Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2021 i Scootering

When it all comes down to it, this is simply the front hub spacer which goes in between the two front hub bearings. But they’re lighter and they’re yellow. So will they make your bike much faster? No. Will they make your bike go further? No. Will they make your bike more reliable? No. So what’s it all about? Mark of MB explained: “Put simply, MB Scooters took a close look at the spacer and having identified some issues we redesigned it using improved modern engineering techniques. With these improvements, for the first time the inside hole is correct because it has a leading edge on each side, which means tha hat when hen yoou’’re re pass passing ng the he spindle sp ndle through the bearings the spacer taper…

Lost keys! I have a 1985 125 Douglas Vespa. I’ve gone and lost the key that unlocks the steering column. Can you suggest a replacement barrel? I have been looking on the SIP website but to be honest I really don’t know what I am looking for. I sort of know I don’t need anything that connects to a battery as my scooter is a kick start. Thank you for your help in this matter. Nigel Quick Hi Nigel I’m going to assume that you’re talking about a PX that has the ignition and steering lock combined? I’m also assuming you’re in the UK. Before going any further it may be worth asking your insurers if you’re covered for key loss or if you’re in the North West/Cheshire/ Manchester area…

I’d been a biker of sorts since school days, although I reckon I’d pushed an assortment of BSA Bantams, Francis Barnetts and Excelsiors almost as far as I’d ridden them. At home we’d got a Visionhire TV but no car, telephone or refrigerator yet… so it came as a great surprise when my dad bought a spanking new red Durkopp Diana to replace his moped. My eyes lit up and it wasn’t long before I was enjoying the quiet, powerful German engineering with its electric starter and foot gear changer/neutral selector. Sportingly, such was the strength of our father/son bond, that before long he suggested that I should take it on a trip and even suggested a holiday tour to Italy; he’d been serving in the Naples area in the…

Name of scooter & reason: McLaren F1. Celebrating Jenson Button’s only world championship win prior to moving to McLaren in the No. 1 car. Scooter model: Li150 Special. Date purchased & cost: 2008 for 200 quid from a mate after many sherbets in the boozer. Inspiration for project: My love of motorsport. Time to build & by who: Six months by me and Chalky at Replay with Mike ‘the Bike’ building the second engine five years ago. Engine spec Kit: TS200. Carb: 30mm Mikuni. Exhaust: Franspeed Tourer. Clutch: AF six-plate. Gearbox: Cyclone five-speed. Porting work by: Harry Barlow. Dyno done by: Diablo. Rims: Sip tubeless. Suspension: R1 shock. Speedo: Standard. Grips: Sundance. Levers: PM Tuning. Seat: Ancillotti. Fuel tank & tap: 10ltr with a fast flow. Hubs: Standard. Brakes: Nissin…

The rivalry among Vespa and Lambretta owners has always been present and though it can get quite fierce at times, devotees of both marques live in harmony with each other. What about the manufacturers though, who were in competition with each other? Now that was a different story. At stake was the company’s reputation and sales, and if the opposition took that away, it could be a financial catastrophe. Mass marketing During the 1950s the scooter boom was huge and just about every two-wheeled manufacturer in the country attempted to join the lucrative market it had created. Some machines were pretty awful, both in design and practicality, whereas others were decent enough but had nowhere near the manufacturing capacity to make any real impact. The two biggest by far were…

Name of scooter: Das Boot. Scooter model: Vespa P80X. Date purchased & cost: The scooter arose from many parts I collected over the last 10 years, so there’s no real date of purchase and I really don’t want to know what it cost. Inspiration for project: A can of grey paint and the film Das Boot from the early 80s. Time to build & by who: It took nearly one year to build this scooter and the works have been done by friends and myself. What was the hardest part of the project: Really everything went smoothly on this project (the ‘building mistakes’ were done when I built my other scooters). Advice or tech tips for anyone starting a project: To make a ‘dry build’ before doing the paint job…

Name: Martyn ‘Burty’ Burrows. First interest in scooters: 1976. First scooter: Lambretta SX150. First ever rally: Great Yarmouth. How did you get there: Rode on my scooter. Furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter: Kelso – never again! What do you like about rallies: The people, the banter, the way of life and having a good time with old and new friends. What do you dislike about rallies: When you enter your scooter into custom shows, the same ones win and you’ve spent more time customising your scooter than the others and you’ve done it all yourself! Name of scooter & reason: Night Owl/Wigan Soul. Date purchased & cost: 1987 – £600. Time to build & by who: About two years in total. Final build, five months by myself. ENGINE…

