[traveloholic]

Originally Posted by hillram

Dear Ed..Im elated to see your Kelvinator getting into its final stages of restoration.And it gives me an extra loads of joy to see our HCSC Sticker on your Kelvinator.Hats off to your spirts and thanks for taking our logo into United Kingdom !!!

Thanks Ed for letting HCSC Sticker adorn your Kelvinator. I am honoured to be some how involved in the HCSC Sticker thing and am happy to know that it has reached the shores of UK now. I am waiting for mine though, I am elated to see the sticker being used with the same pride as I sent it to HillRam as my idea for the sticker.

[hillram]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Thanks Ed for letting HCSC Sticker adorn your Kelvinator. I am honoured to be some how involved in the HCSC Sticker thing and am happy to know that it has reached the shores of UK now. I am waiting for mine though, I am elated to see the sticker being used with the same pride as I sent it to HillRam as my idea for the sticker.

Ed.Indeed the HCSC sticker which adorns both our scooters is the result of Traveloholic's (Nikhil) creativity and ingeniouness in him,which lead him to design this beautiful logo for us.
Thanks Nikhil Bhai again.

@Nikhil Bhai..I will ensure you get a Classic Vespa now.

[traveloholic]

Apologies Ed for Text-Jacking (textual form of Hijacking is called as textjacking in my dictionary) your thread by including my comments too.

Originally Posted by hillram

Ed.Indeed the HCSC sticker which adorns both our scooters is the result of Traveloholic's (Nikhil) creativity and ingeniouness in him,which lead him to design this beautiful logo for us.

It was the least I could do for you Ram Bhai. I was reading HCSC thread and that's when I thought if I can be of some help to HCSC, then let me do it.

Originally Posted by hillram

Thanks Nikhil Bhai again.

I shall thank you only when you give me my due, a couple of stickers Ram Bhai. Eagerly awaiting for the stickers.

Originally Posted by hillram

@Nikhil Bhai..I will ensure you get a Classic Vespa now.

I have my eye on a Vespa, which my long distant maternal grand father used to drive but am reluctant to ask for it. He is no longer riding it and is lying in his friends appartment parking. I asked him one and he said, "Come and take it". I have never seen a vespa so well maintained. Hope I get to lay my hands on it soon. Thanks for reigniting the fire, its time to visit him again this weekend to BEG-BORROW-OR-STEAL that Vespa

[hillram]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Thanks for reigniting the fire

HCSC has been formed just to ignite such many more fires.
I will give you stickers next time we meet.

[edsuede]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Very interesting that the Kelv is made from an API tubular frame and Series 3 loop. I reckon this must have been Kelvinator buying up and using some surplus parts once API had finished. What do you think?
I wonder why Kelvinator changed so many things such as the ribbed tool box door. Seems strange to go to the extremes of changing the original presses just for an aesthetic effect

Hi Mitch

Good to see you back on the forum and posting
Just to clarify about the Kelvinator. From research I've done and from examining the parts of the scooter as I've disassembled and re-built her;

1. The frame loop is derived from a series 2 but is not a direct copy, (differs in several significant ways). The frames were not sourced from an API Lamby but were made by Kelvinator themselves.

2. Kelvinator appear to have made in house (or out sourced) using their own presses, all the main panels - they bear the 'KOI' (Kelvinator of India) stamp and their own unique part number and quality control/batch number stampings.

3. API were still very much alive and kicking when the Kelvinator was produced (1983 - 1986 approx). It is my understanding that API limped on until the early 90s.

In my view, the Avanti was designed to compete with the leading scooters of the 1980s Indian market - the Vijay, lamby and Vespa P range in it's Indian guise, hence the unique styling and parts on the vehicle. The Kelvinator seems to blend the ease of maintenance and rugged construction of a Lambretta with styling nods to the Vespa P range (i.e. the mudguard, legsheilds, horn cast).

Regards
Ed

[edsuede]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Thanks Ed for letting HCSC Sticker adorn your Kelvinator. I am honoured to be some how involved in the HCSC Sticker thing and am happy to know that it has reached the shores of UK now.

As I've said before my friend, I feel very privileged to have these stickers on my scooter - they are a symbol of the friendships I am forming with fellow enthusiasts in your country

Regards
Ed

[Mitch]

Ed, I would doubt Kelvinator made their own frames, rather they stamped frames made by API or SIL etc, makes sense. Hillram, Silman, fantastic stickers!. I would be honoured to sport your scooter clubs' stickers on my Allwyn. Please tell me if there are any similar items you would like from the UK and I will be happy to reciprocate.

[edsuede]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Ed, I would doubt Kelvinator made their own frames, rather they stamped frames made by API or SIL etc, makes sense.

