What parts are generally replaced during a brake job, and why?

A traditional brake job (if there is such a thing) usually means replacing the front disc brake pads, resurfacing the rotors, replacing the rear drum brake shoes, resurfacing the drums, bleeding the brake lines (replacing the old brake fluid with new and getting all the air out of the lines), inspecting the system for leaks or other problems that might require additional repairs, and checking and adjusting the parking brake.

Some brake jobs may also include new hardware for the drums (recommended), and rebuilding or replacing the wheel cylinders and calipers (also recommended). But because of the added expense, these items may not be included in the package price or may only be done if the brake system really needs them (as opposed to doing them for preventative maintenance).

Hardware includes things like return springs, holddown springs and other clips and retainers found in drum brakes. It may also include bushings, pins and clips on disc brake calipers. Springs lose tension with age and exposure to heat. Most experts recommend replacing the hardware when relining drum brakes to restore proper brake action. If weak springs are reused, the shoes may drag against the drums causing accelerated shoe wear, a pull to one side, brake overheating and possible drum warpage. Other hardware that is badly corroded or faulty (such as the self-adjusters) may prevent the shoes from maintaining the correct drum clearance (which increases the distance the brake pedal must travel as the shoes wear), or the parking brake from functioning properly.

It's important to note that not all replacement linings are the same. There are usually several grades of quality in pads and shoes (good, better and best). The difference is in the ingredients that are used to manufacture the pads and shoes. The less expensive ones may cost less initially and save you a few dollars on your total bill, but you may not be happy with the way they wear and perform. All brake linings must meet minimum government safety standards. Even so, the cheaper grade of pads and shoes do not last as many miles as the premium grade of replacement linings, nor do they brake as effectively. They usually have a greater tendency to fade at high temperature and may increase the vehicle's stopping distance somewhat. Noise may also be a problem with cheap linings. The best performance and value for your money, therefore, is with the best or premium grade. Choose these when the brakes are relined.

How often should I replace my air filter?

It's hard to give a specific time or mileage figure because the life of the filter depends on how much crud it ingests. A filter that lasts 20,000 or even 30,000 miles on a vehicle that's driven mostly on expressways may last only a month or two in a rural setting where the vehicle is driven frequently on gravel roads. Changing it annually or every 15,000 miles for preventative maintenance may be a good recommendation for the city driver, but not its country cousin.

Regardless of the mileage or time, a filter should be replaced before it reaches the point where it creates a significant restriction to airflow. But when exactly that point is reached is subject to opinion.

A slightly dirty filter actually cleans more efficiently than a brand new filter. That's because the debris trapped by the filter element helps screen out smaller particles that try to get through. But eventually every filter reaches the point where it causes enough of a pressure drop to restrict airflow. Fuel economy, performance and emissions begin to deteriorate and get progressively worse until the dirty filter is replaced.

Many heavy-duty trucks have a "restriction" meter on the air filter housing that signals when the filter is dirty enough to need replacing. But lacking such a device, the best you can do is guess.

Removing the filter and holding it up to a light will show you how dirty it is. If it's really caked with dirt, it obviously needs to be replaced. Trying to shake or blow the dirt out is a waste of time because too much of it will be embedded in the filter fibers.

NOTE: Many filters that appear to be dirty are in fact still good and do not really need to be replaced. So it's up to you. If you think it's dirty, replace it. If you don't think it's dirty enough to need replacing, then don't.

Care for the Rubber of your Vespa

Our scoots have rubber all over….cowls, glovebox, kickstart, floor strips, grips, brake pedal, and tires. These rubber parts accumulate dirt and turn brittle in time, especially the scoots that are used as regular commuters.

For the rubber parts aside from the tires, I recommend cleaning them regularly, especially those who have white rubbers (once a month or every quarter is ok na, once a week is a bit OC Grin) with a multi-purpose cleaning chemical, ideally water-based. An old toothbrush will do as a cleaning tool and a towel for wiping the suds.

With spray bottle containing the cleaning agent, spray on the toothbrush and start brushing in circular motion. Instantly, suds will appear on the area being cleaned. We need the towel to wipe this off as we don’t want the dirt to start dripping all over. The towel is also a way to gauge on how clean the rubber is. Take the black rubbers for instance, how will we know that they are already clean? The dirt we get by the towel will be the indicator. Initially we will get a dark and dirty stain on the towel, then as we go along cleaning and wiping at the same time, the stains will gradually lighten and eventually we can’t lift a dirt anymore….meaning the rubber is already clean. I have experienced some cleaners before basta madaanan lang ng basahan yung rubber, malinis na! Angry So the towel tell no tall tales Grin

Now we have clean rubbers! Good! Next step will be to apply rubber treatment and dressing. This will help keep our rubbers in a flexible state and protect it from getting brittle. At the same time giving the rubber a nice finish to it (not glossy and slimy like tire black).

