Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2022 i Scootering

KICKSTART This information is provided by Stephen Hattersley, of WildWood Legal, a firm of solicitors specialising in claims for injured scooterists. Stephen, a qualified solicitor for 25 years, has been riding scooters for more than 30 years and has acted for injured riders across the UK. He knows the tricks and pitfalls that insurers use and pulls no punches in his dealings with them. He rides to work every day and understands the challenges you face out there. Q. I had an accident recently and was fairly badly injured. My insurers are recommending that I use their panel solicitors. A mate of mine has told me not to. I don’t know what to do. A. Don’t use them! Seriously, I am not meaning to be disparaging about such firms but…

At the recent Lydden Hill race meeting I was chatting to a long-standing friend. He was saying what a great paddock it was, full of people from all types of backgrounds, from all around the country, from all walks of life; and we all share that one thing in common that bonds us together, scooters. We get together every few weeks and look at scooters, compare scooters, talk shit about scooters, take pictures of scooters. We can have very different viewpoints, different politics, different lifestyles but every few weeks, whether it be a rally, a rideout or a race meeting, we come together. For sure, every so often there is friction, and in the competitive world of scooter racing it often rises to the surface. Yet the core values of…

SCOOTERING BOOK CLUB Regular readers will have realised this is the third, and final, part of a trilogy written by our own Stu Owen. Previous volumes, predictably titled Scootering in the 1960s and Scootering in the 1970s, have proven very popular and this title follows the same format. That is to say that if you’re looking for a comprehensive history of the Scooterboy, this isn’t the volume for you. (Instead you’ll need a copy of Gareth Brown’s Evolution of the Species book.) What Stu’s assembled is a visual feast; page after page of grainy images taken at seaside towns, race circuits and in back gardens lie waiting for your enjoyment. The quality of images is worth mentioning, unlike the 1960s and 70s, when people used ‘proper’ cameras; the 80s was…

It’s not a view shared by my fellow Yorkshire scooterists but in my opinion moving the end-of-season National from Bridlington was the right thing to do. A combination of rising costs and over-commercialisation meant that it was time to move, and on the face of it Southport was the ideal venue. The North West has been underrepresented in the Nationals calendar for too long, Southport council was welcoming, licensees were on board and the town’s Floral Hall was a venue to rival the Spa. Sadly, things went wrong fairly quickly. In this rally’s case Covid was but an irritant, the man problem being that the Floral Hall was closed for refurbishment. The rally’s unusual in that it’s a joint venture between VFM, which organises the entertainment, and the LCGB, which…

★ STAR LETTER ★ What’s in a name? Hi Stan, In October’s magazine Alan Colbert asked if anyone could suggest a collective noun for a group of scooterists. We’ve had a competition at Stone Scooter Club and have come up with the following suggestions. Perhaps you could pick a winner as there’s a pint resting on it for them? Our choices are: MODeration, Modernation, Scootermaximus, Modrophenia, Factorial, Generation, Enthusos and Elitist. Cheers Len (Stone Scooter Club) Wow Len that’s a response I never expected. Rather than be accused of bias I asked a grown up, namely our production editor Pauline, to pick her favourite. This is her reply: “Blimey, what a responsibility! These are really good words. Personally I am torn between MODeration and Modernation. I like MODeration as it…

SCOOTERNING READER'S RIDE Imagine growing up on the Isle of Wight at a time when National scooter rallies there were in the ascendency. Just think what effect the sights, sounds and smells that streams of small-wheeled steeds would have on a young, impressionable mind. There's no need to imagine, as that is pretty much exactly how Luke Lusted first experienced scooters. Unsurprisingly the Bank Holiday mayhem made a lasting impression, one that would eventually see Luke embracing the delights of scooter ownership. This airbrushed PX is his most recent acquisition and is an IoW scooter, having been built on the island by Ells Speed Tuning in Cowes. Originally owned by another islander, Ian Morey, the scooter has already started to morph into Luke’s own style. In his care the PX…

PRACTICAL SCOOTERING TECH TIPS It’s been a strange few weeks of ‘firsts’ at the garage; an engraved rear hub shearing on the dyno, a customer DELIGHTED with a 5hp engine, and a Vespa flywheel not fastened on properly by the customer! Where do I begin…? Shearing forces While I appreciate the thought, passion and craftsmanship involved in custom scooters, I’ve always been a fan of the ‘less is more’ ethos when it comes to my own machines; preferring sleek race paint and subtle styling cues. I’ve never had anything either plated or engraved but if I did, one thing I’d consider was whether or not the component was under any stresses or forces from the engine; such as the rear hub for example. It was an otherwise uneventful day when…

