Okay, now that I've got the engine disassembled, it is time to start thinking about putting it back together again. Unfortunately, I have to get my gears before I can do that. I learned today that the gears will not be available until the day before Thanksgiving. I'm in a holding pattern on the engine until then.

However, I'm still able to do some work on the bike. I've moved it from the carport into the basement garage. I now have the frame in the same location as the engine. Tonight I moved it down here (I'm typing this in the finished part of the basement where my office is) and removed the seats and gas tank.

I'm doing this because today I went up with Mike to meet a new friend. He is a gentlemen who lives near me who worked in the Vespa factory in Italy (I hope to write more about him later). Well, they convinced me that I should go ahead and make sure everything is just so, so they want me to rewire the entire bike as well as disassemble the steering assembly (you really can't call it a fork -- because it isn't. It is more like airplane landing gear).

So, even though the engine isn't ready to be put back together, I'll have plenty to keep me busy! Also, I want to catalog all the seals and grommets that I am still missing so that I can make sure I can order them and have them here by the time of the final assembly.