier it is to start and then when riding it should feel much smoother through the gears and possibly improved response on the throttle as you give it a fistful???? Only up to the speed limit of course heeeee heeeee.
Well done you should now have fitted one of the best pieces of improvement to a Lambretta in recent times other than a Hydraulic front disc brake that is.
A number of dealers are now selling these little magic black boxes but I would recommend Chalkie at Replay Scooters http://www.replayscooters.net
Well-done and safe riding.ning
I have fitted a 7000 to my TS1 225 and just was amazed at the difference in starting, performance at low revs and how smoother it feels through the gears.
Below I hope to take you through the simple process of fitting your own, and lets hope you can believe with your own eye's an ear’s.
Chalkie at www.replayscooters.net introduced me to the Agusto after he fitted a couple to my mates RB250 and another’s RB225, they’re 3x different model’s the 6000, 7,000 and the 8,000. All three have slightly different levels of adjustment but the 6,000 are the most preferred for the majority of Standard machine’s with a wider level of adjustment.
First of all make sure you have the right tools, if you need to remove the flywheel to adjust the timing then a flywheel-holding tool and removal tool is a must.
A 17mm socket for the flywheel nut, 19mm socket (for removal tool), an ignition-timing disc (Cambridge lambretta have the best I’ve seen), a 10mm socket for the stator plate nuts, some may have Allen head screws as replacements. An ignition strobe light gun, the best and most reliable way to check the timing. A plug timing stop tool (find how to make one in stickys), this will help you find TDC to measure the timing degrees.
Stage one is to check what the engine timing is set at before you start messing, remove the left hand footboard and flywheel cowling. Then take the strobe and when it’s connected to the HT lead and to the spark plug (some are powered off a battery) point the light towards the top of the Flywheel. An arrow can be seen on the flywheel and it should line up with a mark on the magneto housing, this is your timing in degrees possibly 17-19 on RB or TS1 engines. A good tip is use a little white paint on the arrow to make it clearer to see when using the strobe, the arrow will look almost static as the light shines on it.
To check if this is correct say 19 degrees, remove the spark plug and fit the timing stop tool, rotate the flywheel clockwise until it comes to a stop (The piston will hit the timing stop in the barrel) but do not force it. The arrow on the flywheel will now be pointing maybe at 11pm as on a clock face towards the top of the flywheel. TIP, Ciro at Replay told me this use a black marker pen to make mark opposite the arrow on the mag housing then use a screw driver and hammer to mark the housing at 19 degrees in the centre of the mark. As the housing is alloy it stands out well against the black background when using the strobe light. Now do the same the other way anti-clockwise, opposite side of the housing say around 1pm and mark up once again next to the arrow.
Now you can fit the holding tool and remove the flywheel nut (17mm) remembering that it’s a left hand thread, so to undo you will be pushing down on the ratchet towards the back of the scooter. Take this nut off and screw the flywheel removal tool in place and fit a 19mm socket to the nut on it to push on the crank and pull the flywheel away from the housing. Now place the timing disc on the crankshaft thread and use the nut to hold it in place. The TDC mark should be at the top (approx 12 o’clock), look at the marks you made earlier and place the TDC mark on the disc exactly between the two marks. The next mark you see on the housing before TDC you strobe on the mag housing will be the timing firing point on the disc. Hopefully around 19 degrees before TDC on tuned engines but anything up to 21 degrees on standard engines. Just an update to this rule is that now with present Unleaded fuels some builders prefer a lower setting in degrees than ever before. I've heard mention by some that they set the timing around 15-16 degrees on tuned motors, still not really sure about that and myself I would keep them between 17-19 even on standard engines. Many a scooterists has holed their piston with settings to high like 21-24 degrees so BEWARE or this becomes a costly hobby.
Now you have your marks and settings recorded (this is a safety precaution in case you have trouble fitting the Agusto so you can put it all back to original). One last thing to do is scribe a mark on the stator and mag housing at say 19 degrees it’s exact location, it's possible to make (and maybe a good idea) also marks for 18, 17, degrees so you can choose what your happy with. You can now loosen the stator 10mm nuts and rotate / move the stator plate as far as possible anti-clockwise on the bolts or studs. Tighten the bolts or nuts up again and fit the Flywheel again as tight as possible (if you use a torque wrench set it to about 50lb).
