LCGB Forums

Hi all.

First real post. I am restoring a S3 Li150 special and I think I am at the point where I need some expert advice.

Scooter was a runner before stripping and in pretty good nick after being restored in 2010 (I just wanted it to be perfect). Frame has some minor work that needs doing around the stand area but essentially is good. Panels have all been professionally painted and look fabulous (Metallic blue and cream white). Engine has been taken out and partly stripped (Barrel and head removed with piston).
My plan for the scoot is to bundle it in the back of the Van when we go camping and use for some 2 up touring


Engine
Barrel is at its maximum re-bore, piston looks good but some vertical polishing on the cylinder.
Barrel has a small circular indentation on gasket surface where it mates with head (I suspect someone has done this when previously re-boring). It was running fine before stripping and would hold 50 / 50mph no real issue but I only did 50 miles on her before stripping)
cylinder studs look a bit ropey
Fly wheel has 3 vanes missing
Not yet stripped out the clutch but plan on doing shortly

Frame and body
Frame is pretty good having been restored in 2010 but needs some TLC around the centre stand region as does the centre stand and crud shield. Panels have been professionally restored in metallic blue and cream and look stunning (currently in bubble wrap waiting completion of the rest of the scoot)

Brakes
All seem good in terms of condition but OMG! coming of sports bikes (and even a Honda C90 I have in the fleet) I cannot believe how scary the brakes are for a bike that will do 50+ MPH

I think based on the above I would like to do the following.

New piston and barrel
brake upgrade in some way

but here is my questions

barrel kit - std or oversize? pros and cons, best makes, who to buy from and give best advice. If I go oversize will it impact value / reliability significantly
Bearing in mind I want reliability for touring, if going oversize do I need to rejet? std or performance exhaust? what are recommended combinations
What else to replace while she is open - seals, bearings, clutch? again best makes, who to buy from and give best advice
Casing cleaning / polishing - what products to use, any post cleaning advice (lacquer etc)
Brakes - can a drum brake set up be made to work (they work ok on my C90 that will do 50 MPH)
if not internal or external disc pros / cons.
Flywheel - ok with vanes missing - should I convert to 12V, what make? best people to supply

Lots of questions I know, but hey, we love to talk about our bikes right???

I am based in Winsford Cheshire if that helps point me in the right direction of any good dealers that may be able to help.

Thanks in advance

Halflife

I'm too lazy to answer all your questions, but on the assumption you don't want to spend a fortune, I'll give you my experience on brakes. Like you I went from sportsbikes to a lambretta and found it terrifying the first time I tried to stop at a red light!

That was with everything in perfect condition. I changed it to reverse pull and the difference was staggering.

You're about to get loads of advice telling you that it's the most dangerous thing anyone has ever done, but it isn't

One more tip, try to get your head around using the back brake. I know it's alien after a cbr but it's worth the effort.

If you're going to get a barrel you might as well kit it, with a new crank and electrics. It'll save you in the long term. Normal drum brakes can be very good if set up properly. I find the way you bed them in makes all the difference.

The O on the barrel head face is a factory mark,so no worries there.Personally why not rebore to 175 and reprofile the head or if the cylinders not worn ,a new piston,up jet and just fit new bearings,seals and clutch plates and maybe a 16t front sprocket? Shop about for a decent flywheel and if in good condition stick with the 6v system if you only want a run around.I can't fault Indian Makino brake shoes,compared to some of the dearer ones.

If it's not completely original then changing the barrel or rebore it will not affect the value to any significant degree. If you do choose to up the capacity or fit a tuned kit then you need consider several other upgrades and then you're probably on to the thick end of a grand. That's when it starts to look like you're spending more than it will be worth if you come to sell it, but if you're looking at it from that angle then you're doing it wrong.

A couple of broken fins won't make much difference to the cooling if you want to keep the original 6v points system.

You should choose an exhaust to suit your state of tune, gearing and intended use. For a bit of two up pottering about you should probably consider something with a fair bit of low end grunt, probably a clubman type. You will need to suit your carburation to the state of tune and it will need jetting to suit.

