With every change of the tyres the wheel rim should be inspected. Rims used for decades are very likely to be damaged at the wheel studs, rim flange or have a rusty rim base. In these cases the BGM Lambretta chrome wheel rim is a perfect substitute with a great cost-benefit ratio!
CHROME BRINGS YOU HOME
Chrome offers a highlight in looks and at the same time it protects the wheel rim from becoming rusty. The perfect polishing before the chroming and the multi-stage chroming process results in deep and shiny chrome of the BGM rim. The quality is very close to an English custom chromed rim.
The BGM original rim features:
High quality processing
Perfect fit
Fitting rim profile
Perfect position of the valve hole
True running, excellent when speaking of stamped wheel rims
Our recommendation for works on Vespa and Lambretta engines
Working precisely is essential for a good result when building up a new engine.
Inlet timing of rotary valve or piston ported engines as well as transfer and outlet timing of a cylinder are crucial factors in building an engine.
It all depends on the choice of components, but usually cylinders and/or engine casings have to be fine tuned in order to achieve the desired trigger delay angle in inlet and cylinder. Sometimes measuring with a calliper is not enough. Therefore we recommend to once assembling the engine without fitting it in the scooter. Because this will allow you to get the dimensions you need. And if you found out then, that the engine casing needs fine tuning, you would have to remove the ball bearing again. Which usually shortens the life span of the sensible bearing immensely.
NEW: Bearing dummies
Bearing dummies help you in this cause.
Advantages of bearing dummies
The dummy will fit without the common need of heating the engine casing.
The dummies have, just like ball bearings, visible chamfers for easy assembly.
Once the dummies are fitted, you can still turn the crankshaft and you can even measure the gap dimension.
A useful tool to gain this important data is for instance the BGM timing disc in combination with the Whale. This set will help you to easily and precisely measure the trigger delay angle.
Once you collected all the data by using bearing dummies, you can easily remove the substitute ball bearings from the engine casing.
The right size matters!
We have now developed bearing dummies by BGM PRO. MADE IN GERMANY
The bearings are available in all important sizes. The description of the dummies includes the dimensions of the corresponding ball bearing and the name of the bearing. Guide to read information on size (the bearing dummy for the ignition bearing of a Vespa PX and PK ETS will serve as example):
Flywheel side BGM1203TL; bearing dummy crankshaft -BGM PRO- 6303 (17x47x14mm)
Ignition side BGM1207TL; bearing dummy crankshaft -BGM PRO- conversion to PK ETS bearing (25x47x12mm)
Lambretta GP
Flywheel side BGM1204TL; bearing dummy crankshaft -BGM PRO- 6305 (62x25x17mm)
Ignition side BGM1206TL; bearing dummy crankshaft -BGM PRO- NU2205 (25x52x18mm)
Synthetic bearing dummy
This allows you to try the fit of the crankshaft in the engine casing without the need of force and the crankshaft can still be moved. You can therefore measure without wearing crankshaft or the new bearing out. Perfect, to check the trigger delay angle of the crankshaft (rotary valve inlet) or of the cylinder (outlet timing, transfer timing). Made in Germany
Bearing dummies by BGM PRO are available in the Scooter Center Scootershop:
Be honest – have you ever replaced the silentblocks of your Vespa? Even during a total make over this is the part, which is often neglected.
It might happen, that after many kilometres on the road, the sight of the most beautiful backside on earth is a little strange.
Take a look at the rear wheel from behind. If it is at a slight angle, the silentblocks in the engine casing will be past their best days.
Why silent rubbers?
Silent rubbers fulfil a difficult task: They are meant to eliminate unpleasant vibrations of the drive unit swing arm and, simultaneously, give a reliable and safe guide of the rear wheel. The silent rubber on the right additionally needs to bear the major part of the engine’s weight. Therefore, the right silent rubber bears more load and wears off quicker.
A new set of silent rubbers should deal with this issue. At least that’s what you might think…
Be careful with “OEM quality”
It seems that, let’s call them, “other” suppliers have by now found their way into the Piaggio bag.
Original silent rubbers are sometimes very soft, causing the engine to be at an angle to the frame, just by the means of it’s own weight. Loaded, which means with driver, it won’t get any better. Quicker Vespas with worn or too soft silentblocks sometimes tend to swing to and fro the longitudinal axis at higher speed.
Solution: load oriented silentblocks
We have therefore chosen a somewhat harder rubber for the BGM PRO silentblocks and decided for an even harder rubber for the strained side, which needs to bear the engine.
The harder, right side therefore counter acts the engine’s weight and is a safe guide for the drive unit swing arm.
The BGM PRO silent blocks for Vespa engines are marked with colours:
GREEN marks the harder silent rubber for the right hand side (seen in direction of travel)
RED marks the silent block for the left hand side.