Now fit the Agusto, I used a 7000 model for my TS1 from advice off Chalkie at Replay Scooters after all he is the one with years experience in tuning lambretta’s. A more standard machine may possibly use the 6000 and a fully tuned RB would possibly need an 8000.
Take the red wire from your Cdi unit that comes from the Stator (this could be a yellow wire on some Indian stator plates). I find fitting the Agusto to the footboard mounting leg on the right-hand side is a good position for it, mainly for access. Plug the red male connector from the box to the female red wire connector you have just removed from the Cdi. Then take the red female connector from the Agusto box and plug in to the vacant spade on the Cdi you have just made, the black wire from the Agusto box will go to an earth. You can use one you have established on the Cdi or like me drill a hole in the leg beside the box and located it there. BUT make sure the paint is cleaned away when you bolt the earth to it for a good contact.
Now make sure you have put everything back in place correctly (including the strobe and plug) and kick the scoot off, with the engine on tick over the arrow on the flywheel should now be just in front of your original timing mark (19 degrees) possibly about 23 degrees then as you rev the engine to say about 9000rpm or your maximum revs if you dare you will see it fall back to your original mark on the housing. If it doesn’t go all the way back to your mark then switch the scoot off, remove the flywheel and slightly move the stator back clockwise a little at a time until you get it spot on the mark.
If for any reason the arrow falls back past your original mark say to about 15 degrees you will lose the engines top end power. To fix this you can remove the Stator and open up the holes on them where the retaining bolts go to give it a little more movement anti clockwise. And if you just cannot get it right it may need one of the other models mentioned for your engine. Give Chalkie a ring and he might advise you from the specs on your engine. Something else to think about is I've had it mentioned to me to put a bigger main jet in after you have fitted the Agusto, myself I haven't but one thing to remember is the engine will be running much better, burning the fuel better lower down in the gears and responding better on the throttle. So if you feel happier fitting a couple of jet sizes up the engine will cope with it as I'm sure you will ride it harder due to the quicker feel to the engine.
When you feel happy you have it right then fit the cowlings back on and footboard and take it out for a spin. You should notice straight away how much easier it is to start and then when riding it should feel much smoother through the gears and possibly improved response on the throttle as you give it a fistful???? Only up to the speed limit of course heeeee heeeee.
Well done you should now have fitted one of the best pieces of improvement to a Lambretta in recent times other than a Hydraulic front disc brake that is.
A number of dealers are now selling these little magic black boxes but I would recommend Chalkie at Replay Scooters http://www.replayscooters.net
Well-done and safe riding.ning
Taking a look at the TS1 engine before the season starts
I thought I would give the TS1 a look over and renew a few parts before the season starts this year.Below I don't proclaim to be a top Lambretta mechanic but I hope after reading this page it gives you as a Lambretta owner some confidence in attempting some of the more simple tasks in keeping your scoot on the road. If I can do then I'm sure anyone can .
When I purchased it I was told it had done about 60 miles so it still had a long way to go to be run in and being someone who wanted to do the job right set to at steadily making my way to roughly 500 miles .
The first check at this milestone 500 miles was tough as the damn thing would not run right cutting out unpredictably after maybe 2 mile or sometimes 20 miles . Remembering all my old tricks from years ago riding my LI, SX and GP nothing seem to work to fix the problem , then after desperation set in and cash ran out I gave Ben a call at AF Rayspeed- http://www.afrayspeed.co.uk/ . Explaining my situation the first thing he got me to check was the torq on the head was ok , about 20-21lbs and yes a couple of the head nuts was only finger tight Whoops.
