This Belladonna scooter has been in the wars and was purchased because of its pedigree and I liked the rough and ready look of it. Also the location was handy when planning scooter trips up north. The original 150 engine in it had been modified and the scooter could get along at 120kms on the […]
Douglas Vespa Wideframe project 2 This Douglas Wideframe scooter came from a local man in Invercargill. It might be worth “doing up” or just reassembling it and getting it going or maybe even selling it as is. Good Points: Body in good condition and complete with little surface rust. Less good but no big deal points: Motor […]
1958 Douglas 92L2 update 5 Recently I discovered how the Douglas scooters were numbered. I had been told the scooter was a 42L2 but after some internet searching and comparing serial numbers with known scooters, I was able to figure out a rough guide as to the dating of the scooters. My serial […]
1979 Honda XL500S – Tyres The original tyres that came on the CBR600 rims, I have used for this project, were in poor condition. Once the bike was up and running enough to get a basic tune done, the old tyres were going to be replaced anyway. The rear tyre was huge compared with the […]
1979 Honda XL500S – Front Guard As the project has evolved, the stripped down look is fine but a little impractical, when living in an area, where inclement weather can happen at anytime. I have seen a lot of other similar projects without mudguards and have always wondered what they would be like to actually […]
Vespa SS180 stator replacement I upgraded the original points ignition system on the SS180 quite some time ago but havn’t made too many changes to it since then. The lighting has been great and other than a pickup failing, the rest has worked very well. It was one of the hottest days we have had […]
1979 Honda XL500S – Exhaust baffle Now that the bike has a running engine I have been concentrating on tuning it and riding it around to see how it handles. The first issue is that it is loud – very loud. Personally, I think it sounds awesome in a 500cc single, straight pipe sort of […]
1979 Honda XL500S – Hard to Start Checking the wiring has been straight forward but without a running engine this project has taken a little longer than expected. I did manage to get it started once but since then it’s only been good exercise for my right leg. The first issue I found was the […]
1979 Honda XL500S – LED lighting The Honda has had quite a lot done to it over the last 10 months and the wiring has changed a little bit along with a few other things. Because it is kickstart only and doesn’t have a battery this has been a bit of a pain to get […]
Bullseye the Vespa SS90 So I got a ring from a guy that was selling a Vespa SS90. He was looking for a good home for his scooter and after talking to him for a bit and some emails back and forth I realised that he was actually a serious seller. We eventually settled on […]
Reachies Belladonna Scooter Recently a Belladonna scooter was advertised for sale in Auckland Black Bella 2003 – 172 QUATTRINI M1X MilleMiglia plus 60mm Mazzucchelli full circle Crankshaft. More or less 182cc – All engine work undertaken by professional technicians. – Quality bearings and seals – Mikuni TM32 flat slide carburettor – Quattrini V Reed and […]
1979 Honda XL500S – 12 Volt lighting The wiring for this project has always been a bit of a concern and mainly because it’s not something I have done much of, on a motorcycle. Vespa scooter wiring, while fiddly, is pretty basic and you either have a battery or you don’t depending on what model […]
Bajaj scooter – Moto 2019 Things have been a bit slow on the scooter front over the last year with one thing and another. The MotoTT 2019 is fast approaching and the Bajaj is getting some much needed love for the event. The last time out, on this event in 2017, the scooter started spitting […]
1979 Honda XL500S – Tank 2 The petrol tank is one of the things I have spent the most time on over this entire project. After trying 3 tanks I decided on one that came off a 70’s Honda bike. I’m not exactly sure which model it is off but it looks good on the […]
1979 Honda XL500S – Brakes 2 All of the brake caliper rebuild kits and new brake pads finally turned up and I have installed them and touched up the paint on the calipers. The brake pads were all in pretty bad condition and the new ones look good and should work 100% better. I […]
1979 Honda XL500S – Brakes 1 The CBR600 donor bike had been sitting for a long time and the front disc brakes were seized solid, so I will have to get some caliper kits and new brake pads all round. The brake lines have all been replaced with new braided ones because the original ones didn’t fit […]
1979 Honda XL500S – Fabrication Other than building the seat base, the exhaust system and fittings there hasn’t been too much “fabrication” to do on this bike so far. There are a couple of things that do need sorted out, other than the electrical system, wheels, brakes, etc, etc; Handlebars, switches and cables Headlight and […]
1979 Honda XL500S – Custom Exhaust The exhaust has been one of the hardest things to figure out for this first time fabricator. The original XL500s bike I had many years ago had a huge lump of a steel muffler that ran through the frame to the right of the rear wheel. The original muffler […]
1979 Honda XL500S – Seat The engine now runs and the CB tank is mounted at the front but not the rear. The look I’m trying to achieve is having the bottom of the tank continue on into the bottom of the seat, however with this frame, it won’t be as simple as say a […]
1979 Honda XL500S – Frame 2 While sorting out the tank the seat has now become the next main focus because of where the rear of the tank will mount. There are plenty of cafe racer style seats available online, at reasonable cost but they might not necessarily fit. Some have the seat dimensions and […]