Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2018 i Scootering

This edition is the last magazine of the season with one of our free supplements attached to it, before we move into the winter months and issue our much-loved free calendar and wall planner. Therefore it was my last opportunity of the season to get this one distributed. I only make mention of this because the subject matter of this free supplement will really come into its own during the later winter months… it being a complete guide to Lambretta restoration. Like the previously issued Scooter Painting Guide, and Vespa Tuning & Maintenance Guide, this is a series of articles which previously ran in the magazine, which we have now pulled together into one easy to read and handy supplement. Hopefully this can be made use of throughout the coming…

SSC still have a couple of spaces left for their Saigon to Hanoi scooter run. Latest arrival day is Saturday, October 6 for a riders meet and greet with dinner, before embarking on a two-week event. The event price is $1950 US, which includes scooter rental, petrol, accommodation (mid-range hotel based on two people sharing), breakfast, lunch, soft drinks and snacks, backup van with 24/7 mechanic, entrance fees to any excursions, the final dinner with drinks, presentations and trophies. Plus, limited edition T-shirts and goody packs. Return charges for scooters returned to SSC. (Price doesn’t include: International flights, evening meals, alcoholic beverages) For more info: www.saigonscootercentre.com…

Name: Phil Duck Scooter club & town: Few old mates from the York Saxon SC. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: 1979 with my mates at the local fair watching the scooters come and go. What was your first scooter: White GP125cc. What is your favourite scooter model: Lambretta Jet 200. What is your favourite style of custom scooter: German-engineered Vespa PX. First rally or event: Knaresborough pre-season local event 1979/80. How did you get there: Very slowly on my GP. Any stories: A gang of us went touring in Europe last year, on the ferry were a lot of big bikes choppers etc. As we docked the bikes started revving the engines; one of our group who was on a large auto decided to rev…

At the Cleethorpes Rally the campsite is the hub of the event. Not only is there a non-stop disco provided by the infamous Mad Dog, but there is plenty to keep punters occupied and amused! Now I have always been obsessed with scooter trickery and the need for speed, so my interest was sparked when I heard the grunty roar of a very interesting machine enter the site and make its way over to the mobile dyno. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it was Jon Patterson on his alien-faced X9 hybrid. So, while his machine was put through its paces I took the opportunity to get a bit of info on the ‘scooter’ and the owner’s thoughts on this event. Owner: Jon Patterson Hometown: Birmingham, West…

For the record I’m a fan of South West Scooter Club’s (SWSC) rallies in general but there’s something particularly appealing about Exmouth. Unlike many British resorts, it’s managed to retain some old-world charm. There’s just enough ‘kiss me quick’ atmosphere to be fun but not so much to be tacky. The area around The Strand is full of little cafe bars and the high street isn’t overrun with charity shops or big corporate names. Despite a mixed forecast my 300-mile ride down south passed without incident and I arrived at the b’n’b without once having to don my waterproofs. It’s not often I use a b’n’b at a National, but the local authority in Exmouth has a mixed reputation for supporting the rally. The last time Exmouth hosted a National…

Has the scooter won and show trophies: No, it’s not for show it’s for riding. Name of scooter & reason: ‘Extreme’ because it is. Scooter model: Indian GP 150 Inspiration for project and theme: The inspiration for the project was Jason Potter. The inspiration for the theme was John Parrish’s fairground ride, ‘Extreme’. Time to build: Two years. Engine spec: Kit: KTM SX. Crank: Standard 72mm Carb: 36mm bored to 38mm D shaped carb. Exhaust: Pro Circuit. Clutch: Recluse Gearbox: Six speed. Porting & Dyno by: Martin Cook at Chiselspeed Describe engine performance, power delivery and scooter handling: 49hp and 33lb of torque max. Knocked the power down to 46hp and 31lb of torque for better rideability. Is the scooter reliable: It starts every time. Paintwork & murals done by:…

Why is the Lambretta Club of Great Britain going to such great lengths to defend the name, logo and historic designs of the British Lambretta Owners Association (BLOA) and stop it from being used by someone else? Put simply, we are trying to protect part of the history of the LCGB itself. That’s not unusual: as any scooter owner will know, “history” matters in all sorts of ways. It may be about the age and provenance of a scooter itself. It is also about common memories and experiences, of riding to rallies and other events, of laughs with your mates, of breakdowns and triumphs. It could be about the history of your own scooter club. It’s all part of our shared history and tradition as scooterists. The LCGB is about…