Tried a number of things but the one thing that had not been noticed through never having a Reed powered Lammie before , the fuel line route from left to right side of the machine was longer than the normal carb setup and there it was . As the fuel pipe dropped from the tank over the head cowling to the front of the engine and over the frame before it bent to enter the Dellorto 34mm inlet there was an airbubble that never seemed to go away ? hence causing fuel starvation on an intermittant basis with my stanley knife at the ready cutting an inch off the pipe then re-routing under the frame so it stayed level then up to the carb and "hey presto" cured.
After 500 mile things got more pleasent pushing the engine a little more every hundred mile or so 60, 70 and then one autumn morning as the others was making their way to Bridlington I opened it up to take it off the clock and as it was still pulling i noticed i was gaining very quickly on the back of a large HGV aaaaaagh . As I slipped past the lorry the drivers face was a picture , bet he wondered how that wobbly little scooter with an old fool on was possibly staying in a straight line .
Roll on about another 2,000 miles and of course as with all Lambretta's 2x speedo's later before the season starts in 2010 i decided to give it a service . The total nut and bolt rebuild the winter before was ok but i left the engine alone apart from a new clutch due to the problems i had the first few months thinking "if it aint broke then don't fix it ", so this year it was time to check over the piston and top end . Also i noticed the chain had stretched when fitting the clutch so a new IWIS 82 link chain was bought from Chalkie at Replay scooters ready for the strip down, new engine mounts (cheers Red ) as the rubber had started to split between the holes on the ones fitted . Gaskets and other bits with the promise to myself I would also fit an Agusto 7000 as a treat after my mate Mark has one on the RB and works with the electronic 12v kit well with improved starting and better repsponse on the throttle.
So as you can see the first stage has started in the BAG clinic below , take the engine out and get it on my new engine stand made and designed by Good old Nige . Top stand and can be rotated as you work on either side of the engine , just a note though make sure you bolt it down well those TS1 engine's are very heavy if it falls off the bench LMAO.
When I purchased it I was told it had done about 60 miles so it still had a long way to go to be run in and being someone who wanted to do the job right set to at steadily making my way to roughly 500 miles .
The first check at this milestone 500 miles was tough as the damn thing would not run right cutting out unpredictably after maybe 2 mile or sometimes 20 miles . Remembering all my old tricks from years ago riding my LI, SX and GP nothing seem to work to fix the problem , then after desperation set in and cash ran out I gave Ben a call at AF Rayspeed- http://www.afrayspeed.co.uk/ . Explaining my situation the first thing he got me to check was the torq on the head was ok , about 20-21lbs and yes a couple of the head nuts was only finger tight Whoops.
Tried a number of things but the one thing that had not been noticed through never having a Reed powered Lammie before , the fuel line route from left to right side of the machine was longer than the normal carb setup and there it was . As the fuel pipe dropped from the tank over the head cowling to the front of the engine and over the frame before it bent to enter the Dellorto 34mm inlet there was an airbubble that never seemed to go away ? hence causing fuel starvation on an intermittant basis with my stanley knife at the ready cutting an inch off the pipe then re-routing under the frame so it stayed level then up to the carb and "hey presto" cured.
After 500 mile things got more pleasent pushing the engine a little more every hundred mile or so 60, 70 and then one autumn morning as the others was making their way to Bridlington I opened it up to take it off the clock and as it was still pulling i noticed i was gaining very quickly on the back of a large HGV aaaaaagh . As I slipped past the lorry the drivers face was a picture , bet he wondered how that wobbly little scooter with an old fool on was possibly staying in a straight line .
Roll on about another 2,000 miles and of course as with all Lambretta's 2x speedo's later before the season starts in 2010 i decided to give it a service . The total nut and bolt rebuild the winter before was ok but i left the engine alone apart from a new clutch due to the problems i had the first few months thinking "if it aint broke then don't fix it ", so this year it was time to check over the piston and top end . Also i noticed the chain had stretched when fitting the clutch so a new IWIS 82 link chain was bought from Chalkie at Replay scooters ready for the strip down, new engine mounts (cheers Red ) as the rubber had started to split between the holes on the ones fitted . Gaskets and other bits with the promise to myself I would also fit an Agusto 7000 as a treat after my mate Mark has one on the RB and works with the electronic 12v kit well with improved starting and better repsponse on the throttle.
