Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2025 i Scootering

According to Italian media sources, production at Piaggio’s Pontedera plant paused in late November and was not expected to resume until this month. This, combined with a reported offer of voluntary redundancy for up to 1100 staff, understandably caused speculation about the plant’s future. In a conference call for dealers held in late November, Piaggio management explained that there had been a worldwide decline in sales, notably in Asia and China, although Indonesia was an exception to that region. In Europe, scooter sales had declined slightly, while motorcycle sales had been ‘quite flat’. Investments in product development have been made, including a new facility for Moto Guzzi in Mandello del Lario and with the University of Boston, which is developing robotic production line support. While many traditional scooterists around the…

Over the Christmas period two of the country’s largest dealers permanently closed their doors. In our last issue we reported on the closure of German tuning house LTH; now we pass on the news that two British dealers have also called it a day. Well-established Royal Alloy dealership Carnaby Scooters (aka Carnaby Motorcycle Centre) closed in late November. The owner, Richard, is moving on to fresh challenges and thanked all his customers for their support over the past 12 years. Over in Essex, Colchester Kawasaki also turned off the lights. The multi-franchise dealership had previously announced that its relationship with Piaggio had drawn to a close. The dealership was owned by Global Moto, which has announced that it intends to concentrate on ‘core stores’ and Lukas, its distribution network.…

Axe Hydro Waterproof Kevlar Riding Shirt Building on the success of the Axe Protective Shirt, the Axe Hydro Waterproof Kevlar Shirt offers a perfect solution for wet and cold weather riding in a casual inspired shirt design. Unlike traditional riding shirts, the Axe Hydro includes a fully taped sealed Reissa membrane construction providing a premium 10k/10k level of waterproof and breathable performance. The membrane sits between the premium 330gsm outer flannel and a lightweight thermal lining, offering superior protection against the elements. The flannel pattern design is also exclusive to the Axe Hydro and is not used on any other riding shirt in the market. Meeting CE AA certification standards, DuPont Kevlar is added to the impact areas, providing high levels of abrasion resistance. The Axe Hydro includes Armanox CE…

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…

Every month you ask our resident tyre expert, Rhodz, sales manager at Cambrian Tyres (the UK’s largest motorcycle tyre distributor) and dedicated PX rider for his recommendations. This month we talk about winter tyre choices.. Q: Hi Rhodz, It’s got to the time of year now where it’s extremely cold and wet, but I commute on my scooter. What should I look for in my tyres this time of year as mine need changing? Ernie, Wakefield A: Hi Ernie, Your best option here is going to be a good set of mileage tyres; there are a few brands which have extra sipes and a deeper tread to help with water dispersal. Any tyre for colder times of the year tends to have a higher silica content which aids in a…

“The GTS300 HPE is a good scooter already but with a few decent tweaks, I suspect it will be significantly better and rather pleasing to ride.” Working on the Royal Alloy 125AC in the last auto series was a real revelation for me: a world of remaps, variators, up-gear kits, and big bore cylinders unleashed new power and performance in the engine and set me on an interesting new learning curve. I have a distinct feeling that the GTS300 HPE, with its water-cooling system, is going to extend that curve even further; with performance-based torque converters, speed rings and bling-looking water hose kits. I’m looking forward to this – the GTS300 HPE is a good scooter already but with a few decent tweaks, I suspect it will be significantly better…

A quick history lesson about Sym. Don’t worry, there’s no test at the end. Founded in Taiwan in 1961, Sym is one of the world’s largest scooter manufacturers. The company employs about 2400 staff and, wait for this, manufactures more than 2500 scooters a day! That’s more than one scooter per member of staff. These range from the retro-designed Fiddle 50cc urban commuter to the MaxSym TL 508cc touring scooter, which combines motorcycle handling with a twist-and-go’s convenience. The company invests heavily in research and development and has manufacturing plants in Taiwan and China. History lesson over. First impressions My first ride was one of those moments when I was expecting one thing and got something completely different; in a good way, I’m glad to say. This Cruisym Alpha 300…

Nathan Spooner has been surrounded by scooters, scootering (and Scootering magazine) since he was a kid, so we asked Stu Smith to find out more. How and when did you get into scooters? “My dad always had scooters. I would open the gate ready for when he got home and then wait for him just so I could sit on the back while he rode 10 seconds down the driveway. I grew up watching my dad riding scooters and with the music and scooter scene. I think I had desert boots when I was eight and it’s always been part of my life.” What was your first scooter event? “When I was a kid, scooter events were always a family day out. There’s a big local one which we used…

