FIRST EVER M

MIKE SIXTY YEARS

NO1S MEETING K
KARSLAKE IN THE SADDLE
at the Skybolt r Lambretta The Peter Burley story

INCORPORATING

GUCCI
STREE
RACER IT’S A
BLAST!
Vespa vapour
blasting tech

H
O S R
SH BSSO
Frankenstein PEMBREY 2021
Vespa… Racing action, thrills and spills!
PLUS

■ Target Sco ters Dealler Focus ■ Vesp

pa Crankshaft Tech Part 2 ■ Scooter Trader
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oterist Magazine ■ Mailbox ■ Show Us Your Scooters ■ Music & Books
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 You’ve not ridden
Editor: Dan Clare
Email: dan@scootering.com
Publisher: Tim Hartley

Buttertubs Pass?
Publishing Director: Dan Savage
Art Editor: Kelvin Clements
Designers: Michael Baumber, Charlotte Fairman,

I
Fran Lovely, Tracey Markham
Production Editor: Pauline Hawkins ’m a lucky man… editor of The Skybolt, an arduous journey…
Contributors: Stu Smith, Nik Skeat, Paul
Scootering magazine and living but an important one – p69.
Green, Stuart Owen, Big Stan, Sarge
in the Yorkshire Dales. What
more could a man want? There
General queries and back issues: are certain rides and roads
Tel: 01507 529529 24hr answerphone which people often travel to search
Lines open Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm out, but every time I strike up the
help@classicmagazines.co.uk engine and set out for a ride… I’m
www.classicmagazines.co.uk already based in one of those idyllic
Archivist: Jane Skayman 01507 529423 locations. Some might take that for
Email: jskayman@mortons.co.uk granted, I don’t.
Subscription: Full subscription rates (but see page One road, however, which I am
37 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and thoroughly ashamed to say I have
packing) – UK £54. Export rates are also available – never ridden, is Buttertubs Pass. For
see page 37 for more details. UK subscriptions are those who don’t know, this road
zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. crosses the high moorland between
Sales and Distribution Manager: Carl Smith Wensleydale and Swaledale, from the
Marketing Manager: Charlotte Park idyllic market town of Hawes over to But fear not, I shall be righting
Commercial Director: Nigel Hole the village of Thwaite. Buttertubs Pass this wrong with immediate effect. I have
featured as the second King of the Mountains literally just input a four-hour circular route
ADVERTISING
climb of the 2014 Grand Depart of the Tour of the Dales into Google maps on my PC and
Emma Thurman –
de France. But I think the most notable had the directions texted to my phone. This
ethurman@mortons.co.uk
accolade bestowed upon this stretch of means that when I set off, my phone (which
Tel (01507) 529410
tarmac, for me, was when Jeremy Clarkson also acts as my sat nav via Google maps) will
Divisional Advertising Manager: reportedly described Buttertubs Pass as transmit directions to my wireless Bluetooth
Tom Lee – tlee@mortons.co.uk “England’s only truly spectacular road”. This speakers inside my helmet, and I can
Tel (01507) 529412 makes it all the more disappointing that I concentrate on enjoying the rabbit warren of
have never ridden it… I hang my head in country lanes and rolling vistas without giving
Group Advertising Manager: Sue Keily
scootering shame. a moment’s concern as to whether I’m going
ADVERTISING DEADLINES tthe right way or not. Given my absolute
The advertising deadline for the llack of any kind of sense of direction,
next issue of Scootering (October 2021) ssuch tech assistance is a godsend.
is September 2, 2021 Speaking of epic rides, this month a
On sale in newsagents nice chap called Rob Elliott tells us of an
n
September 23, 2021 entirely different ‘epic ride’, in fact his
journey was probably more arduous than
SCOOTERING is published monthly by: Mortons
epic, but one which ultimately shaped
Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire
our rally scene as we know it today. Read
LN9 6LZ. © 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this
all about it in The Skybolt on page 69.
magazine may be reproduced in any way without the
In a tenuous link to epic rides, all this
written permission of the publisher. ISSN 0268 7194.
month’s feature scooters, and readers’
Distribution: Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 3rd Floor, 161 rides, are indeed epic. I’ll draw
Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. particular attention to the Gucci
Tel: 0330 390 6555. cutdown, simply because I love
Printed by: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton. cutdowns so much, and this one has
been done to a fabulous standard.
Anyway, that’s enough of my
ramblings, it’s another belter this
month… stay safe and enjoy the issue!
Dan
Gucci cutdown – p42.
NIGHT

FREE!
LAMBRETTA DIRT
MAINTENANCE DIGGERS BLUES
Thrills and spills Reliving
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RIDING
INCORPORATING

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To pre-order your next issue
of Scootering, head to
MBRETTA
LAM
VELOCE!
es I’m sure you knew

New cylinder
kit comes
to market
when I bit off more than I could chew!

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classicmagazines.co.uk/pre-order-sco
Alternatively, scan the QR code on this page and order your next copy today. We will send it directly to
GORGEOUS
VESPA RALLY
THIS WAY OF
LIFE…
you! No need to go to the shops... use the fuel you’ve saved on a rideout instead!
Years of waiting Living in Broken
are finally Times – Mod culture
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No.422 August 2021 £4.50
eature ■ RettroTech Dealer Focus T5 Tech
■ Innocenti Nostalgia Fe
■
US

ic Scooterist Magazine ■ Mailbox ■ Music

PLU

■ Mod in Film ■ Classi

■ Show Us Your Scoo ers ■ News ■ Product Reviewss and More…
ote
 CONTENTS
03Welcome
editor
letter from the
54Mike Karslake: Mr
Lambretta
A warm welcome to the September edition There are many people who have made
of Scootering. contributions to the world of Lambretta
over time but one of the most significant

06Kickstart
The upfront section with all the
has to be Mike Karslake.

latest news, views and product reviews!

60Project
a blast
Pandemic T5: It’s

14 Feature Scooter:
GP Trilogy – a passion for
the 80s
No restoration project seems complete
without a spot of vapour blasting, but
what exactly is it? Stan takes our T5
The GP is probably one of the most iconic casings for the bath of a lifetime.
scooters of the 70s and 80s. Not only did
it have sleek design cues, but it also
62Feature Scooter: Right

delivered a higher level of performance
and brought in a new chapter for customs
and street racers…
38
place, right time
Developed from a pedigree of Italian
influence and innovation, Blue Velvet is a
sultry and inviting temptress throughout…

26Reader’s
Sportique
Ride: Percy the

69The Skybolt
The Perseid meteor shower: a coincidence
that led to the then-new owner, Sim
Brown, to bestow the name ‘Percy’ on his
Douglas-made Vespa.
Further to the request from Alec
Mountfield to ‘name that pub’ in the July
(421) issue, Rob Elliott takes the
opportunity to expand a little and
give you the story of exactly how

31Mailbox
Readers’ letters, laughs, feedback
and fury – get it off your chest!
our modern seaside scooter rallies
came to be…

32 Show us your scoots!

The best of our readers’ rides as
76Sharply focused
For a lot of us there was a
moment, or experience in our lives
sent in by you. which was the catalyst that
Never miss from only
projected us into the scene. For
an issue £20
37 Subscriptions
Get your mag delivered to the door,
others, being into scooters was
a birthright…
earlier than newsstands, and save money.
Subscribe today
Plus – gain access to all the benefits of
the Scootering Extra subs club. 79 Aftermarket tuning
options: Part 8 –
Vespa crankshafts
on page 37
38 Dealer Profile: Target
Scooters
Starting life less than five years ago,
continued
Last month we looked at the crankshaft
options for the Vespa engine but so huge
Target Scooters is well established, with a is the choice that they couldn’t all be
growing reputation, in a climate where fitted into just one edition!
many enterprises have sadly failed. We
take a look behind the scenes.
85 BSSO Pembrey 2021
Following on from the hugely

42Feature Scooter: Gucci

street racer
Gucci is a high-end designer label; owning
a scooter gives you an opportunity to make
a statement. Blend the two and you’ve got
a seriously cool combination... This
gorgeous cutdown is the epitome of cool,
by design.
successful BSSO Three Sisters event, the
2021 Championship visited Wales. Hosted
by British Historic Racing, it was time to
return to the challenging 1.4-mile
Pembrey Circuit.
92 Feature Scooter:
Frankenstein
First there was the bride of Frankenstein,

48Feature Scooter:
Phat Arse 56
Custom scooters are usually based around
then the mummy, and now… the Vespa of
Frankenstein!

a theme, but sometimes they are

specifically created around the person
riding them. Check out the behind on this
103Classic Scooterist
Mau Spencer presents the
legend that is… Classic Scooterist
beautiful, curvy creation... it’s a stunner. magazine.

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

48 62

14
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 5
 KICKSTART Few of us are seriously contemplating European

European updates
touring this year, but for those of us who love a
cross-channel adventure, Stan’s been keeping an
eye on the recent updates in legislation.

Ferry costs are murky companies will need to treat transported

The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC)
has begun talks with the Government after
difficulties were encountered by those
transporting British-registered ‘motorcycles’
by van into the European Union (EU).
Although many riders dream of riding their
scooter in Europe, time is often a constraint
in making that a reality. For that reason,
a network of specialist transport services
have emerged, taking machines to a holiday
destination where their owners fly out to
meet them. It’s an arrangement often
referred to as a ‘fly-ride holiday’.
Customs need clarity
Unfortunately, the Brexit Trade
Agreement doesn’t specifically deal with
‘unaccompanied movements of road
registered vehicles’, meaning that scooters
transported by these means would be liable
for tax and duty upon arrival in the EU.
Another matter that needs clarification is
the ‘non-commercial transport’ of scooters.
This phrase covers situations such as two
friends taking their own scooters in a van
to a European rally or owners transporting
scooters to second homes in Europe. Ferry
motorcycles in the manner dictated by
Customs and there is a possibility that, in
addition to being eligible for tax and duty,
freight fares and paperwork may be required.
It’s important to stress that there’s no change
in the arrangements for scooters that are
ridden on to a ferry and out through Customs
by their owners.
Carnets cause confusion
While there is an international system of
‘carnets’, effectively a bond that guarantees
the vehicle is not being permanently
imported, the EU does not recognise these
for road-registered vehicles. Adding further
to the confusion it appears that the EU will
require carnets for unregistered machines,
e.g. racing scooters.
Cabinet office co-operating
The NMC is currently discussing the matter
with the Cabinet Office and officials are
escalating the matter within Government,
including the EU negotiating team. NMC
chair Anna Zee said: “This is a problem which
was overlooked in the trade negotiations last
year. But it is a problem which stands to
No longer the ‘easy’ option?
seriously disadvantage touring motorcyclists
and the businesses that support them.
The NMC team have been able to draw on
significant international travel experience
to suggest potential solutions to the
Government. We are pleased that the UK
Government is taking the matter seriously,
though given that negotiations with the EU
will need to be involved, we are aware that
new procedures will need to be agreed, which
may take some time.”
It’s a confusing
situation and we’ll keep
an eye on developments
but for now it’s a case
of rider, or driver,
beware.

Red Card for
Green Cards
The European Union (EU)
has confirmed that British
motorists will no longer be
required to carry an insurance
Green Card when visiting the
Continent. The Green Card is a
document issued to prove that
the holder’s insurance policy
is valid outside their home
nation. Prior to Brexit insurance
policies issued by any member
EU state were automatically
recognised across the Union.
When Britain left the EU
that arrangement ceased for
policies issued in the UK. This
has caused particular problems
on the island of Ireland where
motorists regularly make
cross-border journeys.
The exact date of
implementation is still to
be confirmed, meaning that
anyone planning a trip in
the immediate future will
still require a Green Card.
However, resolving the matter
has become a priority for
negotiators who are keen to
defuse tensions arising from
Papers please… No Longer ‘Great’
Although tourers expected to
replace any ‘EU’ identifying
marks from their vehicle
registration plates, a recent
announcement means
that the ‘GB’ mark is also
facing extinction. Look at a
British passport cover and
you’ll see that it’s issued
by ‘The United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern
Ireland.’ The change from
GB to UK is in order to fully
reflect this union. Although
the change has attracted
Further some comment in tabloid
updates can newspapers the motoring
be found on press has been surprisingly
the British quiet on the matter. When
Insurance we asked the Department
Brokers’ for Transport to comment,
Association a spokesperson said: “The
website UK Government has notified
the UN depository of the
the so-called ‘sausage wars.’ international conventions on
Whatever the reason behind international road traffic that
the announcement it will mark with effect from September
a welcome reduction in the 28, 2021, the distinguishing
bureaucracy required for sign (also known as a national
those contemplating a trip to identifier) displayed by
the Continent. vehicles registered in the UK
will be the letters UK. The
majority of vehicles within
Great Britain do not have a
signifier on their number plate
therefore would already need
to purchase a sticker to drive
internationally.
“Changing the national
identifier from GB to UK
symbolises our unity as a
nation and is part of a wider
move towards using the UK
signifier across government.
GB number plates will still be
valid within the EU as long as
drivers display a UK sticker on
the rear of their vehicle.”
A section of the gov.
uk website will be created
advising of the change in
due course.
Get ‘em off...

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

 LEGAL Q&A
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. I had an accident a year ago.
My solicitor sent me to a medical
expert who did a report saying I
should recover from my back injury
within four months. I am still having
significant problems a year on. My
solicitor is leaning on me to settle
the case but I’m worried as she is
only talking about a fairly small
compensation figure.
A. Sorry to hear about your
situation. I don’t know the full
detail of the case but if, as it
sounds, your symptoms have
lasted for longer than
suggested by the expert in the
medical report, you should not
be settling the claim now.
Your solicitor needs to obtain
further medical evidence to
find out how long your
symptoms are going to last –
without doing that, it is
impossible to state what your
case is worth.
We have seen on several
occasions solicitors who are
frankly more interested in
getting cases off their desk by
settling them than paying
attention to what the client’s
situation is and what they
should be doing to help them
get the best result.
If you need advice on a
scooter-related legal question,
email stephen@wildwoodlegal.
co.uk and the best Q & A will
be published in Scootering
magazine in confidence.

Malossi kit revamp

Malossi, having revamped the
210 kit into three different
versions back in 2013, has
once again returned with a
fresh approach and has now
added a feature every owner
wanted. This year Malossi has
updated these kits with a
steel bolt-on exhaust stub,
similar to the stub as fitted
on the Malossi Aluminium
178/187cc kits for the
PX125/150.
held in place with a steel
flange that is held on with
four bolts. The flange also has
extra holes for spring
mounting already, so
everything has been covered
in this update.
Initial release of these kits
is the Malossi 210 Sport
mark 2 VM318591, and the
Malossi 221 MHR mark 2
VM318599, with the Malossi
210 MHR to follow suit

Photos: Garry Jones

The steel stub seals to the sometime in the near future.
cylinder with an O-ring and is More info: www.ve-uk.com

2 Tone: Lives & Legacies

The exhibition explores the
formation of the record label
and examines its philosophy,
political and social message,
design and impact on the
music charts of the day. It
highlights the bands that were
part of the label, focusing on
The Specials, The Selecter
and other ska-influenced
bands such as Madness, The
Beat and The Bodysnatchers.
It also looks at 2 Tone’s
continuing influence on
music, fashion, politics and
culture and includes
interviews and quotes from
original band members. The
exhibition also features
fashion items and
memorabilia and culminates
in an immersive 2 Tone
experience celebrating the
energy and legendary sound of
the bands’ performances.
Entry is completely free and
due to the popularity of the
exhibition the staff
recommend arriving before
3pm to guarantee entry at the
Herbert Art Gallery &
Museum, Coventry – May 28
to September 12, 2021.
More info: www.
culturespacecoventry.com/
two-tone

