Innehållsförteckning för December 2019 från Scootering

I'm starting to get that feeling, that the year end is fast closing in on me. The national rallies are over, and the magazine is gearing up for the Christmas edition. It's been pleasing to dish out so many free supplements and goodies in the mag over the past few months. In Sep we had the free 32-page supplement ; Oct was our celebratory 400th edition; Nov had the free Trojan CD; this month is the free wall-planner; next month will be the free calendar; and in Feb we have another free supplement! Hopefully, that leaves you feeling satisfied that the magazine represents just as great value today, as it ever has done. Another 'year-end' landmark is the annual EICMA trade show, which always brings a variety of predictable options…

Despite warnings in this magazine and on various internet forums, scooterists are still falling prey to scammers from the Far East. One recent example has been Thai Classic Vespas, now closed, but who may well resurface under a new identity. Last year Stan visited Vietnam and produced a series of reports on the complex relationship between scooters and Far East suppliers. The summary of these reports was that before parting with any cash it was vital to do some research. "There are some very reputable suppliers in Vietnam," said Stan. "Top of that list is British owned and run Saigon Scooter Centre. However, anyone in search of a bargain should be very wary. The internet has raised awareness of prices and anyone with a modem can check the value of…

Being a scooter rider in the 1980s didn't come without its challenges. Just to keep one running and reliable were mammoth tasks in their own right. Once out on the open road, the real battle for survival commenced. The main enemy were the bikers, usually made up of those running around on them old YPVS Yamahas - the scourge of the scooter rider and who would do everything possible to make life on the road hell. This was followed by the car owner who, if you overtook them, would move heaven and earth to get back past you. Even worse if it was a Ford Capri driver, who would feel humiliated in front of his girlfriend sitting in the passenger seat. For almost anyone on two or four wheels, scooterists…

The statistics surrounding EICMA are impressive: 1,800 brands from 43 countries make the trip to Milan where they occupy eight pavilions with a total floor area of 280,000 square metres. Over six days around half-a-million visitors flock here to see what's new in the world of powered two-wheeled transport. Keen-eyed readers will note that I've not written 'motorcycle'. That's a term which no longer covers what the show's about. This year I'd estimate that around 20 % of all exhibits were electric vehicles of some form or other. Fairly predictably, every major manufacturer seemed keen to establish their green credentials, but there were also some surprising entries in this field from well-established tuning houses. Questions as to whether Vespa's old GTS300 engine has been licensed for use seem to have…

Name: Duncan Cully. Scooter club: AFSC and Ace of Spades SRC (St Helens). First interest in scooters : I always remember seeing a couple of metal-flake Lambrettas on the motorway in the early 80s when I was in the car with my Dad and I guess it kind of lodged in my memory. First scooter: I bought a PX 125 with a DR180 kit off a Mod in Kidsgrove in 87 or 88, which was soon de-chromed and still remains my rally hack, albeit after a few different engines and looks. First rally: On a scooter, Skegness in 88 (I think). How did you get there: On my PX, with Martin Thompson (RIP) on his T5. Favourite rally: Euro Rally in Parthenay. Great weather, a real adventure getting there and…

Name: Brook Railton. Job: Window cleaner/Musician. Scooter club & town: Canvey Island Scooterists club, Canvey Island. First interest in scootersI : first got into everything Mod when I was 12 years old. Music was a massive thing in our family and my father's record collection went into the tens of thousands. One day he came into my room with an original Quadrophenia and original My Generation album and said: "I think you might be needing these." Too right dad! Your first scooterA : basket-case Lambretta SX 200 for the princely sum of £30. Your favourite scooter model: I love the series 2 Lambretta, it has got curves and its sexy with bags of character. Also I particularly like the Spanish series 2 Rallymaster. Love them stripes, reminds me of Dennis…

