Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2018 i Scootering

This month marked the end of an era for me, I sold my scooter dyno outfit. For those who don’t know, before taking up the position of editor here at Scootering, Ispent a considerable number of years as co-owner of Scooterotica garage in North Yorkshire, where not only did we (Sean Brady and myself) produce many show winning scooters, but also operated a full scooter tuning and dyno centre. At the back of my mind, I always thought that I’d still ‘keep my hand in’ of a weekend in between my editorial duties for the magazine. However, by the end of this year I will have completed three years as editor, and during the time I’ve been at the helm, I have found precious little time to utilise the dyno,…

Malossi has brought its RS24 performance suspension line to the forefront with its latest fitment for automatic Vespas. The new RS24 rear damper has been developed through years of experience and testing on and off the race track, and as such the rear damper offers superb quality, value, and consistency for any rider. Furthermore, the levels of comfort, road handling, and reliability on offer are second to none, with many prototypes being put through their paces to ensure the best possible product available. The damper is suitable for fitment to the following models of Vespa automatic scooters: Vespa Primavera 2014 on, Vespa Sprint 2014 on. RS24 specifications ■ Coil over oil based damper ■ 14mm diameter chrome plated shaft ■ Preload, compression and rebound damping adjustment ■ Low friction DU…

Name: Paul Le Brocq Job: Chef/patron at The Green Olive Restaurant Jersey Scooter club & town: Purple Hearts Scooter Club, Jersey. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: In the Eighties. Quadrophenia was a big influence; the Mod scene hit Jersey and they were great times that I will never forget. I made some good friends. What was your first scooter: My first scooter was a Lambretta Li 150 I bought for £15, but the panels used to fall off. Then I bought a Vespa Rally 200, and have not looked back. What is your favourite scooter model: Vespa Rally 200 and Vespa GS150. Favourite and worst rally/event: My favourite rally – Isle of Wight 2010. My good friend Jimmy Worboys’ scooter Infactuation won in best accessories.…

“The Frankland brothers were Taffspeed, the Taffspeed legend… accept no imitations.” We knew it was coming but the passing of Ian Frankland has still hit both the scooter race community and the road scene hard. I first met the two Welsh brothers Ian and Terry Frankland in 1987 when I’d just started racing scooters. Even then they were big names. In terms of scooter racing there were two huge arch rivals back then: MSC and Taffspeed, and I was in the MSC camp with a Dave Webster motor. But in my second year in Group 4 Iwas struggling at Three Sisters after suffering an engine seize. Ian Frankland was walking by and in his friendly, slightly nosey way asked what the trouble was. When I told him, he asked to…

Brian and Alison Varey were our camping buddy neighbours and had travelled from Selby in North Yorkshire. Riding to Kelso, Alison lost control of her GP while riding behind Brian on his chop. Parting company with her loved Lambretta, Alison took a tumble and was nursing a swollen ankle when we met. Despite her pain, they both continued scooting. “Y’re alright love,” Brian had said and she was, so on they went. “You’ve just gotta keep going, haven’t you,” said Alison. Luckily, there were no breakages to Alison, but the Lammy was missing a front brake lever and a busted headlight. Kelso’s flyer claimed there would be “spares to get you home” and joyfully, this was the case. Brian spared Alison the hobble and dived to the parts stalls once…

The older we get the more we see our peers pass away. Last week I learned of three close friends who had passed away. I suppose at my age, getting on for 72, it’s inevitable that my peers, older friends, neighbours, leave this life. Not the case though with Ian Frankland. Ian was one of the two ‘Terrible Taffs’! He was the last remaining Frankland brother, after Terry’s passing a number of years ago. My first recollection of the Frankland family, was staying over at the family home, where mum Frankland let me have her room to stay over for the night. Such was the kindness shown to a passing Scot, we became good friends. All we had in common was our interest in scooters and scooter sport. Ian was…

Name of scooter & reason: Dystopia. A satirical look at the world of today. The names of the artworks are... Who Would Jesus Bomb – side panel. Bad Buddha – side panel. Trumpanzie – inside leggies toolbox. Beating the Drum – frame toolbox. The Church of Atomic Purification – back offrame loop. The Neighbour – front of leggies. Punchbot – headset. Scooter model: SIL GP200. Date purchased & cost: July 2014, £1800. Inspiration for project: Building a custom scooter is something I always wanted to do. Especially after seeing the scooters I couldn’t afford when I was young. Time to build & by who: Over the last two years. Built by myself and Colin Fitzgerald. Any specialised parts or frame mods: Hunted high and low for the seat (Soulscooter). Horn…

