“THE RETURN”
ITALJET DRAGSTER 500
PROJECT DRAGSTER 50cc 2014
Since he was ten, Mashi Zamani has been fascinated by the Italjet Dragster. A few years later, he became the owner of one, and now, sixteen years later, he owns five. None of them remain standard, as over the years, they have evolved in Mashi’s hands into what we see on these pages.
Under this name, Leopoldo Tartarini started his own Italian motorcycle factory in 1958. The engines ranged from 98 to 248cc and were primarily 2-stroke engines from the MZ brand. Among the sporty 50cc models, we found Minarelli power sources. In 1966, the name Italemmezeta was replaced by the name we still know today, Italjet. In the seventies, the brand mainly focused on importing and distributing Yamaha motorcycles. This collaboration even led to the creation of a motorcycle, the Italjet Buccaneer 125, which was equipped with a 125cc 2-stroke twin-cylinder engine. It was not only a fun bike for the road but also highly successful in racing, winning the Italian Junior Championship three times in a row. The company, still run by the Tartarini family, faced
tough times in the eighties, but in the nineties, they were fully present in the scooter scene. With models such as the Formula, Velocifero, and this Dragstar, they positioned themselves in the more exclusive scooter class. Prices for these exotic models were well above five thousand guilders at the time. So, for those who found the Malaguti F15, Aprilia SR Replica, and Yamaha Aerox Replica too ‘normal’, there was always an Italjet to buy. These were indeed quite unique appearances. The Formula and the Dragster featured a forkless front suspension. This hub steering was also used at the time on the Yamaha GTS1000 and may have been the inspiration for Tartarini. Unfortunately, they were not as high quality as the example. The scooters often returned to the workshop, and it wasn’t just for a standard service. Cracked fuel tanks, incorrect air filter housings, and other construction flaws gave the exclusive scooter a bad reputation. The classic Velocifero may have also been ahead of its time. Retro wasn’t ‘in’ at all in the nineties. If you rode a Vespa, you were from the alternative scene, so that model wasn’t really a success either. In 1998, Italjet tried again with the Jet Set, a scooter whose styling was very similar to the then just-released Audi TT. It was all to no avail. In 2002, the company went bankrupt. Italjet was revived in 2005 by Leopoldo’s son, Massimo Tartarini, and the company now produces e-bikes, mini-motos, parts, and has had two prototypes of a new Velocifero and Dragster for a few years. Whether these will ever come to market is a big question, but fortunately, we still have enthusiasts who honor the exclusive scooters from the nineties. Mashi Zamani is one of them and went to great lengths to realize his dream.
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PROJECT DRAGSTER 50cc 2014
In March 2000, Mashi’s brother bought an Italjet Dragster 50 from the scooter company where he was working at the time. Sanders Tweewielers from Groesbeek delivered the Italjet, and upon seeing the Dragster, Mashi fell in love instantly. He was only ten years old, but he knew for sure that this scooter, still owned by his brother, would one day be his. As soon as he was allowed to work, he got on his bike to deliver the NRC newspaper. He eagerly took on extra routes because he absolutely wanted to own this remarkable scooter.While the Italjet Formula, despite its front suspension, still had a relatively modest appearance, the Dragster was a true eye-catcher. Its visible tube frame was particularly unique. The only plastic parts, typically characteristic of scooters, were the front shield, footboard, and seat combination. Technically, with its visible front shock absorber andconspicuous rear suspension, it was a truly delightful scooter. That delight became a reality for Mashi at the age of thirteen. The Dragster is an eye-catcher He bought the Dragster for five thousand guilders, and his scooter adventure could almost begin.Of course, he wasn’t allowed to ride the Italjet yet, but he could already start customizing it to his liking. He had to, actually, because his sister had borrowed it and crashed into a wall, causing significant damage to the front. He chose the baby blue metallic color of the then-popular Peugeot 206 GTI. The tuning for his first project was purely paintwork and some minor modifications, which were more or less prompted by his sister’s crash. These small adjustments inspired Mashi, and he saw more than just a unique scooter in his Dragster. With a marker and tape, he marked lines on the already sparse bodywork, but in his eyes, his scooter gained a better look. Because the coolant hoses became visible due
to the modifications, Mashi decided to run them symmetrically along the frame and through the cover under the front suspension. This way, they were visible but did not disrupt the ideal image. Because his first scooter held a special place in his heart, he decided to buy a second one. In 2008, a second one was purchased on German eBay, which had to be an evolved version of his first. Without hesitation, before the pristine VW Golf GTI white was sprayed on the plastic, he cut into the bodywork, giving the Dragster a slightly modified look. Only experts could recognize it because everything had to look factory made. Project two went smoothly, but passion isunstoppable, and soon there was a number three: a completely original red model with only 3,000 kilometers on the clock. It was decided to keep this one almost entirely original. Almost, because despite its condition, this scooter was also given a fresh coat of paint. The saw and file stayed far away from this one, and his creative outbursts had already inspired more people. On commission, Mashi started working on number 4. Also white, but with a pearlescent layer and more piano-black parts. Unfortunately, the client withdrew, and Mashi couldn’t bring himself to sell this scooter. He had put so much work and energy into it that he decided to keep it. Selling was not an option anyway, as this fourth Dragster was again an evolved version of the third in terms of modifications and design. Working with plastic has one downside: if you remove too much, there’s no going back, and since Mashi didn’t have a 3D printer yet, sometimes he created something that wasn’t entirely to his liking. You can guess it, there had to be another Italjet Dragster. But because they aren’t for sale on every corner, Mashi decided to do it differently. Number 1 had to become his perfect Dragster, but there was one drawback: the baby blue plastic couldn’t be destroyed.
