Innehållsförteckning för October 2016 från Scootering

Finally it’s started, albeit only three pages, but it’s started… the new Vespa tuning and upgrade section! It’s been on the cards for months now but there’s been so much going on we’ve not had time to collect the necessary scooters, components and data until now. It’s been noted that the magazine has been ‘Lambretta heavy’ for the past few editions, which is not something we planned, it’s just happened to work out that way with the volume of stuff coming in. So although we’ve wanted to get more Vespa items in sooner, it’s abit like turning a big ship around – these things take time. But the good news is, it’s started, and it’s something I’m passionate about. I’m a tuning enthusiast through and through, so the prospect of…

October 1 Ride to the Wall www.ridetothewall.org.uk October 1 PSL Open Day with Harry Barlow and Davy’s Scooters Kirby, L33 7UY Dyno, trophies, BBQ, music, raffle, 12-5pm. Ride in from The Game Bird, Eccleston on A580 at 11.30am www.pslresto.co.uk October 2 Wicksteed Parts Fair Kettering, Northants NN15 6NJ Kev Walsh: 07966 265588 Email: lcgb2@blueyonder.co.uk October 6-8 Scootermanics SC Annual Do Queens Hall and Old Ship Aground www.facebook.com/ ScooterManiacs October 28-30 Bridlington, National Scooter Rally #9…

The BSSO and Scooter Racing community are mourning the sad loss of BSSO ex-champion James Campen. James passed away recently aged just 48. He was well known for his super stylish riding style. He has been racing scooters for many years and with the Performance Tuning team became a BSSO Group 4 champion in 2012. He had recently been racing a Scomadi in the 2016 season and his unique style was always brilliant to watch. In addition to circuit racing James also occasionally competed in sprinting aboard the Cambridge Lambretta sprinter taking it well over 100mph. James was always competitive whether riding on the track or the roads but not at the expense of keeping a smile on his face and was always ready to talk entertainingly and have a…

ON TEST TOMTOM – VIO DESIGNED FOR SCOOTERS, CONTROLLED BY YOUR SMARTPHONE. Sat-nav specialist TomTom has released a rather nifty new item: a sat-nav designed specifically for scooters which is controlled by your existing smartphone. Keep your smartphone in your pocket and once your phone is connected, the VIO will switch from the phone to its in-built GPS to save phone battery and give more precise GPS data. Caller ID allows you to see who’s calling on the VIO screen and use an intercom/headset to take and make calls. The ‘navigate to contact’ feature allows you to simply tap the contact and follow the route to them. Other features include: Turn by turn audio navigation Lifetime speed camera info Lifetime TomTom traffic info USB charge, five-hour battery life Glove-friendly touchscreen…

There’s aphrase which has recently crept into circulation in the scootering world, and it’s annoying the hell out of me. It’s not a big one, and at first glance it seems innocent enough, but when you stop and think about it, it strikes at the heart of what many of us still understand our little world to be. The phrase? “It’s all about the scene”. There I’ve said it. Now I feel soiled. To many people that’s just a phrase, like ‘keep the faith’ or ‘once a Mod, always a Mod’, but when you stop and think about it, it’s actually quite insulting to a lot of us. It suggests that the actual scooter itself isn’t a necessary part of attending a scooter rally, it’s more important to get there…

Barnsley scooterists were out in force on Friday. Ian and Dianne of Barnsley Vikings SC were on their eighth visit, as Dianne explained: “We love it here, the riding is lovely and the islanders really embrace the rally, it has an atmosphere like nowhere else. Also carrying the TheTyke’s banner was Alan Moxon-Waddell with his full on Mod Lambretta: “I enjoy just parking up on The Esplanade and watching the world go by. The LI seems to fit the mood down here and I get a real kick when people want to take photographs, if they want to sit on it, that’s fine too.” Mandy, Jay and Lianne of Leamington Low Numbers had brought examples of both Series 2 and 3 TV175s to the Esplanade, both very subtly customised and…

