Ignition wiring for Vespa Ciao, Bravo, and Grande 

akaiyanagiteru Thanks for commenting on the video, I knew this wouldn't be a popular video when I made it, but I thought it would help people out. Glad to hear it is of use to you. This was the first bike I learned on, it seems so simple now, but back then it was hard. I can help you with yours. When you cleaned the carb, did you clean the main jet as well? You should be able to stick a thin guitar wire through it to clean it. You cna check to make sure the exhaust is not clogged too. To test the electrical, all you have to do is wrap a wire around the spark plug like I did, and connect it to ground. You can try cleaning the plug and making the gap smaller. Best to buy a new plug to be safe, NGK BPR5HS. It could be your condenser or HT coil, you can get those very cheap online.

cyrex686 Thank you so very much for your help but please have patience with me because I'm new to all of this and have no knowledge on anything auto or mechanical related things. So far right now I'm cleaning the mufffler and buying a new spark plug. I know for sure that I have to change out some or all of the electrical wires because some of them have corroded and broken off. When I took off the muffler I notice the part where the engine is connected to the muffler is very dirty and very black. How would I go about to clean that? And what precautions I should be aware of? Do you think I need to take the engine apart and clean it? I'm not too sure what to do or how to go about it because right now the bike seem like everything need to be fix and I'm feeling overwhelm because I want to do it right and not mess it up, especially when I don't know anything. Thank you so very much again for your help, I really do appreciate it. You are a life saver!

Oh I forgot to mention, when I clean the carburetor I also clean out the jet. I also made sure that there was good gas flow where the gas was going into the carburetor. That's why I was at a lost to why the bike wouldn't idle unless I held onto the throttle and the bike would only started once. Thank you so very much!!!

akaiyanagiteru Happy to help, I was in your place once too. You can test to see if the muffler is blocked by just blowing in it. To decarbonise, basically find anything you can, a dremel with wire brush attachments, little screwdrivers, dental picks, wire brush, tooth brush. Just be careful not to remove metal, only the carbon buildup. Did it run at all before you took it apart? To redo the wires, you will need a puller for it, until you do that, doing any electrical fixes will be a huge pain, or impossible. I'd suggest you get a new condecser and coil just to be safe, get generic ones off ebay or aliexpress figure out a way to mount them later, they will be really cheap. The coil on mine died. A big piece of advice is to work on one thing at a time if you can, that way if you mess with something and it won't start, you know where to look. If it was working ok, then stopped suddenly, I can almost gaurntee you it is electrical, then carb, and other stuff is a smaller possibility. Taking off the engine in this thing is super easy once you have done it a few times. Takes 20 minutes. Suggest you spray down everyhting with WD-40, take a wire/tooth brush to it, then clean that off using a can of brake cleaner. Not necessary, but it will make any work you do a lot easier.

What kind of symptoms do you have? It is not idling well, or low top speed?

I'm going to guess bad ground or kill switch.

Been a while, but I think clockwise. Just turn the pulley on the moped clockwise and make sure that the back wheel turns counterclockwise. If you are not using the old gearbox, you will need some gear reduction using probably two pulleys. Look on Mustie1 youtube channel for some ideas. I'm not sure if the timing will work both ways. You might need to modify the cam that activates the points, either rotate it or add a weld bead onto it. Good luck with your project, be sure to post it!

Sounds like you hve some wiring problems. All you can really do is look at the wiring diagram and probe for continuity. Turn signal should be the easiest. As for the 5V from the coil, I'm not sure what's going on there. Does it at least run?

No, It does not run yet. It has been setting in a neighbors yard for about 20 years . Since I wrote you , I was able to get all of the wiring problems done except the brake light. I found that the carburetor is not allowing the fuel to pass to the bowl, very little anyway. I do have spark now that I cleaned the points.

Good to hear about your progress. You can get a new float needle for the dellorto 12/12 carb. My local motorcycle shop ordered one, was cheap. Make sure the gas cap vent is not blocked. IIRC, the brake light is weird, normally closed switch.

something still is not right with the carb. The fuel does not seem to get to the bowl. I have purchased and installed a rebuild kit. I found that one of the jets was clogged so, I replaced that. I force feed the carb with some good gas and it ran for a few seconds so , I know that the engine will in fact run. I was thinking of just replacing the carb with a Dellorto 13.13 and use a #50 jet. What do you think ? Thanks

Yup, simple as that. Practice on some random wires first. Use lead solder, not lead free. Use flux from plumbing section of hardware store, flux core isn't enough. May need to sand the contacts. You will need a flywheel puller.

