Innehållsförteckning för September 2024 från Scootering

Adding to its line-up of Kevlar/Aramid jeans, Richa’s Henderson jeans are defined as the choice for the everyday rider. The Henderson jeans have a Thunder Lite Kevlar Denim construction, which offers both superb abrasion-resistant qualities while retaining all the flexibility – and comfort – of a high-street jean. Additional safety protection, in the form of D3O Level 2 protectors, come as standard on the hips and knees. Priced from £169.99, the Henderson jeans are available in standard and short leg length options, in a choice of three colour options: Black, Dark Blue and Blue Stone – and in sizes 30-44. www.nevis.uk.com…

New releases The Courettes: The Soul Of… The Fabulous Courettes (Damaged Goods) Garage duo The Courettes continue their dig into the Sixties sound with their fourth album. As hinted at by the title, there’s a lot more soul about this one, at times deep diving into the classic Motown sound which leads to a much more dancefloor-friendly sound. Their fairly lo-fi approach remains though, with the majority of the musical weight being carried by the drums and guitar of the band members, but on this one they are joined by keys, brass and even strings at times which give a much fuller sound to that which the pair are known for. At times there are no pretences other than it being an attempt at being much more chart friendly than previous…

When our Stan, the editor of this publication, asked if I knew anything about an Albatross, I thought he was talking about an old pit fitter who worked on the opposite shift to me at the mine. He was called Albert Ross, a nice fella and handy with a set of spanners. Obviously, I now know he was talking about the Dayton Albatross, and in particular an original-condition machine that he had spotted on a visit to MB Scooters. As it happens this is owned by Mark Broadhurst. So, no problem, I could go get some pictures and get all the information on the machine from Mark, as I thought he would definitely know about the machine, and I am way out of my comfort zone with anything other than…

★ STAR LETTER ★ Sidecar swap Hi Stan, Your article on Watsonian sidecars was very interesting as I did thousands of miles with my sidecar outfit, touring on the continent twice and entering the Isle of Man Rally four times from 1971 to 1974. In ’71, I and my passenger Dave Bishop had a close encounter with a dry stone wall on our last run over Druidale and bent the forks under the frame. In 1973 I had a new passenger named Richard Bull and we did really well, winning the Full Day Trail (the first combo ever to do so), Sidecar Champion, 1st in the sidecar class in the Druidale, and 3rd overall for the rally. If I have one quibble about the article, it’s that the bit about…

Taking a hacksaw to a Lambretta to customise it has been a fashion for many decades. There’s no denying that its peak was in the 1980s, and although some may now regret butchering rare frames, there’s no denying that it’s an integral part of the scene’s history. These days, it’s carried out less frequently, mainly due to the dramatic rise in the value of classic scooters. Cutting the back end of a frame was an easy option, and out of that emerged the chopper scene. Over the years, we have seen many fine examples from those with creativity and engineering skills to produce such masterpieces. The problem is that the chopper is like any other form of scooter customisation because it has been repeated many times. That makes it more…

PRACTICAL SCOOTERING TECH TIPSPart 19 The rolling chassis is now looking in really good shape; it’s pleasing to see things finally starting to come together. Last month we got the runners and ignition items fitted, this month we will be sorting out the rear shock absorber and bleeding the front brake system. After that, it should just be the cables to connect and a few loom items to sort out, and then we should be able to get the petrol tank fitted and the headset top back on. Once we are at that stage, then we will be ready to fire up the engine and set up the carb on the dyno. Those who know me will confirm that nothing pleases me more on a scooter build than testing an…

Several of us from the same year at school had been immersed in the Mod culture, which was still hanging on from the fallout of Quadrophenia. However, there could be an age gap of up to a year between us, meaning that some of us got on the road (legally) before others. This slight mismatch meant that our group became a mix of those on Vespa 50 Specials while others had moved on to 125cc machines and beyond. It wasn’t much of a problem because we all wanted to own scooters, but out on the road, there was a clear difference in speed. Even with a 125, it meant riding in second gear most of the time as the vastly underpowered 50cc lot dragged behind. Everyone understood that was the…