Hi Mitch

Indeed, it would make sense to use frames supplied by SIL or API but then nothing about the Kelvinator makes sense If it was down to economic and common sense then why go to the trouble of making unique bodywork parts? It is really hard to appreciate until you've stripped and started to rebuild one of these machines, but just about everything about the Kelvinator is different and unique - either in terms of one off parts or in the way parts have been manufactured deliberately to blend elements of series 2 and 3. Over the weekend I'll find time to list all the details appertaining to the frame alone - it is such a bizzare mix match that it being made from scratch by Kelvinator is the only thing that makes sense to me.

Out of interest, I've just returned from AF Rayspeed. The top frame steering cone on the Kelvinator was unlike any they've come across before. In order to supply me with a new one they've had to modify a series 2 cone by making up a packing shim especially to sit underneath the shoulder of the cone to replicate the dimensions of the original!

Regards
Ed

[Mitch]

Have you tried fanaticscooters?

[edsuede]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Have you tried fanaticscooters?

Hi Mitch

Yes - Dave at fanatic Scooters has no Kelvinator stuff - he has been a great source of Lamby parts over the years though

Regards
Ed

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by edsuede

The unique Kelvinator spare wheel holder has been pushed to the back of the garage and will not be used as it is badly damaged. At some point it has snapped in several places including all the way down the flat area. This has been very badly welded up in India and this has then clearly snapped again all down the repair weld. I've no doubt that a skilled welder with plenty of time and patience could repair this to it's former glory but at the moment I can't justify the expense this would entail so I've sourced a second hand Vijai item (very cheap via ebay) that is a similar sort of colour This now sits on the patch of bare metal (with hard plastic spacers) that I treated earlier in the week with rust inhibitor.

Ed

Ed,

A mate of mine is a welder and he may be able to help, dependent on how far gone it is. He is pretty good at solving problems with damaged metal.
If you need any help, let me know.

Mitch

[Mitch]

Guys, do you remember this thread I did in 2009? (sorry to hijack the thread Ed but I don't know if you've seen this)

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-w...-super-uk.html

[edsuede]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Ed,

A mate of mine is a welder and he may be able to help, dependent on how far gone it is. He is pretty good at solving problems with damaged metal.
If you need any help, let me know.

Guys, do you remember this thread I did in 2009?

Thanks for your kind offer regards the welding Mitch - will bear this in mind Yes, I've seen your Vijai thread - it was one that I followed before being granted membership to the BHP forum - lovely scooter and a great job done there Mitch

I promised to outline the unique features of the Kelvinator frame - so here goes;

Starting from the front - The down tube is series 2 length. Hornbracket is unique but is closest to a late series 3/GP/Vijay. Main frame is mostly series 2 but minus the looped re-inforcement section that is found underneath the rear top loop on a series 2 - instead, this section of the frame resembles series 3/GP/Vijay. The petrol tank supports on the frame are series 2. The rear footboard outriggers start off as series 2 but terminate in a unique, smaller, fatter foot on which the rear footboards mount. The top frame loop at first glance resembles a series 3/GP/Vijay, however the section of frame behind the rear seat that on innocenti models houses the rear frame grille has a unique shape - it is more akin to the more rounded profile of a series 2 than a series 3/GP/Vijay.

Regards
Ed

[edsuede]

Some (not a great deal due to lack of time regrettably) more work done on the Kelvinator last week.

Got the forks/mudguard fitted. I bought 2 upper steering bearings and then removed the cages from these to release the ball bearings - these were then put into the top bearing cone track loose (held in place with grease) until all the space in the bearing cone was filled by the balls and then one ball was removed to allow the balls to rotate. This has the effect of increasing the overal number of contact points, thus enhancing the feel of the steering.

Parts used:

2x Uni brand upper steering bearings
1x Uni brand lower steering bearing
1x Swedish Industries brand top bearing cone, locking nuts and tongued washer set.
1x Original Kelvinator spacer ring (between headset and legsheilds)

Have loosely fitted the bottom headset in order to check the fit of the upper legshields, spacer ring and bottom headset. The headset has now been fitted with a new kill switch.

Parts used;

1x Uni brand kill switch
1x New Old Stock Innocenti kill switch fixing bracket and screw.

Also re-fitted the original Kelvinator front saddle - this needed cleaning up, and reconditioning and was then re-painted in gloss black enamel and a new saddle cover fitted - the original literally crumbled in my hands when I took it off

Parts used;

1x Original Kelvinator front saddle
2x used Italian saddle springs (missing on original seat)
1x Saddle cover (Indian made but brand unknown)

Regards
Ed

[karlosdeville]

Here's one for grabs - doesn't look bad, plus seems reasonable.

http://bhopal.olx.in/antique-avanti-...-iid-733798254