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 KICKSTART
Tales From the Foxes of Foxham
– Matteo Sedazzari
Following on from A Crafty
Cigarette – Tales of A Teenage
Mod and The Magnificent
Six in Tales of Aggro comes
the third, and final, book in
Matteo Sedazzari’s trilogy of
Tales novels, Tales from the
Foxes of Foxham. As with its
predecessors, it’s a character-
based story, albeit one that
features talking animals.
He draws inspiration from
kids’ classics he enjoyed
as a youngster, books that
transported him to magical
worlds, with an underlying
theme of the proverbial good
versus evil struggle. Titles
including the likes of Kenneth
Grahame’s The Wind in The
Willows, Enid Blyton’s The
Faraway Tree, Dodie Smith’s
101 Dalmations and CS
Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch
and The Wardrobe provide part
inspiration, along with holidays
spent in Italy plus woodland
walks in Norfolk, searching for
red foxes, with his grandparents
during his childhood. With
Matteo having teamed up with
illustrator Andy Catling, their
association led to Tales of Aggro
being retitled The Magnificent
Six in Tales of Aggro.
Andy’s illustrative talents are
fully utilised with his original
images accentuating the story
throughout Tales from the
Foxes of Foxham, an example of
which is reproduced, alongside
the cover art, right here, and
features good witch Carlotta and
Italian fox Alberto Bandito along
with Carlotta’s LD Lambretta.
Tales from the Foxes of Foxham
is a kids’ book; well, it’s aimed
at the young and the young at
heart too, though all three of
Matteo’s Tales novels are linked
in terms of inspiration, each
drawing from pop(ular) culture.
Set predominantly in the
latter part of the 50s, in
Tales from the Foxes of
Foxham Matteo uses
a similar style as in
his previous books,
by working real-life
characters from the
time in which the book
is set into brief cameo
appearances into his
fictional story, thus adding
a hint of realism. Three
 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 
of what would be the Fab
Four a few years later, namely
John, Paul and George, as
the Quarrymen along with a
young (fox) comedian, Basil
Brush plus a very young
Norfolk entrepreneur, Bernard
Matthews, are among the guest
appearances.
Hidden away in dark, murky
shadows in Benevento, Italy
is a coven of witches, who
have been biding their time,
plotting, to bring to fruition
their evil plan to cast the world
into darkness and despair.
All that remains is carry out a
sacrificial ritual. Their chosen
victim is a young Neopolitan fox,
Alberto Bandito, who happens
to be the son of an influential
mob boss, Mario. With help
from trainee witch Carlotta,
a Marilyn Monroe lookalike,
who supports Juventus and
rides an LD Lambretta, and
who the coven failed to turn
to their evil ways, Alberto
escapes. He is aided by the
boxing Wolf brothers, who ride
Vespa VB1 scooters, along with
the bears of Campania, who,
in Andy Catling’s depictions,
faintly resemble skinheads.
Although rescued, the danger
for Alberto is far from over, as
he has been cursed, meaning
the evil witches of Benevento
can track him down. Alberto,
along with his close family and
Carlotta, head from Italy to the
village of Foxham in Norfolk, the
spiritual home of talking foxes,
in the hope of
cancelling
the curse.
Foxham
is also
home to
Trudi Milanese, a good witch,
also a fox. Except she is
unaware she is a witch, for
which(!) she needs an intense
crash course to realise her
power potential. The final good
against evil showdown reaches
culmination in and around
Foxham throughout one long
night, where the odds swing
pendulum-like in favour of the
opposing forces of good and
evil. A magical, mystical romp
that transported me back to my
childhood days, with the bonus
of those on the side of good
being classic scooter riders.
Fictional fantasy fun, with a
sprinkling of Harry Potter and
Star Wars ethics to add to the
aura. I even learnt something
new, never play cards with
foxes, you’ll never win! For a
second opinion, via the current-
day magic of the internet, I
read Tales from the Foxes of
Foxham to my (six-year-old)
grandson, over a few evenings.
He proclaimed, after having had
the book read to him, ‘that’s the
best book, ever!’ Praise indeed.
Another winner from the pen of
Matteo Sedazzari.
Words: Sarge
Illustrations: Andy Catling
 KICKSTART
Racer C2 Heated WP Gloves
You may assume it’s not the membrane fitted. The durable has three possible heat settings
right time of year to be thinking and sensitive palm is made of (low, medium and high).This is a
about heated gloves, but in my goatskin, with fiberfill insulation surprisingly good fit for a heated
experience, if you get to the and an outer shell of softshell. glove, not too bulky, which keeps
point that you realise you need The heat element covers both you both warm AND dry.
them (usually on a sub-zero back of hand and fingers, so Sizes: M-3XL
degree journey to work) then offers excellent coverage, and RRP: £199
you’ve already left it too late.
There were plenty of ‘crisp’
days early this year where these
gloves were a godsend, and I’m
sure as autumn moves to winter,
there will be plenty more like
that, and worse!
These heated gloves are
powered by a lithium battery,
so there are no wires hanging
out, and come with knuckle
protectors, polar fleece lining,
and are waterproof with Polymaxx

Seg
gura Leone Textile Jacket
This veery stylish, fully waterproof
jacket comes in this lovely khaki
colo
ourway and is made from
Serrica, which looks and feels
like cotton but makes sure the
jacket conforms to all the
relevant CE safety standards
for tear and abrasion tests.
The jacket also has a
really cool feature in the
form of a detachable lining
which doubles up as a fully
fledged thermal lumberjack
shirt. Pull on a T-shirt,
throw on your Leone over it
and you’re ready to ride.
This Segura
ura jacket has
many more great features: climate
membrane, pockets galore (11
outside, four inside), protectors and
protector pockets, not to mention the
unique Serica fabric. The jacket also
has an adjustable waist, collar and
sides with zippers, a sleeve vent
system, comfort collar with soft
edge, removable shoulder and
(height adjustable) elbow protectors,
ISO 4916 safety seams at the
impact points, and an optional back
protector can be retrofitted. The
detachable thermal shirt can also be
worn separately.
RRP: £290

 | SCOO
SCOOTERING
G | SEPTEMBER
S 
 KICKSTART
Lambretta Kit Book Review
Any prospective speed-freak who is turning
the first page of a performance-based
book will have high expectations of being
met with appetite-whetting images of
cylinder kits, dyno read outs, port-maps,
and accompanying text to get their tuning
juices ramped to the max… right before they
take out a second mortgage to pay for all
the new tuning items they’re subsequently
compelled to buy! Author, Martin ‘Sticky’
Round, however, takes a much-needed
cautionary approach in the opening section
of his book, and admirably tries to save
us from ourselves. The opening sections
of this much-anticipated cylinder kit bible
are dedicated to the emotions, costs,
practicalities and stark realities behind
the decision-making process in the lead
up to the ‘big event’ (making your scooter
go faster). This well-thought-out section
takes you through a much-needed advisory
introduction, provoking the reader to
reflect on what they want/need, assessing
what they already have, and planning the
upgrades, before he then moves on to the
’meat’ of the product. Kudos for that.
It’s not a tuning book, but it
can help you go faster…
During the preamble Martin takes the time
to point out “…this is really not a ‘tuning
book’ in the traditional sense. It’s a kit book
and more precisely about choosing the
correct cylinder kit either for your needs, or
as a basis for further tuning”. Thankfully, he
also includes extensive pre-kit education, in
the form of nearly 50 pages dedicated to a
selection of easy upgrades from stock, such
as understanding dyno graphs, the effect
of various components, engine building
tips and chassis preparation. A quite
comprehensive selection of topics, providing
a solid foundation of knowledge.
The first expected cylinder kit-based
information then starts a full 72 pages in,
where the book breaks into its main chorus
and provides detailed information on no
less than 13 Lambretta small-block kits
and 13 large-block kits, the information
being spread over more than 150 further
pages. Each kit’s profile gives images, prices
and supplier info, along with explanations
surrounding instruction, construction, pros,
cons, application and performance. Each
profile also includes dyno readouts, a ‘real
world’ rider review, and the tech-spec of
the total build each reviewer has used. It’s
thorough, very.
As if that wasn’t enough, the book also
provides a further 50-plus pages outlining
seven ‘exotic engine’ packages. This section
gives explanations of test-rides, component
variables, the usual pros and cons, along
with a summary of what each engine may
be useful for or targeted toward. Those
types of engines are not cheap, and I’ve
 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 
already seen many people drawn into a
substantial purchase via glossy images and
online hype, only to be later disappointed
by the realities of the product, whether
that be the performance, power delivery,
maintenance burden or technical complexity
of said product. This section of the book will
save those who read it from making such
uninformed errors.
But wait, Sticky’s not done yet, there are
a further 70-plus pages with extra sections
dedicated to items such as smallframe
Lambrettas, out-of-production kits,
forthcoming kits and a whole swathe of
various technical tables, charts, settings and
bonus information.
Exhaustive research
Despite Martin’s best efforts to try to
provide an ‘all-encompassing’ guide on the
topic of kits, there is one major difficulty
that anyone putting this book together
would have trouble with… exhaust choices.
I suspect this is something Martin probably
wrestled with during the planning of the
book; indeed he points out in his ‘classic
mistakes’ section on page 11, “100% the
most important decision you will make with
regards to a Lambretta engine kit is the
exhaust”, and he is perfectly correct. He
again reflects on the benefits of exhaust
selection on page 24, as part of the ‘easy
upgrades from stock’ chapter. Having owned
a scooter dyno tuning centre myself, I have
seen first-hand the difference an exhaust
can make to an engine, and I therefore
understand that it would simply
be unfeasible to test every
single kit, against every
single exhaust selection,
and progress each kit
through every single
‘exhaust port degree’
packer variation.
One man, Darrell Taylor, has probably
come the closest of any in the Lambretta
world to being able to make such a claim…
but this isn’t his book, and it would surely
have doubled or tripled the page count,
and quite possibly made what is currently
the most comprehensive and easy to
understand kit book available into an overly
complicated and perhaps even confusing
behemoth of a journal. Martin does use the
classic ‘Clubman vs Race Pipe’ recipe as a
comparative benchmark, and even throws
in a couple of exhaust variations where
possible, but the relationship between
a two-stroke cylinder, its port timings and
the correct exhaust choice (to manipulate
power delivery), cannot and must not
be understated.
Ultimately, this book provides anyone
with even the most rudimentary knowledge
of scooter mechanics with a new layer of
understanding and knowledge. For those
more adept at wielding the spanners, it
serves as a fantastic reference point for
literally hundreds of components, suppliers,
prices, applications and performance result
combinations, all in one well laid out and
comprehensively researched format. I would
thoroughly recommend it to any Lambretta
owner; it certainly deserves its place on
every Lambretta owner’s bookshelf.
Review: Dan
RRP: £24.99 (softback)
& £29.99 (hardback)
Order from: www.scooterproducts.com
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 GP Trilogy
- a passion for the 80s
The GP is probably one of the most iconic scooters of the 70s and 80s.
80s Not
only did it have sleek design cues, but it also delivered a higher level of
performance and brought in a new chapter for customs and street racers…

M
ost of us were introduced into the Torque of the Town
scene in the late 70s and 80s, when Torque of the Town was a custom scooter, which
there were plenty of scooters around appeared on the scene in the early 80s in the North
and at affordable prices too. The GP East. It had sharp green and white paintwork, in true
delivered a new element of class and status; its 80s fashion its name was proudly emblazoned along
smooth body lines compared with previous Lambretta the side panels and by way of a ‘stage 4’ tune it gave
models opened it up to make it the scooter of choice, the impression that it was probably one of the fastest
which would be developed into some of the all-time scooters in the area.
classic custom scooters of the era and influence a
lot of today’s projects. As well as full-blown customs
there were dealer specials, which along with others
introduced and developed the 80s block-style
paintwork and pin-striping. The 80s were immersed in
inspiration and anything was possible…



 Original format.
Shocking pink.
Torque of the Town was a scooter
which was local to where I lived and
everyone knew about it. When I bought it, I
was 19 or 20; and money-wise I was in a
fortunate position because I was earning
a good wage as a steel erector while
a lot of my pals were on a YTS
O W N E R D E TA I L S
Name: Anthony Latcham.
Job: Steel erector (supervisor).
Scooter club & town: Two & Two Scooter
Crew, Co. Durham.
First interest in scooters: In 1978 when I
was 16. I was walking back from the local
disco and I saw some kids on scooters; they
looked cool and I wanted one.
First scooter: Li125 Series 2.
Favourite style of custom scooter: 80s style.
First ever rally: Scarborough in the early 80s.
How did you get there: On my Li125.
 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 
80s rally repairs.
Courtesy of Anthony Latcham
Favourite rally: Kelso. I love the ride
up there, it’s a great atmosphere and
everyone’s mainly in tents!
Least favourite rally: Redcar 2016 or 2017.
The wind was shocking, it just about blew
everything down and everything had to
be closed.
Funniest experience involving scooters:
About three years ago we were coming
back from the Berwick Bulldogs’ rally and
a fella in his Audi kept cutting us off.
We set about chasing him, we gave him
some of his own medicine and he soon
buggered off!
Furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter:
Shildon, Co. Durham to the Big7 in Kent.
After the scooter had been on
the scene a while it eventually
came up for sale and Anthony
Latcham jumped at the chance
to buy it. “I’d been into scooters
since the late Seventies. My first
scooter was an Li125 Series 2.
Performance wasn’t brilliant, but
nevertheless I enjoyed riding it
and it got me to my first rallies.
Torque of the Town was a scooter which was
local to where I lived and everyone knew
about it. When I bought it, I was 19 or 20;
and money-wise I was in a fortunate position
because I was earning a good wage as a
steel erector while a lot of my pals were on
a YTS.”
Having owned and enjoyed the scooter
for several years, in the late 80s other
commitments came into Anthony’s life,
which forced him to sell it. Nevertheless it
left a lasting impression on him.
About 30 years later, Anthony was
scanning the internet looking at scooters
for sale and found an 80s-style GP in a car
dealership in Darlington for £1800. “It was
in shocking pink! But with the suggestion
that some years ago the original Torque of
the Town had been stolen and burnt out
I wanted to develop it into a modern-day
version of it.”
In 2011, having bought the scooter,
Anthony set about putting things into action
and commissioned his pal Steve Elliot
to complete the paint. “We made some
changes to the original format and 10 years
later it still looks great today.”
In terms of the engine, it’s been upgraded
a number of times and it now runs on a
TS1 kit, which was tuned by Chalky at
Replay. The carb is a 35 Mikuni power-jet
item, transition of power is managed by a
six-plate AF clutch and a TSR Evo exhaust
with a Chiselspeed end-can finishes things
off nicely. “The scooter’s great for cruising
about on, and with a bit of throttle when the
pipe kicks in she takes off!” Anthony smiled.
Favourite Scootering magazine feature:
Technical Tips.
Favourite custom scooter of all time: Pete
Robins’ Rhythm & Blues Series 2.
Your most recommended scooter part or
related item: AA cover!
Which insurer do you recommend: Carole Nash.
Which breakdown company do you
recommend: AA.
Most useless part you’ve ever bought for a
scooter: Cheap Chinese levers off eBay.
Favourite scooter dealer: Chiselspeed,
Cambridge Lambretta and AF Rayspeed.

Leaving a lasting impression.
Venom
In 2014 Anthony purchased another GP. “I
bought this one for £2000 in a box in bits
from a fella in Bristol.”
Anthony’s plan for the scooter was
simple; he wanted to develop it with an
80s-style paint theme and give it a
stealthy street-racer look with performance
to match.
In order to complete the paint, Anthony
again contacted his tried and trusted
pal, Steve Elliot, who was up for the
challenge. In the meantime, to develop
the street-racer lookss
Anthony negotiated a set
Modern upgrades
of drop handlebars from Gary Simpson in
Dewsbury. As well as this he added a sprint
rack, chrome side panel flashings and a
custom Scoots ‘n’ Soul slope-back seat,
which brings a smart race-style touch to
the whole affair.
As with all of his scooters, Anthony
developed the engine build himself. “It
runs on a Casa 225 kit, it’s been dynoed
at 28bhp and I’m hoping for a top speed
of around 90mph with a cruising speed of
60mph. Although it hasn’t been fully run-in
yet, it’s responsive with a good bit of kick
and she
she’ss got a bite when
you ope en her up!”
TORQUE
OF THE TOWN
Name of scooter & reason: Torque of the
Town. (It’s an original 80s custom).
Scooter model: GP200.
Date purchased & cost: First time in the
early 80s. Second time 2009/2010.
(£1800).
Inspiration for project: The scooter already
had a good foundation and I wanted to
develop the paint and performance.
Time to build & by who: Around six months
by myself.
ENGINE SPEC
Kit: TS1 230.
Crank: 60/110 AF.
Carb: 35mm Mikuni.
Exhaust: TSR Evo with CST end-can.
Clutch: AF Road. Six-plate cassette.
Gearbox: GP200.
Porting work by: Chalky at Replay.
Dyno power: 30bhp – 22ft-lb torque.
What brand of oil do you run: 4% Maxima
Super-M (fully synthetic).
CHASSIS SPEC:
Tyres: Mitas.
Rims: SIP tubeless.
Suspension: Rear: adjustable. Front:
Atomic adjustable gas shocks.
Speedo: Velocette.
Cable brand: Chiselspeed (Nylon lined).
Seat: Scoots ‘n’ Soul (custom).
Fuel tank & tap: 12-litre stainless steel
with fast-flow tap.
Hubs: Rear: Scootopia.
Brakes: Rear: drum. Front: Nissin
hydraulic disc.
Describe engine performance and scooter
handling: Great for cruising around on
and when the pipe kicks in with a bit of
throttle she takes off!
Top speed & cruising speed: Top: 86mph.
Cruising: 60mph.
Is the scooter reliable: Touch wood, she
has been.
Paintwork by: Steve Elliot (Darlington) a
good friend of mine.
Overall cost of work and components:
Around £5k
Hardest part of the project: Getting the
time to do it! (I’m always working away!)
Tech tip or advice for anyone starting a
project: Buy the best parts you can afford.
Thanks to: Steve Elliot for the paint and
Chalky for the tuning.
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 VENOM
Name of scooter & reason: Venom.
She’s got a bite when you open her
up!

Scooter model: Italian GP125.

Date purchased & cost: 2014 from

eBay. £2k in a box of bits.

Inspiration for project: Street-racer

looks with 80s-style paint.

Time to build & by who: January to

March 2020. (Completed the day
before the first lockdown came
into force).

ENGINE SPEC
Kit: Casa 225 (230).
Crank: 60/110.
Carb: 30mm Dell’Orto.
Exhaust: AF expansion. Clutch: AF
six-plate cassette.
Gearbox: GP with AF five-speed
gears. Looks with a bite.
Dyno done by: Chiselspeed @ 28bhp
– 23ft-lb.
What brand of oil do you run: 4%
Maxima Super-M (Fully synthetic).

