The Royal Alloy TG 350 | ROAD TEST

Many classic scooter riders love to hate them, but it’s hard to ignore Royal Alloy, especially if you’re a road-going scooterist.

Go on any scooter rally or ride out, and you’ll see them in great numbers. If you were at the Isle of Wight this year, you’ll no doubt have seen the very busy Royal Alloy stand on the main campsite (pictured above). They were offering test rides and showing off the range.

Lukas distribution

Royal Alloy split from their previous UK distributor (MotoGB) in December 2024. They appointed BSA importer, Lukas Distribution, to move things forward.

Fowlers

Parts supply had always been an issue for RA in the past. Well-respected multi-brand parts supplier, Fowlers, took over the running of that side of things and should make a much better job of things.

This original paint Series 2 Lambretta is 64 years old and still going strong. Will the RA be around in 2089?

Diehard

I’m a diehard two-stroke nut who loves classic scooters. My main ride is a 1958 Series 1 Lambretta. I also have a Series 2 Eibar, and my other half owns the Series 2 parked next to the Royal Alloy above. However, I’m not blinkered and I don’t worry about what anybody else chooses to ride. I appreciate modern scooters for what they are. Lots of people wouldn’t still be riding to rallies if it weren’t for scooters like the Vespa GTS and Royal Alloy. They’re the modern-day workhorse.

A Chinese-built four-stroke Lambretta lookalike may not be to everybody’s taste, but nobody is forcing anybody to ride them. If it’s not your bag, then that’s fine. If the Italian Lambretta factory were still in operation today, they wouldn’t be building a two-stroke GP, Series 2 or probably anything that resembles the classic scooters we all love. Time and legislation have changed things.

Royal Alloy v GTS

It’s been a while since I’ve ridden an RA. The last time was back in January 2020, when I rode one with Sticky in a back-to-back road test with a Royal Alloy GP 300 S and a Vespa GTS 300. It’s fair to say we were surprised by the results. That particular road test is still one of our most read features, and the accompanying videos still rank very highly on our YouTube channel. It’s been watched almost 300,000 times.

We thought it was time to revisit the brand.

Tigara Grande 350

That brings us neatly to the model we have here. The Tigara Grande 350. This is the current jewel in the Royal Alloy crown (although the forthcoming Series 1 style JPS will probably Top Trump it).

Powered by a derivative of the 2025 309cc engine that powers the latest Vespa GTS 310, it’s not surprising that it feels similar to the Vespa that we road tested a few months ago.

Imitation

Before all that, let’s look at the styling. If you’re familiar with classic scooters, you’ll know that this is a dead ringer for (and was modelled on) a Lambretta Series 2. To be fair to Royal Alloy, they’ve done a very good job of recreating the early sixties styling, albeit with a modern twist.

Detailing like the faux rear panel handles that are actually discreet indicators, a chrome rear sprint rack and the two-tone paintwork. All reminiscent of the original Italian scooters (they were available in solid colours or two-tone paint). Imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Whilst I had the TG, a couple of ‘stuck in the mud’ scooterists who would rather be seen dead than sat on one of these, secretly appreciated the whole look and feel of this scooter in the relative safety of my garage. Never say never, old age and health issues creep up on even the most vocal nay-sayer…

Modern tech

Of course, some things are entirely different to a Lambretta, like the twist & go four-stroke engine. The front forks feature external adjustable dampers as standard, and at the rear, twin shocks replace the mono-shock of the Italian classic.

The forks come with anti-dive, and both front and rear discs are equipped with ABS. The scooter also has traction control, which can be switched off if required.

If you don’t want the upkeep of a classic scooter, a modern recreation can get you on the road with much less hassle.

Instruments

The speedo has a dash that is more like the Series 3 Lambretta in shape, or, of course, the Royal Alloy GP. It’s a pretty decent full colour screen as well. Plenty of information is laid out in a clear, easy-to-read format (although ageing scooterists may struggle to read the small numbers for trip/odometer, etc.). Mobile connectivity via an app is also available.