Easy assembly of silentblocks
When determining the shape of the silentblocks, we decided for a version with two parts.
This makes fitting the silent rubbers a lot easier. Tyre mounting paste helps to fit the rubbers.
You should not use any grease.
We currently offer silentblocks for the following Vespa models:
The wide rubber perfectly supports the shock absorbers and, compared to other narrow-chested alternatives, it resists wear a lot better.
The rubber and popular silentblock bushings are available in these sets:
Lovers of chain driven Lambrettas, can already turn to silentblock sets for a while.
During the development of silentblock sets for Vespa we have profited of the positive experiences of developing silent rubbers for Lambretta with varying degrees of hardness.
The GTS is a beautiful Vespa. But the story often goes that driving pleasure with pillion is reduced due to lacking space in the footwell.
We want that you and your pillion can fully enjoy the ride and have included nice foot peg adaptors in our program.
After having assembled the adaptor you as driver will have more space in the footwell and your pillion no longer needs to watch out to not bore holes into your leg with the tips of the shoes from behind.
Easy assembly
It’s easy as assembly.
Just assemble the adaptor in place of the original foot pegs by using the supplied screws. Then screw the original foot pegs on the adaptor.
Two M8 screws fasten the original foot pegs behind the folding mechanism. You will need a WS5 allen key to attach them to the frame.
When transforming or restoring a scooter it’s often the small things that are missing and then might cause the mechanic to loose his cool.
For example: a small blank plug rubber, aka grommet, is missing in order to connect the battery or indicator, or a plug rubber is missing to close a no longer wanted hole, because you want to fit another tail light.
It’s a sideswipe like this that really takes time and gets on your nerves.
An open hole in one of the side panels does not really add to the looks of a scooter. You could weld, polish and paint that piece. But you could avoid all this by closing the visible hole with a blank plug rubber.
A set of blank plug rubbers or grommets helps you in this cause.
The tipp for any garage
The sets cover a wide range of rubbers of the popular diameters, which you need for most of the scooters. All plugs are sorted according to their outer diameter and come in a transparent box. Your scooter garage will remain tidy!
Grommet
Item number 3331729 Blank plug rubber set frame -UNIVERSAL, open (type: grommet) 128pc. – black – Ø=6-24mm
Blank plug rubber
Item number 3331728 Blank plug rubber set frame -UNIVERSAL, closed (type: blank plug rubber) 140pc.- black – Ø=7,0-9,5-12,0-15,8-19,0-22,0-25,4mm
https://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/blank_plug_rubber_set.jpg30004000Jenny Haashttps://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SC_BLOG-300x69.pngJenny Haas2016-05-27 09:47:162016-05-27 09:47:16Tipp: Rubber set for grommets and blank plug rubbers of a scooter
Scooter Center imports container loads of Vespas from Japan. And at times we ship a collector’s scooter to Bergheim-Glessen or at other times some bizarre scooters.
This special scooter is a blend of both. How often do you see an old Vespa 50S with real 334km (three hundred and forty-three!)?
Great general condition
The general condition of this scooter is in line with its mileage…- but at second glance, you can hardly believe your eyes: “This cannot be!!”
Taking a look at the left side of the scooter you can’t help but realize what has happened: The scooter’s rear end must have stood in water for a looooong time. Long enough for the water to mark its level on the side panel.
But it’s even worse. Sad but true: the footboard and parts of the frame tunnel must have been under water as well. These are scruffy. Unfortunately there is also piston seizure.
So, this is two in one:
great collectors item and at the same time
extreme restoration needed.
If you don’t shy away from it, you may precisely replace the sheet metal and maintain the original looks – or just put it aside as collectors item.
This Vespa V50S is for sale
You can take a look at the scooter in the Scooter Center. You may take it home in exchange for 1,600 € ;-)
You want to restore it? You will need the following parts:
https://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/classic-day_2016_flyer_web.jpg7301024Jenny Haashttps://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SC_BLOG-300x69.pngJenny Haas2016-05-23 07:58:522016-05-23 07:58:52Scooter Center CLASSIC DAY 2016
Once a brake cable, gear change cable or clutch cable is broken you should also check all the other bowden cables and cable housings.
When restoring a scooter you usually need an entire cable set. It’s just, that one broken bowden cable is a hint that the other cables might also be worn.
We recommend: BGM bowden cables for Vespa and Lambretta
The BGM sets are perfectly adjusted to the vehicle and include all the cables and cable housings you will need in the right length. Gear change cable, clutch cable, brake cable etc. are part of the kit.
BGM PRO bowden cables are in line with factory specifications and impress with high quality at low prices. The length of the individual cables is adjusted to the vehicle, so that they can be fitted without further ado.
Highest quality
BGM cable with high quality details such as
double crimped cable end sleeves
burr-free nipples
tinned end sleeves (laid cable).
Easy and quick assembly.
