Round Trip Malaysia - Proposed 27th Dec 2013 to 1st Jan 2014

  Has been planning this for some time, it might not looks challenging but I am planning to do it on my underbone, aka 'kup chai'. This is the reason that why it needs a few days time. By the way, this ride is open to any of you guys to join, foreigners, locals, whatever, if you are planning a riding trip to Malaysia or plan to rent a motorcycle and ride with us, you are most welcome, schedule may be discussed depends on participants. Ride the way........

My First Ride On  LX150

  Vespa, a brand with over 60 years of experience in manufacturing scooter. Vespa simply means bee in Italian. Never ridden a Vespa before, it remains a mystery to me. Starting year 2006, Vespa has done some major updated on many of its scooter model, one of the Modern Vespa model is thus the LX150, LX is the Roman numeral for  60,  marking the sixtieth anniversary of the first Vespa scooter in 1946. Sharing the same frame with LX50, the LX150 feature a 150cc engine which is more than enough for day to day usage.

  As a first timer on the LX150, the feeling of getting on Vespa is a little weird, to be honest, I do not like it very much at first sight, except the striking colors. Most people will not like it before putting more time of getting along with the Vespa culture.

  With a 150cc engine onboard, this little thing can be pretty fast for its size, especially with a single rider. I was able to overtook a handsome amount of vehicle on Karak Highway while en-route to Chamang Waterfall, Bentong. It did not slow down too much while climbing uphill, the CVT just keep the engine output in a nice and smooth manner. With a wet weight of not more than 100KG, this light weight machine really ‘dance like a butterfly and sting like a bee’. Unless you are attempting a sport bike cornering, it is still pretty stable at a speed of slightly more than 100KM/H. Riding in traffic is a complete joy for a scooter and the Vespa is so agile to navigate in heavy city traffic, what I have to do is to control the brakes and throttle, no funky gear changing stuff needed.  Fuel consumption of this little machine is pretty good and I am able to get a 30KM/Litre average fuel consumption throughout my ride.

 

 It is so much joy on the Vespa compare with other scooter. You just look different and there are always someone looking at you with amazement either on the road or traffic light. There are so much to share on the Vespa due to the long ago culture that develops with time. Vespa is a breed of its own, it is different form the others, the antique look but polished with a modern design, no matter where you bring it, to a gathering, to a ride, or even to an auto even, the Vespa itself is already a show, a fashion.  One can always looks good on a Vespa, and he or she might be a public attraction all the time.

  

  The experience with the LX150 is excellent and at the end of the day, I do have a rush in my head to get one for myself. With a price tag below RM9000, the LX150 consider to be a very good buy for those old or new scooter enthusiasts.  Keep in mind that it was very expensive for a Vespa in the old days; it always cost a fortune to own one. As a conclusion, buying a Vespa is not as simply as buying a scooter, but the culture and most importantly, lifestyle.

ER6n -09 Stator Coil, Brake Pads replacement

Recently having my bike having a weak battery after rides, after check the charging system with a multimeter according to manual procedure, it is obvious that the stator coil is defective. The charging system on automotive consist of two section, the stator coil which is part of the generator assembly which generate electricity and the rectifier which convert the high AC voltage out put from generator to DC voltage.

Basically how we know when out charging system is defective is by first detect the charging voltage with bike running and extra accessories off.

Normal bikes will have a charging voltage of around 14 DCV when slightly rev up and around the battery voltage (most battery have a voltage of 12.7 V when fully charged) when idealing.

If you are not getting the figure, unplug the stator socket, run the bike on battery power and test the AC voltage, a normal stator will have a AC voltage of 30-50 DCV when rev up to mid range which is around 4k or 5k RPM according to bike manual. If the DCV is a lot lower it means that your stator is showing a problem. There is also a possibility of rectifier problem when running the bike on charging voltage but most of the time when a rectifier fail, the unit will instead burnt off and you will know immediately, your machine will dead when the battery drain. Most people are having Stator Coil replacement because unlike car alternator unit which is outside the engine, bikes' alternator have to integrate to the engine and result in a less effective cooling.

Locate your alternator location and remove the stator socket

Unscrew the stator coil cover and remove the cover from the engine housing
Unscrew the 3 bolts on the stator cover and remove the old stator, do remove the wire lead cover also.

Replace the stator coil with a new unit, in my case I use a after market stator from Ricks Motorsport Electronics USA.

After fasten the stator coil, do not forget to apply engine gasket sealent at the stator coil wire lead area.

 Before putting on new gasket at the engine cover, make sure the two points where up and down engine housing meets are applied with engine gasket dressing. Walla your stator change is done. Connect the stator socket and check is the charging system well functioned.

Brake Pads Replacement

It is very easy to do your own brake pads replacement, in fact it is the easiest self maintenance to do.

First, replace unscrew the 12mm bolts which hold the brake calipers

 

Then use a screw driver to applied pressure to the pads so that the extra spaces make your insert easier.

Remember to remove the pin at the back of the calipers so that you can remove the rod which lock them up.

Replace the brake pads back and insert it in a reverse sequence, walla, you got your new sets of brake pads.

New brake pads, you can see the significant thinkness

Old brake pads, almost worn out