Vespa Breakdown

I've only had praise for my trusty old Green Vespa. Other than the odd clutch cable snapping (a well-known P-series design flaw) and the recent issues with the exhaust, my ownership of this Vespa has been relatively problem-free.


So, in a way, the breakdown I had a few days ago on my way to work was definitely a first. Not a first that I would be awfully delighted with but, a first anyway.


Like the calm before the storm, everything seemed fine that morning. Traffic was heavy but not actually horrible. There was one car-driving douchebag on the road that refused to let me overtake him even though it was clear he'd get nowhere at the next set of lights which was only a few feet away from us. There was even one stretch of road that was almost impassable because of some cable-laying work. But still, I felt glad as my Vespa was doing fine.


Unfortunately, that feeling was totally erased when at a set of lights in the city centre, I heard a loud enough Click from my scooter and then, silence. At first, I thought it was just that I had mis-timed releasing the clutch while it was still in gear so, instinctively my right foot went for the kick-start. To my horror, the kick-start was stuck in position no matter how hard I tried. I knew then this wasn't some problem I could solve by myself on a footpath that morning.

Not wanting to face the fury of the traffic behind me, I gently rolled the Vespa on to the footpath and started to think of my options. I considered rolling the Vespa to work which was only a 10-miunte walk away (probably a bit longer I suppose dragging the scooter with me) or call in the recovery crew immediately and get my scooter to Carl's that same morning.

I went with getting the scoot over to Carl's and within an hour, a recovery van arrived (courtesy of my Carole Nash insurance cover) and got me over to Inchicore. Hopefully, it's not too bad of a problem and I'd be back on my Vespa within a few days...

Vespa Won't Do Any More Than 40

It all started about two weeks ago. Well, at least as far as I could tell. By the time I noticed that my Vespa's engine was in a bad shape, the Vespa was struggling to get to 40 mph (that's about 60 km/h) and couldn't even do any more than that even if I was going downhill with the wind behind me.


OK, I'll personally take some of the blame for the Vespa's lack of speed. The extra stone or two that I put on at the end of Ramadhan could have been a contributing factor but seriously, I don't think it would have shaved 15 mph off the PX125's listed top speed. So, the good old Haynes manual was consulted and I went through the list of usual suspects. The carb was as cleaned as a whistle and so was the jet. Next up was the spark plug. Although it looked normal enough on initial inspection, it did have a small amount of soot on it. Having a spare plug handy, I had that replaced.

Running out of ideas and skills, I re-started the Vespa but it still sounded pretty bad - the same awful dry, chainsaw-type sound that just wasn't music to these ears. I gave Carl at Modern and Classic Scooters a call and went through the symptoms. The good thing was it wasn't anything as serious as say, a worn cruciform or a destroyed clutch but we still couldn't figure out what the problem was, at least not over the phone.


So, I made my way over to Inchicore and after a short lecture reminding me to get my Vespa serviced more regularly, Robbie and Carl worked away on my Vespa. After looking into the same places I looked at, Carl casually mentioned that it could be the exhaust.


A quick look at the exhaust and it was obvious that the exhaust was the cause of my woes. The exhaust was almost completely blocked up by carbon and soot deposits. Robbie worked away on unblocking the exhaust and after a few minutes the Vespa was re-started. Like an asthmatic boy that's just found his inhaler, the Vespa took in a huge deep breath and puffed out a good amount soot. Although I had limited mechanical knowledge, at that moment, I had a good feeling that my old Green Vespa was back to its normal self. After a quick spin around the garage, I was proven right.


All was back to normal in Chip's own Vespa universe.

Scooter repair and servicing

Where do Dublin-based scooterists go to get their rides repaired, serviced, etc.? Every time the question pops up, Carl at M and C Scooters gets mentioned. They don't have a website really so, I thought I'd do Carl a small favour by giving his place some web presence!

The place looks a bit rough at the moment but

he's just moved in. Should be sorted in no time.

 

M and C Scooters

Modern and Classic Scooters

Vespa.Lambretta.LML.Automatic.

Spares and general repairs. Paint work from Crash to Custom. Scooter sales.

1A Thomas Davis Street West
(off Emett Road)

Inchicore
Dublin 8
Ireland

Tel: Not there yet
Mobile: +353 (0)86 365 2823

Now, before you think I've gone all mental and put up a dodgy address that's way across the other side of town, relax-I've got it right. They've moved to the new place right after the new year. So, don't bother looking at the old place in Arbour Hill (and start ranting on about people being lazy, not wanting business, etc.) and scoot yourself over to Inchicore instead.


Oh, and before the conspiracy theorists among you get any ideas, NO I'm not affiliated in any way to M and C Scooters nor will I earn any commission (or any similar monetary benefits) on this. Like it says on the tin, I'm just giving the place some well deserved online space.

Update 24 June 2011: Modern and Classic Scooters logo added