insured

The proof is in the pudding –
31.4hp max power
James Maclean –
taking it to the limit
But James is hungry for more. “I’m taking
the fan off now so I should be seeing about
33hp. I’m sending the engine back up to PSN
with a bigger wheel to get it set up again,
’cos running with a 10in wheel I’m losing
gearing at the top end. I’m pushing for 34 to
35hp.” Who dares, wins, as they say.
NO TIME FOR TEARS
James reckons the scooter scene at the
moment is really good, particularly in
London – “Down south it’s all Typhoons and
Gileras… The scene is getting really big in
London, massive. Just look at the Ace
Cafe.” The downside to all this, as James
points out, is the increasing problem of bike
theft – “I’ve heard about people with up to
45 ringers in their garages. It’s not a joke,
it’s big business down here…” One of
James’s worst memories was when his
last Typhoon got nicked – “it had a chrome
Kundo, 25 mil carb, 172 bore and brandnew
panels... It had an alarm immobiliser,
two chains, lock and cover – all fastened
to a pole – and they still got it.”
Back to James’s current Typhoon… It’s
now running at 31.4hp. So what are his
quarter-mile times like? Looking at the
X-Race records for this season, James’s
times appear to be lingering in the mid-tolate
14 second bracket at the moment. A
14.65 second run at 81mph at East Kirkby
is his current best. James – “I wanted to be
the first person on a Typh to beat Mr Paul
Robinson on his Delirium-tuned Dragster...”
So there we were at the start line in the
final round of the Eliminators at East Kirkby,
the adrenaline kicking in to sharpen the
senses during those final few moments of
anticipation waiting for the lights to go
green. And we’re off… I could barely keep
my Dragster on two wheels but I got off to a
reasonable start never mind mono-wheeling
for what seemed like 60ft. There we were,
neck and neck, I whacked open the throttle,
tucked in and hoped for the best. 31.4hp v
33.3hp – would he beat me? 14 seconds
later, it was all over... James – “Aargh! Next
time! Haha!” He put up a good fight though,
one quick Typhoon all right.
PSN dyno room –
Ryan Saxelby at
the controls
Given that a few X-Racers appear to be
getting into circuit racing, and coming up
with some good results (the likes of PSN for
example), I asked James if he’d consider
taking to the circuit? “Nah, I don’t think so,
I’ve just got into X-Racing so I’m quite happy
with this for now. I think there’s a long way
to go yet with this Typhoon, so I’m
concentrating on drag racing for now, but
circuit racing maybe in the future, we’ll
see…” Straightlining it is then and I’m sure
James will keep on going, trying to squeeze
a few more horsepower out of his PSN
Delirium-tuned engine. Taking it to the max,
now that’s how we like it!
VITAL STATS
Top speed: 100mph
Cruising speed: Ha! You try cruising on this!
Power output: 31.4hp with fan (more without!)
Engine: Malossi 172cc cylinder kit, Malossi
crank, 30mm KOSO carb, Ramair filter, Malossi
reed block, Piaggio cases fully ported (PSN
Delirium+ specification)
Transmission: Malossi gear-up kit, Standard
Piaggio 180
variator, standard
clutch, Polini
drive belt
Honda VTR SP2
Castrol race
replica paint job
by Dream Machine
RIDER PROFILE
Owner: James Maclean
Age: 24
Location: London
Occupation: Locksmith
Exhaust: PM Tuning PM59
Suspension: Standard (front), Malossi rs24 (rear)
Braking: Malossi sintered brake pads (front and rear)
Tyres: Michelin S1
Paintwork: Honda VTR SP2 Castrol race replica
paint job by Dream Machine
Other stuff: Polished engine, modified frame so
as PM59 could fit
THANKS TO: Scooter Mania, Andy and Ryan at
PSN for doing my engine – top blokes, Abbi and
all the staff at Abbi’s Scooters and Big Jay
and Slim
NOVEMBER 05 31