So as you can see the first stage has started in the BAG clinic below , take the engine out and get it on my new engine stand made and designed by Good old Nige . Top stand and can be rotated as you work on either side of the engine , just a note though make sure you bolt it down well those TS1 engine's are very heavy if it falls off the bench LMAO.
Cleaning and polishing
Taking out the circlip and pushing the gudgeon pin through the con rod from the piston first i can then set to in cleaning up the piston , only one small heat sieze mark at the bottom of the piston so cleaned it up with a little wire wool and looks fine . Got to check the wear on the rings but maybe best to just replace them at this stage anyway , dont want to build it back up again then have a ring break and ruin the lot .
Next was to clean up the inlet / reed block port and gasket faces , followed by the exhaust port . The exhaust port had large amount of carbon build so got the dremel out and used a stone to clean up the manifold being careful not to alter the barrel port itself . The inlet just needed a little polishing and then re-fit with new gaskets on both notice the blue carb mounting rubber , i have used this all last year and unlike the majority provided by scooter dealers seems to have withstood the the usaul problems of splitting. These rubbers can be purchased from FST Automotive on East Common lane scunthorpe , much better than the normal mounts.The gaskets provided by my new friend Seamus of the Pathfinders , cheers number 1 . Replacing the exhaust brass nuts didnt need to be done but had a couple of new ones with deeper shoulders on so a bit easier to tighten so thought best to put them on.
The head required a little more work , this time more severe with a wire brush first then the wire wool to polish it up . Looks ok now but did notice a couple of holes / dints in the surface so polished out with the dremel again before finishing off.
The next couple of jobs will be the engine silent blocks / mountings , they have some splits in and wear from the large washer so have a couple of new ones to fit . And yet again a mate has come to my rescue , Red let me borrow his mounting extracter with a couple of new indian mounts . These being out of the ordinary with parts for Lambretta's as they actually are the better ones to fit i'm told.
Next time i'm in the shed i have one of the side casing threads to sort , after purchasing some extended barrel studs from agreat guy at Queensway engineering he has lent me a helicoil set for M6 bolts so gonna give it a go . I'm useing chromed cap M6 bolts in the casing but many a builder prefer using the studs and nuts as original , this is mainly because if you remove the cap bolts to often in the ally casing the threads can become worn or damged and leaving the studs inplace will reduce the chance of damgage to the threads.
Now got to call around for some prices on 70mm rings for the 225 piston now , but more than likely will end up at replacing them like for like .
Next was to clean up the inlet / reed block port and gasket faces , followed by the exhaust port . The exhaust port had large amount of carbon build so got the dremel out and used a stone to clean up the manifold being careful not to alter the barrel port itself . The inlet just needed a little polishing and then re-fit with new gaskets on both notice the blue carb mounting rubber , i have used this all last year and unlike the majority provided by scooter dealers seems to have withstood the the usaul problems of splitting. These rubbers can be purchased from FST Automotive on East Common lane scunthorpe , much better than the normal mounts.The gaskets provided by my new friend Seamus of the Pathfinders , cheers number 1 . Replacing the exhaust brass nuts didnt need to be done but had a couple of new ones with deeper shoulders on so a bit easier to tighten so thought best to put them on.
The head required a little more work , this time more severe with a wire brush first then the wire wool to polish it up . Looks ok now but did notice a couple of holes / dints in the surface so polished out with the dremel again before finishing off.
The next couple of jobs will be the engine silent blocks / mountings , they have some splits in and wear from the large washer so have a couple of new ones to fit . And yet again a mate has come to my rescue , Red let me borrow his mounting extracter with a couple of new indian mounts . These being out of the ordinary with parts for Lambretta's as they actually are the better ones to fit i'm told.
Next time i'm in the shed i have one of the side casing threads to sort , after purchasing some extended barrel studs from agreat guy at Queensway engineering he has lent me a helicoil set for M6 bolts so gonna give it a go . I'm useing chromed cap M6 bolts in the casing but many a builder prefer using the studs and nuts as original , this is mainly because if you remove the cap bolts to often in the ally casing the threads can become worn or damged and leaving the studs inplace will reduce the chance of damgage to the threads.
