Lunatics like these two are hooning around on Lambrettas that were designed to a budget and never intended for ‘real’ fun.
With high-horsepower ‘modern’ engines turning these scooters into long-distance tourers, it may be time to upgrade those weedy rear hubs. If you want to update your Lambretta lightweight to securely fitted tubeless wheel rims, then this is the way to do it.
VIDEO: Sticky talks us through the new hub
Handcuffs
We may love old scooters, but for the manufacturers, they were simply units built down to a price to battle in the grand arena of capitalism. Every engineer working for Piaggio or Innocenti ‘could’ have done a better job, mechanically speaking, if their hands weren’t tied by accountants.
The 3-stud rear wheel of the J and Luna lines is a classic example. Innocenti reduced the strength of the wheel fixing by 25% – compared to the LI series – simply to save a little money and a little weight. It didn’t really matter because with 1.5hp on tap, and for a city scooter that would only transport teenagers, it would not be under any great strain during its working life. Would it?
Wrong!
Never before has so much pressure been put through our scooters…
Taking the strain
From their launch in the 1960s, Lambretta racers in the UK started to tune the 75cc Luna line models for racing. Result = added strain.
When SIL started to produce the J-range in India (as the Sunny), it suddenly became a family workhorse. Result = added strain.
The weakness of the 3-stud wheel design was quickly discovered in India. SIL remedied it on the Sunny FR model with a 4-stud rim that accepted Lambretta LI-series wheels.
The bad news is that the Sunny FR didn’t last that long in production and the sought-after rear hub is no longer available.
Another solution was needed.
Into the fray
The Mini Octopus works with either narrow or wide 10” wheel brake shoes.
Casa Performance, along with Gran Turismo from the UK, have produced kits that suddenly ushered in a jump in performance for J-range and Luna. You can have 12hp as a bolt-on 135cc, or up to 20hp with tuning. All these motors deserve a better and safer rear wheel set-up.
Following the design of the Casa Octopus hub for LI series, the new Mini Octopus offers eight potential wheel stud connections, though you can also fit LI-series 4-stud tubeless wheels (SIP, AF, FA Italia etc.) if you don’t fit the additional 4 supplied studs.
PROS:
- Tubeless tyres and 4-stud or 8-stud fixing are obviously worthwhile safety upgrades
- The Mini Octopus fits straight onto any Lambretta J or Luna layshaft and is supplied with a new rear hub cone
- The rear hub works with narrow brake shoes for the Luna line so the hub is plug and play on those models
- The Mini Octopus brake lining also accepts the wider brake shoes of the larger capacity J-range models
- If you have a J-range with 9-inch wheels then you can upgrade to a 10-inch brake set-up and use this hub
- If you have an engine with narrow shoes then you can upgrade to wider J125-style shoes with a kit of suitable parts that CP can supply
Wider shoes?
If you want to upgrade to wider shoes, then you should do so before running the new hub; otherwise, the narrow shoes will wear a step into the lining. This is the kit of parts you need.
Upgrading to the J125 parts allows you to use an LI-style thumbwheel brake adjuster
Cons
- The Mini Octopus will ONLY accept tubeless wheels. You cannot fit 4-stud split rims because the fixed studs that hold the rims together prevent correct fitting
- Unlike the multi-spline Octopus for LI series, the Mini Octopus still uses a rear cone fitting which means you still need a puller to remove the hub
- The inside face of the hub sits very close to the engine and can touch the studs and nuts that retain the rear hub bearing if they are not fitted to full depth.
Fit them flush
Ensure that the four studs retaining the rear hub bearing are fitted so that they are almost flush with the nut. Any that protrude from the nut (like the upper one in this photo) are likely to rub on the inside of the hub. Fit the stud to full depth to cure this issue.
Scary Big Octopus (left) alongside cute Mini Octopus
Where can I get one?
The Mini Octopus rear hub has been extensively tested and adjusted before it has been put on sale. Small series production means that it isn’t cheap and maybe won’t be in production forever. If you want one, then you should probably grab it now from Casa Performance on this link, or their dealers. Retail price is €280.
Sticky