JIM REDMAN - MAN OF STEEL FRANK MELLINGAVAILABLE NOW Softback £15.00ISBN: 9781911704171 OFFICIAL MIKE HAILWOOD IN 100 OBJECTS JAMES ROBINSONAVAILABLE NOW Softback £30.00ISBN: 9781911658894 COLIN SEELEY JAMES ROBINSONAVAILABLE NOW Softback £7.99ISBN: 9781911658399 TRIUMPH: PICTORIAL HISTORY OF THE GREAT BRITISH MARQUE JAMES ROBINSONAVAILABLE NOW Softback £25.00ISBN: 9781911658580 AGOSTINI JAMES ROBINSONAVAILABLE NOW Softback £9.99ISBN: 9781911704126 LE VACK’S LEGACY BRIAN THORBYAVAILABLE NOW Softback £50.00ISBN: 9781911658788 ONE MAN ON A BIKE RICHARD GEORGIOUAVAILABLE NOW Softback £7.99ISBN: 9781911658139 TAKING IT TO THE LIMIT PETER STARRAVAILABLE NOW Softback £45.009780615301402 MOTORCYCLE TRAVELER PETER STARRAVAILABLE NOW Softback £45.009780692151389 LAMBRETTA & VESPA STREET RACERS STUART OWENAVAILABLE NOW Softback £14.99ISBN: 9781911658603 SCOOTER BOYS GARETH BROWNAVAILABLE NOW Softback £14.99ISBN: 9781911658375 MODS & ROCKERS GARETH BROWNAVAILABLE NOW Softback £14.99ISBN: 9781911658382 LIFE AFTER COVID-19 BOB GORDONAVAILABLE NOW Softback £14.99ISBN: 9781911658771 WE DON’T GO…

BRITISH RAILWAYS PAST AND PRESENT: SWINDON TO BRISTOL BY BOTH ROUTES JOHN STRETTONAVAILABLE NOW Softback £20.00ISBN: 9781858952949 ONE YOUNG LAD’S LATER TRAINSPOTTING TRIPS WITH A CAMERA 1961-1964 ALAN CLARKEAVAILABLE NOW Softback £25.00ISBN: 9781857945553 JUST THE TICKET BARRY ALLENAVAILABLE NOW Softback £10.00ISBN: 9781857945584 MODEL RAILWAYS EXPLAINED (BEYOND THE BEGINNING) BRIAN LAMBERTAVAILABLE NOW Softback £20.00ISBN: 9781857945454 DOCKLANDS, SMOKESTACKS AND SLUMS CEDRIC GREENWOODAVAILABLE NOW Softback £35.00ISBN: 9781857945928 THE HELSTON RAILWAY PAST & PRESENT (NEW EDITION) CHRIS HEAPSOn sale: AUGUST 30, 2024 Softback £22.00ISBN: 9781858953038 THE SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY STOCK BOOK DAVID C. WILLIAMSOn sale: AUGUST 30, 2024 Hardback £14.99ISBN: 9781857945638 BY RAIL TO THE MUSIC HALLS DAVID HINDLEAVAILABLE NOW Hardback £25.00ISBN: 9781857945416 50 YEARS OF PHOENIX JIM KNIGHT & WYN HOBSONAVAILABLE NOW Hardback £30.00ISBN: 9781857945911 STEAM REMINISCENCES - SOUTHERN JOHN C. BECKETTAVAILABLE NOW…

Shadow Catcher was the scooter which had a lasting effect on Warren Hodgkinson. Warren’s been building and showing custom scooters for years, one of which was an Armando’s dealer special which he took to Doncaster custom show in 2002. It was there that he saw Shadow Catcher for the first time. Even then the scooter had been around for a few years and had featured in Scootering magazine in 2001, but he instantly fell in love with it. Warren vowed that one day he would own Shadow Catcher and in subsequent years it came up for sale on numerous occasions. “The last time I saw it up for sale was in 2010/11 at Parrspeed Scooters in Manchester for £2500. I was tempted and I was close to being able to…

Recently, I was reading an article about George Orwell, and it reminded me that I was introduced to the work of George Orwell by the influence of Paul Weller in my late teens. Weller’s influence on many of our lives cannot be underestimated. I remember reading an interview with Mr Weller talking about poetry and books, which prompted me to read 1984. The phrase ‘put it into Room 101’ originates from George Orwell’s book 1984. In the book, Room 101 is a torture chamber in the Ministry of Love, where prisoners are subjected to their worst fears. Elements of Orwell’s novel have already started to come true in the form of mass surveillance and the manipulation of truth. Room 101 has also entered popular culture as a metaphor for a…

Thanks to the foresight of Stu Lanning, an important part of Scootering ’s history has been preserved. Over its 40-year history, Scootering magazine has had three owners. For reasons that are still difficult to understand, when ownership of the publication passed from Stu Lanning to current publisher Mortons in 2003, most of the archive was unceremoniously dumped. Although we’ve always had a full run of magazines, and been able to scan images from those copies, the print quality was never particularly good. However, during the move, several boxes of original artwork were left behind and Stu diligently cared for their contents until handing them over to Stan a few weeks ago. This artwork isn’t just an interesting insight into how the magazine was produced in a pre-digital era, it also…

