+ Click to Enlarge STYLE ICON: It's one of the most recognisable shapes on the planet, ranking up there with Marilyn Monroe and the Coke bottle. Pictures: DAVE ABRAHAMS

October 4, 2004
By Dave Abrahams

LML has been building clones of Piaggio's iconic Vespa in India – with the agreement of the Italian company - for many years and until 1999 was part of a worldwide production network that supplied complete Vespa 150s, Prima Vera 125s and parts for the PX200 to Piaggio.

However, LML has had its own distribution network since 2000 but, by agreement with Piaggio, does not use the Vespa name. Instead, the 150 is sold as the Star (Stella in the US) and the Primavera is called Sensation.

Indian quality control might sometimes be a little erratic but the robustness of the original design – and that of the LML – cannot be questioned.

The latest model to reach SA is the grandly named Star Deluxe, using a monococque body that's almost exactly the same as the Vespa PX200, including electric start and Italian Grimeca front brakes.

It's powered, however, by an LML derivative of the 150 motor, one of Piaggio's most successful units and renowned for durability.

What you get is the same body as the original, with a slightly smaller but just as robust engine, suspension components built to handle India's roads and all the style of the iconic shape.

And it costs R18 995, just less than half the R38 750 demanded for a Vespa PX200 – although the PX does come with a free helmet.

The motor is a fan-cooled, three-port, disc-valve, two-stroke single, almost square at 57.8 x 57 bore/stroke, that revs to a little over 5000rpm and kicks out 5.8kW. The makers quote maximum torque of 13Nm at only 3000rpm - this is not a millennium motor, Cyril!

Lubrication is by separate tank and pump – the generic term autolube actually refers to the Yamaha system. LML calls its version of the same thing "automatic oil-mixing" and it runs at 30:1 so one top-up of Super 2T should last for 3.5 fills of the eight-litre fuel tank.

There's a little sight glass below the nose of the saddle, by the fuel tap and choke – the last always needed for a cold start, as generations of students have discovered.

The Star drives through the classic Vespa transmission of wet clutch, four handlebar-shift gears and a short drive shaft, all one unit with the engine. Although it has spring-loaded detents between gears, it's not a positive-stop mechanism so it's possible to go right through the gear you want to either the next cog or a false neutral.

Not a major problem during and upshift but disconcerting when you're changing down. It's just something you have to learn to do properly when riding such a bike.

Even then, first can be a awkward – the other three go in easily, although you may have to look down for the first few dozen gearshifts to make sure the shifter is in the right place before you release the clutch.

The Star pulls well through its gears; it's hard to quantify without a rev counter but it's easy to tell when the motor begins to fall off the power curve – at which point hook another gear.

Smooth running

The motor runs commendably smoothly with very little primary vibration from the heavy-duty crankshaft and distinct but acceptable secondary vibes at high revs; the 149cc stroker was more sophisticated than I'd expected.

LML advertises a top speed of 85km/h – which proved a little pessimistic. Just before dawn on a cool, still morning I briefly hit 94km/h although a slight uphill soon reduced that to 75!

Crouching behind the high-mounted headlight didn't make the bike any faster, only unstable. Just sit up and let the scooter find its own pace; on an icon such as this it's not about how fast you go - it's about how you look!

The Star uses around 3.4 litres/100km cruising at around 80km/h, which is commendable considering the basic design of the motor goes back to 1948!

Characteristic suspension

The front suspension uses Piaggio's trademark single-sided trailing link, geometry tuned for just the right amount of anti-dive (some Vespas actually rose in front if you hit the brakes really hard!).

Hard braking will induce a little dive, though not enough to upset the steering. The front brake is from Grimeca in Italy, one of two major components LML has not been able to source on the Indian sub-continent (the other is the clear indicator lens – they are made in India but don't meet EU standards).

The single-piston floating calliper unit is well up to the job at inner-city speeds, though I'm told they can fade rather alarmingly on the track. The track? Yes, Cyril, scooter racing is well organised in the UK and France.

The engine is also the rear suspension, pivoting on the engine cases and a single and unremarkable motorcycle shock-absorber. It's a brilliant Piaggio solution to the problem of fitting a rear suspension without an exposed and more complex drive train.

User-friendly

It's been said that the aircraft engineer who designed the original Vespa hated motorcycles with a passion and set out to prove that two-wheelers needn't be noisy, dirty, uncomfortable or hard to ride!

The rear brake pedal still pokes through the floorboard as it has done for half a century – and still operates a basic, single leading-shoe drum brake, because it works.

The ride, as with any bike having a wheelbase of only 1235mm, is choppy. The 10" wheels dance over bumps, particularly at the back thanks to the scooter's strong rearward weight bias and the steering is very sensitive.

Nevertheless, once you get used to the bike's essentially twitchy nature, you'll find it easy to ride and accurate through gaps in the traffic.

The suspension is stiff and the straight, flat double seat is hard; anything longer than a couple of hours on an LML could turn out to be something of an endurance contest – but then it's not supposed to be a tourer.

Practical features

Each LML comes with a spare wheel carried under the left side of the body – or at least a spare rim and tyre. The alloy hubs and steel rims are separate so the rider can replace either tyre without disturbing brakes or drive train.

The rims are also split so anybody who has owned a bicycle can repair a punctured tube with just the tools in the toolkit and without the help of a workshop – useful for a home market where most vehicle repairs are carried out in the shade of a palm tree.

The catches for these sponsons, as well as the caps for the oil and fuel tanks, are under the lockable seat. There's no under-seat storage but there is a 12-litre, lockable storage box inside the leg shield that also contains the comprehensive tool kit.

The ignition key operates both locks – makers of more expensive motorcycles please note. The big chrome carrier behind the seat is standard– it has to be because, it's welded to the plate that holds the seat latch.

And that's really what the Star (and its progenitor the Vespa 150) is all about. This is practical, economical, durable, user-friendly transport. It's pure fun – and it's also one of the most recognisable shapes on the planet, ranking up there with Marilyn Monroe and a Coke bottle.

It's not often you get to ride around on a style icon for R18 995, especially considering the price of the Vespa PX200.

Click here for specifications