Regular readers of Scootering Magazine will be familiar with their long term test Polini equipped PX. What readers may not be aware of is that we’ve been helping its owner, and former Scootering editor Stan, to maintain it for some time. We took the opportunity to ask what, in his opinion, makes a good tourer and examine his PX’s Polini based set up.
It takes all sorts…
One thing I love about scooters is that there are so many ways to enjoy them. Some owners will spend a fortune on paint, chrome and accessories, whilst others are happier with an angle grinder and a rattle can of matt black paint. In between there’s every extreme of tuning and of course those individuals who spend hours painstakingly restoring machines to their former glory. Whichever route an owner takes, I admire their commitment, but for me it’s all about distance. There’s a desire for travel in my blood, a passion that’s matched by my love of scooters.
There are, without question, more suitable ways of covering long distances on two wheels but I relish the challenge of taking a scooter that was primarily designed to transport its owner to the shop and instead head off on a long-distance adventure. Its taken a long time, but I’m now happy with the set up of my PX. I’ll go into some other products that have worked for me in future blogs, but for now I’ll concentrate on the heart of my tourer, the engine.
In the beginning
My real touring adventures began about 15 years ago. I was finally back in the UK, and Mrs Stan gave the domestic green light to aquiring a project scooter. The chosen steed was a black 1985 Motovespa PX 200E Iris with pre-mix engine and drum brake. As I don’t live too far from the Ron Daley showroom I soon discovered that the machine had a 99% parts compatibility with Italian machines and quickly became a semi-permanent fixture at their spares counter. (In fact, don’t ask me what the 1% incompatibility with Italian machines is, I’ve only added that to avoid any on-line arguments. Not once have I come away without something suitable from Daley’s HQ).
That first build was conducted in the belief that Piaggio knew best, and therefore everything was built to standard specification. The exception was suspension, but I’ll come back to that at a future date. To the PX’s credit, it handled a round trip to Vespa World Days in Croatia without missing a beat, but that trip also brought home the fact that in creating a machine that appealed to the widest possible market, Piaggio had been obliged to make compromises. Perhaps things could be improved after all?
It also reconfirmed my dislike of faffing around at petrol stations with a jug to measure out two-stroke oil. So when I was offered a low mileage autolube lump with a proven service history I jumped at the chance.
Keep it simple
After joining Scootering Magazine as writer, the miles began to stack up and as running repairs became more common, one of my golden rules was established. It's mantra that runs through my approach to all things mechanical and that is, “Keep it simple”.
In my experience the more complicated a set up becomes, the harder it is to get parts out on the road. Even 10 years after the last PX rolled out of Pontedera, Vespa dealers around the globe still carry a stock of basic parts, and what can’t be obtained locally can usually be shipped ‘express’ by dealers such as Daley’s in the UK, or SIP/SCK in Europe. That’s not to say that high-end performance parts don’t have a part in scooter maintenance, but the less mainstream a part is, the harder it becomes to source and that can be problematic on a long trip. That’s why I like Polini. It’s effective, durable and widely stocked. So let’s see what’s gone into my motor..
Heart of the machine
The beating heart of my engine is Polini’s 210cc touring kit . Fortunately for me the magazine was offered the opportunity to test, what was then, the relatively new aluminium barrelled kit. I’d read reports that the old iron kit was prone to heat seizing so approached this test with some nervousness. However, I needn’t have worried. This kit has taken me across Europe, in all temperatures, without a hitch. It’s also wearing very well.
In keeping with my ‘keep it simple’ approach to scooter touring, this kit was simply bolted on to my existing casings without any attempt to match the ports. The swap was completed in a day, which included a pre-booked trip to the dyno. The effects on my riding experience were instantaneous. I can only liken it to the day that dial up was replaced by broadband, it was that life changing. Suddenly the PX was attacking hills with ease, luggage became less of a draw on performance and all of that was achieved with a minimal impact on fuel consumption. Surely, if 210 was good 221 would be better?
Cranking it up
One thing that owners of classic scooters must understand is that components wear out and after tens of thousands of miles my motor was in need of a rebuild. Rather than replace everything ‘like-for-like, I opted to fit a 60mm ‘long’ stroke crank. Mine is by SIP, but Polini and BGM also offer well manufactured examples. Although 3mm may not sound like much, it generates around 10cc extra over the standard 57mm crank. As there’s no difference in purchase price, that’s free cubic capacity. As there saying goes, "The's no replacement for displacement", so why wouldn’t I take that option? As things turned out, adding that extra capacity gave mixed blessings.
