Italjet Dragster 300 Black Edition | REVIEW

Role reversal: most youngsters ride autos. Dan rides geared classic scooters but relished the chance to be let loose on the Dragster

When some young whipper-snapper comes up to your stand at the biggest scooter rally in the world and asks to ride your scooter, what do you say?

I’m all for encouraging the next generation of scooter riders, and if people like 22-year-old YouTuber Dan Piper want to have a quick ride on your demo Italjet Dragster 300 then I’m up for letting them loose. In fact, I asked if he wanted to do the Isle of Wight ride out on it, and he snapped my hand off. He ended up spending most of the day riding it around the island.

Here’s what Dan has to say about it…

Iggy

A Triumph-riding Islander tries the 300 for size and is suitably impressed

The Isle of Wight

Where do I start? I was offered an opportunity to test ride and review the new Italjet Dragster 300 on the Sunday of the Isle of Wight Scooter Rally. I couldn’t say no!

Being a complete novice to autos, and a classic 2-stroke owner and rider since the age of 16, I really didn’t know what to expect.

Dan was captivated by the models on display at EICMA and also noticed a few scooters…

A range of models

I first saw the full Italjet line-up at the EICMA Show in Milan in 2025, and instantly I became very interested in them. The beautiful models helped draw attention, but my god, are they stunning to look at (the scooters, that is).

They project an aggressive yet inquisitive look. They are real head-turners whether you’re interested in two wheels or not!

Black Edition

The Black Edition really has an element of subtlety but still has that aggressive and striking appearance, with the Ducati-esque quad fins on the front, which is one of my favourite features on the scooter. They are crazy to look at off the scooter and down between your legs while riding; they really make you feel like you’re riding something special.

I really like the proportions; it’s Dragster by name and has that side-profile stance, like it’s wanting to pounce forward and go! I like how the seat ends short, but the rear wheel keeps going, almost like stabilisers on drag racing cars.

The exposed tubular trellis frame is a piece of engineering beauty, and it’s great that it serves a huge purpose in adding rigidity to the frame. Another standout feature would be the front suspension that sits directly between your feet; it gives F1 vibes!

First Ride

I picked up the Dragster up on Sunday morning from Iggy at the Italjet stand at Sandown Airport. I wanted to take it for a bit of a ride around the island to familiarise myself with the scooter’s characteristics before the Rideout at 1 pm.

Instantly I felt comfortable with the riding style, it being so close to that classic step-on, step-off style of riding, like my Vespas and Lambrettas.

Ticket to Ryde

I took it to Ryde and parked it up on the green; it gained plenty of attention and had lots of people asking me questions, testing my knowledge; luckily, I had done my research!

After some time on the green speaking to so many lovely and curious people, I decided to sneak myself to the front of the start of the rideout. Despite riding to the Isle of Wight for the rally four times in five years of riding, I had never done the rideout before.

We were underway!

The thrill of riding a scooter you’ve not got much experience with on an extremely busy rideout, watched by thousands, was quite an experience, but I quickly got to grips with the Dragster and really got into the flow of riding.

I was super impressed with the stability it offered; it really feels planted on the road and handles great at both low speeds and high speed. The manoeuvrability is effortless despite it being larger than what I’m used to riding.

It’s interesting; it seems pretty large and intimidating to look at; however, it feels small, light and agile once sat on it.

The automatic experience

One of the biggest things I was interested in was how I’d get on with riding an automatic scooter.

I’ve spent years riding manual classic scooters, so I’m used to changing gear, using a clutch and being much more involved with the engine. I wasn’t sure if I’d miss that on the Dragster.

In reality, I enjoyed just how easy it is to ride. You simply open the throttle, and the scooter responds. There’s no thinking about what gear you’re in, or whether you need to drop down for an overtake. Did I miss changing gears? On my classic scooters, absolutely. It’s a big part of what makes them fun to ride. But on the Dragster, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. The automatic transmission suits the scooter perfectly and makes it incredibly easy to ride, particularly around town and in traffic.

