...like so many stories, this story begins with an ashtray in mexico city. love the color!


...a few months later i met Grahame, he loves and buys (and sometimes also sells) italian Lambrettas in NYC. i met him because i was curious about Lambrettas, i never owned one, never even sat on one. 


an italian Lambretta DL125 from 1969 - in mexican ashtray blue!!


i bought it at the end of november 2011 with 2400km on the engine and speedometer.




...and although it runs super smoothly, there's A LOT OF WORK to do. you will see.




...from long island city to lower east side.






CHINATOWN!






nice ass.




2466 KM!!




my garage.








43 year old dust?












...and here's the first MASSIVE pain in the ass. it took me 2 hours to get it out. i don't wanna talk about it.







Pavel is the master of the staircase! 5th floor.




..the Vespa is NOT cool with the new situation..




125cc dirty



shiiit, the pink building in the background burned out today. one of the nicest buildings in the lower east side... also the freedom tower is in the background, 30 floors still to come.




sleeping bag


good night.






WORB5 is the best tuning shop for vespas and lambrettas on earth.
if you say this is not true, i will fight you.
this is not a lie.




rust remover

primer




NAPA auto in bushwick did match the color and put it into spraycans.




...the vespa will be back on the street soon, the lambretta will take a few more months.



...maybe i should have done this photo BEFORE disconnecting everything? naaaah... to easy.



..many thanks to rob, for giving me the tools needed to take the fork out!


my vespa looks so odd in this photo, i have to hurry up to get this lammi on the street.
from front to back: zachary, paul, peter, rob and my vespa.


..many thanks to zachary for my german new best friends!!






who needs expensive special tools? :D



..these springs are so cute!


rust reforming... 







if you're a mac: hit "ctrl"+"option"+"command"+"8" on your keyboard.




"tools"


..so pitted.







..all my engine parts are ready to be sent from Koblenz to NYC. thanks to Andi www.worb5.com


worb5 box 1/3 arrived.




Mikuni-San.

70mm forged MB


Worb5 box 2/3 arrived.


RB22.


one could plow a frozen field with my boner.

MMW head, RB225, forged piston, 62mm stroke (238,5ccm), 35 mikuni TMX, Vforce3 valve.


...negative acceleration is desired too.


box 3/3 arrived. only a few small items are missing now.


piston-porn.


the little obvious works have to happen, rasping the unnecessary metal off.




...on the search for a motor shop that can resurface the engine mouth - found one in long island city!


..adapting the outlet to the exhaust pipe.



if it gives you sexual ideas whilst touching, that means it's good.

...only then, it is good.


opening from 32 to 35mm







black must go away, 2.75mm safety will be left to seal.






the gasket shows what needs to happen.


...in the meantime someone has to drink the beers, thanks for helping out aaron.


Zachary on the Dremel!




sunday morning with coffee, smokes and a grinder. bromantic.


i'm sisyphussing my way through the bottom gaskets..



i'll do the final works here once the engine comes back from resurfacing.


looks like i try to pretend that i know what i'm doing....


the mummy!











the reeds need more space.




soooo much space now, it's like throwing a hot-dog into the hallway.


thank you Clark and Will for resurfacing the engine. these guys know their shit, check out their website to see some projects, and if ever you need some CNC-ing or whatsoever... GOTHAM MACHINE


..fun times at the DMV, in order to get a title.


the bearings and crankshaft chill out in the freezer.


classic engine cleansing.





this remains an exciting moment, i always get a heartbeat when i fit this part of the bearing. it's black magic.


i got stuck here.... trying to fix something and in front of all: waiting for the "Liedolsheim" clutch.


i'm unhappy about the results of the timing readings.... using a 2,2mm bottom gasket, i end up with 133 degrees transfer time, and the upper piston ring stick half way out of the barrel. i'm thinking about how to solve this.


some problems actually disappear when you throw money at them.
it's the american way.
the barrel has been uncoated, extended by 3mm, and then recoated.
thanks to worb5 again for the welding and engineering, and to powerseal in netherlands for doing the nicasil recoating.



that went surprisingly easy, the bearing is freezing here, the engine hot...



one espresso and a hot gearbox cover please..


the last bearing is in.





Gato from downstairs comes in for a random mechanical examination.


it's the small things that make life better.. ;) here a small dorky cable controller.


and the rear brake system from "jockeys boxenstop", german engineering rules.


time for some wiring...


my chinese electrician recklessly does "le parkour" to find me 2 ft of blue cable...!



i'm 10% proud that i did it, and 90% clueless if this will do it. thanks for your support, members of GSF


that's a tough one, not mechanically, but mentally.


