Nico Pendl’s 105bhp eGig 407 dyno run | FEATURE

A couple of weeks back, we brought you a story about the Lutz twin-cylinder Lambretta hitting just under 105bhp. A smallframe Vespa has already beaten that record…

Power hungry

Scooterists around the world are all very similar; we all like to tune unsuitable vehicles and make them go a bit quicker than standard. In the UK, fast touring engines are very popular; we need to be able to thrash our scooters for hundreds of miles for a weekend away. In Austria and Germany, they do things differently and take top power to the extreme, even if the scooter isn’t likely to get you to the shop and back.

To emphasize the point, you can see the video (above) of Nico Pendl’s 407cc eGig-powered Vespa smallframe achieving a record-breaking 105.8 bhp on the dyno…

Nico ‘rides’ his scooter to victory, aided and abetted by the weight of a pillion, laughing all the way to the record books with an unhealthy dose of nitrous…

SFR Dyno battle

In Austria and Germany, dyno prowess is the most important thing for many scooterists.

At the end of January, speed-hungry folks head off to the SFR dyno. In a fume-filled hut, they see, hear and smell some serious horsepower. The battle is on to find out “Who has the most powerful 2-stroke geared scooter in Europe?”

I doubt that Bonnie Blue could compete with this at the European fisting champioships…

Spot the difference

On the left, we have Nico’s eGig 407cc cylinder with a 50cc Polini piston lost inside it (just to show the bore size). On the right is a standard Vespa smallframe cylinder; it has approximately the same diameter as the 90mm, 407 cc piston that sits on top.

From 5 to 105 bhp!

This scooter began life as a humble Vespa Primavera, rolling slowly off the Italian production line in 1968. Back then, it produced approximately 5.6 bhp. Little did it know, it would end up in the hands of a mild-mannered Austrian speed freak who would add an extra 100 horsepower to it!

Nico Pendl is the man responsible. He lives in Carinthia in Austria and has been riding and tuning Vespas since 1998. He says he’s “Been searching for more power ever since…”

Erich is behind the counter at eGig HQ in South Tyrol

eGig is the man

Luckily, there’s a man just over the Italian border who can help with his quest. Enter Erich at eGig Performance. He provided a set of Fabbri casings, an eGig 407cc cylinder, a huge crankshaft and a few other bits and pieces.

Posch Performance built this prototype straight-cut power exhaust for dyno runs

Twin induction

Nico has put plenty of development work into his engine and decided a twin-carb setup was the way to go, with one facing forward and one to the rear. Erich liked this idea so much that he’s built himself an identical engine, albeit with ‘just’ 395cc. The pair bounce ideas off each other and eGig each other on to find even more power.

Looking inside the beast before a crazed Austrian removes more meat…

No stone unturned

Nico had the damaged casings repaired and adapted, ready for the huge cylinder. Nothing on this scooter has been left untouched, even the 407cc barrel was modified for more power before being lined with Nikasil.

Big carbs

You can see those 41mm Keihin carbs in action in the side-view video above. Nico says, “You can see the nitrous flowing into the carburettor in this one.”