Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i Scootering

Avery wise scooter journalist (Iggy) once wrote something along the lines of “The more someone writes about scooters the less time they have to ride them.” While my love for all things small wheeled remains undiminished, when it comes to planning my weekends off, his words often ring in my ears. After all, how many plasterers really want to spend the weekend skimming their own walls? However, this past month has brought every scrap of joy back into the world of scooters for me, and surprisingly it didn’t involve turning a wheel. A few weeks ago, my neighbour asked for some advice. His 16-year-old son, Josh, had just started his apprenticeship and needed to get to work. As I’ve mentioned before, I live in a village on the edge of…

New to the Weise collection for summer 2025, Garrison Cargo Trousers offer a fresh and practical alternative to traditional biker jeans. Designed for comfort, protection and everyday versatility, these trousers are perfect for riders seeking a smart, functional option. Certified to EN17092-3:2020 AA standard, they come fitted with Level 1 certified RE ZRO removable armour at the hips and knees. The knee protectors sit in external zipped pockets, so they can be easily adjusted and removed without having to take the trousers off – a huge bonus for commuting and touring alike. Thigh vents with zipped closures create instant airflow when needed, and the traditional fit with a semi boot cut pairs easily with most riding footwear. A classic four-pocket layout is supplemented by two patch utility pockets for extra…

I had originally planned to do one of these scooter tours back in 2020 and had been corresponding with Pat Joynt’s Saigon Scooter Centre to finalise the arrangements and then Covid hit! Early in 2024, as I was planning my transition into retirement, I saw this tour advertised and so I locked it in. I decided to fly direct to Ho Chi Minh City (or HCMC, the name Saigon is still used but was officially dropped in 1976) from Melbourne, rather than transit through Singapore, Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur; which meant a short flight from Adelaide, and thankfully a seamless check-in for the Vietnam Airways flight which arrived in HCMC on time. The immigration process was hassle free and my taxi was ready and waiting to take me to…

Since the late 1990s and the beginnings of what was to become my business, Scooteroller, I’ve built up a reputation for the ability to source rare, and in many cases, new old stock (NOS) classic Lambretta – but more predominantly Vespa – scooters. As you can imagine, with time marching on, in fact sprinting, towards that unknown finish line, this quest, mission, hunt, or probably more accurately described as an obsession of mine to find such machinery has become increasingly more difficult. But they are still out there if you search hard enough. With a little help from my friends At the back end of last year, I was lucky enough to be informed about a Serie Speciale PX200 by a couple of good friends. It was a NOS machine…

Because of the geographic spread of the race teams, this isn’t a short trip for anyone, and a reduced grid reflected this. But as always, the riders gave their all and produced a great weekend of entertaining racing. Stock First up were the Stock classes that were dominated in qualifying by Hornet Racing supremo Dave Bristow. He was nearly two seconds clear of the rest of the field on the super-quick smallframe Vespa. As the Production Class Championship leader, Dave was very unlucky to have a timing transponder issue and was forced to take up a slot at the back of the grid for the weekend. This made it very difficult for him to try and keep up his 100% win record. Group 4E Here the weekend’s four races were…

JULY 25-27 Tin Soldiers SC Weekender, Scots Sports & Social Club, Melbourne Ave, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK3 5BX 25-27 National Scooter Rally, Aberystwyth, Wales 25-27 Cleethorpes Scooter Rally 26 Bristol Lambretta Day 2025, running in conjunction with the Bristol Modernist Weekender www.suityourselfmusic.com for details AUGUST 1-2 Mid Cheshire Charity Scooter Rally & Beer Festival, Northwich Rugby Club, Moss Lane, Northwich CW8 4BG Tel. 01513 568384. www.mccsr.co.uk 1-3 Dirty Devil’s Weekender, The Flying Bull Inn, London Road, Rake, Liss, Hampshire GU33 7JB. dirtydevilssc1986.com 7 Monthly Scooter Meet of Skegness Area Scooterists, The Lumley, Skegness PE25 3QJ 7-10 Oddballs Rally, Abingdon Rugby Club, Lambrick Way, OX14 5TJ Email. oddballs.rally@aol.co.uk 8-10 East Belfast Scooter Club Rally, Shorts Sports and Social Club, Holywood Road, Belfast BT4 1SJ 14-17 Palmariaum SC/Rallye National Vespa Club de…