A layer of low friction PTFE at the inside of the housings of the front brake, gears, acceleration and clutch stands for easy and precise use.
You may oil or grease the inner cables and these will then operate extremly smoothly.
We had already announced the development of this awesome tool for Lambretta. Now the Beluga is finally available:
precise scale,
quick inverse measurement,
precise and reproducible results,
using a strobe timing gun is possible when Beluga is attached,
excellent stainless steel,
special support for Lambretta.
The Whale for Vespa = Beluga for Lambretta
Beluga for Lambretta is the equivalent of the Whale for Vespa. Watch a detailed video here in order to know how to easily and precisely adjust the ignition of your scooter:
https://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/CMD-Beluga-Lambretta_CMDTB0010_1.jpg526700Jenny Haashttps://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SC_BLOG-300x69.pngJenny Haas2016-05-13 10:14:582016-05-18 14:46:24Tool to adjust a Lambretta ignition: Beluga by CMD
We have been on Italy tour for you again. This time we have been heading for Parma in Emiglia-Romagna. And just as it has been the case for our visit of the Rimini Lambretta Centre, we haven’t seen much of the scenery. Sightseeing wasn’t part of our program – we wanted something a lot better: We were heading for the industrial area and PARMAKIT.
Friendly business
PARMAKIT had already visited us and has had a booth at our Customshow in Cologne. Now was the time to visit them in Italy. Currently you can still take part in our PARMAKIT – raffle
“Dolce Vita”, “Bella Italia” and “sun always shines in Italy”?
Not at all. At the beginning of May we had snow on the Brenner Pass and rain in Parma. But a warm welcome at PARMAKIT made us feel a lot better and we were allowed to take a look behind the scenes of the renowned company. We were overwhelmed by their know-how, diversity but especially by quality and performance of their products.
PARMAKIT stands for highest quality and 100% MADE IN ITALY
Just as we take it with BGM, PARMAKIT cooperates with companies and suppliers in the region to assure a constantly high level of quality.
Having scooter racing in the blood
PARMAKIT started in racing and these kind Italians also live racing to the fullest. Last weekend they won the POLINI-CUP. They are currently pepping up the ESC – European Scooter Challenge. The next race they intend to win is the BSSO – British Scooter Racing coming weekend in East Fortune close to Edinburgh, Scotland. The experiences made in racing are incorporated in the development of the Italian products with extremely high standards.
Parmakit at Scooter Center
We and PARMAKIT will cooperate even closer in the future, share experiences and enlarge our product range. Stay tuned!
A renowned Italian manufacturer produces the new BGM gasket sets.
The sets are characterized by high quality sealing material (in 0.5mm fibres) and an additional silicone sealing coat.
The silicone coating compensates smaller uneven sections or damages and therefore seals the engine effectively on the long run.
Every gasket set comes with an info sheet, which depicts where you need to put the gaskets in a 1:1 scale.
You will also find a recommendation for the sequence of tightening the engine casing bolts and the stipulated tightening torque of bolt nuts.
VESPA SMALLFRAME V50, PV125, ET3, PK
The gaskets for the engine casing and the clutch cover of the set for Vespa Smallframe engines have a silicone coating.
The Smallframe gasket set is large and suitable for almost any classic scooter.
The following gaskets are included:
The gasket set has the advantage of securely sealing the trouble spot of the space for the kick start sprocket of Vespa Largeframe engines, preventing the engine of taking oil in. The silicone coat prevents the gasket of slipping, as long as the sealing surface is clean.
Fitting ordinary gaskets with liquid gaskets may cause the liquid to squeeze through the space between the halves of the engine casing, when putting these together. Just imagine a generously garnished hamburger. When you try to bite a bit off, the patty slips away and you are left with the two halves of the bread roll.
A gasket with silicone coating won’t have this effect. We have really focused on a tight fit. Once there is slight pressure on the silicone and the sealing surface, the coating will stick and the gasket won’t slip when you tighten the engine casing bolt.
We have adapted the silicone coating and the gasket’s shape in order to have the gasket fit the engines of PX125 and PX200.
Both the gasket of the casing halves and the gear selector box have a silicone coating.
The following gaskets are included in the set for Vespa Largeframe engines:
Gasket sets and individual gaskets for lovers of Lambretta vehicles are in planning, such as the gaskets (made in Italy) for Lambretta engine covers, generator casing and oil seal support for the 6305 ball bearings.
Scooter Center Customshow 2016 – No. 9 9th of April 2016 had finally arrived. The ninth Scooter Center Customshow takes place in the Abenteurhallen Cologne.
Nicest sunshine accompanied almost 2,000 visitors to marvel at more than one hundred exhibits, which reflect the entire range of the scooter scene.
A private market for spare parts and distributors booths finished off custom scooters. Now the bar is high for next year’s show, with visitors, exhibitors and organisers agreeing unanimously that this year’s Customshow was the best of all SC times.
