Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i Scootering

Working on this month’s magazine has been a real pleasure, simply due to the sheer variety of stuff we got to tackle, from Bridgestone tyre reports, and Scomadi ‘big engine’ test rides, through to Skankin’ n Scoots in St Petersburg, and Lui Vega off-road enduro racing! In the feature scooter stakes we have everything from high end paintjobs (Stellify) and a Supersonic TV175, through to Toxic Vespas, racing small frames, and all that falls in between. And the music coverage has been just as wide and varied. The net result is a diverse yet balanced magazine, which I’m delighted about. The scooter scene is a strange phenomenon, its own complexity is often commented on… providing as much cohesion as it does division. Likewise, trying to produce a monthly journal which…

In the run-up to the implementation of the new exemptions in May 2018, there have already been some notable and significant changes to how historic vehicles exemption is defined. Until last December the incoming legislation excluded substantially modified vehicles of 40 (or more) years old that didn’t meet requirements of a subjective eight-point list. This had been simplified to limit any modifications to not exceed an additional power to weight ratio of more than 15% above that of the vehicle’s original design specifications. This is unless the modification was carried out before 1988. As such that improvements made to the brakes, damping, lighting and ignition systems of 40 or more year old scooters will not now constitute, so far as MOT exemption is concerned, being substantially modified. Amazingly it seems…

VCSIT SS180 Vespa Up until its launch what became the SS180 was planned to be the GS Mark 3. Early owner handbooks confirm that this was Piaggio’s initial intention. At the time of its launch in 1964, the SS180 was the most powerful and fastest production Vespa made. According to the technical specifications it produced 10bhp, giving a top speed of 65mph. Bore was 62mm and stroke was 60mm, giving 181cc. It was the last large frame Vespa model with a piston ported engine. The SS180 was offered in three different colours, red, white and blue. It is perceived as being the first Vespa model to be offered as a dealer special in the UK. The Grimstead Hurricane, offered by Eddie Grimstead, is arguably the best-remembered example. V9SS1T SS90 Vespa…

One of the latest designs from Scomadi’s design workshop, the Vitesse 6, should prove popular among those who like their scooters traditional. As the name implies, it has a traditional one-up/ five-down hand gear change designed by Adrian Newnham, who specialises in designing bespoke gear-change systems. The prototype utilises a Zongshen 250cc four-valve, chain driven engine (as in the Fantic Caballero). The exhaust system implies a twin cylinder engine, but it’s not. If and when it makes the production stage, it could come in various engine sizes.…

That simple pleasure had been lost on me until I happened to find myself returning a recently completed scooter post photo shoot in Birmingham’s Friday evening rush hour traffic. With camera gear and lighting equipment strapped to my rucksack I was making my way back to the workshop on a 6T’s inspired Series 2 with the sun rapidly descending towards the horizon throwing long shadows behind gridlocked buses. God’s rays were dancing across the chrome accessories like mini spotlamps constantly exploding catching the attention of pedestrians and drivers cocooned in their metal boxes. Snaking my way between the rows of traffic, car horns began to toot with outstretched thumbs up gestures and ‘yeah man’ hollers from bored bus passengers gradually elicited that rarest of rare things from me, a genuine…

If your scooter club is holding a do or event just drop us a line for some FREE advertising. Unfortunately we can ONLY accept details by post or via the website due to workloads. Please keep wording to a minimum and be warned that listings may be edited due to space restrictions. MAY 18-20 Run From The Scum, Tencreek Holiday Park, Looe, Cornwall 18-20 Two Stroke in Stoke 5, by S-o-T SC, Florence Sports & Social Club, Stoke on Trent, ST3 4JS.Friday Band 5:15’s, Saturday Night - Basketcase plus guest DJ’s, Twisted Sisters. £10. Craig 07850 64777 or Kev 07983 802721 20 Scooter-Fest 14, by North Staffs Jesters SC. Free entry (Donations please), Large Parts Fair, Ridden Custom Show (Last entry 1.30pm), Live Music, Hog Roast, etc. Silk Street Car…