From humble beginnings “It all started in a caravan outside a council flat in Cambridge,” explains owner Trevor Peat. “With ‘Crazy’ Chris O’Connor I’d been attending rallies for a few years but in 1989 no-one down south was really that interested in scooters, it was mainly a northern thing. If you wanted to repair or rebuild a machine you had to do it yourself. After a few years I’d got a small business running and in 1995 I decided to try and make a go of it. “In honesty I was in a very small market and it was more of a paying hobby. Over the years Jason Heard, Ben Frost and Ian Todd have all helped me to build up the business. I’m grateful to them all and particularly…

What is candy paint? Typically it is a dye suspended in a clear carrier which is known as intercoat clear, it is basically everything that is in paint without the pigment (colour). This goes for both solvent based (the most popular) and water based which is relatively new. There are pseudo candies out there which are pigment based using extremely fine ground pigments but be careful as they can bury the underlying effect if you’re too heavy-handed so make sure you purchase the right one for the job. Candies are fantastic at blending as you can see the photo of the red fading through orange to the yellow while still seeing the metal flake through it. You can use the primary colour principles to get some fantastic colours and combinations…

Paul Genery sent this pic in of his scoot which is back on the roads after a 35 year sleep. It was registered in the Midlands in 1966, has done 15,000 miles and only had one owner until last year. The 50-year-old paint is beautiful, a true survivor. Trev sent this in of himself and Mrs Porter leaving the Chapel, Barmby on the Marsh, East Yorkshire, in Eibar TV175 style on May 28, 2016. He assures us that helmets were put on across the road! Paul Buglass sent this photo in from the bank holiday Monday ride out from Newcastle to Lake Ullswater with his mate Paul. This is Mark Mitchell’s scooter called Mabel and has been his small time project since October 2015. The LML 2T was completed by…

SEPTEMBER 23 Zoo Zoo, The Blues Kitchen, 111-113 Camden High St, London NW1 7JN. 9pm-3am (free before 10/£5 after). Big Boss Man & support live. DJ Dr Robert + Guest 23-25 Ribble Valley Mod Weekender, Clitheroe, Lancashire. Live music including Skaface, The Len Price 3, The Electric Stars, Dogtooth and many more. Trade stalls, custom show and ride in from Gisburn. Camping available. 01200 421599 www.rvmw.moonfruit.co.uk or FB Ribble Valley Mod Weekender 23-26 Woolacombe National, Scooter Rally #8 24 Mousetrap R&B Allnighter, Orleans 259 Seven Sisters Rd, Finsbury Park, London N4 2DD (10pm-6am), Northern Soul, Ska, Motown, R&B and Boogaloo with resident DJ’s Chris Dale, Rob Bailey, Callum Simpson & special guests Mik Parry & Gav Arno 28 Togs n Tassels, Free night of Northern soul, R n B, Trojan…

As the complete rally is held on site at the East Mersea Youth Camp, Mersea Island and its host club Colchester DVLC has to keep the ‘guests’ amused not only throughout the night but also the day. This has meant that over of the years it has gained quite a reputation for both daytime bands, a dyno and of course the notorious fun/games. The latter hosted by Tony ‘The Mouth’ Wright is always a way to get the crowd going, as is watching scooter engines pushed to breaking point! RESULTS: Fun & Games: Tug-of-war: Kids & Braintree Breakfast SC Egg-throwing: Braintree Breakfast SC Ice T: Chris Wilkinson Wheel me over: Logistical Nightmares SC Beer and Banana: Destitutes SC Sponge Bob: Braintree Breakfast SC Where’s me beer: Logistical Nightmares SC Dyno:…