Since 2014 The Nifty Fifty Endurance series has been running at Route 34 Motopark. It’s open to teams of up to four riders, and the five-hour long endurance meetings are run as an economical way of having a fun day out racing. The organisers have also raised more than £50,000 for the charities nominated by the various teams. The events are well run, well marshalled and held at a venue that is easy to access just off the A34 in Hampshire, a few miles North of Winchester. The first races of this season were in March and May, and further meetings are on July 21 and September 22. Registration for teams competing is already open. For rules, regulations, entry details and other information, visit the website below. Currently, there are…

Name: Mark Midgley Scooter club & town: Classic Nouveau SC, Leeds. What was your first scooter: For a very short while it was a Vespa SS180! And then a Vespa 50 Special. First rally or event: Knaresborough pre-season run. How did you get there: Vespa 50 Special. What’s the furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter: IoW x2 or Holland. What’s your favourite Scootering magazine feature: Readers’ scooters because it means so much to everyone. Your favourite custom/featured scooter of all time: I like reading about the specification of all the scooters, it’s always my first read. Name of scooter & reason: Team AF Race Scooter 125cc class. Scooter model: GP 200. Inspiration for project and theme: To get back out there! Engine spec: Over race…

The event was very popular with thousands of car enthusiasts attending – but they were probably not expecting to see race scooters on track in between some very spectacular car action including vintage F1 cars. For scooter fans though, the meeting will be long remembered as a scene of carnage with one of the biggest crashes of recent years which was certainly the most filmed with onboard footage from three race scooters and a trackside spectator capturing the footage. The accident left the production class grid very diminished with all three Team DSC scooters very damaged and the riders bent and broken too, with Stephen Hamilton spending a few days in Grimsby hospital with injuries including his tenth broken collarbone! See opposite for a word from Team DSC top man…

The Lambretta engine is a simple but ingenious design. It’s neat, compact, and when you think about it… not only does it house a chain drive but also a four-speed gearbox (now five-speed in some cases). To get all this in such a small area was quite a remarkable feat at the time of its conception. Innocenti was smart in how it went about the gearing requirements for each model… changing the ratios depending on the capacity and power output with great ease. Here is where it gets a little complicated though, as models ranging from the Li Series 1 right up to the Grand Prix all had gearboxes that were interchangeable with each other. Chuck in the fact both the front and rear sprocket were also interchangeable and you…

Name: Paul Jamieson (aka ‘Jamo’) Scooter club & town: Coast Riders Back to Zero SC. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: A few guys had scooters and we all got them for work. We then used to ride round in the evenings and formed the first ever Stretford scooter club. We also used to get chased by Rockers! What was your first scooter: 1959 Lambretta Li125 Series 2. It cost £8 to buy and £8 to insure! Favourite style of custom scooter: I like to see scooters which have been restored to their former glory. As if they’d just come out of the shop window (like ‘Horners’ on Ayres Road back in the day). First rally or event: Probably Llandudno, Rhyl or Colwyn Bay in the…

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…

These four images in sequence show the painstaking lengths it took to create the swirl effect on the paintwork. Firstly the mainframe and additional bodywork were sprayed with a coat of silver pearl paint. Thereafter the total surface area was completely masked off and the lines of each swirl were then sketched on by freehand using a pencil. Happy with the lines a small craft knife and in some parts a scalpel was used to cut each line it. Once each cut-out was removed this left the area that would be painted in Magenta Kandy. The final process was to remove what was left of the masking revealing the true effect of the amazing swirl patterns.…

After several years of Lambretta ownership, the inevitable would happen – you’d tune the engine. Like so many others you did everything possible to squeeze every last bit of power out of these Italian shopping bikes. Everyone was attempting it one way or another; for some it was just a case of fitting a bigger carburettor and expansion pipe, the old bolt-on power philosophy. For the rest, it was a much more intense affair with porting of the barrel either in the shed at home or by a shop offering stage ten million or something to lure the customer in. My progress had been gradual and followed along similar lines of what others in the club were doing. However, owning a garage full of the things meant different options with…

Darren Simmonds owner of the custom scooter, ‘Top Banana Re-Peeled’ has been going to the Phoenix Nights do since it started. Committed to getting the most out of the event, Darren arrived at the venue early on Friday morning. He set up his tent and enjoyed the rest day at the rally. In the evening Darren left the venue and completed a full night shift at work. Having completed his shift, he returned to the campsite, grabbed some sleep and enjoyed the rest of the event. To add to Darren’s weekend ‘Top Banana Re-Peeled’ won Best…