..some people will hate me for doing this, and in italy i would just get executed right away.

but this looks soooooooo much better without this stupid 44 year old sticker.


basic electricity check.. using a hard-drive charger.


it works!



7 discs in the yakuzi!


YES. timing with 1.5mm bottom gasket: 129.5 transfer port, 181 outlet port. no more piston rings sticking out of the barrel at TDC.




new timing with 1.5mm bottom gasket: 129.5 transfer port, 191 outlet port. 30.75 blow down timing, that should be good to break in the engine and gear box.


my colleagues gave me this speedo as my birthday present! wohooo!

but f***ing SIP, their slogan is: understatement is our profession. that's why they put their big ugly logo in the middle of the speedo???? this has to leave.






next uncomfortable discovery: the cylinder head doesn't match the piston. right now there's a negative squish, no good. i'm exchanging the head.





get ready for the next uncofortable discovery...


F*** SH***T BULLS**** DAMN THIS F**K.

looks like i need to cut and reweld the frame in order to make this fit.


the little unnecessary aluminum stud rubs on the toolbox... no more.


Mr Mikuni, meet Mr Dremel. Mr Dremel is hungry.


very hungry.


i win.


he's gonna stop soon.


fitting silentblocks. thanks for the tool pete!!



ready for some welding at Gotham Machine. these guys rock. thanks for the hand patrick, and thanks to rob for the car!


ze happy german.


ze happy german, again.


progressive springs.



sometimes i love the DMV. most of the times i don't. she must have done a mistake, cause i didn't have a title!!! :)


"geil, destroy and kill"



poor guy. what's next?




coming soon: POWER JET.


typical question for the german scooter forum: where's the power jet sweet spot.

answer: it is spot A.



inside the frame is a massive V-piece welded in. for stability reasons... i'll wear a helmet anyways.


NYC is out of electricity because of hurricane Sandy during Halloween. I look like Mia Wallace, snorting aluminum instead of heroin.


Kraft Düse Oida.





portmap. yellow needs grinding.








done.

1.5mm gasket: transfer 129, outlet 193, blow-down 32
1.8mm gasket: transfer 130.5, outlet 195, blow-down 32.25 


i got strictly no clue if that's going to work.


i'm testing if it all fits together, it kind of does.


öl Alder!!!


...after more than a year, i'm ready to get this thing out of my living room.


2x 24oz beer holding device. it can technically also be used for 2-stroke oil, but that would rape the purpose.


i gotta protect that carpet from oil stains..!


it looks good, but there are more problems with the gearbox. 

P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E.





heat sensor installed.


Grahame, who sold me the lammy, did have the shim i need!



there goes the LI150 gearbox (finally)!


the guinness book record for the longest stay in a Yakuzi goes to my 7 clutch discs.


boom.
  

READY.




Zachary and Benji came to Lower East Side to give me a hand (on this freezing ice cold day)!



it's been 1 year and 3 months since this bike has seen the streets.

it's also been in my living room for 1 year and 3 months....





THANKS GUYS!!!!



"..you like that??!"




how to miss a high five german style? just like that!



it runs! timing: 23° - 15° BTDC


from now on: no more clicking, but lots of kicking.


USA is the Disneyland for souped up bikes.

back in germany the police would shoot me for this scooter.


rockaway beach!









hashtag #mützeglatze!


..final pit stop at MILK bar, it's my favorite place in NYC.


oh shiiiiit, late for work!


at floyd bennett airfield AKA the quarter-mile


boom. 33 horses on the back wheel. 6 to midnight.


east coast classics in Wildwood, New Jersey





new Exhaust: the TOURIST! it gives more low RPM torque instead of high RPM peak performance, really great for long rides with 2 persons. 


 shit someone got a little too excited... i'm glad it didn't burn through.



sidewalk excitement with Zachary.


in Pennsylvania!


Floyd Bennett Airfield


WOW. i changed the timings and adjusted the carburettor, now with powerjet, about 35 horses at 7500rpm, and even bigger: almost 28 horses at 6000rpm.


..curiosity and dorkiness led me to ask Andi from Worb5 to weld the transfer ports of my barrel and housing through the winter.



…boom.




Andi and Zachary came over to give me engineering and beering support.





..and finally, Wanda (native Isle of Man descendant of TT race Dunlop girl) presents the finished product!


final grinding session:

before: transfer 126 - outlet 188,5 - blow down 31,25
after: transfer 126 - outlet 192 - blow down 33


they call it a "ménage à trois".

it's french.


..it's official: the blue ashtray "Endgegner" is the strongest scooter in NY.
we had a quartermile and i killed Andi on his M200 Quattrini engine.

twice.