Em Dezembro de 1992, a Scootering Magazine escreveu este artigo assinado pelo conhecido "Sticky". Escuso-me de traduzir para evitar possíveis conflitos de interesse :). Peçam uma ajudinha ao Google se acharem melhor, mas leiam até ao fim.
VESPA GS VS 1
The Vespa GS (Grand Sport) was Piaggio's first real attempt at a
production 'sports' model since previous Vespas weren't exactly endowed
with a reputation for breathtaking speed. This model - the VS 1 - was
the first of the GS range, identifiable by having the cables routed
outside the headset. For its time it represented a great advance in
performance with its larger 10" wheels and hydraulically damped front
forks. Remember the LD was its main Italian competitor.
This particular machine, TTT 295, originally belonged to scooter shop
proprietor Ken Harris from the Exeter area, then his daughter Jean
Harris. Period photos show Jean riding it in the "scooter-girl"
competition at the Isle of Man Rally in 1958, it being used in a rally
in France and also as a promotional aid for a film called "The Heat of
Summer" in the Odeon cinema Exeter on St. Valentines Day 1960 on behalf
of the South Devon Vespa Club, so no one can say the little Vespa didn't
get its fair share of use. The original colour of the GS was silver,
but it has been wearing this coat of pale blue, the two-tone seat and
the red and chrome hubcaps since 1958.
1957 HEINKEL TOURIST 175
Heinkel, like Piaggio, was another firm originally famous for aircraft
manufacture during W.W.II when Heinkel HE bombers helped in the
decimation of Coventry which, in retrospect, doesn't seem like such a
bad thing. The Heinkel, like many other German scooters, was a heavy
but
stable, good quality piece of automotive engineering. The model I rode
had a 9 h.p. two-valve pushrod four stroke engine as a powerplant,
rubber mounted into a tubular steel frame with rare (at least for
scooters) telescopic forks at the front. The main market for Heinkel
scooters was Holland and Belgium and the Dutch Heinkel Club still
flourishes. By the early 60's Heinkel Tourist sales were falling, a
phenomenon the factory blamed on cheap secondhand car prices and the
weather! First launched in 1953 as a 150, the Tourist became a 175 in
'54 with only minor differences to the test model, such as a headset
instead of handlebars.
ON THE ROAD
Both machines started more easily the I expected considering they are
stored in cold dampish conditions. The GS required only about three
kicks but the Heinkel needed bumping since the batteries were flat
(2x6volt in series for a 12volt system). The Heinkel soon settled to an
even but slightly loud tickover as we manhandled it off the stand
again. It's heavy weight makes it unwieldy at low speeds but once on
the move it has excellent balance with the engine mounted forward under
the rider and a chain in an enclosed oil bath running to the back wheel.
Gears on the Heinkel are the same as on any modern Vespa or Lambretta
but I must confess to having great problems correctly selecting the
gears, especially second. This, I was later to find out, is the only
major design fault of the heinkel since the ratchet that selects the
gears is in the headset and not on the engine. This means that the
scooter is very sensitive to gear cable adjustment which must constantly
be checked to prevent missed gear changes. The gears themselves seem
widely spaced but the torquey old 4 stroke pulls from very low revs
making a sort of thudding noise. Acceleration by modern standards is
non-existent but that doesn't seem to matter. The comfort and the
quality of the ride seem to make speed irrelevant and pottering around
in an almost serene casual style is the order of the day. No Vespa or
Lambretta comes close in terms of comfort, the seat is the size of a
surfboard and amply padded.
I said acceleration isn't too hot but that isn't down to lack of power
but due to how much weight it had to pull and eventually it will build
up to 60 mph and happily stay there until you get to a hill.
The handling is really excellent as far as I felt happy leaning it on
damp greasy roads with a pair of prehistoric Fred Flintstone tyres on
it. Leaning takes a bit more input than I am used to, but once over
then an uneven road surface doesn't upset the handling anywhere near as
much as on a Vespa or Lambretta. This is because the whole engine
doesn't have to move when you hit a bump, only the rear wheel and the
swingarm moves, so the suspension reacts much faster. Also the
telescopic forks have much more movement than a Lambretta. This all
adds up to a much more luxuriant ride but without feeling soggy and out
of control.
The Vespa on the other hand handled exactly as I expected; in comparison
to the Heinkel you get really pitched about on a bumpy road, and the
front end dive is terrible - just like on a Rally 200 twenty years
later. Nobody can accuse Vespa of rushing into a re-development
program, eh! The surprising thing about the GS was its performance; its
acceleration was on par with a PX125 and top speed by the speedo was
about 60mph, not bad for an unrestored 1955 scooter. The GS engine's
main difference to modern Vespa engines is that the induction isn't
rotary disc through the cases but piston ported like a Lambretta with a
downdraft carb bolted onto a inlet on the barrel.
The GS frame feels slightly smaller than a P Range but without a
legshield toolbox I could comfortably get my knees in the dry behind the
legshields.
The brakes on the Vespa were ample for stopping such a light scooter but
the front end dive made the rear brake far preferable for slowing down
in anything other than an emergency. The brakes on the Heinkel however,
were nothing to write home about and I'm sure neglect had more than a
little to do with this, but as the manual says, copious engine braking
from the 4-stroke motor goes some way towards making up this shortfall.
The lights on the GS were totally crap, as were those on the Tourist but
in the Heinkel's case this was down to the dead batteries stealing all
the power from the motor and in fully charged condition the 12V system
is supposed to be very bright. Also, think how long it took before
Vespa eventually got electric start.
To pick the best scooter out of the two is not an easy matter. The GS
is probably THE classic Vespa styling-wise, but to ride it is very
similar to all other Vespas. It was very quick in its time but it has
no useful features like a spare wheel and in comparison is lacking in
comfort.
The Heinkel doesn't look anywhere near as bad as most of the British
scooters of the same period. My personal opinion being that it looks
typically Teutonic but is one of the nicest looking non-Italian
scooters. It is full of special features like the electric start and it
has an air of quality of manufacture shown in the alloy footboards. It
just feels solid and well made. Where the tourist is let down is its
sluggish acceleration and poor low speed manoeuverability which would
make it a handful in town - where the GS is nippy and small - but on the
open road the Heinkel is infinitely preferable. For going to rallies
and touring, as the name suggests, the Heinkel is still an excellent
prospect and given a bit more speed, it would be as good to ride to a
rally as any of today's Vespas.
Why the Tourist was never such a big thing in the U.K. I can only
speculate. Maybe it was too expensive. I know the club scene for
Heinkel owners was nowhere near as well developed as it was for Vespa
and Lambretta or even as good as the Owners Club scene in Germany or
Holland, but I think the Heinkel is definitely the more preferable of
the two even if there are only less the ten VS1 GS Vespas known to have
survived in this country.