Least crap snap…

Name: Paul Midgley Scooter club: Leeds Crusaders SC. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: My best friend at the time, Geoff Charlesworth bought a Lambretta Silver Special in 1966 and I was hooked on scooters from then. What is your favourite scooter model: Lambretta SX200. It was the 90mph speedo that did for me! First rally or event: IoW in 1967. How did you get there: Li125 Any stories: Going on holiday in 1967 when Sandra and I set off on the scooter from Leeds with £10 borrowed from my mum only to blow a hole in the piston as we came into Leicester. A helpful fella who happened to be passing by in an Austin Cambridge saw that I’d broken down and asked what was…

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. JUNE 30 Dorset Knights SC, Charity day and night at Wimborne FC. BH21 4EL. Camping available, all in aid of “Balls To Cancer” 30 Secret Affair, live plus DJs at the Haverhill Arts Centre, CB9 8AR. £16 ticket 01440 714140 or 07983 359704 29-30 Double Diamond SC, music weekender. Towersey playing field, Thame Rd, Towersey. Oxon. OX9 3QF 29-1st July The Weekend Rumble, Great House Farm, Usk, NP15 1DE. Strictly ticket only. www.theweekendrumble.com 29-1st July Moduska 6, Woodrush…

One of these shifts is to more riding events. Instead of turning up to a venue and just getting drunk, a lot of people enjoy a ride around the area. And not just a ride to the local dog’s home or hospital to present a cheque, but a proper 100-mile plus ride around the countryside. I think as we get older, we appreciate the beautiful places this country has to offer and let’s face it, there is no better way to experience them than on two wheels. The VCB North West region puts on a riding event every year; 2016 saw the Lakeland 100 taking place; it was a 100-mile ride from Kendal Rugby Club and took in all the major passes in the picturesque Lake District in Cumbria. It…

Cadwell was a very tough meeting for us, Monday’s incident losing all four riders was a total freak situation. We still can’t understand how from varying positions on the grid all four Team DSC riders were the only ones involved out of a grid of 35+ riders. Anyone who follows scooter racing, whether they be tuners, builders, family or friends will tell that your heart is in your mouth until you see your respective riders come into view after every lap. I knew pretty early on after the red flag that our lot had been in the mix as they didn’t come round to form up on the grid for a re-start. Although, it was not until after the race when I spoke to some of the riders, and eventually…

Li 150: A fairly good gearbox in general but there is a bit of a gap between third and fourth gear. This is okay in smaller powered engines but it can be a bit of a problem when changing up into top gear on a tuned engine. The reason being the gap becomes more noticeable as you start to go up on the sprocket sizes. Li 125: This has a very short first gear which is ideally suited if you have a sidecar, helping you to get moving from a standing mass much easier. Though there is a bit of a gap up to second gear you can get away with it easier than if it was between third and fourth. If using a sprocket combination of 18/47 it gives…

Owner: Tim Lovell Club: Dirty Mills SC, VCB. Favourite scooter model: Mk1 T5. Favourite style of scooter: My tastes are eclectic, if I like it – I like it. First rally: Scarborough 1983. Favourite rally: Yarmouth. Every time I went I enjoyed the ride and like the atmosphere. Worst Rally: Skegness 1990 at the speedway. Just bad all round. Furthest Ridden: Aix-Les-Bains in 1988 for Eurovespa. A round trip of around 2000 miles. Recommend one part: A comfy seat. Scooter name: Infinite Thrill Engine spec: Standard P200E with Sip Road 2 exhaust. Paint: By owner. Chrome: Quality Chrome. Anything else to add: A bit more chrome but that’s it. Thanks to: Liz, my wife, for her patience and understanding and the kids Ellie and Oliver. Andy Smith for his advice…

Name of scooter: ‘The Big Easy’ due to the New Orleans blues theme. It’s not about the drink; it’s about people playing the blues in ‘The Big Easy’, which is the nickname for the city of New Orleans in Louisiana. Scooter model: Vespa T5 Mk1. Inspiration for project and theme: I’ve always done cut-downs or plain scooters in the past but I’ve never done a scooter with a full custom paint job before. I’m coming up to 63 years old and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It’ll be my legacy – it’ll show that I’ve been there. Is the scooter reliable: Hopefully it will be! It’s had a full engine rebuild and I couldn’t find any major faults with it. Paintwork & murals done by: Gatch. What was…