First ride

After getting the scooter, I took it out for a blast around and quickly found that the front suspension felt awful. Thankfully, there’s a decent toolkit in the leg shield glovebox, so I was able to stop and adjust it. I backed the preload off by around five turns on both front shocks with the C-spanner, and the ride was instantly much better. If they all leave the factory at the harder setting, then most owners will be adjusting them pretty quickly, or they’ll hate the ride quality.

Suspension sorted, I could start to appreciate the scooter.

Modding it up

Familiarisation over with, it was time to add a few bits that would make life easier for a forthcoming 145-mile trip to Stansted Airport. Modding a scooter up isn’t always about adding lights and mirrors you know! Practicalities are more important.

A ride to our SLUK plastic manufacturer’s workshop saw us fitting a SLUK Support to the standard rear rack. This makes the carrying of luggage much easier. No more droopy bags hanging over the side panels or covering the rear lights and indicators.

SLUK screen

We also fitted one of our SLUK Bullet screens to enhance the retro look and help keep some of the wind blast off on the 290-mile motorway ride.

Coast 2 Coast

If you prefer a sportier-looking screen, we’ve made a version of our popular Coast 2 Coast screen for the RA TG 350/GP 350.

It’s easy enough to access the battery by removing the panel on the frame loop

Keeping warm

The third item I fitted was the harness for my heated vest. This meant taking the battery cover off from the seat loop (one screw), removing some electrical gubbins on a bracket behind it (one bolt), then taking off the elastic battery strap and tilting the battery forward so I could access the battery terminals. A fairly easy job.

In the scooter’s handbook, there is mention of heated grips and a heated seat, so no doubt we’ll see those as either an option or standard fitment on the top models.

That’s a 14kg load strapped safely to the SLUK Support on the rear rack

Luggage rack

I was all set for a 5:30 am blast to the airport. I was heading to Bologna for the Italjet Dragster 700 launch, so I had to pack full race leathers, boots, gloves and any ‘normal’ clothing and equipment I needed for two days away. A 14kg load was duly strapped to the back of the scooter using Rok Straps (the best bungee replacement you’ll ever buy). The rack is very good and useful, especially with one of our SLUK Supports fitted.

LED headlights

It was still dark when I left home, so I had plenty of time to see how the headlights were. They’re certainly lots better than any standard Lambretta headlights, that’s for sure! The LED lighting is both bright and useful, on low or high beam. The LCD dash is also pretty good, night or day, and it auto switches from light to dark depending on the ambient lighting.

Liquid cooled

Riding a new scooter with just 27 miles on the clock to an airport is a test in itself. You need to put some faith in your machine, or you’re likely to be missing a flight.

I’d read a few comments about overheating issues with new liquid-cooled RAs during the summer, so I kept an eye on the temp gauge, but I needn’t have worried. The gauge remained stationary at its midpoint throughout the entire journey. I was sitting between 65 and 75 on the clock for the whole trip down there.

Fuel capacity

One thing that did concern me, though, was fuel range. I set off from Nottinghamshire with a full tank (incidentally, it says to run E5 on this scooter). I passed Leicester Forest Services and was heading to J19 of the M1. I still had 18 miles to the next services and would be leaving the motorway before I got to them. That meant I had about 30 miles to do before getting to the first fuel stop on the A14. The fuel gauge got down into the red and was on one bar. I eased off the throttle, worried about running out. Thankfully, I made it to the services and filled up, having ridden 73 miles. It took just 5.87 litres. I guessed the tank would probably hold eight litres, but after checking the specs, it’s actually a 10.4-litre tank. The gauge is a little bit premature for my liking. At least I didn’t have to push it miles to a garage, though.

No limits

The ride itself was pretty smooth. The engine purrs along nicely, and there’s plenty of poke there if you want it.

