The Judge

From Utilitarian to Ultimate Street Racer

The Judge started life in on the Innocenti factory floor in Milan, Italy, during the 1963 production year.

As a standard Lambretta Li 150, it was not the most basic model offered by Innocenti, but unlike the SX or TV models, there was nothing particularly special about this utilitarian motor scooter. With a displacement of 148cc's, at best the bike produced 6.6 horse power that Innocenti claimed could propel an adult just past 50 miles per hour in fourth gear.

After making its way to America, the bike was modified for better performance in the late 1980's and into the early 1990s by one of the preeminent American Lambrettisti, Vince Mross.

Vince founded West Coast Lambretta Works in sunny San Diego back in 1983. The work done on this bike was the pinnacle of small block Lambretta tuning for the time; a Weisco piston conversion that included a short conrod, extensive shortening of the cylinder, and massive amounts of porting, the 150cc engine was bumped out to 190cc's. A custom expansion chamber fitted with an experimental power valve was crafted for the bike, along with a massive 36mm Mikuni carb feeding through a house-built reed intake resulted in what was surely a powerhouse scooter. Befitting the "scooter boy" tune of the engine, the bike was also painted an eye grabbing yellow, with the side panels and horn cast chromed, buzzetti dog leg hand levers, and BiTubo rear shock.

There were bigger, faster builds out there for the larger 200cc engines, but at the time this was as tuned as you could get using a "small block" 125/150/175 Lambretta engine. Output then was in the mid teens, and reports of these engines seeing the high side of 70 mph were quite common.

As many tuned bikes of the era, especially the more exotically tuned as this one was, eventually a catastrophic engine failure caused it to be pulled from the road.

The bike was parked for many years in the Bay area until finding its way to Tucson, Arizona.

A Blast from the Past

I purchased the bike as it had sat from a local Tucson scooterist and fellow member of the Lambretta Club USA in the summer of 2010. While cosmetically the bike looked as good as it had in the early 90's, there were serious issues with the engine, wiring, and control cables.

Deep down though, the bike was more than just another broken scooter waiting to get back on the road; it was a piece of American scootering history. I decided when I first saw the bike that it deserved to be resurrected to its former glory. The first step towards the goal of riding this Scooterboy West Coast Lambretta Works Racer on the streets again was to pull the bodywork off and then tear down the engine. Identify the problems, come up with a plan, and have some fun relishing the history of the bike while making it roadworthy once again.

My initial idea was to resurrect the bike with the original WCLW tuned engine. After many months of diligent work on the part of friend and expert engine builder Craig B, conversations with the original tuner of the bike Vince Mross, as well as copious attempts at retrofitting newer parts to the existing set-up, maintaining the original engine build proved to be impossible.

During the rebuild process, the bike was used for a Tucson Lifestyle magazine shoot, and also as a stage prop for a charity auction and fashion show. (image below, r)

An Updated Street Racer

With a nod to the original "best of the best" idea behind the bike's first street racer build, the decision was made to change as little as possible from an aesthetic point. Under the panels however, the engine would be based on AF Rayspeed's RB20 small block top end. The suspension, ignition, wiring, and cables would all be upgraded to the best available performance oriented parts available on the market today.

Starting from the original stripped and blasted engine case, the transfers were matched and flowed to the new top end. Everything else was gone over, upgraded, and built with impeccable attention to detail, reliability, and performance:

Engine:

AF Rayspeed RB20
AF Rayspeed 116 x 58 Race Crankshaft
AF Rayspeed Medium Weight Flywheel
Li 150 gear box w/ a lightened 47T rear sprocket, 18T front
5 plate (Surflex C clutch) Clutch
Lectron 34 Carburetor
Adspeed RB NK Rally Exhaust
Suspension:
MBD Fork Links
Stainless GP rods and bearings
Cambridge Lambretta "Ultimate Progressive" springs
BGM adjustable front dampers
Original BiTubo rear shock
Miscellaneous:
Cambridge Lambretta/Ancillotti SuperLight seat
BGM 120W stator
New wiring and LTH Teflon lined cables
C-Speed Yellow Halogen headlight

The Result?

Now boasting 200cc's of displacement, along with all of the other upgrades, The Judge is a powerhouse.

While still in the initial break-in period, the bike pulls like a freight train. The longer gearing allows for smooth acceleration though all gears, and the exhaust makes copious amounts of power across the rev range. The bike is easy to ride, and with a twist of the throttle takes off like a rocket.

Conceivable horsepower ratings are in the low 20's for RB20 engines built to these specs, and by the seat of the rider's pants that seems quiet accurate. Once adequate miles are put on the build, a full dyno test will be made and posted here. Suffice it to say, for the time being, that The Judge lays down the law on the streets.

This is one fast bike!