Category: Top Tips

TOP Top Tip – ‘ The Pullit Bullit ‘

Changing cable outers on a Vespa can be a pain in the bum if you don’t know how to do it and ridiculously easy if you do.

This tool will do two jobs – it will change an outer cable if you already have an old outer in place (silly easy) or even install a new outer if there is no old outer in place (fairly easy)

The full tool consists of a nice thick outer cable ( mine is a Lambretta clutch cable outer) and a special inner cable that you will need to make. Simpler versions will work but this is my posh version because I am a tool tart.

You need an inner cable that is just over twice as long as your longest outer, you need a clutch cable trunion and you need a brass bullit end. The brass bullit thingy is drilled with a 1.5 mm hole so the cable can be soldered to it and then counter bore the other end to 6.5mm. My bullit is 8mm in diameter.

Solder the brass bullit to one end of the long inner cable, cut it flush and then file it until it is smooth. The other bare end of the cable should also be sparingly soldered and filed smooth.

Fitting a new cable outer if you have an old one is a piece of cake. Pull the old inner out – thread the bare end of the long cable in until the brass thingy is snug, thread your new cable outer onto the bare end and then join the whole thing together snug by using the ferrule. You will now have 2 cable outers joined bu the one long inner. Pull the old cable out and it will draw the new cable in , its that simple.

If you have no old outer in the frame ( paintjob for eg ) then put your bullit inner into the lambretta cable and then make snug with the trunion / cable clamp. Push it through the frame , the shape of the bullit and its bit of weight is a huge advantage. Once its through remove the trunnion as before and thread on your new outer , attach trunion and pull new outer back through – taddaaaa !

Easiest place to get a long cable is a bicycle shop and ask for a tandem rear brake cable.

The bullit you will need to make but if you have an outer already in place then you can do without the posh brass bit and just use a trunnion each end.

I wonder if I should make these up for sale ?

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Top Tip – Spannered ?

Some of my ratcheting spanners don’t have levers to change direction but require you to turn the spanner itself over. One way for clockwise and the other for anti-clockwise.

This gives you a 50/50 chance of getting it right first time – yeah fat chance , ALWAYS the wrong way round for me first go.

I decided to go for a high tech fix – a quick bit of paint and then wiped off with a kitchen towel so the paint is only in the etched parts where it wont so easily get rubbed off.

So now my painted sides and clockwise and my unpainted anti-clockwise. Simples.

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Pinion removal – one lump or two ?

Here is the 2nd in my series of ‘Ghetto Vespa Tools’

Getting the pinion off can be tricky , especially if you don’t want to risk damaging your crankcases. Two screwdrivers does indeed work but it’s a risky business.

Here is my tool , take one small but sturdy Tea Spoon , bend it , file it so it’s a bit less wide if needed and then make the short part of the lever just the right length and you are done.

The trick is to make sure it levers only on the outer cage of the hard steel bearing and never on the soft ally of the cases.

In a perfect world you would use two , one each side but there just isn’t the clearance in my experience so it’s bit by bit and swapping the tool from one slot to the other …

PS – try not to get caught liberating the spoon from the kitchen – no one else will understand

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