CHASSIS SPEC:
Tyres: Conti twist.
Rims: AF tubeless.
Suspension: BGM all round.
Grips: BMX (Halfords) anti-vibration,
£7 a pair!
Levers: Dog-leg.
Cable brand: MB.
Seat: Scoots ‘n’ Soul (custom).
Fuel tank & tap: AF 12-litre with
fast-flow tap.
Hubs: Rear: original.
Brakes: Rear: drum. Front: Inboard
Innocenti disc.

Describe engine performance and

scooter handling: Responsive with
a bit of kick, goes well, but not fully
run-in yet.

Top speed & cruising speed: Top:

hoping for 90mph. Cruising: 60mph.

Is the scooter reliable: So far so good.

Paintwork by: Steve Elliot (Darlington).

Overall cost of work and components:

Around £5k.

Hardest part of the project: Not

scratching the paintwork.

Thanks to: Steve Elliot for the paint,

Martin Cook (Chiselspeed) for his
advice on the engine build and Gary
Simpson for the drops.

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

 ORANGE GP
Name of scooter & reason:
No name yet… so it’s just
‘Orange GP’!

Scooter model: Italian GP200.

Date purchased & cost: 2016 –

£500 (frame only).

Inspiration for project: To try and

get in the 100mph Club!

Time to build & by who: December

2020 to April 2021 by myself.

Custom-made seat.
Orange GP
The final addition to the trilogy is Anthony’s
fantastic looking Italian GP200, which he bought
as a frame back in 2016. “I held on to the frame
for a few years and kept it in my workshop until
I decided what I was going to do with it. I had
other projects on the go, I was fixing and building
other scooters for my scooter club mates and
there was no reason to start rushing into things.”
Having taken the time to decide exactly what
he wanted to do with the scooter, things paid
off. “The inspiration for this project was to try
and get into the 100mph club!”
The engine was built upwards from a set of
Richard Taylor GT intercontinental casings and
overall, it’s similar to Anthony’s other scooters.
However, the main difference with this scooter
is that the bodywork is fibreglass from GRP,
Leicester, which improves the power-to-weight
ratio. The drop handlebars are from a company
in Germany and there are black colour co-
ordinated features around the scooter, which
support the paint and deliver custom looks to
match its performance and style.
The paintwork was completed by local
sprayer, Kris from Kris’s Kustoms, Shildon. “It
was the first time I’d used Kris; Steve wasn’t
able to complete the work because he was too
busy and had a lot of other projects on the go.
By chance I mentioned to my son that Steve
wasn’t able to do the work and he told me that
there was a sprayer in a unit in the industrial
estate near where he goes kick-boxing. I was
intrigued and called in, I introduced myself
to Kris and explained the job to him. Kris told
me that he’d previously only done custom
motorbike projects, but he said that if I was
willing to let him have a go at it he’d take up the
challenge; and what a job he’s done!”
Over the years Anthony’s owned scooters of
all different styles, makes and models and his
scootering history spans four decades.
An eye on the 100mph club.
From start to finish you could also
reasonably say that the development of
Anthony’s GP trilogy has spanned 30 years.
It’s no secret that this set of scooters has a
common theme throughout; but each one has
its own identity, which adds interest, presence
and nostalgia. The orange GP was completed
in mid-April 2021 and with the lockdown
restrictions finally being lifted I’m sure that
you’ll get to see one, or all, of Anthony’s
scooters on the road or at an event in the not-
too-distant future.
Words: Stu Smith
Photos: Gary Chapman
ENGINE SPEC
Kit: Casa 225.
Crank: 62mm long stroke.
Carb: 35mm Mikuni.
Exhaust: AF expansion.
Clutch: AF six-plate cassette.
Gearbox: GP200.
What brand of oil do you run: 4%
Maxima Super-M (fully synthetic).
CHASSIS SPEC:
Tyres: S1 Michelin.
Rims: Italian split.
Suspension: Rear: Chiselspeed
billet adjustable. Front: Tino
Sacchi.
Speedo: SIP.
Cable brand: BGM.
Seat: Scoots ‘n’ Soul (custom).
Fuel tank & Tap: Diablo with fast-
flow tap.
Hubs: Rear: Scootopia. Front:
Nissin.
Brakes: Rear: drum. Front: Nissin
hydraulic disc with anti-dive kit.
Describe engine performance and
scooter handling: Not yet known,
but looking for mid-30s bhp with
good all-round handling.
Top speed & cruising speed:
Hoping for: top: 100mph(+).
Cruising: 65mph.
Paintwork by: Kris’s Kustom
Bikes, Shildon.
Overall cost of work and
components: A lot more than
£5k!!!
Hardest part of the project: Not
scratching the paintwork.
Thanks to: Kris at Kris’s Kustoms
for the paint, Martin Cook
(Chiselspeed) for his advice
on the engine build and GRP
Scooter Parts, Leicester for the
fibreglass panels.

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

f you look back to the early days of
I scooter production the emphasis was
always centred around which
manufacturer had the best machine.
The intense rivalry played out
between Innocenti and Piaggio soon shifted
towards endurance and performance, to
gain the upper hand. To start with, speed
and power were the key as the battle for
supremacy was fought out in a series of
record attempts, highlighted in an article in
last month’s issue. It wasn’t out-and-out
racing, more a sort of ‘whatever you can do,
we can do better’ type of duel. For a while
it worked, until the limits of what was
humanly possible were reached.
All this equated to a constant struggle as
to which manufacturer would come out on
top – and one the owners were also keen to
be a part of. In fact, it was they who would
take on the mantle of the enduring battle,
certainly after the demise of Innocenti.
Now, it was all about tuning and trying to
create the best-performing engine. Quite
often, it was an internal rivalry between
Lambretta owners…. it could be circuit
racing, sprinting, off-road trials; in fact just
about anything where performance and a
competition could be joined together.
As time wore on, instead of performance
on the road or track it spread to the pub
by way of beer-fuelled chat. Figures of
speed were greatly exaggerated, and a
scooter could start the night being capable
of speeds of 70mph only to be doing
100mph by the end of it. What was
laughable was the engine didn’t need to
turn a single revolution to be doing these
fabled speeds. Soon it became diagrams
and calculations appearing on the back of
a beer mat as concrete evidence to back
up the wild claims.
A scooter could gain iconic status within
its neighbourhood because of its alleged
performance, with the owner, or certainly
the tuner of the engine, also gaining
instant notoriety.
Now it was a two-way race, from those
out on the circuit vying for top spot and
those on the road who couldn’t always
prove their claim, instead pulling off
aggressively in a cloud of two-stroke
smoke as a show of strength. Those at the
When the
flag drops…
The quest for improved performance and
‘champion status’ looks to be an ongoing saga
that will never end, much to our delight!
Scooter tuning and racing have been around a long time and long may it continue.
roadside watched in awe even though
there was no way of telling how fast a
machine was; often the screaming exhaust
tone was enough to convince them they
had just seen the fastest accelerating
scooter in the world.
While the development of tuning and kits
may have gathered pace by the 1990s, so
had the technology to prove their worth by
way of the dyno. Instead of spouting figures
down the local club meet, it was now
possible to wave a piece of paper in front of
everyone’s face boasting how much power
you had, illustrated by way of a brightly
coloured graph with numbers galore
showing how potent said scooter was.
Guaranteed to create a disagreement – or
in extreme cases, two owners waving their
graphs similar to politicians arguing in the
Houses of Parliament. It was a strange
progression as the race had moved from the
tarmac to the computer screen and for a
while, it seemed like it had nowhere to go.
The problem was the only real way to
prove the engine’s worth was to go out on
the track so the arguments could be
settled once and for all. As the saying
goes… when the flag drops, the bullshit
stops! At traditional scooter racing, which
is a serious sport, you can’t just turn up at
a circuit and blast around it. Thankfully,
the answer lay in a new drag-racing format
called ‘run what you brung’. If you had the
correct clothing and the scooter passed
scrutineering, finally the chance to stake a
claim was now possible. Road-going
scooterists from everywhere were happy to
give it a go; for a while, the idea even
gained national rally status at venues like
Santa Pod.
The race had moved to a new format
where friends could go up against each
other not only in an attempt to win, but to
prove that the claims being made were
true. Gone were the comments like “my
mate’s Ford Sierra clocked me at 90mph”
– they weren’t required any more. Instead,
a printed timing sheet showed the true
speed ready to be framed for future
provenance. The reality was many of the
claims were rapidly being exposed as a lie
as scooter after scooter failed to deliver.
Anything from faulty timing equipment to
a freak headwind took the blame for poor
performance when the truth lay directly
below the rider in an engine that was
never going to live up to the expectations
heaped upon it.
Having somewhere readily available like
a dragstrip and, dare I say it, far more
accurate dyno equipment has laid to rest
the wild claims made in the past. Instead,
those that genuinely want to tune an
engine and prove a point can do so. In the
process, the rivalry first started by
Innocenti and Piaggio can continue to be
played out. What it also means is, in the
quest for supremacy – wherever and
however it may be – the race continues
and looks like it will never end.
WWW.scootering.COM | 

L
ast week my son ‘nipped’ to the
nearest shop on his scooter and
as the temperature was nearing
30 degrees, he just had a
T-shirt and shorts on – which is
kind of understandable. But in that
protective parent mode, had I known, I
would have told him to put some proper
riding clothes on and that it didn’t matter
it was hot or that he was ‘only nipping’.
But what followed has now given him a
different understanding.
He was just leaving the village and out
of the corner of his eye he saw something
coming at him from the front/side. As he
looked and started to take evasive action,
he realised it was a deer moving pretty
fast and then all of a sudden – bang!
Somehow, despite travelling at around
50mph, he managed to stay on the
scooter and keep it upright but looking
down there was plenty of blood on his leg
and a burning sensation.
Stopping as soon as he could, an
element of shock and wooziness crept in
as he examined the blood running down
his leg from a very deep wound. His shin
and ankle were immediately swelling and
more blood was evident from some deep
scratches to his ankle and top of his foot.
Trying to piece things together as he sat
in A&E an hour later, we surmised that the
deep wound was most likely a puncture
from a horn and the deep scratches were
probably from hooves. He was very lucky
that he stayed on the scooter somehow
and for that we are all grateful.
But after I knew the injury was not
serious, I knew I could then chirp in with
‘Dad’ advice.
He was just leaving the village and out
of the corner of his eye he saw something
coming at him from the front/side. As he
looked and started to take evasive action, he
realised it was a deer moving pretty fast and
then all of a sudden – bang!
What price skin?
Hot weather riding always presents the same
dilemma… safety vs comfort!
Remember, safety first…!
Back in the day I got stopped by the
police and although I was dressed sensibly
in a Belstaff jacket and sturdy footwear,
my wife who was riding pillion was not…
she donned lightweight summer trousers
and open-toed, high-heeled shoes! The
very polite (but stern) traffic cop gave us a
stern word and explained that her feet
would be ripped to shreds if we had a fall
or accident and slid down the road and
thin cotton trousers would offer no
protection. Of course, he was right.
Over the years many rally-going
scooterists have realised that long
distance practicality and safety outdoes
fashion in the clothing stakes, so proper
jackets with Kevlar and body armour are in
the majority generally and heavy-duty
padded trousers or Kevlar jeans are
commonplace. Even high-viz jackets or
waistcoats raise no eyebrows.
Chances are, anyone riding for many
years and/or rally-going is likely to have
found themselves sliding down the road at
some point, or one of their club members
will have done, likely learning the hard
way that the right clothing makes sense.
Back in the very early days in nice
weather I’d just be wearing a suit if I
was riding to work, or likely a boating
blazer on a summer weekend, with an
open-face helmet. It was cool. But it
wasn’t sensible!
It’s so easy, even with the alleged
common sense we may now possess as our
years rack up, to put that to one side
because the sun is out and nip to the
shops in a T-shirt. But really we shouldn’t.
So my son learnt an important lesson
last week and one he has readily
acknowledged without me nagging. He
hasn’t always been totally sensible (are
any of us?) but his own impending
fatherhood struck him, I think.
He now has Kevlar jeans and his body
armour jacket ready to go for every
journey. We would be little use to our
loved ones with skin removed from our
limbs – or much worse!
So despite the temptations that summer
riding brings – an accident can happen 30
seconds from home as in his case – or 30
miles from home.
It could be your own fault, or some spilt
diesel, or a car driver texting, or an
out-of-control electric scooter rider. The
options are endless.
But skin and bones won’t be intact if
you are sliding down the road in T-shirt
and shorts!
So don’t make me get all parental on
you – ride safe and dress safe – an
accident can happen any time in any
weather. Oh… and watch out for
fast-running deer in a panic!
WWW.scootering.COM | 

T
here were two nightclubs in
town, and we were regular
visitors at both, mostly on
Saturday nights. Normally we
would ride into town, meet up
in the Waggon before wandering over to
Tiffany’s and, at the end of the evening,
walk home. Occasionally though, someone
would volunteer to drive because, although
we were all scooterists, some of us were
also car drivers. On this particular night I
drove. I’d had a drink or two during the
night and, at kicking-out time, returned to
my car with four of my mates; they all left
their scooters and I acted as club taxi. As
you would expect, my mates could barely
walk and wouldn’t have been able to say
whether it was Tuesday night, or
Wednesday breakfast time. On the drive
home I took a corner a little too quickly
and my rear nearside stub axle collapsed.
I brought the car to a standstill next to
the kerb and we all piled out to look at
the damage. Just as we were
congratulating ourselves on a safe stop
we were joined by the police. They
stopped just past us and straightaway a
couple of my drunk mates started with
their alcohol-induced verbal nonsense…
“I’ll have ’em”, said one. “My uncle’s a
JP, he can have them sacked,” said
another. I told them to be quiet and stay
where they were, while I went to talk to
the police, catching them both just in
time as the officers got out of their car.
“Hello, hello, hello, what’s all this then?”
said a policeman, never.
I politely explained: “I was just driving
my friends home when my stub axle
collapsed. We’re all safe, though, and can
walk home from here so thank you for
Just as we were congratulating ourselves on a safe stop we
were joined by the police. They stopped just past us and
straight away a couple of my drunk mates started with their
alcohol-induced verbal nonsense…
Good cop,
bad cop…
Reading last month’s Tales from the Vault and
reliving scooter memories has reminded me
what an integral part of our lives the police
were, and how much their individual attitudes
could affect us.
stopping but we’re all all right.” I could
hear my mates getting more vocal and I
wanted the police to leave as soon as
possible. Muffled tones emanated from
inside my car: “Just give me the word, I’ll
kick their heads in” followed by: “My
uncle will have their badges, they’ll be
out of work by the end of the week.” (I
never said they were intelligent mates!)
The police remained calm and
pretended they couldn’t hear my friends,
and quietly pursued their enquiries… “I
have reason to believe that you may have
been drinking, I need you to blow into
this bag.” Now flustered, I replied: “Yes
officer, let me just calm my mates down,
I’ll be right back.” I walked over to my
car. “Calm down lads and let’s get this
sorted as soon as we can, you’ll only
make it worse,” I exclaimed to my pals.
“They can’t do you with broken teeth,”
and “Just tell ’em my uncle’s a JP,
that’ll stop ’em,” came back the
suboptimal replies.
I apprehensively walked back to the
police, and they handed me a bag. “Blow
into this until we tell you to stop, failing to
provide a breath test, or not completing a
breath test, could render you liable for
prosecution.” I began blowing, and
blowing, and blowing. I had run out of
breath and I looked imploringly at the
policeman. “Please tell me to stop” I tried
to say with my eyes. I could feel myself
going blue, and then my knees started to
go, I was just about to drop when he told
me to stop. I took it out of my mouth and
gasped for air as if I’d just been pearl
diving with the Ama. As the blood that was
pumping in my ears started to subside, I
could hear my mates who were clearly
getting impatient and becoming
increasingly restless. “I’ll have their jobs,
they won’t even get work sweeping the
streets” and “I’m going to kill ’em” were
the intellectual gems offered up. I
staggered off to calm them down again. As
I was talking to them, another pal, Nobby,
cruised by with a load of mates in tow. He
saw me and pulled up in front of the
police car. I could see trouble brewing so I
went off to now placate Nobby. “Be with
you in a minute,” I politely commented to
the police officer as I passed. I felt like a
clown spinning plates at the circus,
waiting for them to all come crashing
down. Once I explained the situation to
Nobby and his lot, they settled down to
watch the entertainment, as I went back
to the police.
With a stern look on his face, the
officer stated: “The results of the
breathalyser suggest you might have
alcohol in your system, you’ll have to
come to the station with us for a blood
test.” I was deflated. “All right officer,
but as you can see, I’ve parked across
someone’s drive, so if you just let me
calm my mates down and get them to
shift my car, I’ll be right with you.”
The more senior policeman looked at
me for some time, while I waited for a
response. He eventually concluded: “Get
your mates to push your car down that
cul-de-sac,” he said, indicating to a
junction on the other side of the road,
“and then get you and your mates out of
here.” Trying to keep them quiet wasn’t
easy but we soon had the car moved.
Satisfied, the police left us to it and
Nobby did a sterling service taxiing
everyone home.
WWW.scootering.COM | 
 Percy the
The Perseid
meteor shower:
a coincidence
that led the

Sportique
then-new owner,
Sim Brown,
to bestow the
name ‘Percy’
on his Douglas-
made Vespa.

