The CPI Popcorn is one of the scooters in the range of CPI Motor Company, the Taiwanese maker of scooters, mopeds and quads. It belongs to the group of models CPI built around the QMB 139 engine, together with the Hussar and the Oliver, and the French Wikipedia article on the company counts it among the scooters most popular with enthusiasts.
CPI Popcorn at a glance
| Maker | CPI Motor Company, Taiwan |
|---|---|
| Class | scooter |
| Engine | QMB 139 |
| Sister models | CPI Hussar and Oliver, on the same engine |
| Engine variants | a Minarelli-derived original and a modified pattern, mechanically incompatible |
| Range | scooter line, with the Hussar, Oliver, Aragon, Vgo, GTR and X-Large |
| Maker’s own engines | 50 to 200 cm³, with a claim of EURO 2 compliance |
| Production sites | China (Qingyuan), Malaysia (Gurun) and Taiwan (Dali, Taichung) |
| European importer from 2009 | Hans Leeb Zweirad Handels, Wolfsberg, Austria |
| German importer | Jack Fox GmbH & Co KG, until April 2010 |
No Wikipedia page is devoted to the Popcorn; the article uses the short mentions of the model in the French and German articles on CPI Motor Company, so it stays short.
History of the CPI Popcorn
The QMB 139 scooter
The Popcorn opens the scooter list in the French Wikipedia article on CPI Motor Company, ahead of the Hussar, Oliver, Aragon, Vgo, GTR and X-Large. The article names the Popcorn together with the Hussar and the Oliver as the models fitted with the QMB 139 engine, and adds that these were among the scooters most popular with enthusiasts.
Two engines under one name
The QMB 139 was available in two versions. One came from the original design of its supplier Minarelli; the other was a modified pattern with mechanical characteristics incompatible with the first. Since both were sold under the same model name, buying service parts required knowing which engine a particular scooter had.
The company behind it
CPI was founded in 1991 and makes its own engines of 50 to 200 cm³, saying that all of them meet the EURO 2 emission standard. Its machines were assembled in China at Qingyuan, in Malaysia at the Modenas site in Gurun and in Taiwan at Dali in Taichung. In Germany the vehicles were handled by Jack Fox GmbH & Co KG until the company was wound up after its insolvency at the end of April 2010, and from 2009 the European importer was Hans Leeb Zweirad Handels of Wolfsberg in Austria.
Design and features
- QMB 139 engine: the unit CPI shared between the Popcorn, the Hussar and the Oliver.
- Popular model: counted among the scooters most popular with enthusiasts.
- Spares caveat: two incompatible engine variants were sold under the same name.
- Own engines: CPI builds units from 50 to 200 cm³ and claims EURO 2 for all of them.
CPI Popcorn versions
- Popcorn with the Minarelli-derived engine: the original version of the QMB 139.
- Popcorn with the modified engine: the second pattern, with different mechanical characteristics.
- Position in the range: listed first among the scooters, before the Hussar and the Oliver.
The Popcorn shared its engine with the Oliver and the Hussar, and stood in the same range as the Aragon and the GTR. More models are in the CPI collection.
Sources
- CPI Motor Company, French Wikipedia: model range, QMB 139 engine
- CPI Motor Company, German Wikipedia: company history, production sites, engines
