Lambretta S1 'Special' tuned SS200 - Switzerland

We were asked to sort out this scooter for a Swiss customer of Vittorio Tessera. The scooter is a one-off home brew special with a 50's Racer theme, apparently built in the mid 90's. The scooter itself was fitted with a very sluggish, original and VERY tired Lambretta 125LI engine and was about as 'racer' as an asthmatic ant with heavy shopping. This small let down in a scooter with a sporty theme was always going to be somewhat negative so Vitty asked the lads in the workshop to do their magic and provide the Lambretta wth 'go' to match it's looks. The agenda looked like this : full RLC-tuned smallblock Casa Performance SS200 kit with a 34mm carb, Protti expansion chamber, Casatronic electronic ignition, 5 speed gearbox and the full-on road-race works. The whole scooter was stripped to check everything and after going over it completely and we set about with the rebuild (after sorting out some very serious bodging).

With the arrival of the new Casa Performance / RLC cranks, we were able to get the engine built and it's all happily fell into place. A new version Batch 6 Cyclone 5 Speed gearbox coupled with a BGM clutch means the transmission is top drawer and the fuel comes in via a Dell'Orto 34mm carb. A one-off exhaust was made by Protti and has a left hand exit tailpipe. Up front, the original drum hub has been replaced with a hydraulic front disc set-up along with additonal BGM dampers. The owner wanted the hubs in carbon-fibre effect and these were 'dipped'. Inside the headet is the war of the wires as we now have a Casa ignition switch and a SIP speedo all adding to the electrical drama. Not a problem to wire up, more of a problem to find space to fit everything.

After the full rebuild we were dead curious to see how the new set-up compared to the 5bhp Series 2 engine it previously had....

The scooter fired up second kick and once warmed up we attentively took it for a spin in the pea-soup fog! After minimal running in, we began to open it up and it fly’s! With about 30bhp on tap, in a lightweight frame, as it hits the power band, it takes off like a scolded cat and just goes and goes and goes. The Protti left-hooker exhaust works as good as it looks and coupled with the new version Cyclone 5 Speed gearbox, this is one fun scooter to ride. The only problem being is that every time it enters the powerband, the front wheel trys to go skywards and the SIP rev-counter has a field day.

Making it go was part of the challenge but also getting it to stop is part of the cunning masterplan and that is down to the hydraulic front disc. That works a treat and coupled with the BGM dampers makes sure the road holding is up to par. This scooter has a few new Casa Performance parts including the front damper brackets and these will soon go on sale.

Aesthetically the scooter was painted several years ago by a previous owner so in some areas it needed some deft TLC and we got quite a few parts repainted. The rear positioned petrol tank was internally sealed and a large bore tap fitted. All the electrics were tucked away to keep the look as un-cluttered as possible. A pair of non-standard black series 2 grips from the 80’s finished off the look and Micky’s one-off side-stand ensures it looks right even when parked up.

We delivered the scooter to Vittorio’s customer and he seemed to be more than chuffed with the outcome, to say the least. 

Modello:

Lambretta S1 tuned SS200 5 Speed