After being hosted in Margate last year, the Big 7 National Scooter Rally returned to the spacious and scenic venue of the South of England Showground, which once again proved to be an excellent fit for around 2000 scooterists who visited the event over the course of the weekend. Rallygoers started arriving early on Friday morning and it wasn’t long before a queue had formed at the main gates. While I was speaking to others waiting for the gates to open it was clear that there was a high level of excitement about the weekend ahead, which was going to be supported by clear and fine weather. After the gates opened, I headed for the upper camping area and pitched my tent next to Dartford Social SC who were in…

If you want to know where a rally is, order a part for your scooter or look at the latest custom creation, you can do so in the comfort of your living room. You don’t need to move an inch; just swipe away at your smartphone, and it’s all there instantly. You may want to type a request or send a message to someone about it, communicating for hours without muttering a word, it’s that easy. Before you think I’m going on about the state of modern society in general, I’m not; this is about how communications technology has changed the scene we know. When you start to break it down, there are so many ways it has been affected, but because it’s a revolution that is now 25 years…

Watsonian Sidecars has launched a collection of branded clothing and accessories in response to demand for souvenirs from people visiting the company’s refurbished factory showroom and cafe. The range includes hats, neck tubes, T-shirts, mugs, signs and even a fleece blanket (to keep your passenger warm when riding in a sidecar). All products are designed and manufactured exclusively for Watsonian Sidecars. Among the more popular examples are: Watsonian Crest T-shirt, featuring an updated version of the company’s coat-of-arms logo, applied to its sidecars from the 1920s to the 1960s. Made from 100% heavy organic cotton, it has a classic fit, rib collar and seamless body. Available in sizes Small to XXL retailing for £25 including VAT. Ceramic mug with Watsonian logo on the front and ‘Sidecar owners love a bit…

Historically, there had been very little information about Mod culture in Japan, but the Numbers’ founding coincided with both the release of the movie Quadrophenia and The Jam’s tour of Japan. So, inevitably, this scooter-related group was based on a mixture of Mod revival and original Sixties’ styles. By the mid 1980s, more information about Modernist culture spread around the country and thanks to the efforts of a few importers, Vespas and Lambrettas from the 1950s and 1960s started to become more widely available. While European scooterists gravitated towards the Scooterboy culture, the original 60s mod style became mainstream in the Japanese Mod scene of the early 1990s. At that time there was one legendary GS160 which, with the help of its owner, a Steve Marriott-influenced Mod called Koichiro, spawned…

Although best known for the Isle of Wight International Rally held over the August Bank Holiday, there’s plenty of scootering fun on the island throughout the year. Notably, the Lambretta Day, which this year was held on Sunday, May 25. Among those in attendance was ‘poster boy’ Nick Hamilton, whose S2 TV175 had been chosen for the rally patch; a rare honour indeed. The day started out with a ride-in from Newport Cricket Club back to the Ryde Pavilion for an afternoon of all things scooters, DJs, bands and trinkets. Trophies were presented at the cricket club, with Pretty Green winning the best overall scooter. This event began as a local meet but now attracts riders from much further afield. The organiser, Steve Robinson, would like to say thanks to…

Q: Have cables changed much over the past century? A: The core design, patented by Ernest Monnington Bowden in 1896, hasn’t changed a great deal. A flexible tube containing a sliding wire allows movement around curves without pulleys. There have been some advances in materials, like the introduction of nylon and Teflon liners, stainless steel and galvanised wires, etc, but a modern cable looks and works much the same as one from the 1920s. Q: Are all cables basically the same? A: Most cables share a similar design: ■ Inner wire: This is the part that moves. It’s either a flexible wire rope for throttles, or a stretch-resistant corded wire strand for clutches and brakes, designed to transmit movement. ■ Conduit liner: A smooth nylon tube that allows the inner wire to…

