From rust to revival: Full restoration of my dad's 1990 Priya scooter

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.

BHPian Leoshashi recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

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 its 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 had trained myself to be able to catch the thrum of the 2 stroke motor, so that I could undo all my mischiefs before dad could reach our flat. I remember one instance, where a day before the Parent-Teacher meeting, I procured diesel from a nearby pump and poured it inside Priya's tank, hoping it would break down and dad wouldn'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 its 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 heartbroken, 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, the lack of parts availability and mechanics took its toll and it deteriorated mechanically as well. It slowly became so bad that Dad too left riding it, post 2008. Also, he preferred cars/bikes/automatic scooters etc over this. 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 its registration redone via a known agent. So even though the scooter was not road-worthy, its 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 on keeping 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 its cosmetic state, but the scooter should be presented to him in person. Fair enough. That day we came to know that its 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.

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 for 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 the 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:

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 a 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 the same for Priya too:

Found this Bajaj branded Taillight guard, quality is good:

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