AF Rayspeed Clo5e Ratio Gearbox update Ben at AF Rayspeed has sent over a last minute update on the situation regarding the company’s five-speed gearboxes. As mentioned previously, a question mark was originally raised over the selector component of the gearbox following a failure in high-power race engines on the track, and so the part has since undergone a complete redesign. AF has insisted on getting a production sample check of the new design, which it has now received and fitted into high-power race engines for extreme and harsh testing sessions. The next phase of the process, once the new uprated items have arrived at AF, is to supply selectors to replace all existing examples of the current design. Additionally, having been made aware of further selector failures in road…

Name of scooter & reason: Twisted Soul. It’s areflection of my youth. Scooter model: Vespa Rally 200 Electronic. Date purchased & cost: £200 barn find in ’96. Inspiration for project: The Mods Scene in Jersey, of which I was part, and all our clashes with the rockers in our island, articles that featured in our local island paper. Time to build & by who: By my good friend Jimmy Worboys, a real perfectionist. I owe him. Any specialised parts or frame mods: Our Local iron works Steve Rylance Ltd, for duplicating all the plastic trim in brass,to enable it to be gold plated. Thank you Jason. Keith @ K2 for my custom brake pedal and petrol and choke taps. Describe engine performance, power delivery and scooter handling: It’s aMod machine,…

BEST VESPA: (On Small Wheels) White GT BEST LAMBRETTA: (Lambretta Club Of Wales) Series 2 ‘Old Time Tuning’ BEST MOD: (Two Stroke Clothing) Vespa GS BEST CUSTOM: (FJ’s Print Shop) Apocalyptic BEST OF SHOW: (Lambretta Club Of Wales) Prelude BEST ENGINEERED: (Mike English Garages) Darkside BEST AUTO: (Taffy Ducks Scooter Club) Maxi Vespa BEST CHOP/CUTDOWN: (Pembrokeshire Scooter Club) Blue Summer BEST STREET RACER: (Super Deluxe Scooter Parts) Lambretta Coca-Cola Blak PUNTER'S CHOICE: (Indecipherables Lambretta Collective) Vespa PX with accessories BEST CLASSIC/VINTAGE: (Distant Echo Scooter Club) Vespa Douglas BEST PAINT: (Glamorgan Classic Restorations) Vespa Rossi Race…

The Armed Forces Scooter Club (AFSC) were well represented at the event. Two of their in-club challenges are known as ‘first over the line’ and ‘last man standing’. As the names suggest, it’s simple: the first person to arrive at the venue wins ‘first over the line’ and the last person out of the venue wins ‘last man standing’. This year partners Phil Hammond and Victoria Preece Jones (Vicky) set off from the Birmingham area to attend the do. Vicky led the ride all the way only to be pipped at the post by Phil who, having seen the venue gate approaching quickly pulled back the throttle and passed through the entrance first. One nil to Phil!? As Saturday night came to a close Phil and Vicky among the last…

Fanzine My hubby Carlton, from Stoke-on-Trent, enjoying his Scootering mag in Tenerife. He rides a 1970 GP200. LML Scooters okay? Having had a Vespa 150 Sportique back in the day I’m now in a position to get a scooter as a fun machine for the summer. Unable to afford a new Vespa or Lambretta, I settled on an LML last year as a viable alternative. I’d love a manual one but have issues with my left thumb which would make gear changing difficult. So I made up my mind to opt for an LML only to find now they’ve gone into liquidation. If I were to opt for a second hand model are there enough dealers and spares available or would it be an unworthy choice. Other options are AJS…

Name: Allan Tait Job: Plater. Scooter club & town: No club/Northallerton. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: First interest taken was when I was 12 or 13 and went to York for the day and saw scooters buzzing around for the first time! Ah the sound and smell – addictive or what! What was your first scooter: Jet 200 (I was 16) £70. What is your favourite scooter model: Lambretta S1. First rally or event: Scarborough 1980. How did you get there: Jet 200, still only 16! Any stories: Yeah, after I went to Skegness rally a couple of months later (still 16) I got caught by the police lol… no licence, no insurance. I changed the date in the MOT (hey, Icouldn’t see a problem…