While its open replace any seals and bearings with quality branded bearings and seals from a reliable source.

Best upgrade you can buy is a copy of Sticky's Complete Spanners Guide.

great choice of scoot halflife. I have a 64 special myself so I've been through all the questions that you have raised .
The answer to your questions is it all depends on the condition of your scooter and what you want from it.

All I did was to replace the points and condenser and check TDC and adjust the timing to 19 degrees.
I replaced the coil with a V***a PX200 jobbie which is 10x better than the Lambretta one. I changed the oil and replaced the gear, throttle and choke cables and I replaced the original Dellorto SH/18 carb with a Jetex 22mm carb with a 5889-2 Atomiser and a 106 main jet.

I stripped and cleaned the front hub and replaced the brake shoes and tyres and that is pretty much all I did to mine although I have a 42mm Clubman to fit sometime and I know I need to refurbish the front forks and rear hub.
Once tuned and set it starts 1st or 2nd kick every time and pulls like a train .it will cruise happily at 50mph on part throttle and has done 56mph at which point I bottled out.!

If you need to replace your barrel and piston I'd suggest you consider an Indian 175cc engine kit which you can often find for less than £100
Depending on how bad your gearbox oil seals and rear hub are you might be lucky enough to use it 'as is' but if you are going to replace the engine it would make sense to strip and overhaul your gearbox . You're bound to need new bearings and oil seals and new chain guides and your rear hub may have some play . It would be worth putting a new clutch in and overhaul the gear selector and kickstart ... see how one little thing leads to a complete overhaul

Best bit of advice I can give is get to know some of the scooter riders/ clubs in your area you will find out who the local guru is

Thanks all, hopefully the photo link below works.

Not sure if the color scheme is original but I really liked it so when painting I decided to keep it the same, other than that I think she is all original and would certainly like to keep the original looks.

There are lots of scooter shops out there but would really like to know who people recommend, for advice, service and availability of parts?

Clad to hear drum brakes can be made to work well as I would like to keep original look.

Clutch plates look ok but getting some batteries for vernier today and will check service life left in them.


https://goo.gl/photos/PCdMhBttRQDzsvEv9

Very nice scooter.

As to dealers, most will use the big names, but it's rare to get everything you want all in the same place.

Scooter Restorations - standard parts, mostly SIL in origin though they stock Italian parts too
Scootopia - Limited selection of British made remanufactured parts, usually good quality
MB Developments - excellent selection remade parts and tuner
Torbay Lambretta - very good service and reasonable selection of parts.
Lambretta Upgrades - good selection of selected upgrade parts.

You'll get mixed opinions on some of these from people who've had problems with one or another or what they believe are bad parts.

That'll be enough to start emptying your savings account.

Another 2 dealers who I can recommend would be Lambretta Upgrades and Just Lambretta.

Regarding the engine upgrade, I'd be inclined to leave it as is until you know what you really need. As has been said, sticking a kit on can lead to other upgrades and the £1000+ mark will be easily obtained.

A decent exhaust (clubman type) and re-jetting may be enough for what you use it for.

Wack wrote:The O on the barrel head face is a factory mark,so no worries there.Personally why not rebore to 175 and reprofile the head or if the cylinders not worn ,a new piston,up jet and just fit new bearings,seals and clutch plates and maybe a 16t front sprocket? Shop about for a decent flywheel and if in good condition stick with the 6v system if you only want a run around.I can't fault Indian Makino brake shoes,compared to some of the dearer ones.

^... exactly the response that I was going to make.

And so the love affair begins !

CHRIS in MARGATE wrote:And so the love affair begins !

You missed a bit Chris .... "love / hate affair"

Well if my bespoke tool purchases are anything to go by this is going to be an expensive do looks like an apple and a football for the kids Christmas presents this year, I am sure they will realise it is for the greater good.

Thanks for the selection of shops. I enjoy the research almost as much as the building and riding.