Check Out This Electrified 1958 Parilla Greyhound By Moto Design Garage

Among the perks of owning a classic scooter are the many peculiarities of their design. A good friend of mine is the proud owner of a Lambretta SX 150, and I've watched him many times struggle with the many design flaws – or should I say, features – of the vintage scooter. For purists, the two-stroke engine, grip-shift transmission, and rear foot brake are all charming – but what if you wish to bring your vintage machine into the modern age?

Naturally, the approach to doing this usually means going electric, as we've seen a lot of custom builds surrounding the electrification of vintage two-wheelers. Well, here's another one, and it involves a lovely 1958 Parilla Greyhound. This particular model started life as a 150 model, so it was and still is a highly sought-after machine for collectors. Nevertheless, as first shared by our friends over at The PACK, the owner of this scooter wanted to convert it into electric. So, they sought out the help of Moto Design Garage, a custom workshop in Washington State, with quite an impressive resume of custom builds. 

In order to achieve the incredible task of electrifying a vintage Milanese scooter, the entire machine was stripped to the bare frame. As for the guts, well, they were all discarded, and in their place now sits a QS260 V3 hub motor with an output of 3,000 watts. Inside the frame, a Votol EM150 controller transmits throttle input into the hub motor. As for the battery, Moto Design Garage went with a 72-volt, 35-ampere-hour system.

The controller was configured to provide the scooter with three ride modes, allowing the scooter to cover 35 miles on a single charge – by no means impressive in terms of modern e-scooter standards, but pretty cool considering the setup breathes new life to a scooter that's more than half-a-century old. In order to accommodate the heavier rear wheel and motor assembly, the craftsmen at Moto Design Garage had to redesign the bike's swingarm, fabricating it from scratch.

Likewise, the controller was housed under the body cover, and the battery was mounted onto a 3D-printed compartment. Last but not least, to complement the modern powertrain, Moto Design Garage fitted the Greyhound with a full set of LED lights. The brakes were beefed up, too, as the electric Greyhound now sports a hydraulic four-piston disc brake up front.