Vespa LX50 4V Spark Plug Trick <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This is a Vespa LX50. Both the 2-valve and 4-valve versions are dreadfully slow, but they look cool, and they’re great for putting around town at speeds under 35mph. The owner of this particular scoot remarked that he was pretty sure a child could simply put their arm out and stop him from taking off on it if they really wanted to, which I thought was funny. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can tell it has a 4-valve engine by the badging on the rear panel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I put new tires on this bike and gave it a tune-up. A basic tune-up includes an oil change, new or cleaned air filter, and a new spark plug. Note that a tune-up is not what a bike needs if it doesn’t start and run. If your bike won’t start, idle, and accelerate, it needs more than a tune-up. A tune-up is a series of maintenance items packaged into a service. A bike that doesn’t start, idle, and accelerate is in need of repairs. I love when people tell me their machine hasn’t run in 5+ years, and “all it needs is just a tune-up,<\/em>” as though repairing the machine is going to be fast, easy, and cheap. Nothing could be further from the truth! <\/p>\n\n\n\n The hardest part about doing a tune-up on one of these 4-valve Vespas, arguably, is removing the tiny, 13mm spark plug and installing a new one. Removing the air filter is also kind of a pain, depending on how the fasteners have been oriented by the mechanics who worked on it previously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by making sure the engine is COLD! We don’t want to damage the aluminum threads on the cylinder head, or we’re in for a world of hurt. After removing the spark plug boot, use a 13mm THIN WALL 1\/4″ drive socket to crack the plug loose. Go in from the front through the opening created after you remove the plastic cover from the front of the engine compartment. Now fit a piece of 1\/4″ ID fuel line over the plug. Note that you will have to do all of this by feel because you can’t see the plug while you’re working on it. Use your hands as eyes and slip the 1\/4″ ID fuel line over the end of the plug. Now spin it counter clockwise until it comes out. It should look something like this when it comes out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly, but I’m going to drop some hints. Use your fingers as eyes again to find where the hole for the spark plug is inside the plastic shroud, on the cylinder head. Note its orientation. Apply some anti-seize compound to the plug’s threads, so it will go in and come back out easily when the time comes. Spin the new plug all the way in until you feel it stop. Use your 13mm THIN WALL 1\/4″ drive socket to tighten the plug all the way. The goal with tightening the plug is to CRUSH THE WASHER on the plug against the mating surface on the cylinder head. You should feel the plug tighten up significantly once the washer is crushed. After you crush the washer, stop applying torque through your 1\/4″ drive ratchet. Lastly, fit the spark plug boot back on to the spark plug. You’re done!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s a pic comparing a 2V plug (CR8EB) with the 4-valve plug (ER9EH). As you can see, the 4-valve plug is TINY. It’s difficult to work with given its small size and how tightly, with very little clearance, it’s crammed into the engine. Also note the UNCRUSHED WASHER on the larger, new plug compared to the crushed washer on the old plug on the left. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I keep spark plugs, air filters, oil filters, drain bolt o-rings, and other maintenance parts for most Vespas in stock in my van. I work on them all the time. Anything I don’t have, I can get. It just takes time. If your Vespa needs maintenance or repair in Denver or Colorado Springs, feel free to book online<\/a> or give me a call at (720) 634-6935. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I haven’t seen one of these in years, so I was surprised when this customer reached out saying she had one that didn’t run, that was in need of repairs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s the bike that inspired a million or five Chinese copies that use the 4-stroke QMB139 AKA 49cc GY6 engine. The difference between one of these Chinese copies and a real Kymco Cobra is the Kymco is powered by a much more powerful 49cc 2-stroke engine, the same engine that powers the much more common Kymco People 50. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the more unique attributes of the Kymco Cobra is the plastic cage surrounding the headlamp assembly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This one needed a battery, a carburetor cleaning, and a tune-up. I keep the odd BR8HSA plug that these Kymcos use in stock in my van. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Certain parts for these are becoming harder and harder, if not impossible, to find. They’re old. What happens to older machines, especially at the 15-year mark since the last one rolled off the line, is parts become difficult or impossible to source, making certain repairs difficult or impossible. In the case of older Kymcos, parts like the stator and CDI box are largely unavailable. Sure there are eBay and Amazon listings that CLAIM TO FIT, but it’s been my experience that many of these cheap, non-OEM alternatives simply don’t fit or don’t work once installed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you own one of these machines, it will cost you my minimum to find out what’s wrong with it and whether or not it can be repaired. My minimum is $132. I do not offer free estimates; no mechanic on the planet offers free estimates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This turned out to be more of a long term project. On first inspection, the bike presented well. It looked nice. Nice plastics, not crashed, sitting in the corner of the owner’s garage for many, many years. The first thing I look at with a bike like this is the interior condition of the fuel tank. I pop the gas cap and point a flash light inside. This fuel tank was completely roached. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There’s no good way to clean extensive rust and corrosion from the the inside of a motorcycle’s fuel tank, at least not with the tools and supplies I carry in my van. Done properly it’s an industrial process involving gallons and gallons of high-molarity acids. It’s dangerous, and I still haven’t found anyone locally who is capable of doing it properly without also ruining the paint on the tank’s exterior. The “right thing to do” when this happens is to replace the fuel tank. Fuel tanks are expensive and difficult to source. I told the owner to set up some eBay alerts and keep his eyes peeled for a usable fuel tank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out the bottom of the tank, where the fuel pump attaches. That’s A LOT of rust, too much for a new fuel pump with a new filter to deal with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A few months went by, and I was starting to think the owner of this machine had moved on. Then I got a text with an eBay link to a potentially good fuel tank. The bike’s owner wanted to know if it looked like a good tank. The color didn’t match the gloss black of the original tank, but the dark grey did match the bike’s seat and matte black plastics. More importantly, the tank he found on eBay was largely dent free and completely rust free, which is a rarity. I told him game on, order it, and let me know when it gets here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He also ordered a new fuel pump and injectors. This is the fuel pump I pulled out of the old tank. It too was completely roached by rust particles and corrosion and needed to be replaced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I drained the “fuel” out of the old tank and told the bike’s owner to let it air out and then throw it in the trash along with the old fuel pump. I cleaned up his gas cap assembly and installed that on the eBay tank. I installed the new fuel pump into the used tank from eBay before installing the fuel tank assembly on the bike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before attempting to start the bike, I checked the coolant and oil. The bike sputtered to life after many years of sitting. I let it warm up to operating temp while I checked and aired up the tires, checked all of the lights, adjusted the mirrors, and fit the remaining plastic panels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It found a nice idle after a few minutes and warmed up fine. Once warm, I took it for a 10-mile ride around the neighborhood AKA an “Italian tune-up” to make sure the injectors were as clean as they could be without removing them. Not only did it start and idle nicely, it also accelerated all the way to redline without so much as a hiccup in both first and second gears. Job done! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite having less than 800 total miles on the odometer, this bike needed extensive repairs, a new fuel tank and pump, and testing to run again. Low mileage is no indication of how “easy” a bike will be to fix. Time takes its toll as well. In this case, the availability of a dent and rust-free fuel tank was the major bottleneck preventing me from completing the repairs quickly. The entire process took months, but luckily the owner was patient and kept his eyes peeled for a good fuel tank. It all worked out in the end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Had the owner wanted the bike fixed “ASAP” he could have sourced a NEW fuel tank from Kawasaki. A new fuel tank from Kawasaki for one of these bikes goes for ~$1000 plus tax and shipping. Used tanks are much more affordable when they can be found. All it takes is patience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I work on A LOT of Honda Ruckuses and Metropolitans. All Ruckuses and some (2011 and earlier) Metropolitans share the same engine, a 49cc carbureted Honda “GET” engine. I’ve started keeping a fresh, ultrasonically cleaned OEM carburetor with a new choke mechanism in stock in my van for these bikes, making it more likely that I can perform the repairs in one trip. I also stock maintenance items like intake manifolds, choke mechanisms AKA bystarters, valve shims, batteries, air filters, and spark plugs for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These bikes are extremely well built and very hardy when properly cared for. When left to sit for extended periods of time, the carburetor gums up and the fuel pump breaks. These bikes use an electronic, pulse-width modulated fuel pump to carry fuel from the fuel tank mounted in the floorboard to the carburetor mounted on the engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The “GET” engine is liquid cooled. The cylinder is built into the upper part of the engine cases, which means a big cylinder kit is difficult and expensive to install, and there’s no good way to make them much faster without spending a lot of time and money. The engine needs to be completely disassembled and the cylinder sent out for boring and new plating before a big piston can be installed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The starter mechanism is very unique in the world of scooters. Instead of using a separate starter motor, the stator assembly functions as a starter mechanism when called upon to start the bike. Crazy! Honda really over-engineered these bikes. It’s as though they were trying to show what they were capable of, even on a machine as diminutive as a scooter. I would argue these bikes have more in common with a CBR600RR in term of the engineering applied than they do with any other 49cc scooter in existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This bike came together easily enough. After installing a new battery, a fresh, OEM carburetor, and diluting the old fuel with fresh 91 octane, it started and ran but with a loud screeching noise coming from under the transmission cover. I pulled the transmission cover off of the bike and inspected the transmission. The variator nut was loose, and there were a bunch of poorly chosen aftermarket parts installed inside the transmission. The contra spring on the clutch was so stiff I could barely compress the clutch mechanism using my bare hands. It had a Malossi variator and an oversized belt installed. After reassembling everything properly, I just hoped it would accelerate somewhat like a stock Ruckus does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And it did! Though it only topped out at about 32 miles an hour, it got there fairly quickly. I let the owner know it would probably be faster with the stock parts reinstalled in place of the aftermarket stuff. She said it was fine the way it was and she was happy to have it running again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These bikes cost a little more to repair than many scooters on account of the fact that nearly all of the bodywork has to come off in order to get to the engine. Although I can do this quickly and easily without losing or breaking any parts, it’s not uncommon for me to find them with a bunch of missing bodywork fasteners from people and mechanics trying to work on them in the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This Vino needed a new intake manifold, a carburetor cleaning, a new battery, and its fuel diluted with fresh 91 octane. I try to keep the intake manifolds in stock in my van, but I work on them so infrequently it’s hard to justify keeping too many spare intake manifolds around. I buy them 2 or 3 at a time and when I run out I wait for the next person who needs one to order more. It often takes months or years before someone else reaches out to me with one of these bikes. I wouldn’t call them “rare” but many of them haven’t survived their various owners over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, they’re good little scoots if you can find a nice one! Parts are still widely available, they’re fast for a scooter, and they’re easy to handle for smaller-sized people. The engine is very similar but not exactly the same as the 2-stroke engine found in the Yamaha Zuma 2T, a variation of the venerable Minarelli horizontal engine, which I stock most maintenance items for in my van. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I often say I can work on anything, but I only want to work on your scooters and motorcycles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I do all of my own vehicle maintenance. I do all of my own vehicle repairs. I installed a new engine in my work van 80,000 miles ago a few years ago all by myself. I swapped a FWD manual transmission into my formerly-automatic, formerly-AWD station wagon after the viscous coupler broke and took out the transfer case. Although I could find used transfer cases for it, I couldn’t source a used, working viscous coupler for it. My only other option was to have a new viscous coupler custom-made at great expense. The wagon’s valuation did not justify this expense, so I bought a wrecked parts car and turned my wagon into a 2WD, manual transmission car. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All this to say I might actually know what I’m doing and how to solve mechanical problems in the most economically feasible ways possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I also work on my own bicycle. I built my bike from the frame up ~17 years ago and have put many thousands of miles on it since then. I love this thing! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here I am counting the links on a new chain I installed recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I removed the cassette from the rear wheel and cleaned it in my ultrasonic cleaner, the same ultrasonic cleaner I use to clean scooter and motorcycle carburetors. The drivetrain is now much, much quieter than it was before! I also installed new tubes in the front and rear wheels. The rear was going flat too fast for my liking, and the presta valve on the front tube broke off the last time I tried to put air in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although I won’t work on your bicycle, my good friend Jose offers a mobile service for bicycles, both e-bikes and pedal-powered bikes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find him at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mobile Bike Man dot Com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n and<\/p>\n\n\n\n e-Bike Tune Up Denver <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Check him out if you have a bicycle that needs work but don’t have time to haul it to the nearest bicycle shop and wait for them to fix it for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I bought a set of safety wire pliers from a local eBay seller for ~$30 shipped to my door. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The price on the packaging indicates they were once $30.95 plus tax from local motorbike parts store Performance Cycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How much does the same thing cost now? Check it out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don’t know how long ago these pliers were priced at ~$31, but even at today’s “lowest price” that’s a ~32% increase over what they used to cost. The same thing is happening to almost everything else I buy, too. Oil, spark plugs, and parts all cost more now than they did 10 years ago when I started doing this. Don’t even get me started on gas and groceries…<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I’m at it, parts and supplies almost always cost more in local stores than they do online. Performance Cycle gets $69 plus tax for a gallon of Maxima Pro-Plus 10W-40 in store:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does the same gallon of oil cost online? Check it out on Amazon with overnight shipping straight to your front door:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s do the math. For the privilege of buying the same thing from a local store, to have it in your hands immediately but only after driving all the way over there and probably standing in line to check-out, you’re going to pay ~31% more. Quite frankly I think that’s ridiculous. For a 30% premium I’d expect that shit to be delivered to my door. And maybe for someone to pour it into my crankcase for me \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n For my money I would much rather plan ahead, save at least 30%, and get everything I need online and delivered to my door. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you made it this far, thanks for reading! If your scooter or motorcycle needs repairs or maintenance in Denver or Colorado Springs, go ahead and book online<\/a> or call\/text me at (720) 634-6935. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you choose to call or text, be sure to leave a message including your first name, the year, make, and model of your scooter or motorcycle AND roughly what it’s doing to give you grief. If you don’t tell me anything about your bike or the problems you’re having with it in your message, I’m unlikely to return your call!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The year’s flying by, and it’s the thick of the “busy season” for scooter and motorcycle mechanics all over the city, state, and country! I’m booked 2-3 weeks out and often get asked by new customers if I can move …<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.moto2n.com\/braap\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7470-1024x768.jpeg\")
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSpark Plug Removal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOld School Cool: Kymco Cobra<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNinja 300 EFI with A Roached Fuel Tank from Sitting for Way Too Long<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHonda Ruckus Repaired in Denver, CO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYamaha Vino 2-Stroke 49cc\/50cc Repairs in Denver, CO <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBicycle Chain Maintenance, a Personal Project \ud83d\ude1b<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nInflation Sucks!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThat’s All for Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n