Now got to call around for some prices on 70mm rings for the 225 piston now , but more than likely will end up at replacing them like for like .
New Iwis Chain
Until I get my new rings from MB Development thought I might as well get on with swapping the chain for the replacement I bought from Chalkie at Replay Scooters, a 82 link Iwis.
Another job I had to do was fix one of the side casing threads that had damaged and made do with an oversize screw for a while. After purchasing some new Barrel studs from Queensway Engineering on Midland road, Scunthorpe the guy lent me a M6 Helicoil set to see if it would repair it, it worked a treat and the M7 tap I originally used was not far off the tap that comes with the helicoil kit.
Right on with getting the clutch out and front sprocket, using the clutch compressor first take out the spring circlip at the top of the clutch then the clutch plates and steels all come out keeping them in position place them to one side so they go back in the same. Last time I fitted a new clutch had loads of problems because I didn’t dothat and some of the steels had to be cleaned up on the edges where they touched the basket and spider in the centre because they grabbed when the clutch was used causing it to not work correctly.
Then bend back the centre nut lock washer and un-due the nut with the clutch holding tool in place to stop the rear sprocket and chain moving. The 46 rear sprocket clutch basket should then just lift up after removing the centre spider with its bronze bush. Before the sprocket and chain can be taken out the front sprocket nut has to be taken out also, this can be done with the clutch holding tool in place or the flywheel can be held with it’s holding tool to stop the crank moving and allowing the nut to be undone. If keeping the front and back sprockets level they can then be lifted out together.
Once these are removed the tricky job of taking out the Gear endplate is the next job, I say tricky because if like this one it has not been out for a while the endplate bearing will be stiff on the gear cluster shaft. On most of the endplates there is a couple of M6 threaded holes that you can place some long bolts in to help remove the endplate, on this occasion the bolts didn’t help but being careful not to damage the ally casing lift the plate a bit and tap the shaft with a rubber hammer or wooden shaft of a lump hammer like me. This should be enough to allow the plate to be removed revealing the gear cluster and loose gears, on checking the gear cluster sprockets and checking against the tables in Sticky’s manual I have a late Indian GP200 gearbox fitted. I think after many conversations about which is best most probably for tuned machines the Italian LI 150 (pacemaker) would prove the most appropriate but as it goes well already I don’t think I would gain too much with a change at this stage, maybe later.
Now to re-assemble in the right order, gear cluster in place then slip the loose gears (larger sprockets) in to match up. Don’t forget to place the roller bearing and shim washer on the end of the Lay shaft (to rear wheel) before placing the endplate back on. I forgot the flaming thing then had to take it off again ha ha ha. Right after making sure it was in place then bolting the end plate back down for a second time with each M7 stud having a spring washer and nut on, slip the rear clutch basket / sprocket with the new chain on and the front 19 sprocket on the drive shaft. Now you will find the having the engine on it’s side will help with the next job of putting the clutch springs (mine being a set of MB racing extra long springs) in place but a little trick if you are using an engine stand like me is dip the end of the spring in EP grease and they stick like magic in their seats giving you time to place the clutch and steels back in as they came out with the spider in the centre, making sure they all clear the grooves on the basket and the spider allowing movement . Align the springs with a slim screwdriver in the top seat and compress it all to fit the clutch circlip back in place, make sure the ends fit in one of the spider uprights for the best chance of it not causing problems.
Now when I removed my casing side I had two chain Guides but tuner’s often feel its best to just use the top guide especially if its one of the many nylon slippy guides on the market, I had a short bottom guide but with the new chain in place it decided to leave the bottom one out as the tension was good on the Iwis chain , cheers to Chalkie at Replay for this high quality chain. All that was left was to fit the side casing and fill with the right oil, years ago it would have been any SAE 90 oil on the market but nowdays Rock oil ST 90 is maybe the best . I use Silkolene medium gear oil for wet clutches like some motoX bikes use its rated SAE 80 and I have had no problems at all with my standard 4 plate clutch in a tuned motor, but then again I don’t have the throttle screwed round to the stop every time I go out like some of the wacky racers out there.
