IT ALL... WHAT THE EDITOR HAS TO SAY ABOUT
Having worked on a number of Quattrini-based Vespa engines in the past, I was already aware of the thought and planning which Max puts into his cylinder designs… the Lambretta 210 proved no different. One thing that did surprise me though, was the power delivery. From my experience with the highly-strung small frame Vespas within the MQ stable, I was expecting nothing less than motocross style launches and high-revving madness… but much to my delight, this was not to be. I say ‘much to my delight’ because there seems to have been something akin to an ‘arms race’ recently, in terms of ever-increasing expectation of bhp, and sky-rocketing costs involved in obtaining more, more and… more. Therefore, to experience something quite different was very much of a pleasure. So… what’s it like?
It’s not like a crosser, not at all…
An inquisitive scooterist approached me on the subject recently, with the opening line: “So what’s the Lambretta Quattrini kit like? Same as his other stuff, all revs n’that… just like a crosser?” My reply to him was simply this: “No, to me a crosser would be something gutless at the bottom end needing a power-valve unit to try and regain that missing lower power range, before it launches into an arm-wrenching frenzy of revs and wheelies… the Quattrini is nothing like that at all.”
So am I saying it has no power and doesn’t wheelie?
Am I bollocks. Let me tell you exactly what the Quattrini kit is like… it’s smooth, very smooth. The piston weight seems perfectly balanced to the crank in that respect, and doesn’t transmit any detectable vibrations to the rider, as often seen with big thumper engines. Those of you experienced with larger bore engines, or anything running a heavy piston, will have probably experienced the vibrations I’m talking about… especially when run with a crank which is contributing to the problem. If anyone wants to delve into that side of things a bit deeper, check with Rich Taylor of Gran Turismo, he has a lovely chart of various branded cranks, and which ones balance out the best…but I digress. Okay, so it’s smooth… but what else? Well, it’ll set off from barely above tick-over. Sound like a crosser to you? No, me neither. I repeatedly tried launch, after launch… taking the revs lower and lower each time, Chiselspeed had got this setup just lovely with the right carb, pipe and ignition combo, to ensure the utmost of sedate launches are possible. When I say sedate launches, I don’t mean something struggling to pull away and offering no power other than a choked-up chug-chugchug, which is often the case with tuned engines. This had oodles of very clean and flexible torque to smoothly glide away with. I liked it.
What else?
So it’s smooth, and can set off with low revs… what next? After each launch I short-shifted through the gears, to see what it was like when riding ‘off pipe’… by that I mean, before the full power kicks in and the engine becomes most efficient. Why did I do this? Because quite often, the lack of cc in these small-block engines, especially tuned ones, means that they are missing a big chuck of low down power, and are quite ‘rough’ to ride under the power band, constantly ‘wanting to go’ or feeling like they are being ‘held back’ before they then launch into a rev-based frenzy. That was not the case with this engine, it’s very flexible. Under the power band, it rode ‘off pipe’ with such a lovely chunk of torque, that it was
immediately noticeable that you didn’t have to wring its neck in order to make good progress… you could actually have a very enjoyable and very calm ride in that respect, if you desired to do so. So it sounds like this Quattrini powered unit will suit a lot of rally going scooterists, so far so good.
Well is it just a touring hack then?
No, it’s not, and therein lays the endearing quality which makes this such an enjoyable engine to ride. If you want to slowly roll on the throttle in fourth gear, you can adjust the revs, power, and speed accordingly, and in a very controlled manner too – no sudden rush of blood to the head, yet still the reassuring pull of torque. Conversely, if you want to knock it down a cog and jam the throttle wide open just as the power kicks in, then yes, the front end will lift. You can take this engine through each gear very swiftly and then sit and cruise, no problem… or wind it on and have some serious fun.
The peak power of just under 24bhp is achieved at a positively sedate 6200rpm, and the engine still has over 20bhp and 15lb-ft at 7250rpm, yet continues to rev close to 8000rpm, if you want to hold it at wide open throttle for that long. In terms of speed, when running a GP200 gearbox with 19/46 sprockets (4.84 final drive) then you’d see 65mph cruising speed at peak rpm. This is perfect for group riding and making good progress. You can still stretch its legs to an easy 75mph for overtaking, and with a bit of throttle open/ head down action, maybe see a genuine 80mph. Now that sounds like an appealing engine for a lot of riders.
Longevity
Quality wise it’s a bang-tidy bit of kit, Max has used high-spec components, the kit is well finished, the porting layout provides a flexible and powerful engine. What’s not to like? As with any engine, if you have ‘fast Bob’ from your local club slap it on with a bit of elbow grease n’all that, you can expect to be at the whim of the gods, and Bob’s beer money, in terms of reliability. So select correct components and build carefully, as you should with all engines, and I’d suggest you’ll have something very rewarding on your hands. Chiselspeed have this particular engine setup with a Mikuni TMX28mm, one of their own cranks using a KTM300 117mm con-rod, an Mtech Pro ignition unit, a five-plate clutch and their own CST10 touring pipe.
For those wanting a few extra rpm and mph, the CST11 pipe offers that, but at the expense of the lower-rev range… which in my opinion defeats the point of the kit. I’m sure however, those who want to start experimenting with long stroke cranks and different pipes (sounds like my old job) will be sure to find more and more power, a 62mm crank (if it all measures up and fits okay) will take this baby up to 225cc! Food for thought.
Show me the money
The kit has an RRP of £650, the pipe £350 and the M-tech Pro ignition unit is £150. If you already had a running base unit of say a GP125 engine in your scooter, you could add a bearing/ seal/gasket kit for £100, a five-plate clutch at £50, new chain/sprockets at £100, TMX carb at £150, and a 58/117mm crank at around £200. If you are capable of building that yourself, then a simple air leak/pressure test and a £125 dyno day will see you laying out around £2000 for a serious motor. If you need the base engine and engine building skills factoring into the equation, then your total bill might look closer to £3250 all inc. Not bad money for something so versatile.