Seriously, one coming out of it? No lights then?

At my Piaggio at well

Oh man, that's weird. Sounds like a really nice bike, better then mine lol. Can't say I know how to test it other than to measure resistance precisely with a 4 wire resistance tester or just two multimeters. You need to know what it is supposed to be, maybe find that online. Did you try swapping the HV coil? A new spark plug/boot is never a bad idea. Maybe the idle/low speed jet on the carb?

martysgarage.info/manuals/vespa-grande.pdf

@@cyrex686 Thank you very much for this nice gesture of help! ❤❤

What moped is it? Do the wires all some from the same place?

@@cyrex686 it's a Baghee kinetic, around 1990. It worked when I bought it but something happened that made it lose like 85% of its power and finally not run at all. Checked the carb and fuel flow.

@@goolgehatter1597 Does it work just at low speed, but bog down at high speed? Could be clogged muffler. That 3rd wire could be lights or kill switch. If it is kill switch, maybe just connect it to ground. You should try a new condenser, coil and plug too. They are $5 on ebay for generics. Your local shop will have condensers. Any one will work. Did you clean the points?

@@cyrex686 I think the weak spark is the problem, i tried adjusting the points but made it all worse. they are difficult to set. I'll hace a look on ebay for parts :)

Yes, but they are usually dried out, so just use an external one rather than trying to find a direct replacement and a flywheel puller. I believe they are only in the Bravo and Ciao. The grande has another coil where the condenser would go, so the condenser has an external mounting point on the frame. I think you can leave the old one in and just use an external one.

Can't find one on craigslist? Maybe see if someone on Moped Army has one for sale.

That sounds like a good idea, that way you could get a timing advance at higher speeds, so a bit more power. Not to mention, it won't wear out, won't need adjustment, and is more reliable. My moped is in a garage 300km away at the moment, but who knows maybe next summer I'll look into that and some other stuff.

cyrex686 thanks buddy, can you tell me what are the symptoms i look for when ignition starts to wear out , so i can fix it early and avoid pushing my moped for kilometers to get it home...

Best thing is just to carry some spare parts: Spark plug, spark plug tool, spark plug wire, condensor, HT coil, some wire, maybe a points file (or just nail file) and adjustable wrench. You can get that stuff generic off ebay for next to nothing.

They have a electrolyte liquid in them that dries out over time. Since these are 30-40 year old engines, it is assumed they have dried out and need to be replaced. Even if still working, they might not work as well as a new one, more noticeable if it is cold and/or wet. It is best to replace them, as well as the HV coil, spark plug wire, spark plug boot, and the spark plug as well. They are all cheap and generic on eBay.

Would help to know what you have to know how to fix it. If the engine wont turn by hand then it is likely the piston stuck in the cylinder. There are lots of methods of unsticking a piston from a cylinder if you google that. It won't run well after though, will need to hone the cylinder and need new rings.

I forget, did I reply to you in a PM?

Finally someone asked after 7 years. I just searched and you can actually just buy a round M8 coupler nut off ebay for under $5 www.ebay.com/itm/164293918470 If you want one right now, you could make one: Buy a long M8 bolt and two nuts. Cut the head off the bolt and put the body of the bolt in a drill. Now, tighten the two nuts onto the threaded portion of the bolt. With the drill running, hold the nuts up to a grinder and grind them round. Those two nuts should work just as well once you take them off.

@@cyrex686 haha I looked through the comments and didn't see anyone ask. Thanks for the indepth writeup! I will be grabbing one off ebay. Thanks again!

You mean inside the case?

cyrex686 yes, behind the flywheel. My condenser is mounted on the outside of the engine and it has a third coil on the inside. Yours are the only one i have seen except mine witch has the condenser on the outside.

The wiring diagram is in the manual. You should be able to find it for download. It should show how the coils are connected to each other and to the condenser.