Another job I had to do was fix one of the side casing threads that had damaged and made do with an oversize screw for a while. After purchasing some new Barrel studs from Queensway Engineering on Midland road, Scunthorpe the guy lent me a M6 Helicoil set to see if it would repair it, it worked a treat and the M7 tap I originally used was not far off the tap that comes with the helicoil kit.
Right on with getting the clutch out and front sprocket, using the clutch compressor first take out the spring circlip at the top of the clutch then the clutch plates and steels all come out keeping them in position place them to one side so they go back in the same. Last time I fitted a new clutch had loads of problems because I didn’t dothat and some of the steels had to be cleaned up on the edges where they touched the basket and spider in the centre because they grabbed when the clutch was used causing it to not work correctly.
Then bend back the centre nut lock washer and un-due the nut with the clutch holding tool in place to stop the rear sprocket and chain moving. The 46 rear sprocket clutch basket should then just lift up after removing the centre spider with its bronze bush. Before the sprocket and chain can be taken out the front sprocket nut has to be taken out also, this can be done with the clutch holding tool in place or the flywheel can be held with it’s holding tool to stop the crank moving and allowing the nut to be undone. If keeping the front and back sprockets level they can then be lifted out together.
Once these are removed the tricky job of taking out the Gear endplate is the next job, I say tricky because if like this one it has not been out for a while the endplate bearing will be stiff on the gear cluster shaft. On most of the endplates there is a couple of M6 threaded holes that you can place some long bolts in to help remove the endplate, on this occasion the bolts didn’t help but being careful not to damage the ally casing lift the plate a bit and tap the shaft with a rubber hammer or wooden shaft of a lump hammer like me. This should be enough to allow the plate to be removed revealing the gear cluster and loose gears, on checking the gear cluster sprockets and checking against the tables in Sticky’s manual I have a late Indian GP200 gearbox fitted. I think after many conversations about which is best most probably for tuned machines the Italian LI 150 (pacemaker) would prove the most appropriate but as it goes well already I don’t think I would gain too much with a change at this stage, maybe later.
Now to re-assemble in the right order, gear cluster in place then slip the loose gears (larger sprockets) in to match up. Don’t forget to place the roller bearing and shim washer on the end of the Lay shaft (to rear wheel) before placing the endplate back on. I forgot the flaming thing then had to take it off again ha ha ha. Right after making sure it was in place then bolting the end plate back down for a second time with each M7 stud having a spring washer and nut on, slip the rear clutch basket / sprocket with the new chain on and the front 19 sprocket on the drive shaft. Now you will find the having the engine on it’s side will help with the next job of putting the clutch springs (mine being a set of MB racing extra long springs) in place but a little trick if you are using an engine stand like me is dip the end of the spring in EP grease and they stick like magic in their seats giving you time to place the clutch and steels back in as they came out with the spider in the centre, making sure they all clear the grooves on the basket and the spider allowing movement . Align the springs with a slim screwdriver in the top seat and compress it all to fit the clutch circlip back in place, make sure the ends fit in one of the spider uprights for the best chance of it not causing problems.
Now when I removed my casing side I had two chain Guides but tuner’s often feel its best to just use the top guide especially if its one of the many nylon slippy guides on the market, I had a short bottom guide but with the new chain in place it decided to leave the bottom one out as the tension was good on the Iwis chain , cheers to Chalkie at Replay for this high quality chain. All that was left was to fit the side casing and fill with the right oil, years ago it would have been any SAE 90 oil on the market but nowdays Rock oil ST 90 is maybe the best . I use Silkolene medium gear oil for wet clutches like some motoX bikes use its rated SAE 80 and I have had no problems at all with my standard 4 plate clutch in a tuned motor, but then again I don’t have the throttle screwed round to the stop every time I go out like some of the wacky racers out there.
New parts and new jobs
I've got to a point in the service where i need to replace some parts and so the service has slowed a little . Pick up new rings for the MB Racetour piston and I want to make sure they are the right sort so a good friend of mine who has bags of time on his hands ( heeee heeee) is collecting them for me from Doncaster.
While waiting though its off the engine stand and for the first time ever , attempt to replace the
Silent blocks / Engine mounts . Now yet another friend has come to me rescue with the TWE made tool for the job , thanks RED your a diamond. The only thing was in my shed at ten oclock at night with no instruction manual how do these bloody things work to extract the mount ???.
Got it easy peasy , fit the tool tighten the nut and hey presto the mount starts to move out of the casing until the nut goe's loose. Now for the really tough bit , how do you re-fit the damn thing to replace the old with new ? after a couple of phone calls and lots of scratching of head GOT IT , and in goes the chain side mount . I was fitting SIL mounts with two holes and the sticky's manual says make sure the holes are placed at 8 oclock and 10 oclock chain side and 10 oclock and 1 oclock on the flywheel side OR is the other way round , oh sod it I'll just ride side saddle to balance the wait if it's wrong ha ha ha.
While waiting though its off the engine stand and for the first time ever , attempt to replace the
Silent blocks / Engine mounts . Now yet another friend has come to me rescue with the TWE made tool for the job , thanks RED your a diamond. The only thing was in my shed at ten oclock at night with no instruction manual how do these bloody things work to extract the mount ???.
Got it easy peasy , fit the tool tighten the nut and hey presto the mount starts to move out of the casing until the nut goe's loose. Now for the really tough bit , how do you re-fit the damn thing to replace the old with new ? after a couple of phone calls and lots of scratching of head GOT IT , and in goes the chain side mount . I was fitting SIL mounts with two holes and the sticky's manual says make sure the holes are placed at 8 oclock and 10 oclock chain side and 10 oclock and 1 oclock on the flywheel side OR is the other way round , oh sod it I'll just ride side saddle to balance the wait if it's wrong ha ha ha.
Fitting the top end
With new racetour rings in place and a surprise, i didn't realise that my barrel is one size over standard 225 at 70.5mm .
Made sure all the engine case and barrel faces was clean before fitting and new gasket's at the ready, when sliding the barrel on the new studs made it easier to bolt all in place and new extended (double ) M8 nuts torqued to 20Lb's (newton metric 27.11). Checked and tightened the exhaust brass nuts on the manifold , then on with the head cowling and flywheel cowling. Both of the cowling's needed a little touching up with paint as they had a few chips and scratches on from last season's rallies.
Once everything is sorted it was down now to lifting the lump off the engine stand and bolting back in the scoot. Being in the shed on your own it's no mean feat to fit a lammie engine and I'm sure everyone has their own little tricks on how to do it . I find placing the rear shocker on first then lifting the engine under the head cowling and placing blocks in to the right height until the mounts are in line roughly, get the bolt pushed through one side then shine a torch or light from the other side to see inside the mount then it's just a case of a bit of a nudge and lift and the bolt should slide all the way through. Make sure the nylock nuts are turned on the bolt equally so the same amount is sticking out the end of the nuts and that should be the engine in place .
I wanted to also fit a new throttle cable to the Dellorto 34mm , the original one's outer cable had always been broken towards the carb end and it was a job i kept putting off even after the restoration . Dont ask why but putting in a new complete nylon lined cable was fairly simple, remove the old one from the headset with the top removed and the horncasing off . Then when re-fitting the new one it simply slides back in place and the space should be there behind the original tie-wraps on the frame tube. At the throttle end it's a little tricky getting the solder-less nipple screwed onto the cable in the disc but a dremel comes in real handy just to cut off excess cable then the barrel will fit spot on .
Nearly there now and just need to connect up the gear , clutch , rear brake and electrics before i can set about running those rings in ready for the trip to the first Rally of the season at Whitby , followed by a night in Scarborough with the rest of the Silhouettes from Scunthorpe http://www.scunnysilhouettes.com/.
