P UT A CORK I N I T
Unless a machine’s been owned from new its history is always uncertain and chances are that the various ‘home mechanics’ involved haven’t always been the most careful. Often that oil leak on the garage floor is the result of damaged gasket faces on the engine case. This is particularly true for Lambrettas where the chain cover is particularly prone to abuse. “A while ago I spoke to some classic bike mechanics and they couldn’t believe we were still using paper gaskets” explained David. “They’ve been using cork for years as it offers many advantages on the types of engine we work with. I’ve invested in the tooling and our gaskets are made in the UK to our own specifications.”
The cork gaskets, which are made in the UK using special compound, will seal almost any imperfection but unlike liquid gasket solutions can be reused up to 10 times. This is a great advantage for roadside repairs but also for racers, with whom the product has found particular favour. “For road use we offer the gaskets in thicknesses of 1mm and 1.5mm,” explained David.
“The 1mm gasket will seal most problems but the 1.5 offers a little more depth for badly scored faces. Our 2mm gaskets are sold mostly to racers as they are more durable but on road-going scooters they can cause the kick start to disengage due to the changed dimensions.” The Lambretta chain case gasket is the firm’s best seller but sets are also available for the Vespa P range, Sport, GL and Super. The chain case gaskets are priced at £7.95, offering a cost effective solution for long-suffering engines.