Hi all, I have been experiencing real bad vibrations to the front of scooter when I apply front brakes!, I have a 1964 li 150 silver special recently imported from Italy, , had it supposedly checked over before I went out on it but I am worried about this, I have been out twice since I had it registered, could it be the fork springs have gone or are the brake pads worn down?
The first thing I would do is drop the hub and wheel out of the fork links and check that the two sides of the hub are properly bolted together. If they are, I’d open up the two halves and check that it is all put together correctly.
With the scooter off the stand, place your left thumb over the join between the bottom of the headset and the top of the inside of the legshields. Apply the front brake and rock the scooter forward and backwards and if the steering column is loose or the bearings worn, you should feel some movement under your thumb.
If there is no movement, then it could be a buildup of brake dust in the drum brake or worn shoes. Drop the drum brake out of the forks and separate the drum brake. Take care of the dust. If the brake shoes are old, the dust may contain asbestos.
There was play when Scooter off stand and front brake on Between the leg shields and The bottom of the headset but I improved by loosening headset and tapping locknut round , also tightened the hub plate slightly, so vibration has gone but I have found the fork springs need replacing, can this be done with the forks in place?