Piaggio Moped Tuning Info
The topic of Ciao and Piaggio moped tuning is very close to our hearts. For many of us, the Ciao was the very first motorized vehicle we owned as teenagers, and we used it to explore the "wide world." Back then, the “Chrompott” was the standard, and we’d drill a hole in the air filter to push it to 32 km/h on the speedo (of course, only after plugging the hole again with a cigarette filter ;-). Then came the “small windscreen,” and suddenly you had to pedal uphill… but downhill – it flew :-) Ah, the good old days...
Today,
Ciao, Bravo, and Si are collector's items, but tuning is still very popular! Whether it's +5 km/h or +100 km/h, everything is still possible. To help you decide on your tuning setup, we’ve put together 3 simple setups packed with technical tips.
Ciao, Bravo and Si Moped Tuning Setups:
1. Sunday ride to the bakery – up to 40 km/h
Basic plug-and-play tuning, quiet and discreet, since it essentially uses standard moped components. With prior agreement, some TÜV offices may allow registration. The
original 50cc cylinder remains, and a
Sito Plus and
SH12/12 carburetor with moped air filter are installed, with a main jet around 48. The 90mm pulley stays stock.
Exhaust
SP0219 Sito Plus Exhaust
€47.95
The Sito Plus looks like the original exhaust and is very quiet. It also includes the required
E-marking needed for moped registration.
Chrompott
For fans of the 70s and 80s, there’s still the original “Chrompott” with a split end cap and center screw – the downside: no certification, but full retro feeling. Available in chrome and black:
Carburetor:
The moped carburetor with 12mm bore replaces the original carburetor with 10mm bore.
Air Filter
The moped air filter looks identical to the original externally, but internally it features 6 holes under the steel mesh filter instead of 3.
Spark Plug
A new spark plug never hurts – it's always better to have one too many than not enough at home. For the above tuning, you need an NGK B6HS with short thread.
There's also a resistor version of the spark plug, in case your radio crackles when you start the Ciao. It's recognizable by the "R" in the product name:
Ciao Jetting
If you’re planning to experiment more in the future, it’s worth getting a jet set. This includes 10 different sizes and is cheaper than buying them individually. The set includes
10 jets ranging from size 50 to 72:
TECH TIP
Which Ciao Cylinder / Piston Pin Do I Need?
Now a bit of technical info: To help you choose the right cylinder – when browsing, you’ll come across "piston pin 10mm" and "piston pin 12mm". If you do NOT plan to replace the crankshaft, it’s essential to measure the piston pin diameter (10 or 12mm) on your current cylinder before ordering, and then choose the cylinder accordingly:
- 12mm piston pin – ORIGINALLY used in all crankshafts with bronze bushing in the upper conrod eye.
- 10mm piston pin – ORIGINALLY used in all crankshafts with needle bearing in the upper conrod eye.
More about crankshafts and 10mm vs. 12mm piston pins can be found in Chapter 3.
2. Cool at the Ice Cream Parlor, from 50 km/h
To get things moving faster and with more power, it's time to upgrade the heart of your classic — the
cylinder! Choose a cylinder in the 60–63cc range with a bore of 41–43mm. Entry-level options include DR cast iron cylinders or the Athena aluminum cylinder. Even though manufacturers often claim 60cc or more, when we actually calculate it with a standard stroke of 43mm, here’s what we get:
Standard Crankshaft Stroke: 43mm
Cylinder volume calculation, 7th-grade level: Diameter divided by 2 = Radius "r". "h" is the height (stroke) of the crankshaft, which is 43mm. The formula is: r2 x pi x h = cylinder volume. Enough math — here are the
actual displacement figures for common tuning cylinders:
Standard Cylinder Diameter
38.2mm = 49.28cc
Tuning Cylinder Diameter
40mm = 54.04cc
Tuning Cylinder Diameter
41mm = 56.77cc
Tuning Cylinder Diameter
42mm = 59.57cc
Tuning Cylinder Diameter
43mm = 62.44cc
At 43mm bore, the standard engine case reaches its limit unless it's machined — more on that later.
But first, back to the ice cream parlor:
Ciao 60cc Tuning Setup
Once you know which piston pin you have, choose a cylinder from the following manufacturers:
- D.R.
- Athena
- Polini
- Malossi
All the cylinders listed below are
extremely reliable and deliver
noticeable gains in power, torque, and RPM.
Racing Cylinders with 10mm Piston Pin:
Racing Cylinders with 12mm Piston Pin:
Tuning Transmission: V-Belt & Pulley for Ciao
Thanks to the increased performance from the new cylinder, we can now adjust the transmission, which means installing a
smaller pulley and matching V-belt. We recommend the following setup when using a 60cc+ class cylinder:
A cheaper alternative are the complete sets from CIF. However, the CIF pulleys are slightly less precise compared to the Malossi ones, which can cause a slight wobble during riding:
Moped Carburetor Setup 12/12 or 13/13 for Ciao Tuning
We recommend either the DellOrto
12/12mm moped carburetor or the DellOrto 13/13mm carburetor, with a
main jet around 53–55, combined with either a moped air filter or a Polini performance air filter. All components are plug & play, interchangeable, and fit perfectly into the original engine housing and compartment.
Carburetors
Air Filters
Main Jet Set
Racing Exhaust for Ciao Tuning
As we aim to keep the tuning discreet, we recommend either the
Sito Plus exhaust or the
Gianelli “Ori-Power” as an alternative.
Clutch Springs for Ciao
To improve acceleration by increasing clutch engagement RPM, reinforced clutch springs are used in the original clutch. We recommend the black springs from the Malossi 3-piece set or the blue springs from the Polini 3-piece set:
- Clutch spring set (3 pieces), MALOSSI for Piaggio Ciao, Boss, SI, Grillo, Bravo, PX | m297306
- Clutch spring set (3 pieces), Polini for Piaggio Ciao, Boss, SI, Grillo, Bravo, PX – €13.55 | P245020
Racing Clutch Pads
If your current clutch pads are worn out, you can install the Malossi clutch shoes with reinforced pads. These already come with a set of reinforced springs and fit plug & play into the original clutch:
Spark Plug for Ciao 60cc Cylinder
For this setup, you need to use a "colder" spark plug, e.g., an NGK B8HS or BR8HS:
...and why not add a new
NGK spark plug connector right away?
TECH TIP
Ciao Tuning Gear Ratios, Transmissions, Technical Background
Our recommended gear setup for Setup 2 with the 80mm pulley is based on the original “10.5:1” gearbox from the German Ciao 25km/h mopeds. Even back then, many upgraded to the 8.5:1 Bravo gearbox for a longer gear ratio, which could be used discreetly with the original Ciao 90mm pulley.
So – how do I know which gearbox my Ciao has?
The ratio between the number of turns of the rear pulley to one full 360-degree turn of the rear wheel gives you the gear ratio. For example: Ciao Mofa original gearbox 10.5:1. Mark the rear wheel and the pulley, rotate the rear wheel one full turn, and count how many times the pulley rotates – done. Standard mono (pulley) gear ratios include:
- 10.5:1 – Original gearbox Ciao Mofa
- 8.5:1 – Original gearbox Bravo Mofa
- 7.5:1 – Original gearbox Ciao Moped 40 km/h Netherlands
- 6.5:1 – Original gearbox Ciao Moped 45 km/h Italy
Mono gearboxes are designed for pulley mounting.
Variator gearboxes have a long output shaft and can accommodate a combined variator/clutch unit. Variator gearboxes use a variator on the crankshaft instead of a clutch.
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