Man is a peculiar beast, we often spend lots of time and money developing things that probably didn’t really need developing. Things like the humble motor scooter for instance.
Back in the early 1950s, a 4bhp Lambretta Model D would probably suffice for most people to nip around on, do a bit of shopping and the odd trip away. Although wherever there are wheels and an engine man will still want to tinker. That’s where this article starts, with a 1952 Model D (left above). That one was purchased because the owner of this little collection wanted something representing his birth year. David Krayem is 72 but don’t let that fool you, he’s got a serious need for speed.
David’s current whip, a 650bhp GT3…
Back in the day
David first owned scooters back in the late 1960s, back then he had the usual ‘cheap’ stuff like an Li, SX200 and TV200. He was earning around £10-15 a week back then and a good Li150 was £50. If you were feeling flush and SX or GT200 would set you back around £100.
Even back then David had a thirst for more. He tuned his road scooters to “Stage 4 plus.” He also built a 72mm, 235cc Stage 6 lay flat sprinter. There were no reed valves back then and he couldn’t afford a fancy Wildcat four-transfer cylinder from the original Rafferty Newman.
All of his scooters were either sold, or lost over time. Marriage and kids getting in the way of fun for a while.
Racing
David owned a special vehicle design house from 1985-2002. He designed telehandlers and other plant equipment, quite a lucrative trade for somebody at the top of their game. This enabled David to start a race team in 1998 and retire from the day job in his early fifties. He won the European FIA GT90s Revival Championship in 2007 driving a 700bhp, 950kg Stealth G6 GT1 race car. He still has the team and races the more sedate 650bhp, 1100kg GT3 pictured above.
Slippery slope
A few years ago, David saw a nice enamel Lambretta wall plaque and bought it to adorn the wall of his office in the Cotswolds. It reminded him of his early scootering days. That purchase turned out to be very expensive because it rekindled his love of Lambrettas. He now owns eight and the plaque is still hanging on the wall. These aren’t just any old eight Lambrettas though.
The current Krayem Collection
- 1952 D125 – 4 hp
- 1957 Mk 3 LD 150 – 5 hp
- 1958 S1 LI 150 Frame Breather – 6 hp
- 1960 S2 LI 125 – 5 hp
- 1964 TV200 AF S type – 12 hp
- 1966 SX200 – 15 hp
- 1969 DL125 /SS200 – 40 hp
- 1969 SX 150/SSR270 – 70 hp
Lambretta tuning and development
His collection shows a timeline of development, from the awfully slow Model D, right through to his most expensive, most radical Apple Green SX150. Somewhere in-between are his LD, Series 1 Framebreather, Series 2 and a very nice ex-Bob White collection GT200. Those scooters are pretty much museum pieces, used as decoration in his office. Not everything stands still though and David was keen to show us his more interesting specimens. Working with Gary Beard at Shiny Red Tuning he’s built up a few very special scooters.
1966 Lambretta SX200
This original paintwork, very straight and tidy SX has been sympathetically tuned. It retains the original cylinder and engine and has been tuned using 1960s techniques, rather than 21st Century bolt-on power. It now makes a very healthy 15bhp and 12.5 lb-ft of torque. He says this is the nicest scooter of the bunch for a long-distance ride.
SX200 for sale
Since paying David a visit a couple of weeks back he’s changed his mind about a couple of things.
He said that his museum-condition Bob White GT would never be ridden but he’s decided to put it back on the road. It currently sits with a period 15hp 225 AF Rayspeed S-Type engine. He’s going to rework that with Gary to achieve 20bhp, whilst retaining the original engine.
Also, he’s planning to sell his well-sorted SX200. He’s looking for £16,000. If you’re seriously interested, email us at editorial@scooterlab.uk and we’ll put you in touch.
1969 Lambretta DL 125/SS200 -40bhp
This GP/DL was already restored when David added it to his collection but it wasn’t fast enough. It’s been improved by some serious engine work and a Casa SS200 cylinder. It now makes 40bhp and 25 ft-lbs from 6,500-8,500rpm whilst retaining the original Innocenti engine casings. This scooter runs a 40mm Lectron carb, CST exhaust and has had suspension and brake upgrades. Remember the days, not so many years ago when top spec race scooters would struggle to make 30bhp?
1969 Lambretta SX150/SSR270 – 70bhp
That brings us to the most heavily developed scooter in his stable, there are lots of secrets inside this one and understandably the owner didn’t want to divulge them. Like all the tuned scooters, this rocket ship has been tuned by Gary at Shiny Red Tuning. It’s also been stretched by 200mm and the seat moved forwards because “It would wheelie in any gear and needed taming.” Moving the weight forward has pretty much cured its tendency to reach for the sky but make no mistake, this is one seriously quick scooter. David told us it still makes 50bhp at half throttle!
More mods than Brighton
Modifications also include CP front disc and suspension, this thing needs all the help it can get. It also runs a steering damper, the handlebars have been weighted to keep vibration down and the master cylinder has been spaced to allow the throttle to be closed more easily whilst wearing race gloves. Gary has also made a quick throttle relay to cut down the movement needed between closed and open throttle on the humungous 48mm Lectron carb. David explains the benefits of this setup in the video.
On the road?
It’s usually at this point in a feature where it goes all ‘Blue Peter’ and we get to try out things most people never get to experience. Sadly on this occasion, we weren’t allowed to ride the scooters and David’s insurance has a clause about not being used for demonstration purposes so we couldn’t film him riding them either. All we got to do was listen to them sat on their stands. A huge disappointment to a speed freak. Nevertheless, David talks us through some of the development work behind each of his three tuned scooters and raises some interesting points. Watch the video above.
See more images in the gallery above
Words, photos and video: Iggy
SLUK Panel Scoop
We’ve recently added this panel scoop to our SLUK products. Designed primarily for Lambretta panels it’s much prettier than an ugly hole and if you watch the video in this feature you’ll hear some of the benefits of fitting one the opposite way around to how you’d expect.
