Vespa SS90 That was then...
It was March 1967 before Motorcycle Mechanics got its hands on the SS90 but Jerry Clayton thought it well worth the wait. Though clearly no girls were expected to show an interest….
Sprightly Sprint: Power-Plus From This Tiny Vespa 90
“You can’t put a quart into a pint pot.” Says who? If the originator of this proverb had been a motorcyclist and had seen the Vespa 90 Super Sprint, he might well have added “unless the pint pot is fitted with a rotary valve”!
The power of this tiny 90cc unit is the thing that most impresses the rider of the Super Sprint. It is a real surprise to be borne away from standstill so rapidly and the torque is there all the way. When the motor reaches its maximum, the power just dies off and it’s time to change gear. The strangest thing about rotary valve engines in general is that there is no unpleasant vibration with maximum revs, just a screaming engine that is producing no more power. This is true of the Super Sprint, and would seem to suggest that the power unit is unburstable. One small snag is that there is not much low down urge, but one can hardly expect to have the best of both worlds. The clutch is one of the in or out variety too, and although the motor is so small, it can produce some very quick ‘take-offs’.
It is always difficult to describe the handling qualities of a scooter, but without doubt the Super Sprint handled well, although it was rather lively. This liveliness must surely be due to the rather short wheelbase. The back end tends to hop about a bit on bumpy corners, and although this is not at all unnerving, it is best to make allowances in the wet. The Super Sprint is a comfortable scooter to ride unless you are two up. The seat is really not long enough to carry a passenger in comfort and he tends to hang precariously over the rear of the nacelle.
Braking is good despite the bike’s liveliness, but the front anchor had a tendency to ‘snatch’. I do not know whether this is a characteristic of all Super Sprints or only the test scooter, but it was best to avoid using the brake on wet roads. The rear brake is powerful and, as with all scooters, it was the one that was applied most. Naturally, braking distances increase when a passenger is carried, but the extra weight helps keep the back wheel firmly on the ground, even if the bike goes further before stopping.
The Vespa Super Sprint has no battery, so both the 6v lighting and ignition are direct. The ignition is a real first time start affair and the flywheel magneto gives a good spark at all times. The lights are effective and surprisingly well aligned. Even with their headlights dipped, most scooters seem to dazzle oncoming motorists, but when I forgot to switch from headlight to pilot in built up areas we received no frantic flashes from other vehicles. The Vespa’s lights are good for 40mph at night as they give a powerful beam coupled with a good spread of light in front of the scooter. The combined dip and lighting switch is easy to operate, providing you do not wear thick gloves. With gloves on it was awkward to switch the pilot to main beam. The other electrical
equipment, the horn, is really of little use, except for warning pedestrians. Car drivers do not hear it or prefer to ignore it. The note emitted is of the ‘raspberry’ variety and is hardly audible above the exhaust noise.
Generally speaking, the little Sprint is a handsome machine. The typically Vespa styling and dummy ‘tank’ give the 90 a sporty look that it really lives up to. We particularly liked the ‘tank’ as it gave the knees something to grip, and provided the rider with extra space for carrying small items. (The petrol tank is actually under the seat.)
Fuel mixture
One snag that cropped up during the test was that of fuel mixture. The SS is designed to run on a 50:1 mix, and I have not come across a garage with the necessary dispenser. The trick is to get half a gallon of 25:1 mix and add this to half a gallon of ordinary petrol. If you use 25:1 petroil, there is no damage to the engine, but the plug will foul up. The Super Sprint always fired up first or second time in all weathers, but if the choke was left in too long, the plug would oil up. This is usual with twostrokes, but with the SS, the choke has to be pushed out a lot quicker.
At an indicated 60mph on the speedometer the SS was actually travelling at 57mph and the engine felt as though it could carry on at this speed all day.
Speculation
Throughout the entire test the tiny Vespa never failed to impress other people – usually riders of other scooters – with its fantastic performance. Just what will happen if the rotary valve is fitted to the larger scooters in the Vespa range is a matter for serious speculation and is no doubt only a matter of time.
Most bikes today are supplied with handbooks that give details of how to carry out routine maintenance only. The Vespa handbook is packed from cover to cover with invaluable data, and even includes a road test.
So if you are toying with the idea of a new scooter, take a good long look at the tiny SS90 for man sized power from a midget machine!