The LML Select is a 150 cc motor scooter that Lohia Machinery Limited built in India from 1993, visually modelled on the Italian Vespa T5. It became the company’s most successful model, was developed into the Select II in 1996, and left the range when the works closed in February 2006; a four-stroke Select 4 has been sold in Goa since 2011.
LML Select at a glance
| Maker | Lohia Machinery Limited, India |
|---|---|
| Production | 1993–2006 |
| Based on | Vespa T5 Mk I |
| Name at launch | LML Vespa Select |
| Second series | Select II from 1996 |
| Engine, Select II | fan-cooled single-cylinder two-stroke, 149.56 cc |
| Power | 5.97 kW (8.1 PS) at 5,500 rpm |
| Torque | 12.75 Nm at 3,500 rpm |
| Gearbox | four-speed, hand-shifted |
| Weight | 106 kg |
| Tank | 8 litres, including 1 litre reserve |
| Lubrication | petrol-oil mixture, 1:50 |
| Brakes | drums front and rear |
| Select 4 engine | 147.5 cc four-stroke, 6.5 kW (8.8 PS) at 6,250 rpm |
Based on one source: the German Wikipedia article on the LML Select.
History of the LML Select
LML produced the LML Vespa Select from 1993 in cooperation with the Italian maker Piaggio, following the Vespa T5 Mk I. The model was a two-stroke scooter with the pressed-steel body of the Vespa range and became important for the Indian company: in 1995 The Economic Times reported that the Select had developed into LML’s most successful model. From 1996 it was built as the Select II, which differed only in detail from the first series.
When Piaggio sold its shares in LML at the end of 1999, LML kept the rights to the scooter technology it had been given up to that point and carried on building the model range. The Select was not given another engine, probably because the visually similar LML Star, which was still in production, was meanwhile offered with engines from 125 to 200 cc. Production of the Select ended when the works closed in February 2006; after the plant reopened in March 2008 the company concentrated first on the successful Star models, mainly for export.
The Select 4 has been sold in the Indian state of Goa since 2011. It is a four-stroke model with a 147.5 cc engine producing 6.5 kW (8.8 PS) at 6,250 rpm and 11.3 Nm at 4,250 rpm, still with a four-speed gearbox worked by hand. The Select II of the 1990s had a kickstarter, and some versions also came with an electric starter. Its fan-cooled single-cylinder two-stroke engine of 149.56 cc gave 5.97 kW (8.1 PS) at 5,500 rpm and 12.75 Nm at 3,500 rpm, and the scooter weighed 106 kg with an 8-litre tank that included a litre of reserve. Lubrication was by fresh-oil mixture at 1:50, and both wheels had drum brakes.
Design and features
- Vespa T5 styling: the body follows the Italian Vespa T5 Mk I, whose licence LML held from 1993.
- Long model life: a single basic design, sold as the Select and then the Select II, stayed in production for thirteen years.
- Simple two-stroke: a fan-cooled 150 cc engine with premixed fuel and a hand-shifted four-speed gearbox.
- Four-stroke revival: the Select 4 of 2011 brought the name back with a 147.5 cc four-stroke engine.
LML Select versions
- LML Vespa Select (1993–1996): the first series, based on the Vespa T5 Mk I.
- Select II (1996–2006): the second series with a kickstarter and optional electric starter.
- Select II with electric starter: the more expensive version with both starting systems.
- Select 4 (2011 onwards): the four-stroke model sold in Goa, with a 147.5 cc engine.
The Select was the small-wheeled relative of the LML Star scooter, and it shared the Indian showrooms with the LML Freedom motorcycles. More scooters are in the LML collection.
Sources
- LML Select, German Wikipedia: history, Select II and Select 4 technical data
