This is the story of my '64 Vespa 150 - how it became mine and how it has given me a new vespatude.  I'll be recording the neat places I visit, the different things I do to make the Vespa my own, and - oh yeah - those reactions I get from both friends and strangers.




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Sunday, September 10, 2006
Is it a sin to hate an inanimate object?
That was the question I was asking myself as I sweated over the Vespa yesterday.

Friday, I had played around with the gears to try to get them working correctly. I'm almost positive that I am going to have to replace the cables. The gears will shift but there is some binding that keeps it from happening smoothly. Still, the gears are the least of my worries.

Saturday, I turned my attention to the electrical. That morning the engine ran. However, the lights did not work. By the end of the day, the lights nor the engine worked. I'm hoping that it is simply a matter of the engine flooding and I will be able to go out this morning and turn it over.

I absolutely could not get the bike to start by trying to kick it. I then tried multiple times to roll start it. The engine would fire and then sputter, sputter, and then jerk to a stop. I actually started to think it was not getting fuel. So, I exposed the carb and then tried cranking. There was the mist from the fuel spraying up. So, I then got to thinking it was flooded. Taking out the spark plug and seeing the dark fuel on the bottom of the plug seemed to confirm this.

Back to the electrical... Going back and forth with the folks at SCOMO, it is concluded that the problem MAY be the stator. So, I have been instructed to remove the stator plate and replace it with the one that was on my old engine. It isn't an old plate. It is pretty much a brand new one from Scooterworks that came with the Scooterworks harness.

This approach would make sense seeing how I know the electrical system was working just fine when I had the old engine in there. I guess I'll turn my attention that direction this week. I really didn't want to go switching parts out on the new engine, but hey, that is how it goes sometime.

I came very close to giving up yesterday. Can you imagine how frustrating this is? I guess I shouldn't have thought that a new engine would be the end of my woes. It seems you can't expect to get a new engine, plug it in and then expect to hit the road. I would have sold the thing yesterday if I had known it would be possible to sell it.

A good night of sleep helps me wake up with a new perspective. I guess I'm willing to give it another try.



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