Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2024 i Scootering

Way back when I was a lad, my mum, along with holding down a regular full-time job, also used to be an Avon lady... Ding Dong! Mum would also host Tupperware parties; I can remember pushing the fake gold plated and smoked glass hostess trolley the two yards from the kitchen into the front room and spilling the tea and coffee all over as I failed to safely negotiate the raised door plate from the lino-covered kitchen floor to the thick Axminster carpet of the best room. I really do not know how she found the time, but Mum also used to run the Grattan. This was quite commonplace back in the day and many different catalogue companies existed. Grattan, for those of you that can’t remember, or weren’t even…

Weise Wave 2.0 Waterproof Weise has given its popular waterproof summer gloves a host of upgrades for 2024, making them even more practical for riding in warm but changeable weather conditions. The addition of 1-KP knuckle armour on the Wave 2.0 adds to their appeal for adventure riding, while their flexibility and waterproofing will make them a popular choice with commuters and leisure riders too. The short cuff design sits easily under riding jackets, with hook and loop closure for a snug and secure fit. There’s no need to remove the gloves to operate smartphones or sat navs either, since both the index fingers and thumbs are touchscreen compatible. Weise Wave 2.0 gloves retail at £99.99 a pair, including VAT. They come in a choice of Black or Grey, in…

A good example of the diversity in local design changes in French production is the horncasting, of which there were at least four different variants. This may seem illogical but was in fact forced on the company from the start of production, as there was a French legal regulation that necessitated a larger diameter front headlamp for motorcycles than that of the Italian-based Lambretta prototype. Starting with the original Italian-style horncast, an alternative design was produced as a stopgap, and featured an additional enlarged collar to accommodate the regulation-sized headlamp. This was followed in stages by a further redesign that could accommodate the French legal standard headlight. Incidentally this horncast was also exported for early production Lambrettas at the Eibar factory in Spain. Another clearly visible change from the Italian…

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 THIS MONTH’S WINNER: This isn’t something many of us see, the Isle of Wight just after dawn. While most scooterists were nursing their bank holiday hangovers, Adrian Allen was out and about on his LML 200 4t and took this lovely shot of Ryde just as the sun was coming up.…

It’s now 18 years since Antony ‘Buzz’ Beaumont (A B – get it?) took the plunge and left his job as an engineer to set up what’s become one of the UK’s most trusted sources of both spare parts and project scooters. Since that time Buzzsolomoto’s grown from strength to strength, and just before Covid hit, had one of the most interesting showrooms to be found anywhere. However, as Buzz explained, Covid caused all that to change. “When the lockdown came I wasn’t sure what to do,” he began. “In the early days there wasn’t particularly clear guidance as to whether we could open but we discussed things and decided that if we closed the showroom and took sensible precautions we could continue with the mail order side of business.…

I don’t want to speak too soon and jinx it, but everything has gone to plan the past two months in a row. Last month’s front-end/fork rebuild was a cinch, and this month’s items were plain sailing; will it be the hat-trick next month? In part, some of the success I’ve had is because we got decent parts that seem to fit. On plenty of previous occasions, as we’ve all had, I’ve been trying to fit runners where the holes don’t line up, a kick-start that won’t go on the shaft and then snaps when you try and tighten it up, brake pads that don’t fit the hub, bolts that snap and shear off when trying to remove them; the list goes on. But the gear we’ve had from Torbay…

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 manufacturers’ websites. This can vary between manufacturers depending on what methods are used to test their machines. For example the type…

I recently took a friend to watch his very first scooter racing practice session. “You guys are f&*^ing crazy” was his opinion. Over the years he’s ridden bikes and did briefly own a scooter. Riding a scooter is easy, but he thought riding one extremely fast was ’kin hard, and he’s basically correct. Riding a scooter is indeed inherently easy: just pull the clutch in, rotate the handlebar into gear, open the throttle and off you go. We all know this. The appalling state of modern roads and traffic makes it a little harder than in our youth. But basically scooters are very easy to ride. That was the whole point of their original design, their ease of use helping them to grow in popularity after being invented. Riding a…