Not content to rest on its laurels, Roadskin has recently added a heavier jean, ladies’ hoodie and some new armour to its range. We’ll admit to being fans of Roadskin’s range of rider wear. It’s well priced, fits well and is very practical in use. The Roadskin team are also great people and riders at heart, as can be seen by their attendance at events up and down the country. When they asked if we wanted to try a set of their Paranoid X jeans, Stan jumped at the chance. Paranoid X These jeans feature a cutting-edge double-layer construction, engineered to provide the ultimate level of protection and comfort to the wearer. The outer layer of the jeans is formed from a durable and high-performance Kevlar mix with added stretch…

Martin’s interest in scooters started when he was only nine years old and he would go to look at the Modded-up accessorised scooters that used to meet up at a house near to where he lived in Blackpool. “I fell in love with the scene and I couldn’t wait to get a scooter. My first was a Vespa Rally 200, which I bought from a mate and had been used in Quadrophenia. My first rally was Morecambe ’82, I loved the buzz of the rally atmosphere and after that it was Scarborough, which was another fantastic experience and the rest is history,” he smiled. In the early 90s Martin saw the Lambretta chopper Bogey Man for sale in Scootering. “At the time the scooter was a well-known custom machine, which…

This month we pay our respects in London, travel to St Louis, Missouri and take in the AoNSC’s end-of-season party That’s Entertainment: AoNSC end-of-season do Having booked ska and reggae acts for our last few events, it was time for a different music genre for the All or Nothing SC end-of-season party. A Jam tribute band, Pretty Green, had been suggested by club members after a fantastic performance at the Coventry Dance Craze event in January. Eventually seeing them at the Rugby March of the Mods, we exchanged contact details and our booking was confirmed. Band sorted, club members decided that for 2024 we should support two local charities: Galanos House, our local Royal British Legion, Warwickshire, care home and Myton Hospice. This is our local hospice, which has facilities…

The finishing line is in sight! After last month’s update to the fuel tap, we are now ready to fire the beast up. That was almost straightforward, but not quite. After betting Sean that the scooter would fire up third kick, I was getting disheartened by kick numbers eight and nine. I checked the spark plug and the usual culprits and concluded that the new fuel tap, pipe, carb rebuild etc was presenting an air lock somewhere in the system. The solution to this was to whip the cover and filter off the carb and pour a few ccs of fuel directly into the carb and through to the case inlet. With that done, I promptly gave two more firm stamps on the kick-start and she fired straight up. Once…

To maintain any sense of credibility there were only two options when purchasing a scooter: the Vespa or the Lambretta, but it was a difficult choice. You could pick up a second-hand Vespa as there were plenty about, or buy a new P Range. They were well built, super reliable and required virtually no maintenance, making ownership an enjoyable experience. In complete contrast was the Lambretta, and with Innocenti having shut up shop years back, most second-hand models had been used and abused. That was the route most went down if the Lambretta was their chosen steed, but if you insisted on wanting something new, there was another avenue to go down: Indian or Spanish. The Indian GP had been available for a few years because the UK was seen…

DESIGNING THE T-34 PETER SAMSONOVAVAILABLE NOW Softback £12.99ISBN: 9781911658306 BRITISH TANKS OF THE RED ARMY PETER SAMSONOVAVAILABLE NOW Softback £14.99ISBN: 9781911704065 HMS BRISTOL ROB GRIFFINAVAILABLE NOW Softback £16.99ISBN: 9781911658757 The first encounter between British armour and the Red Army was not on friendly terms – with the British sending surplus tanks to reinforce the pro-monarchy White Army in the Russian Civil War. When the Reds won, war trophy Mark V heavy tanks as well as medium Mk.A Whippets and Mk.B Hornets entered service with the RKKA. As the political landscape changed during the 1920s, the Red Army assessed British designs available for export and a licensed copy of the Vickers Mk.E entered production in 1931 as the T-26. During the early days of the German invasion of the Soviet Union,…

WE TOGETHER: 451 AND 453 SQUADRONS AT WAR ADAM LUNNEYAVAILABLE NOW! Hardback £14.99ISBN: 9781911658351 F-15 EAGLE BERTIE SIMMONDSAVAILABLE NOW Hardback £14.99ISBN: 9781911658535 F-16 FIGHTING FALCON BERTIE SIMONDSAVAILABLE NOW! Hardback £25.00ISBN: 9781911658566 MESSERSCHMITT ME 309 DEVELOPMENT & POLITICS CALUM E DOUGLAS/ DAN SHARP AVAILABLE NOW Softback £40.00ISBN: 9781911658962 The piston engines that powered Second World War fighters, the men who designed them, and the secret intelligence work carried out by both Britain and Germany would determine the outcome of the first global air war. Advanced jet engines may have been in development but every militarily significant air battle was fought by piston-engined fighters. Whoever designed the most powerful piston engines would win air superiority and with it the ability to dictate the course of the war as a whole. This is the neverbefore-…