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PROJECT DRAGSTER 50cc 2014
Bologna Contact with Italy was quickly established, and the Italians were also enthusiastic about Mashi’s creation. Extensive email communication followed, and in September, Mashi decided to head to Bologna. With an almost perfect Dragster and one of his earlier projects, he drove south. A visit to the Italjet headquarters in Ponte Rizzoli would be the crowning achievement of all his work. Being involved with one type of scooter since he was ten years old and then being received in Italy by the son of the creative mind behind the Dragster—what more could you want? Well, Mashi knows exactly what he wants. He would love to contribute to the styling of a potential new Italjet Dragster. Unfortunately, the prototype introduced in 2011 is still not in showrooms, and it’s uncertain if it will ever be released. The market for sporty scooters is entirely different from what it was in the nineties. Whether or not there will be a new Dragster, it would be wonderful, but Mashi has already made his choice. With a beautiful collection of Dragsters at home and a visit to Italjet, including a photo shoot and a personal meeting with Massimo Tartarini, he has nothing to complain about. However, he does have some wishes because Mashi has plenty of ideas. He would love to restyle the entire bodywork of the Dragster. Not by removing material but by giving it a completely new look, more in line with current trends and equipped with modern LED lighting. Unfortunately, you need a bit more than a marker and tape for that, but Mashi won’t give up. If you’re this passionate about the Dragster and have already achieved so much, the rest will come too.
So it was moved to a safe place, and the bare Italjet was ready for a complete transformation. In previous projects, Mashi only made adjustments to the bodywork, but this time the frame was radically modified. A centrally placed rear shock absorber had to be realized, which was no easy task. It required a lot of thinking and fitting, but the result is impressive. The Dragster now seems balanced. It looks as if it should have rolled out of the factory like this. Mashi knew early on what color it should be. The Lamborghini Aventador in Grigio Estoque served as the inspiration, not just for the color. Mashi wanted to incorporate the sharp lines into the Dragster, and he succeeded. Furthermore, the Dragster is packed with special parts, and what wasn’t available, he made himself. The handlebars are a unique creation. Mashi was not satisfied with the existing seating position, so he had to change it. Besides a custom handlebar, the dashboard is also completely different now. The Dragster now has various gauges, including a tachometer, temperature gauge, fuel gauge, and an oil level meter. There’s also a mount for a smartphone. To complete the handlebars, Mashi hid the cables in specially made tubes. The modifications to the damping and suspension are not just for show; the custom-made shock absorbers for the Dragster are fully adjustable, and according to Mashi, the handling is improved by 100%. Lastly, the complete lighting at the front and rear has been thoroughly revised. The front is equipped with extra lighting, and everything is adjustable. The rear has been bentirely replaced with LEDs and an extra taillight. It gives that little extra, and for show, there is a double laser beam that shines on the ground. A very successful creation, and to complete his dream, Mashi contacted Italjet in Bologna to show his Italjet Dragster to Massimo Tartarini.
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MASHI’S ULTIMATE ITALJET DRAGSTER 500 PIONEERING IN PERFECTION
ITALJET DRAGSTER 500
This time, it’s not a scooter from the ‘90s in ‘original condition.’ In fact, the Italjet Dragster 500 owned by Mashi Zamani is of a type that no one else owns. It’s truly one of a kind, and Mashi definitely didn’t take it lightly. No, he made it an ultimate project after he wasn’t particularly excited about Italjet’s own plans...