It’s been 30 years since SIP Scootershop was founded by Alex and Ralf, who now invite everyone to a birthday party that’s guaranteed to be memorable. From working out of a garage, storing parcels between Alex’s father’s beehives and taking the parcels to the post office on a Vespa, SIP has grown into one of the largest suppliers of scooter parts in the world. Now based in a state-of-the-art facility on the outskirts of the beautiful Bavarian town of Landsberg am Lecht, the SIP team is proud to welcome everyone to the birthday party on Saturday, May 18. Attractions include crispy pizza from the wood-fired ape, food and drink from SIP’s Italian Siperia cafe bar, parts and used scooter market, official trial sport run of the Vespa Club of Germany,…

Q. I had a fairly bad accident on my scooter. I had three operations on my leg afterwards. Unfortunately, the operations did not go well. I am pretty sure the surgeon was negligent. Do I need to bring a separate claim against the hospital? 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. A. Sorry to hear about your difficulties and hope…

This is a bit of a strange book on many counts. Despite weighing in at less than a hundred pages, it manages to pack in an authentic-feeling tale of the rise and fall of a scooter club in the early to mid 80s, a love story, a murder, poetry and a tale of European travel! Not a bad achievement for what is little more than a brief read. I found the story underpinning the book pulled me along quite nicely, never going in the direction I expected it to and entertaining me along the way. It’s pretty obvious that the author – who I’ll come to shortly – knew the scene of that era pretty well and could write about it without having to explain the intimate details of the…

★ STAR LETTER ★ Rhythm and Blue Dear Stan,It was great to read your editorial last month about my good friend Fred and his custom, Rhythm and Blue. As you said, it was a very early piece of work by Maca (Downtown Custom) and as I’ve not seen any images of it on social media I thought these may be of interest but I’m afraid they don’t do its metalflake finish justice. At the time it was quite revolutionary but by today’s standards I suppose it’s all rather tame. Your description of Fred was spot on, both he and his brother Martin were taken from us far too young and are sorely missed. The scooter was eventually sold to another club member, Craig, but hasn’t been seen for many years.…

I’ve never taken the time to investigate why the white floats in Dell’Orto carbs seem to have such a high rate of failure, but they do. Nothing is 100% guaranteed or bulletproof, so even other floats will still have some level of failure, but I see more of the white floats ending up perforated than I do any others. Is it because there are more white floats in circulation and therefore, as a percentage, we are bound to see a higher number? Who knows (I’m sure somebody does) but regardless of the reason why they fail, Dell’Orto seems content to send the majority of its carbs out with them so all you can do is run them until they fail. When I’m buying replacement floats, I go for either the…

There’s no point beating around the bush, I’ve been equally as apprehensive about this part of the project as I have been looking forward to it. Everyone likes a big-bore kit, what’s not to like, but I‘m a two-stroke man to the core and this will be my first foray into swapping over a four-stroke kit. I’m not anticipating anything beyond the scope of my capabilities, but as it’s a first attempt, slow and sure will win the day. I’ll just have to plod through it methodically, learning each new step of the process as we go. The first job, though, will be to drop the engine out of the frame in order to get access to the top end. I’ve had a good root around the various components, and…

Big scooters are great. They’re practical, comfortable and quick off the line; and yet, in the UK, we don’t buy them in anything like the volumes that our European counterparts do. Maybe it’s the weather; maybe it’s because British kids can only start riding at 16 (at which point they might as well just wait and do their car licence); or maybe it’s an ego thing. If British scooterists turn their attentions away from the usual suspects it’s usually for something a little sexier. Something a bit better suited to a specific task. Something like an adventure bike, for example… But, what if you’re too short, too old, or too lazy to clamber on a whopping great adventure bike with its tall seat and long travel suspension? What if you…