The recent outcome to the Government’s motorcycles in bus lanes consultation provides new evidence of the nonexistent political concern for motorcyclists, says Motorcycle Action Group (MAG). The Government released an outcome to the motorcycles in bus lanes consultation in November, which was published on the Department for Transport (DfT) website without a press release or any wider ministerial comment. A MAG spokesperson said: “The outcome summary states that safety benefits of allowing motorcycles into bus lanes are not clear. It points out that the response rate to this consultation from local authorities and stakeholder organisations was low and did not provide a robust evidence base to amend current policy. The decision was therefore that there is ‘little justification’ for moving away from a position of local authority choice to one…

The HJC C10 ASPA is an all-new competitively priced full-face helmet for riders of all ages that value quality and safety. It offers a lightweight superior fit thanks in part to its advanced polycarbonate composite shell that was designed using state-of-the-art CAD technology. Combined with a wide-view optically superior face shield and its improved Advanced Channelling Ventilation system that allows full front-to-back airflow to flush heat and humidity up and out, the C10 provides a safe and comfortable ride no matter the conditions. With sizes ranging from 2XS to 2XL, the C10 delivers the same great protection for both youth and adult riders alike. ■ RRP £99.99■ www.oxfordproducts.com…

A bit of a change this month with a ‘best of’ collection for you to spend your Christmas cash on instead of some more alcohol. Seriously, don’t you think you’ve drunk enough these last few weeks? Now, to be fair, it’s been a bit of a fight getting this page back up and running, and I’m aware that perhaps some genres didn’t get the coverage they deserve, something I’m hoping to improve on this year. But, at the end of the day, if it doesn’t land on the Scootering desk, then sadly I can’t do anything unless it’s something I already know about. In other words, if you’re in a band and have something to shout about, find me on social media, or via the mag! So, and in no…

St Louis here… again. This year our scooter club, 30 Day Scooter Gang, hosted a joint rally with Midwest Vespa Days. In total, there were around 60 scooters with a mixture of autos and geared classics. River City Casino hosted this year’s rally venue, which was a great place to start and come back to. We started the morning off with doughnuts courtesy of Jarrod McGuire from Mainstay Barber Shop. That, with a nice cuppa, started the day off well. There were two rides, autos and vintage. This divided up the group, which turned out to be a good idea, as downtown St. Louis can be difficult to navigate with multiple stop signs and traffic lights... well, on the route we took anyway. This ride was led by St Louis’s…

I had a customer booked in to bring four of his scooters over on the last Saturday of the month and I woke up to a thick layer of snow outside. Shit! The usual drama then ensued, UK roads in total gridlock, as everyone either shits themselves and panics or thinks their 4x4 with ‘sport’ tyres will make it through anything (they don’t - the wrong tyres will leave Chelsea tractors stuck on wet grass, never mind ice and snow!) and cars are abandoned left, right and centre. What a shitshow. Then followed a text from the customer to say he was snowed in. Ah well, such is life! Kettle on, chocolate digestives out, feet up. Bollocks to it, I’m having a day off! Come Monday, when the snow had…

With the cylinder removed, the cases split and the clutch/gearbox all removed, we now turn our attention to the mag-housing and crankshaft. Then we’ll drop all the old bearings out and strip down the side casing components. I want to get these cases back to their bare bones so that we can clean them up and execute a comprehensive rebuild programme. Plus, with all the old components laid out on the bench, we can also do a pre-build component clean and inspection. Any components that are either worn out and failing or that won’t meet the power/quality specifications of our new build can be set aside as we introduce new parts. We’ll also have a look at some of the wear indicators that you need to look for, as well…

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Locomotive No 32 Tamerline became the first steam locomotive to be completed at Crewe Works on 10 March 1843. One hundred and fifteen years later BR 9F No 92250 became the 7,331st steam locomotive to be built at the Cheshire works, when completed in December 1958. This publication is a tribute to the thousands of people employed there during the steam locomotive building era. In 1913 The Railway Magazine proudly described Crewe as “the most famous railway works in the world”. Indeed, railways throughout the world benefited from adopting ‘best Crewe practice’. Many who worked at Crewe in its heyday, first under the London & North Western Railway and later the London Midland & Scottish Railway, held the firm belief that the works was the ‘beating heart’ of the Cheshire…