SBF Classic Vespa's Cafe 2009 / 2010

[Gweester]

Originally posted by easy®ider@January 11, 2007 11:30 am

hello ppl,

 

im looking for a transport bike, is vespa a good choice?

whats a reasonable price to pay for az or fa plate?

can recommend me good reliable shops?

 

thanks in advance!

vespa is a good transport bike i would say.....

low maintainence.....

I would not say it is hassle free as compare to other bikes but for old scoots, the pple who rides them simply love them....

as for the price for a FA or AZ plate bike, it would depend very much on the condition of the bike and mods on the bike....search around the net, there are some pple or will have some who are selling....

I would advise you to get a relatively cheap scoots and slowly do it up...

bike shops? there are quite a few....pple here mainly go to Tong Aik at short street (beside sim lim towers) or Jin Cheng Motors (Ah Joo) @ ubi to do up their scoots....

[Sharpey]

does the oil smell like it has petrol in it?? If it does, you've blown a seal... you eskimo you....

 

If its a seal, then the engine casings will need to come apart....

 

Fix asap

[Gweester]

Hey guys....for the meetup tomorrow....

if it is raining like this evening....i guess all will give the meetup a miss rite?

[machine k]

haha i'd like to agree on it... in fact i wanted to ask you guys about wet weather programme, but i guess the best programme will be to postpone it.

 

anyone stay near/at bt timah to give a weather check tmr? just in case its only my neighbourhood raining

[rae07]

guess all of us think alike eh? postponing meet-up's a gd choice. crazy weather today....juz how it'll be fine tmr.

[machine k]

yeah, pray hard that tmr will have some good weather

 

look forward to seeing you guys in your scoot...and bb

[itsonfire]

Originally posted by Sharpey@January 11, 2007 11:31 pm

does the oil smell like it has petrol in it?? If it does, you've blown a seal... you eskimo you....

 

If its a seal, then the engine casings will need to come apart....

 

Fix asap

i didnt check on the smell.but its thick though.. but do u noe roughly how much to change it? so sharpey even so if i were to break a seal, how culd this happen. as in wht causes it to break? thanks..

[Gweester]

machine_k....ahhahah...scoots and bb....ahahha....sorry guys...scoots not in time for the meetup....

okie then....guess if the weather sucks...we will postpone the meetup...

[Sharpey]

Weather stilly crappy this morning... outlook not good for the rest of the day either. I'm over at Ngee Ann, will monitor, just don't get hopes up.... Stupid monsoon!

 

 

itsonfire... seals just wear out... they need changing every now and then... When was the last time your engine was rebuilt? Don't know? then its probably time to do it....Ask shops for a quotation to have all your bearings and seals changed, shifting cross changed (wears out and makes you jump out of gear sometimes), gears and crank and stuff inspected (they don't wear out fast, so should be ok)....oh and get some new piston rings and have your cylinder honed while you're at it.

 

I know a rebuild isn't going to be cheap.... base price over 150bucks(If I recall correctly), but think of it as insurance... after the rebuild you'll have a BRAND NEW engine... ie. just as good as when it rolled out of the factory, and not likely to cause you trouble for the next 80-100,000kms.

[itsonfire]

150? hmm i think i should do it asap... gotta collect funds.. so is an engine rebuilt= overhauling?

[-ResiDue-]

hey guys...!!

over in novena...weather still crappy..

rained while i was on my way to work...

thank goodness i worke my raincoat n pants today...

 

sharpey > blown a seal...eskimo....ahahahaha...

 

itsonfire > yeah, i had that problem too....just try tightening the bolts n nuts in the area first...if still bad, then can bring over to a shop...i'm going to Ah Joo tommorrow.if you wanna fix it up then just gimme an sms or ring...u know my number

[Sharpey]

itsonfire... yep rebuild = overhaul.....

 

here's a list of things you can look into changing....

 

new bearings and gaskets (all gaskets, including those in carb, below carb etc)

 

new seals... (specify that a "Viton" Metal clutch side seal is used... the expensive one... the cheap rubber ones are crappy and fail quickly and catastrophically)

 

change the shifting cross (local name...) or cruciform (name used in US Europe) this is a part that is designed to wear out and should be changed

 

rebuild clutch.. (specify that clutch plates are soaked overnight... don't let them install them without doing this... if nec, buy the plates first and soak them yourself in engine oil overnight... if you don't your clutch will wear MUCH faster...)

 

Check your shock mount (the one that connects the rear shock to the frame... change if nec or upgrade to a much improved design from http://www.claussstudios.com

 

Check your motor mounts (connect the engine to the frame) If worn, replace (or again upgrade at claussstudios.com)

 

Change fuel and oil lines for new ones.

 

Change cables....

 

 

It'll likely add up to closer to 3 or 4 hundred.... but that's the price to pay to have a reliable scooter. (many people don't like spending money on keeping their engine in good condition and spend on other frivolous things.... an engine that is rebuilt regularly, like every 100,000 kms or so, will likely not brake down.... where as one that is run into the ground and never rebuilt will be nothing but trouble.... BITE THE BULLET and spend the money (sorry for the shouting... wasn't aimed at you in particular).

