Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

Mechanical Lessons

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No Riding!

The scooter has been in my garage since trucking it home last Friday evening. It will not start. I’ve worked hard to diagnose the problem and get it back on the road. And I’ve learned a few things–about the Vespa and myself.

I am not a mechanic nor particularly mechanically inclined. Turning wrenches doesn’t bring joy or satisfaction, particularly in a cold, messy, poorly lit garage. Making the decision to try and fix the scooter grew out of a desire to not feel helpless or vulnerable should the Vespa die on a trip. Like it did–last Friday.

I have the Piaggio Shop Manual for the LX150 and a Haynes manual too. The Modern Vespa forum is a great source of information and assistance, as well as my friend Paul. I assumed that the worse case would be to haul the broken scooter to our local Vespa dealer for repair.

My first lesson began at Modern Vespa. Searching posts on non-starting scooters eventually led me to post a request for help. Their Technical Moderator Gary, a motorcycle enthusiast and career engineer from New Jersey, took on the role of master with me the student. Troubleshooting a problem is not rote operation. At least not for me. Gary patiently instructed me on how the various components work together and generally demystified the mechanics of each step of diagnosis. His instruction allowed me to remain mostly free of fear, frustration and cursing. And witness the miracle of a functioning vacuum fuel tap and the free flow of petrol (thank you Mr. Charpentier) from the fuel line as I humbly sucked on the associated vacuum line.

My lessons were many but here are a few of the mechanical processes I now can engage:

1. Test functioning of vacuum fuel tap
2. Remove and install sparkplug
3. Test to verify functioning of starter relay
4. Test for spark
5. Test cylinder compression
6. Remove carburetor, remove fuel bowl and verify free flow of fuel through primary and main jets
7. Test high voltage coil
8. Test for spark while plug is in cylinder and firing under compression using an induction timing light
9. Assessment of battery voltage and grounding

Gary was extremely patient, available and able to provide expert information and instruction. I don’t expect to any time soon be doing the Darth Vadar thing indicating I was once the student but now the master. Maybe in another life. Thank you Gary!

I worked on the scooter a little at a time over five evenings. Some other things I’ve learned is Kim is not turned on by a man wearing the engine, oil and petrol fragrance. And she is actively opposed to starting ether wafting through the house. Paul also helped me with moral support and to manufacture a crude scooter compression gauge from one designed for those big sparkplug holes of an automobile. Thanks Paul!

Riding experience has reached into the garage. The patience learned on the road was accessible during these mechanical lessons. I was able to pay attention and as thoughtfully as my skills would allow work on the scooter. And when things didn’t go right or the thing still wouldn’t start I would just move on to the next test.

I would like to announce here “The scooter starts and it is back on the road!” Sadly that is not the case. I have exhausted all things I can test and everything is pointing to a faulty CDI box. This is the electronic box that control ignition. Can’t be tested, just needs swapped out and hope that solves the problem. I’m comfortable that I’ve exhausted all the things I can do and will haul the scooter to the dealer for this expensive bit of work. Bad luck on my part that none of the more common failures were in play.

Should you attempt this work on a scooter or motorcycle? Depends on you, depends on the scooter or bike. The Vespa is quite simple, doesn’t require a lot of expensive tools, and information is readily available. The key is yourself. Do you want to do this? For me it was a good experience and I will turn the wrench again. I definitely feel I could fix a lot more things in the field now than I did last Friday. So for now I am on a holiday from riding in the sticks.

Karma and a Riding Misadventure

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Maybe I watched too many episodes of My Name is Earl. I figured if I did something nice for someone Karma would take care of me and that winning lottery ticket would blow up against my riding boot. Sitting on the back of my friend Paul’s truck at the end of the day 60 miles from home I was rethinking the Earl model.

I have been on vacation during the holidays but until yesterday didn’t really take a long ride and with the weather warming into the 40’s I figured now was the time, especially since I just did all the maintenance on the scooter. I departed around 9AM under cloudy skies and a 28° F temperature. The grass and cars were covered in frost but the road was dry. I bundled up in my riding gear and was off. I had my Mamiya 7 camera along to shoot some black and white landscape pictures — the official start of a new project. The plan was to explore some really open spaces along Nittany and Sinking valleys. The sun was trying to push through the cloud cover creating a glow in the sky and on the frost covered fields.


While shooting this picture a gentleman from a nearby home trotted over to ask about the Vespa and share that he had an ET4. What better omen for a great ride than running into a fellow Vespa owner! We talked for a few minutes and then I was off towards the more remote sections of the valley.


The light continued to glow and warm. Stopping to take pictures, pulling off my mittens and exposing them to the cold air was taking it’s toll on hand warmth though and it wasn’t long before I would preheat them on the headlight before pulling the mittens back on. There were a lot of neat little spots along the way including this old garage covered in signs and license plates.


I have passed it many times and always wanted to stop to make a picture. And these silos seemed to jump out at me when I went by requiring another stop for the big camera and a quick snapshot with the digital camera too.


I had decided to ride into Tyrone for lunch when a tractor-trailer driver flagged me down. He had a paper in his hand so I figured he was more interested in directions than in the Vespa. Two Vespa encounters in one day were too much to expect. The driver and his 14000 pounds of seed were lost and worse the place he was trying to find was about as hidden away as possible around here. I lent him my cell phone so he could get directions and as I watched his look become more puzzled and frustrated I asked for the phone. After a few minutes I determined exactly where the delivery point was and that this guy from Indiana would never find it. What else could I do but volunteer to lead him there. It was only about 10 miles in the opposite direction that I was now headed but heck I am always up for a change in plans. So he jumps into the cab and I get on the scooter and hit the starter button and it just whirrs. “Dead battery” flashes in my head. I get off and hit the kick-starter (yes, the Vespa LX150 still has a kickstart) a few times and the engine starts and off we go.