Name: Garzone and Mastro Genna Scooter club & town: Vespa Club Pavia (Italy) First interest in scooters: When I was 14, and I asked my parents to buy my first scooter. I wanted an old Vespa, but they said it was not safe, and bought me one of those ‘new’ scooters. Only after I started working could I buy my first old Vespa. Favourite scooter model: I am a collector of old Vespas and Lambrettas, I cannot determine which is my favourite scooter... in the end they are all my little girls! Favourite style of custom scooter: I think that what comes closest to me is that of a fine and essential custom, with soft and sinuous shapes that hack back to the most ancient Vespas. I love curvy style,…

There’s little doubt that one of BGM’s most successful products are its suspension units. A recent addition to the range is a gas shock for the classic Sprint/Rally range. Because of the limited space available these feature a ‘piggyback’ cylinder which increases the damper volume while preserving the original geometry and vastly improving performance. This arrangement’s proven so successful that prototypes are currently being tested on the shop’s Lambretta test bed. Having taken a quick ride I can confirm the ride is much improved with very controlled handling even under hard braking.…

Another month on and a few more rallies under my belt, including The Prodigy Rally in Wrexham, Cleethorpes and Strictly Scooters. However, from a VCB committee point of view, the last big event was VWD in Belfast which was a huge success. We’re using this as a foundation to build on for future events, especially BVD in Llangollen next August. We still have The Cheshire 100 and the Two Channels Dash to look forward to this year, along with the AGM and social evening in November. The VCB has undergone many changes since its formation in 1952 and is constantly looking at new ideas to move forward into the 21st century. Recently, members set up a branch for riders with disabilities; to work alongside them we have appointed a committee…

Disassembling or reassembling a Lambretta engine requires certain tools to make it possible. By using alternatives or bodges it will more than likely end in failure and in the worst case scenario damage the part you are working on. Innocenti produced lots of different workshop tools, each to carry out a specific purpose. From time to time they come up for sale and are well worth buying not only because they were made well but also as they fit perfectly. Even so, there are not enough to go around so this means that aftermarket ones are the only option. Thankfully, there are some good manufacturers producing them, and are a worthwhile purchase if you want to work on your Lambretta engine. So what are the most important and why? 1:…

What’s atuk-tuk? It’s a trike used for taxis and shifting stuff all over Asia... there are millions of them. It’s now a 198cc four-stroke unit and it’ll do about 42mph. It does between 65 and 75mpg depending on how many people and how many hills it has to contend with. It carries three in the back and weighs about 320kg. It’s under the tax band of ‘trikes under 450cc’ which, (at time of press) is £88 a year. Insurance can start from £200, but like any insurance, it varies wildly depending on your age, experience, prior stuff… you know the score. You need a full bike licence to drive one, but if you passed your car licence before January 2013, you can apparently drive them under a B1. There’s an…

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…

For many of us, just keeping a scooter on the road back in the 1980s was a daily task. It didn’t matter whether it was a Lambretta or Vespa, both would need regular maintenance and attention. With shops sparsely located and no internet to give you answers, it was survival of the fittest just to keep the things going. With the lack of instant spares availability, it often meant taking things into your own hands. Both resourcefulness and ingenuity were often required, not only to make the right decision but also how to solve a problem. While that was fine for most it could be a lethal weapon for others when it came to scooter maintenance. Local to us was a lad known as Pauly and though he was an…

Wildcards SC fundraiser Twenty years of The Wildcards and a sad start to the year. We rode as a club to Gary’s funeral; little did we know that in less than a week, another club member would be fighting for their life. Thankfully, although life changing, Roy amazed us all and even managed to attend the fundraiser we had planned for him and his family. The support before and on the evening, from the scootering and non-scootering world was amazing, allowing us to hand over a cheque for £1582.09, along with Kenny’s Just Giving page raising another £1125, making a fantastic total. A massive thank you to Rob for doing the door, Lorraine and Cheryl for doing the raffle, Steve Haitherm and Markus for DJing. Scootering, VFM, PM Tuning, Modern…

In 2017 a new Lambretta club was formed and came to the public’s attention by way of Facebook. These days it’s not uncommon for a club or business to start this way and Facebook is the accepted platform for it. The club was named the British Lambretta Owners Association (BLOA) and sports a blue shield logo. To some Lambretta owners it was seen as something totally new, but to a lot of existing riders it was something they had seen before. Why? Well, BLOA existed many years ago and though it hasn’t been commercially present in general scootering circles for a long time, it is steeped in history. It also has a long-standing association with Lambretta Club Great Britain and this is where the problems started. What the new club…