Just recently I saw a post on a certain popular social media site that showed a scooter with some numbers on it and a request for information on the machine’s ‘racing heritage’. It only took 10 seconds to realise that there was no heritage, it really wasn’t hard to see. Sticking some numbers on a scooter doesn’t mean it has ever been anywhere near a racetrack! Nor does it mean it is particularly fast either! Over the years hundreds (or thousands) of scooters have found themselves being styled in some way as race replicas or street racers but rarely would they be anywhere near the specification required to race. My dad used to have a saying: ”It says PG Tips on the side of a bus but it doesn’t mean…

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 had an accident on my scooter four years ago. I banged my head but didn’t really have any symptoms, so I didn’t make a claim. I recently had a seizure and the specialist says it was due to the impact in the accident. Am I too late to claim? A. Ordinarily,…

Oxford has been designing market-leading Oximiser battery optimisers for more than 20 years and its new Oximiser Pro range has been engineered to take ‘intelligent’ battery optimisers to another level. Equipped with sophisticated diagnostic capabilities, the Oximiser Pro seamlessly detects and rehabilitates damaged batteries, utilising cutting-edge, proprietary charging profiles to restore multiple battery types. Requiring no prior technical expertise, this advanced system has been designed to ensure optimal performance for any battery type, with plug-and-play automated functions. Its intelligent monitoring system continuously oversees the battery’s condition, providing long-term maintenance and significantly extending the battery lifespan. The Oximiser Pro 900 charges 6v and 12v WET/MF batteries at a maximum charge rate of 800mA (0.8Amps). The intelligent seven-stage automatic program ensures that every battery is correctly and safely charged to its optimum…

Skavale Scooter Rally This event was the inaugural Skavale Scooter Rally and was hosted by the Lambretta Chopper Owners Club… Set in the Vale of Scarsdale, hence a slight play on words for the name of the rally, the event took place in the town of Bolsover, famous for its ‘Little Castle’ founded in the late 11th century by William Peveril, one of William the Conqueror’s knights. History lesson complete, the venue for the weekend’s fun and frolics was the Carr Vale football ground which offered all the necessary amenities. Although there was no clubhouse, this wasn’t an issue as a large marquee was erected on site which was big enough to host its own bar and a stage large enough for a nine-piece band. On Friday night the first…

It should come as no surprise that following the unpleasantness of 1939-1945, Germany’s tourist industry, together with the rest of its economy, was in the doldrums. With most Germans busy rebuilding their shattered lives there was little point in reaching out to them; however, stationed within its borders were thousands of British and American troops. The tourist boards reasoned that if a way could be found of tempting them out of their garrison towns their spending power could be unleashed into the wider community. Southern Germany’s answer to this problem was the ‘Romantic Road’, which was based, very loosely, on the old Roman road which ran through Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Officially launched in 1950, the trail covers about 260 miles, running from Würzburg in the north to the Neuschwanstein Castle…

TRADE FOCUS Loco Wheels was set up by two friends, Dani and Tomás, on the island of Mallorca. They have a rental company, hiring out both modern and classic scooters. From the outset their venture proved popular with scooterists from across Europe, mainly because at the time it was a completely unique idea. The business is now based in the centre of Palma’s old town, and it’s here that they renovate, maintain and rent a fleet of modern and classic scooters. All available for rent or, if you prefer, to take on organised tours. Howard’s adventures The first time I became aware of them was a small advert in one of the magazines. I thought: “Oh, that seems interesting” and went to have a look. On that occasion we rented…

PRACTICAL SCOOTERING TECH TIPS Part 10 In the long term, this S2 Lambretta is going to end up having a full engine rebuild, which we will take readers through in the usual step-by-step manner and will certainly end up with an aftermarket top end fitted, along with all the other usual high-spec gubbins. But, before we launch ourselves into that side of things, I wanted to take a moment just to make a very ‘quick ‘n’ dirty’ tune to the old 150 cylinder, as I thought it would be a nice introduction to the basics of tuning for those who are interested. What we did… The tuning job itself was of the simplest variety. We jacked up the cylinder with a 1.5mm packer, as that set the transfer ports where…

