A FRUGAL GILERA

I WAS congratulating myself on the terrific fuel economy the Gilera was achieving, due to some clever slip-streaming on my part, when a pair of kamikaze pukekoes (神風 porphyrio porphyrio melanotus) intervened. I knew they were kamikaze by the Rising Sun flags on their backs, which made them stand out from the other Rugby World Cup clothing they were wearing. Evidently, so did the driver of the fat sav (or is it SUV?) I was shadowing. His brake lights came on at the same instant he swerved right. Fortunately we were in the left-hand lane of a new stretch of motorway so I was not left picking my way through flaming carnage.

Before the feathered kamikaze stepped off the green sward, the digital read-out on the Gilera’s instrument panel was showing 49.9 km/l. And the speedo was registering 120. Allowing for a bit of optimism in Italian electronic programming, the speed would have been closer to 110. But still, almost 50 km/l (2 l/100 km, or 141 mpg) is an extremely frugal use of fossil fuel.

Alternatively, it may also serve to illustrate that fat savs have an extremely poor coefficient of drag.

Running free (no slip-streaming) at the same indicated speed, the Gilera regularly shows 25 to 30 km/l on its digital fuel use read-out. The variation is due to changes from flat to slightly inclined road, and the effect of head winds.

THE NEXUS THAT’S A GILERA

So what is this two-wheeler that carries the proud name that once adorned the flanks of machines raced by such greats as Nello Pagani, Arciso Artesiani, Umberto Masetti, Carlo Bandirola, Alfredo Milani, Geoff Duke, Reg Armstrong, Pierre Monneret and Libero Liberati?

Its full name is Gilera Nexus 300 ie and if you click here: you can watch ‘Big Dave' putting it through its paces around Auckland.

Yes, it’s a scooter and like most of the modern breed, it has a continuously variable transmission (CVT) mated to a centrifugal clutch. So it’s a ‘twist-and-go’ machine and unlike a motorcycle, the left-hand handlebar lever operates the rear brake (not the clutch). The one on the right is still for the front brake however.

Up until comparatively recently, it has been a given that a car with a manually-operated transmission would be more economical in its fuel use than an automatic using the same power plant. However, the transmission builders have come a long way since the days of the two-speed ‘slushmatics’ fitted behind early American V8s and I understand that in quite a few cases, the modern autos are returning as good, and sometimes better, fuel economy than manuals, particularly with some of the turbo-diesels.

BETTER THAN BIKES…

Well, it turns out the same is true of these new twist-and-go scooters, the Gilera Nexus 300 ie achieving better fuel economy than either the Hyosung GT250 or Kawasaki’s 250 Ninja – but not quite as good as the new Honda CBR250R.

We don’t ride for fuel economy when we test smaller motorcycles. We tend to give them a decent thrashing. So it was with some surprise we discovered that after 365 km (the last 20 with the fuel light on), the Gilera only took 13.34 litres to fill. And I mean FILL – the fuel was right up to the bottom of the cap.

That’s an average of 3.65 l/100 km (or 27.36 km/litre). The Hyosung 250 V-twins we’ve tested range between 23-25 km/litre while the 250 Ninja returned 24-25 km/litre. The single cylinder Honda CBR250R achieved 30 km/litre.

So that puts the ‘automatic’ Gilera ahead of the Hyosung and Kawasaki twins but behind the Honda. Curiously, although the 278cc single cylinder engine and transmission is the same as that fitted to the Vespa GTS300ie Super, the heavier Gilera bettered the Vespa’s 26.6 km/litre in identical riding conditions.

Our assumption is that this must be due to the Gilera’s superior aerodynamic profile.

COMMUTING CAN BE FUN

As Big Dave has pointed out, the Gilera Nexus 300 ie is an extremely capable commuter that can also do a bit of country work without complaint. It is long for a scooter – my wife, rather uncharitably, calls it a ‘mutant scooter’ – but the ride is pretty good and the underseat storage is excellent.

If you have never ridden a modern scooter and you want something that’s easy to park, cheap to run and yet can make getting through traffic fun, then try one. David Cohen rides a lot of big bikes, but he’d sooner commute on a ‘twist and go’. Ross MacKay has expressed similar sentiments and I can tell you that getting off one of these ‘auto’s, a six-speed manual on a 250 twin feels a bit of a chore, particularly in commuting riding.

Another thing with these new scooters, they stop on a dime without nose-dive. They squat flat when you nail the front and rear brakes together and unlike a motorcycle, you use LOTS of rear brake on these things without drama. OK, you can do ‘screechies’ in the driveway to announce your arrival home simply by giving the left-hand lever a decent squeeze, but that’s deliberately trying to lock-up the rear. In normal use, you won’t do that.

So how much will the Gilera set you back? The recommended retail of the new, 2011 model, is $8500 which is pretty good for such a frugal commuter. Check it out at: http://www.motomail.co.nz/estore/style/giscnexus300.aspx

Or you could look around for a second-hand one in good condition. There’s one at Colemans Suzuki for $6450 – view it at:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/scooters/auction-406892075.htm

- REVSdaile

Marco Simoncelli giving the Gilera a decent work-out...