Neither Brexit nor the inclement weather affected the numbers attending the fourth Mid Cheshire Charity Scooter Rally at Blakemere Village in Cheshire. In fact, fans of the headline act on Saturday night, Diane Shaw, swelled the numbers significantly. Supported by the Lazzy Band, Johnny Boy and Lovely Blue Skies she had the showground buzzing. Also performing at the rally were The Start, the Deadbeat Descendants and Amplify Music Project. There have been excellent reviews on the rally Facebook site and the organisers, the Rotary Club of Northwich Vale Royal felt very proud when one guest said: “This is now the flagship event of the scooter rally calendar.” The Michelin Challenge Cup awarded to the winners of the tug-of-war proved again to be very popular and very noisy. The victors this…

PJ Oakley hired Silverstone race circuit to test his Oakley Mark III SX200 on August 3, 1967. PJ took with him, as well as an Oakley Mk III Lambretta, a plethora of different spares as well as a then expensive £100 worth of accurate timing equipment. Also accompanying Oakley to Silverstone was Paul Chambers, who worked at the Leicester outlet as chief mechanic. He was also both test rider and works rider, competing on his own Oakley Mark III at race circuits, sprint meetings and rallies. At a number of scooter sport events the fastest times of the day in Standard class were set by Paul Chambers on his Oakley Mark III. Enhancing the reputation of the Oakley dealer special for power, performance and reliability. The latter was a big…

Nik Skeat Brilliant beer-brewing bearded feature writer. Stan the man Rally going, roving reporter and newshound. Stuart Owen 100mph Lambretta Club... nuff said. Sarge Key player in the Scootering editorial team since the 80s. Jordan Lewis Yoof kulture, representing the Young Guns. Kris Green Mental scooter mechanic, engineer, fabricator, painter and builder. Dave Oakley Resident nostalgia master, bringing the old school scooters back. Paul Green BSSO race enthusiast and general good egg. Darrell Taylor Lambretta tuning guru and very nice chap.…

Scooterists from as far afield as the West Midlands travelled to Weymouth on July 15, to pay their respects at the funeral of Tom Ashe, highly regarded member of the Dorset Lowriders. Tom passed away on June 25, after a period of illness which he faced with typical humour and inner strength. Originally from the West Midlands, Tom was a Mod at heart but loved all aspects of scootering, being Number One of the Birmingham E-Types in the 1980s. After relocating to Weymouth with the love of his life Dawn and their son Thomas, it wasn’t long before Tom became a popular figure in South West scootering circles. Whether by GP, GTS or his favourite Spanish GS, distance was no object when it came to attending a rally- so long…

Dyrons going strong after 45 years… In our August edition we mentioned that Chiselspeed moved into the old Dyrons/Ron Harvey East Street shop after it closed. Dyrons are of course still trading in Leeds at 412 York Road. They remain a very active Piaggio dealer and this year celebrate 45 years trading! www.dyronsmotorcycles.co.uk Euro Lambretta 2017 – fears over venue are allayed by Lambretta Club Italy Recent news of problems at the Adria Raceway caused concern and confusion on the web, as to whether this would affect the Euro Lambretta event that is scheduled to be hosted there in 2017. Thankfully, Lambretta Club Italy has stepped in to make a formal press release on the matter and has announced that the event at that venue will proceed as…

In March of 1958 the Lambretta TV 175 series one went on sale in Britain for the first time; one of three new scooters introduced by Innocenti to replace the aging LD range. Lambretta sales in Britain at that time were continuing a strong upward trend selling in their tens of thousands. Any new model launched would be gratefully accepted by the scooter buying public who were in total admiration of what the Lambretta had to offer. The other two models making their debut, the Li 125 and Li 150, though appealing didn’t have the specification the TV 175 had. It had the biggest engine capacity to date, a top speed of 64mph, front dampers to improve handling and a host of other extras. Though its cost of £189 was…

