Lambretta Due50 Scooter Review

by Eric Ryan
(Kansas City, MO, USA)

My Lambretta Due50 Scooter

The modern Lambretta Due50 scooter is one of those scooters you'll either love the look of or hate. While it's labeled a Lambretta, the new Lambrettas are actually rebadged ADLY scooters imported by a company in Washington and with upgrades (such as Michelin Pilot tires, better paint, and supposedly some upgraded internal parts... but darned if I know which ones).

In my case, the Due50 is an upgraded ADLY Panther 50. I paid $2,200 total out the door and that included a derestriction/performance package from Lambretta.

However, while ADLY is newer to US shores, they have made scooters for companies in Australia and sold as ADLY Moto in Europe for years, and have been making scooters in Taiwan since 1978.

I purchased my Due50 the first week of July, have put 600km on it to date (it's October now), and it has not had a single problem. The scooter is well built, sips oil (it's a CARB compliant 2 stroke), gets about 75 mpg, and can hit 46 mph on flat ground with me on it (I weigh 170 lbs) and can hit 42 mph with me and my 10 year old son riding double (we hit about 270lbs together, and the scooter is rated to carry 285 lbs).

The scooter has a front disc brake, rear drum, and brakes very well... especially compared to my former 2 scooters (Honda Aero 50 and a 50cc Vespa) which both had dual drum brakes.

My only complaints are that the underseat storage won't hold a full face helmet (a half will fit for sure and a 3/4 may fit depending upon the helmet's width). Also, the front headlight does not have a high beam which some states require (it does have a very good halogen beam - I don't feel the need for the high beam, but in Missouri you also don't need one on a scooter or motorcycle). Finally, the odometer is only in kilometers with the speedometer having kph in large print and mph in small print.

Many vintage Lambretta owners bristle at the thought of this scooter, or the Uno models, being labeled Lambretta, but the company in Washington does own the rights to the name so it's on the up and up.

Personally, I think of it as an ADLY/Lambretta - a modern looking scooter that gets a lot of compliments out on the road, handles great, and is simply fun to ride... I'm very glad I bought it.

Comments for
Lambretta Due50 Scooter Review

Average Rating

Click here to add your own comments

Sep 15, 2011
Rating

Due 50 headlight NEW
by: Joe Nato

Replacement bulb is 12v 35amp H3 Halogen. The bulb comes with its own base and harness. The hex nut in the centre console does NOT have to be undone.

Jul 06, 2011
Rating

another light idea i had a few days ago, NEW
by: Anonymous

remember in the iron man movies, tony stark drove that audi a8 with the led light underneath the main headlights?

i found these wind powered led running lights on ebay that i was planning on sticking onto my scooter and car. there's no wiring cuz it sticks on like a decal. best part is it only costs $7 for a pair. since we probably wash our own scooters (i'm guessing) and don't run it thru the automatic car wash (i'm guessing) we can wash around it.

it won't drain the battery and i'll be more visible when i'm on my scooter, since being noticed is our only 'protection' from cars. lol!

i haven't actually got them in the mail yet, since i just paid for them today. hopefully, it will be the best $7 investment i ever made.

i'll let you know what's up.

if you enter ' wind powered led lights ' into ebay, you'll see about 10 to 15 different styles with about 4 different colors. (do i sound like i sell these?)

i think people are starting to realize that led lights are cheaper to make and buy and last longer, probably brighter and takes less energy to work vs. conventional bulbs and halogens.

cheers,

mike

Jul 05, 2011
Rating

Bulb Lifespan NEW
by: Eric Ryan

I have just shy of 6,000KM on my bike, and I changed my bulb around the 2,500KM point (I can't recall exactly when). You're definitely right that my replacement bulb has outlasted my original. It is a pain to replace...I never thought of the halogen bike light idea.

Jul 05, 2011
Rating

thanks for your help eric, NEW
by: Anonymous

i was afraid you were gonna say that. murphy's law, you know how it goes.

i'm probably gonna buy 2 of those led bicycle headlights and put those on my handle bars.

i think it will be easier for me to put another 3000 kms on my scooter and get my mechanic to service my scooter and replace the halogen bulb at the same time.

i got some dough, but i ain't got skills. i've never been very good with my hands.

