Super reliable long distance euro tourer
Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2015 2:03 pm
The subject of Milan 2017 and the 70th anniversary of Lambretta has come up and got me thinking about riding there.
From my experience of long euro-trips on a Vespa (Italy, Spain, Croatia) I'd say that standard would be the most reliable but probably a little too slow and the Alps would be hard work. On the other hand, too much power and it all gets too highly strung and liable to go bang. Exotic kit is also less likely to be able to be repaired by the side of the road. Another consideration is fuel. A bike that guzzles fuel will cost a fortune, and struggle to get between petrol stations out in the sticks. Carrying loads of oil is a pain too.
If you were going to attempt a round trip of around 1800 miles on a Lambretta, avoiding motorways where practical, what spec engine would you use?
From my experience of long euro-trips on a Vespa (Italy, Spain, Croatia) I'd say that standard would be the most reliable but probably a little too slow and the Alps would be hard work. On the other hand, too much power and it all gets too highly strung and liable to go bang. Exotic kit is also less likely to be able to be repaired by the side of the road. Another consideration is fuel. A bike that guzzles fuel will cost a fortune, and struggle to get between petrol stations out in the sticks. Carrying loads of oil is a pain too.
If you were going to attempt a round trip of around 1800 miles on a Lambretta, avoiding motorways where practical, what spec engine would you use?