NOVEMBER 21-25 Skamouth, extended weekend of live act with accommodation at Vauxhall Holiday Park, Great Yarmouth www.skamouth.co.uk 23 New Untouchables 22nd Anniversary, Party. @Orleans, 259 Seven Sisters Road, London N4 2DD. NUTs DJ’s and special guests from 10pm-6am/ Adm £8. www.newuntouchables.com 23 The Jam`d, The Roundhouse, Porters Avenue, Dagenham, RM8 2HY – Tickets www.roundhouse-dagenham.nutickets.com 24 Walsall Parts Fair, Bloxwich Active Living Centre WS3 2DA.Lammygirl1982@outlook.com 29 Nov-2 Dec Warmwell, SWSC Winter Warmer rally, Warmwell Holiday Park nr Weymouth, Dorset. 30 Dalkeith & District SC, annual do.Easthouses Miners Welfare & Social Club, EH22 4ED. £5. Info dalkeithSc@gmail.com DECEMBER 1 Turkey n Tinsel, Mods & Rockers charity rideout. Chester. Meet from 11.30am Centurion pub CH3 5ALN, departs 1pm. (Please bring a food bank donation). Back to pub for megaraffle. 7 Mousetrap Psychedelic Allnighter,…

Scooter model: 1958 Lambretta series 1 frame-breather Time to build & by who: It took 10 years to get the parts I wanted and it was stripped and re-assembled by myself over that time Any specialised parts or mods: My VDO speedometer. I'm told this is one of the rarest items you can source for a series 1 Paintwork & murals by: Matt Sutton at I-Paint Is there any chromeChrome : work and polishing by ACF Howell, Walsall Hardest part of the projectChoosing : the colours and sourcing the rare parts Advice or tips for anyone starting a project: When starting for the first time, always start with an assembled scooter if possible. You can then record the parts as you take them off. Take a picture of each part…

For a young, 14-year-old Bushy, the wait to finally own and ride a classic scooter was a bit of a marathon. Patience is a virtue, goes another time -honoured nugget of wisdom. Which makes Bushy very patient, alternatively exceedingly virtuous, or even both, in equal measures, as the time span between his desire to own a scooter as a youngster to that yearning becoming a reality was 21 years. "My interest in scooters began the same way as many others around the same age as me, through the mod revival and, of course, the Quadrophenia film. I was a 14-year-old, at school. My mates were all into it. .. the music , the scooters, the clothes, the whole thing. I really wanted to be a part of it. I suppose…

Britain's first female scooter champion since the 70s gives her thoughts on her first year in circuit racing It's been a really big year for me, with a different title, getting married, different job and different wheels! It's been a sketchy transition from dirt to tarmac to say the least, but me and my 'interesting style' will be back at it again next year occasionally riding in the dusty line ... probably with my brother. I'm grateful to so many people for the help I have been lucky enough to have coming into the sport. Martin and Chris at Chiselspeed have been amazing - we're like one big race family now! We've had our ups and downs on the track this year, but that's racing, isn't it? They've always got…

Did you know Nicky has done a book about punk? This was near enough the parting shot which the lovely Tina Freeman of 'Stinger' fame came out with during an interview down in Woking. A moment or two later Nicky pulled this VERY substantial book from the boot of her car. It's a nostalgic, well-laid-out photo and word album; a Chinese banquet-style tome you can dip in and out of, or gorge yourself silly. Fill your boots, it's al I there. Nicky Weller, Barry Cain, Russell Reader and Den Davis came up with this glorious pogo through punk. It's rammed with personal accounts and views from arguably the most vivid eras of pop culture. Punk shone brilliantly, but briefly, and this book holds the vital spark for new generations. Nicky's…

Name: Damion Field. Job : Electroplater (no chroming though!). Scooter club: The Mod Squad (TMS), Lowestoft, Suffolk . First interest in scooters: When a mate came round with a video of that famous film at the young age of 14 (1985) and then seeing 50-odd scoots parked up the high street outside the Italian-owned cafe. That was it, I was hooked. First scooter :Vespa PK125 (reg as 50) at the age of 15. Favourite scooter model :Vespa Rally 200. Favourite style of custom scooter: Don't really have a favourite style as each has its own unique look, but I do prefer ful1 frames. First rally or event: Hastings CCI Mod rally 1988. Any stories: On my first rally I got really drunk and that's probably the most I can remember!…