The share of real custom scooters was a delight. Champ, our friend of the German classic scooter magazine CLASSIC SCOOTER, has gotten to the heart of things:
“An overwhelming number of top scooters was being presented. This was the first custom show in a long time, which lived up to its name (and was no mere exhibition of vintage scooters).”
You can’t put it any better. The comeback of customs reminded of the golden 90s. Scooters like LEGIO X by Paul are exemplary. Designed with such a love for details and immense effort, also demonstrated in the golden Lambretta rear shock absorber by BGM PRO.
But blending various styles is a special charm.
A hypothetical 1953 standard racer by Hoffmann, a licenced Vespa manufacturer, and Andreas Nagy or an Innocenti 2 cylinder SX prototype, of which only two exist, or a flash-back to the 80s “Traumschiff” by Yoleila, to mention just a few.
The booth of our Italian friends at Parmakit, Casa Lambretta and Rimini Lambretta Centre was a highlight. The Casa Performance catalogue 2016 saw its world premier and had been printed as a preliminary special edition with 150 copies for the Customshow.
Vittorio Tessera of Casa Lambretta also likes the event: “You have prepared an incredible scooter show!”
The show is not only limited to the interior. Another one hundred or so scooters parked outside the hall in finest weather, inviting visitors to fruitful discussions on tuning, restoration and perfection.
It remains to say: great weather, awesome atmosphere and a successful start for the next season made us want more!
Our BGM PRO Superstrong clutch for Vespa Largeframe engines has proven excellent performance time and again. It was now updated.
You can fit the CR clutch plates of the “Superstrong CR” version without further ado.
Fully assembled clutch available
The upper disc was subject to special treatment and offers space for a reinforced top plate.
Fitting the clutch remains the same as before.
It’s usually sufficient to adapt the clutch cover, as for a Cosa version.
You will find the relevant information in the download section of the product in our shop.
The outer diameter of the CR-version’s clutch spider did not change.
We have merely adapted its contour for the CR-discs to fit without a need for changes.
Remaining parts like hub, sprocket and steel discs are the same as in the Superstrong Cosa version.
New Vespa clutches:
Superstrong CR is available in the following variations:
Plug & Play
Vespa PX80/PX125/PX150/Cosa125/Cosa200 (the large primary drive wheel features 67 or 68 teeth)
You have a high-torque engine and want to change the number of teeth of your primary drive wheel to 64? We recommend using a reinforced repair kit as well. Reinforced springs have an improved jolt damping and deal mechanically better with a higher torque of monster engines than the standard version.
Advantages of CR – plates
We have already mentioned the advantages of CR plates for high performance engines in our post on clutch plates. This is a short excerpt:
“How can such a small, flat clutch plate be better than the larger cork version?”
One: material with better friction value. Two: “effective radius”.
The outer diameter in connection with the height of the lining results in a certain radius, which is decisive
This means that with the same diameter, the lever arm, which counters the torque at the hub, is longer, since the distance between the centre of the lining and the crankshaft pivot point is larger. Which basically is the simple lever principle. So to say: it’s “easier” for the clutch lining to deal with the torque.
As you can see, there are two reasons why a clutch with CR-plates can transmit higher torque at the same contact pressure of springs. It is general, omnipresent physics and the material used for clutch lining.
A CR-plate set stands for a low movement of lever and a clear and freely working clutch. The plate material also guarantees easy and secure shifting of gears in high revs.
We have already presented the new cylinder in this post. Today we would like to offer you an insight into developing this cylinder. The cylinder will finally be available from beginning of April 2016!
Developing the Vespa cylinder BGM177
Developing a two-stroke cylinder is very exciting.
Numerous parameters, which need to be considered, thousands of times on the dynamometer, a repetition of measuring, calculating, testing, thousands of kilometres on the road…
What for? To have a final cylinder, which offers high torque and is willing to deliver maximum performance, at the same time resistant with a low consumption.
And we want it all. A cylinder for tourers, which can be combined with standard components, and for ambitious tuners, who want the highest performance possible. It is about offering the widest range possible.
We would like to give you an insight in the tests, which have been conducted for the BGM177.
DESIGN OF TRANSFERS
We tested various options for the outer design of the transfer ports.
We designed various transfer geometries, trigger delay angles and combustion chambers, which were put to practical tests on the road as well as on the dynamometer.
TEST ENGINES SPRINT150
We have been using an original Piaggio Sprint engine as starting point for our tests and for some we also have been using a LML engine casing with original inlet membrane control.
The Sprint engine casing represents the very small, original rotary valve inlet of largeframe engines. The rotary valve inlet of a PX125 is only minimally larger than the inlet of Sprint engines. Trigger delay angles of the crankshaft are almost the same. In terms of possible performance, this was the “least attractive” package. However, we wanted to know the performance with basic parts or rather which performance we could expect of the rest.