Margate. A monolithic concrete monstrosity overshadows the town, the homeless huddle among boarded up shop windows and derelict buildings where fly-poster splattered graffiti adorns hoardings. In the rest of the world, Russia and the US are squaring up, and we’ve an unpopular government. It’s like 1977 all over again. You really couldn’t have asked for a more appropriate backdrop for the latest Undercover punk festival. As Scootering was sponsoring the second stage, we got invited down to report on the festival, so here we are. A broad cross section of the punk scene graced the stages this year. From established and respected elder statesmen through groups with a cult following to up and coming newcomers, from hardcore to oi!, from goth to skapunk, just about every corner of the punk…

The purpose of the Lambretta engine mount is pretty simple: to stop the vibration from the engine through the frame and in turn to give a much smoother ride. Until the Series 3 Lambretta was introduced the engine mounts were flush with the casing but with more powerful engines being produced they were extended like the ones we see today. Though the narrower engine mount is still available they are seldom used unless fitted to a factory spec restoration. For the benefit of this article, we will focus on the S3 type, even though the removal and fitting process of both types is exactly the same. Problems and diagnosis The engine mount is an integral part of the Lambretta swingarm system and allows the engine mount bolt to move freely…

Those of you with a very long memory may remember the name of the owner of this scooter, Martin Pope. Many years ago, way back around issue 18 or so, he had a cutdown Lambretta in the pages of this here magazine. Law Of The Land was aclassic of its era, and was lined up to be the major feature scooter of the issue. As such, Scootering hired a studio for the shoot, and a leggy blonde to sit astride it as was the way back then. They offered to arrange for avan to collect Martin and the scooter and run them up to Nantwich for the shoot. Martin had other ideas, and believed it was there to be ridden, and said he’d make his own way. Predictably,…

A well-known character within scootering, ‘H’ has been organising a St George’s Day ride out in Manchester along with the Lancashire Scooter Alliance for a few years and each year the numbers have swelled. Everyone is well aware of the amount of rides and events the alliance sorts out, so when I heard about it, I knew it was a goer. I first knew about this year’s plan from ‘H’ himself when he asked if I’d design the commemorative patch for him. That’s no problem; he told me the kind of thing he wanted and off I went. When I said I wanted to report on the event, but I didn’t have a ride, as my project Lambitsa was in pieces, alarm bells should have gone off in my head…

Hello pop-pickers! Over the past six years I have been lucky enough to indulge my passion for custom scooters within the pages of this fine magazine. Now, although the latest crop of show-stoppers are outstanding (and no doubt have had infinitely more money thrown at them), the golden age of customising for me was the period from the mid-80s to 90s. We (well most of us) were young, impressionable and sucked in by the lure of metalflake, murals, brightwork and ideas given to us at shows and rallies. With no internet, the first you got to see of the new build by ‘so and so’ was on the tarmac, and these masterpieces soon had crowds jostling for a glimpse. I know that I for one, was inspired and led down…

Stu Smith Vespa & Lambretta owner, scooter obsessive, amateur home mechanic, rally goer, Mod sympathiser, music lover and general all round good egg. He writes your rally reports, be nice to him. Nik Skeat Vespa P-range obsessive, well-travelled rally rider since the 80s, and founder of the once notorious Scooterboy World online forum. He’s also a brilliant beer-brewing bearded Scootering feature writer. Paul Green Vespa & Lambretta scooter enthusiast, BSSO professional and general good egg. Our Paul has a long history of scootering both on the road and on the track, with the breakdown bills and crash scars to prove it. Stuart Owen Life member of the LCGB, 100mph LambrettaClub owner and scooter restoration expert to boot. Scooter rider, rally-goer, racer, restorer and author. Reaches the parts other scooter journalists…

The last month seems to have flown by; I’ve attended meetings at Sandbach in Cheshire, Bangers and Mash Rally, and the ‘Not a Preseason Rally’ in Morecambe. I did a stall at both Sandbach and Morecambe, signed up new members and also sold tickets for The Cheshire 100 at both these events which is always good. Alongside the rallies and regional meetings, there is a strong sense of healthy competition within the VCB. One example is the RRC (Rider’s Regional Competition). The RRC comprises of 100 landmarks in each of the 15 VCB regions, giving a total of 1500 landmarks for competitors to visit. Landmarks within a competitor’s own region are worth one point, and in other regions they are worth two points. This means there are a grand total…

