Lui Lui love
The Lui is a scooter that enthusiasts either love or hate. Paul Green is firmly in the ‘love’ camp.
The first Lambretta Luna/Lui/ Cometa line scooter I really took notice of was a custom bike that was on the rallies in 1981/82 called Bitter Fingers. I loved how different it was from every other custom scooter of the time. I first saw it at Scarborough and it blew me away. Bitter Fingers was finished in a dark metallic green with a mural on the legshields and was so different from any other custom scooter of the time. The Luis were also pretty scarce at rallies as their small capacities weren’t really compatible with rally going!
Over the years I’d occasionally see one, but they never really properly caught on. Designed by Nuccio Bertone who was more used to designing cars, the machine was small and nimble and had (shock horror) an exposed engine that was not covered by side panels. This alone set it apart from the rest of its contemporaries.
For many they were a weird machine, small cc with a vague outer space vibe. This was played upon by the advertising campaigns, Innocenti being keen to associate the little scooter with the ongoing Space Race. The choice of 50cc or 75cc engines limited its appeal and it’s fair to say that it was a bit of a sales failure. This was a shame as in some ways they were ahead of their time, even featuring technology such as oil injection. Even the bold colours they were offered in didn’t massively help sales and production ceased relatively quickly.
The 75cc version mustered a whole 5hp and had a four-speed gearbox, but even so could hardly be classed as a performance machine! The range did find its place in scooter racing though, with its legshields being widely used on ‘special class’ race scooters for a more streamlined effect.
But like so many parts of our scooter world there are aficionados of the model who kept them going. Their lack of popularity at the time elevated them to cult status and original examples could often be picked up for peanuts.
In recent years tuners have inevitably turned their attention to these machines and probably the ultimate tuning kit is the CP One35 kit. This totally transforms these machines into something way more appealing, quicker and with so much more power that it’s possible to really enjoy riding these machines surprisingly fast. The reed valve induction matched to a performance exhaust system that’s been developed from the tried and tested race kits is a package that has a lot going for it, particularly if you’re wanting something that little bit ‘different’.
Last year a couple of these little scooters made their way back on to the racetrack to run at the six-hour endurance race. While they won’t trouble even a mildly tuned Series 3 they will turn heads and make you grin.
As people are continually looking for something new, quirky and interesting, I think kitted Luis will only become more popular. They’re also still (relatively) cheap, but who knows for how long.
As more tuning parts and accessories become widely available I fully expect to see more of these machines popping up in the coming years. They deserve to evolve from only being of interest to a small number of specialist collectors into something with a much wider appeal to the scooter community.
Personally I’d love one for bombing around town but I must admit a long motorway trip would be considerably less appealing. But never say never……
They deserve to evolve from only being of interest to a small number of specialist collectors into something with a much wider appeal to the scooter community.