50 cruising, 55-60 top end. Original 1963 TV175, un-messed with, 2nd oversize piston (only because it needed it) 20mm Dellorto as nature intended it... 😀👍 If I want to go fast, I'll ride my 1150cc BMW... 😉👍
Usually tootle around at 45/50, happy at 60, but would like 70 top speed if needed, really just for overtaking purposes on faster roads. Reliability is much more important than top speed for me.
Totally agree with you Dan seventy is more than enough on our classic pride and joys any thing over you start to wonder if it’s going to blow once again great vid mate
I ride smallframes so anything over 60mph feels like warp speed especially on such small wheels. The way I see it is of you wanna go 100mph plus, buy a bike that was designed for it, not an Italian shopping cart 😄
Absolutely spot on Dan. I had a Broadhurst Stage 2 Road/Race and I once or twice hit a recorded 80 miles and hour. It was not a pleasant experience! The guy who bought it off me was a Mod and it terrified him. I now have an RTR Stage 4 Scomadi TL200. It's perfect for my needs. Great video. Cheers 👍
I am pretty much with you. I live in Florida so pretty flat and get 58 gps with a stock li150, but that is ragging it, cruise at 52. Most of my riding is max 55 speed limit so a bit extra is nice, I spend the rest through towns with mates and dont need anything wild. Just finished,(today actually) building a Quattrini with a 60x115 with exbox ST and all through the build obsessing about squeezing the last ounce out of it but kept with the tv gearbox and 4.82 . Truth is, if I can cruise at 60 and get up to 70 I will be happy as a clam, the rest is gravy. I did keep my gearing lower so I can beat the Harleys off the mark at the lights which is my number one priority :-)
Cruise 50 to 65 top 75. But plenty of torque with the right gearbox and exhaust for pulling power. Spent a fortune over the last 40 years chasing speed and holding the clutch lever. It’s when your out in a group and someone is faster than you.
Cruising at 60mph is comfortable and enough, 70mph probably max on 10 inch wheels with Lambretta brakes. Most 125cc learner bikes back in the day would just about touch 70mph and were restricted to 12hp. So that's always been the power to speed benchmark for me. Range and fuel consumption is a factor as well. I'd rather go at 60mph and get 60-70miles to a tank than go at 75 and get 40 miles to the tank.
I ride for fun and “sport” I know that when you chase the “numbers” it’s a very addictive game😃 I have a Vespa PX with 37hp with its current pipe although I have had it at just less than 40(on a very conservative dyno).What I do know is it’s quite anti social to ride with a group! I dare say 60mph with plenty left feels good but it’s also the way it gets there😉 Perhaps I’m happiest when I’m hunting TS1s on local twistys😁 I do also use it for sprinting,hillclimbing,flattrack and sand racing-it’s fairly well used. I know there’s a lot of commitment needed to own and ride such a powered scooter. Quattrini 261👍🏼
I have a quattrini 260 amazing engines!! Torque and power not at crazy revs either. 24/64 gearing like to sit 55-60 on a long run. 90+ top if I wanted it but it’s too quick.
Great Topic I ride a Gp150 with a mugello 186 kit that I put together myself. to start with I was disappointed when riding with my mates locally one on a super monza the other on an RB20 but when we go long distance my low comparatively powered engine is more than enough with better fuel consumption better reliability and I built it myself so lower build cost. then when we get back to our local area I am disappointed again as they rag it round the local villages. so horses for courses really on a long run mine cruising between 60 & 65 is more than enough but when we are locally thrashing to the pub i am left lacking a little. So possibly if money didn't get in the way the answer would be to have more than one. That doesn't include the race scoot I would like to build for the BSEC events. But hey ho we can all dream.
I've just stopped for a tea break before finding this, a tea break from putting my 130cc DR race kit into my Vespa 50 special as we speak. To be honest I haven't got a clue what sort of HP or speed I'm going to get out of it, I'm doing it for fun.
You are absolutely right. I have new vespa gts 300 hpe (24 hp) which brings smile on my face whether I ride in the city or on the motorway. Also I have to emphasis that weight of motorcycle is very important for the accelerating and for the braking. Vespa is unbeatable in its class with 160 kg.
