Vespatude - A Vespa Blog: IT IS RUNNING!!!

Man, what a relief! This Vespa business has been weighing me down. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever work again. Today, I was able to drive Heebie to work after lunch!

Earlier I posted that I thought that perhaps the problem was the condenser. Well, I decided to go ahead and "upgrade" the whole electrical system. In the process of attempting that, I learned that the upgrade did not fit my bike and that I had stripped the threads in the case where the stator is attached. Now I had multiple problems to deal with and not much time to get it done.

That is why I have not been posting much - nothing was happening. I worked on it just a little bit on Saturday before getting frustrated and quiting. Monday and Tuesday evening I tried a little more. Since the bike is outside, I don't have much light. Working by flashlight can get frustrating - especially when you are trying fix stripped bolt holes!

Monday night I decided to use tap screws to create threads as I bolted the stator on. Worked great until one of the screws broke off! So I spent Tuesday trying to find a solution. Finally, in frustration, I just drilled a hole in the broken screw and used another tap screw to affix the stator. Now, I just needed to get all the wiring back together.

I used the condenser from the upgrade and attached it to the old regulator and stator. I got the wiring back together at lunch today and then gave the bike a kick. Nothing. But it did sound like the plug was sparking. I held the plug up to something grounded...was that a spark? It was hard to tell in the sunshine. Then I stood up and when I did, I pushed the kick lever down. Whoah! There was spark, I felt it coming from the plug in my hand.

I put it back and started kicking a few times more. Ah, it turned over and then died. It did that a couple more times and then it started running a little more smoothly. Finally, I was able to leave it idling as I ran to tell the wonderful red head that the Vespa was finally running!

I took it for a spin and then decided I would drive it back to work. Everything worked just fine. Only this time I did not forget my tools (I learned that lesson a couple of weeks ago when I got stranded at my in-laws). What might run now might not run later.

I look at this as a temporary fix. I think the engine casing has really seen some of its better days. At some point in the near future, I believe I will get a new engine.

Until then, I'm just glad it is running for now. What a blast to have my tie flying over my shoulder as I tooled down the road in the 64 degree weather. It was tempting to drive on past the office.