Lambretta V200 Special: Sunshine

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Bike Reviews

By JeffWare - 15 June 2022

Words & Pics: Jeff Ware

Riding around on the Lambretta V200 Special I can't help but think about the amazing journey that this brand has been on over the past 70-plus years. We now have a Swiss/Austrian owned, Kiska designed, Taiwanese powered and assembled Lambretta. Crazy, sure, but a fantastic little machine and perfect for Aussie cities. And it easily fits six cold beers under the seat!

KISKA designed, the V200 is a stunner.

This version has all the styling of the original models with the luxury of modern power, brakes, suspension, electrics and finish and it still turns heads everywhere, just like a restored original does...Under the bodywork is a steel frame with a single shock rear end, telescopic front forks and a single-cylinder, 169cc air-cooled fuel injected engine driving the 12in rear wheel via a silky smooth CVT drive.

Solid front guard on our test unit.

The brakes are generous, with a 226mm rotor and twin-piston caliper up the front and a 220mm rotor at the rear. The front wheel is 12in and the brakes are ABS equipped. The tyres are good quality Pirelli Angel Scooter hoops, a 110 at the front and a 120 at the rear.

Pirelli Angel Scooter tyres are good quality.

12in rear wheel, rear disc and CVT drive.

The V200 Special features LED lighting - the headlight, taillight, and indicators. The fuel consumption is claimed to be 2.9L/100km and the machine is Euro4 compliant. It's available with either a Flex guard or a Fixed front guard (my test bike was a Fixed guard version).

Some glovebox storage and a USB charge point.

12in wheel, disc front brake, ABS

It also has neat features like a glovebox that takes a few items like a phone and wallet, has a USB charge point and a hidden kill switch inside. Underseat storage is ample and there is a heap of pillion room...

Plenty of room under the seat for a helmet or groceries, etc.

Riding around on the V200 Special is a joy. It's zippy for a 169cc four-stroke single, will easily get you that gap to the cars through suburbia. The happy place is the 10km/h to 70km/h range where the CVT works wonders. A well set up CVT is an amazing thing...

Basic and hard-to-read LCD display but it is stylish.

Top speed is claimed to be 100km/h, but I could not get past 95km/h. I'm 100kg in gear, though. The V200 will easily scoot along at 80-90km/h all day.

A fun little classic looking scooter to cruise around on.

There are slight vibes in the 60km/h range, but they are not annoying or intrusive. Aside from that the Lambretta is silky smooth. The mirrors don't vibrate but they are a bit low and at 187cm tall, I had to hunch down to get a look in them.

Jeff is 187cm and fitted on the scooter no problems.

Around the tight traffic and back roads, the V200 is a fun and nimble machine. On the faster open roads, the platform remains stable but the 12in wheels don't like the bigger bumps. Ideally, I'd stick to smoother roads at speeds over 60-70km/h.

Simple switch gear on the left.

Twist and go, decent acceleration off the lights.

The thickly padded, super-wide seat offers great bump absorption and makes the ride comfy. It is a tad wide, meaning riders with shorter legs may need to move forward into the footwell to stand up with two feet on the ground.

The 169cc CVT drive Euro4 four-stroke engine is economical, zippy and smooth.

Decent room for the footwell, side-stand and centre-strand.

The switchgear is basic, fuss free and easy to use. I didn't ride at night, but the lights are certainly up to spec. The dash is a multifunction LCD unit that to be honest I found hard to read, particularly in direct sunlight when it is near impossible.

Classic 1960s bodywork shape, like the old steel ones.

Huge, comfortable seat.

Overall, a cool little scooter that I rode around Newcastle City for four hours and I really enjoyed the experience. In my eyes, it's a Lambretta and it's still cool.