We have already presented the comparison of a Spring engine with a 24mm SI carburetor of a PX200 and a 12HP 200 engine.
In order to easily understand the following graph, just imagine a normal PX200. With a standard 200cc you will feel something like acceleration up to a speed of about 90km/h. This speed represents about 5500min?¹ of the engine. Once you have reached this torque with a 200cc engine, it will take some time to get to 100km/h (6000min?¹). Now, take a look at the graphs and compare the equivalents of this torque on the blue graph and the red graph. You will see, that the BGM177 even adds more torque. In other words, while a 200 is slowly running out of steam, the BGM177 will continue to accelerate.
BGM177 vs. PX200
TEST ENGINE LML150 MEMRANE
The 125cc engine of a Vespa Sprint with small rotary valve restricts the development of performance at a certain level of performance and torque. We have therefore used a LML engine casing for varying tests and comparisons. The standard LML engine casings comes with a reed valve intake and large transfer ports in the casing and is the best basis. This can diminish the influence of e.g. an intake, which is too small, or differently designed transfer ports on the test results within one series of tests.
It’s also fairly easy to switch between a SI carburetor and a large, grown-up intake.
We have started these tests with a pre-series cylinder with small transfers in the cylinder base
and a piston, which has been specially produced for this test.
Why? We wanted to find out how the piston needs to be designed in order to give enough room to the transfer ports to guarantee a good situation. The piston had been constructed in a way, that the hole around the gudgeon pin close to the transfer ports could be adapted by milling.
After every little step, we put it to the test on our dynamometer to find out, which shape or which combination works best.
TEST TRANSFER PORT CROSS-SECTION CYLINDER BASE
The following series of tests has been conducted on a LML membrane engine with a 24 SI carburetor, a BigBox Touring and various versions of pistons and transfer ports.
Then, the cylinder head has still had a relatively high compression. We have reduced compression of the standard cylinder head a little to gain a wider range of performance.
The original test piston was shaped like the original PX piston. So, for the red graph, the piston skirt was closed (like for a Piaggio, Polini, Grand Sport, …).
The blue graph shows the result of the piston with a few millimetres less around the gudgeon pin. You can see such a piston on the picture above.
The green graph shows the performance with a semi-closed transfer port at the cylinder base and an adapted piston. The free space of the transfer ports in the cylinder base represents about 80% of the possible space of the cylinder.
RED GRAPH: closed piston skirt
BLUE GRAPH: semi-closed piston skirt
GREEN GRAPH: opened piston skirt
Result: the BGM177 can be combined with the gearbox of a 200cc engine without causing any problems and even performs better than the large 200cc engine.
From about 1982 onwards, engines of PX125 and PX150 have been fitted with a gearbox almost identical to the one of a PX200. In these cases it’s possible to directly extend the primary drive to transfer the plus of performance to speed.
We recommend using a primary drive wheel with 64 teeth. Depending on the area of use, you can adapt the total gear ratio with a clutch sprocket. The advantage of a primary drive wheel with 64 teeth is, that you may use the BGM clutch sprockets with 22, 23 or 24 teeth.
So you can set your engine for anything between “sporty and short for cities (22/64)” and “highway – provide a maximum (24/64)”.
Our next post will be on various carburetors and intakes on our LML test engine.
https://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/development-bgm177-cylinder.jpg5321060Jenny Haashttps://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SC_BLOG-300x69.pngJenny Haas2016-04-01 07:35:522016-04-06 12:22:36BGM PRO 177 cc cylinder for Vespa PX125-150, Sprint150 Veloce – part 2
Higher performance, higher torque, higher anything… This is what the new engines like Malossi MHR221, Quattrini M232 & Co. have on offer.
The concentrated torque of these engines has to find its way to the road.
One of the most important connections between the pulsating engine and the road therefore is the clutch, with one of the most difficult tasks in an engine.
On the one hand you want every tiny bit of torque to be entirely transmitted to the gearbox and on the other hand you want a reliable, durable and easily usable system.
The more performance you had to rein in, the stronger the springs you use with cork clutch plates. At least this used to be the rule for Vespa clutches.
Such an “improved” clutch actually demands almost herculean force in handling, since you need immense force to pull the clutch lever – so this is not really a solution…
In order to grant longterm reliability of a clutch, you’d have to increase elasticity for performances above 35HP drastically. The same would be true for the resulting torque. Surface pressure, however, would be too high for cork plates.
When you put high pressure on natural cork, it will behave like a sponge, which effects behaviour and biting point of the clutch. This material won’t cope with deformation, torque and mechanic strains during sliding friction. Once the cork was put under high pressure and slipped, causing a worn clutch, the surface of the plate will burn and cause a loss of fastness between cork and steel plate.