Ride a tuned 1964 Lambretta 210. Within a group, riding to rallies on curvy backroads & straight roads, I’d agree with 55-65mph as the sweet spot. Solo riding enjoying the same roads, warmed up tires on black top beneath sunny skies, I’ll push closer to 75mph in areas.
My old Vespa ‘79 P200E could hit 70mph with a slight decline and it almost felt like it started to float. Very wonderful feeling. I enjoyed riding it at it’s peak and almost always did. Highway speeds limits in my area are 70-80mph and State Routes are 40-60mph. Coming from riding Dual Sport Motorcycles with big front wheels made my Vespa feel rather twitchy to me, until it got over 45mph. I’d say 55 to 65mph was it’s sweet spot.
Good topic. I ride a bog standard, engine wise, Vespa GTS 300. It my second, I started off on scooters decades ago and rode big bikes in the 90's, I never really took to them and after doing 130 mph once became bored. Scooters fit my lifestyle and needs. I find it cruises at 70 mph with pillion. It will go on to just over 80 mph has Piaggio states. To get to the point the acceleration and power/speed of the 300 GTS for me is ideal, its usable and fits in well with the mainly A and B roads I inhabit. Should I require a rebuild I would probably go for the Mallosi kit as is does give a bit more power for similar money and its a reputable company. So 21 BHP seems to suite me fine. I upgraded the suspension on my last GTS and if I was to do anything at all I would do this again. I do go touring and cover hundreds of miles when away. Good LED lights are a must for me. If you upgrade to LED my tip is get ones that give off really good light and don't buy just because they look like they may have come from a starship.
For me, it's acceleration over top speed. Getting away from lights or island is of more importance than a top speed. Having a power reserve for overtaking or going uphill is a plus, so 25-30 BHP should suffice. Anyone who wants to ride at 75+ MPH on 10 inch tyres, has bigger balls than me.
My goal is 100mph. I have a proven 93mph on a Vespa smallframe on the Bonneville Saltflats. I'm now hooked on landspeed racing. Its a purpose built bike that is very streetable. Its not a cutdown. Its not mine. But, now I need to build one. I've always like taking things that aren't meant to be fast...way too fast. Around town, stock+ is fine.
Around 55mph for me, this is why I am happy to take a CBT every 2 years and keep to a 125 engine. My Vespa GTS 125 is perfect for my daily commute to work.
65-70 cruising without overheating, 75-85 top speed. Equally important is torque and wide power band pull range of each gear at high speeds for the +4% grade hills!
First time here, really enjoyed your approach. Ironically l was looking for a video on the difference between the standard gts300 and the hpe as I was thinking of tuning mine up or buying a newer version. I come from bikes and have had 170 hp sports and big v twins etc, but bought my first scooter two years ago and fell in love with the character of scooters and the difference in approach to what makes something any good to ride. Frankly I’m amazed how little difference having a huge motor makes and l can cover distance pretty rapidly and at a super frugal cost . I did a tour of the highlands last year and after rattling along at 70+ for the first two hours and getting off all stiff and tired with wind blast and dodging bmw and Audi loons, l dropped it to 60 to stay ahead of the lorries and relaxed into the journey. Much less stress and strain! Thanks for saving me lots of money and heartache - I’ll just remember the joys of lower power and lower speed 😊
I have ridden lots of fast motorbikes, I used to work in the industry, and wind-buffeting on your head/neck at 80-90mph is exhausting. Plus, leaning forward makes my back ache, as does the weight on the wrists leaning forward. Scooters are much more fun :)
@@drunkmunkey6969 they most definitely are! Do you think that you have to have grown up with geared two stroke scooters to be able to get along with the maintenance and character of them or aren’t they THAT bad?
60 - 65 cruising, 75-80 top end suits me. TS225. A bit more torque never hurts though, I’d like it to be more effortless though, achieving those speeds with lower RPM.
The issue for me was always the exponential increase in fragility when increasing power to find just an extra 20mph without aero getting a look in. But to answer the question; needs to do 80 and be well mannered getting there!
Excellent Dan, really enjoyed this. Keep up the great work and I hope you are keeping well, however I might add for me there's always been a balance between speed and retaining reliability and safety of the scoot...
