Scooter Review

Derbi GP1 50 Review

Turn your neighbourhood into your personal TT course with Derbi’s feisty little GP1 50.

Words by PETE CALLAGHAN, photography by LOU MARTIN

Derbi’s GP1 Racing 50 looks fast before you even start the engine. Sharper than a matador’s banderillas, the Spanish-built GP1 is a funkedup cross between a scooter and a motorcycle that offers most of the advantages of both types of machine. The GP1’s motorcycle DNA is clearly evident. A stout aluminium beam frame holds the liquidcooled 50cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine amidships, and not at the back like a traditional scooter. Out there instead, an aluminium swingarm holds a single spring-damper and the 14-inch rear wheel, which gets its drive from the twist and go motor via an exposed chain.

Using this chassis design keeps the weight of the motor low and centralised between the wheels, which is supposed to give the GP1 agile, sporty handling and a stable ride. It works too, because this is one nimble scooter. It may only be a 50, but I had a ball chucking the GP1 around during the test, feeling it flick effortlessly from side to side around traffic islands and leaving my braking as late as possible into bends before slinging it toward the apex like a Grand Prix racer on the last lap. The GP1 was so much fun that I tended to forget about the lack of power from the two-stroke engine. That said, it’s actually pretty perky for a 50cc mill. Acceleration is very good and the speed with which the GP1 gets up and boogies from the lights surprised several car drivers – and myself.

The 50km/h mark arrives swiftly when you honk the throttle and although big hills can dent the motor’s performance, it recovers quickly enough.
Unfortunately, the motorcycle-style chain contributes to a fair amount of lag in the drivetrain, and the GP1 would probably be even quicker off the mark with a more direct scooter-style drive system. As it is, you have to wait for the pulleys in the motor to hook up and then for the chain to tension before the GP1 starts to move. I experimented with holding the front or rear brake on and gently increasing revs until the drivetrain hooked up, then releasing the brake for a faster start, but I’m not sure if the clutch would appreciate this kind of regular abuse.

No dinky little runabout, the GP1 is a bigboned machine and that makes it a respectable ride for humans built the same way. Seat height is 835mm and long legs fit reasonably comfortably on the pared-back footboards and behind the bodywork’s angular panels. One thing I liked a lot was that the GP1 didn’t have the soft, slushy feel of many 50cc scooters.

The Derbi’s suspension – inverted front forks complement the rear shock with its flashy white-coated spring – is taut and responsive like a sportsbike, but didn’t feel excessively firm, while the 14-inch wheels help by smoothing out bumps that smaller hoops would struggle with.

In keeping with the Derbi’s racer-boy styling, the front brake’s drilled and slotted disc is grabbed by a radially-mounted two-piston caliper plumbed with braided stainless steel line. It hauls the GP1 up pretty smartly, which is good because the singlepiston rear brake doesn’t have as much weight over it as a on a traditional scooter, so it’s not quite as effective.

Despite the heavy motorcycle influence, the GP1 has some scooter practicality. The design of the chassis means storage space is limited to an underseat bin, which comfortably held my open-face helmet. The pillion seat is small, but pretty decent, according to Number Two Son, and there’s a small grab-ring (it’s not really big enough to be called a grab-rail) at the back of the seat.

The GP1 has a sidestand only due to the design of the exhaust, and it’s tucked away next to the muffler outlet which makes it nearly impossible to reach unless you are standing next to the scooter. I didn’t bother keeping fuel figures for the GP1... It’s a 50, it’s two-stroke, it runs on the smell of an oily rag. The fuel gauge hardly moved even though I racked up plenty of seat time during the test.

Actually, I found myself looking for excuses to take the Derbi GP1 50 anywhere while it was in my care, and that probably says it all. It’s fast, it’s fun and it handles freakin’ well. ‘Nuff said.

As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 9/04/2009
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