We thought it only fair to offer the opportunity for members of both clubs to have their say, and so we contacted those who we knew to be either well-respected within the scooter community, or those who had been publicly vocalising their opinions on social media the loudest. Rather unsurprisingly, out of the 14 we contacted, when put on the spot and asked to step up and speak, the majority didn’t want to know (keyboard warriors etc). But thankfully four members at least took their club allegiances seriously enough to speak up and be heard, here’s what they had to say… Ady Bowler – BLOC membership number 194 I have been a member of BLOA since April 2018 and have attended all the rallies to date. I have just got…

It’s easy to believe a small workshop can thrive on the passion of its owner but what about an international supplier? If there’s a point at which passion gives way to corporate identity, Scooter Centre Koln hasn’t heard of it. From the moment I arrived at their shop it was clear this is a place run by scooterists. The two men behind the name are Ulf Schroeder and Oliver Kluger, and theirs is the original ‘enthusiasts made good story’. “When I left school I went to work for my Uncle,” began Oliver. “The understanding was that when he retired I would run the business but when that time came, his son took over. I didn’t know what to do so I took some holiday time and went to Italy. There…

AUGUST 17-19 7 Up rally, by 7 Hills SC. Beighton Miners Welfare Club. nr Sheffield, S20 1EA. Info Jamie 07946 374134 17-19 Watlerstock, is back, bigger than ever at Shoulder of Mutton, Hardstoft nr Chesterfield S45 8AF, 10am-4pm. Stalls, custom show, music from The Modest. Night do, The Superskas play live. 7pm-late. £5. Tickets or to book a stall ring 07817 411847 17-19 Dirty Devils Dirty Weekender Part 2, at The Rose & Crown, Stelling Minnis nr Canterbury, Kent CT4 6AS 18 Great Northern Ska, festival. Includes UB40, Bad Manners all under one roof in Manchester.£38.50 www.greatnorthernskafestival.com 18-19 BSSO scooter racing, Pembrey Race Circuit, South Wales. On-site camping. 19 Todrophenia, by Mystery Tours SC.(Rochdale). Todmorden Cricket Club. Lancs 19 Vintage and Classic Show, Brooklands Nurseries, Scholes, Holmfirth HD9 1UJ West…

Standard Geared (Group 4) A few more riders joined the fray this time but Darren Conneely now has the Replay scooter well sorted, being the only scooter racing on a ported BGM RT barrel. Conneely took three solid wins from championship leader Chris Geyton on the SRP scooter. Geyton has been riding brilliantly this year and built a good points lead with his solid reliability in the early season, leaving Conneely a lot to do to overhaul him. Jason Metivier has lots of experience and has built himself a new stock race scooter. Heachieved two third places after race-long battles following a non-finish in the first race of the weekend. Veteran Dan Lewis had solid finishes all weekend on his home-developed bike. Production Class Still the biggest and most competitive…

This scooter oozes feeling and delivers the element of non-conformity, which was generated by those sharp-looking kids of the day who were wanting to stand out from the crowd. Dean Fradley’s interest in scooters started when he was just nine years old. Living on the Crackley housing estate in Newcastle-under-Lyme he used to see the teenagers of the day riding round on their late-70’s/ early-80’s Mod revival scooters, and it was the name of this estate, which formed the inspiration for the name of his scooter, ‘Crackly Racer’. Dean is a professional musician. The group which he plays in is called The Vibe and was previously known as the Liable Vibe back in 1993. The band re-formed in 2018 and has now returned to the scene performing and recording some…

After nearly five hours in the saddle it is always nice to meet a friendly face on arrival at the rally. For me it was great to catch up with old mate Jon Ashford as I arrived at the site. I’ve known Jon for more than 30 years, back in the 80s he was riding his first version of ‘If Looks Could Kill’, now both a little plumper, he was on his latest version. Although Jon and his custom are well known for clocking up the miles – he’s been a LCGB best supporting member a few times and loves the Euro adventures – this rally is right on his doorstep so to speak. So what’s his take on Cleethorpes 2018? Name: Jon ‘Tubby’ Ashford. Hometown: Grimsby. Scooter: If Looks…

Let’s start with potholes – what a scourge they are! For as long as I can remember, there have always been potholes out there, but surely not on the scale we have had them in recent years? I’d guess the government will have some strategic statistic they have manipulated, to try and counter-argue the case... but it just feels like the roads are worse than ever right now. Years of underspend on maintenance, combined with heavier use than ever, and the fact that many roads are simply ageing, has led to unprecedented levels of holes in our roads. Potholes come in all shapes and sizes no matter where you are in the country. Some roads will have you weaving left and right trying to avoid them, or even put you…

