Thanx to B and B Yamaha KTM, Lancaster PA

A special thanx to the B&B Yamaha KTM, Lancaster PA:

Justin, in parts, has proven very helpful getting metric hardware and even provided stainless without the size stamped on it; therefore no need to grind that off.

Donnie, the service manager, is very knowlegable and was helpful with rebuilding the front and rear shocks on these scoots. He builds racing suspension for Harleys currently and has a ton of experience.

If you're looking for hardware call these guys up. In the motorcycle world these guys are well known in the region, even outside the state.

My buddy Ted, works really close with these guys and they are all pretty jazzed about the Vespa SS180.

Parts List Available

If anyone would like my 85% complete (minus engine) parts list as an MS Excel file, email me and I will send it to you. I must have 8 hours (at least) invested in it. It is thorough and will save you a lot of time.

If should be fairly relevant for most LF Vespa models.

Email me at Jeremy at Bass Monkey with the usual ending, not a net or org or anything like that. I am getting hit with the SPAM bad.

Budget Update: What's spent so far?

To date, here's what's been spent on the SS180 restoration:

$3,734 -- Services and parts
$123 -- Cables, steering column bearings, wire harness, etc.
$12.50 -- Powder coat rear shock spring
$55 -- Reassembly parts ordered
$18 -- three tire inner tubes from B&B Yamaha in Lancaster, PA.
$25 -- hardware, spark plugs, oil
$105 -- Grommets order #1 plus more
$55 -- Grommets order #2 plus more
$35 -- Grommets order #3 plus more
$91 -- Rubber, chrome, and more
$16 -- Red indicator light from Greg Clauss (Clauss Studios)
$4 -- Trasmission oil and hardware from B & B Yamaha, Lancaster PA

Roughly, we've spent a total of $4,265.00 so far. This includes the price of the scooter and everything since day one.

I suspect that we are $150, at the highest, away from completion. Therefore, this restoration will come in just under $4,500. The number is higher than the original $3200 to $3800 which I thought it would cost.

Parts ordered for finishing up the reassembly

Just ordered and shipped out from First Kick today:

(1) 139933 gasket for fuel pet cock $.60

(2) 83333 strap for air bellow Piaggio $7.90 both

(2) 90958 plug/screw in type for frame $1.20 both

(1) FRKR floor rail kit for Rally $47.95

(1) 73210 glovebox rubber in grey $22.95

Total: $91.00 including shipping

I am hunting down the balance of parts I need. Right now I am only dealing with three shops: Scooter Shop, MotorSport, & First Kick.

Protect your paint during reassembly

Just a thought . . .

Use painter's tape on your freshly painted scoot on all areas where metal will touch metal before assembling to avoid chipping or scratching the paint. My bike will require some very very minor touch-up, but could have avoided it all together had we use painter's tape.

Final Reassembly Parts List

I am hopeful to order the following items this weekend :

(80349) Piaggio emblem

(135231 or 90512) Grey rubber for packing cowls QTY: 2 (preferably Pascoli)

(85072) Black center mat

(56729) Saddle lock w/hardware

(S. 6068) Seal for the fuel assembly to gas tank

(3221) Straps for fuel line Qty: 2

(10855) Jubilee clip for bellow

(77668) Jubilee clip for bellow

(71966 & 71967) Legshield chrome trim w/hardware

(71002??) Left RALLY headset cover -- goes on the underside

(71003??) Right RALLY headset cover -- goes on the underside

(S.14564) Cover sec. screw

(????) Floor rail kit (I suspect I'd use a Rally kit)

(????) Extra hardware for mounting badges and fender crest

(???? ) Grey glove box rubber (preferably Pascoli)

(????) Hardware to install the two center mat strips (I will reuse my strips)

(????) Tractor tail light "CEV" lens

(????) One mirror true to the era

Reassembly: Progress is made

Here's a sneak peak with the status of the SS180 reassembly with my buddy Ted above. Ted has done most of the work and has been teaching me a lot along the way. We spent over three hours on it last night and will spend quite a bit more on a weekly basis moving forward.
It looks really clean and I am beginning to get very excited about the progress being made.
We're going to be able to add fuel soon and fire it up.
Without a doubt this is my favorite stage of the restoration, because the countless hours of research and shopping for parts is paying off.
Cables and electrical are all run. Oil will go into the tranny soon and the gas tank will be installed in the near future.

Fuel what?

