Standard is the new black

So, my bog standard Lambretta DL200 and I attended the Modrapheniacs rally in March, and the worlds finest made it there and back. However she did soft seize on the A3 on way down (in snow, just before Petersfield!) 

Later in late March/early April she fairly catastrophically blew up coming through Dorking (in the rain!) Had to be recovered and have literally just got her back on the road again. 

Twas merely a scratch so it seems with just the crank, piston, barrel, head, bearings, seals, chain, exhaust and clutch needing to be replaced!

However she's finally running again and I'm off to a rally in Guernsey this weekend.

FUCKING THING!!!! Engine back in but another 8-10 hours dicking about to get her running sweet and sorted (I kid you not!)

Front fork damper bracket dilemma

Information around the location of  front damper weld-on brackets on Lambretta forks is lacking so I've taken measurements from both my Italian GP250 and original DL200 forks. I can't vouch for the authenticity of either sets of forks as when you look at the dimples near the bracket these are in slightly different places. I would like to say the DL forks are original as the weld is neater.

The first measurement is from my DL and is taken from the top of the bracket. 

The second pic shows this as almost 26cm.

This pic shows the distance from the bottom of the bracket which is approximately 23.5-24cm

On the GP there are differences, as you'd  expect with a Lambretta! 

Measuring from the bottom of the GP bracket ...

 ... gives 24.5cm

Whereas from the top of the damper bracket you get 26.5cm!

The LCBG workshop site (http://www.ilambretta.com/dampers.htmlmentions this measurement should be 10" (25.4cm) from the centre of the bracket to the same place I've measured! 

So there you go, take your pick! A lot depends on what shocks your fitting and how you want them to look and work so the above is a starting point.

Cyclone 5-speed gearbox update

New cluster arrived last week. Thanks RLC - innovative product, great customer service - no complaints!

Cyclone 5-speed gearbox

I got a call earlier this week from Dean @ Rimini Lambretta Centre. He took the time to run through the manufacturing issues they've experienced with batch 2 of this gearbox. I was number 39 of the ~150 odd customers he's contacting who we're impacted by the issue  

Say what you fucking like but customer support like that is exceptional, very professional. I'm a happy punter and this is a game changing product. Official RLC script follows in addition to a picture of a Xmas tree:

"As you may already know, we have recently carried out a recall on the gearbox clusters from the last batch of ‘Cyclone 5 Speed’ gearboxes. The new replacement clusters will be a little longer than first anticipated as we want to test them.  We intended to collect the new replacement gearbox clusters recently  and send them out right away. However, both the manufacturers & DRT have quite rightly pointed out that it would be best that we test a few of these before sending them out. Whilst we are obviously confident that the problem has been resolved, as these clusters have been made with a new method of construction, we want to be 101% certain prior to sending these out to the public. This will involve intensive testing on a selection from this new batch which is already underway. This will be done in the quickest possible timescale and this equates to about 2 weeks.

If you intend to attend the Euro Lambretta Jamboree in Avignon (France), please temporarily re-fit a 4 speed gearbox for the trip.

I apologise for any inconvenience caused by this delay but as i stated during my call, safety is paramount and our top concern. As soon as we have confirmed that all is ok and the tests have been done, we’ll mail you to let you know that the clusters are on their way to you."

TARGAline Lambretta shock absorber

I've had numerous Lambretta shocks over the years i.e. Bitubo, Taffspeed, R6, Escort etc. but my current shock leaked nasty oil/fluid all over the casing and back tyre outside the post office last week. Fundamentally all other shocks have failed in many ways leading to some interesting riding and cornering. So I purchased a TARGAline shock absorber from Stuart Owen at 100mphlambrettaclub (actually Supertune Ltd) which is destined for my touring GP250. BTW this is the most reliable Lambretta I have ever owned, ridden Lambrettas for 30+ years. It's reliable because I only use quality parts from reliable, trust-worthy UK dealers.

