What On 23 April 1946

Glove box on newer Vespa PX
On 23 April 1946, at 12 o'clock in the central office for inventions, models and makes of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in Florence, Piaggio e C. S.p.A. took out a patent for a "motorcycle of a rational complexity of organs and elements combined with a frame with mudguards and a casing covering the whole mechanical part".[5]
The basic patented design allowed a series of features to be deployed on the spar-frame which would later allow quick development of new models. The original Vespa featured a rear pillion seat for a passenger, or optionally a storage compartment. The original front protection "shield" was a flat piece of aero metal; later this developed in to a twin skin to allow additional storage behind the front shield, similar to the glove compartment in a car. The fuel cap was located underneath the (hinged) seat, which saved the cost of an additional lock on the fuel cap or need for additional metal work on the smooth skin.
The scooter had rigid rear suspension and small 8-inch (200 mm) wheels that allowed a compact design and plenty of room for the rider's legs. The Vespa's enclosed, horizontally-mounted two-stroke 98 cc engine acted directly on the rear drive wheel through a three-speed transmission. The twistgrip-controlled gear change involved a system of rods. The early engine had no cooling, but fan blades were soon attached to the flywheel (otherwise known as the magneto, which houses the points and generates electricity for the bike and for the engine's spark) to push air over the cylinder's cooling fins. The modern Vespa engine is still cooled this way. The mixture of two-stroke oil in the fuel produced high amounts of smoke, and the engine made a high buzzing sound like a wasp.[citation needed]
The MP6 prototype had large grilles on the front and rear of the rear fender covering the engine. This was done to allow air in to cool the engine, as the prototype did not have fan cooling. A cooling fan similar to that used on the MP5 "Paperino" prototype was included in the design of the production Vespa, and the grilles were removed from the fender.[2]

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Fuel Consumption

While fuel consumption is not usually an issue that greatly concerns tuners who are generally more interested in greater engine output (whether in terms of torque, acceleration, top speed or other aspects of improved performance) rather than fuel economy, it is an issue which nevertheless merits consideration. In this section, we shall consider not only fuel consumption of different set-ups for the different categories of Vespas (Small frames, PX125 & 150, Large Frames, P-Series 200 & other 200 cc engines), but also whether fuel consumption rates can be reduced and if so, by what means. Obviously the infinitesimal variety of set-ups for tuned engines precludes an exhaustive list of fuel consumption rates, but a register of typical consumption rates for certain set-ups may serve as a beneficial guide for tuners and provide them with useful benchmarks.

It may be useful first to recall the fuel consumption rates of stock standard Vespa. See Fuel Consumption

vespalabs

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