Scooterotica

i am looking to buy my first lambretta and i have a scooter in mind but i wanted to ask a few questions to people who know more than i before i get my self into trouble.

i found a individual selling a tv175 frame with a Sx200 engine. was this a normal occurrence? the frame serial number matches what year the individual says it is i believe, 175TV350xxx making it a 64? but like i said the engine is stamped sx200553xxx.

if you can give me any advice i would greatly appreciate it.

"Whats normal then?" as per "that" film......

The frame is indeed a TV175 S3 but the engine has been replaced with, what appears to be, a Spanish SX200 one. This is quite a common occurence over the years (the SX200 engine is possibly worth more than a TV175S3 engine BTW).

If you are unsure as to what you are looking at, then PLEASE PLEASE take someone with you who does know, prior to parting with any cash- If you're near me (Bristol) I'll go with you.

Chris

P.S. just noticed you are in CA. If you want to fly me out no problem!! - I turn left at the top of the Airbridge BTW!!!)

Over here in Blighty we have a bit of a problem with sh*theaps coming in from the far-east (typically Vietnam) Watch out for them, i expect they find their way to the USA too.

Not to distract from this wonderful forum, but have you looked at the Lambretta Club USA site? There are plenty of Lambretta enthusiasts on ythis side of the pond, and actually a bunch in So. Cal. Free forum and good technical advice. www.lambretta.org

Yo Josh..

I'm in San Diego, Cali. Out in Lakeside actually, but I'll drive anywhere to look at lambrettas.

So if no one has stepped up to help, PM me and I'll help get you sorted in the right direction. Lambrettas sell pretty fast in this town, so hopefully it's not sold.

Chris

Little update of the bike I asked questions about and ended up purchasing. About 3 days ago I was riding home and lost compression, which lead to me pushing it a mile and a half home. Today was the first day I could take a crash course in working on a lambretta, and here is what I found. I hope you enjoy!

Found this little dead f@@ker in my air box, which gave my girlfriend and I a good laugh.


The culprit for my loss of compression! Its the third piston I have holed since I started riding scooters ....


After finding the holed piston I decided to take all the panels off, strip the paint and re paint them for kicks haha.

had a few look like that over the yrs mate, check your timing and mixture, what was the plug colour like before and after it went bang!

dont blame the bug....blame global warming

Take it to Barry SFSC, he'll get you straight. or, any of the other LCUSA members in Frisco for that matter.

3rd Piston, 1st Lambretta death, do we need to talk about oil and mixture or do you just thrash them till they die, Little less throttle and learn to listen to the sound they make just before they pop.
Glad to see the air filter kept the critter out, it could have blocked your exhaust...