Originally, I though I did have the sediment bowl, but alas I was wrong. I had this:
I don't know what the heck it is, but I know it's not Vespa.
Do you know what the heck this thing is? And why it would be used on a Vespa? Please leave a comment. I am curious.

VSC Speedo

On the later American released SS 180s the headset featured the round headlight that was also used for the Rally 180/200. They did not use the clamshell speedo.

I made a mistake by ordering using the part numbers from the VSB/VSC parts manual as you can see above and below.
I am working on exchanging these parts for the correct ones. I am replacing the glass and seals and aim to reuse the bezel and speedo plate -- to pay homage to the original bike.

Tranny Oil

Tomorrow night the scoot goes down on its own two feet for the first time and we will add oil to the transmission and a few other odds and ends, like installing all the grommets that have been arriving.

For transmission oil use SAE 30 non-detergent oil.

Final Grommets Ordered

How sad is this. My 1.5 year old and I dumped out the household piggy bank and counted off $51.00 in change. Very exciting! The result . . . I just got off the phone with MotorSport Scooters and ordered the final grommets I need.

Here's what I ordered:

(Part: 77252) Center stand hook

(Part: 48171) Throttle and choke cable grommet

(Part: 90541) Cable Hose

(Part: 84262) Fuel line grommet

(Part: 84804) Clamshell Speedo gasket inside glass

(Part: 174092) Rubber grommet fits around steering lock. No longer available -- had to order the P-Series version.

(Part: ?????) Copper sheath that attaches to the head of the speedo cable at the hub.

Total: $35.81 with shipping

Good news is I am done ordering all grommets (I believe. I'd say budget $200 for them and you should have a little to spare). I wasn't expecting $180+ in grommets. It costs approximately $50 extra to not buy Indian-made rubber.

Print Entire Blog

For the next few days the Blog will be set for you to see all posts on this screen. Hit print. I did with hole punch and double sided.

I encourage you to keep a hard copy in case the blogger server crashes. Share it with everyone you like.

I tried blog collector programs and backup programs with no luck. If you are able to PDF it, plese let me know. I want a copy too.

Remember you need to double click on any pictures or parts list to enlarge it for your copy. I printed it all in B/W.

Grommet Order #1 Arrived

Note: I have a complete grommets part list with part number in an MS Excel file. Feel free to email me for it and not have to create one yourself.

Yesterday, the first grommet order arrived at Ted's shop. He began to install the grommets yesterday. I am headed to his shop one night next week to work on the bike.

I ordered it from Scooter Shop and worked with Mic. He's a good guy. He hand selected all the parts for me and only sent me NOS or of Italian quality. Nothing is Indian-made. The issue with the Indian-made is they are often molded from Bajaj parts, which don't always fit correctly and the quality of rubber results in a shorter life.

I recommend giving Scoot Shop your business if you're looking for a new shop to work with. Be patient and you'll get what you need. Ask for Mic. (Rumor has it that these guys have a lot of NOS).

Michael Koslov
mkoslov@scootershop.com
1104 West Collins ave.
Orange, CA. 92867
714-289-8394 OFFICE
714-289-1163 FAX

This order totaled $104.70.

He was not able to locate everything I need yet. Here's what arrived:

Seat Buffers (Part: 56730) NOS $ 5.00 each

Fuel rod grommet (Part: 47460) New $ 2.00

Gas Tank Cap Gasket for large frames (Part: 56678 New nice $ 2.50

Cowl hook grommet (Qty: 2) White nice $ 3.95 each

Cowl peg buffer (Part: 87488) White nice $ 6.96 each

Cowl hook sheath (Part: 24041) Piaggio $ 2.00 each

Gas Tank Cap Gasket for large frames (Part: 56678) New nice $ 2.50

Seal for the beneath the sediment bowl (Part: 26042) NOS $2.00

Fuel assembly gasket for inside gas tank New 2.00

4-hole gasket for fuel cock assembly. Fits GS and Super Sport. (Part: 13836) New nice $ 3.95

Gasket for air bellow connection (Part: 97493) Re made by us PERFECT $ 15.00

Brake pedal rubber in BLACK Italian $ 4.50

Brake Bellow for most 60s and 70s Vespas (Part: 57321) Nice new $ 4.50

Clamshell Speedo glass (Part: 84803). New nice $ 15.00

Clamshell Speedo gasket (Part:49458) Nice new grey $ 4.50

Speedo cable SS italian $ 14.95