It has now been confirmed that the Dave Dickinson Kustom (DDK) stand will take centre stage in the Scooter World/Retro Halls for the January 2020 event; the stand will be displaying a stunning selection of top-quality scooters from around the UK. There can't be many scooterists who haven't heard of, or come across the stunning artwork on a DDK airbrushed scooter, and what will be on display at the show will just be a small example of the quality of his work. All the bikes displaying on the DDK stand have won trophies or been featured in various magazines. Elsewhere, plans are already moving forward and include the expansion of the Scooter World Custom Show with more entry categories - plus a monetary prize to go with every single trophy!…

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 over 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. a. My solicitor has told me he needs to start Court proceedingsI. 've not been to Court before and I'm a bit worried about it. Should I be? A. Starting Court proceedings and actually going to Court are two very different things. If the claim is not getting anywhere, a solicitor will often issue…

The year 2019 has marked many landmark anniversaries: 50 years of the original Skinhead subculture as well as the golden jubilee of the Vespa 50 special, the machine that many scooterists started off riding. It's been 40 years since the launch of Quadrophenia (film), 79 Mod revival and the Two-tone explosion being among other anniversaries. 2019 also marks 30 years since the first edition of former Scootering magazine editor, Gareth Brown's iconic book Scooter Boys, The Evolution Of The Species, was published. Over the ensuing decades Scooter Boys has had several tweaks and updates, culminating in the latest and, I'm very reliably informed, the last edition, published in October 2019. Not only is the new edition the deluxe, hardback, 30th anniversary edition, it's also the 10th edition/version of the book,…

Royal Recommendation In the words of Max Bygraves, 'I want to tell you a story'! About a year ago I decided to spend what was left of some inheritance money on a scooter to get me to and from my new job. Encouraged by your feature on Retrospective Scooters, I duly took myself off to Walthamstow and with owner Niall's advice bought myself a brand spanking new Royal Alloy GT 125 , which soon became the love of my life (after the missus, of course!). Unfortunately, the scooter I bought has had several rather big technical issues, BUT I would just like to say that Niall, Dave and the guys at Retrospective went out of their way on every occasion to get me back on the road again. Despite my…

Name: Shane Hayter Job: Once a Squaddie always a Squaddie. Cut me and I bleed green blood Scooter club & town: The British Forces Scooter Club. Gosport First interest in scooters: I first got the bug at Fareham Youth Club at the age of 15, when I saw Tina Smith's LI 150. I was never a Mod, I always lent towards Punk, Skin, Psychobilly Your first scooter: Lambretta GP150 converted to a 175 Favourite style of custom scooter: I appreciate anything that's done well. I do like a Scoot that looks like a dog, but the hardware in the dog's nuts. I'm not a lights and mirrors man First rally or event: Fareham Youth Club Soul nights. My first rally was loW 1983 How did you get there: Bus, ferry…

Name of scooter: The Rusty One. Scooter model:1970 VBB. Date purchased and cost:I bought this as a bare frame five years ago for about £300. Inspiration: I thought it was time to have something a bit nicer to look at. Engine spec Kit: Malossi 210, modified back in the day by Taffspeed with Worb piston and head. Crank: 60mm S&S bell crank. Carb: 30mm Dellorto. Exhaust: S&S Curly. Clutch: SIP billet clutch. Gearbox: P200 with T5 4th. Porting work by: Ian at Taffspeed (RIP) Dyno done by: PSL Scooters. PK XL flywheel and Kheper programmable ignition running a race curve. Describe performance and handling: It pulls around 23.5bhp, and it's great in a straight line, but it does get a bit interesting on fast bends. Top speed and cruising speed:…