Not impressed by the new Dragster And so it happened, as Mashi says himself: “In 2019, Italjet announced the new Dragster. A big disappointment for me, both technically and visually. Powered by a light 200cc 4-stroke engine and with the same problematic mono steering system, this was not an option for me. This was further compounded by the exterior design, which I found not fitting. This meant I had to prepare for a remaster build, based on the original.” In 2020, it was decided to start his own ‘master project.’ A nearly new 500cc engine was purchased, which had previously served under a Gilera Nexus 500. Along with it, the corresponding wiring harness, ECU, control buttons, dashboard, and other necessary related parts were acquired. However, you don’t need further technical knowledge to realize that moreis involved than simply dismantling the Dragster’s 180cc 2-stroke engine and replacing it with the much larger 500cc 4-stroke engine. Experienced Metalworker This all had to be done in an appealing and professional way, which is why ‘Iron Man’ Ronald was called in. This experienced metalworker has been working with Mashi for years with his company that specializes in custom-made tool products and related items. In short, according to Mashi, Ronald was the perfect person for this job. In the meantime, the Dragster 180 was stripped down to a bare frame, which was then completely sandblasted. A new steering system was also needed. Despite the standard hub steering looking great, Mashi intended to choose a more reliable and safer steering system. Nevertheless, design was also considered, leading to another single-sided front suspension from a Vespa GTS 300. This system is much simpler in design, allowing for the choice of larger 13-inch wheels instead of the standard 11-inch ones. For even more safety, a better braking system was sought. In this search, Mashi eventually found Jurgen Pope from Austria: “Through a call on a forum, I came across this Austrian engineer.
The name Mashi in combination with Italjet will sound familiar. We go back to 2015 when Mashi made an appearance in this magazine with an Italjet Dragster. This project was completed in 2014 and included a visit to Italjet in Italy. Mashi’s Dragster came along, and a meeting took place with Massimo Tartarini, the current director of Italjet and son of the Dragster’s founder, Leopaldo Tartarini. From the conversations that took place, Mashi sensed that a successor to his beloved Dragster was being worked on behind the scenes. By 2016, Mashi decided to purchase a Dragster 180, just in case Italjet’s own new Dragster did not meet his expectations...
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ITALJET DRAGSTER 500
He turned out to be the owner of the Vespa GTS I had found online, which was equipped with a 260mm floating disc brake setup. He had custom-made it, so I couldn’t just buy it off the shelf. Fortunately, I was able to order this setup from Jurgen himself, including the conversion kit for the Frando brake caliper with 4 pistons. I then bought the rest of the brake components directly from Frando in Taiwan, including the adjustable brake levers, lines, and calipers.” Mashi can vividly recount his extensive Italjet project, but what really stands out is his attention to detail. Nothing is left to chance, and everything has a purpose. Take the handlebars, for instance. They are entirely self-designed and significantly wider than the original ones. The shape is inspired by the B2 stealth bomber and made from stainless steel. On the handlebars, you’ll find the original Nexus instrument cluster along with various Koso gauges, including a lap timer. There are also various Rizoma accessories, such as mirrors, grips, and blinkers. A nice touch is the use of a transparent windscreen, an original Italjet Dragster accessory that looks as if it was always meant to be there. For cooling, neither the original Nexus nor Dragster radiator could be used. The Nexus radiator was too wide, and the Dragster 180’s was too small. With the help of a mold, a new cross-flow radiator was constructed by a specialized company. To further improve cooling, copper intermediate pipes were used, and the Nexus cooling fan was reused on the new radiator. As a result of the larger radiator, the original headlight unit could no longer be used. A new LED illuminator unit was needed, which was custom-made in-house. In keeping with the times, new LED spots were used, three in total, with the middle one serving as a high beam.
