Postage free from 99€ (DE)
High customer satisfaction
Shipping today with order in 2 h 3 min
DE | €
- Blog
- The toughest tester in the world - Ilario Lavarra on the road with bgm
Do you remember Ilario? We introduced him in our blog. If you'd like to refresh your memory, you can read the article again. We highly recommend his story. Now there's news from Ilario.
➜ The longest journey ever on a Vespa
Since 2017, Ilario Lavarra has been on the road with his Vespa on perhaps the longest road trip of all time. Crossing national borders and continents, he is not only testing his own endurance - but now also the equipment of our bgm PRO parts to the limit. After the first blog article about his incredible journey we already knew in Scooter Center: If someone wants to test the quality of bgmcomponents, it's Ilario.
As you can imagine, every spare part delivery on a journey like this is a bit of an adventure. So sit back and enjoy Ilario's exciting story and the experiences of someone who needs Vespa parts in the middle of nowhere.
Our bgm parts also travel the world - just like Ilario. When the steering head bearings had to be replaced last year in Vietnam, we gave him a new Piaggio bearing set from Germany. The bearings were flown from Germany to Vietnam, but there was a surprise: the bearings were marked "Made in Vietnam". A curious moment, because this meant that the parts returned to the exact place where they were originally manufactured. So our spare parts also experienced their very own world tour - once around the globe and back home again.
The connection between Ilario Lavarra and bgm came about - like so many things in the Vespa world - through friendship and a shared passion for the Italian cult vehicle. One of his close companions had himself taken a Vespa trip all the way to Japan - equipped with bgm components from our range. His positive experiences with the parts, which never let him down even on this extreme tour, sparked Ilario's interest. An inspiring story eventually turned into a real partnership that now leads around the world.
While Ilario was on the road in Vietnam, a crankshaft failure occurred. In this situation, we recommended the bgm PRO Touring crankshaft bgm to him. Technically, it is a good addition to his Polini 177 cylinder. And in Ilario's words: "The holy master said it was good!"
But then we asked him the question: If you're going on a big trip - why not rely on a holistic bgm setup? This consideration led to the decision: The bgm1770NE cylinder is going on tour - for maximum endurance, performance and reliability on any terrain. And so the cylinder first traveled from Germany to Italy - to its friend, an equally adventurous traveler: Andrea il vespanauta. He took the cylinder on to Bangladesh - and finally to Vietnam.
What is often taken for granted can become a challenge on the road. For this engine with bgm 177 cylinder requires a spark plug with a long thread and a diameter of M14. Our clear recommendation was the NGK 9ES spark plug. But the reality in Vietnam is different. The local market is flooded with spark plugs of dubious quality. World-famous brands are rare - and when they are, they are usually NGK B6HS / BP6ES heat value 5 (far too warm for the bgm177), which is also not ideal. Important to know: The heat value specifications for Bosch and NGK are inverse to each other. This means: A Bosch W3/W4 corresponds to an NGK 8. You can find everything else about this in our technology blog.
Go to the blog: ➜ Spark plug heat value
The spark plug quality we are used to in Europe is a luxury good in many parts of the world. In Vietnam, a high-quality spark plug can cost up to 20 US dollars - if you can find one at all. After a long search, Ilario discovered a spark plug made in Germany - reason enough to test it while we sent him the right spark plugs from Germany to Vietnam.
Until the right spark plugs arrived, Ilario had to be careful on the road. No full throttle, no extreme loads - and to be on the safe side, a slightly higher main jet value in the carburetor to reduce the thermal load on the engine. The engine passed its local baptism of fire: it ran for an hour at idle in the workshop - without any hiccups or misfires. And the sound? No problem for Ilario, on the contrary: the sound of his Vespa with the bgm177 was exotic for him - almost an acoustic aphrodisiac.
The cylinder was to show what it was made of - not on the racetrack, but in everyday life: on gravel roads, in the jungle, in hot, wet and cold conditions. Two months have now passed and Ilario is delighted with the quality, power and performance of the cylinder.
In Thailand, Ilario learned from a Vespa rider friend that he was using bgm tires and stainless steel bgm rims. He was particularly impressed by how stable this combination is: even under high loads, the tires do not warp. It was clear to Ilario that he wanted to continue his journey with exactly this setup!
He was able to take delivery of the new parts at his next stop in Malaysia:
Rim: bgm7991
Tire set: bgm35010ct
Even tires and rims don't get a break on this tough tour.
Video English Version
Ilario's luck seems endless, as does his determination to circumnavigate the globe. His shock absorber broke 100 meters from a Vespa workshop. So we got to work and contacted our dealers in Malaysia. But thanks to our bgm dealer MK Vespa Parts we were able to help him immediately. No long waiting times, no breakdown - Ilario was able to continue riding. With a new bgm PRO shock absorber, ready for the next thousand kilometers.
This is not just about proving how durable our bgm parts are. Ilario lives what bgm stands for: Reliability, passion and adventure. His Vespa is not a show bike - it is a tool, home and purpose in life all rolled into one. And that's exactly why he is the toughest tester in the world for us.
We continue to accompany him on his journey - and you can too. Follow @vespanda_ilario.lavarra on Instagram or check back regularly on our blog. Because it remains exciting!