 

 

I'm a firm believer in knowing (really knowing) exactly what state your engine is in... The only way you can effectively do this is to have a rebuild done and stand with the mechanic during the process... This way you get to a) learn and b) prioritise repairs if the funds are a problem

 

 

Good news... rain has stopped in Ngee Ann... class should have started at 9am, but half the class are stuck in traffic... hence am killing time....

 

Bad news... more rain on the way....

[-ResiDue-]

No More Rain!!!!!

n if your kickstarter keeps slipping, tell them to take a look at it too....

i can't even tell how far i've travelled...

the thingamajig that shows distance is stuck at "9"....

[Sharpey]

Oh yeah... good point there cephelix...

 

you may need to change the kickstart gear if it is worn (basically what the pedal attaches to inside the engine)

 

 

Cephelix... am worried you're going to go and spend money unecessarily...

 

You mentioned that the mechanic said there was no point in changing the speedo.... Trouble is, the one you want is the one you'll have to buy if you want disk brakes... (look at a vespa with a disk brake... it has a much better headlight, and a speedo that has a fuel gague, indicator and headlight lamps as well as a low fuel lamp... it looks classy in white and silver too....)

 

I've been told of a place that deals in Scrap motorcyles (was told not to go down seeing as I don't speak Hokien)... Essentially this place sells scrap parts off scrap scooters... may be able to get some cheap parts (and not have to go through middleman markups)

 

Guys name is Mr An and the place is on Jln Buroh nr Jurong Island.... Anyone fancy doing a rideout???

[-ResiDue-]

ooooo...so that's the the speedo for the disc brakes...

ahahah..

me too sharpey...me too..

but hey,so far so good!...

but like i said, not doing disc brake conversion this month...

kos i aint got the cash...

so when my feb pay comes in,i'll probably do it then...

ooo...i would definately like to go take a look...but i dont speak hokkien too..

n i thought it opens only on weekdays 9 to 5?

[Gweester]

i do fancy a ride to the scrap yard....just lemme know...

AND i do speak hokkien so if i can converse with Mr An, we might be able to get some junkies from him.....

 

i am also planning to get a jack...so changing of the back tyre is easier...

heard from my friend that car scrap yards sells pretty cheap ones...like $10....

 

woodlands area still drizzling....so for those in central area...just keep us updated on the weather....cheers!

[-ResiDue-]

hmmm.....

so many things to have...so little space on my scoot....

well, jurongisland it is!!!!

[Gweester]

Having a good engine is "THE" most important thingy on your scoots....

[WhaT]

Originally posted by Gweester@January 12, 2007 10:35 am

Having a good engine is "THE" most important thingy on your scoots....

so if i just bought a vespa PX200E... where should i go for a full service for my bike?

how much would it cost roughly?

thinking of changing all the wirings / clutch cable / brake cables etc....

[planescape]

oooh the weather is still wet.

Let's hope tat it rain-ed itself out by afternoon....

[-ResiDue-]

What > depends on where you want to do...

most of us here go to either Tong Aik (near Sim Lim) or Jin Cheng Motors (ubi)

i personally go to ah joo and i find him trustworthy,knowledgable n friendly....

a difficult thing to find is a mechanic that wont steal your money....

 

sharpey, gweester n some of the others can comment on TA....

good n skillful workmanship...

if you can take the nagging from the auntie, n convenient for u...then can go..

personally i still scared of the auntie....

[machine k]

rain rain rain...

 

thats the weather report from sengkang

[SK I]

Sawatdee krab Vespa lovers..this is my ride in Chiangmai

and oh..Chiangmai hasn't rained since October 06

[Gweester]

Originally posted by [W]haT@January 12, 2007 11:17 am

so if i just bought a vespa PX200E... where should i go for a full service for my bike?

how much would it cost roughly?

thinking of changing all the wirings / clutch cable / brake cables etc....

[W]haT,

 

normal servicing cost about S$40....for the normal stuff only...like change plug, change engine oil, wash & tune carbs, de-carbonize your piston head etc...

Go get your scoots service then probably from there you can ask the scooter shop whether other things need to be changed like you mentioned wiring, clutch cable, etc....for internal checking, you need to split the engine hence it is better to ride for awhile and get to know your scoots before you decide on whether a engine rebuilt is needed...

For me, i would recommend you to go to Mr Wee at TA....good and relaible mechanic....

Ah joo is another popular machanic...machine_k, cephelix are some scooterist who go to him....

[rae07]

rain's a b*tch man. looks like it's never gonna stop.

 

btw...i've been to the scrapeyard u sharpey mentioned...in fact..i went there with SK I. quite a lot of parts for bikes. but i did not spot any vespa stuff then. but his storage area's a mess..so it might be shelfed somewhere.