Here's Punkin
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 1:57 pm
Greetings:
With the sale of Golden Boy, I have been on the hunt for a lighter scooter like the PCX 150. Instead a Deal popped up a 5 minute WALK from my Deepinnaharta home. Here's Punkin: That's a 2010 Vespa S50 with 256 miles on the odometer.
In a race, that is the view hardly anyone will ever see. Y'see, Punkin is a bit uhm, ... Performance Challenged. Despite the Techy 4-valve top end and substantial 20mm carb, the people over at Vespa have made sure nobody ever gets hurt on one: Yup, the advertised top speed is pretty much all it allows. The speedometer is about 7% optimistic, so the indicated speed was a needle or two north of 40 but GPS don't lie.
Still, I've always wanted to see how this expensive brand still managed to sell with underwhelming performance at a high price. So far - 10 miles ridden - I've already noticed how stiff the chassis feels. While not wallowing, the ride is firm and controlled and steering inputs have a palpably more precise result than the SR Elite. Brakes are superb. It's also substantially larger and - GULP! - 85 pounds heavier. But it was in exceptionally good condition overall and the mileage was accurate by every criterion I could find.
I installed a Malossi variator yesterday. The process is the same as the Elite, but there are a lot more screws AND a belt cavity ventilation system to get through before you get to the good stuff. I foolishly included a plastic spacer that the Italian-translated instructions said to use. A white spring replaced the stocker in the driven pulleys, and a 36 gram load of Malossi rollerage supplanted the pristine 32 that was there before. Because of the spacer, top speed went DOWN to 29 on the first test, with the engine obviously bouncing off the rev limiter. So I got to do it all again. Still have yet to GPS the result, but the second-try ride suggested it would be better. The Vario is about 3mm bigger than stock, and the engine sings a bit higher than stock.
A cam and a 78cc bore kit from Malossi is also on its way. Curious that I got no response from G9 when I inquired if he could get me these parts. Wish me luck on this new adventure.
With the sale of Golden Boy, I have been on the hunt for a lighter scooter like the PCX 150. Instead a Deal popped up a 5 minute WALK from my Deepinnaharta home. Here's Punkin: That's a 2010 Vespa S50 with 256 miles on the odometer.
In a race, that is the view hardly anyone will ever see. Y'see, Punkin is a bit uhm, ... Performance Challenged. Despite the Techy 4-valve top end and substantial 20mm carb, the people over at Vespa have made sure nobody ever gets hurt on one: Yup, the advertised top speed is pretty much all it allows. The speedometer is about 7% optimistic, so the indicated speed was a needle or two north of 40 but GPS don't lie.
Still, I've always wanted to see how this expensive brand still managed to sell with underwhelming performance at a high price. So far - 10 miles ridden - I've already noticed how stiff the chassis feels. While not wallowing, the ride is firm and controlled and steering inputs have a palpably more precise result than the SR Elite. Brakes are superb. It's also substantially larger and - GULP! - 85 pounds heavier. But it was in exceptionally good condition overall and the mileage was accurate by every criterion I could find.
I installed a Malossi variator yesterday. The process is the same as the Elite, but there are a lot more screws AND a belt cavity ventilation system to get through before you get to the good stuff. I foolishly included a plastic spacer that the Italian-translated instructions said to use. A white spring replaced the stocker in the driven pulleys, and a 36 gram load of Malossi rollerage supplanted the pristine 32 that was there before. Because of the spacer, top speed went DOWN to 29 on the first test, with the engine obviously bouncing off the rev limiter. So I got to do it all again. Still have yet to GPS the result, but the second-try ride suggested it would be better. The Vario is about 3mm bigger than stock, and the engine sings a bit higher than stock.
A cam and a 78cc bore kit from Malossi is also on its way. Curious that I got no response from G9 when I inquired if he could get me these parts. Wish me luck on this new adventure.