The West Midlands is 2.5 hours north from my gaff and being an Englishman, born in Aldershot, I'm inherently north-a-phobic (Tottenham Court Road is too far north for me!) However I was very impressed with Stuarts customer service, shop and workshop facilities, expertise and professional approach. I'd also had a previous recommendation from a seriously anorak, fussy fucker mate who has a TV200 fetish and only trusts Stuart to touch his extensive collection - praise indeed!

First impressions of the TARGAline shock were the incredible quality. Apparently it was specifically designed for Lambrettas (not ting-tong or converted motorcycle shite) so having a rear shock that was acting like it was made of cheese on my only running road scooter, I brought one on impulse. Not cheap @ £180, but cheaper than similar options and again obvious quality!

NOTE: I'm not a small gentleman and am forced to ride my GP250 at slow speeds on motorways when away with the Doris (over 60 mph gets me a punch in the kidneys and shouting/screaming/crying from behind) With all her crap make-up, clothes, shoes, hand-bags, duvet, pillows etc. strapped to my pride and joy the overall payload easily tips the scales at >200kg i.e. 16 stone and 10 stone respectively (on a good day) plus crap luggage. This probably explains the failures of other shock absorber systems!

So this is my first impression of the shock before fitting. First off it comes very well packaged in a plastic case, which has a convenient carry handle!

Unfortunately I don't speak Italian, if I did the packaging would make some sense which is one of the only gripes I have, along with a distinct lack of fitting instructions!

The kit contains two (2) C-spanners, an additional spring, three (3) collars and the shock itself. The inside of the packaging contains more detail, but is in Italian and a form of English that I'm not familiar with. Babelfish didn't help much, but it basically seems to be marketing crap anyway. That aside you can tell the quality of the system straight away - this is a serious work of art!

 

I like to think I'm pretty familiar with series III Lambretta's but called Stuart for more information as my last visit was so rushed that he didn't have time to explain the ins and outs for setting up the shock. 

The spare spring provided is no good for my application (fat and heavy) but is a nice touch and could be suitable for lighter riders and those wishing to tighten up the rear suspension for better rock hard handling characteristics and skipping across the tarmac through corners etc.

Luverly bit of kit

First thing I appreciated was that the head of the shock absorber simply unscrews and the supplied spacers are inserted to adjust the length of the shock - nice feature! You can see the three (3) supplied collars in the second pics below.

Unscrew me for adjustment. This is the top.

What other Lambretta shock does this?

As my Rapido 250 has no frame/carb clearance issues, I used the smaller collar and screwed the top back on.

Smallest collar fitted

Then simply adjust the rings to 20-30mm (1/2") and tighten up - that's it basically, so far! 

Few more pictures below showing the amount of adjustment you've got available and pictures of the indecipherable instructions.

Loadsa adjustment. The function of the brass adjuster valve at the bottom (which faces the rear of the scooter) is unknown. The so called instructions mentions it is adjustable (18 posizioni apparently)

What?

I'll be fitting the shock to my GP250 and have a 100+ mile round trip mid-week so a good road test. Will report back sometime after that, don't hold your breath though!

So far this has a Lloydy's Lambrettas rating of 8.5 out of 10 for quality. Lack of instructions let's it down but a quality product nonetheless. Expectations are high and I want to see a noticeable change for the better re: handling and comfort of the vibration-monster that is my GP Rapido 250!

Sloppy gearchange lets me down, time and time again

OK so the gear change on my Lambretta GP has had a harder time than most for the last 5-6 years for several reasons:

1. It has a hoofing great Grimeca master cylinder for the hydraulic clutch.
2. When in 4th gear and I give it the beans, it often jumps out of gear when the power band kicks in - very useful (I'm pretty sure this is related to the spring in the gear selector sliding dog, sure it was a Taffspeed one?)

The main issue with the gear change has been the pin that holds the gear wheel onto the clutch rod likes to drop out, leaving you unable to select any other gear than the one your currently in.

Very annoying, but a straight forward fix that I have performed on many occasions, most recently on a ride down to Goodwood for one of their breakfast clubs. I like the A286 but not when this problem leaves me wasting time to whip off the headset, try and locate the ping or bolt or bodge something together to get going, there and back!