Racing along to Scooter World 2023 As the 2023 Scooter World event draws closer, both the BSSO (British Scooter Sport Organisation) and BSEC (British Scooter Endurance Club) have submitted their entries for the show. The event takes place over the weekend of January 7-8 at Newark Showground (NG24 2NY). Whether you are a privateer or a scooter club, there’s still time to enter via the links below: For club bookings, visit https://www.newarkclassicbikeshow.com/club-booking/ For private entries, visit https://www.newarkclassicbikeshow.com/private-booking/ Two-wheel boom predicted for future With fuel prices and other motoring costs rising, Lexham Insurance has predicted that ownership of two-wheeled transport will increase sharply over the next few years. “Many small-capacity motorbikes get around 50% more miles to the gallon than most cars,” says Andy Goodson, sales and marketing director at Lexham…

CONEXIÓN PARA BICICLETAS L a Vuelta a España is one of cycling’s most prestigious grand tours and is held in Spain, as the name would suggest. In the cycling world it is thought of as being on a par with the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia (but obviously pales into insignificance when compared with Tour t’ Yorkshire which first took place in 2015 after the success of the Tour de France when it visited the region for the first two stages of the 2014 event. It’s now an annual event and professional riders from all over the world compete to win the honour of wearing the coveted ‘Nora Batty itchy Aran wool, hearing aid beige, cable knit cardy’ for the stage wins). La Vuelta’s inception was way back…

MT Rapide Global Full Face Helmet (White, Green and Red) They say: Two outer shell sizes, glass fibre shell and high-impact absorption inner shell with multiple density EPS liner. Stu says: When I first saw this helmet I was immediately attracted to it by its looks, style and protection ratings. Slipping the Rapide on is easy and the chin strap is tightened by the classic double O-ring method. When fastened a comfortable padded strip sits between the fastening strap and your chin; internally there’s a washable liner, which is comfortable and non-irritating. The helmet has a neat visor-release button. When you’re stationary, or need the visor up, a quick depression of the button immediately springs the visor open a short distance, which allows it to be fully opened with ease;…

SCOOTERING READER'S RIDE My fascination with scooters began at the tender age of eight when my dad bought a 125cc Douglas Vespa from the local rag ’n’ bone man. Over the years I’ve owned an eclectic array of scooters, including Heinkel, BSA, Lammy chopper, a Vespa Ciao moped and even a Villiers Paratrooper. Although I appreciate all the GSs, VBBs, TVs and SXs people have, the two models I adore, and feel are the pinnacle of scooter design, are the GP200 and the Rally 200. I find it hard to understand how the Bertone designed GP looks as fresh today as when it was launched in 1969, but my love of the Rally may be more deep rooted in memories of a misspent youth and the romance of the 1970s.…

WIN a smart Scootering T-shirt with your photo Least crap snap…

With most of our two-strokes hitting the automotive equivalent of middle age and others capable of drawing their old age pension, like it or not, they fall cleanly into the ‘classic’ bracket. While there are plenty of scooters still out there to tune, customise and generally abuse, others deserve a loving home and careful preservation. Only an auction can decide whether that’s in the hands of a scooterist or collector. In the case of these scooters, I just wish it was me. The Hand H auction will take place at the NEC, Birmingham on Wednesday, December 7. www.handh.co.uk LEGENDARY GT Following the amazing result at a previous H and H auction, GT/TV200 prices have steadied to a more rational level, perhaps because many owners now understand the value of what…

The trend these days is to call them ‘custom survivors’; classic custom scooters from the glory years of the 1980s that still exist in one form or another. Some of the greats, such as Italian Stallion and Sign of the Snake, are still with their original owners, while several of Jeremy Howlett’s creations have been painstakingly preserved. Sadly, many are long gone, but what of those discovered lying abandoned for decades and in an appalling state? The answer is to resurrect them, saving as much of the original machine as possible. What if it’s not all there, though? How far do you go in the quest to save a piece of scootering history? History lesson Satans Hounds (missing an apostrophe so we’ll keep it like that) was a custom scooter…

PRACTICAL SCOOTERINGTECH TIPS When dropping his scooter off at the garage, Stan explained to me that his journey from Vespa Days in Paris had been largely uneventful, in terms of the performance of the scooter that is… “it never missed a beat” were his exact words. However, Stan had noticed that the performance was “a bit woolly” and that a tiny oil leak had also appeared. On top of that the kickstart was ‘going soft’ on every third or fourth kick. Stan asked if I would give it an engine service first, then look at the clutch/kickstart issue, and finally give the carb a tweak on the dyno – no problem (famous last words). In theory, I should be looking at a very basic job, change the spark plug and…

Christmas is upon us; it’s a time of celebration, not only for Christmas, but for bringing in the new year as well. But will we all be celebrating as we’ve done in the past? In today’s current climate, some may feel there’s not a lot to look forward to, especially in the scooterist world where there’s not much happening during the winter months. However, one thing to look forward to is the up-and-coming Scooter World which takes place on the weekend of January 7-8, 2023 at Newark Showground (NG24 2NY). It’s missed a couple of years due to the Covid-19 situation; and we almost got there earlier in January 2022 – that was until Boris introduced a temporary lockdown which coincided with the event. That couldn’t have come at a…