Inspiration from Koenigsegg and Pagani The fact that Mashi has not only paid a lot of attention to the technology, but also to the appearance is evident from the photos. Rarely have we seen such a perfectly fabricated project. The eye for detail is therefore great, and Mashi was inspired by manufacturers of exotic sports cars such as Koenigsegg and Pagani. There is also a nice story about the creation of carbon elements in, among other things, the saddle: “I wanted to integrate carbon elements into the contours of the saddle and also refresh the saddle by adding more volume and sharper lines. All this to bring the proportions back into balance. To achieve this, a new saddle pan had to be made. Jeroen Bouwmeester of Silver Machines followed the new lines I had drawn in a newly fabricated saddle pan. The original saddle pan was stripped and covered with a layer of carbon by a carbon worker in Germany, finished with a matte finish. The back part was also redesigned, following the shape of the new saddle, and provided with the same carbon finish. Since he wanted to open the saddle from the handlebar contact from now on, the original opening on the side of the saddle was closed. To make the unlocking system work completely, a cable slide mechanism had to be made on the saddle latch. To finish it off, the saddle was equipped with a gas spring system so that it opens automatically when unlocked.”
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ITALJET DRAGSTER 500
Fuel tank transplantation To be able to use the original fuel tank in
uniformity between these two somewhat different products.” In May 2023, the end inspection took place at the Dutch Vehicle Authority. Adjustments were evaluated, including several physical tests followed by a test drive. The inspector couldn’t do more than pass Mashi’s Dragster 500 with flying colors and hand him a new registration certificate, mission accomplished! And let’s be honest: we’ve seen enough scooters come by over the past few years, from consumer projects to those of manufacturers. And we can safely conclude that this Italjet Dragster 500 ranks in the top three of the most unique and impressive scooters we’ve seen. It’s Mashi’s ultimate Italjet Dragster 500, but we can imagine that in Italy, they must also look admiringly at this Dragster 500 from Gelderland. But most importantly: Mashi finally has the Dragster hedreamed of, with the right power and driving experience.
combination with the Nexus fuel pump unit, the Nexus fuel tank was partially transplanted into the Dragster fuel tank. The best plastic welder from the respective company was employed, but the bending angle of the float was also adjusted to ensure that the values would match on the dashboard. Rear suspension also proved to be a challenge. For instance, the original mounting point for the shock absorber was used on the left side, while a new solution had to befound on the right side. A new mounting point was devised, and the structure was reinforced. The beauty of all the modifications (because there are many more...) is that everything has been done to give it an original appearance, something that seems to have been achieved! Not without a hitch But projects like these never go without a hitch, and this time was no exception... Initially, the original Trellis frame seemed to handle the extra power and weight well, but over time, it began to twist more and more. Back to the drawing board! Mashi attributes the lack of torsional rigidity to the fact that the original mono-arm usually absorbs a lot of forces. Together with Ronald, they brainstormed solutions, finding one in adding additional reinforcement across the frame. Mashi explains: “At strategic points, we added cross tubes. Thin cross tubes under the buddy seat were replaced with stronger pipes. We also welded four bridges. Tubes were added to the underside of the footplate and welded together. Additionally, we placed 5mm plates in the openings between the footplate and the leg shield. To finish it off, three more connecting plates were added, forming a bridge between the front of the frame and the mid-section. The steering tube connection to the frame was also filled and fully welded. With this reinforcement, we firmly anchored the frame in its ‘shoe’.” Passed the inspection with flying colors The frame now looked even more staggering, and gained some mass, but if you didn’t see the original next to it, you’d be convionced that it rolled straight out of the factory. Mashi had the frame powder coated in the same color he uses for his own products: RAL7016 with an antistatic additive. The latter doesn’t have any technical value in the case of this Dragster, but Mashi found it to have aesthetic value: “Both this project and my work are forms of tuning and optimization, so there is a form of
New project on the way Nevertheless, the enthusiast continues to dream further and has already started preparations for an even more ultimate Dragster... This will be equipped with the new 530 HPE engine block as used on the latest Piaggio MP3. Once again, an original (but completely modified) trellis frame from the first type Italjet Dragster will be used. The project will be realized in collaboration with Wimoto, a company specialized in high-end motorcycle conversion projects. The bodywork will be entirely manufactured from carbon fiber. If interested, there are considerations to build this exclusive Dragster for customers as well... To be continued!
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SPECIFICATIONS
There is no shortage of information on the custom handlebars
While maintaining its aesthetics, the frame was reinforced at various points
The modified front end with three LED lights
The engine was positioned as deep within the frame as possible.
The windshield is an original Dragster accessory
The 13 inch wheel is from an MP3, the front suspensio from a GTS 300
From now on, the saddle can be unloc- ked simply by turning the key
The saddle was completely restyled
At the front, a 260mm floating disc was installed, paired with 4-piston CNC racing calipers
Partially, a new suspension support was made for the rear shock absorbers
The brake levers also come from Frando
The front shock absorber is also fully adjustable
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MODELS
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GALLERY
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@dragster500
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