Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Lambretta Update

I have been trying to get the Lambretta working properly since Boris and Eric got it running after over thirty years of sitting.  They replaced all the gaskets and seals along with clutch plates, etc.  

But the first ride showed the transmission to be very balky, not wanting to get into first gear or neutral at times.  I can pull on it with both hands and it is not willing to move.

So I had Boris replace the cables that actuate the gears and clutch, along with the front brake cable.  I was hoping that this would make a big difference.  But it didn't, improving things only slightly.  Then Boris made some adjustments that helped a little more and gave me some advice, mostly to only shift when moving.  So I now get downshifted into first before coming to a stop.  

I have ridden it maybe twenty miles since and am getting used to it.  It is still like an old VW Beetle compared to Rocket's sporty Cadillac presence.  But it has some charm, so I will keep using it in hopes that it loosens up over the miles.

Its performance is very similar to the Malaguti Ciak 50, but the Ciak is much easier to ride.  The fastest I have had the Lammy is maybe 45 mph, the same as the Ciak..  It does that as easily in third gear as fourth as there is a huge drop in engine speed when shifting into high gear.  I am quite certain that fourth is only faster going downhill with a tailwind, but much more relaxed.


Headset opened up to connect cables to the levers

5 comments:

  1. The trick with old scooters and shifting is to set up the selector box to mesh with the neutral spot on the handlebar. I use the Fourth Hand tool (Scooterwest code: TOOLCABLE) to tension the cables when the selector and the handlebar are both in neutral. Lining up the cables will make a tremendous difference. Also lubricate everything in sight.

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  2. The trick with old scooters and shifting is to set up the selector box to mesh with the neutral spot on the handlebar. I use the Fourth Hand tool (Scooterwest code: TOOLCABLE) to tension the cables when the selector and the handlebar are both in neutral. Lining up the cables will make a tremendous difference. Also lubricate everything in sight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Boris uses that tool and used it several times to get the clutch and transmission cables adjusted. The new cables were all lubricated well when installed too. It is definitely better, but the clutch still doesn't fully release when the lever is pulled and I have difficulty getting it into neutral when the engine is running. It is still fun to ride, so I am hoping that it needs to be ridden to make everything work better. If not, it could be a problem with the new clutch installation. Might have to pull the engine again to get that fixed.

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  3. Oh dear. One always hopes for simple solutions and I like the elegantly hopeful "better with time, " which sometimes works with old machines. Rebuild is always in the wings. Imagine a delicate wristed nymph in a sundress shifting the Lambretta say Audrey Hepburn and if it is too sticky then it is not correct. When new these machines worked quite well.

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  4. Michael, I am afraid that Audrey would not get far on mine. One stop and she would give up.

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