This press release landed just after we sent edition 52 of ScooterNova magazine to the printers, so rather than keep you waiting until the next mag, here’s the big news for T5 owners – SIP Scootershop have a new big-bore kit for you!
The T5 as standard featured a Nicasil-lined aluminium 5-port barrel which gave the learner legal scooter great acceleration and the ability to beat Vespa PX200 riding friends away from the traffic lights time and again. Top speed was between 65 and 70mph, depending on which speedometer you believed and I, like many other scooterists that started riding in the 1980s owned and loved more than one of these.
They did suffer a little when riding into headwinds or up hills however…
There have been a few kits developed for the T5 engine over the years, along with dealer specials here in the UK, but not that many and certainly nothing new in recent years. SIP Scootershop from Germany however have entered the market with their own aluminium barrel that they have designed along the lines of the original as an upgrade for T5 owners.
Like te original Piaggio part, the SIP cylinder has 5 ports. The bore and stroke are 65x60mm and the capacity is 199cc, so almost a T5 200! The dimensions however mean that the SIP 200 kit requires the use of a 60mm stroke crankshaft with a conrod length of 115mm.
SIP tell us that their cylinder has been designed so it can be installed ‘plug & play’ on the original transfer ports of the T5 engines. However there is also scope for extra porting work to further increase performance.
“The exhaust duct is designed in three parts: a large central outlet and a side outlet on each side. The secondary outlets run inside the cylinder studs. With the help of numerous test bench tests, we have developed a special shape that ensures sufficient cross-sectional area for the secondary outlets to work effectively,” so SIP tell us.
The T5’s exhaust flange is designed so that the exhaust is pushed into the flange piece on the cylinder and fitted. As the original manifold diameter is designed for 125cc, SIP have decided to design the flange piece on the cylinder so that it can be screwed on. The cylinder is supplied with a flange that is compatible with T5 exhaust systems. It is fastened with two screws, sealed with an O-ring and also offers the option of attaching springs. However, it is also possible to replace the flange with a version with a larger diameter. This allows exhaust systems with a larger exhaust manifold to be adapted.
The 65mm piston has two 1mm thick steel piston rings. As is usual with T5 engines, the head has a centered spark plug. The head and cylinder are shaped so that the original factory rubbers can be fitted for vibration damping. The Cylinder can be run with the original T5 head cylinder cowling. However, the 10mm longer conrod requires it to be spaced out.
The above dyno graph is what SIP achieved in their workshop with the new T5 199cc kit running through an up-jetted Dellorto Si24 carb and SIP Road 3 exhaust – approximately 23hp, which is almost double the 12hp of a standard 125cc T5!
SIP Scootershop tell us they will have stock of the new SIP Performance 199cc kits in Germany within a few days, so one assumes British stockists will have them on their shelves before the end of the month. The price if buying directly from Germany is £335.37 at current exchange rates, plus shipping, and any taxes and duties that get applied along the way. We suggest you speak to your local scooter shop to get a final price without the aggro.
Find out more from SIP’s website by clicking here.
The brand new edition 52 (November/December 2025) of ScooterNova magazine is published on 24 October 2025. You can pre-order here or subscribe here and be one of the first to receive the new magazine shipped directly from our printers. Alternatively, you can buy ScooterNova from all good scooter shops and national branches of TG Jones and WH Smith.