OMG!!! Ponies!!!

Star of the show other than the multicolor Vespa prima

Is that the new Rebel? Did you see the blue one?

MMmmm.... seat tape!

That's next year's project.

... and bonus points to the GS next door with both the kickstand AND the center stand deployed.

There was indeed a blue rebel on the floor. Here's a pic:

didnt see it. coulda had a flock of ladyboys all around it.

also, i didnt take those pics, @sealsam did, he emailed em to me so i could post em.

I had an airhead.
Can't leave it parked on kickstand or oil seeps past rings on the left cylinder and may foul the spark plug on dual-plug-modded bikes, but for normal configuration it just makes smoke) so put it up on center stand. Leave kickstand down 'cause you're just going to have to put it back down again to get back onto the bike. Besides, the darn thing is heavy enough that you might not want to chance holding it up while balancing on one foot and trying to deploy the kickstand with the other.

Probably not really an issue on the oilhead or wethead engines, but it's tradition by now...

close, oil seeps in past the valve guides as there is no valve seals on OEM airhead valve guides.

That's a ladyboy?

Why do you think the adam's apple is covered?

Weeeee're baaack!!

... and so is Mr. Leaky Forks




You might recall that we've gone through the seal replacement exercise TWICE now. I sourced the seals from different vendors and am pretty sure I put everything back correctly each time. It has to be from overfilling or maybe the extra spacers I added have increased pressure inside the tube by taking up a few extra cc's of space. At this point I have no clue and even less desire to rip into them again so we will ride with leaky forks until they stop leaking on their own.

Apart from the fork seals, the bike is running fairly well. I have some cold start issues that are due entirely to me not understanding what the malossi forcemaster is doing. Since I don't yet have any tools to help me tune it, we'll also leave it be for the time being.

I think I've finalized my plans for the SCBR. There's a Plan A and a plan B.

Plan A:

Ship princess stinky to ME.
Ride princess stinky in SCBR.

Plan B:

Fly to Boston.
Hitch a ride to NH.
Buy a new Vespa GTS in NH.
Ride to ME.
Ride Vespa in SCBR.

My personal preference is plan B because it would involve a new Yellow Vespa.

Plan A:

• Is cheaper
• Doesn't care if Stinky becomes 'battle scarred'
• Allows me to fully prep the bike beforehand
• Gives me bigger wheels
• Will make heads TURN when I fly by!

My only real concern is the reliability of the main bearings. Since I don't fully trust the engine, I'm going to mitigate that risk by trying to source a secondhand motor to take along as a spare.

Boom!

Problem solved.

I'm going to start lowballing every one I can find for sale. The market for used MP3 250's can't be all that big, no?

Let's talk about fuel. Ideally, I would want to ride each leg without having to stop for any. A quick look at past SCBR's shows that the legs vary between 375 to 475 miles.

If my fuel consumption is 50 mpg, I would expect to require 7.5 to 9.5 gallons of fuel on board.

Stinky has a 2.5 gallon tank which means that I would need to have an auxilary capacity of 5 to 7 gallons.

GULP, that is a LOT of fuel!

Converted to human terms, that is 6.8 to 8.6 hours of saddle time per leg @ 55 MPH avg.

Um, Yeah...

I don't really want to 'win' that badly.

For safety and sanity, I think I need to plan for at least one short break every day, preferably two, say every 2.5 hours or so. That puts me at approx 140-150 miles between breaks, which means I would need less than a gallon of reserve fuel on board.

Let's call this the worst case scenario. I would be required to stop at least twice per day to refuel. Best case, btw would be no refueling, just stop to stretch, piss, eat an energy bar, etc and GO.

Astute observers will note that the worst case is actually 5 stops and not 2. I have to transfer fuel somehow and that means stopping short of the planned break to fill the primary tank up. Yup, that means that the auxilary tank needs to be plumbed in.

Hurray! I get to dick around with gas!!

What could possibly go wrong???

I've taken a look at what some others have done for prior SCBRs and have found some things I like and a great many that I don't.

They can be separated into three distinct groups:

First, there's the Keggers. They want you to know that they're serious.



