pickup failure?

[olliewtf]

Recently replaced my flywheel, and since have a touch of trouble. Scooter sometimes doesn't like to rev out. Logic would dictate its pickup alignment, but that surely would be a constant, whereas im experiencing an intermittent problem.
So sometimes it revs cleanly out, and sometimes it doesnt. Can be from one gear to the next. Also a little harder to start sometimes, but that could be all manner of variables.

Measured my pickup and got 87 (from memory... it was just shy of acceptable figure).
Its a K2 pickup which i didnt fit that long ago, and it measured higher when fitted.
Getting a bit tired of ignition problems, starting to have my fair share but hey, its a lambretta.

Fully prepared to change pickup but interested to hear if A. a marginally too low reading is enough to cause trouble and B. if a alignment issue can ever be intermittent?

Also anybody know a good source for vespa/ducati pickups?

Dont really want to splash out on a bgm pickup, would rather buy 3 K2s.... ta all!

[Adam_Winstone]

"Dont really want to splash out on a bgm pickup, would rather buy 3 K2s"... really? Don't forget that you'll probably go through the 3 K2s before you need to replace the BGM LT, which also mean 3 times of running into problems and not knowing if you're going to make it home.

What makes me laugh is that some Ebay sellers are now supplying Indian stators with a spare LT coil and pickup, which gives you an idea of just how quickly they fail!

At sub £20 off Ebay (and a number of dealers), I don't know why you wouldn't modify the stator and fit a BGM LT coil. Genuine Ducati (or other) Italian LT coils tend to be at least as expensive as the BGM LT coil, are harder to come by, and you better know 100% that it is genuine, otherwise there is a good chance that they are simply supplying you a poor quality aftermarket one anyway.

FYI - I've recently replaced a couple of LT coils on Indian 'knock-off' Vespa stators too, which is a bit much when my Lambretta stock is being used to repair Vespas

Each to their own but I'd only ever fit Indian LT coils or unmodified stators as a 'get me home' temporary fix.

Adam

[coaster]

"Dont really want to splash out on a bgm pickup, would rather buy 3 K2s"... really? Don't forget that you'll probably go through the 3 K2s before you need to replace the BGM LT, which also mean 3 times of running into problems and not knowing if you're going to make it home.
Adam

He's talking about the pickup Adam and the K2's are generally all right I think....well I've never had one fail (I might regret saying that). 87ohms is very low but would check the earth tag on the stator before changing the pickup. Completely agree about the LT coils although a good soaking with coil lacquer doesn't go amiss.

[Adam_Winstone]

Yep, my bad! I'm so used to replacing Indian LT coils that it is force of habit, sorry.

Funnily enough, whilst I've replaced pickups as a matter of course, I've never knowingly replaced one that has failed... regardless of make or origin. I read of others having issue but of all of the stators that I've repaired, for myself or others, it has always been the LT coil at fault.

Good luck resolving the issue.

Adam

[holty]

i had a similar problem, intermitant poor running, bad starting, turned out to be 2 problems, 1 was the earth tag loose on the stator as previously suggested,it just needed peining over again, i also soldered it,and my other problem was the connections onto the coil, they had corroded away where the stator wires push on, new coil and spade connections, like a new scoot, i covered them in grease as well to stop the same thing happening again, might be worth checking yours, good luck,
holty

[olliewtf]

I hear you Adam, and do in part perceive you in slight as a bit of an oracle.
I should confirm my LT coil is fine, thanks for asking.
Its an old vespa converted stator, so all other coils are piaggio. it did have a failed pickup however, so swapped it for a k2 from a failed indian stator i had, with, would you believe, a failed LT coil.

the rivets had loosened on the current stator before refit and maybe they want a complete overhaul. bad earth could be a culprit. something to go on at least!

I am wandering if it is still possible to get ducati pickups as a cheaper alternative to bgm, and a better alternative to sil.

Also still wandering if i can rule out pickup alignment issue...

Funnily enough the old ducati pickup read fine but just wouldnt spark, so i never wholly trust stator readings...

all good fun until it isnt.

[olliewtf]

and cheers holty and coaster, dont feel left out youre cool dudes too

[Adam_Winstone]

I sourced a couple of genuine Italian pickups from Cambridge Lambretta, which you will note are a very slightly different shape to Indian ones (the Italian one is slightly more tapered, rather than square/rectangular). However, I did note that of the 4 that I ordered, 2 were tapered, 2 were square. I've no doubt that they were all Italian sourced but they are certainly different manufacturers and the square ones make me question country of manufacture.

Well done Cambridge for bothering to source Italian stuff, including some excellent LT coils that I've had off them too

[gaz_powell]

Slightly anicdotal but related.
Many years ago before i knew a bit and considered some things above my knowledge I was told the pickup had gone on my P2. Sent it to beedspeed and it was tested and confirmed and returned with a new pickup. Back then i never looked at the make just put it on and used it. Not so long ago the rivets went on the stator and basically destroyed itself. When i stripped it i noted it was a steelbird brand pick up. I am aware of steelbird (indian) for lambretta parts but never pickups. Man it did some miles and outlasted the stator. I wish I had a bag full of them.
It shows that before we got embrolled in italian/k2/bgm pickup issues we were alright and failures were defiantly less. (Although maybe there were less electronic kits in use back then)
The first indian electronic genuine SIL kits that appeared after the demise of the af/ducati item (that we all used) supplied exclusively by SR were spot on and they included an Indian cdi and regulator. The issue seems to have arrived when the flooding of the market for the demand happened when scootering (unfortunately !) Became fashionable again and the rise of eBay. I never remember discussing stator plate failures (pickup and lt failures) like we do now.

[olliewtf]

Haha!
http://www.lambretta.co.uk/shop/electro ... p-940.html

Cheers adam solid recommendation.

I may choose to replace it anyhow, and then i can use the k2 as a spare that may or may not be slightly defective.
Higher reading would be cool anyway, would love a pickup that reads above 100, can maybe start worrying less about flooding cause the feckker dont want to bite!