New old style license plate

I acquired an original style license plate for Regine a long time ago, but haven't got round to do anything about it before recently. I found out that the license plate is just a  bit too small to allow use of the 4 original holes. Drilling new holes is out of the question. So I could either order a new plate or be creative.

At World Vespa Days in Gjøvik I got hold of a chrome license plate frame that hopefully would fix this situation. And right; the license plate fits inside with only a tiny modification.

Now I just need new nuts & bolts, and we're ready to roll.

Spare brake drum overhaul

A spare 180SS brakedrum was acquired from Ebay some time ago. The kingpins on this drum are original, and shows only some minor, insignificant wear. The drum was sandblasted and primed with sink rich primer.

The part will most probably find its way onto Regine during a future, complete overhaul. 

Some time in the future, when some of the other scooters are working... 

Guess who had to walk an old lady home today...

It finally happened. Regine turned on me. Guess who had to walk her home from work today...

Already at work I had a good guess what it could be; the "modified" coil had been neglected for some time. And right, the cable coming up from the coil was loose. 

Only one thing to do: Try to repair. Off with the screws, cut off the stripped cables coming through the Bakelite.

OK. So I get the picture now. The coil has been "fixed" at some point, and the only way to get cables through the tiny holes was to strip them. Wet stuff: WD40. 

My fix: Unsoldier old stripped cables, replace with new.

 But unlike the other fix I soldiered the cables on to the hole; the way I think it is original. 

Backdraw now: If I am to open the coil again, I would need to desoldier the cables. On the positive side: Water will not penetrate, and I would assume the coil is less prone for vibrations. 

Now: Did the fix work? I think the picture speaks for itself. 

Degreasing and status

Regine has worked perfectly most of the time I've had her, but the low kick is really annoying. Lately the kickstart has started to fail as well, sending the kickstart in the ground with some crunch noises from the gearbox. The gears definitively need some shimming soon. 

With the new Rally in house, I can compare the two bikes, and I must say I find the 180SS a bit on the slow side. I would think the cylinder compression is a bit on the low side, so an engine rebuild might be necessary -   but only after I've got license plates on the Rally. 

Anyway, weather in the weekend was flawless, and I was able to degrease and wash both Regine and the Rally. Here is the result.

The 180SS paint is crackelated and tanned. Mudguard has been repainted.

Good chassis though, the rims where resprayed yesteryear. 

1966 vs 1975. 

Same chassis, different appearances... 

But both are stunningly beautiful in their own way...