Runner/Dragster
Exhaust Test

When Piaggio designed the 180cc two stroke engine for the Gilera Runner also used in the Italjet Dragster 180 - they built one of the most powerful standard two-stroke scooter engines ever. As such it was bound to be well recieved by the traditionally speed-obsessed British scooter market. Typically with those who buy something fast, they only want to make it faster still. The traditional first step has always been to fit a performance exhaust.

STD versus GALASETTI

Availability: Suplied by Taffspeed
Price: Offers over £100

STD versus ZIRRI

Availability: Suplied by Solely Scooters
Price: Approx £200

Galasetti´s 175 pipe (there is a separate 125cc version) was the
first we tried after the standard exhaust because it fits directly
onto the standard downpipe. The company also supply an
optional big bore downpipe of their own.
The chamber itself looks fat´ and comes with a
carbon muffler. The construction is very
light but doesn´t seem particularly rugged.
The Galasetti ´ s performance on the
Runner 180 is frankly apalling´ with
their effort knocking very nearly 3 hp
off the rear wheel output´ over almost
the whole graph. At 24 mph´ power
is down by over 4 hp. Given these
figures there is nothing at all to
reccomend this exhaust for except
perhaps as a weapon. You may
save quite a few kilos compared
to the lardy standard box´ and
your new pipe may look and
sound more sporty´ but is sim
ply doesn´t work. At approxi
mately £175 retail in the UK
it isn´t even that cheap. The
same performance can be
obtained without the cost by
riding round with your rear
brake partially applied.

Italian manufacturer Zirri´s attempt at a
Runner 180 exhaust is a two-piece affair with a
fat chamber that slips over a parralel tubed
downpipe. This makes it hard to fit since
access to both nuts on the cylinder is now
restricted´ rather than just the right hand one
being awkward to get to. It is supposed to
attach to the casings via two threaded rubber
bobbins´ but thest didn´t line up very well.
In use´ the Zirri pipe is just as hopeless as the
Galasetti. Des pite peaking 0.5 horsepower
higher´ the Zirri does S0 at higher engine rpm´
indicated by the fact that peak power is only
attained at high road speeds once the variator
has finished adjusting´ and the engine begins to
to over-rev. Through the rest of the graph´
the output is 4 hp down for much of the
time. Output could be improved by
adjusting the transmission with lighter
variator rollers to get the engine work
ing at higher rpm. Even if you did so´
the output would be so far below stan-
dard that it frankly isn´t worth bother
ing with.
Galasetti's 175
pipe: Short, fat and
useless. 		Zirri´s 180 exhaust may
work on tuned engines´
but not on standard ones.