[Leoshashi]

Introduction: My dad had a pre owned Scooter, a Bajaj 150 in his college days. After getting settled, he sold that scooter and got himself a brand new Priya on 13th January, 1990. This thread is a log of its early life and largely about it's restoration.

Owner's Manual:

Sale Certificate:

Quoting Wikipedia:

The Priya was a three-speed, 150cc scooter that was manufactured in Pune, India for Maharashtra Scooters from 1975 until April 1992 under a license agreement with Bajaj Auto Limited. The design was very similar to that of the earlier "Bajaj 150" model (which was in turn based upon a Vespa 150 (VBA type) with a slightly modified body).

Quoting Maharashtra Scooters:

The Company, which was incorporated on 11th June, 1975, started manufacture of "Priya" brand of motorised geared scooters from 13th August, 1976, in technical know-how / collaboration with erstwhile BAL.

My relationship with this scooter: I absolutely loathed it. I had trained myself to be able to catch the thrum of the 2 stroke motor, so that I can undo all my mischiefs before dad could reach our flat. I remember one instance, where a day before Parent-Teacher meeting, I procured diesel from a nearby pump and poured it inside Priya's tank, hoping it would break down and dad won't come along with us to school. It still started as if nothing happened, and disaster did happen at school later that day. I was 7 at that time. There are many instances when I used to deflate its tires/vandalize it by cutting it's clutch cable early in the morning, so that I could miss my school bus. I was a naughty kid, and this scooter was at the receiving end.

Dad's equation with his scooter: Since it was his first Brand new ride, he really loved it. Till 1999, his scooter used to be the best maintained in our society. Dad's friend was a manager at Jyote Motors, Bhubaneswar and it used to get a fresh coat of paint frequently. But one of the perks of Government jobs is regular transfers, and after our first transfer, the scooter got badly damaged in transportation. After this incident, he was really heart broken, got the scooter crudely fixed and that was the beginning of its downfall. Still mechanically it remained top notch. After we shifted to Ranchi, the scooter suffered another round of torture, lack of parts availability and mechanics took its toll and it deteriorated mechanically as well. Speedometer was one of the first things to go, followed by seizing of front hubs, brakes etc. It slowly became so bad that dad too left riding it, post 2008. Also he preferred cars/bikes/automatic scooters etc over this rackety scooter. This then became the ride of construction workers who used to haul cement bags and stuff on it whenever needed.

Since 2011, it was never started, and was stored away in a corner. Thankfully it was a closed parking and was always covered with some kind of paint, at least a red oxide coat, so it never rusted badly. In 2015, we got it's registration redone via a known agent. So even though the scooter was not road worthy, it's papers were all up to date.

Year 2020, Time for another Re-registration: With a heavy heart, dad was almost ready to dispose it off. Local scrapyard had quoted him ~Rs. 1,000 for the metal weight. But I insisted to keep it, as I always wanted to restore it whenever time permitted. So we paid the fees at RTO, and came to know there was a new MVI in the city who wouldn't pass the scooter till he sees it. I did speak to him and he said he won't mind it's cosmetic state, but the scooter should be presented to him in person. Fair enough. That day we came to know, it's engine had seized! Kick was rock solid, and in my attempt to start it, I broke something inside. That was when we started looking for a scooter mechanic, so that he could at least make it rideable. It was March 2020, when lockdown happened and everything closed down.

[Leoshashi]

Collecting spares: Since I couldn't speak to any mechanic, I started collecting things which I knew were bad. Those included shocks, cables, speedometer, front levers, emblems, Lamps(Uno Minda), Carburettor etc. Slowly it was decided to get this fixed once and for all. I never asked dad for his consent, and neither did he ever oppose me collecting parts so extensively. I took this as a silent consent.

I collected spares for almost a year. Except body parts, nothing was reusable. Managed to find many OEM parts too like Original Bajaj Block-Piston kit, Silencer, Ball Bearings etc. My target for spares was pretty clear, hunt for Bajaj Original as much as possible, second preferred was OES suppliers like Minda, Escorts, Endurance, GAE etc. For non standard items like nuts and bolts, I stuck to MGP as much as possible. Some pics of collected spares:

Uno Minda Lamps:

Uno Minda Switch 6V:

Uno Minda Handle Lock set:

Shocks from Escort and Endurance. These were suppliers too as these are mentioned in Owner's Manual:

BAL marked Speedometer. I have procured original Priya Speedo too, just waiting for lockdown to get it refurbished.