Mention first aid and most people think of CPR or dealing with cuts – knowing how to deal with those emergencies might just save a life. That’s why we’ve joined forces with LIVES, an emergency first responders service made up of trained personnel (including doctors, nurses and paramedics) who give up their time to help save lives. They’ve been over to Scootering HQ to share their wisdom, equipping us with the basic skills to save lives by the side of the road. CPR CPR, or more accurately cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is an essential and surprisingly straightforward life-saving technique which can be delivered safely and successfully by someone without any first aid training. It’s incredibly important too. In the UK, the average survival from cardiac arrest out in the world (outside of…

Motorcyclists are being invited to take part in the Great MAG Road Maintenance Treasure Hunt. Riders will be seeking out the best-performing authorities making the most positive impact on UK roads. Publication of the Asphalt Industry Alliance’s 2024 ALARM Report has shown that the road infrastructure is continuing to decline. The amount needed to fix the backlog of carriageway repairs is now at a record high of £16.3 billion. The Government will deliver £8.3 billion of additional funding over 11 years. The transport secretary said this is enough to resurface 5000 miles of local roads. In other words, that is just 2.5% of the network. For riders hoping to see better quality roads it is going to be something of a treasure hunt. Rick Green, chair of the Asphalt Industry…

During my time in Thailand I had the opportunity to visit some friends, Vespa enthusiasts and business partners, for example Lome from Vintage Vespa Thai/Auu Vespa and Kittisak from Lady Bug Scooter. Their warmth and hospitality are unrivalled and I would like to thank them for their great conversation and the rides we were able to experience together. Rarely have I been so warmly welcomed. “According to the organiser Vespa Thailand, more than 10,000 scooters attended the Bangkok event.” Peace, joy, Vespa Another very special event was Viva la Vespa 2024, which attracted crowds of young people to six locations in Thailand on March 9 and 10. I was there in Bangkok and, according to the organiser Vespa Thailand, more than 10,000 scooters attended the Bangkok event. I travelled with…

The level of commitment that the Vintage Motor Scooter Club team puts into holding the extravaganza and the work that goes on behind the scenes always serves to deliver an event which is beyond everyone’s expectations. As usual the event was held at the Sports Connexion Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry. Since last year’s show there’d been some minor changes, one of which included the main entrance into the arena being moved which helped manage the flow of enthusiastic visitors into the building evenly throughout the day. Displays Prior to the doors opening, the custom show exhibitors arrived early and got their machines polished and set up. Situated around them in the main custom show area were the club displays. Inside the arena the lighting was perfectly set to highlight the wide…

I’m simultaneously working on three scooters (Lambretta, Vespa and Royal Alloy) as part of the Scootering tech series and, it has to be said, the Vespa seems to have far more components and gubbins than any of the other scooters, by far. The Royal Alloy is the simplest to work on, with everything being much newer than the other scooters and the modern ‘mass produced’ nature of the scooter appearing to make components easier to fit. But the Vespa definitely seems to have more stuff sitting in bags and boxes waiting to be fitted than the others. So, it’s just a case of head down and keep ticking away with each single step. Today’s main job, though, will be to get the engine popped back into the scooter so that…

It’s a new year, championships are reset and ready to win, everything is at zero. It’s always an interesting time with some riders appearing on new scooters, and of course a chance to see how all the winter’s tinkering and development translates to the track. This year marks several breaks with tradition, the first being that the pre-season test is at Darley Moor circuit in Derbyshire rather than the traditional Mallory Park. Indeed, for the first time in many years the BSSO Championship doesn’t feature a Mallory Park race at all. Darley is essentially a high-speed triangle with some chicanes thrown in but is a solid test of riders and machines. So it was that on a sunny, bright Friday in March we found ourselves on the slightly windswept ex-airfield…

“The bike rocketed up to 92mph” was the claim in the magazine advertisement for the newly launched TS1 kit and was accompanied by a couple of pictures of a silver-looking barrel, the likes of which had never been seen before. Anyone who owned a Lambretta was instantly hooked and ready to place an order, and that included Joey. He was one of the first to get one, certainly around our way, but there was a slight problem. He now had the most potent kit ever produced for the Lambretta, but that was all. He didn’t actually own one, so for now, the shiny new kit just sat there gathering dust. He realised the situation must change, and quickly – because he’d made himself an easy target for piss-taking. A GP…