Name: Ian M Westmoreland Job: HGV driver. Scooter club & town: Scunthorpe Silhouettes SC. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: My older brother was a scooterist so always interested but never had the money to buy one till seven years ago which was a GP. What was your first scooter: GP A-reg green Lacoste scooter which I still have. What is your favourite style of custom scooter: I like most styles if they are done well, metal flake, candy, airbrushed down to the rat look. First rally or event: 1990 Scunthorpe Silhouettes rally at Ingleby Arms Amcotts. Favourite and worst rally/ event: Worst is Whitby. Favourite Scarborough. So can we please go back to it being every year not every other year? Funniest experience with a…

Name: Ramie Stewart Scooter club & town: Dundee Stars & Stripes. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: I got my first scooter in 1985. I only bought it to get to work as a mechanic, and had one ever since. What was your first scooter: PK 100. First rally or event: My first Rally was Morecambe ’86. How did you get there: Went there two-up like most people; no licence no insurance no nothing on a P150. Favourite and worst rally/event: Morecambe was always a fave continuing for mega years. But I like to support our Scottish No1’s and Kelso has the one of the best Scooter rallies in the country. What’s the furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter: Well everywhere can be far from…

The much talked-about TL400 is an improved machine that gives a better ride than the original TL300, from its smoother acceleration and excellent power delivery, through to its overall handling. It’s powered by a Moto Morini engine, a four-valve single cam unit that shares the same single cam cylinder and head setup as found on previous Suzuki Burgman 400 models. Will the TL400 ever make it into production? The answer to that is yes and no: Yes it will make it into production; but no, probably not as a 400cc... because pictured here is a new 450cc engine from the same stable. So you could be looking at a TL450 scooter available in both auto and geared versions – now that’s something to look forward to.…

Hi Dan, a couple of months back you asked for info on the Rabbit scooter. I have an undated magazine advert that looks 1950s to me. It does show that the scooter was imported to the US by a San Diego based distributor. I don’t know what the exchange rate was back then but $300 seems to be a bargain to me. Cheers, Al Banks (Reprobates SC) Salisbury Hi Al, Thanks for the letter, and thanks for the picture. Aesthetically speaking the Rabbit’s not my cup of tea, but I’d take three of them if the featured blonde came with it… as long as she didn’t Rabbit on of course (sorry). Regards, Dan…

Nestled away in the showroom and probably overlooked by many visitors is that rarest of beasts, an unmolested PX200E. “I’d known of the scooter from my time working at a car dealership” explained John. “One of the old boys there used it for his short commute and when I opened the shop he offered it to me but we couldn’t agree on price. A few years later I was asked if I could source a good, original PX. I went back to the owner and struck a deal but as I loaded it onto the van I knew that I’d never sell it! It’s covered 1400 miles from new and I’ve put around half of those on it. The exhaust’s been replaced with a BGM Big Box as the original…

Name of scooter & reason: Lu1e – it’s a Lui/FS1e. Scooter model: Lui 50cl. Date purchased & cost: December 2017 for £800. Inspiration for project: People who take knives to gun fights. Time to build & by who: Three months. Rob Farqueson – stripper and builder. Paul Lowden – paintwork and vinyl designs. Mark Byron – engine build and fabrication. Engine spec: Barrel Lui 50 Broadhurst tuned, fs/1e piston. Case: Innocenti Lui 50. Flywheel: Lui 50 lightened. Exhaust: Yamaha Fs1e, cut and shut to fit. Clutch: Two-plate with MB S3 springs. Gearbox: Lui 50. Carb: Dellorto SH 18. Porting: Mark Broadhurst. Describe engine performance, power delivery and scooter handling: Sketchy. Are there any other unique details we have missed: Forks strengthened and altered to allow more travel, S2 rear shock…

Name: Jamie Byrne Job: Artist – graphic designer. Scooter club & town: Leamington Low Numbers. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: Mainly through music, I grew up listening to my old man’s records. The Stones, The Beatles, Creedance, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart etc. I was a teenager when Britpop struck. I was mad for music and footy in those days. From there I started to become interested in British subcultures and the musical heritage within it. I already liked blues, but I discovered original RnB and rarer soul and my affinity with the 60s Mods grew from that. What was your first scooter: PX 125 bought from Dave Webster at MSC back in 2000 What is your favourite scooter model: GS160 – GS150 – TV175 S2…

