Modern Vespa

Sirs,
I own a 2008 Piaggio Malossi Fly 4 Tempi
Build Date: January 2008
VIN: ZAPC446BU84000441

How can I confirm what engine this scooter has?

Is it a 2-Valve or a 4-Valve?

Thanks!

Not sure how similar they are but on the same era LX50 they are 2 valves from 2006 - 2009 and went to 4 valves in 2010 if I understand correctly.

Kevin T
I appreciate your Reply.
From various websites that I've researched Piaggio uses a Vespa engine that is approximately 2 years behind Vespa's latest generation.
Another thing that I've come across leads me to believe that the engine is possibly a 4-T 2-V, but I have not been able to confirm that.

I wonder if there is any website that translates the VIN like with vehicle manufacturers? The eighth digit of the vehicle VIN is, or was back when I was in the car business, the engine designation.

I really do appreciate you at least giving me some indication that it is a 2 valve engine.
Thanks!

Hi and welcome.

Is it almost due for a valve clearance check? Open it up and count the valves!

https://web.archive.org/web/20080921020434/http://www.it.piaggio.com/media/scheda_tecnica_fly_50_4t.pdf

Engine also installed on Piaggio Vespa Sprint 50 4T:

http://www.laninisrl.it/product/10/24659/vespa-sprint-50-4t-bianco-innocenza

Motore: Monocilindrico Hi-Per4 4 tempi, con catalizzatore a 3 vie e sistema aria secondaria SAS
Cilindrata: 49,9 cc
Alesaggio/corsa :39/41,8 mm
Ammissione/distribuzione: 4 valvole, monoalbero a camme in testa
Avviamento :Elettrico e a kick starter
Lubrificazione: A carter umido
Frizione: Automatica centrifuga a secco con tamponi smorzatori
Cambio :Variatore automatico CVT con asservitore di coppia

Welcome to Modern Vespa from Latina, Italy.

valve cover on 4t 4v say "quattro" raised casted letters
the 4v motor reached usa in 2012 for vespa, not sure with fly

fly motor and vespa motor are not interchangable. the head and cylinder would be the same. after that there are many differences.

Piaggio 50 4-stroke 4-valve it reached the USA in 2012 but was certainly in production much earlier ... and has been used for other chassis models; example the Piaggio Leader... is also installed on many different models. Heck, it was also fitted to Aprilia,Peugeot, Malaguti and other brands.

Greetings:

Quoth jerryd: Actually 2010, as on my quattrovalvole '10 S50.

I only just replaced the engine in 2012 vespa 50 4t 4v. regardless of when it was made or how many scooters it came in I was completely unimpressed with its performance in stock form. most boring vespa I have yet ridden. I couldnt believe the customer wanted it fixed after I fixed it.

Greetings:

Quoth JerryD: You are completely correct in that assessment, sir! Despite the multi-valve Wizardry and a 10K RPM redline, the torque was weak in stock form and top speed was an Indicated 39MPH in favorable winds. If destinations include only City Streets, that may be enough for many. In my case, The Malossi 78cc kit, ECM and transmission fiddling brought all to a Decent level of performance and 60MPH or so.

I was wondering how your engine has held up over the years. With the 78cc kit, how many miles are people getting out of the engines?

Greetings:

KevinT, I split my riding time between 2 Vespas and a 2001 Honda SA50/72. Consequently, with local post office and dry cleaning runs being the majority of my rides, the miles add up slowly.

I have heard that the Leader with the Malossi 187 runs to about 40K before crank issues arise, but the cylinder in one case was reinstalled on a second crankcase and went another 40K. The 187 often doesn't crank through compression on the first stab of the Start button, but also runs like a stocker once ignited.

My S50/78 has just over 2K miles, starts and runs without a hiccup. The crankshaft on this one appears to be beefy for a 50, and I don't anticipate a failure any time soon.

OK thanks for that intel! I have a couple of LX50's (2007, 2009) that I recently came into possession of and I am thinking about adding the kit to one of them. I don't want to shorten the lifespan of the engine too much though. I hoped one up with the variator kit, fly screen, CDI and it's close to perfect for my needs....still that curiosity starts working on ya!

Piaggio uses the same bottom end in an 80cc and a 100cc version for different models and markets, so it should be able to hold up to an 80cc kit pretty well.

Here's the easy way to tell the difference...
If the spark plug is a CR8EK, it's a two valve. If the spark plug is something you'd expect to find in a tiny little engine, and a PITA to remove, it's a four valve.

The Earliest version of the 4 Valve engine I can recall was in the Aprilia Scarabeo 4 stroke, around 2006.

The 4-valve system was introduced to improve the stoichiometric ratio mixing flows, this is because (you must always keep in mind that those engines are mainly built for the EU area) the anti-pollution regulations of the Euro type did not allow to have power sufficient on two-valve engines and keep a low pollution value. The question is ... When there is no more room for maneuver to stay within the regulations, what will happen?