Scooterotica

I've think I've got a Suzuki 190 set up and I'm considering using it on an engine I'm going to put in a series 2 . Question is are they any good ? If it is worth using what gearing , carb and exhaust would suit it ?
Thanks
Rich

If it is a good one, then it will be very good, in an old school way.

Several top tuners did this conversion, including Dave Webster. A mate had one, and you would have sworn it was a tuned 225.

A grown up will be along in a minute with some advice.

hi, ive got one of these, mine has the barrel topped and tailed so it can be used with a 58mm stroke crank and standard rod, mine has been tuned by cs tuning so hoping its going to make quite good power, im going to use a 26mm carb but mainly as ive already got it, an rs exhaust , so going for a 5 to 1 final drive ratio, i forgot to say i had to shorten the new piston skirt as well, i am thinking of getting one of the new mammoth heads from rayspeed as ive been told 190 do tend to get a tad warm, im sure a few people will give you more advise, is your barrel shorter or tuned, or is it using the long tv rod ?

holty

A friend has one in his series 1, TV175 barrel and crank Suzuki ts185 piston with 3mm removed from skirt, not massively powerful but very torquey and with an ultra smooth power delivery. Great on fuel as well.

Knowledge wrote:If it is a good one, then it will be very good, in an old school way.

Several top tuners did this conversion, including Dave Webster. A mate had one, and you would have sworn it was a tuned 225.

A grown up will be along in a minute with some advice.

... which is the same as saying a bad one will be rubbish, which is also true.

Harry Barlow still offers these as one of his main upgrades for small blocks. Whether you have a standard length barrel and packer with 116mm rod (or other) or a shortened barrel and 107mm rod (or other) then there is some serious scope for these to be an excellent conversion. You will need a head to suit the bore, compression and crown profile.

Do watch out though as 'a piston conversion is a piston conversion' and nothing more than that. If the barrel has been race ported then it'll be a complete waste of time as a tourer and vice versa. The performance will only be as good as the skill and knowledge of the person that did the conversion and porting.

Best of luck with it.

Adam

I've been running one for several years & thousands of kilometers and it's one of my favourite Lambrettas to ride.

TS186 piston (with skirt shortened to 68mm)
RD400 rod on GP200 webs
Mikuni TM28 on remote K&N RU-0200 filter
TS 'Ancillotti' Clubman
2kg electronic flywheel at 17°BTDC

It's been mildly ported and can dig up the specs if you send me a message.

Good luck!

When I dismantled the old engine there wasn't a packer under the barrel . I think the barrel has perhaps been machined top and bottom . The rod has been ground at the crank end and on the sides of the rod itself( how's the rod measured ?) . The crank has 0.02 etched on one its webs . I'll try and upload some pictures as I haven't a clue . The only thing I'm sure is that it's a Suzuki piston that doesn't look like it's been cut ..
Thanks for your answers
Rich

Had one a few years ago and it's still in use somewhere. I had a TV175 rod so used a 1.5mm packer. Mine was very reliable and pretty much bullet proof but as people say,depends who did it. I used a 30mm and an RS44mm clubman. Carb realistically was probably on the large side but ran fine. I'd have no issue running one again. Not a mental performer but could sit on the motorway 2up at a decent speed for mile after mile.

measure the height of the piston, from side of the crown to skirt

The piston is between 62 and 63 mm . Here,s a few pics . Any idea what the crank and rod are ? Do you think the barrel has been shortened ?