Italian or Indian

[kennystag]

Hi All,
How can you identify weather a Lambretta engine, 125, 150, ect is a Italian or Indian.
Cheers
Stag

[burnside]

What's the engine number, shouldn't that reveal it's origin?

[Paulnobodyimportant]

Can't find a relevant photo on google, but if you look at the engine mounts on the flywheel side, the Italian ones and I think Spanish ones have a central stiffeners, as shown below, but note that the photo below is for the kick start side. For the Indian engine, they have 3 stiffeners in the middle portion, but only on the flywheel side.
On the kickstart side they have the central one, as the Italian casing.

[kennystag]

What I think is that the early Indian engine casings had the innocent logo on them. What I am trying to find out is how can I tell where the engines where built .

[kennystag]

Hi Paul,
I did not not see your post until I sent my response to burnside.
Stag

[burnside]

What I think is that the early Indian engine casings had the innocent logo on them. What I am trying to find out is how can I tell where the engines where built .

But don't the Indian casings have a S prefix, or is that just the later ones?

[kennystag]

Thanks for the information Paul, but I am not sure what you are saying lol.
Cheers
Stag

[Paulnobodyimportant]

I have an Indian engine with no numbers and an innocenti logo stamped on it. So to help you I will post a picture of this engine tonight, once I get home, unless someone beats me to it.

[kennystag]

Thanks Paul.
Stag

[Paulnobodyimportant]

Hi Kenny, difficult to see on the photo below. But if you look at the lug under the engine mount on the flywheel side, you will see 3 stiffeners (red lines) on this Indian engine. However, on the kickstart side, there is only one stiffner, as shown on my original photo to both Indian and Italian engines. Seemingly, the Indians put in the extra stiffners due to the requirement for a stronger lug to cope with their bad roads.

Hope it makes sense, as just finished a BQ in this damp rain.

[Adam_Winstone]

^... like. Show us the other side, as Paul says, and we'll know for sure.

It looks like a new SIL casing to me.

Adam

[kennystag]

Paul,
Many thanks for taking the time to explain the difference.
Cheers
Kenny

[rossclark]

A lot of Indian casings still have the Innocenti casting.



Indian casings have extra ribs on the flywheel side as has been stated above. The sometimes also have inspection holes in the brake backplate. You'll also often have a number painted on the outside of the casing which should also be on the endplate of it is a new casing. The casting will often be quite rough and show signs of crazing from the mould.



If the engine has a number then SIL ones will often have the S prefix and number will look like a blind beggar with St Vitus Dance stamped it...

[Steve J]

Not strictly true - early Indian engines look pretty much the same as the Italian ones on the flywheel side, with only one stiffener on the engine mount lug. Another clue is that the Indian castings have a rougher surface finish. Maybe due to using Innocenti's old tooling well past its sell-by date?

Hi Kenny, difficult to see on the photo below. But if you look at the lug under the engine mount on the flywheel side, you will see 3 stiffeners (red lines) on this Indian engine. However, on the kickstart side, there is only one stiffner, as shown on my original photo to both Indian and Italian engines. Seemingly, the Indians put in the extra stiffners due to the requirement for a stronger lug to cope with their bad roads.