The Dragster 300 uses a Piaggio-derived HPE engine with slightly different casings, internals, engine mapping and characteristics

Engine Performance

In terms of engine performance, once again it felt very different from what I’m used to. Tuned 2-stroke powerbands are great fun, and there really is nothing like it. However, I’ve recently been riding a lot of standard 2-strokes where the power is predictable, usable, and progressive.

To describe the characteristics of the Dragster’s engine, I’d say it’s the combination of the power of a 2-stroke in its powerband (extremely fast) but with the progressiveness and predictability of a standard 2-stroke.

Hard and fast

On the road, the Dragster pulls hard and fast at any time, as soon as you open the throttle. It’s there when you want and need it, and you know what power you’ve got rather than it creeping up on you. It’s very reassuring and usable. The confidence it gives you on the road is great, especially when going for overtakes. It also just keeps pulling; with no rev limiter, it will just rev out all the way to around 10,500 rpm. Impressive!

What surprised me most was how usable the performance is. It’s not just a scooter that’s fast when you open the throttle; the power is there whenever you need it, whether you’re pulling away, overtaking or riding at higher speeds.

Italjet’s iconic single-sided front suspension and wavy disc with very impressive Brembo brakes

Brakes and Handling

With Brembo callipers front and rear (with ABS), the braking was always going to be very good. I enjoy harsh late braking from speed. The Brembos handle that perfectly! The feel and responsiveness the brakes provide are great; they aren’t too grabby or too soft; they are just what you need on the road.

The unusual suspension setup handles braking fantastically. There is little to no dive, which gives you plenty of confidence to brake harshly and corner quickly. There’s barely any weight shift, and you feel flat and planted without the worry of locking up or sliding. The Dragster weighs about 130kg with fuel, which is heavier than most 2-wheeled machines I ride, but it really doesn’t feel it; that’s because it carries the weight low down.

The handling surprised me, too. Despite its size and weight, it changes direction effortlessly and feels very planted through corners. Whether you’re going around a tight roundabout or a faster sweeping bend, the Dragster feels stable and predictable.

It may be a sports scooter, but Italjet UK have developed a useful rear carrier that can be easily removed when not in use

Could I live with one?

One thing I found myself thinking about throughout the day was whether I could actually live with one of these. Coming from classic scooters, the Dragster is obviously a completely different machine, but its basic step-through layout still feels familiar. The performance, brakes and suspension make it feel incredibly capable on faster roads, while the automatic transmission makes it extremely easy to use around town.

For commuting or everyday riding, I can see the appeal. No clutch to worry about in traffic, no gears to change, and plenty of performance when you need it. It’s a very different experience to riding a classic scooter, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

This Malossi Edition 300 is fitted with a much nicer-looking and sounding Malossi exhaust

What isn’t perfect?

I need to be honest: not everything is perfect, so the Dragster has some drawbacks.

The sound of the scooter at idle and when riding is a bit MEH. The large, rounded, soulless exhaust slightly spoils the aggressive angular lines of the scooter. I understand manufacturers have regulations to comply with, but I feel that there is a way to design an exciting-looking exhaust that still meets these regulations. Luckily, there is a solution for this: Malossi provides a sports exhaust for the Dragster which looks so much better and sounds more like how you’d expect the Dragster to sound, more aggressive, deep and throaty. This exhaust would set you back around £580, which is quite a lot, but definitely worth it for performance, noise and the visual upgrade. Iggy also has another exhaust in development.

Would I consider owning one?

This is the question I kept asking myself throughout the day. Before riding the Dragster, I probably would have said no. I’m a classic 2-stroke rider, and I love the character, noise and involvement that comes with riding a Vespa or Lambretta. But after spending a day on the Dragster, I’m not so sure. It’s incredibly easy to ride, goes extremely well, handles brilliantly and gives you a level of braking and stability that a classic scooter simply can’t match without some serious modification.

Would it replace my classic scooters? No. They are completely different machines, and that’s exactly why I love them. But could I see myself owning a Dragster alongside them? Definitely.

All round, the Italjet Dragster 300 is a fantastic ride, user-friendly, goes like a rocket, stops on a dime and looks like a fighter jet. And perhaps the biggest compliment I can give it is that, after spending the day riding a modern automatic scooter, I came away wanting to ride it again.

Words, photos and videos: Dan Piper

Additional images and dyno video: Iggy