6V wiring harness by Spark Minda:

Engine gasket by Zero Leak, again these are suppliers to some reputed OEMs:

3.50x8 Tyres. Finding them was a huge deal at least in my city. Thankfully a known dealer friend came to my rescue and got these fresh tyres for me:

Spaco Carburettor:

Senior happens to be a reputed brand for 2 wheelers when it comes to rubber parts:

I remember this ribbed design mat from the 90s. Was lucky to get them 30 years later too:

Handle grips:

Some oil seals:

Grommet Set:

Petrol Tap and Cap set by GAE:

Unbranded levers:

I came across a showroom which had huge collection of old Bajaj spares, managed to pick some for my scooter. This was a part of Gearbox:

Bajaj OE Block Piston Kit:

OE Silencer, was labelled as Super but my Mechanic confirmed it's same for Priya too:

Found this Bajaj branded Taillight guard, quality is good:

[Leoshashi]

Accumulating the spares and sourcing consumables: I am an absolute noob when it comes to 2 wheelers. And even more ignorant about scooters and 2-strokes. Hence it took me a bit to figure out everything. However I did source some consumables:

1. Wurth's Stone Chip Resistant coating, both aerosol and can type. My plan was to apply this at all rust prone areas so that they are completely sealed off from elements. Also when painted over, it forms a very solid almost scratch resistant surface. Many of you must have seen a rough coating OEMs do in Wheel arch and running board, this is that same coating with similar texture:

I bought Aerosol type too since I was expecting some areas where normal gun and can wouldn't reach.

2. Amsoil Assembly lube. For assembly of engine parts. Mechanics usually use Engine oil, but this holds on to surface better and hence better protection till engine starts.

3. Loctite Threadlocker 243: Prevents loosening of nuts and bolts over time with vibrations, and also has anti seizing properties against rust.

4. Motul 2T oil: Due to scarcity of 2 stroke vehicles, I have often noticed Petrol Pumps facing scarcity of these lubes. So I ordered a good quantity of 2T oil from Amazon.

5. Suzuki Genuine grease for all applications:

6. MGP Liquid Gasket:

[Leoshashi]

Initial state of the scooter: Pics speak for themselves.

[Leoshashi]

Disassembling Begins, at Home: One of my prime concerns was that I wanted this scooter to be restored to my satisfaction, not give it to some random shop and mechanic who restores it as per his whim and fancy. Also there was this issue of me not getting time always, I wanted this project to be completed at my own convenience. The first disassembly began in Feb 2021, and the scooter got completed in end May 2021, so you can imagine how relaxed the project was. So it was decided, all disassembly had to be done at my place, engine be overhauled at Mechanic's place using my supplied tools, body be refurbished at my place of desire and assembled back at my home.

Easier said than done! First there was the issue of finalising the mechanic. Rarely anyone was ready to touch an old scooter. Even known mechanics had sold off all their tools and had shifted to newer bikes. BHPian Saket77 did recommend a mechanic but it was too far from my place. He also insisted he will work on my scooter only if I let him do the entire thing, not the engine alone.

That's when my trusted car mechanic Arjun showed some courage and said he will do the disassembly and assembling parts. I should get the engine overhauled by some competent scooter mechanic since he has never done a scooter engine.

So after his workshop hours, we met and slowly the strip down began. All nuts and bolts were rust welded and had to be carefully removed. On day 1, he removed the seats and pulled out the petrol tank. All hell broke loose. The fuel was sitting since almost a decade and was smelling like crap. It was so bad that the neighbors too got irritated by that pungent smell. I decided to leave the tank at our other plot which is under construction since I didn't want the neighbors to get troubled for the entire night.

There was a filter of sorts and it was clogged and rusted as well. I began with cleaning and restoring it since that filter is nowhere available. Mechanics said fuel is much cleaner today and isn't needed. But I still took an attempt to restore it. Soaked it in APC first for hours, followed by rust cutting by Rustoleum Rust Cutter, and then cleared all holes, one at a time.

Fuel tank was also layered with all this crap, and took me multiple pressure washing sessions with APC and diesel, and finally it's interior was revealed. Was a bit rusty, but nothing critical.

Arjun also got me a large carton to lie the scooter on. It had funny things written but worked just great in saving the scooter from further damage:

Arjun was quick to remove the engine, and it was insanely dirty.

I dropped off the engine to a friend's washing center, and his boys did a good job of cleaning the externals. The engine was anyways going to be overhauled so it didn't matter if there was any water ingress.