Made sure all the engine case and barrel faces was clean before fitting and new gasket's at the ready, when sliding the barrel on the new studs made it easier to bolt all in place and new extended (double ) M8 nuts torqued to 20Lb's (newton metric 27.11). Checked and tightened the exhaust brass nuts on the manifold , then on with the head cowling and flywheel cowling. Both of the cowling's needed a little touching up with paint as they had a few chips and scratches on from last season's rallies.
Once everything is sorted it was down now to lifting the lump off the engine stand and bolting back in the scoot. Being in the shed on your own it's no mean feat to fit a lammie engine and I'm sure everyone has their own little tricks on how to do it . I find placing the rear shocker on first then lifting the engine under the head cowling and placing blocks in to the right height until the mounts are in line roughly, get the bolt pushed through one side then shine a torch or light from the other side to see inside the mount then it's just a case of a bit of a nudge and lift and the bolt should slide all the way through. Make sure the nylock nuts are turned on the bolt equally so the same amount is sticking out the end of the nuts and that should be the engine in place .
I wanted to also fit a new throttle cable to the Dellorto 34mm , the original one's outer cable had always been broken towards the carb end and it was a job i kept putting off even after the restoration . Dont ask why but putting in a new complete nylon lined cable was fairly simple, remove the old one from the headset with the top removed and the horncasing off . Then when re-fitting the new one it simply slides back in place and the space should be there behind the original tie-wraps on the frame tube. At the throttle end it's a little tricky getting the solder-less nipple screwed onto the cable in the disc but a dremel comes in real handy just to cut off excess cable then the barrel will fit spot on .
Nearly there now and just need to connect up the gear , clutch , rear brake and electrics before i can set about running those rings in ready for the trip to the first Rally of the season at Whitby , followed by a night in Scarborough with the rest of the Silhouettes from Scunthorpe http://www.scunnysilhouettes.com/.
The End - Ready to ride in 2010
Update : tacho fitted August 2010
Well finally fitted my fantic tacho purchased from sergio in Italy for the princly sum of 28 quid heee heee , but as usual not without a few hitches along the way.
I made the mistake to try and translate the Italian wiring diagram he sent via email , but the colours of his wires in the diagram just didnt work . So a quick call to Greeny at http://fastscooter.org/forum/index.php as he had used one before and realised the Red and Brown wires was opposite so quick change and the scoot got it's spark back and the needle started to move on the tacho .
I've not seen one of these before I had spotted it on Greeny's road GP225 , and the thing that really interested me was the way it worked . Not like the Vapour tacho's from the HT lead but straight into the green feed from the CDi ? not sure how but I'm told it picks up a pulse from the CDi and hence with the leggy toolbox just go's through to the back of the horn casing and up in to the headset light junction unit.
Red from the tacho connects to the brown feed from the horn and the Brown from the tacho connects straight into the green feed coming down the loom from the back of the scoot at the CDi, earthed to the frame bolt just behind the horn casing badge it's all quite neat and tidy . Just had to slot a couple more wires in to the speedo bulb feed and another earth for the light and hey presto it works a treat .
Not sure i dare take it to the 12,000 revs it reads up to though . As if the TS will go to that :)
I made the mistake to try and translate the Italian wiring diagram he sent via email , but the colours of his wires in the diagram just didnt work . So a quick call to Greeny at http://fastscooter.org/forum/index.php as he had used one before and realised the Red and Brown wires was opposite so quick change and the scoot got it's spark back and the needle started to move on the tacho .
I've not seen one of these before I had spotted it on Greeny's road GP225 , and the thing that really interested me was the way it worked . Not like the Vapour tacho's from the HT lead but straight into the green feed from the CDi ? not sure how but I'm told it picks up a pulse from the CDi and hence with the leggy toolbox just go's through to the back of the horn casing and up in to the headset light junction unit.
Red from the tacho connects to the brown feed from the horn and the Brown from the tacho connects straight into the green feed coming down the loom from the back of the scoot at the CDi, earthed to the frame bolt just behind the horn casing badge it's all quite neat and tidy . Just had to slot a couple more wires in to the speedo bulb feed and another earth for the light and hey presto it works a treat .
Not sure i dare take it to the 12,000 revs it reads up to though . As if the TS will go to that :)