The question is: How to achieve a balance of a well functioning clutch where you don’t need strength to use it and a high degree of transmitted torque?
All you can do is to use another material on your clutch plate with improved friction value and to know your physics…
Clutch lining used for motorcycles is extremely loadable. But there are no plates, which could directly be used with a Vespa clutch.
We therefore have clutch plates modified, like the one used in a VFR400 and in a Honda CR.
These modified clutch plates can easily be fitted in the well known Cosa clutches.
The upper plate will have to take the task of the top plate in a normal Cosa clutch.
This plate is modified in a way to also fit the clutch circlip.
The plate set and its modification change the overall height of the plate set. Original Piaggio cork plates are a little higher than CR-plate sets.
You can add another plate as reinforcement, in order to level size and to gain more stability for the top plate.
You are working on a Superstrong or an ordinary Cosa clutch? Check if you really need a spacer plate.
The CR clutch plate is made of a high-strength alloy and a lot thicker than steel clutch plates with an ordinary cork lining.
This is why the noses are less responsive to knocking off at the clutch basket. But wide noses won’t help, if the clutch basket dampers in the primary drive are broken or tired. Load peaks will be entirely transmitted to the clutch. You can prevent this by using a reinforced primary drive repair kit.
Stronger noses of the CR-clutch plates are also tight in the larger space in the clutch basket of the “Cosa-version” of a Superstrong.
You can see a comparison with a Piaggio Cosa plate. The modified CR-clutch plate on the left – Piaggio Cosa on the right.
Seeing CR-plates triggers one question: “How can such a small, flat clutch plate be better than the larger cork version?”
One: material with better friction value. Two: “effective radius”.
The outer diameter in connection with the height of the lining results in a certain radius, which is decisive.
This means that with the same diameter, the lever arm, which counters the torque at the hub, is longer, since the distance between the centre of the lining and the crankshaft pivot point is larger. Which basically is the simple lever principle. So to say: it’s “easier” for the clutch lining to deal with the torque.
As you can see, there are two reasons why a clutch with CR-plates can transmit higher torque at the same contact pressure of springs. It is general, omnipresent physics and the material used for clutch lining. The clutch plate sets fit any Cosa 2 clutch. Do you already have a Superstrong? The same set is also easy to use or you can compile it yourself.
A CR-plate set stands for a low movement of lever and a clear and freely working clutch. The plate material also guarantees easy and secure shifting of gears in high revs. We recommend to use oil with Jaso- MA / MA2 or API GL-4 specifications.
For instance Valvoline 10W40 MA2.
The plate set is available with and without steel plates:
New innovative carburetor top caps by Crazy Monkey Development
The monkey has been busy and came up with newly developed carburetor top caps.
Sadly, this did not win the Red Dot design-Award – but practical use is more important. And this is where these innovative carburetor top caps by CMD are leading.
An integrated throttle cable guide makes an extremely flat construction of this brilliant Crazy Monkey Development Snakehead carburetor top cap possible. This saves a lot of space.
A touch of genius comes with the throttle cable guide, which is integrated in the screw-able Snakehead top cap: it saves a lot of space and turns without stop. Which means, that the carburetor top cap and the throttle cable may turn freely by 360°, always being perfectly positioned.
This fine carburetor top cap profits of a modern production and is made of finest technical nylon (PA), which makes damage almost impossible, even if used in extreme racing.
https://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/snakehead-carburetor-top-cap-update.jpg5321060Jenny Haashttps://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SC_BLOG-300x69.pngJenny Haas2016-03-21 14:10:462016-05-06 09:26:56Snakehead carburetor top cap update
We have added a nice special tool for Vespa by BGM PRO to our program, which is especially suitable for those loving older Vespa models like the GS or younger, also known as wideframes..
Tight drive shaft bearing
The following affects many screw connections of older Vespa ladies: they rust and become to tight to move due to ageing, lacking maintenance and not being used. Sometimes this issue can only be dealt with fiendish tricks.
The bearing shield of the centre main shaft bearing is a fitting example. Usually the threaded face ring, made of plain steel, was exposed to acids, old oil and water for several decades. This was plenty of time to establish an intimate relationship with the engine casing’s alloy.
Our special solution works for sure
Sometimes it seems impossible to separate these lovers. In this situation a simple face wrench tends to slip off. We therefore “included” the option of preloading to our tool.
At the end of the bearing guide, you will find a bolt sitting on the drive shaft. This generates preload and prevents the wrench of slipping. You will therefore be able to safely reach the necessary output torque to loosen the nut without a slipping face wrench.
The screw will hardly move? Even then you will be able to loosen it without causing any damage to the threaded ring. Wrench in its guide and threaded face ring have the same pitch. Therefore the tool will follow the loosened ring with the same preload. It’s impossible for the wrench to slip off.
