Problem of smoke

[Warkton Tornado No.1]

my GP was looking very suspect last week smoking more so than usual - so I took it for a run out today and it didn't clear when warmed up as is usual.

So bit the bullet and decided to strip it today .... and glad I did ;

- got cracking stripping and noted excessive movement on the flywheel, so no worries I have crank bearings so will change them when its stripped

- stripped side casing off and noticed the clutch rocking a bit and a lot of movement on first gear, so out with endplate to finds the cluster roller had fell to bits and knackered the end of the cluster that runs in.

- no spare cluster GP cluster on the shelf (SX and LI only) bugger !! so new one to be ordered tomorrow from SR (along with replacement of parts used)

- so rebuilt the maghousing bearing and seals, drive side bearing and seal, crank back in, new rings, new top end gaskets, stator and flywheel back on and cleaned everything up ready to finish as soon as parts arrive. No movement on the flywheel now so were moving in the right direction !

funny how things turn out !

As you ‘do’ with Lambretta addiction, you acquire used engines or work on others that have cr@p bearings in them, but I can’t recall any incident of the ones that I fit going wrong, race or road.

My rule of thumb is to source genuine Western European, Japanese &/or the odd USA bearings that come from Industrial Engineering Suppliers (or a friendly store person in a place of work) & to fit them properly utilising the outer or inner as appropriate to pull/push/drive them into place. In the instance of plain bearings such as Oilite, try & fit with a sized pin in place to avoid subsequent reaming that smears the bore, though I have done so in the case of foot pedal bushes. Fortunately, I've kept all used OEM rear hub bearings & would sooner fit them with marginal play than any modern 'equivalent' replacement. Not too bad a compromise...It’s not just the name of the manufacturer that matters, but the Country of Origin.

I worked for a company that had a large machine shop & bought Czech machines that were stripped of all bearings & refitted with replacements (as above) from the outset, so it’s not just my ethos!

[gaz_powell]

Drive side and mag side were fag, the cluster one was known.

Done about 10k in a TS1 used only for hard rally miles, so I'm not complaining.

Replaced with Koyo round the crank and just ordered INA for the cluster and layshaft end.

[Warkton Tornado No.1]

Drive side and mag side were fag, the cluster one was known.

Done about 10k in a TS1 used only for hard rally miles, so I'm not complaining.

Replaced with Koyo round the crank and just ordered INA for the cluster and layshaft end.

Perhaps 10 thousand miles is a good innings for the bearings that support the crankshaft of a tuned motor, enclosed as they are in grease or oil bath. That is merely a comment on my part, not meant to be controversial!

What I was seeking to communicate is that, perhaps not in your scenario, unfortunately, there are FAG bearings & then again FAG bearings! Whilst I am able, I’d avoid those manufactured in India & I hoped that to be understood from my earlier response, purely for reasons of uncertainty concerning quality. FAG makes superb products, as I know, but I’m not convinced that their massive Indian facility will match the quality of their German base, for example.

That is the prime reason why I source mine in the way that I do & not from any Lambretta specialists.

Similarly, with the very real likelihood of counterfeiting, auction sites are not anywhere I’d buy such bearings unless providence can be proven.

[gaz_powell]

/\ no worries on my part, that's what the forums about, healthy discussion, info, opinions - that's what makes it what it is!!

I built the motor originally and probably in my naivety at the time used a supplied cluster bearing without as much thought as the crank bearings - I only use the INA ones now.

As said i'm not upset at circa 10k on those bearings.

I now buy all my bearings from a supplier near me who can offer everything from unbranded (probably fine in something like a standard LI 125) to SKF, FAG etc - i'm using KOYO on their advise and have stocked up on extras from them.