We sell parts, not labour. But the questions we get on the phone are so often the same that we've written the answers down here.
Workshop
Four topics where most jobs come unstuck. Not a complete manual — just the points where things go wrong in practice, and that you want to know before you order.
For proper mechanical work we're happy to refer you to a workshop near you. Not sure whether you can handle a job yourself? Give us a call and we'll tell you honestly what we think.
After reboring a cylinder you need an oversize piston. Measure the bore at three heights and along two axes, and take the largest value. If you fall between two oversizes, choose the smallest one that fits and have the clearance measured by someone with an internal micrometer.
A chain and its sprockets wear together. Fit a new chain on worn sprockets and it will be stretched again within a few hundred kilometres. Replace them as a set, and adjust the chain tension so there is about two centimetres of play in the middle.
A drum brake has no fluid in the system, but the cable does need to run freely. Lubricate a new cable before fitting, don't let it kink sharply anywhere, and adjust to between two and three centimetres of free play at the lever.
Change the exhaust or air filter and you change the airflow, and therefore the mixture. Go up a few steps in main jet size and read the spark plug after a short full-throttle run: light brown is good, white is too lean and black is too rich.
Footage
Picking, checking and packing parts. No showroom, but a warehouse where we've had everything in our own hands.
Atmospheric footage from the workshop. The video has no sound.
Safety
Tools
For most moped maintenance, a basic set gets you a long way. A socket set from 8 to 17, a set of open-ended spanners, a good Phillips screwdriver, cable cutters and a torque wrench. That last one is skipped most often and causes the most damage: an overtightened cylinder head warps.
Also: a spark plug spanner in the right size, a feeler gauge for setting your ignition timing, and plenty of light at your workbench. That last one isn't a tool, but it makes more difference than all the other points put together.
Need help?
Describe your situation and we'll think it through with you. Better to be sure straight away than to send something back afterwards.
