Vespa

The old Vespa scooters had a 2-stroke engine with a manual clutch and 4-speed gears. You knew it was a Vespa by the distinctive sound the engine made as the rider accelerated through the gears.

Lately I've been seeing old Vespas, but hearing a 4-stroke engine! Our neighbour has one like this, so I took a close look at it today. It turns out that the scooter is called a Chetak, and is made in India by Bajaj Auto, who built Vespas under license from Piaggio until around 1970.

The Chetak has a monocoque chassis, combination clutch lever/gear shift, and trailing link front suspension. The styling is slightly different from original, but can you tell?

Categories:Cars