“Enjoying riding your scooter is easily missed when ‘real life’ gets in the way – but don’t compound that by spending too much time polishing or tinkering and adjusting – just get out and ride the thing.” Sometimes it’s hard not to get caught up in day-to-day life. There’s always something to think about, something to do, things to worry about – whether its work, money, garden, house or family and kids. There’s always something to buy, always something demanding your attention, your cash and your time. And then there’s your scooter. It may (at times) come further down the list of things demanding your attention than you would like, because many of the things ahead of it are important and essential in life. Scooters are not necessarily essential (no…

Over recent years, via a good mutual friend, Matt, Phil has sourced and sold several Lambrettas to none other than Sir Bradley Wiggins: “Although I've not met him (Sir Bradley), I’ve sold him a TV Series 2 and a Series 3 TV175 Lambretta at different times.” As a show of appreciation for his prowess and glorious achievements, Tour de France win and Olympic Gold medal in 2012, one of Sir Bradley Wiggins’ sponsors, Fred Perry, commissioned (who else?) Gran Sport to carry out the work for a classic Lambretta SX 200 to be customised. A tidy looking machine it was too, and that’s without considering what achievements the scooter was created to mark. With its off white and (Olympic) gold livery, along with the Fred Perry laurel wreath and other…

The first thing to understand about power jets is that they’re badly named as when fitted they can actually reduce bhp very slightly, yet anyone with a tuned engine should consider fitting one. Why? Because they’d be better known as safety jets and add an extra dimension to keeping a tuned engine running well. One thing that occupies more discussion on forums and in pubs across the country is jet-sizes as however well a carb may be set up its jetting is inevitably a compromise. This is why most modern vehicles are fitted with computer controlled fuel injection systems that are capable of instantly adjusting the fuel/air mixture as required. Anyone who’s been around scooters for a while, particularly in pre dyno days, has at least been present when a…

Mersea Island Scooter Rally is without a doubt our most loved rally of the season. We’ve been going for years, and once again it was one to remember. This year’s 440 mile round trip unusually saw zero breakdowns which was a great result. On Friday night we watched a band called The Talks who nailed it; playing mostly ska music and then out of the blue they rocked out Voodoo People by The Prodigy which made the place go wild. That of course set us up nicely for the Darkside Tent (silent disco) which was hailed the place to be on the island, and it was! Saturday, we spent the morning looking around some quirky scoots in the custom show, abrowse round the stalls, watch the dyno and then onto…

Craig Brackenridge Rave On Scooterboy (Old Dog) Set in 1988, the fictional hero of Craig ‘Bracko’ Brackenridge’s latest offering, scooterboy Terry Dean stumbles across, almost by accident, a new underground scene right at its inception. Terry, like many scooterists in the real world at that time, is intrigued, drawn to and seduced by rave music and its surrounding culture. Along with workmate Steve, who for once was one step ahead of Terry, they embark on an initially profitable venture together, cashing in by getting in on the ground floor of the unstoppable rise of rave. Of course it’s at odds with what the majority of his club-mates in Enfield Beast SC are into. Loyalties, relationships and friendships are tested up to and beyond breaking point. All the prerequisite elements…

It wasn’t just any Oakley Mark III he wanted, it was the very one that he first saw; to Vince it truly was a thing of beauty. During the 60s there were a handful of outlets that went a little bit further than most by offering their customers an enhanced version of a standard scooter. The Grimstead Hurricane, Rafferty Newman Wildcat, Ron Moss Supertune and Arthur Francis S-Type are well known and renowned. Not as well-known as the aforementioned, yet equally as significant as all of them, was the dealer special offered by Leicester dealer PJ Oakley. These are arguably the rarest of all the 60s dealer specials to find, now nearly 50 years on from their first introduction. Based at 227a Melton Road, Oakley offered the basic version of…

The job of the Lambretta cable system is to link the hand/foot controls to the relative mechanical items which drive and stop the machine, and with only six cables required to do so, the simplistic design works well… if looked after! Quite often this is not the case, and as the cables are constantly in use it’s usually out on the road where one gives up and lets you down. However, with routine and regular maintenance they will give the rider thousands of trouble free miles. From time to time it may be that cable replacement is required and this can sometimes give owners problems if they are unsure of how to route cables or set them up properly. In this article we will look at the four cables required…