1 more question, how much time do you think goes by, when you have to replace the bulbs? every 3 months or closer to every 6 months or 1 year?

i'm pretty sure the next aftermarket bulb i buy in north america will probably last longer than the stock one.

in my scooter's defence, time-wise, the bulb did last 9 months.

i might man up and do it, but i highly doubt it.

cheers,

mike

Jul 02, 2011
Rating

Headlight NEW
by: Eric

Mine went out at about 2,500-3,000 KM (can't recall exactly). You have to take off the entire front panel and the back panel from the front half of the scooter. Those three little screws that we both hoped would remove the light assembly are for the direction of the light - you may need to mess with them when you've replaced the bulb to adjust the beam.

There are 4 screws on front (2 big obvious ones up top, 2 down low by the wheel) and 4 or 5 screws on back (I can't recall if the screw in the center needs to come off...but think it does).

You just have to get the panels apart enough to get your hands in there to remove the bulb...but to get enough space all screws have to be out. It's a pain, but not that bad.

I had to order my bulb from Amazon, but maybe your dealer or another scooter dealer has one on hand (mine was out at the time).

Feel free to ask more questions.

Eric

Jul 02, 2011
Rating

How about a 100cc 2T? NEW
by: Eric

ADLY, the company in Taiwan that makes these scooters, does have a 100cc 2 stroke motor that'll fit right in. If you want a larger engine, I'd go with one of those.

The current motor is not a GY6.

Jul 02, 2011
Rating

1 other custom i was thinking about doing, NEW
by: mike

i was thinking about secretly putting a 100cc to 150cc engine into my lamb scoot.

are our lambretta scootsrunning those gy6 engines that are in every asian scooter?

also, have you ever heard of people putting a scooter engine into a honda cbr125?

that's what i've been thinking about doing since up in canada, we're not allowed to import any motorcycle looking scooters that aren't on an approved list of imports and canada doesn't have any of those 150cc hornet or roma bikes or those can-am and t-rex china clones that you guys have in the states.

cheers,

mike

Jul 02, 2011
Rating

head light bulb's out. NEW
by: mike

went 1300 kms so far and the head light bulb went on it.

i can't complain, it's come in handy since the tranny on my car blew.

have you replaced the light bulb yet?

i tried to change the light bulb and find out which type i need.

the owner's manual doesn't explain how or what i need to do.

i unscrewed the 3 little screws closest to and around the head light, but the housing still won't budge.

do i have to unscrew those 2 really big screws that holds the huge entire front panel in place?

how hard is it to change the bulb? would you do it yourself or get the pro's on it?

how's your scooter been acting lately?

cheers,

mike

May 14, 2011
Rating

Don't believe all dealers NEW
by: Anonymous

Parts are available from Hammerhead in the US and from Lambretta International in the US...most dealers simply are not willing to work on bikes who they are not dealers for. MRP also sells ADLY parts and several overseas operations do to. I had my brake pads replaced,and my Lambretta dealer was able to get them from Lambretta USA. In addition, the parts all come from Taiwan not mainlad China. ADLY machines their parts, and if genuine you see Taiwan stamped on them...so the parts come from teh same place TGB, Genuine Scooters and most SYM and KYMCO parts come from.

I've had to replace brake pads every 3,000 miles...which is too soon. I've heard from others that they think the brakes are not robust enough for the top speed of the scooter (40-45 mph). I ride it hard, so that shortens brake life.

Eric

May 14, 2011
Rating

hey eric, finally figured out what happened to my panther, NEW
by: mike from last post.

asked the top 5 most reputable scooter repair shops all over vancouver, canada and none of them were willing to even take a look at my lambretta scooter cuz they all said they couldn't get parts from the lambretta distributor.

in a nut shell, any lambretta part needed to fix a broken lambretta scooter is still in china. that means that once a lambretta scooter is busted, then it will become an awesome paperweight.

i finally found a scooter shop in the dodgy side of town willing to see whatsup.

it took me $700 between 2 repair shops, but i finally found out that the transfer circuit of the carb. was either not connected or faulty.

it runs fine now.

just had another question about roughly after how many miles will i go before i need to change the brakes and what other maintenance stuff will i need to do? so far i've gone 300 miles.

are the brakes i need be available locally?

cheers,

mike

Nov 10, 2010
Rating

First service and 2.5 year update since bought NEW
by: Eric

Since a scooter has a CVT, it doesn't really have gears. I don't know if it's just the belt stretching out or what, but there are definite points that I consider powerbands when the acceleration is better.

I had the same experience with all my old 2 stroke scooters (Honda Aero 50 and an old 50cc Vespa). I think it's just the nature of a 2 stroke motor.