It was a nice ride especially with an eighteen-wheel escort behind me that didn’t want to run me down. Once we hit the dirt roads though I was kind and he had a hard time keeping up. I had to stop a few times to make sure he was still there. We arrive at the agricultural enterprise and they are glad I led the truck there. It occurred to me then that they would have come and got him if I hadn’t volunteered to lead him. Turned out that I was glad I did because I found some roads and places that were fine riding and offered lots of photo possibilities for my new project. The farmers have put up their snow fences but we haven’t had any snow yet. They do make for nice pictures.

Lunch was out of the question now until I got to Altoona that lay over the far ridge and 12 miles to the left.


I was smart enough at this point to not shut the engine off when I was taking pictures. I figured I would check things out when I got to Altoona. The really smart rider would have ridden home to troubleshoot in his or her own garage. An hour later I pull into my in-laws driveway and go inside for a fantastic meatball sandwich.

The fun begins now as I try and get the Vespa running for the trip home. I had it in my head that the starter would not engage because the battery was low. Swapped the battery from my father-in-law’s ET4 and the same thing. And my battery started his scooter fine. At this point I ask to use the computer and post on the Modern Vespa site for help and receive immediate help from the Technical Moderator Gary that I should run down the ground to make sure it is solid. He helped me troubleshoot but as the afternoon waned I figured it was time to truck the scooter home. I called my friend Paul who graciously offered to drive his truck 60 miles to get the scooter and me. Here you can see Paul on the left with my father-in-law Bob.


They both did a lot to try and get the Vespa running. We loaded up and headed for gas and a bite to eat, the least I could do.

It was dark when we left and suddenly we have no headlights on the truck. I’m beginning to wonder now what I’m being punished for. Karma is not with me. It wasn’t until we got home that Kim put things in perspective for me. It was a great ride, I did a good deed, I met another Vespa rider, I had the opportunity to be with family, a good friend showed his friendship, I was home safe, and perhaps there was a reason for not riding home. Kim pointed out what I couldn’t see because I was focused on what I wanted—the scooter to start—and wasn’t seeing the bigger picture. This wasn’t a misadventure but another adventure. It’s all in the way you look at things.

The scooter is in the garage and the heater is running. Another adventure awaits.

Motorcycle Maintenance: To Zen or Not Zen

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New drive belt, roller weights, spark plug.

After planning this work at 7500 miles I finally forced myself to do it at 8200. A friend commented that I did this for fun right? Fun? I can’t remember the last time I had fun with a wrench in my hand but I bet it was in the 1960’s. The only other reason would be to save money. It certainly saves on out-of-pocket expenses but once I factor in the time it takes any savings seems dubious. I’m not good but I am slow.

So why maintain the Vespa myself?

I’ve asked this question more than once lying on the cold concrete floor of our unheated garage trying to position my bifocals so I could see or each time I didn’t have the right tool or part. Why do this work when it would be easy to schedule our local Vespa technicians?

I had to revisit Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig to find a more eloquent way to express the reasons I’ve engaged maintenance of the scooter. Chapter 2 is a great chapter wrestling with the idea of doing your own work. Pirsig writes:

“Here is the machine, isolated in time and in space from everything else in the universe. It has no relationship to you, you have no relationship to it…”

Pirsig rejects this notion and outlines the contemporary relationship most have towards their vehicles. A motorcycle or scooter is personal in a way a car can’t be. Perhaps it is the inherent risk in riding, the physical exposure or vulnerability or the heightened awareness of the world that makes the machine more connected to me. I entrust my life to my scooter in a real sense and having a basic understanding of the basic mechanical functioning and maintenance seems a reasonable step to ensure a successful relationship. For me, I believe performing routine checks and maintenance of the Vespa keeps me honest, it keeps me paying attention, and it keeps me safe. And it makes riding richer. It makes sense to me in my head. Time will tell if it works in practice.

I’m no mechanic either but I don’t want to feel helpless on the road should something happen. And I want to be able to repair failures myself on long trips that otherwise would spell the end of an adventure. Tires, drivebelt, ignition, cables, brakes, things that wear out or break. With the right parts and cooperation of a service station I could keep the Vespa on the road. The mechanical adventure. Not for everyone but I merely suggest you consider it. When I started this work I figured the worse that could happen is I would have to haul a half torn apart Vespa to the dealer to save me. A lesson in humility.

I’d like to say I enjoy this work but right now it is a challenge. Many years of greasy work under rusty old cars that I could not afford to have professionally repaired has soured my sense of mechanical adventure. But I won’t let this stand in the way. The Vespa is a simple machine and almost any repair is within my ability with a bit of support or research. I purchased the Haynes manual for my Vespa and I also downloaded the Piaggio service manual and parts manual and had them printed and bound at Kinkos complete with waterproof covers that I can clean after using them.

The Modern Vespa forum is an extremely helpful place. More than once I’ve gotten stuck somewhere in the process, posted my question, waited ten minutes, got the answer, and went on my way. It’s like having a mechanic on call! Check out this POST on changing roller weights. Towards the end you can see my frustrated self appear begging for help. And you can download all the service manuals HERE. I can’t say enough about everyone who is part of that forum. Gary, the Technical Moderator (aka addicted), not only has extensive experience but he also provides therapy for the fearful as he lately did with me! It’s worth joining if only to make it easier to follow the posting or do research on your Vespa or Piaggio dreams.

I did take the scooter out for a short test run and all is well. Stopped by this big willow tree to make a picture.


Now it’s time to test the Vespa some more!