Post by redhandmoto on Jun 8, 2009 10:26:29 GMT -5
(Posted this homemade 'fix' over on the Modern Vespa forum. Vespas are expensive, but that doesn't guarantee intelligent design. Enter redneck engineering and expediency.)
The larger models are fat in the butt, and the placement of the passenger pegs is sheer idiocy. All Vespa engineers are both bow-legged and severely pigeon-toed. They must be - the factory pegs would take first place in any Concors d'Deformati, for no matter how long your inseam is, one must still turn the feet inward to to use the pegs, and simultaneously grip the MV's wide hips with the thighs to keep them there.
A couple MV guys developed steel extensions that bolt on - they work well and look great. Sluggard that I am, I wondered if there was a way to achieve the same end with less work and no drilling; something that could be backed-out at, for instance, trade-in time.
So. A quick trip to Home Depot for raw materials. About 6.50" of 1.25" PVC pipe was used for each side. Cut to length, caps were glued on the ends. The PVC pipe is forced over and onto the offending pegs and tapped in with a bit of hammering. Mrs. Redhand climbed aboard for a fitting, and proof-of-concept:
They seem to fit and work well, and so I wrapped them with textured electrician's tape. I should have bought the stair-tread grip tape for this application, but it was $13 bucks, and I'm cheap. Later, I think I'll apply big hunks of worn-out belt sander belt to prevent foot-slippage. Folded back, sort of, they aren't too obnoxious.
So off we went for a test ride. They worked very well. They stay in position from the weight of the passenger's feet , and Mrs. reports that the riding is no longer an ordeal.
I will of course undo the tape and re-wrap with better non-slip material later, but I think the idea proved out. I use the pegs myself when moved way back on the seat for Interstate runs, and I like the touch of ugly on a sleek machine. Once saw an Alfa Romeo with Pep Boys curb feelers on it...
The larger models are fat in the butt, and the placement of the passenger pegs is sheer idiocy. All Vespa engineers are both bow-legged and severely pigeon-toed. They must be - the factory pegs would take first place in any Concors d'Deformati, for no matter how long your inseam is, one must still turn the feet inward to to use the pegs, and simultaneously grip the MV's wide hips with the thighs to keep them there.
A couple MV guys developed steel extensions that bolt on - they work well and look great. Sluggard that I am, I wondered if there was a way to achieve the same end with less work and no drilling; something that could be backed-out at, for instance, trade-in time.
So. A quick trip to Home Depot for raw materials. About 6.50" of 1.25" PVC pipe was used for each side. Cut to length, caps were glued on the ends. The PVC pipe is forced over and onto the offending pegs and tapped in with a bit of hammering. Mrs. Redhand climbed aboard for a fitting, and proof-of-concept:
They seem to fit and work well, and so I wrapped them with textured electrician's tape. I should have bought the stair-tread grip tape for this application, but it was $13 bucks, and I'm cheap. Later, I think I'll apply big hunks of worn-out belt sander belt to prevent foot-slippage. Folded back, sort of, they aren't too obnoxious.
So off we went for a test ride. They worked very well. They stay in position from the weight of the passenger's feet , and Mrs. reports that the riding is no longer an ordeal.
I will of course undo the tape and re-wrap with better non-slip material later, but I think the idea proved out. I use the pegs myself when moved way back on the seat for Interstate runs, and I like the touch of ugly on a sleek machine. Once saw an Alfa Romeo with Pep Boys curb feelers on it...
CAN YOU HELP ME OUT MAN,AS i LOST ME JOB DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO GET THERE?ANY INF