How to use the guide We’ve divided the market first by capacity, and then alphabetically within each category. We can’t possibly give values for every classic scooter, there are far too many variables for that, but we have included data for three of the most common machines: a Vespa smallframe, Vespa PX and Lambretta GP200. These should allow comparisons between ‘then and now’ and help anyone switching from classics to modern scooters, or vice versa. We’ve started with models from the usual suspects but over time we’ll be adding more models to widen the range of information available to you. The data Most of the data is taken from manufacturer’s websites; this can vary between manufacturers depending on what methods are used to test their machines. For example, the type…

One of the most often asked questions by readers is when scooter ‘X’ will be on sale in the UK, particularly when it’s already available elsewhere. More often than not, that answer is tied up in the homologation process. We asked Steve to explain what happens between the factory producing a prototype and the final product arriving in showrooms. Q: What is homologation? Steve: Vehicle homologation refers to the process of certifying that a vehicle complies with the necessary technical and legal requirements to be deemed roadworthy and safe for public use. This process ensures that vehicles meet specific standards set by authorities such as the European Union, United Nations and individual countries. These include things such as safety features, emissions, performance and construction standards. Q: Do all manufacturers have…

Piaggio’s press release states: “The Vespa Primavera Batik was born of two distant cultures united by a diverse and rare elegance. The timeless shape of the Vespa Primavera has been combined with the themes and patterns of Batik, the traditional Indonesian fabric obtained by means of exclusive, precious manufacturing processes which are recognised as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” That’s a lot of words, and we can’t see too many down at the Dog and Duck for a Wednesday rideout, but the Batik is an attractive take on the Primavera shape. As we’ve said numerous times before, it may not be aimed directly at us, but anything that keeps the Vespa brand viable and brings new owners into the fold must be a good thing. www.vespa.com…

For those unfamiliar with the Beeline Moto, it’s essentially a small display unit, about the size of an old school pocket-watch, that piggybacks on to a mobile phone navigation app, offering worldwide coverage without any need for upgrades. It’ s more discreet than having your mobile on display while also keeping it away from water and vibration. Having used the original on numerous trips both in the UK and Europe, Stan’s a big fan. However, the original Beeline’s display was basic to say the least, consisting only of arrows and a countdown to the next turn. It’s fair to say that using it was more of an art than a science. The Moto II offers much clearer directions and a larger display area, together with functions such as clock, speedo…

WIN a smart Scootering T-shirt with your photo For your chance to win a stylish Scootering magazine T-shirt, email us your HI-RES pics to: suys@scootering. com and the least crap snap wins! For full terms and conditions, visit: www.scootering.com/comptc 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…

The ebb and flow of jobs through the garage workshop can vary wildly and takes quite a bit of coordinating. To each customer their own scooter is clearly the most important thing to them, so if we have five scooters in at a time, then we have five people all wanting theirs to be ready first. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is when a customer drops a scooter off and they either say: “No rush on this mate, take as long as you like” but then after a week they start ringing every day to enquire: “Will it be ready soon?” The alternative to that is when they insist: “It has to be ready for the rally in three weeks’ time” and we rush to get it…

PRACTICAL SCOOTERING TECH TIPSPart 10 Last month saw the 180 kit completed and on the dyno. Our original 125cc scooter started with just 7.1hp; we upped that to 9.1hp, with a series of upgrades from Tasso, and it moved our top speed from 50mph to 60mph (GPS confirmed). The next step was then to fit the 180 ‘big bore’ kit, which saw our scooter reach 12hp and lift top speed to 63mph. However, we needed more, and Tasso recommended that we fit the Dr Pulley variator 11g roller weights and also an alternative injector option, which is what we’re doing this month. On the plus side, the Royal Alloy has been a pleasure to work on. It’s very simple ‘plug and play’ tuning, but this also has a downside. If,…

Having recently moved away from Scootering HQ in Lincolnshire down to Sevenoaks, Kent, I was on the lookout for something well built for navigating built-up towns and busy centres. So, when I was offered the opportunity to test Kymco’s Agility City+ 125, I eagerly took the opportunity to try out this urban-styled commuter scooter. Over the last couple of months I’ve battled through the congested urban sprawl, wound my way along twisty back roads and powered (within reason) along arrow-straight main roads. Basically, I’ve been all over to see how well this thing holds up on the daily commute. The basics Kymco opened its doors in Taiwan back in 1964, originally starting out with a technology transfer from Honda. But over the years Kymco has become one of the leading…