Italjet Formula

Stylish, fun and promising a decent turn of speed, it is according to the brochure, the only twin cylinder scooter in the world, which I'm sure is a surprise to Yamaha whose T-Max is not only twin cylinder, but displaces an extra 350cc. Anyway the big thing with the Formula is that it's a two stroke, twin as opposed to the T-Max being a four stroke. What's more the Formula could conceivably be labelled a ‘sports' scoot.

What is it?
Weighing in at a featherlight, 100kg. The formula boasts 13.5 kW of power @ 7500rpm and a decent 10Nm of torque from its liquid cooled 113.5cc engine. Front suspension is by hub centre steer torsion bar with a single shock, while at the back there's another single shock with a preload adjustable spring. OK this may not be earth shattering for a motorcycle, but in the world of scoots it all adds up to being pretty high tech stuff. Starting is by electric start, and transmission is of course the ubiquitous ‘twist and go' centrifugal clutch.

What's it go like?
The answer to that is it goes quite nicely. There's plenty of torque (its all relative remember) and the bike can get off the line with a surprising amount of zip. Mid range power is fairly fat making keeping ahead of traffic easy, but by the time the speedo gets up to 110 kph, there's not a left in the cooky jar making freeways achievable but not really the kind of place that this scooter is naturally comfortable in.

Once again the focus for the Formula is around town, and in that environment it'd be brilliant. Steering is naturally light and despite the small eleven-inch front wheel, gives the bike a nicely planted feeling that's missing from the Dragster.

However, there's planted, and there's planted as in stable everywhere. The Formula is admittedly better than the Dragster in the corners, but still exhibits the same ‘hinged in the middle' feeling that is a product of the rubber mounted engine/rear wheel. But, you have to see the bike in the light that the designers saw it, and that's the bright lights of the big city. For the most part, the city roads are pretty smooth, and in concert with the bike being smooth itself, the Formula offers a very pleasing ride.

Are the brakes any good?
If you're mixing it up with the city traffic it's important to have good brakes, as you can be sure that you're going to need them when you least expect. The front disc brake on the Formula is superior to the Dragster but lacks initial bite, which translates as a noticeable delay before the front starts to produce a level of braking that resembles the amount of effort being applied at the lever.

Because the Formula has hub centre steering (HCS) the front of the bike doesn't dip under brakes, which doesn't allow the sensation from the tyre on the surface to reach the rider through the lever. Conventional bikes, which transfer weight onto the front tyre as the weight tips forward, produce a lot more feel from the contact patch of the tyre as it compresses. This sensation is what allows a rider to regulate the amount of braking for the surface and conditions, and avoid locking and skidding.

Fortunately Italjet have given the Formula a decent rear brake, which helps the thing to come to a stop quite quickly but does nothing towards improving confidence.

Will it be cheap to run and will I like it?
One of the reasons people will buy a scooter is to reap the benefits of cheap transport. Priced at $6,133 the Formula is relatively cheap, but probably won't return the kind of fuel economy its single cylinder counterparts will. However it wouldn't be unreasonable to see around 20-25 km/l. or perhaps a bit more if you show some restraint with the throttle.

So will you like it?
Yes, chances are you'll be stoked, it's sexy smart and eff you enn FUN. What else do you need?