Removing/Replacing Body Plastic

[mgreenfield]

I stripped almost all the body plastic off my Roketa Jamaica earlier this winter. Did this to de-rust and rustproof messy frame welds. Where electrics went to the plastic, I tied the loose plastic nearly in place rather than mess with the cheepo connectors.

What a pain! Seems like each piece has to be removed either before or after another piece. Almost no piece is attached "on it's own". Lots of plastic locking tabs. Some bolts/screws that can't be gotten to without removing another panel

Got almost all plastic pieces back on now. Same pain, so took the liberty of punching 3/4" access holes where I need to get at a hidden bolt. Also, trimmed some locking tabs and enlarged some slots. Removed a few tabs altogether. Then where something seemed a little loose, I fastened it with a cable zip-tie. Dont think I had to drill any new holes to do this. Just used the holes already there.

I have a pretty good handful of little sheetmetal screws left over, but the scoot looks fine, and doesnt seem any the worse for all this mistreatment.

While I had it "naked", I reset valve clearances, removed the PAIR valve and related components, and installed a home-brew blanking plate over the EGR port in the head. Also, re-drilled and tapped the 4 bolt holes on the bottom of the carburetor and replaced the original little Phillips screws with 10-32 inside hex bolts.

Didnt touch the electrics except to inspect, tie down with cable ties, and make sure nothing was pinched or rubbing around the steering head and other moving parts.

Will replace all vacuum and fuel tubing with nice clear material, and if the thing will start and run in the spring, life will be good!

[earlwb]

That is modern technology for ya. Just think of all the countless hours the engineers spent designing all those plastic panels to interlock so tightly. Then they had to make the molds for the plastics, et cetera. Awesome stuff.

But it could be worse. You could have been trying to thread wires down through narrow passages on hollow formed sheetmetal body and chassis parts like they have on the old Vespas.

[scooterollie]

Don't you just love it when you complete reassembly and find you have parts left over and can't for the life of you figure out where they go!

[WarrenS]

I like it better when I don't have parts left over. ;D

[scooterlizard]

scooterollie said:

Don't you just love it when you complete reassembly and find you have parts left over and can't for the life of you figure out where they go!

Amen, brother.

[mgreenfield]

Ya' mean there are folks out there who DONT have parts left over after a mechanical project?? Wow! I always have a few parts left over, ....and the device generally works fine anyway.

[shane27]

I just do what all great Mechanics do when they have extra parts,
TOSS THEM! LOL ;D

[blackc]

I thought you were supposed to dump all those parts down the oil fill pipe and let them find their way to where they belong.............

[Aerostudent]

nice...Leftover parts on a scooter is what the street racers call "weight reduction" ;D

Aero

[earlwb]

Nah, if I have leftover parts, I put them away in case I need them for something else.
What i hate is when I can't find that bolt and I have to get another one, and later "Oh there it is".
Eventually you have a nice collection of leftovers to think about a lot on whether you forgot something.