OOTERIN
C
S

G
RE

AD D
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E R’S RI

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 


T
he Perseid meteor shower
is visible during the pre-
dawn hours in the Northern
Hemisphere. During late July
and early August, on a clear night it’s
a wondrous natural display of shooting
stars. Owner, Sim Brown, explains: “I’d
made it known I was looking for a suitable
older Vespa to add to the 1965 GL150
and Mk1 T5 that I owned at the time.
I had a call from Doug, who now owns
and runs Target Scooters, asking if I was
available to look at a scooter which he
thought I’d be interested in. As it turned
out I was free, I’d taken the day off work
having spent the previous night watching
the Perseid meteor shower. I got there,
saw the scooter, fell in love with it on
the spot, naming it Perseid, shortened
to Percy. It’s also affectionately known
for obvious reasons as The ’Tique, but
the given name is Percy. I became the
owner in August 2014. I’d had the GL for
a while, but never particularly liked the
shape of the headlight on it. I wanted a
60s scooter, cream coloured with a round
headlight. Percy ticked all the boxes. I
did a deal involving part-exchanging my
GL for Percy, which was going to be and
indeed is, my keep-forever scooter.”
While the appearance of the 1965
registered, Douglas-made Vespa was
pretty much everything Sim wanted, over
the next few years he encountered some
engine issues. “It was painfully slow to
ride, I’d only manage a top speed of 40
miles an hour if I was lucky. Even slower
when riding, as I often do, two-up, it was
almost embarrassing riding in a group with
everyone keeping to about 35mph behind
me. The engine was rebuilt a couple of
times, but there were frequent problems
with the flywheel Woodruff key shearing
off, so the crankshaft was replaced. It ran
marginally better after changing the crank,
but it was still not anywhere quick enough
for riding two-up. I know it was probably
more down to me and what I’d been used
to, but I didn’t particularly like the handling
of Percy on the eight-inch wheels.
“I’d reached a point where it was time to
make some decisions – I absolutely loved
the look of Percy, a cream mid-60s scooter
with a round headlight being my ideal
scooter, but both the power and handling
needed some attention. I had a long chat
with Doug at Target, the result of which
needed sacrificing some authenticity
for practicality.”
Percy went into Target Scooters for
necessary surgery and a major overhaul
and upgrades in a number of areas. The
wiring loom and switches were changed
among other upgrades. The two main
mechanical upgrades consisted of a PX
engine, built from scratch, using new
parts, topped off with a five-port LML
150 barrel matched to the crankcases
and ported. Of course, with a PX engine
being installed, including a PX rear hub,
the back end had gone from an eight to
10-inch wheel. The second major upgrade
was to the front forks, involving a complete
rebuild using new parts – an Li front hub,
swinging arm and backplate, converting
the front end to 10-inch. To keep Percy
sitting relatively low, 300x10 tyres have
been fitted front and rear. Sim had always
wanted an all-cream mid-60s scooter as
his keeper scooter, which was exactly how
his Sportique Percy was, until part way
through the rebuild and upgrade process.
SCOOTER SPEC
Name of scooter & reason: We know it as The
’Tique for obvious reasons, but his given name
is Percy. I got a phone call from RPM Scooters
one day and he said: “Are you working today
because I think I’ve found a scooter you’re
going to love.” At the time I owned a 1965
GL150 and a 1988 Mk 1 T5, but they knew I
was looking for something else. I said I wasn’t
working that day and the reason was because
I’d been sat up all night watching the Perseid
meteor shower and when I saw the scooter and
fell in love with it… I called it Perseid, but later
shortened it to Percy.
Scooter model: 1965 Vespa 150cc Sportique.
Date purchased & cost: Aug 12, 2014 -
Cost £2k.
Inspiration for project: Well basically it was
quite slow and after a few engine rebuilds
over the last few years, it was quite unreliable
and time for a new engine. We took the
opportunity to give it a modern PX engine
and upgrade the forks to house a 10in
front wheel. It was also time for a complete
overhaul including new wiring loom, switches,
clutch, brakes, wheel hubs and to change the
colour of the panels/front mudguard just to
personalise it a bit.
Time to build & by who: Doug at Target
Scooters built the PX engine from scratch
using new parts, having ported the casings
to match the five-port 150cc barrel. Having
built the engine, he then rebuilt the forks
using all new parts to take the 10in wheel
and built the scooter from the ground up.
ENGINE SPEC
Kit: 150 five-port LML.
Crank: Mazzucchelli.
Carb: SI 20/20 standard.
Exhaust: SIP Road 2.
Porting work by: Doug at Target.
Dyno done by: Shiny Red.
What brand of oil do you run: Rock Oil City 2
semi-synthetic 50:1.
Describe engine performance and scooter
handling: It’s lovely now. It used to pull like
a 150 Super and now it pulls like a nippy
PX150.
Any other details we have missed: 10in
conversion front and rear – front end,
Sportique forks wheel and hub replaced with
rally counterparts. Rear 10in P-range hub
and wheels.
Top speed & cruising speed: It sits at around
60mph.
Is the scooter reliable: So far so good.
Thanks to: Just Doug really. Without him this
wouldn’t have been possible.
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 O W N E R D E TA I L S
Name: Simeon Brown.
Scooter club & town: Newbury, Berkshire.
First interest in scooters: Early to mid-80s
as a child/young teen. Used to see the older
lads buzzing round town and liked the look,
the sound and the smell of the two-stroke.
Started secondary school in 1982 and was
put in the same class as Ashley and the
rest is history. The feeling has never waned.
First scooter: Vespa 50 special. Bought
when I was 15 for £105.
Favourite style of custom scooter: Love a
highly polished fat-arsed Vespa from the
mid 60s, or 1960s full-bodied Series 3
subtle street racer. Not a fan of lights and
mirrors (couple of well-positioned spot
lamps possibly).
First ever rally: First CCI Mod rally was
Exmouth 1987. First NSRA rally was
Margate 1989.
How did you get there: Exmouth Mod rally
’87 in a Morris Minor. Margate NSRA ’89
on my PX125.
Any funny stories: There are hundreds and
I’ve racked my brains to find one that either
doesn’t incriminate me or someone else or
is in any way printable, and I can’t find one.
I will keep thinking of a suitable story and
let you know.
Favourite rally: Paignton CCI 1988 when I
met the lot from Kingswood, Bristol for the
first time. Life changing really. Mind you,
on the way home, two-up on my PX125,
the scooter seized solid and needed a
half-way-home engine rebuild at a local
scooter shop.
Least favourite rally: Southport NSRA in
1992. Just me and Dom on our own all
the way up the M6 on a Friday night after
work on my T5. Pissed it down all the way,
freezing cold with sideways rain. Campsite
was poor, the town was poor and I just
didn’t get in to it. Apologies to the people
of Southport. I’m sure it’s lovely when the
sun’s out.
Funniest experience involving scooters:
Pulling out of the roadblock on the way into
(I think) Exmouth in about 90-91. My mate
Jim is on his dad’s brand-new T5. As we go
to leave the roadblock, the scooter in front
of Jim hesitates and stops, so Jim stops. I’m
looking over my right shoulder and can see
it’s clear to go, so I accelerate away and with
policemen all around, I plough into the back
of Jim, smashing light lenses and number
plates, bending front mudguards, etc., right
in the middle of the roadblock. Dom had a
habit of buying a jazz mag at the motorway
services and sit on the back reading it. He
used to open it and hold it in front of my
crash helmet and obscure my vision with
Razzle’s centrefold! You could hear him on
the back giggling.
Furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter:
Not exactly sure to the mile. It will either
be Llandudno, Bridlington or Ockenburgh
in Holland.
What do you like about rallies: Everything;
the craic on the journey there, getting
there, few pints, good tunes and spending
the weekend with good mates. I love
weekends, love scooters, love a booze-up
and love me mates. Put them all together
and what’s not to love!
What do you dislike about rallies: Not a
lot really… Waking up on the Sunday/
Monday morning knowing you’ve got to
ride home with a massive hangover and it’s
pissing down. Isle of Wight 2014 springs
to mind. I don’t think I’ve ever seen rain
like it in England. Pulling off the ferry in
Southampton with black cloud at about
100ft and absolutely pissing it down.
Favourite Scootering magazine feature:
When you used to drape a stocking-clad
beauty over a scooter and give it the centre
spread. Looking back at old issues from
the mid 80s and looking at the prices of
scooters back then. I happened to see one
the other day from May 1987 – Vespa 200
V-reg, Li150, loads of spares and a spare
Li150 engine; job lot £150! Anyone got a
time machine?
Favourite custom scooter of all time:
There’s too many to list, but there was a
50 Special called Mytho-Poeikon. What a
gem! Remember the Rothmans PX with the
up-and-over exhaust in the mid-80s; that
was a cracking-looking scooter. Saw a green
‘Blackadder’ Lambretta (a GP from memory)
at Weston-super-Mare in 2017 and loved it.
Which insurer do you recommend: I use
Lexham. Not sure if they’re any good as I’ve
never had to claim.
Which breakdown company do you
recommend: I use the RAC and as they
cover the car, the scooter and anything I
might be sat in.
Favourite scooter dealer: For parts I always
use Allstyle Scooters in Portsmouth. Always
seem to have whatever I’m looking for in
stock. They’re all really knowledgeable and
really friendly. As far as a scooter workshop
is concerned, nowadays, the only choice
for me is Doug at Target Scooters. What
he doesn’t know about scooters really isn’t
worth knowing.

Sim was visiting Target Scooters before

the work on the forks began. “There was a
VBB Super that Doug was using as a donor
scooter, it had blue metallic side panels,
which Doug put on Percy and said, ‘what
do you think?’. I actually thought the cream
and metallic combination looked pretty
good.” So the matching front mudguard
was liberated and fitted to Percy too. Due to
the fork conversion being carried out Percy
may not please some of the purists, but
with the five-port PX engine it’s like a nippy
PX150, and the 10-inch conversion has
improved the handling no end. Practicalities
over authenticity ensure it will cope with the
roads and riding conditions of today. Percy
will comfortably pull 60mph two-up now,
which is considerably less than the velocity
of the Perseid meteor shower that Sim
named his Sportique after, but still ample
speed for him nevertheless!
Words and photographs: Sarge


WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 
MAILBOX
Letters&emails&correspondence&questions&personals&thank-yous&comments&more
Feedback, Scootering magazine, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ or feedback@scootering.com

★ STAR LETTER ★
Bon voyage
Hi Dan,
Firstly, I just wanted to wish you all the very
best for the future, under your stewardship
Scootering magazine has improved vastly,
and you’ll be sorely missed. I never knew
you personally and that’s my loss but I once
asked a question about a member’s scooter
in the magazine and as quick as a flash not
only had you responded to me but you had
been in touch with the fella and got his
email so I could contact him directly.
Secondly, I wanted to thank you for your
videos on The Scooter Factory. As a fellow
Yorkshireman you ‘spoke my language’ – not
only the way in which you addressed issues,
but it was the issues as well which were
pertinent, for example: “How fast do you
want your Lambretta and Vespa to go?” This
was absolutely bang on for me and I had
been thinking the same for some time. I’ve
recently rebuilt a Mk1 T5 myself and was
serious considering going for the Pinasco 250
but just ended up with the Malossi 172…
that one video justified my decision, and
when I come to rebuild my TS1, it will be
The writer of our Star Letter this month
wins a stunning Weise Stealth Hoodie
with an RRP of £129.99. This is a CE
armoured heavy-duty cotton fleece with
a removable hood. AA-rated for
protection thanks to an aramid lining.
Find out more at www.weiseclothing.com
very much in the forefront of my mind.
So, thanks again mate and I wish you
every success, health and happiness in
the future.
Dave Williams

Smallframe debate
I would just like to point out a slight
inaccuracy in the 90 racer article from the
July edition. The VMA1T 125 Nuova does
in fact have a short wheelbase the same
as the SS90 and not the longer by 25mm
or so of the VMA2T, as I have a VMA1 and
VMA2. I’m also pretty certain the 90 racer
uses a VMA1 frame and also has the
smaller wheelbase the same as the 50
racer, but you never know with Piaggio
anomalies and could just as well use a
V90/100 frame. But what is fact, is the
VMA1 is shorter than a VMA2. Cheers.
Jonny
Hi Jonny,
Thanks for providing information about the
differences of wheelbase dimensions
between the VMA1 and VMA2 smallframe
Vespas, of course the VMA2 was produced
in a Mark1, Mark2, and Mark3 incarnation
of the Primevera. All three versions shared
the same wheelbase, according to Piaggio
technical sources.The reference in the
boxout section, titled 90 Racer, from the
article you quoted, regarding the V9SS2T
Vespa 90R (aka the rare 90 racer model)
sharing the same dimension of chassis as RIP Paul Patterson
the VMA1T, wasn’t in regard to the Historic Swindon In-Crowd Scooter Club
wheelbase. It was referencing the and members of other local clubs pay
additional 25mm introduced on to the tribute to fellow scooterist Paul Patterson
chassis, specifically increasing the area for who sadly died following a road traffic
accommodating a pillion passenger. The accident in Highworth, Wiltshire. Paul,
addition 25mm added to the chassis aged 47, had a love for his Piaggio but
seating area was indeed introduced with also all things on two wheels. His farewell
the VMA1T Nuova 125 in 1965, which ride from his home in Swindon to the
was the same frame as the V9SS2T. Royal Wootton Bassett crematorium was
Which although sharing an identical esscorted by
engine (albeit matt black exhaust instead more than
m
of the chrome 90SS silencer) as the 1000
V9SS1T, differed in a number of ways, sccooters
based on the V9A1T Vespa 90 frame, with annd bikes.
‘streamlining’ to the legshields and front nthony
mudguard, along with the dummy tank
and narrow handlebars.
You’re absolutely right about Piaggio
anomalies, MotoVespa in Spain seem to RIP Paul Norrell
have even more when cross-referencing Founder member of the
between technical sources. In defence of Talismen SC, gone too
the boxout information being perhaps a soon, but never to be
tad unclear, it was only a brief overview. forgotten. Ride on
Hopefully the above has clarified that the Nozza, we will meet
25mm extra was on the seating area of the again. Love and respect
chassis, not to the wheelbase. from all your brothers.
Sarge TSC

WWW.scootering.COM | 
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Home and away: Ken Waghorn CTWD –
TG300 Aguero and GP200 Young.
Colin Mcnab’s S3 1962 Li with Scootopia
185 Kit and his faithful pup Hollie.
“Thanks to Mr Mark Heyward for locating
this stunning old Lambretta.”

Dean and me on our first scooters,

late 80s. Anne Whigham.

Here’s my custom Royal Alloy

125. Simon Varela.

My Vespa 125 PX with an

all-time classic. Ian Tait.
My LML 2t with BGM177 kit,
the scooter is a Toots Hibbert
tribute scoot. Cameron Bycraft.
A pic of my Vespa PX125, in my effort
to win a stylish T-shirt! Derek McFee.
Here is my 1959 Moto Rumi Tipo
Sport. I’ve had this Rumi since 1978.
I had one in the early 60s and never
forgot the sound of the exhaust so
just had to get another one. Paul
Stokes, Moto Rumi Club UK.

This is my Neco Abruzzi 125cc.

Currently a project but should be up
and running by the autumn. Leah
My partner Nyree Leather’s PX125 at the old lido
Taylor from Coalville, Leicestershire.
Stratford upon Avon, great to see the rowing club
out after the easing of lockdown. Craig Ward.

Mine, Scrag’s and John Bateman’s scooters at

the Saddler’s Arms scooter meet, class boozer.
A pic of myself and my family on one of my fave pics, taken in 2010.
Cheers, Sedge True Brits Scooter Club, Wolves.
I still have three of the scoots, along with another 10 in my (room of
dreams) garage. Regards, Nigel Mckenzie.
 Scoots
Show
us your

“One for the least crap snap

collection,” says Neil Mallet.
Ian Penfound’s Lui.

It’s been a while , glad to be

back. Martin from Cheshire.

My w.i.p Lambretta, nearly complete, all work

done by myself. Ronnie ‘the Licker’ Lees.

Dennis the menace, still scootering

and attending rallies age 73.

I had scooters in my teens but had about 40

years without one, now on to my fourth scooter
since I took early retirement. I’ve had an AJS
Modena, a Royal Alloy GP, and currently have a
SYM Fiddle, but my favourite is my Vespa GTS
Supersport where I recently tried to pop in and
visit Mr Trump at Turnberry. Needless to say,
he was in hiding. Robin Richmond, Ayr.
 Scooters in Southall, Notts. Hope you like
the shot, thanks. Gaz, Molos SC.

Hope you are well! Best of luck with your

new journey mate. My Lambretta LD at
York Minster. Salty, York Inset SC.

Coventry Bleeding Hearts pre-match rideout taking in

this magnificent mural which was done to raise money
for a defibrillator for local football team. My pride and Chris Carey on my SX200 1980,
joy ‘61 Vespa VNB front and centre. After the photo we good old days. Angela Carey.
rode on to Bosworth Lakes to meet up with other clubs
from Brum. Cheers, Dean from Coventry.

Least crap snap

My RA GP300, with Sophia and Brian’s

Lexmoto Milano outside Cumbernauld.
THIS MONTH’S WINNER: Norton Centurion
Spirit of 79 SC (The 79ers!) Mark Jepson. s: Darryl Turnbull, Graham McAllister and
John Ellis.
Pay just £3.50 FREE! LAMBRETTA DIRT
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 Doug Westen, a man
happy in his work.

Target Scooters
Having started life less than five years ago, Target Scooters is well established,
with a growing reputation in a climate where many enterprises have sadly failed.

