This is just a short post to beat Bryan and the new cub report, Matt, to the punch.
It appears that rumors are true (but are secrets really lies?). LML has shoehorned an automatic into a PK body. They are showing it off at the big bike show EICMA, in Italy. I noticed the photo posted in Scooter Mercato‘s facebook feed. Thanks, Dave.
Discuss. (Likely more analysis to follow.)
I couldn’t really tell what was going on because I was blinded by the paint colors of all their bikes, geeze… Does this make my Pluri more less valuable?
Less. Now I’ll trade you a bag of magic beans for it.
Color-matched whitewalls are all the rage.
I posted about this 6 months ago with photos of bodies being pressed and new motor casting…
Can you point us to this? There had been rumors and vague photos in the past, but given that the PK frames had been continually produced in recent years, I didn’t know of any definitive evidence that the final product was going to be something like this.
LML’s calling it the “Star Light.” Here’s a view of the side, even though it says “Star Deluxe” on it: http://www.omnimoto.it/mwpImages/photogallery/2011/4442/photos650/lml-a-eicma-2011_22.jpg
Spare on the right!
In 2008 my cousin was visiting India to get some Source contacts for parts and visited LML and many of the machines had just been set up to press these bodies.
Last year another steel company had got the press blocks for primavera bodys from a group in Japan that made them untils the early 90’s , the same guys that pressed some of the stainless steel Primavera bodies..
The Motor has had so many different prototypes made I have stopped the count. I think that was because it had so many companys working on it…
more info to come I talked to my friends on Skype and they got a load of info I guess they are getting more tomorrow,
Word is some Piaggio Reps were all over looking at them and were in Shock…
The spare on the right is most interesting as it highlights the odd adapted large frame-style exhaust that drops down below the engine.
I had read the rumor about the old style bodies on the UK smallframes board, but that doesn’t add up to this. And this PK shell even looks like a tight and cramped fit for a modern auto. I think you’d have to work with a vertical cylinder engine the size similar to the smallest Honda 50cc 2T engines (Spree, Elite, Aero) to make it work with an old style body. That or have MotoMorini make a super svelt engine for you like they did for the Velocifero. And that still was bloated in terms of width, but it made the length proportions acceptable.
Two thumbs WAYYY up, and I’ll take it in pink.
It’s amazing to think that the 50 special was available in Japan, SIL Lambrettas were being mass-produced, and old-school Chetaks were still being sold worldwide just 15 years ago when I got into scooters, and even with the dearth of scooters available in the U.S., no one was able to funnel any of that into the U.S. market (aside from grey-market canadian SILs). Obviously, the Stella was born of that and we’re lucky to have that, but it’s nuts that someone somewhere can’t get a modern engine into a truly vintage metal frame. And despite Brooke and Matty’s feelings, a PK is not vintage enough, ha.
Whatever Bryan – http://2strokebuzz.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=2439