Peter Sylvester built his stunning custom street sleeper around a 1962 Li150 Series 2. With its bronze, black and silver pin-striped livery and RT195 kitted long-stroke motor, it’s a real head-turner. Despite being far from a bog-standard Series 2 example, it retains a pleasing profusion of that 62-year-old Innocenti Lambrettability! Scooterboy to scooterist Following his brother’s lead, Peter became an 80s scooterboy. Hardly surprising as his brother owned, at one point, an absolute wealth of Lambrettas and Vespas, and would often strip one down, repaint it, then rebuild it, having it running again overnight. Since obtaining his first scooter in ’82, a bright yellow Vespa 90 in pristine condition, he’s always owned at least one scooter. After relocating to Guernsey from Devon, Peter formed Imperial Scooter Club, Guernsey, which although…

Abobber, originally called a ‘bob-job’ from the 1930s, is a style of custom motorcycle. The typical construction includes stripping excess bodywork, removing the front mudguard and shortening the rear mudguard, which is ‘bobbed’ (as in bobtail) to leave a characteristic sweeping look running through the machine. With a childhood immersed in motorcycles Chris Howe has been on two wheels from an early age. “My first bike was a KH125, which my dad gave me; I used it daily to get to and from the supermarket where I worked when I left school.” As time passed his interest in motorcycles moved towards performance bikes. Over the years he owned several large-capacity bikes and developed a later one into a bobber. Consequences Having ridden performance bikes for a while, his appetite for…

The Electric Stars are a well-established, four-piece traditional rock band, but not rock in the spandex and hair lacquer American sense. The Stars’ roots are unashamedly mid-era Stones, Who, Zeppelin and Kinks; they consummately suck all this in and exhale powerful original tunes. That, coupled with an on-stage look to underline it, kind of indicates why they were adopted by the perennial Mod scene too. Having said that, you’ll also hear more than echoes of bands such as The Cult and Happy Mondays and the Soup Dragons swashing about in this, their latest release. The Electric Stars are a touring, gigging, ‘performance’ band and their live act is a proper ‘show’ which always involves the audience. It’s a proper night out – as their gig at a packed 100 Club…

Government launches Covid-19 fund for motorsport venues The UK Government has launched a £300 million fund to support spectator sports and venues to cover losses because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Sports Winter Survival Package will support sports – from national governing bodies through to clubs – impacted by coronavirus restrictions. Motorsport is reported to get around £6 million set aside. Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: “Britain is a sports powerhouse, and this Government will do everything we can to help our precious sports and clubs make it through Covid-19.” Preliminary allocations have been made on a needs-based assessment process and reflect the submissions made from the individual sports, and the funding process will be overseen by an independent decision-making board and supported…

As we look forward optimistically to a better year, and all wish for this present plague to finally get sorted out, at last setting us free to associate with, love and hug each other once again after what has been far too long, I present to you a new piece of kit which harks back to better times. I’m referring to the happier, carefree times of the 1980s, when all we had to worry about was Aids, political divisions, recession, redundancy, unemployment, riots, strikes and national industrial action. The very real threat that the Russians and Americans would seriously fall out and use Europe as a big sports field in which to play their war games, until the craziest one with the biggest cojones finally pressed the big red ‘end…

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: A group of us are planning a ride through Europe later this year. Will our licences still be valid or do we need anything else? A: Brexit – it’s what we all talked about before coronavirus! The good news is that if you have a modern (plastic) driving licence, you should still…

It’s been inevitable for some time and on January 21 this year the Indian government finally withdrew its support for Scooters India Limited (SIL). At the end of Italian production all the tooling necessary to produce the Lambretta GP/DL range was sold to the Indian government, who installed it in a purpose-built factory outside Lucknow. There, between 1975 and 1997, the factory produced ‘GP’ scooters badged as the Vijay Super for domestic consumption and Lambretta for overseas markets. For the past two decades the factory had concentrated on producing the Vikram three-wheeler but despite the massive Indian market for such machines, SIL consistently failed to make any profits. Having exhausted all avenues to keep the factory running, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has now given its permission for the…