As for our tires, a good scrub with soap will always do the trick. We all want deep black tires just like when we first bought them right? No gloss or shine…just deep black natural rubber. ABSOLUTELY NO TIRE BLACK for motorcycles and scooters Grin

OT (since we are tackling rubber):
To you guys out there who have their cars washed in your neighborhood carwash, try to tell the cleaners not to put tire black. This will prove to you how good or how bad they clean the tires. Most of them just scrub a little then put tire black immediately to hide the dirt, so less work on their part…”trabahong -tamad!!!”

The tips I shared above are just simple DIY methods on how to care for the rubbers of our Vespas. A little cleaning every now and then will reap rewards in helping maintain our rides in immaculate shape.

Article by Macky Ochoa

Perawatan Cat pada Vespa

Kebanyakan kendaraan terbuat dari metal, karenanya pengecatan perlu dilakukan untuk melindunginya. Selain memberi karakter pada skuter, pengecatan menjadikan badan/ body bertahan bertahun-tahun terjaga dari korosi. Apakah menggunakan cat berupa acrylic atau 2K urethane ataupun pengecatan water-based mutahir yang 'low-emission' dan masih dalam pengembangan, kegunaan utamanya adalah untuk memperpanjang usia metal dari sebuah skuter atau mobil.

Kita ingin finishing pengecatan yang mengkilap. Tetapi seiring berjalannya waktu, pengecatan yang telah dilakukan akan mengalami oksidasi, pemudaran, terkena hujan, kejatuhan kotoran burung, dan goresan. Faktor-faktor ini menjadikan keadaan akhir cat yang jelek!

Lalu apa yang harus kita lakukan? Biasanya melakukan pengecatan ulang adalah merupakan langkah akhir, kecuali jika akan diganti warna. Link berikut adalah cara lain untuk merawat pengecatan pada kendaraan Anda.

Care for the Paint of your Vespa

As with all vehicles made of metal, paint is applied to protect the sheet metal from the elements. Aside from giving our scoots character, the paint makes it possible for the metal body to last years, keeping corrosion away. May it be acrylic or 2K urethane or the latest low-emission and still under development water-based coatings, it still serves the purpose of prolonging the life of the metal shell of a scooter or a car. (I will be discussing the evolution of paint through the years in another thread)

We all want a glossy finish to our paint. But through time and even in normal wear and tear conditions, the paint we apply to protect our rides will succumb to oxidation, fading, acid rain pitting, bird/insect droppings, and hair-line scratches (more popularly known as “gasgas basahan”). These factors all lead to one result - a dull paint finish!

So what do we do with a dull paint finish? We buff it! Having your rides repainted is always the last resort, except if you want a new color or the coating is really beat up. The fastest way to achieve that gloss is to have the paint detailed, meaning buffed and polished.

Below is a process of detailing the paint of your scoot:

1. Degriming - This step coincides with washing the surface with shampoo. After rinsing, use cleaner clay to take out stubborn dirt build-up, paint overspray, and grime. General purpose adhesive cleaner or kerosene may be used to remove asphalt build up on some panels especially the underbody. Rinse the body again and dry completely with microfiber cloth and an air hose.

2. Masking - Out scoots, like cars, have rubber panels, chrome trims, plastic parts, which we do not want to touch with the buffing pad or buffing foam. So we use masking tape to hide these parts. We just want the painted areas exposed.

3. Compounding - We use rubbing compound to take away all the defects stated above. The compound is really a very fine liquid abrasive used with a wool pad attached to a polisher. As the wool pad turns at a maximum range of 1800-2500rpm, it heats up the paint slightly and the compound will work on making the clear coat even, taking away hairline scratches and oxidation. We will achieve a result that is relatively more glossy than the initial condition of tha paint but if you look closely, the surface will have small fine ripples called swirlmarks which will be removed by the next step.

4. Polishing - A polishing glaze is used with a polishing foam attached to a polisher to take away the swirlmarks produced by compounding. This step folks, is the secret to a glossy finish, provided that step #3 is done right. But this is the real deal if you want your scoot to be gleaming.

5. Paint Protection - Having achieved the glossy finish we want, we would like it to last as long as possible. We apply wax to the finish and try to leave a very thin waxy film over the newly buffed paint. Always use a microfiber cloth to wipe off the wax. And voila! A good-looking glossy paint finish!

Just a few facts about wax:
- Wax gives a shiny finish to our paint BUT it is limited to the condition of the paint. It is not a magic wand.
- It protects your paint by giving it a smooth surface where dust can easily be blown off. Dust on your paint will act as an abrasive when rubbed. That is paint protection, REALLY! I have seen a lot of gimmicks regarding wax and I just don’t know what others claim. Plain good marketing maybe? Roll Eyes
- Frequency of waxing? Once a week, once a month…it really depends…it’s very subjective. Personally, I wax once a month during summer and once a week during the rainy season.

