Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2018 i Scootering

There was some speculation before the event that it might not go ahead due to the bad weather the week before. However, Kev wasn’t having any of it! He knew how important this parts fair was to everyone and Wicksteed was going ahead no matter what. Variety inside and out Outside the dealers and traders were offering a tempting selection of interesting parts and accessories, scooter frames and full scooters. Meanwhile, inside the Celebration Suite it was a full house with around 30 dealers, traders and jumblers selling all the new and used parts and accessories you could ask for. At the gate a queue was steadily building; a handful of brave scooterists had arrived on their scooters to check out the bargains on offer, and there was the usual…

The scooter we have here was a neglected 150 Super... and then Mitya, Misha and Mario got their paws on it. I’ll let them explain in their own words about their background, and the superb scooter they built... This is one of the three Vespa 150 Supers that we bought in Vietnam. These three Vespas started the history of Butcher Garage. From that moment we discovered the ‘creativity of the Vietnamese engineering masters’… I’m sure you understand. Our first experience was a Vespa ACMA from which (later) we built the ‘invader’ project. After that experience we decided not to buy any ‘refurbished’ in Vietnam, but to buy the base scooter and do it ourselves – basically like a Meccano kit, but with official paperwork stating it was a scooter. We…

At Kev Walsh’s Bradford Parts Fair in January 2018 we met 14-year-old Elly Phelan who was busy helping her Dad with his ‘jumblers’ stand. The stand in question was run by Bob Phelan of the West Riding Scooter Club (Bradford) who now lives in Bridlington. In between Bob and Elly helping the customers at their stand we were able to spend a few moments with them… Interesting nature “I got interested in the scooter scene through my dad. He’s had dozens of scooters over the years. I really liked the look of them and I liked the whole image which came along with them,” Elly explained. Bob Phelan’s been into scootering since the early 80s. He was brought up on the Buttershaw estate in Bradford, and he explained that his…

Whatever your scooter style preferences, chopper-style scooters are a relevant contribution to the rich tapestry of our scene. Their owners are a special breed with an off the grid approach to scootering and they bring a lot to the table, which we should all thank them for. Dreams can come true Dream Warrior’s current owner, Brian Varey, is a self-confessed life-long chopper scooter enthusiast. Bri said: “I’d been out of the scootering scene for a while and I was lucky when my pal Macca, by chance, saw that Dream Warrior was up for sale. It’s all about the smoothness of the lines of a chopper, concealing the less easy-on-the-eye elements of a chopper build; and for me, Dream Warrior’s chopper lines are perfect. The look of the scooter is perfect…

The Ribble Vally Mod Weekender's been going for a few years now, and each year is bigger than the last. To be honest (and to my shame), this was the first time I’d attended it. Yes, we’ve all seen the ride in on YouTube, and the excitement that causes, but that in no way reveals the whole event. Based in Clitheroe, home to Pendle Hill and the legends of the Lancashire witches, their trials and executions, it’s got historic charm and is a great setting for a gathering. Not only that, but Burnley and Pendle have a long and distinguished history within scootering, as they were one of the clubs that kept the torch aflame in the dark days of the early 70s. The event ‘officially’ begins with the ride…

“It may be based on a cartoon but it’s no Donkey!” A common criticism by non-believers is that Lambretta riders can take themselves a little bit too seriously. It’s certainly not a charge that can be levelled against Ursula Schlatter, but don’t be fooled into thinking this is a scooter that was thrown together for a laugh. Swamp dwelling Shrek first hit the silver screen back in 2001, and since then has spawned everything from character toys to a Broadway musical. One thing which runs through the franchise is a distinctive look, hard to define yet instantly recognisable. It’s alook which Ursula’s Lambretta captures perfectly. At first glance this is a tidy green Lambretta with a couple of murals but closer examination reveals a myriad of detail and a monstrous…

