Lambretta Luna Range That was then...
‘Frugal but fun’ should have been the headline in January 1969, when Motorcycle Mechanics testers got their hands on one of the first Lunas to arrive in the UK.
Luna shot
‘MM tests the new Lambretta Mini – the scooter with the space age look’, read the Motorcycle Mechanics test report.
The report continued: The Lambretta Luna fills a gap in two-wheeled transport that has been so obvious for so long that it makes one wonder why it was not introduced long before. No other machine offers such economy and gives scooter weather protection into the bargain. On these two points alone this game little runabout should gain a good following.
During the past few years great advances have been made in two-stroke design, notably by Yamaha and Suzuki with their breakaway from the traditional two-stroke mixture which was expensive to buy as well as being inconvenient to mix if you happened upon a garage without the right equipment. Now, with the Luna, Lambretta have followed suit and separate oiling is no longer an expensive luxury, but within the reach of Mr Average on the street. There are two separate tanks on the 75SL, one for a gallon of petrol and the other for two pints of oil. Oil is driven by a crankshaft operated pump in direct ratio to the demands of the engine at any given time. This takes into account long downhill descents on closed throttle and maximum torque uphill climbs. With the new system there will be longer intervals between decokes and servicing periods because there is less carbon deposit build up. Also, as oil enters the combustion chamber in the minimum quantity it does not impair the combustion process and maximum power output is achieved. One oil fill is sufficient for ten refills of petrol, thus making forecourt service simpler and eliminating the danger of engine seizure due to inadequate lubrication caused by faulty two-stroke mixture dispensers.
Easy starting
On the Dell’Orto carburettor a choke is provided that is lifted to richen the mixture for cold starts and then can be released after a couple of seconds running, no warm-up period was necessary. Even on the coldest night you could bet on a first kick start and after the first start of the day the merest prod would bring the little engine into life.
Of the two machines we tested, the second was a lot freer than the first, although the top speed was not dramatically different. The first would just nudge 50mph while the second would go up to about 55mph. These speeds will probably improve when the motors are fully run in, but the Luna was always ready to gallop up to 45mph in third and once in top gear this
speed could be maintained for as long as you wanted it. The gears were well spaced so that you could get away from the lights ahead of the pack and the exhaust note was quiet and soothing enough to make decibelminded policemen turn in their badges!
Comfort
On long journeys the degree of rider comfort was surprisingly good for so small a machine. The only real blunder was the strap across the dual seat which was in the wrong position no matter where one sat. However, Lambretta assure me that future machines will have the lifting strap at the back of the seat out of harm’s way.
The handlebars gave an easy upright riding posture to riders of average stature and the brake and clutch levers were free and well positioned. As I’ve said before, the bikes were brand new when we picked them up from Lambretta House so this may account for the somewhat stiff operation of the twist-grip gear change mechanism. It’s only fair to say that it did improve as time went by but in the thickest of London’s traffic my left wrist began to ache after a short while. In spite of this minor affliction, I covered the journey home and back as quickly on the Luna as I do on my own big twin, and I didn’t have to dress up quite so much as I normally do!
The front suspension has trailing link forks with helical springs, which at first seemed too hard, but once used to the feel of the machine they did make a fair compromise between rider comfort and sporty road holding. If they had been any softer the old ‘sinking in the head’ feeling when the front brake was applied would have been apparent – but no such thing happened. In fact the ground clearance was so good and the road holding inspired such confidence that everyone who rode it said that the Luna was great fun to ride. Driven solo, the rear suspension was very good, but with a pillion passenger it didn’t feel firm enough although the bike still handled well, but the ground clearance was of course greatly reduced.
Because the Luna is a commuter machine that looks like a scooter, perhaps it is unfair to compare it to other scooters which cost twice as much. But, along with some I could name it has one basic fault, pillion rider comfort. The dual seat, although fairly large, was not big enough for two persons and getting the pillion rider’s feet on the boards in a comfortable position was a work of art. Nevertheless, as a solo, ride-to-work machine or something to do the shopping on, it is an ideal form of transport.
Economy
Fuel consumption was one of the strong points. We averaged 110mpg over 500 miles and many of those miles were flat out in third and top gears! Add to this the money you save buying ordinary petrol instead of two-stroke mixture and if you are economy minded you must vote the Luna a winner.
Absolute cleanliness was a strong point too. Apart from road dust the engine was completely oil free at the end of the test and the stove enamelled engine casings were so easy to clean that a wipe with a damp cloth soon had the whole machine looking brand new in a couple of minutes. With a machine weighing only 158lb and in the low speed bracket, tyre wear is negligible, as is wear on the clutch etc. Checking the points was a couple of minutes’ work. First five screws had to be undone on the flywheel outer cover. This exposed the inner points cover held by a circlip. The chain was checked but needed no adjustment and the oil level had barely changed. In fact, after checking over the whole of the machine, including wheel nuts, all we found was one loose nut on the silencer and slight adjustment which was necessary on the brakes, which was not bad for a machine straight out of the factory.
Braking
Another common fault with small-wheeled machines is the brakes and in this the Luna was no exception. The rear brake, although powerful enough, had no feel and it was very easy to lock the back wheel. Luckily, on the couple of occasions it happened to me, the road was dry and the resulting skid was only momentary. Normally the brakes would not be put on in such a harsh manner, but it is in such emergencies that one needs powerful and progressive braking and not a brake that is like an electric light switch; either on or off! If the rear brake lacked feel, the front brake also lacked something too; stopping power! Despite the lightness of the machine this front anchor was far from adequate.
Once again, you might say that on a machine with a certain type of rider in mind, a rider whose speeds will only be on and around the 30mph mark, that really good braking is not necessary. On the other hand, there is always that time when our 30mph friend decides to have a mad fling and it is then he will need good firm stoppers.
Lighting
Apart from looking very stylish the lights do work and they are well up to the standard required for the speeds available. The headlamp has a main and dipped beam with 6-volt 25/25 watt bulb and a 6-volt 5 watt pilot light. Sparks come from a Ducati 6-pole magneto with a 33-watt output. Standard fittings include a steering lock and centre stand, which was well positioned and showed no signs of weakness, although it looked rather flimsy. To sum up, the latest from the Lambretta factory is great fun to ride and should give very good service to those with low running costs in mind.
…as a solo, ride-to-work machine or something to do the shopping on, it is an ideal form of transport.