Found on Newspapers.com
The Italians, battling for the big scooter market with the Japanese, have come out with a flyer.
Those of you who like power-punch, performance and reliability of a manual gear change should have a close look at the Lambretta GT 200. The letters GT are usually reserved for souped up cars, but the Lambretta company is not fooling when it tacks them on to the name of their scooter. Believe me - This machine can go. This week I hammers the 200cc Lambretta around my 15 mile north habour-side suburb test route just to see what it could do. There were 3,000 mile son the clock already and the scooter had lost the sluggishness you usually find in a new machine. Despite what I expected, in the city the scooter surprised me. At every traffic light change I had no difficulty skipping out ahead of the traffic - and staying there. Out in the suburbs the GT really showed its power. From a standing start at the bottom of the steep North Sydney Alfred Street hill the scooter charged through the first 3 gears and was pulling strongly at 40mph in third as I topped the rise. On the flat, it cruised comfortable at 50mph with only a little body vibration but with quite considerable engine noise. The GT is particularly fast through the gears. I was consistently able to reach 40mph from a standing start (working through 3 gears) in 8 to 10 seconds. The extremely powerful first gear will drive up to 30mph before the engine demands a change. Second gear will rev comfortably up to 40mph and 45mph-plus in third. In the Steady suburban traffic I found causing in third gear was quite adequate. Naturally the fourth gear lacks the pulling power of the others and is really unnecessary (although the pundits may disagree) except for long open stretches. The GT's brakes can cut the scooter's speed quickly. From 40mph the hand brake alone stopped the scooter in just under 100ft; the foot brake in 66ft, an bother together in 45ft. The GT's balance allows steeply angled turns. But a word of advice. Do not depend entirely on the gears for braking when coming fast into a corner. Cutting back through the gears does not slow the scooter as much as it does with other models. Visually the GT is a Handsome machine. The bodywork is white with a contrasting - and comfortable - black seat. The driver can operate the lights and the horn without taking his hands off the accelerator. The choke and petrol controls can also be manipulated while riding. They are behind the driver's heels. In addition to the steering lock the GT has another safety device. The electric system must be switched on before the scooter can be kick started. And the scooter promises economy for the budget-conscious. The agents conservatively estimate 100 miles per gallon. What price the Lambretta? - £292
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |