Back Where I Started

(Still not done with the thesis; Not sure if I’ll ever be done at this point…)

Let’s recap a bit:

Some time ago I realized my back brakes were not engaging when the lever was pulled, so I thought I must have bought the wrong size shoes by accident. Bought the new shoes, and while I had the original ones out, decided to remove the plate they sit on so I could look at the state of the ball bearings behind it. While that was off, I figured I might as well try to remove the cable adjuster that I had snapped so I could replace it. With me so far? Okay, here’s where things start unwinding: I tried removing that cable adjuster, but it just didn’t want to budge so I decided to give up and save it for the next time the engine is out. That means that today I re-installed the cables I took out (clutch, one gear, and back brake), which, by the way, is way easier to do without that aluminum plate on. Anyway, so I did those, and put the new, larger shoes on their plate (what is that thing actually called? Plate makes sense to me…)

I initially hated dealing with brake shoes, but I realized I could install them while the plate was off and that wasn’t so bad. OK, here’s where everything goes to shit. Hang on to your hats, people. I put the plate on. I ask the husband to help lift the back of the scooter so I can put the wheel back on. I put the wheel on. I spin the wheel aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand….the shoes are too big. WHAT.

So at this point I’m questioning everything. I look at the parts manual and find that these new larger shoes are indeed incorrect. But then what are the first shoes?? I start digging through receipts and documentation (have I ever mentioned that keep a spreadsheet with every item I’ve bought and the price and where I bought it from?) and find that the original shoes I bought, the ones that were in there before I started all this, ARE THE CORRECT SHOES. Wtf. I’m upset at this point. So I decide to put those BACK IN and see if maybe a miracle is waiting for me. The good news is, I’m pretty good at replacing brake shoes at this point, which is basically a useless skill since no one uses drum brakes anymore but whatever, it’s going on my resume. Anyway, I put the originals back in, have the husband help me hold the scooter to get the tire on, try the brakes again aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand….no miracle. Brakes still don’t engage.

So I’m literally back to where I started. Same brake shoes, same broken cable adjuster, same frustrations. I did get to change out a couple seals, which is cool, but that’s about it. That and I have a useless talent of changing brake shoes.

So I am sending out an SOS to the world, why don’t you think my back brake is engaging?? The cam that they sit on definitely works. I’m not sure how much they are supposed to spread. Maybe the spring needs replacing? Maybe I am the unluckiest person ever and the shoes I bought were mislabeled at the store and I was given the wrong thing? Please help. Thank you.

Black Friday Haul

Hello from the depths of thesis writing. I’m still not done yet (getting real close!), but I did do a little Black Friday shopping (online only cause I’m not suicidal) for some parts and they just arrived so I figured I’d write about it. Scooter Mercato was having a sale that was 20% off your order of $75 or more, plus “order roulette” where every 5th order got 40% off. And guess who got lucky…that’s right, me. 😀 So anyway, I ordered a few random items that I figured I’d need at some point to try to take advantage of the deal. Whenever I order online I always end up ordering something wrong and this time was no different, but whatever, you live and you learn. This is why I never make big purchases online so I’m not out too much cash.

Anyway, onto the goods. The whole order started because I needed some replacement screws for my junction box that I somehow misplaced. They go for a few cents a piece, so obviously I had to add to the order. I got another couple small items like a new cable adjuster for the back brake cable and some more cable clamps cause why not and I needed to bring myself up to the minimum order. Those are not exciting so you don’t need pictures of them. There are, however, a few exciting items.

First, I got a new lock/key for the steering column, since I was never given a key for the lock that’s in there now so that’s not going to do me any good. I have no idea how to take the old one out and put the new one in, but that hasn’t stopped me yet.

Second, I got a side mirror, which I just love. I definitely don’t need this anytime soon, but figured I’d get something fun during the sale. I thought it would come with the bracket to mount it, but it didn’t, so gotta add that to the list now. I had a little too much fun with taking a picture of it, so please enjoy these two highlights:

Finally, I got a horn. I’ve been having a lot of trouble finding the right electronics for my year/model plus a 6v. In fact, I have no idea what headlight to get. The horn was pretty inexpensive and runs on 6v so I took a chance. Looks like it’s not the right size, unless there is a gasket/bracket designed for it:

Two options: Cut my losses and find one that fits, or potentially 3D print a bracket that could fit there? May be more work than it’s worth but I could definitely use some more Solidworks practice so that is a potential plus side. Third unlikely option is there is a bracket that already exists and I just need to purchase it.

While we’re on the topic of silly things I’ve bought that are not the right size, I think I also made this mistake with the Piaggio sticker that goes on the front:

I feel pretty sure I needed the larger sticker, which is a slightly embarrassing mistake but not a big deal. For now the blue looks nice against the orange and I can deal with it later. In the end it’s probably for the best because if I do ever put a clear coat on this thing the sticker will likely have to come off anyway.

Now onto slightly larger mistakes. Remember that cable adjuster I snapped while tightening it and I can’t remove? Here’s a reminder:

In the second picture you can see it on the left. Well, I still have the back wheel off so I thought this was my chance to do something right for once. I was given some good advice and encouragement from various people, which I so, so appreciate. I actually dragged my lazy butt to Home Depot one day even when I really didn’t want to and got some stuff. I bought an extractor set, but then I wasn’t sure how I was going to fit a drill under there. I also bought a screw that would fit inside the cable adjuster, along with some gorilla glue, and glued the screw in there so that I could screw it back out. Here’s the end result of that experiment:

(Wow that is a more detailed view of my hand than anyone needed) You can see the glue was definitely there, but the screw just came out and the adjuster didn’t budge.

At this point, I’m thinking of going back to plan A and just leaving this problem for a later time. I can still thread the cable through and just adjust it with the cable clamp. It would be 1,000,000 times easier to remove this thing if the engine were out of the frame, so maybe the next time that happens I’ll do it.

Anyway, that’s about it for now. I still have to order a few things before I can do electrical, once I find the time. I need some of the little end connectors that go on the wires and I need fuses. I haven’t even looked into where to get those, so if you have a spot, let me know. As always, thank you to everyone for your kindness and support :).