Reader’s Ride: The Green Hornet
Learning by experience, taking advice from others and developing your own knowledge can be a passport to success…
Hiring a Vespa on holiday reignited this scooterist’s desire to own and design a custom scooter once more.
The development of The Green Hornet started in 2018 after Dan McQuillan had been on holiday to Greece. While relaxing in the sun Dan decided to hire a Vespa for a few days and the experience reignited his desire to get another scooter. When he returned to the UK Dan began his search. “After looking around and not really knowing what I was looking for, I ended up buying a PX166. It was modded-up to its eyeballs and it had bling all over the shop. I stripped the additions and accessories off and made some minor modifications to the engine to make it my own.” Having made his own improvements, things didn’t go according to plan. “I soon learnt that things go wrong, and that you have to constantly play around to get them right. There were issues with the kick-start; the fuel float was sticking, which was causing flooding problems and there were other matters associated with these problems.” Dan made some adjustments: “It wasn’t long before I was back out riding the scooter; but I soon became bored of it. I wanted more power, so I put my hand in my pocket and spent a fortune on getting a P200 engine built; it was a 30hp beast and it was like riding a wild bull!” The fun and highly strung engine came at a price. “I was only getting 35 miles to a tank of fuel and constantly having issues with it; it began to become a pain in the arse.” Even so, Dan decided to carry on throwing money at it. “It was also chewing tyres like Lewis Hamilton, smashing gears like a Nan riding a clutch and I eventually smashed my perfectly good casings into pieces. Where was I to go from there?”
New agenda
Dan decided that he needed to start from a clean slate and made an agenda. “I knew that I definitely wanted a P200; I wanted something that I could build to how I wanted it and this time there weren’t going to be any mistakes. I did some looking round and eventually bought a P200 frame off a friend and the build began.” The integral parts were ordered, which included racedeveloped Malossi VR-One casings along with a Malossi 221 MHR kit and all the bits to match. “I didn’t realise what I’d let myself in for; it was great having all the gear, but in terms of completing the build I had to face up to the fact: I was out of my depth. This time I wanted to do things right, I wanted it all to match, I wanted it to be perfect and I also wanted it to be reliable and powerful. To do this, there weren’t going to be any compromises and no shortcuts were going to be taken.” Dan had the motivation and the appetite to get the job done; however, having reflected on his previous experiences he knew he needed some support. “I’ve had engines in pieces before, but this time
knowing what was at stake I lacked the confidence to build it myself.” With this in mind, Dan called on the services of his friend Hodge, who came on board to help with the project. “We spent some time in the garage looking at different engine set-up options and after we’d agreed a plan, slowly but surely things started coming together; as well as this, I was learning on a daily basis and I could feel my confidence building.”
Colour
While the engine was being organised Dan was also prepping the frame for paint. “This took a couple of weeks but it was well worth the effort. Eventually the scoot was painted and it looked as sweet as a nut. I can’t explain how buzzing I was when I saw the colour, I also had some parts powder coated in brown which was a risk but it paid off.” Dan was pleased with the paint but again he wanted more. “I didn’t think it stood out enough and wanted to add some artwork. After throwing a few ideas round I eventually decided upon a theme, The Green Hornet.” In the meantime, the engine was completed and it needed setting up for perfection. With this in mind, Dan called on the services of Alan Terry at Diablo Moto. “Alan explained everything in depth and with his expertise he set it up so it came out at 28hp/21ft-lb of torque.
Even riding two-up, it’s got plenty of power; it pulls well in every gear and with the braking, suspension and tyre set-up I’ve got it’ll stop on a 2p piece and grips to the road like a go-cart!”
Progress
Dan explained that if he’s learnt one thing from this whole experience, he’s learnt that rushing gets you nowhere. “The first P200 was a good learning project, it gave a good foundation for development of The Green Hornet and getting Hodge’s help made all the difference. I’ve never taken a project to this level; I didn’t want to mess it up and I certainly didn’t want to waste any more money! There were times when I didn’t think it was going to be finished, but I kept at it and kept my ideas open, which paid off.”
Even though it’s been a journey of trial and error, the engine, paint and artwork are exactly what Dan wanted. “Some of the old school don’t like change, but the good thing is that if you’re honest with yourself and you accept your limitations then it’s easier to put your ego in your back pocket and call on good friends to ask them for their help and advice, and learn from their experiences. As I learnt, if you’ve got the strength of character to do this then you won’t go far wrong.” Words and photos: Stu Smith
Build photos: Dan McQuillan