Christopher Venter How I Became The Blind Scooter Guy Back in 2013, Christopher Venter assembled a team of four including himself. Their mission being an expedition that would take eight months and cover 30,000km. On four brand new LML two-stroke scooters, the plan was to start their epic journey in Cape Town, South Africa, ride north, before taking on Mediterranean Europe, and then to the final destination of Dublin, Ireland. The goal for the gang of four was to raise money, as well as a wider awareness, for much-needed health care provision for vulnerable children in South Africa. It goes without saying that any such endeavour would provide a number of unforgettable experiences for the participants. For organiser Christopher, some of his encounters turned out to be life changing!…

When it was launched in 1972, Vespa’s Rally 200 was an immediate success. With its combination of unparalleled performance and classic curves it remains, for many, the ultimate Vespa. Although just under 42,000 were produced between 1972 and 1979, due to the quality of 1970s steel, finding a good example’s far from easy. “When I first saw her she’d been at the hands of the customisers,” explained Tim Lightfoot, Little Bitch’s owner for the past 12 years. “I bought her from Sheffield Wednesday and Wales footballer Ryan Jones. She’d been de-seamed at some point and I was looking for a standard machine. The body shop looked at me like I’d gone mad when I asked them to re-seam her!” Both Tim and his wife Jane are active participants in the…

Being a pilot I love aircraft but by the mid-Noughties I was looking for something else to work on – being already heavily involved in the Malta Aviation Museum. I thought about cars and boats and I was looking for an ‘easy job’, but I couldn’t make up my mind until early in 2007 I came across a picture of a Piaggio Vespa plus side car and it caught my eye. There was a similarly shaped aircraft drop tank at the museum stores and I reasoned that I could possibly modify it to look like a side car. Only the scooter was missing from the equation. My baby The Maltese are keen collectors and this makes it difficult to get one’s hands on a classic car, bike or scooter. Idecided…

I first came across this scooter at a mid-80s Morecambe national. At the time I was very Lambretta biased, but for a change the ‘matching’ of the two favoured marques actually looked comfortable and well done. Iliked it, much to my own surprise. Builder Martin Pope from Leicester, had finally done something many previously tried to do, but failed. He had given us a very well-engineered Vesbretta and it came under the name… The Fury. Fast-forward to today, and the scooter is in the hands of new owner Dean Hoad, but he wasn’t aware of its previous show history, and only became aware when he posted pictures of his latest build on Facebook –a beaten up scooter bought as a box of bits! Eagled eyed keyboard warriors were straight on…

Exile. For me, in the words of Connor McCloud, there can be only one. Straight into top spot is Russell Mitchell’s 1984 show stopper. Not only did this scooter get me into customising, I know it was also the inspiration for a certain Jeremy Howlett to create his ‘Gods of the Arena’! Spiritwalker. Just missing the top spot, for me the ultimate full frame! Jeremy Howlett, Paul Karslake, Don Blocksidge and MSC at their best. My favourite mural and if you looked closely several hidden messages appeared in the gold paint. If rumours are correct this became the iconic Nike Air? Illusion. Steve Maw’s chop, after several previous incarnations this Taylor’s Creative Customising version appeared in ’84. For me almost on a par with Exile and unlike the aforementioned still…

For many years, manufacturers of motorcycle and scooter clothing have used loopholes in the EU legislation which allowed them to sell clothing as ‘protective’ despite it being nothing of the sort. The law allowed these companies to trade in this manner, as long as the item had a protective component, generally armoured inserts at the elbows, knees, or spine. Although worthwhile in their own way, they are of limited use when the garment disintegrates as you slide down the road! As of now, this anomaly has been removed. A new European directive requires all riding gear sold as motorcycle clothing to meet strict and standardised testing before it can be allowed to be sold as such, in much the same way as industrial Personal Protective Equipment has to pass certain…

If you look back at the history of scooters, whatever make they happen to be, they have regularly gone through many changes over time; changes that in the majority have been governed by the owners themselves. They are made to fit in with what was seen as fashionable during a specific period. Some have been more popular than others and still have followers to this day but can one trend alone claim to be responsible for making them stylish? You can’t argue the fact that the scooters in question are either the Lambretta or the Vespa with only a slight exception to the rule here and there. When both manufacturers entered the market back in the 1940s the scooter was seen as nothing more than a vehicle of transportation. It…