Target Scooters’ directional sign.
G
one are the days when practically
every market town boasted at
least one outlet specialising in
classic scooters, offering spares,
repairs and servicing. To be fair, the majority
who ride classic scooters these days don’t
rely solely on their vintage Lammy or Vespa
as their only means of transport. Also, many
classic scooter riders are capable of coping
with basics. Changing times bring with them
changes in requirements. Granted, it’s easy
enough to order spares mail order; as is,
depending on the level of an individual’s
abilities, carrying out general maintenance,
repairs and rebuilds at home. However, given
that some scooterists have other equally
demanding aspects in their life, having a
scooter specialist based locally or semi-
locally to call upon is a godsend. During
the heyday of scooters, repeated during the
scooterboy era, local scooter specialists were
often an informal focal point where clubs
and solo riders would gather.
Target Scooters’ main man Doug Westen
bought his first scooter back in ’86, paying
£20 for a non-running early PX125. He
subsequently got it up and running, and, in
the process, Doug discovered he had a bit
of a talent for tinkering with scooters and
making them work. His skill set continued
to develop over the years, although family
commitments saw him take a step back from
the scene for a time. Returning at the tail end
of the 90s Doug found himself again working
on scooters, both his own and those owned
by friends. “I couldn’t afford to pay a scooter
shop to work on my scooters, especially
when I could do any mechanical work myself.
Although I was back on the scene, I wasn’t
too heavily into it, I’d ride to the occasional
rally or event with friends but was just as
happy working on my own and friends’
scooter engines. Around nine or 10 years ago
a mate asked me to get a scooter for him,
which I did, then he wanted me to get another
for him. We got them fixed up and running,
he started up a scooter shop, soon after
which he got me in to help. I worked there for
a while, though I fancied being my own boss,
and going self-employed. An opportunity
arose which I took, and five years ago this
coming January Target Scooters began.”

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

 Front counter, with recommended reading.

Target workshop.

Based on Lambourn Business Park,

Lambourn Woodlands, near Hungerford,
Target Scooters is handily situated, as
well as easily accessible, for scooterists in
(South) Oxfordshire, (North) Hampshire,
(West) Berkshire, Wiltshire and further afield
too. Given the location, close to several
military bases, it’s no surprise that Target
also has a fair number of AFSC members
as customers.
Entering Target Scooters via the front
door you’re in the customer waiting area,
with the front counter to your right. A variety
of scooter-related images adorn the walls,
along with a few guitars as well as a piano.
Stacked in neat piles on the counter itself
are back issues of Scootering, with a trio
of scooters (two Vespas and a Lambretta)
on display in the waiting area. One is the
Elvis-themed smallframe owned by an Elvis
impersonator which was the subject of a
Scootering feature. A viewing hatch into
the fully equipped workshop, which can
accommodate (up to) two scooters, allows
customers to view the progress of work being
carried out on their scooter.

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 Work in progress: Vespa engines.

Target Scooters’ main

man Doug Westen
bought his first scooter
back in ’86, paying
£20 for a non-running
early PX125. He
subsequently got it up
and running, and, in
the process, Doug
discovered he had a bit
of a talent for tinkering
with scooters and
making them work.

Target Scooters’ Aladdin’s cave.

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

 Customer waiting area.

Behind the workshop, through a “Target is open six days a week; on top With a warm, friendly welcome coupled
connecting door, is a huge Aladdin’s cave of what’s offered in-house, I provide a with customer service that’s second to
type unit with various Lambrettas (plus a collection and delivery service. I’ve turned none, in a relatively short time Doug
Heinkel) on one side, and a line of Vespas a hobby into a living, and I’m doing all has metaphorically hit the bullseye with
down the other. Second-hand and new parts right. Some regulars have taken to calling Target Scooters, continuing the legacy
are stored behind the multitude of scooters Saturdays, The Target Scooters Social, as of a traditional-style, good old-fashioned
there. Some are customers’ scooters waiting there can be a gathering. I keep a workshop local(ish) scooter outlet in the process.
their turn for attention, others have had ramp open on Saturdays for drop-in jobs, Words: Sarge
the necessary carried out, there’s also a those ‘can you just....’ type of things. No job Photos: Sarge & Molly Westen @ MW
few that Doug has for sale. Plus, for those is too small, and the kettle is always on.” Photography
customers who have limited space at their
home address, Target provides a safe and
secure storage facility for scooters, which is
a useful additional facet to the business.
Sales of classic Lambretta and Vespa
scooters, along with servicing, repairs and
general maintenance is the basis of Target
Scooters. However, there is considerably
more on offer, over to Doug for the full
rundown… “As well as servicing and repairs
I buy and sell complete classic scooters,
part-complete classic scooters as well as
all kinds of second-hand parts. I do a lot
of engine rebuilds, at the moment I’ve got
three Vespa and two Lammy engines I need
to complete in the next week or so.
“I do a fair bit of tuning and porting,
nothing major, I wouldn’t say it’s something
I particularly specialise in. I do restorations,
I love bringing old scooters back to life,
resurrecting them for today’s roads. I’ve
been asked to do 12v conversions by some
customers. There are few processes I don’t
do onsite – I farm out blasting and painting
for instance. I have lots of good suppliers,
once I’ve got all the parts for any job, it
doesn’t take long.

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 Gucci is a high-end designer label
and owning a scooter gives you an
opportunity to make a statement.
Blend the two and you’ve got a
seriously cool combination….

W
hat is it that sends us on a particular
route or choice with our scooters? We
all start with an initial interpretation
and usually get a scooter which
supports that. Then over the years, as we see
more and more different styles and the endless
opportunities available, other temptations sometimes
emerge. But once we’ve ‘been round the houses’ and
considered other possibilities do we revert back to the
original styles we initially fell in love with? I believe the
question is an interesting one, and one which I’m sure
we could all debate for hours over a couple of pints…
For Shaun Howell scootering started at an early age,
the volume and variety of scooters he was surrounded
by throughout his childhood fuelled his knowledge of
the scene and the endless possibilities available. “My
dad was into scooters in the 60s and he used to run
a scooter club called the Mutley Crew. When I was
12 I used to go over the working men’s club where
they met and I fell in love with scooters; there would
be all sorts of different styles there, from full-bodied
scooters to chops, cut-downs, rats and street racers.”
It was the street racers that caught Shaun’s eye,
and he always told himself that one day he would have
one of his own. “After a few weeks I saved up enough
money to buy a Vespa V100 smallframe, which I rode
about with my brother and my mates. I decided to do
it up and convert it into a street racer; obviously I had
no knowledge of how to do this, but I did my best and
in my mind it didn’t turn out too bad,” Shaun smiled.

Theme
After being into scooters for a while and buying various
scooter publications Shaun came across the street
racer The Fix and from then on, he always wanted to
develop something similar but with his own touches.
Having been away from the scene for a while Shaun
returned to his love of scooters and having had a go
at several other scooter projects, he finally decided it
was time to build his own full-blown street racer. “The
only thing missing was a theme, but after talking to
my eldest son about his love for designer clothes (in
particular Gucci) I decided that Gucci would make a
great theme for the scooter.”

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 If looks could kill...

Limits
I began by cutting the stock down by In February 2021, with the project, style and
theme set, Shaun purchased a frame from
35mm to suit the Vega legshields. I then an online auction site. “That was a story in
shortened the forks to match and welded up itself! I’d been watching a frame on eBay
the frame loop toolbox door. After that I made and I’d set a limit of £350, but the bids
were constantly coming in and it looked like
a few more adjustments, then everything was I wasn’t going to get it. As the auction was
all smoothed down and ready for paint. coming to an end I asked my mate to check
to see what price the bidding was at. He
started scrolling down on his phone, however
Assessing the build.
being a car valeter his fingers were wet and
he accidently tapped his screen and placed
a bid for the frame! After a few moments
he nervously asked me how the bidding was
going, I checked my phone and told him I’d
lost. He said: ‘You might have won it!’ and
explained what had happened, so I ended up
buying the frame off him for £400! As well
as that, by another stroke of luck it turned
out that the seller lived in Southampton; and
as the auction finished on the Saturday I was
Smoothed legshields. working in Fareham on Monday, which was
Checking the paint. only 15 miles away! Win-win!”
Having secured the frame, along with
Nearing completion. some other parts he’d already sourced,
Shaun started the project. Shaun knew that
the project was going to be complex and
challenging, but with him being a trained
car body repairer, the welding, filler work,
fabrication and paintwork were hopefully
not going to be too much trouble. “I began
by cutting the stock down by 35mm to suit
the Vega legshields. I then shortened the
forks to match and welded up the frame
loop toolbox door. After that I made a few
more adjustments, then everything was all
Courtesy of Shaun Howell smoothed down and made ready for paint.”
Taking shape.
 SCOOTER DETAILS
Name of scooter & reason: Gucci Street. My eldest son
loves Gucci (expensive taste!) I love street-racers and this
gave me the inspiration to do a Gucci-style street racer.

Scooter model: Li150.

Date purchased & cost: Beginning of February 2021, bare

frame £400 off eBay.

Inspiration for project: 90s street racer, The Fix.

Time to build & by who: Two months. Built, welded,

fabricated and painted by myself, Shamps Customs.

Any specialised parts or mods: Rearsets by K2 Customs,

forks shortened by NTB Coatings and anti-dive kit.
GP dropped headset, GP forks, BGM extra strong fork
springs, BGM adjustable front dampers, SLUK front and
rear mudguards, smoked LED rear light, Vega legshields,
PM tuning belly-pan and quick-action throttle.

ENGINE SPEC
Kit: Avanti TT3 225 (240).
Crank: 62mm stroke with welded pin.
Carb: 30mm Dell’Orto.
Exhaust: AF Road-Race.
Clutch: B
BGM six-plate.
Gearbox: GP200.
Porting w
work done: Ported and converted to LTH six-petal
eed bloc
ck.
With the paint theme already Dyno d
done by: Alan Terry at Diablo, Nuneaton.
decided upon, if the scooter was Whaat brand of oil do you run: Rock oil synthetic 3%.
going to resemble the deep
indulgent colours of Gucci they C
CHASSIS SPEC:
had to be matched perfectly. “As Tyres: Scootsmart.
T
you probably know, you can’t just Rims: Satin black.
R
walk into Harvey Nichols and Suspension: R6 rear shock.
buy Gucci paint and there isn’t Grips: Motorcross.
G
a colour code for Gucci either!” LLevers: PM tuning adjustable.
Using a bit of initiative to get Cable brand: SIP.
C
the best match possible, Shaun Seeat: Yamaha TZ250 fibreglass race seat.
borrowed his son’s Gucci wallet an nd Fueel tank & tap: 16 litre.
took it to the paint specialist to usse as Hubss/Brakes: Nissin front outboard disc brake.
a genuine colour reference.
Describe
e engine performance and scooter handling: Dyno
Attention grabbing.
at 24bhp
p. Smooth, solid engine and handles really well.

Top speed & cruising speed: Cruising: 75mph. Top:

90mph.

Paintwork by: Myself.

Powder coating by: NTB Coatings.

Overall cost of work and components: £3000.

Hardest part of the project: Altering the Vega legshields.

Tech tip or advice for anyone starting a project: Make sure

in your head you know exactly what you want to do and
always do a dry build first.

Thanks to: My partner, Kellie, for not minding me

spending all of my time in my unit messing with scooters,
NTB Coatings for the powder coating and sandblasting,
Keith Newman for the rearsets and Lyndon Jones for
doing my wiring.

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 Man and machine.
O W N E R D E TA I L S
Name: Shaun Howell.

Job: Ground-worker Mon-Fri. Painter

and prepper Sat-Sun.

Scooter club & town: Muttafuckers

SC, Burntwood, Staffordshire.

First interest in scooters: 1989.

First scooter: Vespa V100 Sport.

First ever rally: Morecambe 1989.

How did you get there: In a friend’s
Datsun Sunny.
Any funny stories: When I was 13 and
on my first ever rally (Morecambe
1989) I was a little bit pissed and
loved the Thunderbirds drink. A friend
of mine had a Thunderbirds bottle in
his hand and was tipping the contents
on the fire, so I grabbed it off him and
took a big gulp, only to find out that it
was actually petrol not Thunderbirds! I
was as sick as a dog for the rest of the
weekend. Never again!!
Favourite rally: Morecambe 1989; it
was my first ever real experience of
the scooter scene.
What do you like about rallies: Meeting
up with mates, having a laugh and
looking at all the different scooters.
What do you dislike about rallies:
Arrogant people and know-it-alls!
Favourite Scootering magazine feature:
Series 1 Lucky 13.
Favourite custom scooter of all time:
Rhapsody and Blues Reprise.
Your most recommended scooter part or
related item: Fuel gauge and heat sensor.
Your most recommended scooter
security item: Disc lock and tracker.
Which breakdown company do you
recommend: RAC.
Funniest experience involving
scooters: Going around the lanes,
three-up on my V100 and getting
nicked by the police.
Most useless part you’ve ever bought
for a scooter: Sundance grips.
What would make the scene better: More
campsites and getting the atmosphere
back to how it was in the beginning.
What would make our beloved scooters
better: Bring back the original style of
scooters.

Least favourite rally: Blackpool 1990, Which insurer do you recommend: Favourite scooter dealer:
it rained for the whole time. Carole Nash. MB Developments.

Having got the colours organised Shaun

set about completing the paintwork and
graphics. Once they were complete, it was
time for the final assembly, which included
some sleek features. “All the cables and
wiring run through the frame and that gives
it a cleaner look. Also, I wanted to develop
an 80s/90s feel and used a Yamaha
TZ250 seat, which I think finishes it off
a treat!”

Power
Apart from being a true eye-catcher,
Shaun’s not held back on the engineering
side of things either. The scooter runs High-end design. Stopping power with anti-dive kit.
on an Avanti TT3 225/240 kit with a
62mm welded crank. The carb is a 30mm
Dell’Orto item and fuel is fed into the engine
through a six-petal reed block. Delivery of
the power is managed by a BGM six-plate
clutch and the AF Road-Race expansion
chamber deals with final emissions. The
scooter’s been dynoed at 24bhp and Shaun
describes its performance as “smooth and
solid with excellent handling”.
So I’m sure that if Gucci ever did
street racers, this one would certainly be
appearing in its exclusive designer range!

Words: Stu Smith

Photos: Gary Chapman
Build photos: Shaun Howell

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
Phat Arse ’56 Custom scooters are usually based around a theme, but sometimes
they are specifically created around the person riding it…
E
astbourne, nestled on the south coast of
England, is a renowned holiday destination
and claims to be the country’s sunniest
place. It is also home to Kevin Alexander,
or to those that know him, ‘Big Kev’. A dedicated
scooterist for more than 40 years, if you ask him what
his favourite make or model is then he will inform
you it is a Lambretta. However, it seems Kev also has
an affinity to the Vespa and what you see here is an
interesting take on a 1956 VL2T.
Big enough
Kev will openly admit he is a big lad and his large
stocky frame is perhaps not suited to the small seating
space a Vespa offers. He explained: “I need a scooter
I can be comfortable on with plenty of space, making
the riding and rally experience more pleasurable.”
The wide body of the VL2T and a single seat now
positioned towards the rear of the frame is the perfect
solution to his problem. Great, so you have the answer
Kev wasn’t bothered about the
frame, he just wanted the engine…
as it had been tuned by legendary
two-stroke tuner the late Terry
Shepherd, the man who designed
the Lambretta TS1 port layout
to making the scooter more comfortable, but it needs
customising to make it stand out.
With decades of experience working on and
building scooters, Kev is certainly qualified to do
the job. Thankfully he has the vision to execute a
custom scooter from what is a rather plain model into
something different. With the said scooter in front
of him, he got on with the job of transforming it into
a scooter that keeps its original looks but is brought
into the modern-day world regarding the engine and
brakes. The trick is to marry the two together without
anything looking odd or out of place.
Working around the engine
To happily pull Kev’s big frame he wanted an engine
that had plenty of power, so the original 150 engine
was replaced by a big-block 200cc set of casings. The
idea sounds good, but the problem is the frame hasn’t
got enough space to accommodate it. No worries, a
quick bit of angle grinding soon sorted that out with
enough space to squeeze the engine in but without
leaving a huge hole where the side panel fits.
The 1950s Vespa
VL2T transformed
into a modern-day
street sleeper.
 By cutting out a section of the frame there is
just enough room to fit the 200cc engine into it.
The huge Dell’Orto carburettor perched on top
of the engine has just enough space to breathe.

As for the engine, that originally came from an old PX

Kev bought which had been damaged in an accident.
Kev wasn’t bothered about the frame, he just wanted
the engine… as it had been tuned by legendary two-
stroke tuner the late Terry Shepherd, the man who
designed the Lambretta TS1 port layout. To have that
engine underneath and powering him along is all that
mattered. The cylinder fitted was a Malossi 210 which
Terry had ported so even though it was a few years old
it was going to kick out enough power.
With other tuning extras such as the Cosa clutch,
uprated gearing and a Scorpion exhaust it all came
together nicely. Sitting on top is a huge Dell’Orto
VHSH 30 carburettor connected to an MRB reed
block. This did cause a slight issue, the problem
being to fully open the slide which is difficult on the
short turn of the slim handlebars. On a Lambretta
it’s simple, by fitting a bigger pulley wheel on the
end of the throttle rod. Using that same principle
Kev engineered the same idea but housed the pulley
remotely inside the frame just before the engine. Now
the throttle is turned on the handlebars and pulls
a secondary cable on a bigger pulley wheel which
in turn is connected to the carburettor, in effect
At the front the dual
‘up-gearing’ the throttle; a very clever idea and well
headlamp idea works well.
executed, Kev commenting on how easy it is to use.


