There was no drop in performance that I could notice, just a slightly raspier note upon harder acceleration that I (sadly) found rather nice, but the car is absolutely not a nuisance for other road users, and there is no change to the comfort of touring. And if those gains aren’t enough, S&S have also created a washable hi-flow air filter, which increases air flow to the injectors by 12%. And if you want even more, there’s a cover eliminator that boosts airflow by almost double. For a second opinion beyond the conclusions we’ve drawn, we asked John Balcombe of JB Tuning, which as a long time scooter mechanic, tuner and racer is a pretty experienced one.

Elsewhere, the front driveshafts have been beefed up and there’s a Quaife torque-biasing differential to replace Ford’s open differential. Interestingly, the rear axle, which in the standard Focus RS is never asked to cope with more than 240bhp of the engine’s 345bhp total, has been left untouched. The result is an engine that builds power earlier in the rev range and holds it all the way to the redline. If you really know what you’re doing, you can even adjust the timing to suit how you want the bike to feel.Secondly, an area we have not commented on was the finish of the exhaust pipes because firstly some were supplied in prototype form, and secondly there was no time to ‘carefully run in’ some pipes as manufacturers suggest to keep the ‘coating’ intact. THIS SYSTEM IS NOT TUV APPROVED OR E-MARKED. As this system has no catalytic converter, it cannot be marked TUV approved. Silencers are laser marked EU noise legal only. To keep your engine even happier, S&S can also supply a Power Commander kit to make the most of all this new found oxygen. Inside the engine S&S have developed their own high performance camshaft, which increases valve lift while also keeping them open for longer (duration). Availability: Production will begin when we return their prototype! Cambridge Lambretta 01223 516662 or www.lambretta.co.uk

But if you want the absolute ultimate from your 650 then why keep it a 650 at all? Why not fit S&S’s 750cc or even 865cc big bore kit? Naturally you’ll want to pair one of those with the race clutch kit if you want to have any hope of sending that power to the ground. If you want more still from your 650 S&S have also created a pair of hi-compression pistons that boost the compression from 9.5:1 to a whopping 11:1. If they are unable to make delivery, a calling card will be left to inform you of the attempt. Couriers will generally make two attempts of delivery; after this time it will be your responsibility to collect the parcel from the local delivery depot near you. The engine moves around quite bit (quite normal!), so I would be careful about trying the restrain the front end of the system too much. The manifold is quite capable of supporting the front half of the system, without needing any additional mounts.Dean at JB was also trying to think of an excuse to justify taking the B-Race home to put on his Lambretta but apart from the fact we needed it for the next part of our test, my missus has had her eye on one for her TS1 for months now! Availability: Any time now from Scooter Surgery (0208 748 0882 or www.scootersurgery.co.uk), just waiting for the manifolds. So I asked John, if money was no object and the design of the exhausts incidental, what would be his top four for performance. he replied: “B-Race, then CL Race, then AF Clubman and then the Saigon Fresco copy.” Completely bypasses Triumph’s CAT, de-restricting airflow from the engine and releasing a deeper sound. Forty years at the forefront of automotive exhaust manufacture and ISO9001 quality assurance guarantees your piece of mind.• Mild or stainless steel construction