The Complete Spanner’s Manual: Vespa Wideframe Engines By Martin ‘Sticky’ Round

212 colour pages

Publication Date: February 10th 2024

Cover price: £29.99 UK/Worldwide (€34.99 in the EU)

• Do you want to know how to run and maintain an early Vespa in the 21st century?

• Would you like to learn how to identify and cure common faults?

• Are you looking for instruction on how to rebuild a Wideframe Vespa engine?

• Are you interested in upgrading the performance to make it usable in modern traffic?

• Do you want to learn the tips and tricks of expert Vespa mechanics?

This is the first time the best-selling Complete Spanner’s Manual formula has been used to tackle the world of Vespa scooters. This first episode starts at the beginning; with the engine of the Vespa ‘Wideframe’ models.

Author ‘Sticky’ sourced and visited a list of Wideframe experts and specialists all over Europe to form the basis of the first ever step-by-step manual for these historic models.

The book contains 210 pages of instructions on how to run, service and repair Wideframes built in Italy (Piaggio), Spain (MotoVespa), France (ACMA), Germany (Hoffmann and Messerschmitt), England (Douglas), Belgium (MISA) and even the illicit copies made in Russia (Vjatka). 

All of them use various evolutions of the same engine layout. By the mid-1950s already 1 Million Wideframes had been produced. If 10% of those survived it’s still 100,000 scooters out there, many of which need repair and restoration.

Through the many years of experience built up by our various experts, this book will show you all the important tips and tricks to get your Vespa Wideframe running sweetly again.

Now, with more Wideframe engine parts than ever being remade, and this book in hand, there has never been a better time to revive that old Vespa.

The book is only available in English Language, but now with modern smartphones it is still possible to read and follow it using the scanning function of apps like Google Translate.

Chapters:

• Vespa Wideframe Tools
  

• Wideframe Engine types

• Use & Maintenance

• Fault Diagnosis

• Engine Strip

• Engine Component Check and Select

• Engine Rebuild

• Advanced Engine Building

• Engine Leak-Down Pressure Testing

• Ignition System

• Ignition Timing

• Carburettors & Fuel System

• Upgrade Options

• Appendices

• Gearing

• Gearing Tables

• Torque Settings

• Bearings

• Vespa Engine Specifications 

• Carburettor Settings

• Ignition Settings

• Wideframe Specialists