The San Remo XXVII held on September 3-4 was a great opportunity for everyone to get their classic race machines out and actually ride them on the road as competitively, if desired, and as fast as they wanted! In Italy the law is strict on bikes and scooters when it comes to modifications, racing, and noise so some of these machines rarely see the light of day. For the visitor it was an opportunity to get up close and personal with some historic dream machines of yesteryear and their riders. The event in the past has drawn some real historic names such as Agostini, and this year was no exception with Freddie Spencer and Michael Redman in attendance. This year also brought out some historic race winners such as TT…

NEW AF MAMMOTH HEAD These new mammoth Lambretta heads from AF Rayspeed are a direct replacement for the standard sized cylinder heads but offer a significantly larger heat sink. The improved cooling results in a lower running temperature. This has offered an increased safety margin to help engines better resist seizure in adverse conditions. AFR noted on servicing engines fitted with these heads that top ends are cleaner and in better condition than their counterparts. They attribute this to the two-stroke oil benefiting from the slightly lower running temperature. The head will initially be available to suit 200cc (66mm), 225cc (70mm) and 250cc (72mm). A small block variant for the RB20 will follow soon. The main design features of the New AF Mammoth Head in comparison to a standard head…

Centre spread Hi Dan, I picked up a copy of the magazine recently. Iam in Queensland, Australia, and the physical copy seems to only be available at one particular newsagent outlet and it’s usually a couple of months behind. Anyway I was interested in the Welcome article regarding print and online versions. Both have a place in my view. One of the points was what sort of content would encourage readers to pick up a print version. My suggestion would be to bring back the poster. The edition with the orange Rally 180 lowrider was a great example. I am not big into the themed scooters and when I saw this bike and the other featured powder blue ride in the same edition I was disappointed that the main photos…

“The exhaust needed that much weld, that it resembled a piece of weld in the shape of an exhaust, rather than an exhaust that had been welded!” Our group of riders originally consisted of six club members, but by the time of departure it was only five. Myself, Lydia, Scottish Liam, Ben and Jake. Having shelled out a small fortune on the ferry from Hull, we’d decided pretty early on to take in a fair few sites and places of interest while over on the continent. Our itinerary would mean we would take in three countries, and see Scooter Center Köln, Second World War battlefields and an obscure Flemish clock tower… The night before our North Sea crossing, Liam, Lydia and I were planning to converge on Ben’s house in…

Owner’s name: Phil Humphrie Club member: LCGB First scooter: Vespa 50 Special Favourite scooter model: Lambretta TV200 & SX200. Favourite style of custom scooter: Mod, no doubt. First rally or event: Brighton 1982. Any stories from that event: That first rally was life changing – never slept a wink, up all night and couldn’t wait for the next one. Favourite and worst rally: Isle of Wight. Your favourite custom/featured scooter of all time: Spirit of ’63. Name of scooter: Shadows And Reflections Scooter model: TV175 Date purchased: March 2013 Top speed & cruising speed: Very slow! Is the scooter reliable: Yes, very. See? Chrome does get you home!…

Owner’s name: Phil Humphries Job: Motor dealer. Scooter club & town: El Duo SC & LCGB. First rally or event: Brighton ’82 on the train, we slept (read stayed awake) on Brighton beach that night aged 16. Favourite and worst rally/event: Favourite rally – IOW, worst rally – Torquay 1983. Furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter: Weymouth. What do you like about rallies/events: Meeting up with like-minded scooter enthusiasts. Favourite Scootering magazine feature: Custom classics, Spirit of ’63 – always wanted that scooter ever since I saw it. Your favourite custom/featured scooter of all time: Shadows And Reflections. Name of scooter: Still Alive from ’65. Scooter model: TV 200 Engine: Pro Design RT230 Top speed & cruising speed: Top 80+ and cruising 60. Is the…