Col Barrett, who rides with Dorset Lowriders SC has been on the periphery of the scooter scene for many years. It was the 90s when he was in Canada when he attended a few scooter rallies. Later that same decade after returning to the UK he got his first scooter, a Lambretta GP, with a 240cc top end. He has also been an active member of the rare soul scene, which has always had a degree of crossing over into the scooter scene. Col numbers among those who regard the Yam 350 YPVS as the pinnacle of the 80s two-stroke power. “I always had a bit of a soft spot for the Rossa 350 Yam-Lams, even in standard specifications. Those power-valve engines have always amazed me, they are the ultimate…

Few will disagree that the North Yorkshire Moors have some of Britain’s most beautiful scenery. With roads that either wind thorough forest and moorland or hug its rugged coastline it’s a true riders’ paradise. That’s if the weather holds – if it doesn’t it can be a cold and forbidding place. Due to the aftermath of ‘The Beast from the East’ causing the Rugby Club to call a halt to camping at fairly short notice, it was fair to anticipate a cold weekend ahead. While icy sleet, driving rain and freezing temperatures may have created treacherous riding conditions, it didn’t stop scooterists coming out of hibernation for the season’s opening rally in Whitby. Riding over the moors into town was either gruelling or magical depending on a rider’s point of…

Straddling the River Langan, Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and the second largest city on the island of Ireland. Once infamous as a hotbed of sectarian violence, Belfast has emerged from this brief period in its history as a vibrant, cosmopolitan city. So complete is the transformation that Lonely Planet guides list Belfast as one of its ‘must visit’ destinations for 2018, ranking it alongside Languedoc in France, Japan’s Kiri Peninsular and Bahia in Brazil. For scooterists making the journey to Vespa World Days, the problem isn’t what to do, but how to fit everything in! Titanic Quarter The Titanic dominates Belfast, literally in the case of Harland and Wolff’s iconic cranes. Opened in 2012, ‘Titanic Belfast’ is a £77 million attraction that commemorates Belfast’s most famous product,…

Space age Open any car magazine and I guarantee that it’ll feature a ‘supercar’. It doesn’t matter that they’re prohibitively expensive and excessively fast… readers just can’t get enough of them. Until recently there weren’t many scooters worthy ofthe title ‘super’ but CAD engineering and 3D printing changed all that. Kits now deliver power that was unimaginable 10 or 15 years ago, but unfortunately many standard components simply can’t cope with that. It’s possible to upgrade parts but solving one problem often exposes another further down the drivetrain. Casa Performance approached this problem by throwing away Innocenti’s blueprints and designing an engine from scratch. The result is their 265 SSR, the world’s most powerful production engine for a Lambretta. Real world? We can all agree on one thing: at €8500…

In the mid-1990s, when restoration was first becoming popular, I bought an LI with the intention of returning it to former glory. Istarted by sending the engine block to the local blasters for cleaning, unfortunately it returned looking like a lump of coral! We’ve come a long way since then both in knowledge and techniques. While vapour and soda blasting routinely provide less destructive methods of removing paint and oxidisation, powdered gemstones have long been used as an abrasive in high-end commercial applications. This process offers many advantages but until now the cost has been beyond the reach of most scooterists. Fortunately Chris Akid, co-director of Sheffield based BAW Coatings, is a long standing enthusiast and wants to see the technology applied to more scooter restorations. “The problem with most…

Everyone has seen the Ace of Spades SC from Bold at one rally or another... I mean, it’s hard to miss them, with their bright yellow T-shirts, hoodies and the like flitting round here and there like manic oversize wasps on a mission. I met up with them at their local. Now, here is a confession, anyone who knows me will confirm it, I have a shocking sense of direction. Dreadful. I even ended up in the wrong country once, honest, but that’s another story. That being so one of the chaps, Mike Barr, guided me in. We sat around a table and each added their own view of the club, scootering and the world in general. Mike pointed out that some of the club had a couple of spare…