One of my riding mate’s scooters easily can do 100 mph - it’s a SSR 265. My tuned TS1 can pretty much sit at 80 mph for hours and acceleration is very good but to really keep up I need more power. My TS1 is probably about 28 hp, maybe 30. With shorter gearing it’s kind of a monster at acceleration but tours well on taller gearing.
On my Vespa's I'm happy if it cruises at 60, with a bit more in the tank for catching up and overtaking. Top speed wise, I always want 1mph faster than the fastest scooter!! ha!!
I like to do up to 60 on A roads, 70/5 on motorways with the ability to go to 85 so that at 70 it’s not being stressed. I’ve got a sst265 and over 65 on a a road it scary tbh
In my area of California, if you want to get anywhere in a timely manner, you have to take the freeways. The freeway speed limit is 65 MPH but most drivers do 70 to 75. So, two considerations, getting on to the freeway at the speed of traffic (acceleration) and cruising at a speed that won’t cause drivers to tailgate or constantly pass you. So, quick acceleration and cruising speed of 70 to 75 is what I prefer. I don’t need to pass at those speeds. My RB22 does both just fine with a little extra to get out of tight spots.
I'd add that I've got a 30bhp+ Vespa which I've sunk a lot of money into, but tend to ride the scoots which sit in the 20's. Very true that, after 75, I start to enjoy it less in case something goes awry.
Same got 35hp from my quattrini 260 but I don’t want to hold it on high revs all day. Would get to 93 on this gearing but spend most of the time at 50-60
Cruising i want a comfortable 50 which i have...and another 12mph top speed would be nice which i also have...down hill!. These figures are exclusive of the 6mph wrong that the speedometer shows. Scoots top speed with longia 3j4 engine in stock form a real 58mph.
Cruise at 65 and not overheat, 75mph tops is fine. Wouldn’t mind a max of 80 but honestly if you can still climb a long 2 or 3 mile incline and maintain 60-65mph in top gear without overheating, you’ve just accomplished something far more significant than hitting a max speed of 80mph.
my smallframe is happy cruising at 50mph and tops out at around 57-58.its geared to get there quickly as well,which in urban settings is more useful in my opinion. would maybe like to get in the 60s for faster roads, but not if it ruins reliability.
I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been on a run and bits have fallen off scooters including tyres wile travelling on an A road . I wouldn’t fancy that at 70 plus miles an hour. Am at that age when it hurt if I bang my knee on the kitchen table never mind falling of a scooter .
Recently bought the Mrs a px150 to replace her vbb with pinasco 225. The pinasco is no racer but was happy at up to 70 with plenty of torque. 14bhp maybe. The px with 8bhp feels dangerous and is flat out at 53 mph 😳 so will get a bgm 177 set up to get her back to around 14bhp for a 9 stone rider. At 16 stone I need 15 plus bhp to feel safe. I've had 25bhp on a ts1 and don't find its used. 60mph is our comfort zone on a roads.
I think that 80km/h cruising, is great for where I live, if I can sustain 80 at 3/4 throttle it would be lovely, my C70 can do 80km/h... On a downhill, with the wind behind me and full throttle.
Got a ts1 madspeed daryl taylor tuned and a mhr 221 both with all the trimmings 30bhp plus I'm happy to sit 55 60 but also nice to accelerate hard to 80 for a bit and go back to 55 60 standard scooters are painfully slow and just nice to have extra power can sit at 60 all day with no stress on engine. Both have sip speedo so real speeds most people who say there malossi 210 does genuine 90 are just dreaming both mine will do 85 but unless you got casa or bma no chance
Cruise 70 Top speed 85 would be nice.. on a tuned Lammy...My Gilera old 800 was about right speed and power but it did it without feeling like death was going to happen any second
It does not matter what am riding - vespa - lambretta - automatic scooter or a car - I like 49 - 53 ish . For top speed I like on a scooter yes 65-70ish but it is not written on stone.