Name: Trevor Harrison Job: Owner of Midas Touch powder coatings Scooter club & town: Leeds Central SC Leeds How and when did you first become interested in scooters: My brother first brought a Vespa 90 home in 1972 and that’s where it all started from. What was your first scooter: Lambretta GP 150 What is your favourite scooter model: Lambretta GP What is your favourite style of custom scooter: Street Racer First rally or event: Scarborough 1977 How did you get there: On the back of my mate’s scooter. Favourite and worst rally/ event: My favourite rallies are the LCGB rallies and the LCS rallies. My worst rally was Great Yarmouth. What’s the furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter: Euro Rally, Sweden with the Trojan SC and The Orgasm…

In the June edition, on page 38, was a letter regarding the Rabbit scooter. Back in the 60s, I was a member of Surbiton Scooter Club, as was my friend Dave Lloyd. Dave had a regular spot in this American mag, Scootourist (not published in the UK as far as I know). See page 10, Lloyd of London and on page 16 a road test of the Rabbit scooter. We had lots of fun in the 60s and I can see you still do. I have had motorbikes and scooters all my life, they have been my daily transport; I passed my motorcycle test at 16 and my car test at 65. I had a Lambretta Pacemaker in the 60s and how have a new Pacemaker… from the NHS; it’s…

As we all know BLOA was part of Lambretta concessionaires as a promotion tool, totally run by the business. When Bob Wilkinson took over from Derek Guy the first thing he did was drop the name and the image because it got on his wick right from the word go, (Jetset 125 page 41). In 1965-66 Lambretta concessionaires stopped financing BLOA and the LCGB and decided to let the members take over. Wedo know in March 1965 both clubs were running side by side and transfers were available for both clubs, information taken from March 1965 Scooter and three wheeler magazine stating this fact. So there was no real end of one club and the start of another club, BLOA was dropped and left to fizzle out whilst the new…

Regular readers will know that last year I rode Scootering’s project PX125 to Vespa World Days in Celle. As that had been built using mostly BGM components I was intrigued to try their own interpretation of the 177 kit which Friedemann, the IT guy, has been riding for the past year. My only criticism of our machine was that its use of the standard gear cluster with a 22-tooth clutch had left it slightly under-geared for touring. This development machine (actually an Mk1 P Range with LML forks and EFL trim) has standard P2 gearing albeit with a BGM clutch. On the open road this is a very different proposition. On the road to Celle I often found myself searching for fifth gear whereas this machine…

If transitioning from a geared scooter to an auto seems like a big step, what about trading in a Harley? “My last bike was a Harley 1200,” began Bob. “I got bored of going back to pick up pieces that had fallen off! I thought it was time for a change and really like the Royal Alloy’s look. I’m still running it in but have been surprised by the performance. My wife often rides pillion and I’ve not noticed any real difference when she’s aboard. We’re taking it to a bike meet next week – that should be interesting!”…

Mohair Sweets An Introduction to Mohair Sweets... (self-published) During the 90s Canadian singer, musician, songwriter and scooterist Colin Bryce ran a fanzine by the name of Mohair Sweets. His fanzine ran its course over nearly a decade, after which Colin took the decision to return to gigging himself. Five years ago he took his gigging forward another stage by putting together a band with a view to writing and recording, as well as performing. Mohair Sweets the band were born. Since forming in 2013 a quartet of limited edition EPs have been released, which more or less brings us up to the present. An Introduction to Mohair Sweets is a seven-track (including a bonus) best of, so far, a musical snapshot of what Colin and Mohair Sweets are all…

Mikey Bonett – JB Tuning – Group 6 Championship leader It’s great to be out on a full season again. The production class is super fun. A few things let the class down in my view, like ground clearance and gearbox but it’s still great fun. It is great to be competitive in the Production Class and also Group 6. It is hard work doing two classes but still a great buzz and rewarding as a rider. Stuart Day – SRP – Group 6 and Production Class Production Class is all about the qualifying, because if you’re not at the front, the race can be lost whatever you do. Group 6 we were leading until last meeting after a great Lydden Hill. We put a new top end on after…

Name: Dean Fradley Job: Professional musician Scooter club & town: Just ride with mates. When did you first become interested in scooters: From about the age of nine when the mods of 1979/80 were knocking about. First scooter: Lambretta Series 3 LI 125 Special Favourite scooter model: Lambretta TV/GT 200 Favourite style of custom scooter: Original accessories 60s Mod Favourite Scootering Magazine features: The Wembley 9s feature Favourite custom scooter of all time: Darryl Bunker’s Series 2 Li Pirates What part would you most like to see developed for scooters: A carb which doesn’t flood would be a good start. Name of scooter: ‘Crackley Racer’ Reason: Crackley is the council estate where I’m from originally and it’s where I used to see mods/scooter boys in the late-70s to early-80s. Scooter…