Modern Vespa

I have no idea what it was, but some ijiit on an L-plated scooter left me standing several times on the Mile End Rd this afternoon. Probably kitted, definitely a two stroke; he was riding like an idiot so I didn't pursue but caught up with him at each set of lights. Might it have been a Gilera Runner? PS I was on the SHitty 300

The smaller the scooter the quicker off the lights, I've always thought - pushbikes can beat a scooter, too.

Damn kids!!

No but this bloody piece of shit was leaving me two bike lengths behind all the way to 35/40 The SHitty will out drag a TMax to those sort of speeds, not that the power of a TMax is anything to write home about.

SH300 has 28bhp compared to the GTS300's 22 and is about the same weight.

Bloomin 'eck!


There is a guy who I see in Barking on a Red/Grey/White Gilera with a sports exhaust, sounds like a Harley, you can hear it a mile away! That thing really flys! despite his L's. It is a wonder they don;t getted pulled over.

I'll take my vespa 300 anytime. If I wanted to race light to light I would not have gotten rid of my SV1000 last year.

Almost certainly a Gilera Runner 180 SP. I had one from new, rode it like an idiot for 5 years and it eventually fell apart underneath me. Everyday, morning and evening, was a race. It didn't matter whether the other bike was 600cc or 900cc - we'd nearly always win. The only slight problem with it was it was impossible to ride sensibly, even mother Teresa would have been wheelying down the high street. I don't think you can get them anywhere now due to emmissions laws and 2nd hand ones will have been raced by idiots (like me) for every day of their short lives. The Italjet Dragster 180 SP has the same engine but a prettier (and more fragile) chassis. I'd hoped they might introduce a 4s version, perhaps with a small supercharger, just to keep the insanity going.

A learner wouldn't have been able to ride a 180 but it doesn't sound like he really cared. I can't think of any traditional scooters other than the 180SP that would outrun your 300SH.

Man I loved that bike.

It was power to weight that made it king - here's a small table of modern scoots and it shows why you came second.

The 300 Super is all about the torque rather than HP so it is about acceleration rather than top end speed. On the other hand, it is hard to beat a good kitted 2 stroke.

I thought I'd check those figures. The details for these bikes are: The SH300 is actually ahead in most areas (apart from looks). The Gilera 180SP wins on the road because it's only 2/3 of the weight of the others. The Vespa wins if you actually want something to love as well as use. .

I won't be racing any SH 300's anytime soon since they haven't graced our shores yet.

Mike, I also have love for the Runner SP, but then the impossibility of keeping hold of one in London means I don't go there. I have seen the teenagers of Vauxhall hooning about on them in packs, and having a had small go, they are lots and lots of fun.

*sticks out knees and elbows in a souf London bwoy riding stylee*

I like the beefy front forks they come with...you can actually get them to fix a PX frame...pretty cool!

It won't have been a runner 180 as it was on L-plates so must have been registered as a 125.

So I will guess it was a piaggio 125 with a malossi kit fitted, they can be 28bhp if built by shiny red tuning and will leave ANY scooter for dead at the traffic lights...

What bike it was in is an unknown though, being so popular here in the UK they've been transplated into most piaggio 125 models from zips to typhoons.

It definitely was not a runner. It was an anonymous beaten up black thing. Looked a bit like a Sfera...

Curiouser and curiouser.

I suggest you give chase if you see it again!

Bill rides like that. Shouldn't it be SAARF London?? Yeah, but I wouldn't be able to catch it....

i wonder if it was my mechanic's assistant paul he's been working on some mad rat bike that's got a monster engine in a piaggio zip frame. it's the rattiest rat i've ever seen, he's had to reinforce the frame with a couple of mop handles or something cos it tries to tear itself apart when he hits the throttle. i'll try and get a pic of it tomorrow. that's the right neighbourhood too.

Can't you ask him what it is when you next see him? Sounds like we should consult him for suggestions about how to improve the pick up on our rides.

Probably was a runner. The best auto engine ever made ..... even better in a italjet dragster. they fly..... a 70cc kitted 50 is faster from the lights than the 180