Italjet Dragster 200 Malossi 2024 Review

Parking a scooter out the front of your local motorcycle club probably won’t earn you points for toughness, but some of the most entertaining experiences I’ve ever had have been on board scooter of some description.

One particular adventure, dodging suicidal goats around the Greek Cyclades on a clapped-out 50cc hire-bike, will remain forever etched into the memory banks for sheer hilarity. There’s a devil-may-care spontaneity to hitting the streets on a twist-and-go two-wheeler, but the trade-off for accessibility is usually sedate performance.

Italjet’s race-inspired Dragster 200 Malossi Special Edition promises fun at a more elevated pace, with a revvy 181cc motor and a razor-sharp chassis, but how well does it cope with a southern hemisphere winter?

What does the 2024 Italjet Dragster 200 cost?

The base Dragster 200 will set you back $8,990 ride away and is available in 3 colour variants – anthracite/white/red, anthracite/yellow, and black/grey. My version was the blingy $10,490 anthracite/yellow/orange Special Edition, featuring graphics that celebrate Italjet’s historic partnership with performance tuning brand Malossi.

What’s more, this particular scooter had what seemed to be the entire Molossi catalogue thrown at it, including a 205cc big-bore piston kit, full exhaust system and race ECU (see specs for full list) – bringing the total cost to a whopping $17,212 ride away once labour costs are thrown in.

That puts this hotted-up Dragster into a premium price category alongside larger capacity scooters such as BMW’s C 400 GT Ion or even Yamaha’ s TMAX 560. But where those steeds might offer greater practicality and comfort, the Dragster 200 is all about maximum smiles per mile.

Oh, and until the end of September, Italjet is offering a $1000 factory rebate.  

What powers the 2024 Italjet Dragster 200?

Propelling the little Dragster 200 is a 181cc DOHC single cylinder engine, spitting out 17.4hp (12.9 kW) @ 8250rpm and 15.5Nm at 6250rpm. They might seem like modest numbers, but when the chassis weighs just 112kg (dry), that’s enough stick to imbue the Dragster with the best power-to-weight ratio in its class.

Of course, with all the extra Malossi goodies, I had a bit more grunt on tap – enough to surprise more than a few tin-toppers at the traffic lights. It feels to have significantly more tow than quoted, though part of that impression could also be due to the savage Malossi exhaust bark. For such a little engine, the wallop it gives your eardrums is borderline antisocial but suits the Dragster’s rebellious vibe perfectly.   

What equipment does the 2024 Italjet Dragster 200 have?

The Dragster comes tastily specced as standard with Brembo calipers, Michelin City Grip tyres, high-rigidity molybdenum-chrome trellis frame, LED lighting and funky hub-centre steering – the only current two-wheeler on the market to feature this tech other than Bimota’s exotic Tesi H2 superbike. As with the Bimota, the futuristic looking front end separates the steering, braking, and suspension functions, providing extra stability compared to a convention fork setup, and transmits less road vibration through the handlebars.

Power is transmitted to the rear wheel via belt drive and an automatic CVT transmission, and there’s a small, basic LCD screen to display speed, trip, and fuel info. Front and rear brakes are ABS equipped, and the Dragster comes with a centre stand as standard rather than a side stand.

What is the 2024 Italjet Dragster 200 like to ride?

My first foray with the Dragster included a freeway stint in winter weather that would have a brass primate reaching for the thermal underwear, replete with sideways showers and a bone-freezing southerly.

The lack of any front windshield turns the rider into a human windsock of sorts, with the head, chest and shoulders copping the full-frontal frigid blast. It’s possible to tuck the knees in behind the front fairing but otherwise there’s not much relief to be had unless you adopt a slipstreaming crouch like you’re competing in the Malossi Racing Academy (Google that if you want to see how hard these things can be ridden).

Still, I was pleasantly surprised how easily the Dragster sailed along at 100kmh. Where many scooters I’ve ridden become quite asthmatic at speed, the Dragster’s little single cylinder provides enough impetus that it doesn’t feel monstered by a big motorway, and even overtaking can be accomplished with a bit of a run-up. Throttle feel and fuelling is excellent, although the engine coughed discontentedly every now and then, as the exposed air filter attempted to breath in a fire hose of road spray.

The chassis feels stable enough despite the diminutive wheels and short 1335mm wheelbase, but the sportily set up suspension can tend to jar your bum out of the firm seat over ridges and ruts. Softening off the adjustable shocks helps, but potholes capable of swallowing the small 12-inch front rim are best avoided.

The little Dragster’s stripped-back, aggressive countenance is clearly designed for strafing urban lanes rather than slogging along multi-lane highways, and when ridden in double-digit temperatures on local roads the honed chassis and rorty engine make the Malossi Special Edition a hoot to squirt around on.

Riding a scooter is all about maintaining momentum, and the lack of crank inertia from the 181cc single allows you to scythe nimbly from corner to corner while hardly slowing down.

When you do need to stop, the single-disc Brembo calipers deliver solid bite, though trail braking too much induces a touch of understeer from the hub-centre front end. It’s more rewarding to keep the engine boiling as you whizz through roundabouts, dialling in a just whiff of rear brake via the left bar lever to help you turn.

The Dragster revels in this behaviour and growls goadingly every time you twist the throttle, but the beauty is that there’s no need to risk your license being fed into a shredder at the end of the ride, with the fun taking place at legal-ish speeds.

Should I buy the 2024 Italjet Dragster 200?

The Malossi Special Edition makes for an expensive little runabout in as-tested form, but with mods limited to perhaps a muffler and air filter it would still make for a fun little urban commuter. More storage space under the seat would increase its usefulness for trips to the shops, but clearly a big part of the Dragster’s appeal lies in its sharp Italian styling and dynamics. Those geometric shapes and honed textures give the impression that it’s about to transform into a fighting robot of some variety, and its boy-racer stance never fails to illicit admiring comments from passers-by.

Having to rug up like an Eskimo on an Arctic seal hunt makes spur of the moment scooter rides less tempting, but in the summer months I reckon I’d find all sorts of excuses to take the Dragster out for a cheeky brap – especially down to the local bike club. 

ENGINE
Type: Single cylinder, four-stroke, four valves
Capacity: 181cc (205cc as tested)
Bore x stroke: 63.0 x 58.0mm
Engine management: EFI

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 17.4hp (12.9 kW) @ 8250rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 15.5Nm @ 6250rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Automatic
Final drive: Belt
Clutch: C.V.T. with automatic centrifugal dry clutch

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Molybdenum-chrome trellis
Front suspension: S.I.S. with Single Hydropneumatic Absorber (Adjustable)
Rear suspension: Single Hydropneumatic Absorber (Adjustable)central spring strut

BRAKING
Front brakes: 175mm single disc. ABS
Rear brake: 240 mm single disc. ABS
Tyres: front 120/70-12, rear 140/60-13

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Width: 680 mm
Length: 1870 mm
Claimed dry weight: 112.0 kg
Wheelbase: 1335 mm
Seat height: 770 mm
Fuel capacity: 9 litres

ADDED ACCESSORIES
Malossi MHR race exhaust ($1499)
Malossi transmission kit ($555)
Malossi torque converter ($449)
Malossi 205cc big-bore cylinder kit ($1290)
Malossi O2 controller ($239)
Malossi Force Master 2.1 ECU ($865)
Malossi Pod air filter kit ($125)

OTHER STUFF
Price: $9,450 ride away ($16,212 as tested)
Availability: Now
Colours: Anthracite/yellow/orange, Anthracite/black
Warranty: Two years, unlimited kilometres
More information: Mojo Motorcycles