Scooterotica

thanks for the replies. the rake on the forks appears normal. when you say bent backwards Martin i assume you mean through a collision which would leave stress marks in the metal? they look unscathed. all top hats were removed before blasting.
i have a spare stand i will get lengthened and sprayed, till then i will have to endure the ridicule when parked up
this bike's got more donors than Frankenstein and nothing has been straight forward fit. just want to get it on the road now and rag the ass out of it 'till the bolts rattle out of it's neck!

Have you changed your tyres? What brand/size are you using?

Hi Mike yes i'm running 3.5 x 10 Schwalbe racemans on mk3 scootrs tubeless rims.tubeless spinner etc.. same as you i believe
you encountered similar issues?
sorry to the moderators for this wandering thread
Simon

It was just a thought, mine is slightly higher but still okay. Possibly the combination of the new fork set up and tyres has raised yours, but that does seem a lot

Knowledge wrote:Hmm. If the forks have been bent backwards, you might have this problem, but I guess you didn't want to hear that, did you?

If it wasn't a Spanish frame, I'd have blamed the stand bracket and the frame cross-member, but them Spaniards make the best Lambretta frames, so that's unlikely to be the cause.

Hi there Martin, lets think about it for a second, appreciate your comments on Spanish frames, but it is a series III frame indee, known to have the weakest Lambretta cross members on earth.. Wouldn't it be a possibility that the cross member is faulty?

Best,

J.

The cross member that holds the stand is prone to stretching and splitting around the holes that take the M8 bolts (The ones that secure the stand "J" brackets and the splash plate). It is not uncommon to have two or three splits eminating from the hole and distortion. This is caused by starting the scooter whilst on the stand, though the thin metal and lack of stress-relievers (like the big rectangular washers that the Spanish weld-in) do contribute to the problem.

The cross member is inadequately welded to the main tube, and splits and bends can also contribute to the wonky stand issues.

I am afraid there is no option but to strip the bodywork and get in with the welder. I start every restoration on this bracket - if the scooter is Italian, it will need welding.

Knowledge wrote:The cross member that holds the stand is prone to stretching and splitting around the holes that take the M8 bolts (The ones that secure the stand "J" brackets and the splash plate). It is not uncommon to have two or three splits eminating from the hole and distortion. This is caused by starting the scooter whilst on the stand, though the thin metal and lack of stress-relievers (like the big rectangular washers that the Spanish weld-in) do contribute to the problem.

The cross member is inadequately welded to the main tube, and splits and bends can also contribute to the wonky stand issues.

I am afraid there is no option but to strip the bodywork and get in with the welder. I start every restoration on this bracket - if the scooter is Italian, it will need welding.

Now you have me speechless dear friend.. Very good observations you made. You agree with me that cross members on series III are the pits. Why I have never had trouble with Series II cross members. They are just tough as they get.

J.