Vespatude - A Vespa Blog: Maybe I'll change the scoot's name to Delay

The Vespa and I are having issues.

I can say I am quite proud of the job I did on the engine rebuild. Even the electrical stuff I can say I have done well. It is all looking and operating just fine.

The big problem is that I keep discovering new problems.

Saturday after much struggle, I had the engine back in the bike and all the electrical hooked up. I wheeled the bike out of my basement garage and up to the driveway. It was a beautiful day and I had the excitement building that maybe, just maybe, I would be able to ride.

The engine started on my fourth kick. Alright!

I even drove the bike out onto my neighborhood streets. I shifted through all the gears. The wind was blowing through what hair I have left. The acceleration was crisp and I felt that "scooter glide" that people talk about.

Then something happened. The bike began to bog. I had to limp it slowly back home. What could it be?

I went to ScooterBBS.com and asked there. I talked with Mike, my Vespa Yoda. Everything seemed to point to the fuel line. This was one part of the bike I had not messed with up to this point. So, tonight, I dived in. What I found was another problem.

Here I am prepping to take the tank out. The seat and pad is removed. You can see the fuel line hanging out by the cylinder shroud with a bolt stuck in the end of it. That was the first sign that something was wrong. Even with the fuel tap turned off, I was still getting fuel.

In this picture, you see the fuel line that most of us thought might be the problem. Regardless, it was a problem because it was a tad too short and was made of a different kind of rubber than an American made fuel line. It needed to be replaced.

Here I am prepping to put the tank back in. The yellow cord is a piece of wire that I use to help guide the fuel valve switch through the hole in the frame. It can be a real pain! You can also see the nice new black fuel line in this picture. However, it was at this time I found the next problem.

As I moved the tank into position, I heard something rattling inside the tank. "What on earth," I thought. I opened the tank and took a look inside. Through the haze of the gasoline I saw what looked like a copper tube and a filter laying on the bottom of the tank. When I shook the tank, they both moved. That wasn't right.

So, I drained the tank and pulled the errant pieces out. I also looked at the top of the fuel tap and noticed that there were little paper thin pieces of something down in the hole where the filter and tube should have been. It appears they are pieces of paint that came from around the edge of the lid of the tank. My Indonesian friends must have put gas in the tank too soon after the paint job.

Now, I am doing what I have learned to do a lot with this bike. Wait. I have to call in to order a new fuel tap and ask them to ship it to me overnight. Then I will have to borrow a tool from Mike to get the fuel tap nut out of the tank. Once I've done that, the fuel tank issue will be done.

Only one last part of the entire bike I have not taken apart and gone into... the carburator. I hope it doesn't come to that. Maybe just one part of the bike will be problem free!