The ever-growing business is looking for a UK, or native English speaking, scooterist with extensive vintage scooter workshop experience who wants to head to pastures new and join the SSC team based at the main workshop in Saigon/HCM City in Vietnam. Although this is job is mostly workshop based, the opportunity to be involved in all other aspects of the business are also to be expected, including the SSC scooter tours. The successful candidate will enjoy a generous welcome package that includes flight tickets and a working visa, accommodation for the introductory period, a base salary plus bonus on sales targets, commission on sales and holiday pay are also included. For more information visit the Saigon Scooter Centre Facebook page or email Pat at: info@saigonscootercentre.com…

As we went to press most of Europe was caught in a heatwave, so at the risk of provoking thunderstorms we thought it was a good time to showcase Richa’s line of vented jackets. Riding in really hot weather is unpleasant, but that bead of sweat down your back could also distract you from the road ahead. With Richa’s range of mesh jackets, riders can stay protected and cool. Richa Monaco Mesh WP Designed for those demanding top-tier safety and comfort, the A-rated Monaco Mesh WP jacket has been crafted with high-quality materials – including abrasion-resistant polyester – for optimal airflow and a detachable waterproof outer layer for those summer showers. Fully protected with D3O on the elbows and shoulders, you can be reassured knowing you’re fully protected and focus…

The two most essential parts of a business plan are the product and the company that sells it being organised. Once a company has the perfect product and the right vision, it can be very successful. Gauging how well it will sell is the unknown quantity because the public can be very unpredictable when it comes to parting with money. Therefore, as stock is built up, it ties up the business’s funds, and if sales are slow, it can lead to dire consequences as cash flow dries up. The opposite is that a product sells so well that the manufacturer can’t keep up with the demand and continually runs out of stock. Getting the balance right is the key to success, but the bigger a company becomes, the easier it…

Letters&emails&correspondence&questions&personals&thank-yous&comments&more Feedback, Scootering Magazine, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ or feedback@scootering.com Message of the month Pure nostalgia and the thrill of a SIL I would like to share some thoughts about classic scooters from your June magazine ‘Always look on the bright side’. I purchased my first Lambretta GP200 in 1970 which I sold to purchase a Honda CB250. By the early 1980s I had a young family and work commitments so had various cars to accommodate my family and work requirements. Over the next 40-plus years I owned several larger capacity motorcycles along with my cars. I’m now approaching three score and 10 years and have my family car, a Triumph Bonneville T100 900cc and a Honda CRF300. However, even after all this time, I still look…

Based in Poland, Paul Wiktor will tell you he is a Lambretta enthusiast through and through, one of his machines having graced these pages in the past. However, more recently his interest has been diverted to the ‘other side’ of the scooter world. It began with an advert for an ACMA Vespa, a type that was built under licence in France during the 1950s. The advertised machine dated from 1956, and although complete, it had definitely seen better days. However, Paul was prepared to take a gamble, even though he hadn’t seen it in the flesh. The long journey to collect it from the west side of Europe was filled with anticipation, but on taking ownership it soon became apparent that the major task ahead was simply to try and…

It’s doubtful that anyone who meets Pat Vautrel will easily forget the experience, for Pat is a man who embraces life with enthusiasm. However, Pat’s friends aren’t exclusively French; in fact if you were around the London Mod scene in the early 1980s, there’s every chance that you may recall meeting this ebullient Parisien. For Pat saw the Mod revival through a very different set of eyes, those of a French teenager. Unlike many of us, Pat also kept lots, and I mean lots, of photographs and ephemera from that era. However, to understand his story we must go back in time; more than 100 years, in fact. Merci grand-père There aren’t too many working-class kids who grew up in a well-proportioned house in the leafy Parisien suburb of Versailles.…

In next month’s issue: Lowbretta, our cover scoot, hails from the South of France and mixes LA’s Chicano lowrider style with Series 2 curves to stunning effect. Our roving rally reporter is in Aberystwyth, and our Final Word features a much-loved PX that’s also flying the flag for Wales. We continue our history of Lambretta Concessionaires’ bid to dominate the British market and, of course, bring you all the usual technical features, news, product reviews and so much more. On sale Thursday, August 28.…