One of the biggest criticisms I had with the GTS 310 was its harsh rev limiter. Although the RA shares a very similar engine (apparently, the top end is slightly different, as is the fuel injection/ECU) the engine’s mapping allows you to ride at full throttle and not hit a limiter. That in itself is a godsend for any long-distance rider.

Range

I made good time down to Stansted and filled up just before the airport (I dared to let it go to flashing red on the gauge this time). It still only swallowed 7.61 litres, although that didn’t help my range anxiety! That stop was after 88 miles. I still had 2.79 litres in reserve. In theory, you could safely do 100 miles at motorway speeds before filling up. Ridden with a limp right wrist, you’d easily get 120 miles to a tank.

At speed and with a very nasty buffeting wind, I was impressed at just how well the scooter rode. It felt planted and stable at all times, despite the dead kangaroo (race leathers) strapped to the back rack.

Storage

I mentioned the glovebox earlier. It contains a fairly decent toolkit with spanners and screwdrivers to perform tasks such as tightening mirrors, removing panels, and adjusting dampers. There’s also a funnel that will make topping the oil up much easier. The glovebox also houses a USB point, although for some reason it wouldn’t charge my mobile. There was power getting to the USB (it lights up in blue). I tried three different cables but still no joy.

One thing a GTS owner would miss if swapping to an RA is the lack of underseat storage space. Just like on a Lambretta, there is none.

Tempting

One thing to note is that the Royal Alloy is a scooter that is very tempting to thieves, just like the Vespa GTS and a few other ‘performance’ scooters. You need to use some decent security; however, the design of the wheels means you can’t get a decent chain through the cast rims.

Add some security

At the airport, I secured the scooter to a car park fence and wrapped the chain around the forks. The anti-dive damper gets in the way a bit, so you’ll have to choose your chain wisely. I’d always suggest using a secondary form of security, a tracker for instance and the Vespa GTS EasyBlock should also fit the rear wheel on this scooter. Don’t be complacent about security on a scooter like this.

Because there is no underseat storage and I already had a full holdall, I had to strap my riding kit to the seat and cover it up for the two days I’d be away. Not ideal, but you have to hope that a multi-storey at an airport is fairly safe (it was still there on my return).

Quality?

Looking around the scooter, it all looks nice. Remember, this is a metal-bodied scooter rather than a plastic one. The panels/legshields, etc., are made from sheet steel, and the paint looked decent enough in its blue/ivory dual-colour scheme.

As with any steel scooter, this one will be prone to rust, and both owners and dealers have reported issues with rust on Royal Alloys in the past. My advice to you, just as it would be with a new Vespa, is to treat it with a rust preventative when you first get the scooter. Give it a good spraying in all those areas where water and dirt are likely to sit. Remove the panels and the battery cover to gain access to the scooter as much as possible.

A sticking centre stand is easily lubricated…

Mirrors

One thing I’m not overly impressed with is the standard mirrors. They don’t have quite enough adjustability for my liking. I’d either replace them or, more likely, take them off if I bought a TG. I don’t have rear-view mirrors on any of my classic scooters, so that wouldn’t be an issue for me. However, most modern scooter buyers like to have them fitted.

Sticking point

Another slight niggle is the centre stand. This was a brand-new, zero-mile scooter when it was delivered. The centre stand kept sticking halfway down, so it needed pushing back into place before riding. A sticking centre stand isn’t unknown on a well-used GTS, but not from new. I suspect more grease is required at the RA factory.

Traction control

After a couple of days in Italy, I arrived back at a very wet Stansted for the early morning ride home to Nottinghamshire. I left traction control on just in case, but had no issues during the wet ride and I only felt TC cut in once during my time with the scooter.

Despite the weather, I quite enjoyed my wet 170-mile ride home. I stopped for breakfast halfway back, and a lorry driver came up asking all sorts of questions about the scooter. It turns out he was a biker himself, and I’d passed his truck earlier. He remarked at just how well the scooter was going.

Top speed

He had a point; the Royal Alloy does go very well and makes a claimed 27.5 bhp at the crank (the GTS 310 makes 25bhp).