Whist the cases were split, all the bearings were replaced with examples from SIP’s performance range and a set of ethanol resistant seals were added for good measure.
Slaking the thirst
I’m a big fan of setting up any engine on a dyno, I dread to think how much money I’d have saved on holed pistons in the 1980s had the technology been available back then! However, a dyno set up is only part of the story and although the standard 24mm SI carb jetted up nicely on the dyno, in practice I could feel the engine ‘pinking’ when held on full throttle for any long stretch of time.
I know it’s controversial but Im a big fan of autolube. It’s cleaner and because the flow of oil is metered according to engine revs it’s also more efficient and therefore more economical. We’ve all read stories of autolube failure, but I bought my first autolube PX in 1984 and it’s not happened to me yet. Obviously parts wear, but so do cables, bearings and barrels etc. It’s all a case of maintenance and, very importantly, using an oil that’s formulated for an injector. A pre-mix only oil is too thick for the mechanism and I suspect that’s where many failures arise.
With that in mind I needed a carb that would allow me to still run autolube so I opted for a BGM 26/26 fast flow carb. That instantly solved my pinking problems but now that I could make maximum use of throttle another problem occurred.
Gearing up
When I’d upgraded to the 210 kit I’d boosted the performance of my clutch by fitting a set of CR80 clutch plates which had proved themselves to more than capable of handling the extra power. However, having upgraded to 221 I could feel the clutch slipping under heavy load. Additionally, I was also producing more RPM than the standard 23 tooth drive from the clutch could cope with.
Many riders see gearing as a dark art, but in simple terms a larger cog on the clutch is better to utilise revs at the top end, whilst a smaller cog will give brisk acceleration.
Having spoken to the team at Daleys (one great advantage of a ‘brick and mortar shop) I decided to fit a BGM Superstrong clutch with a 24 tooth cog. Unlike other units, which have straight cut gears that require splitting the casings and replacing the primary drive, this is ‘plug and play’. This has the advantage of being plug and play and I can truthfully say that whether its on the flat without luggage or heading up a mountain pass fully loaded the Superstrong hasn’t given one second’s cause for complaint.
Alert readers will note that the link is probably showing out of stock. Don’t worry, Daley’s build up these clutches from components so if you cant see the combination you require just give them a call. It may take a day or two for your clutch to get its space on the build desk, but they’re happy to produce a clutch to your specifications.
Exhausting all options
The final part of my engine’s package is the exhaust and for touring I prefer something that’s kind to the ear. Even with the introduction of clear air zones across Europe, I find most people, even those in uniform ‘get’ classic scoters and are happy to see them. Wait they don’t want to do is hear them and my expansion pipe fitted Lambretta has caused more than the odd awkward moment.
So, that means my weapon of choice must be a ‘box’ exhaust and having tried all the obvious options, I’m of the firm opinion that, perhaps unsurprisingly, Polini’s ‘Road’ is a perfect fit for their kit in both 210 and 221 guise. It’s standard in appearance, gives good performance across the board, in my experience is extremely well constructed and it also won’t break the bank.
The numbers game
How do all these components stack up on the dyno? In Scootering Magazine’s dyno room, Dan has discovered that standard P2s will, fairly consistently, generate around 9.5bhp. My 221 delivers 16.6bhp, almost double the factory output. It’s possible to increase that power by porting the cases, cutting the crank and using straight cut gears, but that’s a level of complexity that I’m not personally comfortable with.
Had I stuck with simply bolting on the kit and settling for 210cc, then the entire process would have been far more straightforward. However, I’ve now got a touring kit that delivers all I could ask of it, being capable of tacking both motorways and country lanes with extreme reliability.
Sadly, my trusty Motovespa has succumbed to terminal tunnel rot, and my trusty engine now finds itself housed in my 'new' PX200 disc. It's already had an adventure in the South of France, but this winter the entire scooter is getting a new look. That gives me an opportunity to rethink how the rest of the scooter can be improved, so watch this space!
To some extent my ideal touring set up has been achieved by science on the dyno, but mostly it’s been a process of trial and error. A process that’s been supported at every step of the way by the team at Ron Daley’s, so why not give them a call on 01226 203377 to discuss your performance needs?