Pros:

• Probably the safest kind of AUX tank.
  
• Usually plumbed in as a gravity fed system which is kind of ideal

Cons

• The weight is all up high and in the rear. Precisely where you shouldn't have any extra weight on a scooter.
• Hard to tie down securely
• Awkward shape
• Expensive (˜$200)

Next are the Red-Canners. Pragmatic and cheap. Think KLR.


Pros:

• Placed low and up front. Perfect for stability.
• Cheap
  
• Can be secured with bungee cords
• Filler tube can be left on
• Many sizes and capacities to choose from

Cons

• Bungee cords. Seriously?
• Standard size & shapes. May not fit all step through profiles.
• Gravity feed not an option without drilling

Finally, there's everybody else. They range from Redneck'R'Us approaches to near aerospace-level overthinking. They don't give a shit what you think. (KLR Owners)



Pros:

• Artistic freedom
• It usually works just fine

Cons:

• Laws of physics and common sense

I like the idea of the keg. It's simple, and strong. Conveys power. Gravity fed. Three serious issues for me though:

• I can't mount it on my rack as it's made out of plastic and held together with JB Weld (literally).
  
• I don't want to mount it on the seat. I won't be able to get to my stuff easily.
• An empty case strapped to the bag is enough to induce head shakes on Stinky. I can't imagine what 5+ gallons of sloshing liquid will do.

I like the practicality of the Red Can. I might have issues finding something that fits and gravity feeding might be a problem. It's a maybe.

That really leaves me seriously looking at the third, 'Look at me, I'm a wacko' option.

Sigh. Always gotta be different, eh?

Yup. Here's my crazy idea:



Giant Loop Gas Bag!

• The bag shape can conform to Stinky's weird step through shape
  
• Weight will be where I want it
  
• Plenty of tie down points
• Can work as a gravity fed, stop and dump or (drumroll!) SQUISH FED system!
• Won't stick out too far on the sides as I can sqeeze with my feet to make room

What say ye?

Here's some test fit shots of a 2.5 gal jug:



A 3 gal bag:



A 5 gallon bag:



I think I can go with either the can or the 3 gallon bag as is. I have some concerns that the 5 gal bag might be too big.

However... I don't need to fill it to the top every time so it might be the most flexible choice.

I'd love to get some feedback on this if any of you three that are still following have comments. The GL bags are definitely not cheap!

First off ,I admire you and all the other's who do this event.
The creativity simply is pure genius as to how each of you figures out a plan that you feel will be the best solution. . At least for your best.

I like the idea of the gas bag , it looks like a solid way to handle the problem. The bag looks like it should easily tie down , and if you use light weight bungie cord it will conform to the shape of the bag.
Stopping to refuel is an opportunity to give the machine a close look around , and maybe head off some minor event that could become a major catastrophe .

I have seen several IBR bikes with extra tanks rigid mounted and plumbed in to the fuel lines. But they have more room and better options on a big tourer than we have on a scooter.

The two gallon hard plastic jug is a no go IMHO. Too much chance for the weight to shift without a solid mount , think jeep jerry can holder.

I agree that hanging anything off the back is not the way to go. I'm not all that enamored with a top box ( I know how handy they are) to begin with.

Anything liquid needs to be either hard mounted or at least as low toward the center of gravity as you can get it.
I'm interested to see what you come up with.

The frame tubes are just below the plastic piece underneath. Plenty of ways to tie it down securely if I take it off. I can also shave the seat down a bit to make it sit a little more upright.

Thanks for the input. I'm still in the 'just throwing ideas against the wall' phase so it's all valuable.

That gas bladder really interested me until I saw the price, whoa.

Since I will most likely be riding a GTS strapping a gas can to the Classic floor rack works will. People have also put D rings on the foktwell with rivets or bolts to secure a can. My other option is to mount a Rotopack to the front rack. Whatever option go to a farm supply and get a pretty EPA spout. Last cannonball the EPA approved one sucked so bad I couldn't get it to feed so had to pour it carefully from the can after the spout broke. Last time I tried using I got so damned mad at it that ended up tossing it.