The topic above is for OLD/EXISTING PAINT. For NEWLY APPLIED PAINT, here is a quick rundown:

1. Clearcoat Sanding - Most paint finish are sealed with clear coat or top coat. It is sanded down to reduce or completely remove the orange peel that is produced by painting. All newly painted cars, OEM or refinish, have this characteristic. No matter if it’s a robot spray or the best spray gun, orange peel will always be present, unless we use a paint brush Grin Anyway, orange peel may be considered a natural defect. Natural because it is the way sprayed paint behaves, and defect because it does not reflect light perfectly. For that glass finish you’ve always wanted, tell your painter to sand your clear coat with grits #1200, #1500, and #2000 sandpaper.

2. Compunding - Same as above but here we are taking out sanding marks.

3. Polishing - Same as above.

4. Paint Protection - Please use hand glaze or finishing glaze. NEVER EVER USE WAX on newly applied paint. Fresh paint takes an hour or two to dry, but a month to fully cure. Cured paint means that all solvents used as medium to make the paint sprayable have completely evaporated. The paint needs to breathe for a month. Applying wax, which contains silicone, will seal off the surface and block off the evaporation of solvents. This will result to what we call paint die back. To simulate die back, try putting a damp cloth inside a ziplock plastic. Seal it in and leave it. After a while you will notice moisture build up on the inner wall of the plastic. That also happens with paint. In case of die back, follow step #1 through #4 again. In severe cases, a new layer of top coat should be applied after sanding down to color layer.

A few facts:
- Brand new cars/scooters/motorcycles from the casa may be waxed since the newly bought unit has been sitting in the OEM yard for at least a month.
- All procedures apply to any type and brand of paint.

I hope you enjoyed this topic as much as I did writing it Smiley I have edited most parts from what I prepared initially since it was very long and technical. But please feel free to ask anything regarding this topic of paint-finishing and detailing. If I missed some vital steps, please let me know. Comments, suggestions, violent reactions are always welcome. Thanks for reading!

Article written by Macky Ochoa

What is scooter?

A scooter is a style of two-wheeled motor vehicle traditionally defined by characteristics such as a step-through frame, wheels less than 16" in diameter, and an engine located below the rider and to the rear. Though throughout the history of scooters, there have been models which challenged or defied this definition, incorporating elements or designs from motorcycles (distinguished by a tank between the rider and handlebars and an engine located beneath the rider and to the front of the vehicle) and mopeds (which have pedals), developments over the past 20 years have broadened the "scooter" label to include a wide array of vehicles and designs featuring many different technologies and capabilities. Modern scooters cover a broad spectrum of designs: step-through or step-over frames, small or large wheels, front fairings or floor boards, and manual or automatic transmissions.

At one end of the current market, the Vespa LX series reflects the scooters' historical antecedents: small wheels, floor boards, front fairing, inner fairing storage. At the other end, the Honda Big Ruckus features no bodywork, floorboards or step-through frame, but is still classified as a scooter due to its smaller wheels and engine placement. The Piaggio MP3, with two front wheels (three wheels total) reflects the fluid nature of the scooter classification. Modern scooters have a wide range of engine displacements, from under 50 cc to over 799 cc, and some have engine locations in stark contrast to classic scooter design (e.g. Yamaha T-Max 500, Suzuki Burgman 650, Gilera GP800).

Generally the term "scooter" is not defined in law, as laws are based on characteristics such as engine size and power, and maximum speed. The United States Department of Transportation defines a scooter as having a platform for the operator's feet or has integrated footrests, and has a step-through architecture.^[1] In the U.S. and Europe, scooters are classified by vehicle codes as either "motorcycles" or, for those with 50cc or smaller engines, "mopeds." Each are subject to the applicable laws for their categorization.

Granturismo 200

Power. The 4-stroke 4-valve 200cc engine is liquid-cooled and remarkably powerful. The L.E.AD.E.R. (Low Emissions ADvanced Engine Range) engine has the power to pull away from almost any kind of traffic you encounter. The Granturismo's exceptionally low levels of air and noise pollution well exceed the standards being considered in Europe and America many years from now.

Style. With its chrome mirrors and classic Vespa lines, the Granturismo is a thoroughly modern scooter true to its heritage. On the Granturismo you find the kinds of touches that have made Vespa world-famous: pressed steel monocoque chassis, 5-spoke die-cast alloy wheels, chrome retractable passenger footrests, and a classic floorboard design. And the Granturismo shines in the evening: the vintage-style dashboard lights up blue for excellent night-time visibility, and the halogen headlamp provides plenty of illumination.

Comfort. With it's wide double-stitched seat the Granturismo has comfort to spare. Storage? How about room for two open face helmets under the seat and a spacious glove compartment. There's plenty of room to run errands and bring a passenger along with you. And the ride is smoother than ever before thanks to dual rear shock absorbers, 12" wheels, and front and rear 220mm hydraulic disc brakes.

Accessories. Along with the best scooter available, comes the best accessories. The matching-color top case is spacious enough for a couple bags of groceries and has a luxurious padded backrest for your passenger. Contact your local Vespa dealer to check on the availability of the top case and other fine Granturismo accessories such as windscreens and helmets.

MSRP $5,299