Innehållsförteckning för December 2023 från Scootering

When I first got a scooter I was lucky in that my dad was an engineer and a welder, being very ‘old school’ in his ways. I remember the catchphrases: “Use the right tool for the job” and “Let the tool do the job.” He would look at me with disgust if I were to have the audacity (or stupidity) to pick up an adjustable spanner. If I was looking puzzled or concerned when working on an engine, he would trot out another catchphrase: “A man put it together so a man can take it apart.” I remember when a head gasket blew on my GP150 a week after I had started riding it. I had set out for a ride and in best Forrest Gump style had just kept…

There’s no doubt that the UK’s approach to issuing motorcycle licences is in need of reform, but will the latest industry proposals secure government support? The Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) in conjunction with the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), and the Zemo Partnership (a climate change lobby group) have launched A Licence to Net Zero, a campaign to make the process for attaining a moped, motorcycle or other L-Category vehicle licence less complex, less costly and more accessible for a broader section of society. The MCIA states that the launch represents a significant step forward in the delivery of the joint industry and Government Action Plan for L-Category vehicles, launched in February 2022. An MCIA spokesman said: “The moped and motorcycle industry’s role in reducing emissions, lowering congestion and using road…

In an inspired plan, three Sussex scooterists, Alison Bowen, Richard Munn and David ‘Henry’ Smith, are organising what promises to be the UK tour of a lifetime, and it’s all in aid of a good cause. The trio explained: “As teenagers in the 80s, we were exposed to many things: the Falklands war, Thatcherism, the miners’ strike and the invention of the World Wide Web to name but a few. There was also the Mod revival, 2Tone, New Romantics, Northern Soul, Rap and alcohol. “Once we were old enough (or sometimes not quite old enough), having any form of transport meant freedom to go places, to listen to your music of choice, meet like-minded people and have a drink or three. “For us, the common denominator to all of the…

Some time ago images circulated on the internet of the PiperMoto J1, a British-built scooter that appeared to break all known rules of scooter design. The images looked like AI, and together with most other motorcycle journalists I dismissed them as a publicity stunt. However, knowing that I’d have time to spare on this year’s trip down to Woolacombe, and my route would take me past the supposed headquarters of this revolutionary machine I dropped the designer an email and asked if there was any point in calling in. “Oh yes,” came the reply, and he wasn’t wrong… Speed king Before going any further with this story it’s necessary to introduce the man behind the J1, John Piper. Without understanding him, and his motivations, the J1 seems too radical to…

As the 1980s rolled on, the price of a Lambretta increased, which was hardly surprising as demand for them continued to rise. Gone were the days when we could easily find one in a garden shed or laid up at the side of the house. These scattered relics of the Innocenti empire had all but been hoovered up in the post-Quadrophenia Mod boom and fresh machines were becoming scarce. There was the odd result or lucky find, but as the supply and demand situation tipped in the seller’s favour, prices were rising rapidly. While the UK had been scoured from end to end, the same couldn’t be said of the Continent, particularly Italy. Once the Innocenti factory had closed, the Lambretta had become a discarded commodity in its homeland, meaning…

PRACTICAL SCOOTERINGTECH TIPS Another fab little Quattrini engine was completed on the Scooterotica workbench recently and then handed over to my colleague, Sean Brady, to be installed into the chassis that he had been putting together for a customer over the past few months. This Lambretta GP is starting to look the part now, with its lovely metalflake paint job, and will soon be finished. It was at this stage that Sean and I started to reflect on how many different components caused us grief, just on this one build alone. To be honest, as this was a retrospective conversation, we hadn’t kept track of every single item; the few listed here were just the ones that we could instantly recall. There are plenty more besides these, believe you me;…

PRACTICAL SCOOTERING TECH TIPSPart 1 Following much positive feedback from readers on our successful Vespa Tech series, we’ve decided to extend that coverage into the world of Innocenti. In this series, we’ll take an imported scooter project through the whole registration and restoration process, before embarking upon a plethora of upgrade and tuning options. The first thing we needed to do was find a suitable workhorse for the new Lambretta Tech series. We’d already discussed the brief at Scootering HQ, and knew exactly what we wanted; we just didn’t know where to find it. We had the usual scan through eBay, but nothing was jumping out at us and it became a bore sifting through the plethora of overpriced custom scooters, which just weren’t what we were looking for at…

