Project Street Sleeper
With the paperwork headache of registering the scooter out of the way, we can now take a look at some of the mechanical upgrades that we have planned
Dan’s new project, no fancy paintjobs, just a discreet pocket rocket. With V5 in hand, Dan now focuses on the tech specs of his Targa-Twin project
So, where to start with the mechanical upgrades? Well, my first job was to dry fit the engine, to see how much room we had, and what needed trimming. It was immediately apparent that the engine mount lugs were wider than standard, but I couldn’t figure out why.
Regardless, Tino supplies a specific engine mount shim/washer combo to take up the slack… which left the engine perfectly centred, albeit tightly squashed in between the two rear footboard hangers. The footboards would need trimming, and the battery tray removing, the only problem being, in the new shed I couldn’t find the angle-grinder! I was relegated to a tiny cutting disc on a Dremel 3000. Luckily, one disc was just enough to cut off the battery tray and trim both footboards before it expired. Phew!
With engine in place, I next removed the old tank and airbox system; firstly because I will be fitting a long-range tank, but secondly so that I could expose the frame and see where I wanted to run the new loom and cables.
With the loom and cables in mind, I took to removing the horncast and legshields. Predictably, most of the bolts sheared off, despite my best efforts to spend days pre-soaking in various lubricants and thread freeing solutions, along with pre-heating, etc. So there will be a bit of drilling and tapping required before the re-fit, but for now a strip down was needed, so I just had to suck it up and live with it.
As far as an initial component list goes, I went for the all-new cable kit from SIP scooters. It is a comprehensive pack and extremely high quality, as is the simplified loom from BGM. I’ll be fitting these two items first, so will see how we go with that and report back. Once those are in, I’ll wash out and fit in the mid-range fuel tank from Saigon Scooter Centre. I’ve used these over and over in the past, and never had a single problem with them. They are well made, pressure tested and good value for money. They fit well too, and I’m marrying this one up to an AF Rayspeed fast-flow fuel tap, before figuring out how the fuel pipes will be split into the twin carbs.
The other item I needed was a speedo, so rather than get a standard replacement, I went for a ’standard looking’ replacement, but one from SIP, which actually has a bunch of decent gizmos (like RPM counter and CHT gauge). In terms of brakes and suspension, I’ll most likely fit an inboard disc brake as an upgrade, along with a hidden master cylinder and hydraulic conversion. I’ve not done one of these before, so look forward to confusing myself with it… we shall see!
No matter how easy or hard it is to fit, I want it as part of the street sleeper look.
The suspension is my ‘go to’ favourite set up, BGM front and rear. I’ve used them over and over, and find they work well, so why change a winning formula?
There are a few other little bits I’ll outline in a future instalment, but for now, the last major item to arrive was the exhaust pipe. Never in my scootering life did I think I would get excited about a Clubman-style pipe. I am a two-stroke tuning enthusiast, and as such I know an expansion chamber is the heart of every two-stroke engine. The 2-into-1 pipe is such a thing of beauty, and Clubman styling evokes such a strong emotion in all classic Lambretta enthusiasts, that I couldn’t resist. Okay, it’s quite a noisy thing, so needs the cheeky little Ancillotti silencer, but I love it. Before anyone says, ‘But it will stifle performance!’, yes, I know it will, but this build is not about hooligan-revving performance and high-powered top speeds, it’s about classic looks and stealth performance.
If, for whatever reason, when I get this chunk of steel up and running, the pipe kills it, then I’ll just have to suck it up and put the Jolly Moto expansion back on, but the expansion chamber will be a last resort… the original-looking Clubman style is the priority (I never thought I’d hear myself say those words!).