[Leoshashi]

Body: Now it was time for the body panels. A known workshop owner came to the rescue. I requested him if he could get my scooter painted at his facility. He was more than eager to help me out. I knew all mechanics there so there was no trust issue. I was assured that they will do the best they can. Also one of the senior painters there had worked on scooters in early 90s so it was a safe bet.

A friend sent his Omni so that the scooter body could be transported to the bodyshop. I'm sure you are reading this, thanks mate!

The Mechanics started disassembling instantly:

Next, the paint was stripped off completely to reveal the rust and dents. This ensured no dent/rust remained hidden. It did reveal some nasty rust holes. Also, I got all floor holes closed.

The Dicky panel had some serious rust and is quite common with these scooters

The dicky panel was the only thing which posed some challenge, but the competent denter was confident of fabricating wherever metal was lost.

[Leoshashi]

Botched up Engine Overhaul: Till now, I hadn't found a competent scooter mechanic. Eventually found a roadside mechanic who claimed was adept with working on scooters as well. Since I knew nothing about 2 Stroke scooters myself, had no option but to trust him. To cut the long story short, his incompetence resulted in a failed engine rebuild. I tried to arrange all supplies for him but he was least interested in cleanliness, and didn't use any cleaner I gave him.

[Leoshashi]

Body work continues: After the denting work was completed, putty job started. Once putty was sanded and the desired shape was achieved, primer was sprayed on the entire body. We always ensured top quality of Putty/Primer etc was used.

As per my request, the painter sprayed Wurth's Chip resistant coating on selected areas after carefully masking the areas.

The entire body (except the areas coated with stone chip resistant paint) was then wet sanded with 600 grit sandpaper and the body was eventually ready for painting.

[Leoshashi]

Selection of Paint: I wasn't aware of the exact name of the shade. Hence we sort of reverse engineered the paint. The base shade chosen was Maruti's Bayer Cream, and we darkened the shade a bit to achieve desired tone.

One of the reasons to opt for a proper workshop for this restoration was availability of paint booth where the paint could cure in relatively dust free environment. Some pics of the scooter getting painted in booth:

[Leoshashi]

Post paint ordeals: Once the paint cured, I hauled the parts in my XL6 and Omni as I had planned to get the assembly done at my home.

But then second wave of COVID happened, and we faced a pretty difficult time. The assembly was delayed by almost a month. Thankfully, I found a mechanic who had worked in 1980s in Bajaj's factory and remembered all the intrinsic details. Assembly began on 18th May 2021, and continued for 4 days. I got to learn many things from the wise mechanic, and Arjun too dropped by to help. Some pics:

[Leoshashi]

Second Engine rebuild and subsequent assembly: I was impressed by the mechanic by now, and requested him to take a look at the engine which was rebuilt earlier. Thankfully I did this. The engine was shoddily put together.

He dismantled every single part and I was given the responsibility to clean the parts for assembly. The Crankshaft was changed and he sourced a crank from a donor Priya which was in excellent shape. The engine rebuild took another day.

After days of waiting, the moment came when the scooter was started for the first time post rebuild:

First start

[Leoshashi]

Pics after assembly was complete:

Keys with Custom Priya Keychain:

Ready for first trial:

Installed Side stands too for dad's ease.

DFT reading for the paintjob:

Speedo installed then. I've managed to get an original Priya's Speedo which I'll install very soon

Wiring diagram details, might be helpful for someone:

[Leoshashi]

Pending Jobs:

After the initial assembly was over, I noticed a few shortcomings which I intend to fix ASAP. Some of them are:

-Chrome plate front spring
-Change Speedo to OE Priya Type
-Change Front seats/get them redone.
-Install rear dicky lock. Unfortunately I haven't been able to understand how to fix it, hence the gaping hole. If anyone can guide me to fix it, I'd be extremely grateful.
-Adjusting panel gaps of LH rear quarter panel

Acknowledgement: As soon as I decided to restore the scooter, good friends came in with all their help. Some of the notable ones who guided me were BHPians Funkykar, ScarletRider, Samsag12, Victor-Mike among others. Also, Thanks a lot to everyone for going through this thread. Suggestions are most welcome.

Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

Some small yet significant things:

Priya has a 3 speed gearbox, but the gearlever was changed to 4 speed. Hence that lever had to be reverted to stock:

Had collected many type of speedos, If anyone needs them, I'll be more than happy to help:

My personal Devilbiss Gun was used for the paintjob:

MGP nuts, washers, bolts and screws were used wherever possible:

All the externally visible Bajaj emblems were replaced with Maharashtra Scooter's logo for an authentic look:

The paint was later corrected and the entire scooter was coated with Gyeon's Ceramic coating:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!