Sidney Barnes is now in his seventh decade in the music industry. Over that time he has worked with many of the all-time greats, as well as being involved in many of the landmark periods in the evolution of soul music. In the run up to The Sidney Barnes weekender with The Signatures, in Coventry, we caught up with the man himself for an exclusive chat and a look back at some of the many high points of his career. Born in 1941, Sidney grew up in West Virginia, before moving to Washington DC where, when still at high school, he was a member of several doo-wop groups, basically made up of school friends. One of these saw a young Sidney team up with the equally young Van McCoy, Marvin…

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 more than 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. Q. I got knocked off my scooter recently. I told my insurers about what happened. They have suggested that they will deal with the damage to my scooter on a 50/50 basis with the car driver’s insurers. I’m not happy about that at all as I am sure it was 100% their fault.…

Next year SIP celebrates its 30th birthday and is planning an open day not to be missed. Situated on the outskirts of the stunningly beautiful town of Landsberg am Lech, SIP’s headquarters are famed for their hospitality, particularly their open days. With 2024 being SIP’s special birthday year, visitors to the event can be certain of a good day out; particularly as it runs on from a German bank holiday. In addition to scooters gathered from across Bavaria and beyond, visitors will be treated to pizza from the wood-fired Ape oven, food and drink from their Italian SIPERIA cafe-bar, parts and used scooter market, power measurements on a calibrated P4 Amerschläger test bench for a voluntary donation of €10, a photowall for all visitors and vinyl sets from DJ Leo…

WIN a smart Scootering T-shirt with your photo DATA: Protection of your personal data is important to Mortons. Your data will be stored securely and only be used for the purpose of processing the competition and notifying the winners. Data will then be destroyed. Least crap snap Please send your scooter pictures to: Show Us Your Scooters, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 6LZ (include an SAE if you want your print returned) or email a HIGH RESOLUTION image to suys@scootering.com…

Gathering of The Clans Scooter Rally September 8-10, 2023 When it comes to scooter rallies, Gathering of The Clans stands tall as the biggest and longest-running scooter rally in Northern Ireland. This annual event has been running since 2002 without a break (even through Covid). What truly sets the Gathering of The Clans Scooter Rally apart is its welcoming nature and the diverse crowd it attracts. It brings together scooter riders from all corners of the country and beyond to enjoy the journey with breathtaking scenery. Over the years it’s proven to be a weekend that has always been filled with friendship and camaraderie, no matter where you have travelled from, and always an incredible party atmosphere. This year was no exception. In recent years, Gathering of The Clans has…

Dealer specials were quite common in the 60s and 70s and evolved further in the 80s with offerings from MSC, PM Tuning, Armandos and of course Arthur Francis all vying to relieve scooterists of their hard-earned cash. Due to our flamboyant nature, the ‘chameleon’ scooterist has always wanted to stand out from the crowd, whether that means having the fastest or prettiest machine on the block. When scooter traders and importers noticed this, they quickly latched on to adding a few unique details to their stock in an effort to boost sales. Binary paint schemes, sign writing, accessories, styling, rebadging and even engine upgrades were soon the ‘must have’ optional extras and the beautiful scooter you see here harks back to those days. Owner and builder Scott Le Pavec hails…

Crankshaft power limits Q: Hi Dan I have a Series 2 Li125. I have replaced the crank with a new Tameni Li taper crank. When considering my cylinder kit options how much power can these cranks safely take? I know I could use a Casa 185 for example but would an RT195 be a viable alternative when used with a 22mm carb and clubman? Thanks, Adam A: Hi Adam, Truth be told, I have absolutely no idea what the specific bhp limit of an Li taper crank is. But if we apply a little bit of common sense and logic, then perhaps we can make some safe assumptions, as follows… The small-block models that predominantly used the Li taper crank were quoted as having a factory figure of no more…

It happened, the stars aligned and a golden opportunity finally arose for us here at Scootering magazine to present a new auto-based tech series – all we had to do was decide which machine to start with and get cracking. As the series proceeds, we will of course expand the articles to include other popular automatic makes and models, but to begin with, what better place than the air-cooled Royal Alloy GT125 with its ever-popular GY6 motor? As the GY6 motor is currently one of the most used scooter engines on the planet the series also works for owners of other marques, everything from AJS to SYM. Later we’ll expand to 200cc, 300cc, and liquid-cooled motors further down the road; start with the basics and work our way up! So,…

If your new year resolution is to get out and about more, how about trying Distretto ruote piccole @ Motor Bike Expo Verona! Thanks to Scooterismo.it and Special Senza Marce, two of the most popular scooter-related pages on social networks in the world, a new area for classic and modern scooters will be hosted at the Motor Bike Expo in Verona from January 19-21. The dedicated display area will feature classic and modern scooters together with mopeds, a workshop, spare parts stalls, DJ sets and exhibitions. It promises to be a special weekend that will attract enthusiasts from across Italy and beyond. Go on, don’t let that resolution get away from you before January’s over… ■ www.scooterismo.it…

