Overview:

From the information in this article, it is clear to see just how fierce the competition is between each kit manufacturer. Unlike Lambretta, whereby the kits are largely pioneered by small tuning houses and private individuals, Vespa has the backing of the major industry players! It seems that when a new kit is released that it has to be as good if not better than what the opposition is already offering. In doing so this only spurs the others on, to strive for even greater performance… often resulting in new modifications to gain an advantage. That doesn't mean if you invest in a kit then it will become outdated soon after,

as development takes years to perfect. It's allowing the customer to benefit from all the development that is constantly taking place, remembering that all the other engine products that help make an overall strong engine package follow a similar pattern.

Thanks to modern materials and production techniques combined with big volume runs, the kits themselves are priced evenly across the board. Also, the main manufacturers and suppliers offer variants with considerable differences, such as alternative heads, pistons, packers, reeds etc… so that the customer can pick a kit that satisfies their particular needs rather than just one option that may not necessarily be the right choice. What the competition has done is allow powerful engines to be built off the shelf, not only bringing the Vespa engine into the 21st century in terms of performance, but also giving great reliability at the same time – something a number of Lambretta owners would be thankful for! Next month we look at kits for the 125, T5 and smallframe engines.

Words: Stu Owen

Photographs and special thanks: Scooter Center Koln, VE-UK and www.sip-scootershop.com