I didn’t become the Vespa mechanic I had hoped to be. Instead I hung out with Kim during my last weekend of vacation before going back to work. When I did get on the scooter it was to buy a big chocolate chunk cookie to enjoy with my afternoon cup of Earl Grey tea and a magazine. The Vespa shop manual was nearby, but only physically. My mind was elsewhere.
But it’s not my fault, there was rain, it was cold, I didn’t have the right tools, my dog ate my torque wrench! I have to confess, all those hours lying under vehicles as a teenager still has left a bad taste in my mouth for all things mechanical. And the Vespa has not yet allowed me to embrace the joy of mechanical maintenance.
I did have all the parts to do the drive belt and variator weights change. And a new Michelin Pilot City front tire and sparkplug. I ordered everything from Motorsport Scooters in San Diego. There are several great scooter parts and accessory places but I have warmed up to them. If you need parts or want to dream about all the myriad of things you can buy for your scooter check them out and tell them Scooter in the Sticks sent you. Maybe they’ll give me a Vespa key chain or something!
I did get the front tire changed and had found the torque wrench so I could tighten things correctly.
I thought of actually changing the tire myself but even that was too much to consider so I took it to the fine folks at Kissell Motorsports for mounting and balancing. All I had to do was take it off and put it back on the scooter. And of course I had to do the really critical testing of the tire and make sure the slippery factory coating was worn off the tire. Entirely for safety reasons you understand. And get that cookie.
So far the Michelin tire seems pretty nice. Certainly a lot smoother ride than I was getting with my Pirelli front tire with 7500 miles on it. I will do a more thorough evaluation of the tire once the roads get wet and cold.
And I will change that belt this week. I told my dog not to be fiddling with the torque wrench.
I was supposed to go and work on a yard for someone yesterday, and ended-up staying home with the Wife and Boy. Still got to ride a bit when I went on some errands, but had a relaxing day with the family and cooked some burgers over a wood fire. Roasted marshmallows, too. Couldn’t get any better than that. Remember Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? I don’t remember the exact quote, but Ferris says something like: “You have to stop and look around once-in-awhile, or your whole life will pass you by”. It’s always good to take a relaxing, medicinal day off once-in-awhile, especially when your cats get ahold of and misplace your hedge trimmers;)
So – dare I ask where the torque wrench was? Or did you go to O.W. Houtz and purchase a new one? 😉
scooterguru: Ferris (and you) are absolutely correct. One does need to stop and take a look around. Time flies too fast…
hrw115: The torque wrench was where it was supposed to be. It was the pipe wrench that is still missing…
I bought another.
I don’t see how you still had an appetite for eating the cookie after looking at the picture on that book!
Does your dog make clicking noises when it wags its tail?
irondad: I just hope I will still be on the scooter when I get to that point in life. I want to think I have another forty years of riding in me….
steve