 Laid bare
When describing a custom scooter the paintwork
is usually an account of detailed murals and the
various effects and processes to create it. Here we
have a problem because there is no paint to speak
of, the bodywork is devoid of it. As written in the
description Kev applied the paint – or shall we say
removed it by way of a wire brush. When it comes
to featuring custom scooters in the magazine
certainly this has to be one of, if not the cheapest
paint jobs ever. Perhaps a good dose of anchor wax
to protect the exposed steel is required if it hasn’t
already been applied.
Either way, the look works well and reminds you of
the early Vespa models painted in silver. This style of
finish seems to be catching on with several scooters
being featured in the magazine this year along the
same theme. There’s no doubt it saves a lot of money
on the overall budget of the project and there is no
waiting for it to come back from the painters, that’s
for sure.

Those extra touches

Like any standout scooter, it’s those extra touches
that make all the difference and there are a few well-
designed but rather subtle additions that complement
it so well. An important part of any scooter set-up
is the brakes and at the front is a Crimaz hydraulic
disc with a remote master cylinder set-up on the
handlebars. To complement it is the same type of
brake at the back, this time from a KTM motorcycle
and modified to fit by Kev himself.
Other items of interest are the big air scoop on the
side panel and the dual headlamps at the front. Of
course, it wouldn’t be complete without the slung-
back seat which was the inspiration for the whole idea
and giving Kev a riding position that suits him. What
you see here is a clever adaptation of a classic 1950s
Vespa. Different in many ways like the paintwork or
apparent lack of it, clever engineering like the geared
throttle, but most important a unique-looking custom
scooter, one that looks vintage but lurking underneath
has all the modern traits of a stylish street sleeper.
Is this the look of the future?

Words: Stu Owen

Photographs: Kevin Alexander

The modified KTM disc brake just fits inside the edge of the expansion pipe.

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

 SCOOTER DETAILS
Name of scooter & reason: Phat Arse ’56...
self-explanatory.

Scooter model: VL2T.

Date purchased & cost: Mid-2017, £800.

Time to build & by who: One year by myself.

Any specialised parts or mods: (what and by

whom) Throttle up-gear to allow standard
handlebar twist to open 30 mil fully, rear disc
brake support to fit PX to wideframe engine
adapter. Both by myself.

ENGINE SPEC
Kit: Malossi 210.
Crank: Modified Mazzi.
Carb: Dell’Orto VHSH 30 On.
Inlet: MRB RD reed valve.
Exhaust: Scorpion.
Clutch: Banded COSA.
Gearbox & sprockets: 24/65 primary, T5 fourth.
Ignition timing: 18 BTDC
Carb jetting specs: 150 main, 60 idle.
Porting work by: Terry Shepherd.
What brand of oil do you run: Rock Oil.

CHASSIS SPEC:
Tyres: Front 3.50x10, rear 100x90x10 S1.
Rims: Front SIP 8 to 10 conversion, rear SIP wide
wheel kit.
Front suspension: SIP spring and BGM adjustable
damper.
Rear suspension: Fournales air shock.
Levers: Modified originals.
Cable brand: BGM.
Fuel tank & tap: Original tank with BGM fast-flow.
Hubs: Yes, got two of them…
Front brake: Crimaz disc conversion with
handlebar-mounted master
Rear brake: Home-made KTM disc brake with
hidden semi-hydraulic master.

Top speed & cruising speed: 90+mph top and

The narrow handlebars don’t give enough travel for the
65-70mph cruising.
throttle, so it is remotely ‘up-geared’ near to the engine.
Paintwork by: Overrated, applied with a wire
brush!

Engraving by: Colin Wilkins.

Chrome by: Brasso.

Overall cost of work and components: £2000ish.

Hardest part of the project: Getting engine to fit!

Tech tip or advice for anyone starting a project:

Don’t give up!

In hindsight, is there anything you would have

done differently: Got someone else to build it!

Thanks to: Anna & Taila, Kim & Sean, Cass,

Stuey, Little Chris, Darryl, Ding Dong, Brady, and
of course… Antonio for his constant abuse!

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 O W N E R D E TA I L S
Name: Kevin Alexander.
Scooter club & town: Eastbourne Coffin
Dodgers.
First interest in scooters: Riding a
Lambretta Series 1 over the fields with my
brother and his mates age 11.
First scooter: Lambretta GP 125 skelly.
Favourite scooter model: Series 2
Lambretta.
Favourite style of custom scooter: Anything
involving engineering.
First ever rally: Isle of Wight 1984.
How did you get there: On the GP125.
Any funny stories: Escorted to rally site
from ferry by two police bikes. They started
at a nice pace but by the time we reached
The slung-back single saddle
which perfectly accommodates
Kev’s preferred riding style.
 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 
the rally fields were doing about 60mph
where we all kept trying to overtake them!
Favourite rally: Camber Sands... always had
a friendly atmosphere and everything on
one site.
Least favourite rally: Morecambe... the walk
up the hill to the campsite was a bastard
and the curry shop was crap!
Funniest experience involving scooters:
Myself and a mate riding down country
lanes on Lammys in the 80s with 6v lights,
couldn’t see a thing! I was following Stu
using his back light as a guide – suddenly it
disappeared and all I could see was a pair
of legs in white jeans going over and over!
He had ridden straight into the ditch at
the roadside!
Furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter:
Morecambe – took all day with a break
every two hours.
I need a scooter I can be comfortable on
with plenty of space, making the riding
and rally experience more pleasurable
What do you like about rallies: Having a
drink and talking to like-minded people.
What do you dislike about rallies: People
who are full of their own piss and
self-importance
Favourite Scootering magazine feature:
Tech Torque.
Favourite custom scooter of all time: Future
Shock – it broke the mould! Also, nice
white leather look jeans and wig!
Most useless part you’ve ever bought for a
scooter: Fly screen.
What would make the scene better: More
open-minded people.
What would make our beloved scooters
better: Lower-octane fuel.
Favourite scooter dealer: SIP.
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 Mike riding one of his Lambrettas in Southend in 1980.

Mike Karslake:
Mr Lambretta
There are many people who have made contributions to the world of Lambretta
over time but one of the most significant has to be Mike Karslake.

S
ales of the Lambretta began
to rise significantly in 1953, a
breakthrough year for the marque
in the UK. For many, it was just a
means of basic reliable transport whereas for
others it would change their life forever. One
such person was Michael Howard Karslake,
now the happy owner of a Lambretta LC,
who immersed himself into the world
it had to offer. It wasn’t too long before
he became active both with Lambretta
Concessionaires and the club it spawned,
the British Lambretta Owners Association.
Like so many others it was an affinity that
would continue right throughout Lambretta
production, but it was afterwards where he
would play such an important role.
The end and new
beginnings
With the demise of the Lambretta in 1971,
it signalled a slow and long downturn in the
club, which by now was called Lambretta
Club Great Britain. It was to be expected
as those now involved were staunch
enthusiasts, long gone the general members
who had moved on to pastures new since
the Lambretta no longer existed as a
production vehicle. As time wore on the
situation only got worse and without the
backing of Lambretta Concessionaires time
was called on the club in 1974, whereupon
it was mothballed.

 | SCOOTERING | september 

Space was limited and there was nowhere to put his growing Lambretta collection, which included Fred Willingham’s famous sprint machine.

No one was to blame: it was just a natural
progression, but it left the last loyal members
clinging on to the hope that someday something
might change that would bring it back. One
of those people was Mike Karslake, who
vowed to keep the Lambretta name going
and so set up his own club, the Lambretta
Preservation Society. It was nothing major,
no subscriptions or anything like that; just a
way of keeping the last remaining enthusiasts
together which is how it would stay for several
years. Its benefits included keeping events
going – none more so than the Southend rally,
which Mike was organising and paying for
out of his own pocket. The rally began to
unite more Lambretta owners, certainly
those from the north of the country where
the scene survived on a larger scale.
As time wore on the numbers began to
grow and in 1977 a proposal to restart the
LCGB was made. Mike played an integral
role in that process and without the LPS
and the Southend rally that he organised,
it might never have happened. By 1978
the LCGB was up and running again and
Mike would now form part of the club’s
committee, which he was extremely proud
of. What of the LPS though... what would
happen to that? The answer was it would
continue in its own little way and Mike could
expand on it further. The LCGB was back as
a club with a growing membership, and this
meant those members wanted information
on their machines. The LPS could fill that
void and with all his knowledge Mike was
only too happy to help any enthusiast.

Kesterfield, which would now become Mike’s new home, the big blue outbuilding to the right of the picture would be the Lambretta museum.

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 Where to put it all
Living in a large house situated in Southend
seemed like the ideal place for Mike to
enjoy his retirement. There was one problem
though – where to store his ever-expanding
collection of Lambrettas and associated
memorabilia, more importantly somewhere
he could gain quick access to it. The
solution was to house it all in a separate
building, the problem being where he lived
didn’t offer that option. To get around
the issue meant only one thing – to move
somewhere that could. Mike also had a
collection of vintage toy tractors and his wife
Rachel many antique dolls; the reality was
they had outgrown their current house.
For that reason, the decision was made
to sell up and find somewhere big enough
which would mean a move to a totally
new location. It would be a tiny village
near Okehampton in Devon by the name
of Northlew. Kesterfield was a traditional
detached cottage and with it came a huge
plot of land. This was now Mike’s castle
and he had big plans for it, not only as an
outbuilding with somewhere to store his
huge Lambretta collection but a dedicated
museum, something that would be a first.
Now all the machines and memorabilia
could be laid out properly and at the same
time be on display for all enthusiasts to look
at and admire.

Brick by brick
Now established in their new home, Mike
put his ambitious plans into action, starting
with the building. Built of out breeze block
with a steel construction, it enabled him to
maximise the space without being too costly.
Kevin Walsh and John Illing were more than happy to help set out the new museum.
It needed to be as big as possible because
as word got around donations of both
On hand were two close friends of machines and memorabilia came flooding
in. Some, like the famous racing Lambrettas
his, Kevin Walsh and John Illing. of the past, were gratefully loaned out free
Both were part of the Widnes Saints that of charge. With what Mike had already
amassed combined with the new donations
had helped restart the LCGB and now it was going to be one impressive collection
instrumental in the running of the club. and all under one roof.
Once the planning permission was
granted and the structural work got under
way he knew the dream of a Lambretta
museum was becoming a reality. This
meant the LPS would become an
institution within its own right and happily
sit alongside the LCGB, making it the envy
of all other national Lambretta clubs. It also
paved the way for future club events and
rallies to be held there even though that
would be a few years off, but it was clear to
see there was more potential to be had than
just a museum.

Moving in
It was the mid-1980s and by his own
admission, Mike was no spring chicken,
though still physically capable of moving
Lambrettas around this was going to be a
big job. On hand were two close friends of
his, Kevin Walsh and John Illing. Both were
The trusty Series 2 and sidecar outfit that had served him well for many years would take pride part of the Widnes Saints that had helped
of place in the new display. restart the LCGB and now instrumental in

 | SCOOTERING | september 

Curator, guide, owner – the man himself was always last to leave before switching the lights out and closing the doors of the first Lambretta
museum in the UK.

the running of the club. Kevin had been

visiting Mike for years when he was based in
Southend and was more than happy to help
set up the new museum.
Ir was a chance to be involved and at the
same time look at the potential the museum
had for future events. Mike welcomed them
both with open arms and it wasn’t too long
before all the machines, signs, posters and
just about anything Lambretta-related were
out on display. With everything in place, the
museum was ready but not one that was
open on a daily basis. This was Mike’s home
as well and people just couldn’t turn up
waiting to see the exhibits on demand.
It was acknowledged that those wishing to
visit should ring up beforehand, more out of
politeness than anything else, even though
Mike’s huge love of the Lambretta would
take over and he would often spend hours
On hand to explain to visitors the finer points of the Lambretta.
talking about them with someone he had
never met before.

A few of Mike’s trophies and memorabilia that

cemented his legacy in the Lambretta hall of fame. No matter who turned up Mike would have time to spare, making everyone welcome.

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 Benefits
Now the UK had its first dedicated
Lambretta museum; neatly tucked away
in a remote part of Devon, it began to
serve its purpose. It also allowed Mike to
expand it further by producing a book on
the Lambretta family tree. There was also a
Lambretta information and valuation service
where those wishing to get an agreed value
for their insurance could do so, probably the
first time this service had been available for
Lambretta owners.
It took up a lot of his time and though a
cost was involved for the books and services
he now supplied it was only a token gesture
to cover costs, with any profit going into
running the museum. This was showing his
true kind nature; he was dedicated to the
Lambretta cause but to set up a museum at At home in his Lambretta service unit, a place where he spent a lot of his time.
his own expense and share it with the world
was taking his generosity to another level.
It had always been his way and the rewards
Mike got in making Lambretta owners happy As time wore on the numbers began to
was all that he wanted. grow and in 1977 a proposal to restart
Celebration the LCGB was made. Mike played an integral
With the LPS and the museum firmly role in that process and without the LPS and
established on the Lambretta map, it was
time to move things forward to the next
the Southend rally that he organised, it
stage. Planning got under way for a huge might never have happened.
rally to be held there celebrating 40 years
since the Lambretta had been invented. The rally was open to members of the needed Mike’s approval. He didn’t need any
With all of Mike’s connections, the idea was LCGB to take part in and meet up with the persuasion as he loved the idea and now this
to get as many people as possible who had makers of their scooters. With camping opened up a new chapter for both Mike and
made it happen gathered together. Nothing facilities available in the field next to the the LCGB. Little did they realise at the time
like this had been done before and with time museum the location was perfect, the rally it would be not only on a national scale but
moving on since production had finished being a resounding success and thoroughly an international one as well.
there might not be many more opportunities enjoyed by all. What it proved was the
for such an event to take place. museum could hold such an event, but it Words and images: Stuart Owen

A who’s who from the Lambretta factory at the 40th anniversary event held at the museum. Mike is at the back in the centre and to the right of him
is Peter Agg, who had been managing director of Lambretta Concessionaires.

 | SCOOTERING | september 

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 

It’s a blast
No restoration project seems complete without a
spot of vapour blasting, but what exactly is it? Stan
takes our T5 casings for the bath of a lifetime.
E
ver since I destroyed an Li150
casing by sending it to an industrial
sandblaster, I’ve been nervous of
any cleaning process that involves
more than a can of gunk and a toothbrush.
When I presented our project T5’s casings to
the workshops of Ron Daley I was confident
that the hours I’d spent degreasing
with cotton buds would be appreciated,
unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Having
received a good telling-off from Martin Daley
for asking him to rebuild a set of ‘filthy’
cases I was dispatched to KTS Refinishing
in nearby Royston. The owner of KTS is Ian,
who’s not just on top of his game, he’s also
a BSB rider so understands the passion we
feel for two wheels, even if they’re smaller
than he’s used to.
The gentle touch
When I present him with my freshly
stripped casings Ian’s cautious about
the chances of success. Apparently, the
quality of alloy used by Piaggio falls well
 | SCOOTERING | september 
Vapour blast beads vs traditional ‘shot’
short of that specified by the big Japanese
manufacturers. As evidence he produces a
set of Honda engine casings which look as if
they’ve been painted satin silver.
One thing I’m particularly nervous of is
Martin’s instruction to bring the barrel, head
and piston for cleaning. I’ve discreetly left
the piston at the workshop, but Ian assures
me that the treatment is kind enough to
rejuvenate pretty much any alloy component.
To put my mind at ease Ian pours a
little of the traditional steel blasting media
into my palm. When I rub the small steel
particles between thumb and forefinger it
feels like grit. This is heavy-duty stuff of the
type that destroyed my Li150 casing. He
then pours in some of the media used in
vapour blasting and they’re as different as
chalk and cheese. When rubbed between
my fingers, even its dry state, it feels more
like cream or yoghurt. This is because
the abrasive content of vapour blasting
is actually a multitude of microscopic
glass beads.
Beads and water are mixed into a slurry.
Ian gets to work on our casings.
Let’s vape
The obvious question is that if the cleaning’s
done by firing beads at pressure towards
the dirty surface, why is it called vapour
blasting? Fortunately, Ian’s a man that can
put science into understandable terms. “The
process is also known as slurry blasting,” he
begins. “The beads are mixed with water to
form a slurry which is mixed in a tank at the
bottom of the blasting cabinet. This is fed
under pressure through a hose and when it
gets close to the nozzle, compressed air’s
fed into the mix. This spreads the slurry into
a fine pattern, hence vapour.
“The dry methods used in shot or sand
blasting attack the surface at an angle. As
a result, the abrasive is often driven into the
surface, with steel shot being a particular
problem. If that’s left embedded in alloy it
will eventually rust.
“In contrast the tiny glass beads used
in vapour blasting are cushioned by water,
creating a broader surface profile which
gives a ‘feathered’ effect. In simple terms
 BLASTERS
B E WA R E
When discussing how to strip components
for painting most restorers will refer to
‘shot’ or ‘sand’ blasting as shorthand for a
host of treatments. However, pass over a
set of panels to a blasting yard that’s used
to dealing with rusty girders and it’s almost
guaranteed that the precious tinwork will
be destroyed in seconds.
We’ve previously explored alternatives
to traditional methods of removing
paint and rust
through blasting,
including the
use of powdered
gemstones. That
article can be
found in our
online archive by
following this link:

Cylinder came up a treat,

That’s a 35-year-old head. internals were carefully protected.
Compared with degreasing, vapour leads the way.
vapour blasting removes dirt and oxidation
without cutting into the metal.
“A big part of the job is patience,” adds
Ian. “On some jobs it’s very tempting to
turn up the pressure and cut through the
grime more quickly but this shatters the
beads, creating a much coarser abrasive and
ultimately a poor finish.”
When Ian hands me our casings they look
as if they’ve just emerged from Piaggio’s
casting shop. Notably the head is completely
devoid of carbon but with a smooth, silken
finish and I instantly regretted my decision
to leave the piston behind.
It has to be said that vapour blasting
isn’t a miracle cure. For example, it won’t
easily clean rust and layers of paint from a
set of wheel rims and a nikasil barrel needs
to be carefully sealed before applying the
treatment. However, when an ‘as new’ finish
is required for items such as engine casings
it’s the obvious choice. KTS Refinishing can
be found on Facebook.
Words and photos: Stan

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 
Right place,
right time
Developed from a pedigree of
Italian influence and innovation,
Blue Velvet is a sultry and inviting
temptress throughout…

M
ark Percy got into scooters when he was
around 12 years old. “It was in the early
80s; there were Mods and scooters at
a rally in my home town of Whitley Bay.
I can remember seeing them with my mates, we saw
the gear they were wearing and they looked fantastic.
Also Quadrophenia had just been released and the
scene was in its heyday.”

