Hot Rod Al Pipe

I paged the Bajaj Yahoo Group to see who has a Hot Rod Al pipe and how it compares to Phil's POC pipe. The Hot Rod Al pipe is a little less expensive, but both are basically in the $300 range.

I asked riders to write a review of the pipe and include photos as well as a movie showing the speedo with audio of shifting through the gears.

Chris P., of Calif., responded and told me he planned to buy a pipe. I recently checked back in with him via email and this is his response:

"hey Jeremy, I installed the pipe today and it is awsome. It is loud but not too loud and I could real feel a kick in the horse power. I was also toping out at 55mph before 60 today so I am very stoked. I didnt get any photos of the install but it is very easy. I also did the tricks mod today. Hot Rod Al will probably not be making any more of the pipes so you may want to pick on up ASAP. Al is also going to a custom made 26 carb on it in a few weeks. I will try to send you photos and a video of the pipe." -- Chris

I look forward to Chris's review, photos, and video to share with you.

The story behind Bajaj

Below you find high resolution scans from Vespa, style in motion, which documents how Bajaj, as a company came to be. It gives a good history for you to tell every time someone asks, "hey is that a Vespa?" It does not address the 1980s and 2000s attempt to sell Bajaj in the USA.

Click on the photos to enlarge to read or to print.

190cc Bajaj Mod

Roy wrote an article on how he designed and built his 190cc kit on "All things Bajaj." Comments are posted there as well.

Here's what Roy wrote:

a lot of research went into this and those so inclined may benefit from this. first i decide on the maximum size that the cyl could be sleeved to this is determined by the engine case as it can only be opened so far (70 to72mm) that sets the piston size at (63 to 67mm) working with Marvin at Kustom-Kraft.com tel 888-697-4343 (tell him roy rhodes set you) we decided on 65mm this allows for two over bores if needed and gives a displacement of 189.1cc if you went the max at 67mm you would have a full 200cc. but no room for boring. the piston i decided on is a Honda ATC200 81-86 std size 65mm this piston has a dished top and must be machined down in a lathe also the skirt must be shortened this is also done on the lathe the piston pin dia is 15mm the stock pin is 17mm i machined a sleeve on my lathe and locktited it into the rod small end. the cyl head must be mounted on the lathe and a recess cut to match the new cyl dia this is then blended into the combustion chamber and additional material removed from the chamber to bring the cr down in my case 10.75 to 1 at this cr the electric starter just will turn the engine over but if its up on compression i must jog the starter or kick it past top before it will spin the motor. Marvin supplied a custom cut copper head gasket and i used 2 stock base gaskets to seal the cyl you can only raise the cyl so much before the cam chain becomes tight. and that is how i did it doing all the lathe work and cyl head work myself, is there a better piston to be used?, or Marvin said that a custom piston could be ordered but cost is a factor. total cost for this work was $380.00 but as Marvin now has all the info on hand the next customer may do much better also if you supply your own piston they can be had for less im using a ProX2430 cast piston which Marvin supplied.

one thing i forgot is that the engine case must be opened up to accept the larger cyl liner this can be done by stripping the entire engine and having a machine shop do it but i stuffed the engine case with shop towels cotton balls more shop towels and then sealed it with modeling clay then i made a guide from 2in thick oak and used a 2 3/4in hole saw to open the engine case up a little clean up with the dremmel and then remove and clean the engine just for good measure i flushed the engine with a parts cleaner pump and cleaning fluid and then did the final assembly.

No replacement for displacement

For a long time now I have complained to my wife and other Bajaj owners that I want just a little more power and I once even, jokingly, said to my friend Christopher Markley, of Moto Rapido, that he should build a top-end kit for the Bajaj Chetak & Legend. We even laughed about "super chargin'" the engine.

I also spoke with friend and mechanic, Mike Lawless, of Philly Scooters, about "turbo chargin''" my engine -- just need to spool up some air. He didn't think it work. He also told me, "Jeremy if want to go faster buy a new bike like a TS1 or something. Remember, there is no replacement for displacement." He was referring to the top-end of the bike.

Unlike the two-strokes, which have had top-end performance upgrade kits available for years from many different manufacturers, the Bajaj has had nothing. As I restore my Lambretta TV175 I will either aid Dean S's "Deanspeed 190" or the all-new "Casa Lambretta 186". My goal has always been just to rally against a stock Vespa P200. Nothing fancy. No race machine. No rocket science.

The availability of a new top-end for a 4-stroke Bajaj made a major step forward on Thursday, January 10th, 2008 Roy posted the following on the Bajaj Yahoo Group:

"i have completed mods to my 06 chetak which include boring the engine out to 190cc,10.75 to 1 cr, fully ported and polished intake and head, custom free flow exhaust that sounds like a hot sports car not a harley, racing cdi unit, racing coil, iridium plug, free flow intake filter, 26mm carb, custom seat, cuppini full size windshield designed for a vespa LX this thing is slick (part # CUP2445), 120-90 rear and 100-90 front tires on wide rims. without running the piss out of it (3/4 throttle) i cruze at 60mph sitting straight up and feel that when the carb is dialed in and engine broken in a top end of 65 to 70mph should be no problem. i can get the racing cdi,coil,air filter,and iridium plugs if enough people are interested price will be given but first i need to know if enough people are interested to make an order."
-- roythebad

Note: I going to email Roy for permission to post his contact information here as well as photos, video of his bike running (dialed in on the speedo), and a review of his set-up for my readers. I'll keep you posted.

