When Herbert came to drop off his 88, I was particularly impressed by its overall condition.
In excellent shape, it nevertheless had a bad heart, as it was dragging and balking at hills!
It's true that, even if it looks new, a moped that's 30-40 years old has been extensively used, kilometers have accumulated, and most importantly, the rubber parts have deteriorated!
So the crankshaft oil seals, engine gaskets, silent blocks, the belt—everything slowly dried out, causing significant air leaks or untimely vibrations.
"88" is therefore going under the knife!
and its "lung" was removed
for a complete disassembly on the workbench:
Besides the engine, a bit of cosmetic work will be needed: fork gaiters, tires...
but also a thorough overhaul of the cycle parts: excessive play in the fork, play in the handlebars, non-existent lubrication, etc., etc...
This second part focuses on rejuvenating the cycle part with a few important details to ensure a good ride.
Moreover, this moped will be a "show beast" as it is the "emblem" of a band... so it needs to "rock" like a star.
So, we disassemble, clean, and replace the fork gaiters... and, of course, re-grease the entire fork...
we install new boots on the front, after fixing the speedometer issue and redoing the brakes:
To accommodate the engine, new silent blocks must also be installed on the frame; the rubber cracks over the years, and the engine vibrates and even ends up "crooked," causing poor performance and rapid belt wear:
After the front, don't forget the rear wheel: cleaning, greasing, new brakes, and of course a tire!
While we're at it, sandblasting and painting the lower suspension parts to give them a facelift.
Polishing the aluminum suspension parts and toolboxes is also a plus!
Finally, new NOS logos to replace the old ones, broken in places... the finishing touch!
Everything is then polished, the stainless steel stripped and polished... end of this cycle part.
Now we have plenty of time to move on to the engine!
After removing the engine from the frame,
It must be completely disassembled, carefully so as not to break anything or lose anything.
Then, since everything is quite "grimy," we're going to clean the parts one by one in the ultrasonic cleaner.
Once clean, each part is examined and sorted according to its wear or lack thereof. This allows for an initial diagnosis of the engine's condition and thus its functioning.
In the case at hand, several things were noted:
the crankshaft oil seals were quite "dry". After about thirty years, this is completely normal for a two-stroke engine. But it also causes leaks in the lower engine, which naturally reduces performance.
Despite low mileage, the clutch linings were quite worn. This indicates a moped that experienced many stops/starts (urban riding?) or was ridden in a country with a fair number of steep hills.
The clutch flywheel was also warped (a fall?), which unfortunately requires changing the entire part. Indeed, the rotation of this assembly causes an undesirable "imbalance" at the end of the crankshaft.
For the good surprises:
the top end was in very good condition; a simple honing and a pair of new piston rings should give this engine a "boost,"
the ignition plate and the flywheel were... new. Adjusting the ignition, an electronic background, and a good break-in of the ignition cam make all this viable
the exhaust was well de-restricted... you can hear it quite well in the video...
The clean parts are then glass-beaded and varnished so that the engine retains its "shine" longer. The varnish also makes it easier to clean the engine, as grease adheres less. After a few hours of work, we achieve this:
All studs are disassembled and reassembled with waterproof adhesive, especially those of the ignition that open into the lower crankcase.
New oil seals are carefully refitted to avoid cutting or bending them:
And the bearings reassembled on the crankshaft... always use quality bearings. Naturally, the crankshaft's play and its "runout" were checked before reassembly.
The engine is then fully reassembled and reinstalled on the frame for the first static tests.
With the static tests conclusive, the remaining covers are mounted before the road test, the final stage of our restoration.
This test will happen... as soon as it stops raining, it would be a shame to get it dirty 🙂
Once the test is done and, undoubtedly, the final refinements are complete, Mrs. "88" will be ready to resume service!
For your viewing... and listening pleasure, here is a "static engine" video at the "bottom of the page."