Influences
Having been into the scene for a while, it took Mark a
few years to get his first scooter. “I wasn’t particularly
mechanically minded, but my dad was; he’d had
motorcycles for years and so when I got my first
scooter, a Lambretta Series 2, my dad and I decided
to work on the project together.”
When Mark got the scooter, it was in need of
some attention. “We got it blasted down to the bare
metal and gave it a full rebuild from the ground up.
Altogether the project took around six months and we
completed it together at my business premises. In
2007 my dad passed away and the sentimental value
embedded in the scooter makes it priceless, so the
scooter’s now kept at home.”
A few years back, when Mark was cleaning the
scooter on his driveway, one of his neighbours, Dave,
who is a scooterist, saw him and stopped for a chat.
“He told me he’d seen me on the scooter and asked
if I was a solo rider. I told him I was, and during the
conversation Dave told me about the local scooter
scene and invited me to join him with his club, Setting
Sons SC on an evening rideout.”

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 Street racer drops.

Dante Fastback seat. Named identity.

O W N E R D E TA I L S
Name: Mark Percy.
Scooter club & town: Setting Sons SC,
Newcastle.
First interest in scooters: Early 80s.
First scooter: Li125 Series 2 1961.
Favourite scooter model: Li125 Special
Series.
Favourite style of custom scooter: Any
with Claudio’s style is a good starting
point.
Any funny stories: I’ve a friend called
Dave, every time we go for a ride one or
the other of us breaks down, even with
his brand new Scomadi!
Least favourite rally: Don’t have one
Man and machine.
really, they’re always a great way
to meet new people and see some
fantastic scooters.
Furthest you’ve ever ridden on a
scooter: About 120 miles along
the Northumberland coastal route
through Warkworth, Craster, Beadnell,
Bamburgh and Seahouses; it’s a
stunning ride.
What do you like about rallies: The
atmosphere and the cross-section of
people who are drawn together by a
common interest. It’s a melting-pot
that brings everyone together.
What do you dislike about rallies: Bad
weather and breakdowns.
Favourite Scootering magazine feature:
Feature scooters.
Your most recommended scooter part or
related item: Tool kit.
Your most recommended scooter
security item: I have my scooters fitted
with a hidden immobiliser switch and
always lock the steering.
Which breakdown company do you
recommend: I normally tinker myself
and usually get it going. However, I
have called on family members to
jump in a van and collect me on the
odd occasion!
What would make the scene better:
Getting out more often, there’s
something special about riding with
a load of scooters and the smell of
two-stroke in the air.
Favourite scooter dealer: Bought some
good scooter parts from Parr Speed in
Chorley, great guy to deal with.

Funniest experience involving scooters:

Heading out on a sunny day and going
through the Tyne tunnel only to find I
had my sunglasses on. Just inside the
tunnel I could hardly see a thing and
with 30 scooters behind me I couldn’t
stop to take them off. I just followed
the dim red light of a Lambretta in
front of me and hoped for the best for a
mile and a half!

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 


Classic display.
Hooked
Having been on his first rideout Mark was
hooked. It wasn’t long before he was a
member of the Setting Sons and a regular
on rideouts and multi-meets.
In summer 2019, while at a multi-meet
at the Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Mark saw Blue
Velvet. “When I saw it I thought it looked
fantastic, I had an instant attraction to it;
I couldn’t put my finger on it. I like Series
2s and for me this scooter knocked it out of
the park!”
Over the course of several months
and having seen the scooter a few times
at various multi-meets Mark eventually
got talking to the owner and explained
his interest.
However, in March 2020 when the first
When I saw it I thought it looked
fantastic, I had an instant attraction to
it; I couldn’t put my finger on it. I like Series
2s and for me this scooter knocked it out of
the park! Courtesy of Mark Percy
lockdown kicked in the rideouts and multi-
meets stopped and things went pretty quiet.
In the meantime, Mark’s other scooter, an
Li125 Special, was with AF Rayspeed having
a full rebuild and his beloved Series 2 was
out of action with carburation problems.
At that time things weren’t looking
particularly exciting, until a friend contacted
Mark and told him that he’d seen Blue Velvet
for sale on a social media site. With this in
mind he didn’t waste any time and got in
touch with the seller.
“We did a deal and I bought the scooter;
the timing couldn’t have been better. It
was July 2020, the first lockdown had just
finished and I managed to get the scooter
out on the road a few times before the
second lockdown kicked in.”
Developed with love.
SCOOTER
DETAILS
Name of scooter & reason: Blue Velvet;
due to its colour and finish.
Scooter model: Li125 Series 2.
Date purchased & cost: £6500.
Inspiration for project: My love of
Italian classic styling.
Time to build & by who: Nine months
by Claudio Cattaneo.
Any specialised parts or mods: Smiths
speedo, Series 2 drop handlebars, LD
front mudguard, Servetta toolbox door
(frenched in) and horn grille.
ENGINE SPEC
Kit: GT 186.
Carb: 30mm Dell’Orto.
Exhaust: JL 3 curly.
Clutch: AF Rayspeed six-plate.
Gearbox: Li150 Pacemaker.
Porting work by: Chris Sturgess.
Dyno done by: Darrell Taylor.
What brand of oil do you run: Putoline
Scooter-X 3%.
CHASSIS SPEC:
Tyres: Continental whitewalls.
Rims: BGM polished stainless.
Suspension: Front, BGM Slime-line
dampers. Rear, BGM adjustable.
Speedo: Smiths reproduction.
Grips: Casa.
Levers: Casa.
Cable brand: Casa.
Seat: Dante fastback.
Describe engine performance and
scooter handling: Smooth with good
performance through all the gears and
rev range.
Top speed & cruising speed:
Top: 74 mph.
Cruising: 60mph.
Is the scooter reliable: Yes.
Thanks to: Claudio Cattaneo.
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 LD mudguard sharpens the feel.

Signature
Blue Velvet’s looks are exciting; the drop
handlebars deliver the mean looks of a street
racer, and the Smiths speedo introduces a
classic feel to the instrument display.
Staying with the front end and moving
down the horncast, you’re greeted by one of
Claudio Cattaneo’s signature fabrications;
the replacement of the standard mudguard
with an LD item. The LD mudguard trims
down the front end and develops a sleeker
and sportier look, which is supported
throughout the rest of the scooter by equally
intelligent styling. Pedigree taken Mark a while to get his first scooter;
The frenched-in Servetta toolbox lid is Having been developed by Claudio Cattaneo, and having been influenced by his father
subtle and on a practical level helps draw Blue Velvet has a thoroughbred Italian the route he’s taken to reach his destination
in an additional flow of cool air into the pedigree and its build reflects Claudio’s is endearing. Also the friendly and inclusive
engine compartment. natural ability to effortlessly blend traditional attitude shown to Mark by the Setting Sons
The custom Dante Fastback seat lowers the Italian classic styling with modern-day SC allowed him to become more involved
riding position and gives the scooter’s street features and influences. in the scene; and this opportunity gave him
racer looks a lowrider 50s appeal; moving This scooter isn’t draped in race-branded the chance to become the proud owner of a
along from the back of the seat down to the stickers and numbers, its looks speak for scooter which piqued his interest and set his
rear of the frame, the custom one-off rear themselves. On the road it’s supported by heart racing as soon as he saw it.
light and number plate combination piece sharp and crisp performance and attracts Words: Stu Smith
complements the flow and lines of the scooter. attention without any effort. It may have Photos: Gary Chapman
The majority of the scooter is finished in
Jim Lomas curly exhaust.
blue matte paint which delivers a feeling of
indulgence; this is then complemented by
areas of high gloss which add elegance
and class.
The chrome touches around the scooter
add momentum to the custom looks and the
one-off name badges on the legshields and
side panels give the scooter its identity.
Remove the side panels and you’re
greeted by an engine which delivers
excellent performance throughout the rev
range. The scooter runs on a Chris Sturgess
ported GT186 kit and is supported by an
Li150 Special Pacemaker gearbox. A 30mil
Dell’Orto takes care of fuel flow and the Jim
Lomas 3 curly exhaust supports the look and
adds to the performance.

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

 The Skybolt
Further to the request from Alec Mountfield to ‘name that pub’ in the July
(421) issue, may I take the opportunity to expand a little and give you the
story of exactly how our modern seaside scooter rallies came to be…
s with a lot of the people back
A then, our early introduction
to scootering was via the film
Quadrophenia and as with other
parts of the country the West Midlands,
specifically the Black Country, soon
developed a thriving Mod and scooter social
scene. The Midlands, much like the North,
also had a large northern soul contingent
and many of the older local scooter lads
were into this too. In 1980 we had trekked
up to Scarborough, and it has to be said…
it was a bit of a poor weekend, with many
of the lads sleeping in the van or out in the
open (in a graveyard, believe it or not); when
you’re young, needs must!
We had heard of a rally, second hand,
via another club, so the lads weren’t best
prepared and it seems many of the other
rallies later in the year followed a similar
pattern. With none of the current social
media tech being available our only source
of information from ‘up North’, where the
scooter scene was strongest, was a monthly
A5 size fanzine-type magazine that, much
like Bill & Ben, will be familiar to the older
readers. This magazine was called The
Northern Mod Scene... NMS and one of its
features was a letters page.
Northern Mod Scene &
Staffordshire Lions
In issue 8 of NMS, a particular letter would
be the catalyst for the very first Number 1s’
meeting. It was written by Tom Petch of the
York Scooter Club, bemoaning the fact the
rallies had been so disorganised that year
and why was it not possible to get things
into some order. Martin Dixon, editor of the
NMS said, quite rightly, that Tom’s letter
was the most important he had received
Martin Dixon, editor of the NMS said,
quite rightly, that Tom's letter was the
most important he had received and
offered to support the suggestion but put
a most important ‘add-on’ to the
suggestion, that the meeting should be
held in the Midlands to allow all clubs a
good chance of attending
and offered to support the suggestion
but put a most important ‘add-on’
to the suggestion, that the meeting
should be held in the Midlands to allow
all clubs a good chance of attending.
This was great foresight as due to the
popularity of Quadrophenia the number
of active clubs in all parts of the UK had
grown massively.
By issue 9 of NMS, Martin Dixon had
received and accepted the offer from
the No1 of what would prove to be a
very short lived, but important, Scooter
Club, The Staffordshire Lions, based in
Bilston, just outside Wolverhampton.
The No1, or I think chairman, as was our
original description we used for the leader, Photo: Front row, from left – Kev Spittle
was Dave Murray, who, like those mentioned (Widnes I think) with Dave Murray,
previously, was one of these older guys into myself (turning sideways) and Colin
northern soul. I knew Dave well as we grew Fleming (a local Skinhead scooterist).
up in the same street and when he formed
the Staffordshire Lions we joined.
He would be about 22 and we were
mostly 16 or 17, so he must know what
NO1S’
things are about being that old, so we MEETING FEB
thought. Dave came to us one meeting, in
the Villiers Arms Pub, Bilston, and said: ’81 – HISTORY
“We are putting on the first ever No1s
meeting”... as you can imagine there were
IN BRIEF
many bemused looks. “What's a number 1?”
(much toilet humour from the kids followed) Original idea: Tom Petch, in a letter
but democracy was not on Dave’s mind. “We to the Northern Mod Scene fanzine,
are doing it, that’s it!” then supported by Martin Dixon,
So the date was set for Sunday, February editor of the NMS.
22, 1981.
Organiser of the meeting: Dave Murray
(Sky)Bolt from the blue… of the Staffordshire Lions replying
To us the venue was a no-brainer. It was not to Tom’s suggestion, via NMS.
a pub (as Alec has asked the name of); it Along with Ken Onions helping with
was a nightclub, of sorts, called the Skybolt the venue, which was the Skybolt
in High Street, Bilston, more a social club, nightclub, High Street, Bilston, near
Wolverhampton.
Weather: Atrocious.
Stripper: Atrocious... needed ironing!
Meeting: Chaotic but got there in the
end once Kev Walsh took control.
Outcome: Nine rallies I think it was,
providing the very first ‘season’ and it
is a season as it has a start and finish
date. Then 40 years of good and
sometimes not so good, but never
really bad, scootering.
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 SNOW PLACE LIKE
HOME…
The first No1s’ meeting at the Skybolt.
These images were taken in the rear
yard/car park. You can see the weather,
yet still a good few travelled by scooter,
and judging by the lad from Great
Yarmouth you can see just how far they
travelled. I think it’s no exaggeration to
say it was one of the most important
days in modern British scootering,
although we did not know it at the time.
Images: Andrew Blunt

BLACK COUNTRY
DELTAS
Another photo from the No1s’ meeting
taken in the kitchen of the Skybolt.
From left, Carl Murray (seated with
pint), Ken Onions (who got the use of
Skybolt for the meeting and is still
riding). The guy standing at the end is
Alan ‘Trubby’ Trubshaw (still riding
with Southwest Scooter Alliance).
Photo taken by Andrew Fletcher, who
is No1 of our current club but was in
the Black Country Deltas back at the
time of No1s.

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

 TOM PETCH
Pic of Tom Petch’s scooter, taken around the
time of the No1s’ meeting. The second pic
Lam Yam is also possibly Tom’s later scoot. He
should take the credit for the idea of the
No1s’ meeting.

specifically a West Indian social club, that

through a personal contact of one of the
guys of our club, Ken Onions, had become
home of the best Mod/soul night around,
by far! Happy memories and the early
introduction to northern soul for many of us
via Ken and the DJ, Aggy.
As the 22nd rolled around the weather
was atrocious. Heavy snow still lay on
the ground and I was tasked with driving
to Wolverhampton railway station and
collecting people coming in on the train in
my 1966 Morris Minor… looking back, I
used to think it was a really old car then, but
it was only 15 years old and my current TV
175 is now nearly 60 years old! Some even
made it there on scooters, but back then
many of us would think nothing of riding in
the snow and rain of winter.
I’m not quite sure we had thought the
meeting out very well, other than realising it
would be best to have two rooms, as we knew
there was a good chance of others coming
along with the No1s, and we knew it would
be best to keep them entertained. So, the
main room was set up with Aggy DJing and
the No1s were to be put upstairs for their
sit-down meeting, which we had anticipated
being a tea and biscuits affair...oh dear!
Someone had the clever idea of hiring a
lady(?), to show off her dancing skills. I did
feel sorry for her, as every time she moved
an item of clothing fell off, until at the end
she was completely naked. Legend has it,
one very kind gentlemanly scooterist took it
upon himself to go backstage and help her
get dressed again as a special thank you.
I understand that he also took a financial
reward for her, a pint jug which had been
passed around and filled to the brim with
pennies, no doubt to pay for the unfortunate
lady’s new clothes.

Kev Walsh brings order…

Through fear I was bobbing up and down
between watching our ‘exotic’ dancer and
going upstairs to the meeting, which it has
to be said was pure chaos until some guy
called Kev Walsh (the legend that was) was
selected to chair the meeting, with Martin
Dixon assisting. By late afternoon a general
agreement had been made as to a suitable
number of rallies and their location, with
the idea being to spread them around the
country. This is by and large the format that
has remained ever since and is testimony
to Tom Petch’s original suggestion, Martin
Dixon’s support, with Dave Murray and his
Staffordshire Lions (more like cubs).

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 CARL & NICK
Carl Murray, hiding behind the scoots. Carl’s Lammie is the
old-school cut-down. It’s taken at Curborough Sprint Track near
Lichfield. We used to go to see Dave Webster beat the big bikes on
the twisty track on his 150 Special. The chap on the red Vespa is
Nick Lewis, who donated most of these pics.