Name of scooter & reason: Lola, because on the outside she is pretty, but underneath she's a real man! Loi. What other themes did you consider other than this one: I was going to go for a basic VBB restoration with original colour, but at the Clacton scooter ride-out in April 2017 I saw a VBB that was a little bit different , and thought I would go down that route. Scooter model: Vespa Douglas VBB 1964 . Inspiration for project and theme: I saw the Vespa VBB and fell in love with its shape and contours. It had something that stirred me. Time to build & by whom: 15 months, by myself. Engine spec: PX 125 EFL engine 1984 . Kit: Malossi 166. Crank: Standard PX EFL crank cut…

Arthur Kay & The Originals Street Little Princess / Dawn To Midnight (Dub-Ble A Records) There can be very few names as sadly overlooked in the history of the UK Ska scene as that of Arthur Kay & The Originals. Never as highly spoken of as their contemporaries on the 2-Tone label, they were formed to try to cash in on the local success of Arthur's 'Ska Wars' release. Fans of the genre wi II know of their bri II iant track Play My Song, and of the two albums released through Skank. Fast forward and the distinctive Kent drawl of the singer once again emerges over a pair of cracking mid-Eighties sounding tracks. Street Little Princess is the more upbeat of the two of the two…

Name: Paul Godfrey Job: National Sales Manager Scooter club & town: Used to be a member of the Amery Scooter Club since 2008 (Walsall). Now an independent rider First interest in scootersSi : nee the age of 14 back in 1979 with the release of a new film Quadrophenia, but it took me 30 years to realise the dream and get my Lambretta Favourite and worst rally/event: Favourite rally has to be the Brighton Mod weekender every August Bank Holiday and this year it celebrates 40 years of Quadrophenia. I've been going since 2012 and wouldn 't miss it for the world Funniest experience with a scooter: Watching a friend trying to sort out an electrical fault while sitting on his scooter and him touching the coil wire while the…

Name: Bushy Job: Truck driver Scooter club: Oxford Roadrunners First interest in scootersAt : the age of 14 at school the scoot revival had started and I wanted to be a part of it. Unfortunately , with family commitments and then work it took until I was 35 to get involved , a long wait but worth every second First scooterSame : model as the one I have now, an LI Series 2 First rally: loW Favourite rally: Berwick Border Bash and the Isle of Man - both top rallies What do you like about rallies: Catching up with faces not seen in a while Scooter model: LI 125 Series 2 Time to build: Built by Revival Scooters and took seven months due to shop moving premises Hardest part of…

With only two rounds of the BSSO race season left, the pressure was on for Justin to cement his third place in the production class championship. Full of optimism, unfortunately it was a case of missed opportunities and what may have been at Cadwell Park. With horrendous wet weather, raining from start to finish, this would level out the playing field, but possibly make it more difficult for him, this being his first time here. Qualifying would see him towards the back of the grid with a time of 2.38 minutes. Not happy with the gearing choice, a change of sprockets improved things drastically, giving him a best lap in race 1 of 2.28 minutes and fourth place in the class. Happy that the set up was now right, hopefully…

The Carole Nash sponsored Classic Bike Guide 'Winter Classic' event takes place at Newark County Showground over the weekend of January 11-12 , 2020, where the Scooter World Retro Halls now form a major part of the show. BEST SCOOTER IN SHOW (plus £100) BEST SCOOTER DISPLAY (plus £100) BEST LAMBRETTA (plus £50) BEST VESPA (plus £50) BEST SCOOTER STREET RACER (plus £50) BEST ORIGINAL-LOOKING (plus £50) BEST ENGINEERED (plus £50) BEST MOD-STYLE (plus £50) BEST RAT/RUSTO (plus £50) BEST NEW BUILD CUSTOM (plus £50) This will be a recently built custom scooter that has not won any show trophies BEST OLD SKOOL CUSTOM (plus £50) This will be a custom scooter that has previously won show trophies SCOOTER WORLD SPECIAL AWARD (plus £50) Anything catching the judges' attention 10…

Scootopia have just launched a new range of Lambretta head and fan cowlings. Made from high-quality steel, they are an accurate copy and fit of the original Innocenti items. For years finding good second-hand cowlings for use on a restoration or rebuild has been a real pain, the option being poorly manufactured Far East ones, which were the only other alternative until now. Both head and fan cowlings are available in Li, SX, TV or GP variants, and are finished in white. Head cowlings retail at £35 and fan cowlings £28, and are available direct from Scootopia. More info: www.scootopia.com…

