Royal off-roader

In the latest addition to their stable, Royal Alloy goes off-road. In Stan’s opinion, it’s a concept that almost hits the mark…

Back in 2023, perhaps spurred on by Vespa’s attempts to conquer the Paris Dakar Rally, a Chinese rider, Wang Shanshan, entered the gruelling Taklimakan Rally. His mount? A specially modified Royal Alloy TG 300. The rally was an epic 13-day, 4,238km off-road endurance race held in the Xinjiang Uygur region, notable for marking the annual event’s return after a three-year hiatus due to COVID. For the race, Shanshan’s TG was extensively altered. The underslung radiator was relocated behind the legshields, which were perforated to allow sufficient airflow. The headset was remodelled to allow for the installation of more upright bars and fresh instrumentation. A lattice construction provided additional strength to the frame. The front mudguard was trimmed, and a lightweight exhaust was installed. Interestingly, the latter was still underslung, but with hefty protection from a skid plate.

Unfortunately, and rather like Piaggio’s T5 rally specials, expectations failed to meet reality, and the machine failed scrutineering. However, unlike the factory-built T5, the machine lingered in the minds of Royal Alloy’s design team. The result is a streamlined version of Shanshan’s special, which will be produced in very small numbers globally and of which a handful have arrived in UK showrooms.

Niche work

Let’s be clear, the production version of Shanshan’s ride isn’t a true off-roader. The underslung radiator, in itself, will preclude any serious trail work, and that’s not to mention the stock exhaust. Instead, this is a nod to a part of the brand’s history and one which is primarily aimed at the Chinese market. As with so many aspects of the Chinese scooter scene, there’s no direct comparison to what we do in the UK, or even Europe, but what’s perhaps most easily understood as ‘Wild camping’ is a massively popular activity. That, combined with the fact that ‘Retro’ and ‘Adventure’ are the only classes of two-wheelers that are selling pretty much anywhere in the world, meant that this fusion was almost inevitable. In a nutshell, it’s a scooter designed to give the appearance of being able to undertake any adventure thrown at it, but one that will realistically spend 99% of its time on tarmac or very well-manicured gravel. A bit like almost every BMW GS1200…

Detail touches

So what does the aspiring scooter adventurer get for their money? The most obvious modification is to the headset, where the covers have been deleted to accommodate wider, more upright bars. Unlike Shanshan’s machine, the Off-Roader is based on the JPS, a great idea, as the headlight is incorporated within the legshield and therefore avoids unsightly brackets. In fact, the instrumentation, which is lifted straight from the JPS headset, is rather neatly mounted, with the bracketry being hidden behind a race number. Other than that, and the option of green armoured paint, the only visible differences between the special and its road-ready companion are a set of street-legal knobblies.

Having ridden one briefly, I can confirm that it rides like a JPS, but with bars that give a much greater feeling of control. I’d like to see how their wide stance would affect comfort on a long motorway run, but I was very impressed with the more relaxed, upright riding style they offered.

On target, but wide of the market

I’m always pleased when a mainstream manufacturer tries something different, and I applaud any out-of-the-box thinking, but unfortunately, I think the JPS Off Road isn’t quite brave enough. It’s as if the designers wanted to go all out, but the accountants said no. Given that this was always going to be a look, rather than a function, I can forgive the radiator remaining underslung and the fitting of a stock exhaust; after all, the production costs of modifying those two systems would have been prohibitive on such a niche machine. No, for me it’s the styling that falls short, but not by much.

At the front end, I’d ditch the race number and install a short screen that would streamline things and make more sense for road use. Whilst talking about what’s going on up front, I’d also get rid of the JPS mudguard and replace it with something like a Nannucchi. As for the knobblies, they need to go. Even street-legal examples are a pain to live with; they’re noisy, reduce fuel consumption and fail to have that most important thing we want in a tyre: grip. Instead, a set of Anlas Allgrips would give the look whilst being road-friendly and also give enough bite for any off-road scenario this scooter’s likely to face. Namely, a rally site campground…

At the rear, it needs a set of Ewan McGregor-style aluminium top box and panniers, then finally some rally-inspired graphics to suggest it’s a scooter that can really tackle an adventure. Now that really would be a worthy tribute to Shanshan’s ambitions. Dealer special, anyone?

Words: Stan
Images: Stan/Tom Oliver/Royal Alloy International

A very limited edition

Whether you want to bask in the glory of owning one of the most limited production Royal Alloys in existence or put your own stamp on a JPS Off Road, don’t hang around before putting your money where your mouth is. The edition will be produced in relatively small numbers, and only a handful of examples are set to reach the UK. By the time you read these words, they’ll be available to order from your local dealer in both the 125 (£4,249) and 350 (£5,859) variants. Colour schemes are yellow/white and armoured green.

More information: www.royal-alloy.co.uk

Piaggio’s factory ambitions

Amongst Stan’s favourite exhibits at the Vespa museum in Pontedera is the stillborn T5 Paris-Dakar project.

If I had the time, resources, money and skill, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’d build a replica of the 1985 Paris-Dakar Vespa T5. The only survivor of four experimental machines built to participate in the Paris-Dakar rally, the list of modifications is almost endless, but the result is a truly unique and slightly bonkers machine that must rank as one of the most unusual factory racers to have emerged from Piaggio’s design shop. Sadly, we’ll never know how these machines would have fared as Piaggio abandoned the project before even reaching the starting line. I rank it as one of the most exciting Vespa projects never to have been manufactured, and it probably marks the end of Piaggio’s desire to produce true factory specials.

Polar Rally

Although Shanshan’s TG failed scrutineering for the Taklimakan Rally, that wasn’t the end of his off-road ambition. He went on to complete the G219 Road Rally, a gruelling 10,065km route which tackles some of China’s most challenging road conditions but also rewards competitors with the nation’s most stunning scenery. The story of that adventure deserves space of its own, and it’s one that we’ll return to soon.

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