Complete engine transplants from 125 to 200cc have always been really easy to do, and reverse compatible too. The ability to mix gearboxes, clutches, sprockets, crankshafts, hubs and virtually every part of the engine meant that Lambretta engines were easy and cheap to keep going and upgrade. The evolution and development of bodywork styling going from bulbous curves to the space age and ‘futuristic’ slim Bertone designed GP range was logical and kept the machines looking stylish. But for me personally one of my favourite design elements of the Lambretta was the design of the SX headset. I remember a guy talking to me for what seemed like hours that the SX really should be called the X Special. I (think) I got his point as to why that should…

Name of scooter & reason: Evelyn, after my daughter. Scooter model: 1959 Series 1 Li150. Inspiration for project: I’d previously bought a general sale Series 2 from Claudio. I’d always wanted a Series 1 built to my own specifications. I contacted Claudio and he was able to complete the project. Time to build & by who: Around nine months by Claudio Cattaneo of Custom Lambretta, Italy. Any specialised parts or mods: Custom fit LD mudguard with extended horncast fins. Custom Daytona Velona speedo housed into original bezel. Harley-Davidson rear tombstone light. Lights upgraded to LED all round. LD butty box with custom fit CHT gauge and rev counter. All dials have synchronised full sweeping function on startup also. Retrofit speedo trip switches built into headset. Frame loop toolbox door deleted…

Number plate warning A friend of mine recently purchased a Royal Alloy GP300. Thinking that the yellow number plate detracted from the classic styling he fitted a black pressed aluminium item. About three weeks later he was stopped by an unmarked police car. The officers informed him that the number plate was not of the required type, but more importantly as the vehicle was not road legal his insurance was not valid and that they were seizing his bike. It would be taken to the police pound and not released until the correct plate was fitted. When my friend attended the pound which is located at the local council vehicle maintenance depot, he was refused access to change the plate as it was authorised persons only. He had to pay…

Name: Nolan. Job: Carpenter. Scooter club & town: Guernsey, solo rider. First interest in scooters: 1986 as a young lad. Funniest experience involving scooters: Flappy stand which I held up with scarf and socks so I could get home! Furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter: Around the island. Favourite custom scooter of all time: A scooter called ‘Why?’ and it was a Vietnam tribute. Name of scooter & reason: Ogden, after Small Faces album. Scooter model: GP150. Date purchased & cost: 1998 for £650. Engine spec Kit: SR185. Crank: Mazzucchelli. Carb: 30mm Dell’Orto. Exhaust: Big-bore standard twin pipe. Clutch: Surflex-B four-plate. Gearbox: Li150. Describe engine performance and scooter handling: Perfect, mustn’t grumble. Is the scooter reliable: Very. Paintwork by: John Biggs in Guernsey. Chrome by: Quality Chrome. Overall cost…

“ It’s the curves, the styling, in my opinion, there’s not a better-looking scooter anywhere. It’s a work of art, you can’t help but keep looking at it” That particular Vespa model is also name-checked in the lyrics of I’ve Had Enough, on that same Who double album. The Vespa Gran Sport is regarded by some as the ultimate Mod scooter, although the TV175 made in Milan at the Innocenti factory could equally stake a claim to that accolade. Manufactured between 1955 and 1961, the piston-ported wideframe scooter is of the correct vintage to have been the top of the range, most desired two-wheeled machine for many of the originators of the Mod subculture. Going exclusively on appearance, the smooth curves of the GS create a thing of beauty. Guernsey-based…

Lee Thomas was relatively new to the scene when he bought his first scooter, a plain white T5 in 2017. “The scooter wasn’t short on performance and came from a good background, but after a while I wanted to make some changes. The performance was fine, but I wanted artwork.” Lee’s great-grandfather fought in the First World War: “The scooter is a tribute to my great-grandfather and all the soldiers who fought in the First World War. It’s also a reminder to everyone that the price of victory was high and was paid with by thousands of young lives.” With the choice of the theme settled, Lee started to make some enquiries to find out who would be able to deliver the artwork. “I’d seen some of Gatch’s work on…

Last month, Stu Owen kicked off the first part of this series with a look at some of the best-known Lambretta tuning kits on the market. We couldn’t squeeze all of those kits into part 1 and so continue this month, as well as taking a look at some of the exotic ‘complete engine’ packages. Since the first aftermarket cylinder kit was launched, and created a revolution in the scooter tuning market, there has been an ongoing development and delivery programme, bringing us ever-improving tuning goodies. Since that time there have been dozens of kits, cranks, carbs and exhausts made available, but when it comes to choosing the right one for your scooter it can be a very daunting and confusing task knowing which option to use. So we at…