I had my first service done around 500km (air filter cleaned, new spark, dealer tightened every screw up, etc... I had the tranny oil changed at 1,000km (longer than the manual said, but based upon my dealer's recommendation).

I'm up to 5,500+ miles right now, and the engine still runs strong. I probably need to get it de-coked, but I still hit 47 mph on long straight stretches and this despite me putting on 10 pounds over the past 2 years.

No real issues... had the front pad replaced on the brake a year ago, and seems like it'll need it again within the next 1,000 - 2,000 miles or so. That's replacement at around 3,000 to 3,500 miles per pad which seems high to me, but I'm used to riding scooters with dual drum brakes so it could be normal.

Eric

Nov 10, 2010
Rating

I also have a black due 50 NEW
by: Mike

When did you get your first service?

After 200 kms. I started to have a strange pause between 1st and 2nd gear.

Does this sound familiar?

Just wondering if you know what this is?

Thanks,

Mike

Aug 15, 2009
Rating

1 year, 1 month update NEW
by: Eric Ryan

I thought I'd provide a one year, one month update. I'm over 2000 miles now. I'm a 4 season rider. The engine is still perfect. I did get a little rust on the muffler from not rinsing off salt during the winter, but I brushed it off and painted it and it's not noticeable.

This is one great scooter - I've hit 47 mph on a long straight away, routinely cruise at 40-42mph solo (up to 40 2 up with my son), and the speeds are verified by a police radar station.

I have not modified the scooter in any way, but I do think the dealer de-restricted it. Obviously, I'm still happy I bought it, and expect to ride it for years to come.

Aug 15, 2009
Rating

Lambretta Due NEW
by: Anonymous

THANKS!!!!!

Oct 20, 2008
Rating

You Learn Something New Every Day... NEW
by: Kathi

This was an interesting review... I hadn't realized the ADLY/Lambretta connection, but I know Lambrettas are considered to be high quality. Nice to learn about your experience. Sounds as though they're well worth considering.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Reviews - Other Scooter Brands

When you're done here, you may also be interested in reading some of these popular pages:

If you like to talk scooters, check out our motor scooter forums!

A battery tender like the Battery Tender Jr. can make all the difference in whether your scooter will start right up each spring, after being stored for months.

Just about every scooter owner needs to have a battery tender, sometimes called a trickle charger. Unless you are lucky enough to live in a climate where you can ride all year long, chances are your scooter will be put on ice, figuratively-speaking, for at least a couple months every winter.

One of the key steps in winterizing a scooter is to protect your battery from draining during its "rest" period. This can – and will – happen if you leave your battery sitting untended in your cold scooter over the winter, even if it's in a garage or shed.

Read our review or go right to Amazon.com to buy this highly recommended Battery Tender Jr NOW...

Go to Motor Scooters Guide home page

Search This Site:

Subscribe To This Site

Advertise on this Site
Advertising Disclosure

Attention!

I'm Back!

Yes, I have been noticeably absent from the site the past few months. I recently lost my mother to a long battle with COPD and was subsequently plagued with a bunch of minor health problems. But I'm better now & back full swing.

I had to delete over a hundred questions that had been submitted, some because they were too old for answers to still be valuable and many because they were written in text speak, which I don't accept on the site. PLEASE... use proper capitalization & punctuation, so I can publish your question/review, etc. without editing. Thanks! :)

Wondering why your scooter question never got posted?

Chances are, there is a good reason. Did you...

If you "checked yes" on any of the points above, then I've deleted your post. Sorry, but I have standards. Feel free to re-submit, following the instructions I have everywhere on the site.

Also... all submissions have to be reviewed by me, and that can take a few days sometimes. Comments go live without approval, but still take 30 to 60 minutes to show up, so don't repost them, please.

This Week's Highlights

Your Help Needed!

We have lots of unanswered questions... can you help? Also, check out our newest eScooter Club members We are growing every week!

Keep Up to Date

Help Us Grow

Review your scoot!

Ask/answer a question

Share your adventure!

Support This Site

I support this site by using affiliate marketing and running Google ads. I earn a small commission when you purchase items here, which helps to keep the site afloat. Thank you for your support.

Please, help this site continue running by donating $5.00

Click to buy parts for scooters made in Asia and China

Browse the gorgeous scooter jackets at GoGo Gear!

Turn your hobby into $$$

-->

Subscribe To This Site

Lambretta Due50 Scooter Review