This years’ Easter egg ride-out on Sunday, March 25, saw an unprecedented element of support from local businesses and the scootering fraternity throughout Gateshead, South Tyneside, Durham and Newcastle. The target of number of Easter eggs Low Fell wanted to achieve to donate to the Queen Elizabeth Children’s Hospital, Gateshead, was 500 but the final figure collected was over 1300 – more than could be carried! Organisation The ride-out day started at approximately 10am with the Newcastle side of the water contingency of scooter riders setting off to the Children’s North East Charity and the St Oswald’s Hospice. In the meantime, at The Schooner (Low Fell SC’s HQ) preparations were being made for the main element of the ride-out, which would commence at 1pm to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. As…

Display At the convenient and centrally located Sports Connexion Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, the doors opened at 10am to allow a steady stream of enthusiastic early arrivals to make their way into the main arena. As the event goers entered the arena they were treated to an exceptional display of custom and vintage scooters, and dealers and traders alike; and for those in need of refreshment hot and cold food and drinks were easily available throughout the day. Inside the arena dealers and traders had taken up a total of 98 pitches and the variety of scooter related items for sale can honestly be described as superb. Items on offer included old and new accessories, vintage and period clothing and footwear, scooter riding gear and even full scooters. Anticipation The custom…

P-range Vespas have been the work-horse of our scene since I can remember – bulletproof engines, easy spares/ accessory availability, relative comfort and good carrying capacity have made them the ‘go to’ machine for clocking up miles. Keeping them standard with good maintenance should give years of loyal service. That said, many scooterists don’t like to fit into the ‘Mr Smithers-Jones’ mentality (thank God!) and like to make their rides personal and interesting! “It jumped out of second gear half way up. I went to talk to him when we got to top but he’d fallen off with the rucksack on his back.” The owner of this beauty, Steven Smyth, started with a PX150 he bought acouple of years ago for just £700. It was soon split apart though, the…

Anyone who attends a rally or show can’t fail to have seen the large marquee and stall that belongs to Andy Francis, packed to the rafters with virtually every Lambretta part currently available. At the front the man himself, more than happy to help customers any way he can – showing an enthusiasm and passion for anything Lambretta, one he has held since he was a teenager. Once a competitive circuit racer and now actively promoting the BSSO production class, he is more involved than ever before. Pound land Like so many before him and those since Andy’s first foray into Lambretta ownership came through a rather unorthodox route. Back in the 1970s and at the tender age of 14, he was out collecting wood locally for bonfire night. Knocking…

As the lady said: “Northern soul saved my life!” That’s quite a claim by professional singer Sarah Collins, but one she stands by. “My doctor told me that music was the best therapy to help me regain my faculties when I was left epileptic and barely able to speak after the emergency operation to remove my tumour. My parents gave me their collection of northern soul and Motown on vinyl and I immersed myself in it. When I felt up to it I set myself the task of learning a song every morning, recording a video of me singing it to a backing track in the afternoon, and then putting it up on YouTube. It really helped me to recover.” Those YouTube videos have now been viewed nearly five million…

Launched in 1985 the T5 was a radical departure from the traditional curvaceous designs for which Vespa was so well known. Not everyone was impressed but its legendary performance soon won over British scooterists and I wasn’t the only P2 rider to be puzzled after my first encounter with a T5. Watching a showroom fresh 125 pull away from me was simultaneously embarrassing and exciting in equal measure. From the outset Piaggio made the most of its latest sports model. Having previously made a seasonal deal to award the Formula One driver with the most Pole Position points a brand new P-range, it wasn’t long before the T5 was being photographed in the pits with famous drivers and featuring ‘Pole Position’ branding in the showroom. Starting grid “I’ve been a…

Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes! Over their life most custom scooters have many different owners, as well as various revamps or rebirths… so it is very unusual to find an 80s classic still untouched! This month though, I have tracked down such a rare specimen, a real ‘glamour-puss’ in the form of Bowie tribute scooter ‘Diamond Dogs’. Its new owner (lucky) Jason Dairy found it ‘shed fresh’ and although the urge was at first to ‘modernise’ it, in the end, he has (thankfully) decided to keep it ‘era-original’. Much to our approval. I think in the interior design world they call that shabby chic! But regardless, once a classic of any kind is ‘modernised’ its real history is gone forever. These hard to find classics are truly rare beasts, so please…