Name of scooter & reason: ‘The Series 2’… because it’s a Series 2, or The Avenger because it’s 1962 and that’s when the Avengers was on TV. Scooter model: Lambretta Italian Li150. Engine spec Kit: RT 195. Crank: 60mm race. Carb: BGM PWK 30mm. Exhaust: MB Development pro Clubman. Clutch: Surflex B standard five-plate. Gearbox: Li150. What brand of oil do you run: Rock Oil semi synthetic at a bit less than 50:1 CHASSIS SPEC: Tyres: Weatherman. Rims: SIP tubeless. Suspension: BGM adjustable front and rear. Speedo: Smiths copy. Cable brand: Nylon lined BGM. Seat: Copy of a Pegasus style seat. Fuel tank & tap: Stainless steel standard tank with fast-flow tap. Brakes: Front disc with anti-dive. Describe engine performance and scooter handling: It’s piston ported, runs really well and…

Name of scooter & reason: Rusto Rod Custom. It’s in the name and the looks. Scooter model: Vespa PX125. Date purchased & cost: January 2020. Inspiration for project: Wanted to develop a rat-custom scooter. Time to build & by who: Three months by me. Any specialised parts or mods: Lowered suspension, rusteration finish and modified front mudguard side panels by me. ENGINE & CHASSIS SPEC Engine: Standard. Carb: Standard; up-jetted. Exhaust: Simonini sports expansion. What brand of oil do you run: (and ratio) SIP 3%. Tyres: Continental whitewalls. Suspension: Standard, dropped and cut by me. Grips: Sundance with cloth insulation tape wrapped round. Adds to the old-school look and makes them more comfortable! Seat: Aftermarket race slope-back. Describe engine performance and scooter handling: Runs as sweet as anything. Good acceleration…

A lot’s happened in the scooterist world since the last issue. On the negative side, some people are struggling to get their heads around how Brexit has affected scooterists and despite a good explanation of the situation by Stan in the last of edition of sibling publication, Scootering, some people are still finding it hard to understand – let’s hope it all comes out in the wash. Other sad news was the announcement that Scooters India is to be closed down after failure to secure a buyer. Although the company hadn’t produced any new Lambrettas in a while, it’s sad that this will herald the loss of the last link to the production of classic Lambrettas. Scooters India has sttated that the brand name will be so old separately (the…

Sitting at home one Sunday morning not long after Christmas, my phone rang; on the other end was an old friend of mine, Dick Sedgley – the former service manager at the Lambretta Concessionaires, who then later went on to become the manager of Royspeed. The reason he rang me was to tell me that he had finally managed to get his long-awaited book published – and he wanted me to be the first to publicise that fact in print before it became public knowledge. However, because the internet moves faster than magazine print, the news soon got out about this book’s release – and indeed, by the time you read this, you should be able to purchase a copy through the LCGB if you’re a member. This book has…

The Dayton Albatross was a British-built scooter powered by a Villiers 225cc motor; it came pretty late to the height of the popular scooter riding scene of the late 1950s. Although the company ventured into the lucrative commercial scene, the Albatross struggled to capture the hearts of the scooter riders, the result being that it was only produced in small numbers. Dayton was originally a cycle-producing business based in the north-west corner of London. It was possibly the earliest company to produce a large motor scooter in Britain; it was around 1954 when the first Albatross model made an appearance and production ran until 1960. AN EARLY INTEREST Rob Carter first became interested in scooters at the age of 14 during the 1960s. These were the days when I’m sure…

BUCKS SPARTANS MK SC Based in Milton Keynes, Spartans MK SC is a well-supported club. Info: Ray Reader mobile 07969 263840 or 01908 395961/Lyn Tofts 07831 383377 (for clothing and general info). Facebook: SPARTANS MKSC TIN SOLDIERS SC Meet every Saturday from 9.45am at Captain Ridley’s Shooting Party (Wetherspoons), MK2 2ED. Monthly meet held at same venue, but first Thursday each month from 7.30pm. Up-to-date information via Facebook: Tin Soldiers Scooter Club. DORSET LOWRIDERS SC Based in Weymouth, our members ride weird and wonderful machines. Facebook: Lowriders Scooter Club Dorset. POOLE INNERCIRCLE SC We are a mixed club of Lambrettas and Vespas. We meet at the New Inn, Poole on the first Wednesday of the month with a ride-out every month. More info find Poole Innercircle Scooter Club on Facebook.…