Ok very interesting… I have 2 motors both quattrini. One is a 181 m1x makes about 23hp and the other a 35hp 260 m244 both have long strike conversations as I like the torque makes the riding enjoyable with out searching for a different gear all the time. 181 good for cruising 55-60 to about 70mph the 260 runs 24/64 gearing and is good for 90mph but like Dan I always get concerned about a disaster about to happen 😜 tuning kits at the moment have never been so plentiful buy what suits you not just what your club mates have.
I think 100 mph would do, and comfy cruising at 85 mph. I settle for 80 mph without very much more without holding the throttle wide open. Car traffic here routinely surpasses 100 mph.
55 to 60 cruising 80 top for overtaking when needed. If I go over 60 for an extended period my hand is hovering over the clutch and I’m thinking when is it and what is going to go wrong. 🤣
Fantastic video Dan . I ride both a lambretta muggello 186 with tsr pipe an 30 Mil dellorto . Lovely sound lovely to look at horrible to Ride . Like you say once over a high speed I’m scared the engine might go wrong or hit a pot hole . Absolutely terrified in it at high speed . 55 to 65 top for me . And yes I have good tyres good suspension all upgrades built by a well known guy in the scene . Also I ride a Vespa px 125 with mallossi 177 kit and sito pluss . Now this is a pleasure to ride so comfy and engine always sounds happy . Will happily do 60 and I’m happy with that . Great topic . But over 65 on a old lammy iron horse is bloody scary for me anyhow 🛵🛵😂
Well, I guess it's all about gearing. Because comfortable is not doing 60 in 4th @ 8800rpm. So you need longer gearing to keep that at 5k-ish, but then you need more torque to connect to 4th. But then you need a better clutch... And what's with the tourer and racer difference. Touring is sitting up straight? Well that's no fun @70mph so you dive and then you have a racer because your flat on it? I understand that a racer has a more peaky-curve and a tourer has more under the curve. But with only 4 (or some have 5) gears it will always be a compromise. I guess being happy is wanting less...
Group riding: 95 km/h cruising, 110 km/h top speed are enough. Single riding on motorways: 115 - 120 km/h cruising,140 km/h top would be wishful figures.
It's so funny hearing you say that above a certain speed your 'worry' level increases... I have a Terry Frankland tuned Malossi P210 with all the gubbins... 30mm Del Orto, light fly wheel, Cosa clutch and Taffys pipe. It made 22 bhp on their dyno for 85 mph... BUT above 95-110 kilometres per hour (it's a French bike) I too got nervous that it would blow up, seize..(I actually seized a Polini kit at 90 km/h while overtaking a lorry.. trouser filling as they say....) .. I was happy riding upto 90 km/h but even if I did push to 120 to overtake I quickly came back down and always kept a hand over the clutch in case it seized..(which it never did).. I guess Ian & Terry know their stuff..
75 cruise on motorway and 90 flat out on the lammy.... don’t know if I’d like to see 100 plus but I’d give it a go if I had an engine capable of it lol
I've got a few fairly quick scooters, but realistically I'm looking to cruise at 70, with a little more to overtake. I've got a couple that will go faster but I rarely use it.
Just doing jetting runs at the mo as all Dynos booked up. T5 251 hits 75 easily and that is about as fast as I'd ever want to go on it. (Googles "My Tracks" to record runs which is fairly accurate). I'm happy at 60 with a bit more for overtaking Lorries.
I have a 150cc 1P57QMJ - The P in the GY6 I've read means stock it has more performance than a stock non P engine. It's only a 10.5 hp. It's rated speed is 55 plus depending on rider and road conditions so I'd like to go cruise at 50 (MPH) and get up to 60 or 65 if possible for highway speeds and passing. (not interstate) It's a China scooter, Dong Fang brand. I haven't gotten up to top speed yet. It weighs 194 lbs and I the rider weighs 110 lbs.
I'd like my smallframe to cruise completely comfortably at a genuine 60mph with enough left over to keep at 60mph with a head wind, up a slight hill etc. Moreover, I'd want it to be useable and very torquey up to 60. It'd be even better if it could reach 80mph top speed for the occasional shits (probably literally) and giggles. One day when money permits the plan is to fit a Quattrini M200.
i know this video is from a while ago but i was wondering if it was at all possible to make a vespa p200e have a cruising speed of 50 -60 mph and top of 70-80