New project, could use some tips - V5X3T

[s1382]

Just picked up a '95 V5X3T 50cc from my neighbor and am looking forward to fixing it up.

The first issue is rust inside the tank. Doesn't look like its gone through and the tank sounds solid, no leaks. What's best? Kreem? Fiberglass resin? For the price of Kreem I could almost get a new tank.

Next they had tried a Polini 70 cc cylinder and found it wasn't pulling. The cylinder came with the scoot in a bag. What else should I do to get that Polini working? New carb? Bigger jets? New exhaust pipes.

Lastley the seat is torn up but the foam is good. Anybody have any tips as to where I can get a seat cover?

The body looks relatively rust free. Its been standing on cement With cover for the past 3 years.

Please let me know about any good shops that might send to Norway. The biggest problem is usually freight charge.

Cheers,

Roy

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[henri]

right a pk50xl electric start is what that pre-fix tells me on "scooterhelp.com" ,
dont know kreem as a sealant , in england the most common is called tapox ,whichever sealant you choose it has to be ethanol resistant so glass resin is out ,ethanol will eat it n deposit it in ya carb ,
the polini not pulling is prob down to the primary gear ratios on a 50cc , if memory serves its a 15/60 with a 4 to 1 ratio,thats 15 teeth on the cog on crank an 60 on the clutch basket , beedspeed have a gear ratio chart on there website that shows the ratio's an alternatives ,1 thing tho the piaggio ones are bevel cut an polini n other alternatives are straight cut gears ,so you cant mix n match an straight cut are noisy too.
which carb is it on at moment , an which pipe , as to get what you can out of the polini kit it needs to be matched to the cases an run on a non-stock type pipe ,
for a seat cover on a smallframe ive been recommended ricambi in italy ,bout 35 euros i think ,but a whole new seat an postage to england was 55 euros for a mate recently an it was good quality , an if they wont post to norway there stuff can be got through sip, who have a flat rate 4.5 euros upto 15kg all over europe , an for anything else "smallie" sip's ya best shop ,
for more info/tuning tips n general smallframe stuff try the "vespasmallframe forum" , but beware there all dremel-happy tuning nuts over there,but a good bunch of lads an friendly .H

[s1382]

Thanks, I'll check those tips. BTW I don't think this an electra start, just a regular PK50XL.

[henri]

sorry, thats what the scooterhelp.com spat out for that pre-fix ,but its not 100% right , prob if you look up the outside of cases up by cdi/lectronic ignition blue box you'll find the casting for a starter motor just not machined/tapped to take 1 , i think more came like that than with lectric start.
ive a spanish 125 super an a v100 smallframe but also have 2 pk 50cc engines , there a "short stroke" so can only go upto 102cc ,but will take a 125 crank an go upto 135cc an bout 15bhp with loads of tuning , thats the plan for 1 off my pk50 engines . aswell as above the sip forum is a good source of smallframe info, H

[bryno]

Not a fan of tank sealers personally, not convinced it can work long term with the Vespa having an internal nut for the tank tap don't see how that can not damage the sealer when you tighten it down which will cause fuel to creep under..

Anyway, I just put some gravel in the tank, shake the heck out of it and it comes up like new, or add some water/acid mix if the rust is bad. Once its rust free again it will stay that way for a long time.

Enjoy the project!

[s1382]

Talked to a Vespa shop today.The guy was informative and had a lot of knowledge about this model. He pointed out that no electric start ever came to Norway. And mine is a PK50 XL2, specifically with respect to the shifting cable.

He was good enough to point out that I can save money by ordering replacement parts on the net.  Very seldom you'll hear that from a dealer.

I've seen a few posts about electrolyzing the tank to kill the rust. I think I'll try that.

I'll post as the process continues.

[henri]

a xl2 is one of the rarer pk's over here ,an they where used in racing alot ,seriously tunable ,but do have a clutch side seal failure problem when tuned ,
that dealer seems a good guy ,a "keeper" , cheap bits from the net are good but dont replace a good relationship with local dealer ,you dont always want to wait on post for little/simple stuff like a plug, an the chats/advise are priceless if he's a good one.
i remembered another shop you might want to check out , its "soul scooters" in malmo in sweden ,ive only seen there stuff on the net but looks ok ,i havent been able to convince my friend who visits oslo to go have a look,yet,
an theres loads of dodges/methods for clearing rust , cillit-bang is atrade name for a household cleaner over here that can be used ,it leaves steel purple ,or limescale remover for bathrooms,or molasses ,potatoes ,the last 2 takes weeks n stink but do work, whichever you use it must be well flushed away afterwards an consider fitting a in-line filter to keep crap out of carb , H

[kru251]

If the tank just has surface rust but is solid otherwise I'd use cheap ball bearings from a pushbike shop to put into the tank and swill around/shake vigorously with some fuel. Tip out and re-do with clean fuel etc. I have used that several times on old agricultural stationary engine tanks from the 1950/60's to great effect. I personally would use the cheaper alternative of gravel as tiny shards can come off and are less easy to removed the tiny bits/sand; doesn't happen to ball bearings!
Could you not get a cheap seat cover for a PX from eBay and re-fit it and cut it down to the PK? We did this recently to a friends PK125. Looks good.

[henri]

you can use a handful of nuts an bolts aswell as kru's bearing suggestion , ive seen car tanks tied to cement mixers an given this treatment , depending on the size of the door a vespa tank wrapped in a old duvet an stuck in a tumble dryer for ten minutes will get rid of loose rust an scale ,
an i'm guessing you will be laying the scooter up in winter in norway , if you fill the tank up first an add petrol conditioner you wont get any condensation/rust coming back .H

[s1382]

Thanks for all the good advice. I'll try to clean it. Actually this is my winter project. I drive Honda Transalp during the winter months.

With studded tires to be sure...

[henri]

hardcore ,am loving it, always wanted a go at ice-racing ,6 guys a oval ice track n tyres with 20mm spikes stickin out , pure mental adrenalin rush, H