The T Royal Alloy TG model is making a big impact on the scene and in the Royal Alloy community c . Its likeness to the Lambretta Series S 2 gives it a full-on classic retro look and a opens up plenty of custom opportunities. John J Randall is not only the owner of a TG T 300S, he’s also the author of the TG Owners O ’ Club Facebook page and keen Royal Alloy A enthusiast. To support the period look oof his TG, John designed a set of side-panel flashings similar to those seen on the Series 2 and commissioned a local printing company to produce them as chrome effect peel-off flashings, which are simple to apply. The flashings have been endorsed by Royal Alloy’s CEO Stephen Oliver…

It’s that time of year again when scooter racers are eagerly getting ready for the forthcoming BSSO season, which may well encounter a few disruptions like there were in 2020. Time will tell! Having followed rookie racers for the last two seasons once again we can announce another for 2021. This time it’s the turn of Kieran Reece Kearney who will be entering the production class on a Lambretta GP. The 32-year-old from Telford has no previous race experience and admits it’s going to be a steep learning curve. Unfazed by the task that awaits him Kieran already has his production machine ready thanks to help from Justin Offland (rookie racer 2019) who he will be racing for under the LJ Racing 17 banner, Justin’s team. Good friends, it was…

Blue-eyed UK soulster Steve Ellis has been singing since the tender age of 15, during the original Mod era of the 60s. Initially as the Soul Survivors, with Steve on lead vocals, then later, after a name change to Love Affair, he played live at most of the legendary Mod clubs of the 60s. As Love Affair a series of single chart hits were notched up, including the number one Everlasting Love, along with other top 10 singles, Rainbow Valley, A Day Without Love and Bringing On Back The Good Times. After departing from Love Affair in 1969, Steve worked as a guest vocalist, recorded a solo album and collaborated on the soundtrack for the film Loot. In 1971 he joined forces with original Mod era Zoot Money to form…

“One such person was James, a likeable but confused lad with Dr. Martens boots, bleached jeans, a polka dot shirt, all enclosed in a US army parka. Finished with a razor edge flat top he was a mix between Mod and Scooter boy, a sort of scooter mongrel.,, Our scooter club had been going for about a year, the meeting place was the garage from hell (edition 380) and among the members were Hacksaw Harry and Carlo… two of the finest scooter bodgers you could wish to meet, armed with a hammer and chisel ready to destroy any scooter in seconds. They were the leaders of the club and strict on how it should be run. As part of the criteria, you must own a scooter, both Vespa and Lambretta…

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 or post your pics to Show Us Your Scooters, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ, 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. I’m shielding and have been for the best part of this year, due to chronic emphysema. The best I could manage recently was shifting my beloved PX out of the way, in my jammies and slippers, while…

Name: Mark Kendall. Job: Commercial director. Scooter club & town: Banbury SC, Banbury Oxfordshire. First interest in scooters: The usual film TBH. First scooter: Vespa 90. Favourite scooter model: Series 3, SX style. Favourite style of custom scooter: Race themed of course. First ever rally: Disc ’86. How did you get there: Two-up on a PX125 all the way from Wolverhampton with my pal Barnesy on the back. Pissed it down all the way. Any funny stories: Scooter build of many moons ago building Dave Turnbull’s War of the Worlds. Charlie connected the gears up wrong and Dave nearly stoved it on the maiden voyage. Favourite rally: Weston, on 90 miles, the locals are great and the weather has always been great over the years. Least favourite rally: None really,…

Our T5 is approaching its 33rd birthday so it’s bound to hold a few secrets. When undertaking a build it’s very easy to get overwhelmed, particularly when things don’t go to plan. It’s at this point that many projects find themselves sold on, but there are some tricks to keeping things on track. • Think small. Don’t look on the project as one big task; separate it into smaller, more manageable pieces of work. By concentrating on one job at a time it’s easier to see progress towards the final outcome. • Get organised. I always have a supply of self-seal food bags handy into which I place major components with their associated fastenings. When labelled, these go into a ‘dirty’ box which I slowly work through. When a part’s fully refurbished…

