Welcome to the Scootering tuning and service guide

Welcome to the Bang for Buck scooter tuning and service guide. If you read the intro to our previous Custom Paint supplement, then you’ll already know that we’ve been busy pulling together some of our best feature series articles and putting them together into easy to reference, handy guides. This particular series was originally put together by Darrell Taylor, and ran throughout 2016 in the magazine. The first half of the supplement shows the ‘bang for buck’ approach Darrell took to tuning a standard Lambretta engine. The second part of the supplement is a broader guide to important areas of tuning and servicing, which apply to just about any two-stroke, and therefore both Vespa and Lambretta scooters. The information which is laid down regarding compression ratios and setting up a top-end is invaluable. The same goes for the extensive information Darrell has put together on servicing, as well as the guide to understanding the power limits of an air-cooled two-stroke engine. Our beloved vintage scooters are becoming increasingly threatened by lower-grade petrol filled with detergents, ethanol and other chemicals… as well as increased expectations of performance and power from owners. Knowing how to set up your top-end, how to service your machine, and how much bhp is too much are all important factors that we can apply to any Vespa or Lambretta scooter. The idea of this supplement is to show that some fairly basic tweaks can be done to keep us running longer, better and safer. I know some of the tech info can be heavy going at times, but even a cursory glance at the supplement should yield important information for even the least tech-savvy person. Failing that, hand the supplement to the guy in your club who looks after your scooter, you never know…they might learn something helpful too. Enjoy the guide.