It’s possible to use both popular wrench sizes of threaded rings with this tool.
Bolt pitch of face holes 37mm suitable for threaded ring with an inner diameter of 28mm.
Bolt pitch of face holes 43mm suitable for threaded ring with an inner diameter of 35mm.
The tool is driven by wrench sizes WS22 and WS17. Threaded pins differ in size, which makes it easy to differentiate.
The large pin (l=25mm) fits the threaded ring with the large inner diameter and the small threaded pin fits the threaded ring with the small inner diameter.
Just in case: both pins are available as spare parts.
Depending on which threaded ring you want to loosen, you can “hide” the other threaded pin in the tool.
Face wrench rear hub bearing -BGM PRO Øi=28mm/35mm, Øbolt circle=37mm/43mm, 4-pin– Vespa Wideframe 98/125/150cc V98,V1T-15T, V30T-33T, Hoffmann HA/HB, VM,VN, VL, VB, VGL, VD, GS150, Piaggio APE A1T-15T, AB1T-4T, AC, APA,
Item number BGM7913TL
BGM PRO special tool for bearing shield of rear hub of any Vespa wideframe model.
Thanks to smart construction, you may use this tool for both bolt circle sizes (Ø37+43mm). You will have the possibility to preload the tool on the nut. Tool and nut have the same pitch, which leads to a constant preload, therefore it’s impossible to slip off.
Think back a few years and everybody sat flicking through magazines to find out what was on and what had happened.
Those times have gone. Big newspapers in Britain like The Independent are closing their print editions and going on-line. Paper sales are shrinking like your sexual organs when your waterproofs finally fail on a long ride home. Even people who say they prefer to read paper spend a lot of time on social media or a smart-phone. The world has changed.
ScooterLab.UK – or SLUK for short – is our answer to that change. It is a free-to-view internet scooter magazine that is the brainchild of two well-known British scooterists. Sticky and Iggy had a long career writing for Scootering and various other titles, as well as authoring the odd book. The duo have seen the sad decline in paper-based sales and have turned their backs on the corporate publishing world. Instead, they’ve decided to do something a little less boring. They will put mainstream scooter media back in the hands of scooterists, and the fun back into mainstream scooter media.
ScooterLab.uk was previewed at Scooterist Meltdown in February. It’s an all-encompassing stylish website with two distinct sides, one for classic and one for modern scooters with a cross-over of certain material that suits both sides of our site.
With the cost barrier removed we expect ScooterLab.UK to quickly gather an international following. SLUK is the UK scooter scene broadcasting globally and we want our scooter-riding brothers and sisters from all over the world to join us.
What’s on SLUK?
Video! That’s something that doesn’t work well on paper but allows you to explain a lot in a short time.
Humour! We will practice the great British tradition of ‘taking the piss’ when and where we see fit.
News! We have excellent contacts throughout the scooter world so SLUK should be your first choice to both read and feed news items.
Any screen! Our site design is fully responsive so you can enjoy our content on anything from a smart-TV down to the smartphone in your pocket.
How do I get involved?
Launching ScooterLab isn’t something we’ve done lightly; it’s a big project and our new full time job. We know it’s going to shake things up and we’re likely to hit a few bumps along the way, but with your help we’ll develop this website into something the whole scene can be involved with and be proud of.
Remember this online mag isn’t brought to you by a big company with deep pockets. ScooterLab is owned, funded, designed and written by road-going scooter riders just like you. We need your help to make it grow. You can help by bookmarking the page, or add it to the home screen of your phone. Use it frequently; just as you would your social network accounts. Share the videos, tag us, share our features, wear our t-shirts and stickers with pride. Send in your stories, photos, videos and let us know of any news or new products.
How does it work?
ScooterLab is 100% free for you to view so there are some adverts on the site to pay they pay the bills. These are not random adverts, but ones from forward-thinking scooter businesses – like Scooter Center – who can see that this is the way forward.
You can support us by supporting our advertisers. That way we can carry on giving you great content for free.
With your help ScooterLab will grow and spread like wildfire along the scooter grapevine. This is our life, our hobby and our livelihood. Let’s kick some ass fellow SLUKers.
https://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/SLUK-scooterlab-uk.jpg5321060Jenny Haashttps://blog.scooter-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SC_BLOG-300x69.pngJenny Haas2016-03-07 16:10:442016-03-07 16:10:44What the SLUK is going on?
Acceleration, brakes, gears and clutch – these features of your classic scooter are being used with the help of cables.
Maintenance of, care for and choice of material of these obviously simple parts is decisive.
We therefore included high quality BGM PRO cable sets for your classic scooter in our program.
Exchanging the old cables with a BGM cable set will be a long-term solution for flawless running and smooth operation of your scooter.
Even better than OEM quality
BGM cable sets have the same dimensions as the originals for various vehicles.