For late July it is a strangely cold day in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It’s one of those days when the sky is dark grey and the rivers are painted across the land in cool black. I am in this city to learn Giovanni’s secret. This former motorcycle police officer contacted me by phone to tell me, in confidence, that the truth must finally to be told. A Romanesque-style city, Modena is home to some of the world’s most important and beautiful historic books, such as the hand-decorated 15th century Borso d’Este bible. At the city’s library of ancient manuscripts, the Biblioteca Estense, this and other works are studied in silence by academics and researchers wearing white cotton gloves – in stark contrast to the flip side of Modena: its passion…

Personally, I’ve been attending this rally every year since 1993, and being as it’s only just about a 60 mile round trip you would have thought my Friday morning jaunt would have been a pretty simple excursion! Wrong. Everything was going fine until, just after passing through Colchester, my Auto-bretta started coughing and spluttering and finally ground to a halt. It felt very much like either fuel or carb rubber splitting – both easy fixes so I was not too distressed, and even waved a few helpful scooterists on as they gave me the thumbs up. However, after removing the panel I found I had completely cracked the inlet manifold. Terminal! It is here I should thank Goldie and Tony C for coming to my aid and eventually getting me…

Cannock Nomads Scooter Club was only formed in February 2016 and since then has successfully held various events to raise money for the local charity Help a Squaddie Find a Home in Rugeley. July 16 was the most ambitious to date and probably the most successful too! The day started with the obligatory ride out. Scooter clubs from all over the Midlands had come in support, and more than 90 scooters travelled through the beautiful Cannock Chase to arrive at the venue held at Cannock RUFC. The day continued with the three Bs: bands, burgers and beer! Thanks to the fantastic Britannia Beat who opened and then played a further set. Bouncy castles, ice cream, paintball and jousting kept the kids entertained while stalls, music, scooters and meeting friends old…

Owner’s name: Vince Roberts Job: Nuclear submarine build team leader (retired). Scooter club & town: Ready, Steady, Go – Barrow in Furness & LCGB. When did you first become interested in scooters: Late 60s. What was your first scooter: 1963 Li150 which cost £8 in 1969. Favourite scooter model: SX200. Favourite style of custom scooter: 60s dealer special and 80s style customs. First rally or event: Ambleside 1971. How did you get there: On a trusty Li150, which then broke down, so I got a lift off a biker on a Triumph Bonneville! Favourite and worst rally/event: Favourite – early 80s Scarborough, and these days LCGB C2C and 4-Nations. Worst was Morecambe in the mid-80s when my tent got set on fire. I packed it in for a short while…

So the BSSO riders found themselves in the race paddock of a car event with lots of different things going on. There were to be six races over the Sunday – three each for geared and automatic scooters, and a very different crowd of spectators to try and impress. As soon as practice started, the scooters proved attention grabbing for an audience that had come to see some very fast cars time trialling around the Croft circuit. There was much pointing and shaking of heads as the BSSO boys scraped knees and exhausts around the fast Croft bends. Italian Luca Zani was absent, being unable to make the trip from Italy, but Paulo Birtele was on the Casa Lambretta for the day. On the pace right from the start in…

Back in the days of the original Mod revival, The Chords were one of a handful of bands that got lumbered by some with the tag ‘punks in parkas’. How true this was is up for debate, but they certainly had that anger which drove that previous subculture. When you fire up this release, it’s immediately obvious that Chris Pope has lost none of that power and drive in the intervening 35 years, but has learned to temper it with a large dose of Sixties UK Mod sensibilities along with elements of Seventies Glam. Taking large doses of The Stones, The Who and their contemporaries, the music has become less frantic, giving space for guitar and drums to play off each other, all the time holding up the powerful vocals…