To Run or Drag…..that is the question?

Autos plastic s*** I hear you shout but wait these two scooters I’m going to tell you about are not your average 50cc teenage run-around or the big armchair touring scooters they are the biggest baddest and maddest scooters out today, they are the modern classic’s.
With a fresh new spirit on the streets today the Gilera Runner and the Italjet Dragster are the new breed. Many purists will dismiss them saying they are not real scooters and have no soul or longevity but they are here to stay and we see many more of them at the rallies these days. I don’t want to go down the road of which is better the Dragster or the Runner as they both have there good and bad side on which I will go into more depth in a moment. In today’s society we need good fun and safe transport and getting away from the 4 wheels is a must. In keeping with the ever rising scooter scene you wont get better than these two bikes in the new world of scooters.

First up is the Gilera Runner 125, 180, Malossi 172


As most autos go they are plastic but that should not be looked down on as the Runner has taken the scooter world by storm with many Vespa and Lambretta riders have ridden and loved them. They are fast and a tuned 172cc Runner will exceed speeds of 90mph with a 0-60 in about 6 seconds now that’s not bad for something that weighs less than 100kilos. The tuning possibilities to these autos are endless and with a snazzy paint job and a bit of individual styling they look fantastic. Many aftermarket parts are made for this scooter i.e. Malossi, Polini, Scorpion are just for starters on the engine side and on the styling you can get all sorts of carbon and polished kit for them ranging from huggers, screens, lights, machined foot plates and rad grills, polished engine casings and the list goes on so you can still make it a very individual machine just as with the classic scooters. On the road it performs great, on bends this scooter just eats them up and straight-line speed is also good. The pick up on a tuned Runner is not for the faint hearted as it twitches and reminds you who’s boss, certainly a beast that needs taming but just when you think you’re the boss it somehow throws something else at you. The only down points I can think of on the Runner is its very light at the front and will lift up if you’re a bit to heavy on the throttle so its best to be a fat git and lean forward. The other problem is due to the new emissions law there are no more 2T’s made any more they are all 4T which is very sad. Everything about this scooter oozes character with its aggressive styling acceleration and massive following, id like to think that if they are cared for they will still be with us in a good few years to come not unlike the original classic scooters.

Next up is the unmistakable Italjet Dragster 125, 180, Malossi 172


This by far the most radical looking scooter ever made, it looks aggressive fast and very unique. The design is what you would say was a love or hate style but this scooter stops traffic with its looks more than a super model starkers eating a pot noodle on a park bench (curry flavour)? It sports the same engine as the Gilera (Piaggio) Runner and runs just as sweet. As with the Runner the Dragster’s tuning is unlimited and all the usual carbon styling can be utilised to the full on this fantastic machine. On the road its pure fun all the way if you have time to look around just clock peoples faces as you give them a fly-by at 80mph or just cruising through town. Straight line speed is a blast and pick up is great but tends to be a bit stiff on cornering due to its trellis frame but this is not a problem as all you do is just close your eyes (zoikes). For some reason the Dragster gives a much more fluid ride than the Runner due to its heavier front end and you feel a bit more in touch with what’s going on. It has its critics due to its somewhat reliability as well as the electrics can be a bit poor and doesn’t deal well with our north European climate unlike Italy, also Italjet have now folded making spares a little on the sparse side but it’s the character of the machine if any modern scooter had soul this baby does. Dragster pilots are a different breed a bit like the Lambretta riders, we put up with the slight reliability problems, we pick our self’s up if something breaks or break down miles from home, we chat endlessly about our machines and are proud owners and will always offer help to fellow Dragster pilots, Dragster owners are.....…….. a little crazy but helpful friendly tough breed.
So what do we have?

Well much more can be said on these two scooter’s as this was just an insight on today’s modern autos. As we’ve touched on earlier autos are not everyone’s cup of tea but love them or loath them these two are great machines and look the part at any of today’s rallies and well be seeing more and more as time moves on. I think we need to move on from the auto V geared bikes as we are all scooter riders and I believe it is strength in numbers so lets enjoy the machines we’ve got ………………………….Respect for everyone on 2 wheels………………………….Ride safe and keep it on the black stuff.


Sponsored by Sausage rolls and Local ale the official sponsor to www.fightingdog.net  The Isle of wight’s only Runner and Dragster website.

“Remember you can make a dog bark but you can’t make a sausage roll.”

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