Quattrini 210 – the Giant Slayer
Can Quattrini’s 210 Lambretta kit match his legendary Vespa efforts? Dan and Stan took one for a spin to find out for themselves…
Looking for a kit which will put a big smile on the face of 90% of rally going scooterists? Then look no further. Scootering were the first in the UK to road test one of the new kits, and the results are unequivocal.
Hare and tortoise
Unlike some TV motoring shows there’s no need for Scootering to manufacture personalities for its contributors. While Dan’s never happier than when squeezing the last morsel of power out of an engine, pulling wheelies and getting his knee down, I’ve got very different requirements. A good scooter will take me and my luggage halfway across Europe and back with minimum drama. By minimum drama, I don’t just mean reliability – I also want something that doesn’t need a petrol tanker following close behind and I certainly don’t want to be revving it hard simply to set off without stalling. When Chiselspeed invited us to test one of the first roadworthy examples of a Quattrini 210 kitted Lambretta, I was fairly certain it would be Dan who would be enjoying himself the most.
Different thinking
When looking at a dyno test graph there are usually two forces measured. In very simple terms these are ‘torque’, the force that gets a scooter moving and ‘bhp’ the power that keeps it going. The problem with most tuned engines is that they tend to generate power at high revs. When someone with a street racer says their engine performs best when ridden hard they might not be bragging. The revs at which power’s generated has a big impact on the practicality and longevity of an engine. Running anything at high revs inevitably means more engine wear and of course increased fuel consumption. Producing a kit that delivers both the required torque at the lower end of the scale and the desired bhp at the top of the scale has been the holy grail of kit developers, and there has been mixed success over the years.
One universally accepted Lambretta tuning ‘fact’ is that for maximum output a 200cc (‘large block’) engine casing is non-negotiable. Boring out a 125/150 (‘small block’) barrel leaves the cylinder walls too thin for adequate cooling and the cylinder skirt becomes so thin that it breaks up in use. It’s for those reasons that 200cc casings are so sought after and as supplies of good original examples dry up it explains why so much money has been invested in creating new molds. It’s also why there’s an almost unending supply of unloved small block cases littering sheds across the country.
Max Quattrini is one of tuning’s more enigmatic figures. Little is known about the man but most people agree that he’s a genius and his Vespa kits have acquired something of a cult following. When it was announced that his next project would be a 210cc kit for the Lambretta small block, imaginations ran wild.
On picking up the kit, one thing’s immediately apparent: it’s not clear which way up the barrel goes. In order to eliminate the problem of overly thin skirts Max has done away with it entirely – well almost entirely. There’s a small lip around the barrel’s base to locate it. This means the whole mouth of the crankcase can be used, easily achieving 210cc.
Also readily apparent is the manifold which is cast as part of the barrel. This eliminates the need for a baseplate, gives the necessary clearance for the
reed valve to exit on the left side of the engine and means one less gasket joint to cause air leaks. They’re solutions to two of Lambretta tuning’s more intractable problems and so clever it’s a wonder that no-one’s thought of them before. Of course the big question is: ‘What does it ride like?’
Joy ride
First out of the gate was Dan, who returned after about 40 minutes with a big grin on his face. His only advice being: “Watch the roads, they’re awful, oh and the front end lifts straight away if you rev it.” My heart sank, it seemed all my preconceptions of tuned scooters would be reinforced.
The demo scooter started first kick and even though I fully expected to embarrass myself I thought I’d try a gentle start. I selected first and with a gentle application of throttle released the clutch. To my surprise it didn’t stall and I got under way without any complaint from the engine. At the first junction I tried a little more throttle and set off. I felt the front end lifting in both first and second but it was all very controlled. Wind it back when on the move and the engine responded immediately, snap it open and acceleration was brisk to say the least.
Despite Dan’s warning about the road surface I enthusiastically tackled a few twisties and the engine responded perfectly. It’s hard to remember that my role in this test wasn’t conversion to racer but to give the perspective of a steady rider. I switched into my normal riding style and the Quattrini delivered again as I made good progress without revving the engine hard. Riding out towards the A1 I was able to open things up. Overtakes in a 50 zone were effortless with the engine responding instantly to throttle, at this speed I didn’t even need to gear down. On longer stretches of open road I was leading the traffic flow but at very low revs. This was only a test ride but I suspect longer journeys at motorway speeds wouldn’t test the engine too hard. The motor had huge amounts of torque and despite being fitted with the hardest Ancillotti I’ve encountered in a while the ride was remarkably smooth. I found myself thinking how entertaining this kit would be for EuroLambretta and a journey over the Pyrenees….
Sedate is not a word I’d use to describe the Quattrini, Dan will cover the science part but thanks to its power distribution curve the whole set-up is user friendly. Whatever your riding style it delivers and after returning to base both Dan and I are happy. Once again, hats off to Max.
The right stuff
There’s no shortage of tuning exotica out there at the moment. In fact, it’s possible to buy close to 50bhp off the shelf. However being able to afford the price of a small family car and then being capable enough to control that amount of power is another matter entirely.
For 99% of riders the requirement is for an engine that’s safe in modern traffic conditions, doesn’t routinely destroy itself, has reasonable fuel consumption and is affordable to fit. Admittedly there are kits out there that hit many of those targets but the Quattrini 210 breaks new ground. By thinking differently Quattrini has produced a package that delivers affordable power in a way that suits the needs of both speed freaks and tourers alike. It’s said that you can’t please all the people all of the time but Quattrini may be about to disprove that.