Friday, March 11, 2016

New Transmission for Razzo

Before going to Clewiston to meet up with Ken and Gary, I decided to try to f nd the source of knocking in Razzo, my 2005 Vespa GT.

I changed the oil along with the oil filter and air filter a couple of weeks ago.

I knew that those things didn't affect the knocking, but loose rollers in the variator can knock, so I dug into that.  Because I had a new belt, variator, outer drive pulley, rollers, slides and o-ring, I made the decision to install all of them to make it totally new.

But it is still knocking, with an irregular idle.

I took it on the 630 mile ride and it ran beautifully, so no problem yet.  But I really need to understand the cause.




9 comments:

  1. I'm facing a similar chore ahead -- replacing the belt and rollers and examining all the other parts. I feel a strong desire to drop the Vespa off at Kissell Motorsports and let them do the work. Another quiet voice is telling me it would be good to do this yourself.

    Last time I changed a belt on the LX150 I reassembled the kickstarter wrong which allowed enough wobble on the crankshaft that I wore off the splines in short order. The only bright spot was I was able to upgrade to the GTS.

    The belt change on the GTS is simpler and I'm a bit wiser so I may give it a whirl. Your photos give me some positive energy to open the tool box....

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    1. Steve, I used to be afraid to do transmission work. I had Boris and he would charge for maybe an hour, so it was cheap and I knew it would be done right. But he is gone and I have been needing to do this myself. This is the fourth or fifth time I have done it (I have three GT's) and I have found it to be an easy task, as long as I have the tools. On this one, I put the cover back on and set the clutch holder to tighten the nut and found the rear tire turning when I turned the nut. Then I noticed the clutch bell laying on the ground. So I took the cover back off and got it right. I find it rewarding to do this work, in more ways than cash saved.

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  2. I have the tools and am not really afraid, but I do hesitate a bit because my schedule can be so hectic. Probably just an excuse. When I actually do the work it does feel good to complete it. I'll have a look at things tomorrow. Maybe the oil and filter change, hub oil, plug and air filter too. And the muffler should come off for a close look and paint job if it survived another winter. Might be time for a new one...

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    1. It sounds like it might be a productive weekend. And sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like I thought you were afraid to crack open the transmission case, that was only me. It was scary in there for me. But now I can change a belt with one hand while eating a sandwich with the other.

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  3. I've got rollers begging to be installed. I have the tools. I also have a top notch video compilation that Peter Sanderson put together covering every single step. Plus I think I have the time. I guess I have no excuses.

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    1. Just do it David. You will be pleased. My question is why do you want to change just the rollers?

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    2. My dealer changed the belt late-ish last summer, recommended changing the rollers but didn't have them in stock. It took three weeks for them to come in, so the bike was closed up minus the new rollers.

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  4. Maybe you should replace the carb and send the old one to Boris to rebuild for reuse on one of the other two scoots later.

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    1. Still haven't decided on the Cannonball scoot. But the chosen one will be getting a new carburetor.

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