Love them or hate them the sound of Scomadi and other four-stroke scooters is here to stay. That sound has been gaining traction on the road scene and rallies for some time now and has even made a huge impact at the BSSO British Scooter Championship too. That flatter and lower tone doesn’t truly reveal how relatively high those engines are actually revving on the race track but for sure it’s avery different sound and smell to that of screaming two-strokes that everyone is used to (ahhh… remember when it was Castrol R). But the gain is reliability and relatively low cost. Of course this is a change that we have touched on in the past that is being forced by the world around us, air pollution and environmental issues…

The new Thai-built Scomadi Turismo Technica range is a totally separate production entity and design profile to the TL. We rode a pre-production TT200 version while at Scomadi HQ and can report that the improvements made to the new range are positive in almost every respect, from design through to performance and desirability (Scomadi has listened to customer feedback on this one). The new suspension system with its improved shock absorption characteristics certainly improves the smoothness of the ride. Scomadi claims the new ‘Slimstyle’ TT provides extra driver and passenger legroom and improved ground positioning, so that should prove a winner. With a 420mm maximum panel width, the ‘Slimstyle’ version is narrower than the TL version (560mm). The TT comes with metal legshields, sidepanels and rear floorboards and the headset…

Name: Dean Child (Dino) Job: Full time scooter mechanic with a background in engineering. Scooter club & town: King’s Horbury. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: When I was about 15 years old and my older friends had them. What was your first scooter: TV 175. Smashed it up for the fields (I know). P 200e on the road. What is your favourite scooter model: I like them all, no particular style. What is your favourite style of custom scooter: Just like the thoughts and imagination that goes into some machines. Funniest experience with a scooter: Just rebuilt my GTR and setting off backwards hitting ‘the crown jewels’ on the headset! (Woodruff key sheared and it ran backwards). What’s the furthest you’ve ever ridden on a…

Name of scooter: Supersonic Reason: I took the name from Oasis’ first single release back in 1994. I also thought the word ‘Supersonic’ would look mint when designed as a logo. ‘Gleaming’ was the other name I had in mind. Scooter model: British Registered (Coventry) 1960 Lambretta TV175 Series 2. Date purchased: I bought it back in March 2011. My mate Lee Geary knew I was after a British TV2 and came up trumps by sourcing a complete Coventry Lambretta. Inspiration for project: At first it was going to be a fully loaded mod TV2 with Raydyots and chrome etc. but it was taking so long to develop the design I got bored. The style is a bit of a mixed bag to be honest. A bit 60s Mod, with…

As always, entering a new season there are some changes with new classes and sponsors and, for the first time, two separate ACU championships. The ACU Stock Scooter British Championship sees an overall champion crowned from the standard classes including Group 4 and production for both Lambretta and Vespa geared scooters as well as automatic production. And the ACU Super Scooter British Championship provides for a champion from the more exotic machines which compete in the specials classes for both geared and automatic scooters as well as the new open class. The new Scomadi cup features virtually identical machines which are subsidised (and race prepared) by the manufacturer to provide a competitive and economic race series. Another change is the introduction of a new race weekend format with a full…

Name: Martin Pope Job: Driver. Home town: Syston Leicester. When did you first become interested in scooters: In the 70s. First scooter: Vespa SS180. Favourite scooter model: SX200. Favourite Scootering magazine feature: Dave Oakley’s Nostalgic Custom Corner. Your favourite custom/featured scooter of all time: Worlds Apart. Scooter spec: Model: 1961 Vespa VBB. Cylinder kit: 215 Pinasco. Crank: 60mm Mazzucchelli. Carb: 26mm to match kit. Exhaust: SIP Curly expansion. Clutch: Corsa. Gearbox: T5 4th Gear. Wheels: GTS. Tyres: Schwalbe. Suspension: SIP. Describe engine performance, power delivery and scooter handling: Holds the road like glue, pulls like a train, stops on a penny and is reliable.…

Name: Stefan Manoli Age: 50 Scooter club: Manchester Nite Owls. Job: Self-employed auto locksmith. Favourite scooter: GS150. First scooter: Lambretta TV 200. What do I dislike about scootering: The knockers! Veppy, Lammy, auto, Modena, Scomadi… love ’em or hate ’em, they are all on two wheels. And most important it keeps the scene alive! Worst part bought: Crap from ’Nam. Can’t beat the Italian and German stuff. Favorite rally: Vespa World Days, love them. Engine: Quattrini M200, Quattrini Crank, Fabri racing clutch, DRT primaries, PLC cush drive, DRT selector, Vespa-tronic ignition, power 32bhp and 22lb-ft… insane.…