LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE GIVE YOU…
Some of you will know my interest (read obsession) for the Zundapp Bella scooter and as an owner of about 20 in various stages of restoration, I claim some reasonable knowledge of the marque. However, I have always hankered after developing a ‘special/hybrid’ based on the Bella, so I guess my interest in this direction was ignited by seeing the ‘racing Bella’ built by my friends in Germany. The scooter was based on a Bella with a Yamaha two-stroke 250cc engine; I think it’s great, but very sadly, it will never be a usable road bike, due to the TUV regulations in Germany, and it has now become a museum piece. I was also inspired by an article in Scootering, where two Lambrettas had been fitted with Yamaha motorcycle engines – both equipped with very aggressive air scoops.
My thoughts were always around trying to transplant a Suzuki GT250 two-stroke twin cylinder engine into a Bella; and as I had previously owned a Suzuki GT250 in the 70s, there seemed a good synergy there. I got as far as procuring an engine and having the crank rebuilt, but due to problems in the engine rebuild, my enthusiasm for a special waned.
THE ENTHUSIASM RESURFACES
A meeting with a new Bella local owner many years ago started me on a new journey. The owner in question had bought a Bella R204, but wanted a more modern engine, and in return for some of the cycle parts for