Long-standing VFM front man , Steve Foster, will step down from the helm in 2020. He now plans to spend more time riding scooters, rather than organising events. The BSRA organisers , Scootering magazine and other scooter media representatives presented Steve with an etched crystal decanter and commemorative glasses during the meeting. We all wish Steve the very best for the future. His commitment and passion for the scene has contributed hugely to its longevity and success. All the best, Steve.…

Name of scooter & reason: 'Leicester Till I Die'. Because I'm Leicester 'ti I I die Scooter model: Lambretta Li 150 Inspiration for project and theme: I'm a life-long Leicester City fan and when we won the Premier League Time to build & by who: Two years. Richard Coveney and Tony Williams on and off when we had time Crank: MB 57xl 10 Carb: 30mm Dellorto PHBH ExhaustTSR : EVO Clutch4 : Plate BGM with uprated springs GearboxGP : 200 Dyno done by: Yet to by dynoed as Chalkie is busy with race scooters Top speed & cruising speed: Top: 70mph Cruising60 : mph Paintwork & murals done by: PaintworkRichard : Coveney (Riding Dirty Customs) ArtworkStu : Easton Engraving done by: HeadsetEngine , and HorncastAdam : Reeves Is there any…

Name of scooter & reason: O'Fortuna ... it's the tune I played to my guys in the back of the Warrior APC if we knew we were going into battle Scooter model: Lambretta GP200 Date purchased & cost: 1985 for £250 Time to build & by who: Built by myself over four years. Base paint by Nuttyboy customs. Murals by Stuart Forster, also a top tattooist. Engraving by Jason Lock Any specialised stuff: Barrel and piston: One of the original TSls with a steel liner FlywheelBGM : ExhaustPM : 28 Clutch: 6 plate GearboxLI : 150 Carb: Mikuni Porting: Mark Broadhurst Dyno: Paul Jolliff Describe engine performancepower , delivery and scooter handlingShe : 's a dog to ride around town; she loves long runs and a decent speed. I'm sure…

Name of scooter: It's been christened 'Project Lawnmower' because of the colour. Scooter model: 1976 Vespa 150 Super, American model. Date purchased and cost: I bought it at Kettering parts fair for £300. Inspiration : I prefer 'go' to 'show', but I fancied dropping my LC engine into something a little more in keeping with my advancing years. Built by: I've had the engine since it was built for me by Taffspeed in 93/94 . Apart from a bit of welding by Mini Restorations in St Helens, it was all built and painted over the course of a year by me. Engine spec Kit: Very heavily modified Malossi 210, sleeved and water cooled with one-off billet water-cooled head Crank : S&S bell crank, with DRT eccentric pin by Worb 5.…

Over time the dirt and oil created by the engine get almost everywhere. Add in extra overs pi 11 from the petrol tank and it becomes even greater. Just to rub it in, the water and dirt created by the rear wheel doesn't help. A daunting challenge to say the least, but tackled in the correct way, the results can be stunning. The problem is, everything is neatly hidden away on a Lambretta. The side panels mask over the area, out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes. As long as it looks clean on the outside, why worry about what's underneath? Clear the area You could simply try and clean as much as possible with everything still in place. The problem is that some areas wi 11…

Ever since the Targa Twin arrived at Scootering, I've made some unsubtle noises that I'd love to take it on tour. Finally, Dan's had enough of my nagging and it's now my job to take it over the finish line. Last month's preservation article was well timed as it summarised how we'd both agreed on retaining the Li's original paint. I also think that it's best to plan for the inevitable catastrophe. Replacing all the old, seized fastenings in a warm workshop is much easier than dealing with them at the roadside. To facilitate that train of thought, Dan had asked me to review Lambretta Sense's 'QR2' Quick Release rear brake cable. A perfect excuse to remove the leg shields so off came the old fastenings. It was a wise…