Follow-up: Roy emailed me that day and said . . .

Hello Jeremy i am glad to hear of your interest in my project. i will be posting on the All things Bajaj site about how i built the 190cc engine you are welcome to post this on your site. first i would like to say that i have a very well equipped shop with a metal lathe with milling attachment, drill press mill combo, plasma cutter, mig welder, and thousands of dollars worth of tools all left over from my business that due to health problems i had to close. working on my bikes gives me great satisfaction and helps to keep me out of trouble i enjoy the work as much as i do the riding and due to my health i cannot ride as much as i would like (2 disks removed from my neck and 2 more disks ruptured but not removed one in neck and one in lower back) I do not own a camera or video equipment i am more a hands on mechanical person that likes to tinker but due to the interest in my project i will be buying a camera so i can post some pics the best time to have documented the engine build would have been while i was building it i probably have well over 100 hrs in research and hands on trial and error to get to what i have now, i could photo items such as my custom exhaust and the racing ign parts, bike etc and write about my building and running experiences. people can contact me at l r h 517 30 91 at a o l (I wrote it like this to protect Roy's email address from SPAMMERS), but please be aware that due to my health sometimes i am un able to even use the computer for periods of weeks at a time. the only items that i may offer if there is enough interest would be the racing cdi, racing coil, air filter, iridium plug, and possibly the 26mm carb. i will give contact names and phone # and email for the place that did the cyl sleeve job as he has all the info for this and can supply a finished sleeved cyl, piston, and a nice copper head gasket to complete the kit.

again thank you for your interest and feel free to wright me any time. roy rhodes aka roythebad

Bajaj self-portrait contest

After seeing this amazing self-portrait of "JustinScoot" from Stella's web page it dawned on me . . . host a Bajaj & owner self-portrait contest. I love this photo, because he looks like he should be scootin' along side Mel Gibson in the movie classics "Mad Max" & "Road Warrior".

Here's how it will work . . .
1) You and your Bajaj "BOTH" must be in the photograph
2) Entries must be emailed to jeremy at bassmonkey dot com no later than Mardi Gras, Feb. 5, 2008. Include your photo, full name, city, and state.
3) I will set up a survey on this blog for all Bajaj owners and blog readers to come and vote for the best entry
4) Winner will be announced on Valentine's day, Feb. 14, 2008

** Winner will have "bragging rights" and I will also email the information on to Scoot! Magazine in the hopes they publish the winner's photo. **

Another Stella owner, Gary Issac, created this 50's motif photo of his Stella, which can be found on Stella's friends web page.

I hope these photos and links provide you some inspiration (your's does not need to be like these).

I look forward to your entries!

Entry #1:
Bob Hartman
Rochester, NY

Our Chetaks

My wife's Chetak is a 2001 butter yellow and I have a 2003 black Chetak. I still need to add the chrome legshield to my wife's bike plus her Chetak emblems. We both have rear racks. She scored a good deal on alum. racks from Target on clearance for both our bikes. She has a large one and I have a small one. It is easy to attach to the rear rack -- just a quick twist of the eye screw.
My wife also owns a 1967 Vespa SS180 and I own a 1962 Lambretta TV175. Next she would like to find a Series 1 or Series 2 Lambretta for herself. I would like a Vespa GS160 or a nice "quick" P200 for a daily rider.

Need a title for your vintage Bajaj?

Many barn yard finds don't come with a title or maybe you lost your title for your vintage Chetak or other model. That's an easy fix at $80.

Look into International Title Service. They're the most frequently used service for old motorcycles and cars.

In a nutshell what you do is sell your bike to them and they resell it back to you with a clean title.

Easy as 1-2-3.

Alternative ways can be found on Scoot.net's Wiki.

Of course these approaches are for the USA.

Bodywork home repairs

BEFORE you do anything go to the following web forum and classroom at:
http://www.autobodystore.com/

Ask about "moving metal" and show them a picture of your problem area. These guys know their stuff and many are ol'schoolers that pratice the "art" of bodywork. They would be the experts I'd ask first. I was turned on to these guys by Christopher Markley of www.motorapido.net, who worked on my wife's 1967 Vespa SS180.

On the Bajaj Yahoo Group today, Mark emailed and said his scoot was dented by a hit-&-run and he wanted suggestions for repairs. His cowl was damaged.
This dent is somewhat creased and that is not a good sign for an ameteur home repair. The more it is creased the harder it will be to repair without needing to repaint.
On the flip side if he can manage to bump the dent back out he may get away without re-painting the cowl, because the paint is in decent shape currently.
For smaller dents without creases I recommend either buying or building your own Ding King from "As Seen on TV". If you visit your local Harbor Freight Tools, Home Depot, and Dollar Tree (for mini hot glue gun and glue) I am sure you could easily make your own dent remover that is even more versatile than the Ding King.
In the photo you can see it's an easy 3-step process using a Ding King.

For this dent this approach would be my first line of defense. ALWAYS use the way of least resistance and work your way up. Hammers are almost always a BAD idea.

With a friend applying hand-pressure to the back of the dent and you working your Ding King try to pull out the dent while your friend pushes you guys may get it to pop back out and look somewhat decent (not perfect). You never know. Research heating and cooling the metal too for expansion and shrinkage. You can heat it with a Harbor Freight Tool's heat gun (cost about $10 on sale) -- just check on how it will affect the paint first. This is a much better approach than a dent puller, which requires you to drill a hole into the metal and then pull it out.

Your next line of defense is hammer & dolly (costs $16 on sale at Harbor Freight Tools).