I am inherently lazy but enough was enough so I sourced a new cast aluminium GP gear wheel which came with a throttle wheel (toss that in a box somewhere and get the excellent SLJ brass throttle). I also paid a visit to the magnificent emporium that is Margnor in Burpham, near Guildford. They have an enormous range of fantastic nuts and bolts so I spent much less than an fiver on several high-tensile M6 x 30 bolts (too long) with nylocs to secure the gear wheel to a new rod (4mm, not 5mm). TIP: Scooter Restorations have NOS innocenti shaft end bushes in black nylon, recommended. Picture shows the original plastic gearwheel, new aluminium version and associated nuts n'bolts.


As usual with anything Lambretta, fitting and setting everything up took a lot longer than anticipated. For starters although everything fitted when out of the scooter, in-situ absolutely nothing lined up and I couldn't get the bolt through, despite how many times I hit it! The problem seemed to be the various bushes involved which weren't providing enough space. I'll add that although I had a custom gear change handlebar mount for the clutch master cylinder, this only made the whole task slightly more painful.

Next step involved cutting 2mm off the handle bar end bushes with a small hacksaw, FFS! This made everything line up and I also fitted a couple of shims so the gear wheel wasn't rubbing against headset casing.

Then had the simple job of removing the clutch master cylinder, as I'd had to take off the hydraulic hose to get the gear change out to goof about with. Then found one of the master cylinder screws was stuck so used an impact driver to free this and replace. Then bleed the hydraulic clutch and adjust gear cables back and forth for 30 minutes so the stupid, fucking clutch master cylinder didn't hit the top of the leg shield and stop me turning left when in 4th fucking gear!

Anyway it's a nice cheap conversion that provides a solid gear change experience and a bit of piece of mind that there's one less thing that could possibly go wrong.

Bit of a faff - 4/10 Lloydy rating. Took 3 fucking hours FFS!

Unfortunately she stills jumps out of 4th when you really need the power, fucking thing!

MOT to sort this week, should be a doddle - she's running sweet.

Lambretta Water Cooling for Bodgers

The BGM water pump I'm using requires 12V DC so I need to provide a suitable feed as my Lambretta has no battery, only 12V AC. Couple of things to be considered include how to mount this pump, I've used an original Lambretta condenser clamp. Looking at the diagram on the left "IN" is where hot water enters from the cylinder head and "OUT" goes to the radiator so orientation needs to be considered. The water pump ideally needs to be the lowest point of the entire system. Pump cost was about £70 from MB Developments.

This power module incorporates a zener diode and rectifier and replaces the standard Lambretta 12V AC regulator to provide 12V DC for the water pump. I got this after recommendations on the LCGB site, some classic British motorbike dealer named Wilemans Motors in Derby. Otherwise these are easily found on auction sites for around £25 and simple to fit and set-up. Instructions including wiring diagrams will follow which includes a modification to the stator plate.





The radiator is from a Gilera Runner as the hose positions suit where I'll be placing it i.e. horizontally underneath the legshield floor, between the stand and the splash plate. (mounting the radiator could be challenging) Cost was around £20 from a motorcycle breakers. I don't plan on using a fan and will use the thermostat on the radiator as the main switch for the pump with a manual override switch. At this stage I'm assuming that the volume of water in the system and expansion tank (below) will be sufficient to keep the temperature down, even when in traffic.

Only the cylinder head will be water cooled and this was ordered from MB Developments. A really nice piece of engineering and a quick turn around (3-4 weeks) £170 all in. When bolted onto the engine the angled pipe sits at the top with the straight pipe pointing straight down. Remember hot to the top!

Other required items include a sender unit similar to the one shown below which the temperature gauge will use. Again both these parts are relatively easy to source.

So these are the main components required at this stage apart from pipes, clips etc. I'm building a TS1 engine up at the moment to accommodate all this so will update when I have made some more progress!