My Free 2009 Aprilia Scarabeo 200

[pinkscoot]

Well I found another free Scarabeo. The first one is still running like a top and is a really well built Italian scooter with a bullet proof Austrian Rotax engine. My new one not so much. These were designed by Piaggio but built in China to their specs and standards. From everything I have read they are solid scooters. The problem is they only used the Chinese engine for 4 years before they put the Quasar engine in them. Unlike all things Piaggio you can get parts very easily with a choice of venders. Malossi and Polini make a wide assortment of go fast parts for these. So the adventure begins.

 




Here it is home, it is in really good physical shape. It has 20,000 miles on it, for Piaggio product that's nothing, for a Chinese product who knows. Head light is a tad hazy and some miner crazing on the instrument cluster. The big thing is it has a cracked oil filter cover. The PO instead of getting an oem o-ring, that are readily available he used one way too thick and when he tightened down on it it cracked. He of course sheered lots of sealant everywhere so it's a mess. I started with AF1 and was told that they didn't have them and never will get any. So I googled the part number and found one in The Netherlands, shipping was more than the part. I ordered and got an email the next day that they had to get it from there supplier and would let me know if it was available, damn. Crossed my fingers for 2 days and then got an email that it was shipped. I should see it July 26-August 1. This of course is the key to seeing what I got. Can't check compression or it's storability with no oil.

The PO said the clutch was slipping and when I roll it the transmission was noisy. He asked me if I had the tools to take the clutch off so I suspect he may have never touched the CVT. I'll know when I get in there. All that I have read says that the clutch is undersized. It will get a Malossi Delta clutch and Bell, Multivar and new outer variator plate. I read that the OEM Piaggio belt isn't the best so I will go for a Kevlar belt. Of course it will get new fuel and vacuum lines as well as a good carb clean. Not sure who put the gas cap on last gut it will take a big wrench to get off, the vent lines will need investigating.

These scooters are capable of speeds in the 70's so It will be a nice addition to my 150cc plus collection and of course it's red so it will be a bit faster. I will keep you all posted on my progress.  

[aeroxbud]

Can't do better than free. 👍
That's not so bad if you have to spend a bit of money on it to get it mechanically sorted.

[pinkscoot]

So with the other scoots running well I got into this one. I got the oil filter in and cap on and went to put oil in and discovered it had fresh oil. Wanting to be sure it was the right oil I drained it and topped it off. I then decided it needed a good bath and pulled the back plastics off and Hosed it off and scrubbed it. The number of hoses for the solution control were amazing. All pulling of the same vacuum line as the fuel pump. Like the other Scarabeo it has a fuel pump because the carb sits at about the center of the tank and you would never be able to use the whole tank with gravity. I took the one vacuum line and hooked it to the pump. It got a new fuel filter and a carb clean. Put in a new air filter and got it to start. The transmission was a little noisy so that was next. I got a new Malossi Kevlar belt and sliders for the variator. Pulled the clutch apart and cleaned and greased it. The pulley faces were covered with corrosion so they got cleaned up. Put it back together and the CVT was a little quieter but not much. The clutch has covers for the springs that are loose and rattle around a bit, that is part of the problem.

I then checked the coolant and it was very low so I decided to change it. I probably got 300cc out of it and it takes 1100cc's. I topped the coolant back up and it ran cooler. I was going to change the brake fluid but it has a shared brake system. Pull on the back brake and you get 25% of the front. It has a valve that has a fitting and that's where you pull all of the fluid out of the system. The manual said it was under the front cover, it must be way under because I couldn't find it. The brakes work fine so they will just get a bleed and see how it does.

I went to get it inspected and it passed. I went to the license plat bureau and they were out of Motorcycle plates and had no idea when they would get more. Apparently there was a recall and they haven't gotten more in. So for now it has the tag from the Sacabeo 150.

While driving to the inspection station it handled very strange. When I got home I saw that the front tire was well worn down the edges and had minor cracks on the side wall. The nibs were still on the side of the tire so this scooter must have been ridden in a straight line with very gentle turns. The front is a Pirelli but the back is a much newer City Grip 2 with lots of life left. I also discovered that the bead on the back leaks a lot of air. I tried seating it but no go. I'll need to pull it and clean the bead and use bead sealant on it. This may have been why the handling was squirrelly.

Besides all of that its does have some power and I can see it doing the promise 70-75mph.

[pinkscoot]

Looking at the rear tire I discovered it was on backwards so that meant pulling the tire and turning it. That involves pulling the exhaust, swing arm and then the wheel. I got the bead to break on one side and could not get the other, I was done for the day. I was watching some Vespa Motorsports Robot videos and he had a crazy way to break a stubborn bead. You can see it here at 6:00:


I tried it and it worked. I'm not sure what the used to seal the bead but it did not want to come off. I got the wheel clean and put it in the sun to heat up and then I cleaned the rim up. As I was going to get the tire I heard UPS drive away and thought great the new front tire is here. I went and grabbed from the porch and put it next to the rear and realized they were the same size, I ordered a rear tire by mistake. I decided I may as well put that on. It went on like butter, I aired it up and tested it and no leaks. Off to order a new front.

I went for a ride and it handled much better, but still not perfect, can't wait to do the front. By the way I ordered from Revzilla and both arrived the next business day. A shout out to them.

[pinkscoot]

Today I decided it was time to put the new front tire on so I could take a good ride on this scoot. I pulled the front tire easy peasy. The easiest tire I have ever changed. Went to put it on and discovered that the front pads had about 2 more stops left on them. I have never see pads that were so thin. I got the tire on and left the caliper hanging until I get new pats on it. I was so set on riding a Scarabeo I took the 150 out for a ride around the neighborhood. After getting stranded a ways from home I stayed downtown being sure that it was mostly up hill from the house. The scoot ran great and I look forward to some more distant trips.

[pinkscoot]

The brake pads came pretty quick from Scooterpartsco as well as a Multivar and Delta clutch. Got the brake pads on and it is definitely stopping better. Took it for a ride and the new front tire and brakes make this a very nice scoot. One issue is this scooter has integral braking, pull the rear brake handle and you get some front brake too. Its nice for riding but when I take a scooter off a stand I hold the rear brake so when it hits the ground it stops. I have to get used to waiting until the scoots off the stand before grabbing the brake. The Delta clutch and Multivar went in well. I used the springs that came with it set to what they were. I used the white contra spring. The clutch is a bit of a pain, it takes a gear puller to get it off. The splines are perfect and from what I have read that is the way it is. On the variator I had the choice of 14 gm or 16gm weights, stock is 12gm but I went with the 14gm. The CVT noise got much quieter.

I took it out for a ride around town and it is a very civilized scooter. It is comfortable and does well in traffic. I got it up to 65 indicated and it still had more but I was in a 45 mile zone so I wasn't there long. The temperature went up to 3/4 of the dial in traffic and it was nice hearing the fan come on. Once I was moving it dropped down to where it belonged. The speedometer and Odometer are in Kilometers so it only has 12,000 miles on it. I think this is a keeper, I just need to decide if I need 2 Scarabeos in my garage.