Born in Ghana, of Nigerian parents, Ajala grew up in Nigeria as one of around 30 children in a polygamous family. Despite his father’s traditional approach to life, Ajala, with the support of his mother and uncle, embraced education and at the age of 18 moved to the United States, where he studied medicine at the University of Chicago. It was in the United States that Ajala’s thirst for travel began. In 1952 he ended his studies and embarked upon a 28-day tour of the nation by bicycle. The 2280-mile trip brought him fame, and on arrival in Los Angeles he was greeted by the city’s mayor. The resulting newspaper coverage and interviews saw him become a minor celebrity and future US President Ronald Reagan recommended him to Hollywood friends,…

There’s no disputing that the world of classic vehicles, whether on two or four wheels, can be an expensive hobby. We’ve all said goodbye to the days when it was possible to pay £50 for a scooter, drag it out of some old boy’s garage and have it running the same afternoon but even scooters that were traditionally viewed as affordable, such as Indian GPs and even PX125s, have crept up in price. When faced with the prospect of buying an ‘open cheque book ’project or an auto that’s roadworthy for around the same price, in the real world, who can blame anyone for taking the latter option. However, there is another way to approach the world of classic scooter ownership but it means casting our nets wider than the…

★ STAR LETTER ★ All in the mix? Dear Stan, Having just looked at the calendar for next year’s Nationals, I’d like to say what a pleasure it is to see some fresh venues for a change. Perhaps the committee can commission some other changes and shake things up a bit more to get away from some of the other old favourites? Anna, Southend Hi Anna, While I agree that the 2024 season is a very exciting prospect, I think that you’re not alone in misunderstanding the BSRA committee’s role. Without getting into a history lesson the Nationals’ calendar has always existed to coordinate the major rallies, making sure they don’t clash and nominate a programme of rallies that encourages scooterists to travel the country, enjoy places they may not…

Sidecars are a bit like Marmite. To some of a certain vintage, me among them, we just can’t detach the image of a sidecar from that of Arthur and Olive of On The Buses fame and as a result they have the same cool factor as neon-coloured Crimplene flares. On the other hand, sidecar devotees will vigorously defend their practicality. One thing that can’t be denied is that the numbers of them are increasing. This is particularly true of Southeast Asia, where the sidecar combo is an affordable and practical tool for the business or family. Having said that, the burgeoning middle classes in China have also latched on to them as a ‘toy’ to be played with as well. One dealer in China recently sold 20 in one go…

PRACTICAL SCOOTERINGTECH TIPSPart 11 Stripping a Vespa chassis is not complicated, it’s just fiddly and time-consuming. In my humble opinion, a Lambretta chassis is a considerably less complicated affair, by far. One of my pet hates (and the job I’m dreading the most on the rebuild side of things) is the wiring loom and all of its associated connectors, relays, fasteners and connections. Wiring is not my forte, so this will test my mettle considerably. Most Lambretta scooters that I work on have a ‘simplified’ loom, little more than a handful of wires, which are very easy to route toward the relevant connections (ignition, lights, rear brake, CDI, regulator and suchlike). No complicated relays or junction boxes, and barely any sleeves or grommets to consider. Whereas the Vespa chassis has…

Alargeframe Vespa isn’t usually the scooter of choice for budding BSSO racers, but if the rider has no previous experience of riding scooters there are no preconceptions to deal with; just the business of trying to win. PG: You’ve made quite an impression this year, but what was your journey to scooter racing? Brook: I started off doing some beach racing at Mablethorpe, then went on to race motocross, but I broke my leg (more than once) so that ended really due to the injury. Then I found Honda C90 racing at Wittering and the BMF events at Peterborough and raced with the Viper team. I also did some moped racing including a Honda Melody and a Piaggio NRG among others. It was racing C90s where I met the boys…

"I bought my own painting tent, which I set up in our living room and I airbrushed the body panels with acrylic paint so it didn’t smell the house out with fumes!" Emma Cable’s scooter is probably one of the most eye-catching machines Stu Smith has seen this year so he asked her to tell us more. How and when did you get into scooters? “When I was a teenager I thought they looked great. I always wanted to get a Lambretta or a Vespa but I couldn’t find one. So I ended up taking my bike test when I was 17 and getting a large capacity motorcycle. I rode performance bikes for a while but my passion for scooters never left me.” Tell me about this scooter? “It’s a…