Name of scooter & reason: Lu1e – Lui/FS1E. Scooter model: Lui 50cl. Date purchased & cost: December 2017 £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 barrel and piston: Barrel Lui 50 Broadhurst tuned, FS1E 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. Modifications: Forks strengthened and altered to allow more travel, S2 rear shock fabricated to fit, handlebar bracing, kick-start doglegged, stand extended. Exhaust cut and shut by Nobby. Knobbly off-road tyres.…

■ Twenty-nine Lambrettas started the journey and despite several repairs along the way, twenty-nine finished. ■ Between the riders, more than £3000 was raised for charity. ■ By the time everyone returned home a total of around 58,000 miles had been covered in total by the Lambrettas present. ■ The LPS museum rally was such a success it would continue every year after and was the base for the 1992 Euro Lambretta rally. ■ During the week of the event, plans were discussed regards doing a North South East West run of Britain the following year. It was shelved once the Euro Lambretta was announced. ■ It was true that one member of the group drained the gearbox oil from his engine as, during a drinking session on the second…

Name: Carl Midgley Scooter club: Leeds Crusaders SC How and when did you first become interested in scooters: About 25 years ago I was visiting Spain on holiday and came across only what I can only describe as a Spanish scooter ride out, from that day I said to myself, ‘I’m going to buy a scooter when I get home’. Looking back it was inevitable that I would end up in the scooter scene as most of my family are avid scooterists! What was your first scooter: Li125 (thought that would have put me off for life!). What is your favourite scooter model: Love all of them, especially the ones that are restored at home. If I had to choose it would be the flagship models, SX200 and GP200. First…

Name: Paul Reeson Scooter club & town: No club – lone rider. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: In 1983 due to my mates being Mods and me being into psycho scene. Psychobillys were just starting to get scooters. First scooter: Li 150 Silver Special given to me by next-door neighbour. Favourite style of custom scooter: Anything where the owner has put effort in themselves! Not just an open wallet. First rally or event: Morecambe scooter rally ’85. Favourite and worst rally/event: Best: Disc Rally ’85 first on a scooter. Worst: Blackpool ’90. Funniest experience with a scooter: Overtaking my mate on the A1 coming back from the IoW on my PX125 while I was having a quick sleep! Furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter:…

The Social Ignition The Social Ignition (self-published) It’s been a while since I heard a ska album as instantly infectious as this. Bouncing 2-Tone rhythms rub shoulders with a laid back reggae groove, all underpinned by layers of brass and a driving bass line, giving a new twist on the tradition of mixing up the pace of the music. Occasional hints of a punkier sound try to emerge too, but rarely come to any prominence, just giving extra depth to an already heady mix. Although managing to avoid the common trap of trying to sound like The Specials/Toasters/Rancid/whoever, they have a certain instant familiarity about their sound, taking elements of all those (and more) and twisting them into something new and hugely entertaining. An early contender for my ska…

Rebel Threads is a book spanning the range of British youth subcultures from the war onwards and delving into the fashions which gave them their name. We caught up with the author, a former Midlands Mod, in among his racks of vintage clobber to talk Trevira, Toyah and Trojan... Film director Julien Temple wrote the foreword – how did that come about? I started working with Julien in '82. I believe the first video I did with him was for The Beat’s Save it for Later. It’s funny because a lot of the clothes I used in the video were seen later in Absolute Beginners, which in a way was like one big music video, and now many of these clothes feature in Rebel Threads. Thanks to magazines like The…

“Darren Conneely again showed the potential of the Open Class Casa SSR265 but took no championship points home” Production Class Several riders were missing with broken bikes and bodies, but at the front Lee Bamber was on top form as he continues to learn how to ride geared Lambrettas and an incredible first race saw him take a very narrow win from Stewart McKenzie on one of two Vespas in the race with Mike Bonett and Stuart Day right on them – just one second covered the first four riders in some brilliant racing. Bamber took another win and then Mike Bonett took the last race of the weekend, beating Bamber into second place. This class is as close as ever at the front with four riders capable of winning…

I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the street-racer style. Functionality and looks – what else could you wish for? Now although the beauty you see here has been stored away for almost two decades, it has quite an interesting story. It first became ‘Budweiser’ when a young Rog ‘Fascination’ Godley bought a two-owner red GP with brass/copper plating around 1979. After a few years and a trade with Broady for a bit of tuning, he along with a mate (but no masks or booth) carried out the first Budweiser finish. It was eventually sold on and made its way down to sunny Suffolk. Here a new owner, Jason Cross, decided it was time for a colour change and the blue version was created. Looking at it…