I used the GPS to check my top speed on that trip, and my maximum was 79mph (indicated clock speed was 86mph). That’s slower than the GTS 310 (we had 83mph out of that), but in its defence, the RA still needed some more miles on the clock to be fully loosened up.

I got 81mph out of it before it went back, and I have to say, the RA feels much nicer to ride than the GTS 310 flat out. Having no rev limiter cutting in makes a massive difference if you like to push a scooter to its limits. It’s a big selling point for me.

At flat-out motorway speeds, you need to be filling the 350 up at around 80 miles to be on the safe side. Ridden more sedately, you’d probably get 120 miles out of a tank.

Riding position

One thing owners constantly moaned about with the Scomadi, and in more recent times with the RA is the seat height/width. It has been reworked since the early days, and at 5’10”, it’s easy enough for me to manage. My other half is 5’5″, and she struggled a bit but had more chance of putting her feet down on the TG than she does with a GTS. It also feels like it has a lower centre of gravity, which also helps. If you are a bit on the short side, consider SF Stainless and Tasso, which both offer lowering kits for Royal Alloys. SF Stainless make lots of RA products, and they should be available from your RA dealer soon.

Comfort

The TG sits just a tad higher than a Lambretta Series 2 (5 mm when measured from floor to handlebars), but the riding position still feels very similar. I found the seat comfortable enough for a few hours in the saddle, and it’s also comfortable two-up. The pop-out footpegs work well and my pillion had no complaints.

Cute, a key fob shaped like your side panel…

Ignition key

Most manufacturers seem to be trending towards keyless ignition these days, but Royal Alloy has opted for the traditional keyed ignition. It’s a cool-looking key as well, modelled on the side panel of your scooter, and it folds away to make it easier to carry.

There’s nothing wrong with putting a key in the ignition as far as I’m concerned, and it’s often less of a faff than a keyless system.

Town and country

I must admit, I enjoyed riding the TG 350. Get it off the motorway, and it performed very well around town as well and was excellent when you got some twisty roads to play on. Although the suspension isn’t as good as the Vespa GTS, it’s ok once you’ve got it set up, and the brakes are fantastic. The ABS is unobtrusive, as is the traction control. On the Vespa, I ended up switching the ASR (traction control) off quite a bit. I didn’t need to on the Royal Alloy.

To some, a Royal Alloy might seem like a Greggs version of a Lambretta, to others it’s a retro-inspired scooter with quite a lot going for it…

Deliberately written

I’ve written most of this road test based on a long motorway journey and given comparisons to the Lambretta and Vespa GTS. I’ve done that deliberately because most potential TG 350 customers are likely to be long-distance, rally-going scooter riders. They’ll often be thinking of adding a modern scooter to their classic scooter stable, or contemplating swapping from a Vespa GTS and wondering how a Royal Alloy might stack up.

That’s me stripping Linsey’s Lambretta engine in a Spanish town, in an effort to bodge a kickstart problem as we rode to Ibiza and back in 2018…

Horses for courses

Personally, I still love and enjoy riding my vintage two-strokes to rallies and events. There’s no comparison with a modern four-stroke in terms of character. With that character comes a few idiosyncrasies as well. Not many modern scooter riders have had to strip an engine at the side of the road to complete a journey. On a classic scooter, it’s part of the trip and adds material for tales in the bar later.

With a modern scooter, you’re able to set off in the knowledge that other than fuel, you shouldn’t have to stop. There’s not half as much to go wrong (for instance, I had to ride 25 miles through Northern Ireland with no clutch cable on my Lambretta a few weeks ago). There are no control cables to worry about on most modern scooters, and mechanical issues are rare. That’s why they’ve become so popular as mile-munchers.

If you’re looking for a retro scooter with performance and style, I’d say the Royal Alloy TG350 is well worth a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Words, photos and videos: Iggy

Riding shots: Linsey

Royal Alloy TG350 Tech specs