Fitting cable lengths and fitting, safely tightened cable ends stand for an easy assembly and long-term operation.
The front brake cable and the clutch cable have been designed with the so-called pear shape terminal. This design enables the inner cable to move according to any strain. Of course you can also buy an adaptor that fits the pear shape terminals.
Piaggio sadly offers rather bad quality in this sector. Please check out this comparison:
The nipple has extreme cast burrs and does neither really fit the cable by Piaggio nor the original cable barrel by Piaggio.
A simple assembly of the Piaggio material is impossible, you will need to work hard with a file or hand mill. The abscess-like cable end won’t fit the brake lever.
Perfection and love for details
When designing the BGM cable sets, we have been focusing on these and other details. We still work on our scooters ourselves and just like you, we are annoyed by bad and expensive “original parts” that can only be used after intensive care.
The adaptors of the BGM cables turn a stress free assembly into reality. The pear shape terminal perfectly fits – as you can see – in the small space of the Rally and V50 lever.
Advice: Use some grease
Please don’t forget to grease the nipple before assembly, in order to have it turn smoothly when the lever is used.
The consequence of a non-greased nipple is too much friction and it won’t turn properly, which causes the inner cable to bend with each use of the lever.
Just count the number of times you use your clutch during daily commuting. Even the best inner cable will quit the job after a rather small amount of such bends – and this will most probably be at night on an empty country road….
Info: Movement of the cable nipple
In order to make our statement clearer, we opened a gear change twist grip and marked nipple and lever. The mark shows how much the nipple turns with the use of the clutch lever. If the movement of the nipple is impossible, the inner cable will be bent.
You will need to react, if your cables look like this!
Old, original cables were of simple design. If the thin, outer sheath has become brittle over the years, water and dirt will easily get to the soul of the cable.
This will harm the smooth movement of the cables. Dirt and water are reasons for high friction of cables. Water will cause the cables to rust from the inside to the outside and will soon lead to breaks.
A guide of PTFE at the inner side of the sheath of BGM cable sets enhances smooth movements of cables.
The thin PTFE guide also prevents damage to the inner cable by water or dirt, might the sheath be damaged.
BGM PRO cables with PTFE
Simplified: the material PTFE is self-lubricating. A mechanic contact, here the moving inner cable, loosens fibres of the PTFE, which cause a kind of ball bearing effect, so that the cable can be moved with less friction. A little test impressively demonstrates the smoothness of the movement.
Take the new cable and form a spiral. In case of a cable without PTFE, you will no longer be able to move the inner cable. The radius of the sheath will drastically increase friction, which blocks the inner cable. Once you straighten the cable, you will be able to move the inner cable again.
In case of a cable with PTFE guide, you will even be able to easily move the cable in the spiral.
The PTFE interior of the BGM cable sets are surrounded by a stable bowden cable of flat steel.
Cheap versions of the sheath by other manufacturers, using simple wire for the bowden cable, tend to be compressed like a screw spring or concertina, when being used.
This effect leads to imprecise changes of gears and operation of the clutch. Cheap cables dramatically enhance the feeling of “nothing happens” when braking and give a washy feeling in sudden braking manoeuvres.
The sheath of the BGM cables is made of flat steel, which is very resistant to compression. Paired with the inner cable you will have precise feedback when using brakes, clutch and gears.
Cable end
Cable ends are another important detail. The cable end should always fix the sheath and shouldn’t peel off. Not even after a long, intense life.
The bowden cable is ground and placed against the ends, in order to avoid the flat steel to bore through the cable end but rather create a common surface of flat steel and cable end.
Securing the cable end is another crucial detail. The cable ends of Piaggo cables are only squeezed.
But cable ends of BGM cables are secured by two embossings and the cable end can basically only be detached by destroying the cable.
Cable ends of no two vehicles are the same.
The most fitting example would probably be the clutch cable of the PX. From 1984, with the conversion to EFL models, the shape of the top hat bush of the clutch cable changed.
The diameter of the cable end had been decisively enlarged to grant a better guidance and bracing in the gear change twist grip. The hole in the gear change twist grip was designed accordingly. A cable of the older models would slip through the large hole in the gear change twist grip – and a new clutch cable wouldn’t fit the hole in the old gear change twist grips.
For our cable sets we have thought of everything, even the rubber sleeve at the end of the front brake cables.
This is a part, which lets your front brake cable live longer. Despite this fact, Piaggio does not supply it.
These are only four examples of details we considered for your perfect choice of components.
Available for Vespa and Lambretta models
BGM PRO cable sets are available for the following vehicles:
All cables of the BGM cable sets are also available individually. When viewing the respective cable sets you will find the individual cables of the cable set in the spare parts tab.
The cable set for PK-XL2 will be supplied without the gear change cable. Do you need this special cable? Please, order it separately:
Order Snakehead here
