Large block - Monza (Super) 225 - MB Scooters Tech Site

LARGE BLOCK SUPER MONZA

New for 2012 is the Super Monza from Charlie Edmunds of Performance Tuning and funded and supplied from Italy from the same supplier as the Imola, Monza and Mugello. It’s been a long time coming but I know these things take time and if you rush these things like other products from the same supplier you get shit which constantly needs tweaking in production to get things right.

What do I think?

‘I think it’s good’…….. ‘It’s got ideas I have used in my cylinders’ and ‘Idea’s I have wanted to put into production’

I’ve not run one or ridden one or up to now and not rebuilt one. This one came in from a dealer customer who brought it in to show me!

Ok it’s an all new kit with different ideas to other kits on the market with good and bad points, but I must say if it’s your cup of tea and you can afford one then it could be for you. The kit is aimed at high mid to top end power with 25+bhp and high torque. It’s an alloy kit with a Nicasil plated bore and uses a multi porting layout.

Really there isn’t a production cylinder on the market quiet like it. It uses a new external Reed Manifold, similar to manifolds I once offered for the TS1 cylinder in the 90’s. I’m not to sure about this new external manifold it reshapes the carb and suspect there will be mods required to fit a carb. It has a new shaped exhaust port which requires a new exhaust. It certainly has no standardisation on the exhaust front. The Inlet port is different with a bridge splitting two boost ports and an inlet port in a double “db” shape which by all accounts reduces inlet noise. As with many aftermarket alloy cylinders it uses two transfer ports either side. The exhaust is different, a bit like the RB with two extra sub exhaust ports either side, the same as I did in the 1990’s on my Sprinter 40bhp motor. The clever part of the cylinder is the two lower long cylinder studs are now removed and a new shorter cylinder stud and nut is used, to be honest it’s an idea I have looked at for years and I wasn’t convinced it would work so its my biggest reservation of the whole kit. There’s so little room between casting and nuts and needs a special tool to tighten the nuts and are hard to get to! Umm, I’m not sure the jury is out on this idea. What it does do is allow the auxiliary exhaust ports to be positioned well and work well with the slightly longer exhaust port, this is an excellent way to gain power spread and torque, although the auxiliaries are a little close to the transfer ports so long term a crack may occur, time will tell. At the top of the cylinder it now uses extra head studs giving 8 as per our RT kits but the Super Monza comes with special studs and set in the factory!

The exhaust port is sweeped back the same as the RB and a similar shape but I think it’s a bit longer, it does use only 2 studs to mount the exhaust, personally I would have made it 4, but perhaps its the same gasket as the TS1 and RB saving a little bit on production. Porting spec is similar to a reworked TS1, it’s not over board but is aimed at power rather than plodding around town so the internals do need upgrading to cope. The cowling should need modifying for the exhaust port and inlet port/manifold. Personally I would have gone larger fins to help with cooling, this is designed to use standard cowlings.

I must say the casting is one of the best out there, it’s very well done and like non of the rubbish they have made before. Charlie has done a good job of cleaning all the internal ports getting to places, I wouldn’t have bothered with, he’s set himself up for a lot of work there when a batch comes in. But this is what you are paying for – a hand tweaked well cast, well thought about cylinder kit.

All in all it’s a good kit, it’s well made and at last someone with real know how has put some good ideas into a Lambretta cylinder. It is certainly is not every ones cup of tea. It is not a fit and forget kit, you need mechanical know how to move forward with the kit. As for power well I hear 25 +bhp and I hear 30bhp, you can certainly get this from other kits on the market and I think much cheaper. This kit is not cheap and add a special £600 exhaust then it is only for some people! But if you have the money and the know how to look after it I think you will be pleased running one.

What can be done to it?

Well it’s a never ending story. If a blown one came my way and someone wanted some mods doing I would weld and extend the 2 lower cylinder studs to be easy to fit and make them more reliable, I would make one a Liquid Cooled to get full potential. Porting wise it’s good as you would expect from Charlie, yes there are mods but it comes down to the customer and could he ride it and get a gain.

As and when I see more of these kit’s I’m sure I will be adding to this section.