tomorrow...if all the bits arrive...I will be fitting the sidecar...
but for today...14/7/99...the long awaited front brake light switch arrived...and to be honest...this has been a right royal pain in the arse...the new switch has the same fault as the old switch...in that it works when it wants to...
what is this I see???...a brake light that works...let's hope it works in the morning when it goes in for an MOT...I know my luck...it's red...and I don't have much luck with red scooters...
just got back from the bike shop...the brake light still works...it now has a MOT...
the bits have arrived from Watsonian/Squire...got it all laid out...lets get cracking...
this little job took over two hours...why???...because not one of the holes lined up...plus the holes in the strengthening plates weren't in line either...which is hard to understand as the Cosa had had a sidecar fitted to it before...this ain't as easy as fitting one to a PX...the bracket anyway...I think this is about the point where you want to get a sledge hammer to it...not the bracket...the whole scooter...
after the successful fitting of the bracket...the fitting of the sidecar frame was a piece of piss...this took a whole 2 minutes...
the suspension unit and wheel...about 5 minutes...there are no elongated holes on this one to set a toe in...so it must be factory set...things are starting to look up...
on with the body...at the most another 10 minutes...at this point I must mention that Bec (the missus) has been helping me all day...a quick run down the road and...shit...the sidecars wheel bearings are knackered...
soon righted...there is a trailer manufacturer less than a mile from where I live...£13 for a new bearing hub...and £11 for a new rim and tyre...and we're back in business...just a little tidying up to do...it will have to be Monday...and away we go...two adults and five kids...touring in the summer...
we were still well short of a few things...a screen...seat (two parts)...beading...the list was endless...so rather than spend all me dosh on this...I decided to treat the PX to all the new bits and throw the old stuff in here...except for a split in the screen...there is nothing at all wrong with the stuff from the PX...
this morning...22/7/99...as it was only just over 50 miles away I rode down to Watsonian/Squire to have all the bits fitted to the PX...and returned to finish the Cosa...
from this angle you can see that there is some damage to the mudguard...we will either replace or repair it at a later date...the scratches we can cover them with stickers...what is important...it's running...and it's now on the road...now to get some serious mileage done...
They think it's all over...well it is now...a famous English saying...yesterday Bec and the kids were riding around on this...today (24th July 1999) it's in bits...well it was in the morning...it is now back together and running...the output shaft bearing went on strike...no damage done...just the bearing and the seal...I would have had this done yesterday evening but all the spares shops were shut when we noticed it...I stripped it down to this in 30 minutes last night...
as you can see...you don't have to remove the barrel & piston to work on the gearbox or output shaft...which includes the cruciform...
this green paint mark must either be someone from the factory's signature...or rather than check numbers for matching case halves on the assembly line...different paint marks for ease of identification...every late model Vespa that I have owned has had a paint mark on it...
check out these brake shoes...I've just ordered some new ones...they are three times the price of PX ones...they should be here on Tuesday...so it will be off with the wheel again...
offending bearing and oil seal removed...the new ones went in very easy...also...check out the brake adjusters...the only problem with owning a Cosa is you have to buy most of the spares from large Vespa dealers...although engine parts are stocked by a local M/C spares shop...the bearing, seal, gasket set and gearbox oil cost less than £10 from there...
the offending bearing...almost all the cage gone...all the balls still there though...we found most of the cage in the bottom of the engine...this is what ripped the oil seal...
I've just had a ride round the block...everything seems fine now...touch wood...let's get some miles on the clock...
When we bought the Cosa we knew it had been an insurance stolen recovery...until a couple of nights ago I never realised that the steering had been wrenched...I should have guessed...
as you can see on the left one...the two guides have snapped off...this happens when someone has a tug at the steering...i.e. some little thieving toe rag...
luckily enough...the fork slots aren't elongated...so the new ring fits on snugly...this is the same set up as the early T5 headset...having the proper tools meant this was a relatively easy job...
there was one last job that I did but didn't take any photo's of while I was doing it...the two stroke oil reservoir bottle was split...this is a common problem on the MK1 Cosa caused by the bottle being too close to the frame...unlike the PX the reservoir is at the side of the petrol tank and not underneath it and it vibrates against the frame causing it to split...my first attempt at a repair wasn't very good as I put the epoxy on too thick and there was no gap at all...the second attempt was much better and the oil leak was cured...
