Modern Vespa

Is this on the level?.
Are they for sale and at what price?.

Oh it's on the level. But it's a high-end custom build, not something you can walk into a showroom and drive off with. BTW, at under 200 lbs., it has a better power-to-weight ratio than a Porsche GT3 911. Quite the sleeper.

show me the Dyno sheets and pics of the scoot on the dyno

http://gas2.kinja.com/tire-shredding-38-hp-vespa-is-worlds-best-sleeper-1549394707

Now that is a thing of beauty, unique

And that engine 8)

Russ

well that thing is a husky dirt bike engine and for sure it can develope the advertized HP.
And is a 4 speed to boot.

Husky! I didn't catch that in the article. That Vespa would need a very good rider to bring out it's potential. But hell, I'd give it a spin w/good gear.

I checked out the link, thanks for passing this on. Did you scroll down to the comments? The poster "Hectic" had quite a thing against Vespas, comparing them to lawnmowers. Really?

I couldn't leave that anywhere in London without an armed escort <sigh>

What a moron. He talks trash about people that ride scooters and then says "I'm sure it could do well over 60, (in a couple of seconds) but those little tires and no front end weight would be scary as hell". I don't know about you but I'm not scared

COOL!!!
38HP in an old Vespa, about time someone got serious about scoot performance (tongue-in-cheek, but only a bit.........).

So about the same HP/weight as a little 200cc MX bike then.........


Sounds good to me. 8)

Yeah, he is quite the douche. He sounds very insecure.(sexually)

Any idea just how much that scoot would cost?

It looks like they are putting liquid cooled Husky cylinders on Vespa bottom ends.

The engine alone is close to $10K.

Nice knee and crotch warmer too.

IIRC, MapleWood Scooters here in the US had similar HP specs for a nitrous powered P200 motor. He was making 20-something on the motor unboosted and 30-something under boost. I forget the exact figures, and I didn't see Dyno charts, but he said he Dyno'd it in Public.

Most of these crazy HP bikes are using GP One CNC cases. These motors built start at around $10K and go up from there. Most use carting or dirt bike water cooled top ends.

I am guessing that if you go running around town the cops would take notice.

They already do. I had to wait them out tonight when I went to dinner. I had 2 standing out by my scooter for 5 minutes, then they came in and looked around before finally leaving.

That is priceless. Hope you enjoyed your meal.

I don.t get it.
Seems like this would take the scooter appeal out of driving a scooter.

Scooters are an exercise in maximizing unsprung weight The suspensions will never handle high power gracefully.

That said, I have a '15 Primavera and it's a blast.

If I want to go fast however I hop on my 399 lb, 135hp zx-636. For about the same cost. If I wanted to really go fast I'd look at an HP5.

An old R50 sidecar rig would offer more style for the price.

For some, myself included, the fun part isn't in buying a go-fast item its building it. I could have bought a used Ducati for what I have invested in one of my Vespas. Hell for what I bought, and put into modifying all my scooters I could have bought a used Corvette. For me the fun is building, modifying, and making something do what it wasn't intended to do.

The thumbs up from the enthused drivers next to me as I push my Vespa to 90+ MPH down the highway is what makes it fun, the feeling I get doing it makes it fun, the hours spent planning, designing, and putting it all together. All of that effort makes it fun for me. I've been told countless times its all a waste of time, money, etc. For some it is, for me its my hobby - more than that it is the life I live.

Understandable i suppose. The Kawasaki isn't stock after all. More has done in terms of weight reduction than power.

Still - I don't see myself messing with the Vespa beyond a Euro pet carrier that can actually store a helmet. I enjoy it for what it is. I am pleased with the stock performance. I still classify performance mods as diminishing returns.

All in all - I'd still have trouble deciding against the R50 sidecar rig.

I agree with the thrill is in the build and having something that does what it wasn't designed to do. I own several highly modified scooters and concur what a hoot it is to pass someone on a scooter and blow their mind. My Stella has a built Rally 200 motor, upgraded suspension and brakes. Other than the wheels and Taffspeed pipe, it appears bone stock until it runs. It's not super loud, but it sounds the business. I suppose I could have bought a run of the mill used Monster for the same kind of money, but that's not my thing. BTW, I rode my P to bike night last week and had more folks looking and talking to me about it than anything I've taken there before.

Whizz-bang bikes have lost their appeal for me, just a personal thing. I don't get the buzz out of them I used to any more.
I still race them, but that's more a social thing with mates than anything.

My favourite old car from the last 15 years, would have to be an old Kombi panel I tweaked a bit.
Who would have thought a Kombi could be made to cruise on 140kph?

I understand a 40HP Vespa completely.........

For me, the appeal in scoots like this isn't just that they go fast. It's the combination of creative engineering, precise fabrication, and attention to detail. Take a look at that leg shield, the way the cooler is mounted, the routing of the lines... Serious thought went into everything. It's practically art.

I agree it's probably a hairy ride and not for everyone, but with 4-piston fully hydraulic radial brakes; 3-inch front tire, 4-inch rear; BGM pro rear shock, Stage 6 front shock and the various other mods, it looks like the suspension can keep up with the engine.

It's like having a nice watch. You don't really need it. But if you can afford it - or have the talent to build one yourself - go for it!