We have a lot of riders ask our techs how Vespa manage to get so much power from the new 300 High Performance Engine (HPE). Â We asked Dave our head tech here at Scooter Central to let us know all about the new 300 HPE engine we all love.
The latest Vespa GTS 300 scooters are all fitted with the new HPE engine. The engine is a variant of the original Quasar engine that has been used in many Piaggio scooters, such as Aprilia, Vespa, and Piaggio branded scooters for quite a few years now.
The new HPE version is quite a remarkable step up, as it produces substantially more power and torque than its predecessor. To our surprise the engineers also managed to decrease fuel consumption and exhaust noise, which we all big fans of. In fact, fuel consumption is now 30.3 kilometres to a single litre of fuel, which is very impressive for a 300 class engine.
The HPE 300 engine is 4 stroke, 4 valve and liquid cooled engine with electronic injection. The power reaches a maximum of 17.5 kW (23.8 HP) at 8250 rpm, and maximum torque is 26 Nm at 5250 rpm. This is immediately noticeable when you accelerate away from the lights, or need to increase speed going uphill or even pillioning.
To reach these performance outputs, the engineers in Italy aimed to optimise thermodynamic output and reduce friction and engine noise, while increasing performance and general ride-ability.Â
The single camshaft system with overhead valves has rockers with roller tappets instead of flat tappets, all to the advantage of smoothness, durability and a reduction of mechanical loss.
The camshaft profile adopts valve lifting with more thrust and that is able to reduce the noise generated by the timing.Â
They increased valve lift with provides better filling of the combustion chamber, which translates into greater efficiency. Basically ‘you get more bang for your buck’.Â
The load and dimensions of the valve springs have also been upgraded. The introduction of a high-pressure, multi-jet injector also helps to improve combustion. This is a smart move as better fuel economy also resulted.
They also changed the length of the intake to improve torque delivered at low rpm and make for a smooth ride at any speed.Â
The engine is controlled by a latest-generation Magneti Marelli MIUG4 ECU. With better calculating capacity, it contributes to improving overall engine efficiency.
As a side note, the GTS 300 Vespas also received modifications to the continuously variable transmission (CVT) that further reduced friction and noise.
Servicing is once a year or 10,000kms whichever comes first, once you get passed your first service at 1000kms.Â
As you can tell Im a big fan of the HPE engine. It provides excellent power and if you service it as per schedule, it simply keeps going without hesitation.
If you have a pre 2019 Vespa, you will be running the old 300 engine and I highly recommend having a test ride of the new HPE engine. Give the sales guys a call on 02 9938 5858 to test ride one.
If you’d like similar performance from your pre 2019 Vespa, give ore workshop a call and we can look at doing a performance upgrade to your transmission and clutch. Â Cost is around d $800 and will make your pre 2019 Vespa much more lively.