Name: Michael Zander. First interest in scooters: In 1992 a friend of mine induced me to visit the Scooter Dive, a famous scooter rally in Aachen, Germany, organised from the scooter club Filthy & Sly. I was totally flashed from the scooters, the music, the scooter scene and I was immediately infected with the ‘Vespa virus’. First scooter: Vespa 50N, 1976. Favourite scooter model: Vespa GS160 MkII, Motovespa 150 S/2. Favourite style of custom scooter: The 90s racer and original paint (rat-style) scooters with race-tech features. First rally: Scooter Dive 1992. Furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter: A tour in the Austrian Alps with nearly 400km on one day. What do you like about rallies: To see many cool scooters with different styles (cut-downs, racers, rats, mod-style etc.) and…

Everyone knows that the northern soul scene is firmly embedded in the scootering community. Scooters came on to the scene during the early 60s, but when times changed in the late 60s and things moved on to the era of flower power and psychedelia it wasn’t to everyone’s taste. Those who weren’t interested sought out a style of music which was upbeat and progressive; nightclubs emerged and the northern soul scene was born. Throughout these changes, one thing remained: scooters; and over the years numerous scooters with northern soul themes have been developed. Some people might ask, “Why the interest? Each one’s got the same theme.” But actually each one is different; it doesn’t matter if it’s a highly detailed custom scooter or a plain and simple, ‘Keep the faith’…

The Duff Guide To 2 Tone – Book – Stephen Shafer For those unfamiliar with the name, Stephen Shafer worked for the legendary Moon Ska Records in New York at the height of their success as their director of marketing, management and production (or director of propaganda at Moon Ska Records, as he puts it) working with ska artists from around the world, including The Toasters, Bad Manners, Nick Welsh and a whole host of acts of varying levels of fame. This led him to start up a blog – The Duff Guide To Ska – which itself should be compulsory reading for anyone who considers themselves a ska fan. After 12 years of regular updates, Stephen has returned to the roots of the music that he is a…

Name: Peter Sylvester. Scooter club & town: Imperial Scooter Club Guernsey. First interest in scooters: My brother had loads of scooters and boxes of GPs and Vespas. He used to make me laugh as he would strip and paint a scooter overnight and rebuild and ride around on it the next day. Towards the end of the 80s my dad got annoyed and said he needed to clear the garage out, that’s when boxes and boxes of scooters and frames etc. went to the tip, probably all Italian and sought-after models. First scooter: Vespa v90, bright yellow, bought from a shop in Exeter in 1982, the dealer said it was a one old lady owner (yeah right) it was mint though. First ever rally: Exmouth in the 80s. Any funny…

Naame: Chris Howe. Job: DJ. Scooter club & town: Manchester Lyons SC. First interest in scooters: I’ve always been interested in motorbikes and bobbers, and in 2019 I went to a meeting called On Wheels where anything goes. It was there that I got chatting with the Manchester Lyons scooter lads and eventually decided to buy a scooter. First scooter: This one. Favourite scooter model: Vespa Faro Basso. Favourite style of custom scooter: Rat/ bobber. Funniest experience involving scooters: Probably the feedback I got from the Manchester Lyons lads about the consequences of me cutting down a full-bodied scooter! What do you like about rallies: The music and having a laugh. Favourite Scootering magazine feature: Show Us Your Scoots and feature custom scooters. Your most recommended scooter part or related…

Southend trip Here are a few pictures of me, Keith Plumb and Malcolm Keep. They were taken on a trip to Southend scooter rally in 1965. John Newins Whitley Bay trip Whitley Bay on Sunday morning after a wild night – which we never saw anything of! Got in a pub and had a good night. Pictured are my white SX ‘bitsa’ on right; Dave Rothery’s GP SIL P reg, third or fifth in UK, Scootermania II (Trev Bonser) GP150, V reg that strangely had 12v DC from new (normally AC non-battery)! Rob Skipsey’s AF 250 at back; Dave Storr on the GP150; and Andy Shaw’s SX150 in its tasteful green paint! Rob Skipsey/Zoey Jackson on Rob’s 250 S Type motor; pic taken in 1982-3 on the ride to Whitley…

Every now and then, something turns up in Lidl’s middle aisle that is absolutely brilliant – and this is the case with this Parkside rechargeable electric drill. It’s small and compact enough for use in those tight spaces where other tools don’t fit; not only is it good for home DIY (yeah, sorry, it’s covered in dust in the picture from where I’ve been using it), but it’s compact enough to put in your pocket, or a rucksack if you’re out on a scooter ride; this alone makes working on the roadside (eh Lambretta owners) so much easier. A rechargeable electric drill for less than a tenner (£9.99 actually) makes it a no-brainer. Lidl updates stock every week, but if you’re lucky, you might still find one – good luck!…