LUTON LAMBRETTA RESTORATION CHALLENGE Amid the negative side to social media, often a small light shines of memories gone by. I'm sure there aren’t many of us that haven’t seen a photo appearing on their timeline depicting a racing scooter from the Isle of Man, or maybe a vintage rally image showing scooterists in a field attempting to ride over a seesaw on their pride and joy. Scooter enthusiast Nic Tolley, from South Wales, can often find that needle in a haystack, often spotting an auction site listing, or maybe someone mentioning a scooter covered up in a garden shed or garage; wherever it was posted, Nic would sniff it out in his own determined way. One such scooter that has an incredible history is a Lambretta that originated from…

Motorcycle registrations are growing at an even faster rate than those for cars, research by TrackDays.co.uk has revealed. The leading motorcycle experience provider analysed Department for Transport (DfT) statistics to discover that there are now 1.45 million motorcycles registered in the UK, including almost 150,000 new submissions in the last two years alone. This represents a 9% increase in motorcycle registrations since 2016, compared with just a 5% growth in car registrations. But it’s not just vehicle registrations that suggest that motorcycles are gaining popularity among motorists. Indeed, the amount of motorcycle module 2 tests (the final practical on-road test before gaining a motorcycle licence) has surged by 32% since 2020, having previously seen a decrease of 11% between 2016 and 2019. Dan Jones, operations manager at TrackDays.co.uk argues that…

The week before a rally was always an exciting time, tinkering and fettling away to make sure you had the best chance of achieving a weekend away on the piss. It didn’t matter which resort had been chosen, you went regardless, but some journeys were more tedious than others. For our club Great Yarmouth was the least popular, with a dull and seemingly endless road to get there. This put many club members off and while the diehards continued to fettle away, many others suddenly found they were unable to get time off work or that their scooter wouldn’t be ready due to some mysterious long-term repair. In other words, they didn’t want to make the journey, so were coming up with lame excuses that no one believed in the…

When Den Davis (The Jam’s archivist) asked me if I wanted to interview Rick about his new book I thought, hang on, why do I want to ask questions when the man who knows more about The Jam than even the band does is sat next to me? So, I just shut up, let the camera roll and took notes. Remember the old adage. If you’ve got a Ferrari, there’s no point keeping it in the garage. We met up at Rick’s home, so it was a very chilled interview, but the depth of feeling and remorse of the year came through…. Den: 1981 was a quiet year. Were you all a bit burnt out at that point? Rick: We were up to other things, recording. We started The Gift…

Carrickfergus Memorial Ride On Sunday, October 2, A2 Aces held our annual Remembrance rideout from Belfast down to our home town Carrickfergus. Just over 100 scooters from all over Northern Ireland took part and our good friend and honorary member Stevie Adair left Glasgow on his trusty Lambretta in pouring rain at 3am to join us in Belfast. We made our way down through Belfast to Carrickfergus war memorial where local veterans led a service of remembrance for the fallen from the two world wars and all subsequent conflicts followed by wreaths being laid by local scooter clubs. This year our rideout raised a brilliant total of £613 which was divided equally between the Royal British Legion and Ulster Defence Regiment association. Rodney Champion A2 Aces secretary Bank holiday fundraiser…

Keith Jackson is a relative newcomer to the scooter scene; he is the epitome of the much needed ‘new blood’ that everyone talks about. His scooter journey started five years ago while hanging out with the lads from BDSC (Bradford Discharge Scooter Club). He was already keen to obtain his own machine when he stumbled upon a stunning Li150 that was owned by Dave at Madspeed Performance (MSP). The scooter was in excellent condition with perfectly straight panels, indeed the whole bodywork seemed faultless. Wisely Keith saw this as the ideal base for a newcomer, wisely he prepared to pay a little more up front to avoid being overwhelmed by the many pitfalls that a more ‘rustic’ machine can often deliver, and so the financial negotiations started. After securing the…

There’s no doubt that a big adrenalin rush is created from acceleration and going fast when driving or riding a vehicle, and riding a Lambretta is no exception to that. Ask anyone who has owned one over the last 60 years, and most will admit to tuning them in some capacity. Perhaps the reason for this is that they were so mildly tuned out of the factory, and consequently there was a vast potential to improve the performance. Regardless of the reasons, it allowed a trend in Lambretta tuning to develop, one that continues to grow and shows no signs of slowing down. In this series I’ll tell the story of how technology and those with the know-how have pursued the goal of making a Lambretta go faster. I believe…

✎ Classic Scooterist, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ ✉ mauspencer@classicscooterist.com ☎ 01507 529408 The path to Scarborough This picture was taken in Scarborough around 1979/80 and shows Mick Wattam and me (then Sally Barker, but now we’re married!). We were riding with the Scunthorpe Pathfinders SC (note orange helmets). It was a fab Easter weekend with memories being made. Still make the journey now every Easter. Sally Wattam Margate memories My scooter, pictured in the late 1980s at Margate – happy memories. Adam Sheridan The golden boys (and girls) The newly formed Lynx SC, Spalding, Lincs, circa 1980. That’s me in the middle with my bird. The club reached 100 members and all had gold helmets back then. Some of us still meet up and ride today –…