A Charlatan…
Interestingly there is a tie-up with this
meeting and the man mentioned in
Alec’s letter, his old No1, Steve Harrison,
of the Cheshire Midnight Runners. The
Staffordshire Lions folded more or less
after that No1s’ meeting and most of the
members formed a new club called the
Drinamyl SC. One of the members of both
was Martin Blunt who would form the
well-known early 80s Mod band, Makin
Time and later the Charlatans.
Around 1982, Martin and I were sitting
outside the Barking Smack pub in Great
Yarmouth and this guy came and stood next
to us and got talking, it was Steve Harrison.
Years later when Martin had formed the
Charlatans they played an early gig in North
Staffs Uni (Poly?) and this guy came up
to Martin and offered to be their manager,
it was Steve Harrison again. After some
negotiation they duly accepted his offer
and then had their success as part of the
‘Madchester’ indie scene.
Many of those who were at the Skybolt
that Sunday afternoon from our area are
still riding today. I am now a member of the
Black Country Scooter Club and there are
four of us who were there. It’s one of those
days where everyone you speak to says
they were there, until you ask the question,
“what was the only lager you could buy
then?” – Red Stripe in cans of course!

Words: Rob Elliott

Photos: Rob Elliott, Andrew Blunt, Andrew
Fletcher and Nick Lewis

PICTURE ME GONE
Dave Murray’s scoot 1981. Chairman of
Staffordshire Lions, Bilston, a key
organiser of the No1s’ meeting. It was a
240cc Kawasaki piston engine built by
Dave Webster.

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 
 Scootering
Words & Sounds
Contained in music somehow more than just sound...
Bim Skala Bim – Sonic Tonic (Specialized)
Bim Skala Bim are almost the forgotten heroes of the American ska
scene. Back when The Toasters were emerging on the East Coast
and The Uptones on the West, and long before Operation Ivy burst
on to the musical world, BSB were playing their take on the 2-Tone
sound. A slower interpretation than other bands were using, and one
more related to the Jamaican style than that of Britain, their style
quickly got christened ‘Boston Bluebeat’ to differentiate it from
the more frenetic sound played by many of the bands about at that
time. This, their 13th album, continues the same hallmarked sound
fans have come to know and love. More reggae than punk, although
not afraid to step over that line, with slight hints of jazz and soul
at times, it’s a laid-back groove that’s seductive and yet incessant.
Driven by a distinctive trombone sound, and skanking keyboard lines
and drum lines, Dan Vitale’s understated blues-laden voice makes a
pleasant change from the shouted anger of many of the bands that
they’ve seen come and go since 1983. All original tracks, except
for a wonderful version of Bob Marley’s Easy Skanking, they cover a
wide range of issues from multiculturalism to mental health, illegal
drinking to age, all without preaching, but the final track, Last Boat
to Monkville, draws heavily on the Madness track with a similar
name which brings the album to a surprising upbeat close.
The British release is being made available by the Specialized
Project, a charitable
organisation that supports
young people with terminal
illness and mental health
issues. Go to
SpecializedProject.com to
order and support these
charities while familiarising
yourself with one of the
most important, yet
overlooked, American
ska bands.
Nik
Punk And Disorderly, The Albums (Captain Oi!)
During the peak of the second wave of punk,
the fledgling Abstract label released what
was to become the touchstone of punk
compilations. Unlike the bigger labels who
were bringing together the bigger names
of punk, they focused on the underground.
While a few bands did cross over into the
mainstream, the real hardcore of what
became known as UK82 punk wasn’t what
you might call radio friendly. Abrasive, loud,
aggressive and often politically charged,
the bands would be found releasing their
music on tiny labels, or even funding them
themselves, which has developed into
almost a defining element of the modern
punk scene. Abstract brought together the
best of these on an album called Punk America’s finest The Dead Kennedys, set
and Disorderly. a true benchmark for punk albums which
This collection, featuring Vice Squad, Red has rarely been matched. The compilation
Alert, Abrasive Wheels, Peter and The Test reached the top 50 in the pop charts, still
Tube Babies, with a guest appearance from an unimaginable feat for a DIY release, and
Lux And Ivy Dig Insane Rockabilly –
Various (Righteous)
Given that Righteous
has been putting
out compilations
based on the bizarre
record collection
of Cramps front
couple Lux Interior
and Poison Ivy for a
few years, it seems
a little odd they’ve
never touched on
the genre they’re
best known for being
fans of before now.
Finally, though,
they’ve put things
to rights with this two-disc collection of more than 50 rockabilly
recordings from its earliest days. Most of the tracks are from
artists/labels who vanished after a few releases, although future
legends are represented in the shape of Carl Perkins, and Sonny
Fisher who offers his 1956 anthem Pink and Black. As is often the
case with these albums though, it’s the lesser-known lights that
shine the brightest. Billy Brown’s Did We Have a Party, Rudy ‘Tutti’
Grazell with Let’s Get Wild and final track Back Rub by The James
Boys manages to combine rockabilly with doo-wop and manages
to come out sounding incredible. It’s not all straightforward
rockabilly though. Country and hillbilly both get represented in
places, adding some variety and a nod to the origins, although
obviously with an R&B influenced backbone, and show a part of
the path that eventually led to psychobilly. In some ways, this is
almost a companion piece to the legendary Rockabilly Psychosis
compilation from the early Eighties. Righteous needs to finish that
album’s full title with a future compilation, and that will be a true
tribute to the legend that was The Cramps.
Nik
it also spent almost eight months in the
independent charts, peaking at number
three. This was when the charts mattered as
a measure of public taste, and independent
was a description of a label, not a genre.
This led to two follow-ups, Further Charges
and The Final Solution, this time on
Anagram – both selling very well, having an
outstanding collection of acts across the
two albums: GBH, Newtown Neurotics, UK
Subs, The Adicts, Vibrators, Erazerhead,
The Enemy and One Way System to name
but a few. Record label Captain Oi! has
brought all three albums together, along with
another 15 tracks which could easily have
made a fourth album in the series in a nicely
presented fold-out case along with a booklet
offering brief notes on each single. This is
another excellent collection of punk from a
pivotal time in its history.
Nik
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 OTERIN
O

SC

G
EA

DE
D E R ’ S RI
R

Christian and his

mum, Elizabeth.

Christian knows his style.

Sharply focused
For a lot of us there was a moment or an experience in our lives which was the catalyst
that projected us into the scene. For others, being into scooters was a birthright…

hristian Wheeldon is one of those In 2000 Christian purchased his current

C lucky people who’s been brought

up around scooters and the scene
since he was born. “My amazing
dad, Trevor, had scooters in the 60s, so
I’ve always had a connection to them. As I
grew up my interest developed and in the
mid-80s I got my first scooter, a Lambretta
Li150 Series 3 from MSC for £350.” Having
been introduced to scooters through his dad
it’s no surprise that Christian’s favourite style
of scooters are 1960s classics with original
accessories. But over the years, along with
his dad, he’s owned numerous machines
Trevor with his SX150 and Christian’s scoot.
from full-bodied scooters to choppers!
Lambretta, an Li125 Special. “I bought it
through a scootering sales advert from a
fella in Whitby for £1100. It was just
what I wanted, straight, original and tidy.
Having got the scooter, over the course
of the next 18 months I customised it
into a front-heavy, summer of ’64 Mod-
style scooter with Wipac, Raydyot, Miller
and Lucas lights. Once I’d completed it
I ran it on a daily basis as my main form
of transport to get to and from work. I
also used it over the years to go to the
Untouchables Mod rallies in Brighton,
Scarborough and Birmingham.”

 | SCOOTERING | september 


Megaphone exhaust.
Win-win
In 2006 Christian bought an SX150 for his
dad, which was in need of a full restoration
and paint. “My dad had been after an
SX150 for a while, and he’d asked me some
time back if I could get him one, restore it
for him and hand it over to him ready to ride.
At that time my dad also knew that I was
looking for a Vespa GS150, so he did me a
good deal to help with the budget. In 2010 I
completed the SX and handed it over to him;
he was well pleased!”
In 2011 after a lot of searching Christian
found a Vespa GS150 at K & S scooters in
Derby. “They had a near-complete scooter
for sale, it was tatty but I didn’t care. I knew
it would make a great project.”
Christian already had a basic idea of what
direction he wanted the scooter to follow.
But the moment of clarity arrived when he
came across an original colour image of a
Mod posing with his GS150 V55 in Ilford,
London. “Having seen the photo I made
some enquiries into the origin of the scooter
and after a lot of searching I made contact
with the fella in the photo, John Foden. We
had numerous online chats and we discussed
the early London scene, clubs, records and
scooters. During one of our conversations
John explained that he bought the scooter
from Eddy Grimstead’s in 1964. I loved the
whole vibe of the scooter, so I decided to base
the restoration of my GS150 around it.”
Preparation, detail
and style…
With everything organised Christian started
work on the project. “The frame and panels
were sent off to be taken back to the bare
metal. The brightwork parts, kick-starter,
rear light, headlight and the original old-
stock accessories I had in mind for the
scooter were also sent off to be chromed.”
When the panels were returned, they were
painstakingly prepped to make them ready
for paint. “The paintwork was completed by
my mate’s late father-in-law, Tony and once
I’d got all the body panels back the rebuild
began. In the meantime, the seat frame was
blasted and coated, and a new-period seat
cover was made by one of my pals in the
classic car business.”
Overall, the project took about two years.
“After the initial build there were some
teething problems, but in 2017 I had the
engine rebuilt and it now runs perfectly,”
Christian smiled.
Shortly after the completion of the GS
project Christian started to have a rethink
about the looks, appearance and style of
his Li125 Special. “Back in 2000 during
the initial restoration I’d put my stamp on it.
But since then, I’d racked up approximately
40,000 miles in all types of weather, which
had taken its toll; basically, it was looking
tired so in 2018 I decided to use the
opportunity to make some changes.”
SCOOTER DETAILS
Scooter spec: Lambretta.
Scooter model: 1967 Lambretta Li125
Special.
Inspiration for project: Change of
direction. Previous renovation was a
front-heavy summer of ’64 look with
Raydyott, Lucas and Miller lamps.
Wanted to change it up.
Time to build & by who: Myself over
18 months, with the help of some
accessories I had collected over the
years when they were cheap!
TECH SPEC
Kit: 150 Stage-four light tune.
Crank: Standard.
Carb: 22mil Dell’Orto.
Exhaust: 48mm megaphone.
Gearbox: Standard.
Porting work by: Simply Retro.
Tyres: Continental.
Rims: Standard Innocenti (powder
coated).
Suspension: Italian 200 forks.
Cable brand: MBD nylon lined.
Seat: Standard – Guilleri.
Top speed & cruising speed: Flat out
60mph with the wind behind me!
Is the scooter reliable: Yes, it’s super
reliable. Often used as a daily rider.
Clocked up 40,000 miles in 20 years.
Paintwork by: VW Champagne and Ford
Oporto Red by Carlton Crash Repairs,
Nottingham.
Powder coating by: M & R Refinishing
Ltd, Nottingham.
Chrome by: Quality Chrome.
Thanks to: Rob Miller at Simply Retro for
the engine rebuild, Quality Chrome,
M & R Refinishing Ltd, Steve Prince
‘The man with a van!’, and Carlton Crash
Repairs, Nottingham.
Front-heavy.
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 O W N E R D E TA I L S
Name: Christian Wheeldon.
Scooter club & town: Independent rider.
First interested in scooters: In the mid-
80s through my dad, Trevor who had
Lambrettas in the 60s.
First scooter: Lambretta Li150 S3 from
MSC.
Favourite scooter model: GT200.
Favourite style of custom scooter: 1960s
scooters with original accessories.
Favourite rally: Untouchables Brighton
August bank holiday in the 2000s
when the weekend was a little more
underground. Great people, memories,
weather and choosing shoes to match
outfits!
Beautiful lines
Christian wanted to ditch the front-heavy
summer of ’64 look and go for a less is
more look with a racier style. “I removed
the front-end accessories and sourced
others from my collection, which would suit
the new style of the scooter. The accessories
are all authentic; however, the leopard skin
print ‘leggie bag’ is a reproduction item,
which was created by Andy Nixon and only
10 of them were made. I know it’s a bit
‘Rod Stewart’ and it’s probably not
everyone’s cup of tea, but nevertheless I
had to have one; and I love it! And more
importantly so does my wife, Hayley. Other
bodywork changes I made to the scooter
were to remove the front mudguard,
replaced it with a ‘skinny’ one and upgraded
the paint. The CW and HW stickers on the
 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 
Funniest experience involving scooters:
Untouchables Brighton 2009. On a ride
out to Beachy Head in a convoy with wife
riding pillion. My scooter kept cutting
out and we got left behind. I pulled over
to investigate the problem, eventually
realising the suppressor cap had become
worn so every time we hit a bump or
pothole the cap worked loose, cutting the
scooter out. I rectified the said mechanical
issue using the wife’s Mary Quant tights to
tie the cap down!
What do you like about rallies: The journey
and the breakdowns! Fag breaks, the
craic, live bands and music, inspecting
all the scooters and meeting old and new
friends.
Which breakdown company do you
recommend: Mates that know what they’re
talking about!
side panels are mine and Hayley’s initials.
But the plumbers at work all say they
really stand for cold water and hot water!”
Christian laughed.
As part of the upgrades the engine was
sent to Rob Miller at Simply Retro, and the
scooter’s handling was improved by a set of
non-standard 200 forks. “I got the forks off
my dad which ironically brings everything to
a full circle, from childhood to present date.
As well as this, the pleasure that I got from
completing the builds and seeing my visions
for both scooters come together, which were
from the ideas I’d developed over the years
and from my childhood, was a truly unique
and personal experience.”
Words: Stu Smith
Photos: Hayley and Katie Wheeldon
Grimstead influences.
SCOOTER DETAILS
Scooter Spec: Vespa GS.
Scooter model: 1961 GS150 VS5.
Inspiration for project: Around 10 years
ago I came across a rare colour image of
a GS in Ilford 1964. I loved the colours
and accessories.
Time to build & by who: Myself over a
two-year period when I had the time
and funds!
ENGINE SPEC
Kit: Standard.
Exhaust: VMS Vintage Motor-Scooters,
Derby.
Gearbox: VMS Vintage Motor-Scooters,
Derby.
Tyres: Continental.
Rims: Standard Piaggio (powder coated).
Brakes: Standard.
Describe engine performance and
scooter handling: Runs and sounds
sweet; very ‘revvie’ as with GS150s and
quite quick.
Top speed & cruising speed: Top:
60mph. Cruising: 45-50mph
Paintwork by: A mate’s (late) father-in-
law, Tony (about 5-6 years ago).
Chrome by: Quality Chrome (all
accessories and original brightwork).
Tech tip or advice for anyone starting
a project: With parts for GS150s now
becoming very rare and costly, try and
buy a complete project with no missing
parts, bodywork or lighting to work from.
Thanks to: K & S Scooters, Derby,
Quality Chrome, Tony (RIP) for the paint,
Ian Cunningham for the super panel
grille, Bill Drake for help and advice and
numerous GS parts, VMS for the engine
work and Steve Prince ‘The man with
a van!’
 Aftermarket
tuning options
L
ast month we looked at the crankshaft
options for the Vespa engine but so huge
is the choice that they couldn’t all be fitted
into just one edition. With so many options
currently available it can get confusing at the best
of times when it comes to making the right decision.
Over-engineering is perfectly fine if you buy an
expensive race crank and fit it in a standard engine,
but don’t be tempted to do it the other way around.
Buying a cheaper option that isn’t up to the job in a
high-powered engine is not a good idea. Before you
make your purchase, check the crank you are bu uying
is the correct one for the engine that you are building
or upgrading, and consider whether or not you want
to ‘future proof’ the purchase by buying more than
you need now, in order to accommodate any future
power increases and upgrades.
Malossi
With Malossi being one of the
biggest cylinder kit and aftermarket
tuning suppliers, there is no way
the company wouldn’t be involved
in crankshaft manufacture and
supply. Oddly though there isn’t a
great deal of choice, certainly for
the largeframe engines.
Most of the crankshaft
options centre around
smallframe engines
so are worthwhile
checking out if that’s
the casing you are using.
As always, its manufacturing
processes are exemplary and
offer many uunique
ue features
eatu es
giving that extra
performance
required,
certainly on a
race engine.
PART 8
Brand: Malossi racing crankshaft
Price: £370
Stroke and con rod lengths: 51/97mm
Compatibility: Vespa 100/PK80 125
S/PK125
Overview: Not cheap by any means,
but the price reflects the quality of
this smallframe crankshaft. The webs
are made from tempered high-grade
steel to give maximum strength. The
con rod is narrowed towards its end,
offering better balance and weight
saving and at the same time giving
better cooling of the small end bearing
that is particularly important in
high-revving engines. The webs also
feature tungsten inserts to correctly
balance the crank. The ideal crank for
any high-powered small block
cylinder where reliability is
a must.
Brand: Malossi
long-stroke (reed-
valve intake)
Price: £395
Stroke and con rod
lengths: 60/110mm
Compatibility: Vespa
200 rally/P200E/PX
200E
Overview: Finally, Malossi
has broken tradition by offering
a crank for the largeframe 200cc
engine. One of the challenges Malossi
has had is to get enough strength in
the webs for the crankpin without
making the webs wider due to the
narrow size of the casings. This has
been done by reducing the crankpin
diameter from 22mm down to 20mm
allowing for more material area around
it, therefore making a stronger fit.
Made from the same high-grade steel
as its other cranks ensures a strong,
robust crank for high-powered
200cc cylinder kits.
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 Polini
Polini offers a bigger choice of cranks covering
most engine case sizes and different versions
of both standard and long-stroke sizes. The
quality of the finish on the webs is truly
amazing and the work carried out to give a
perfect balance to the full race cranks is of
the highest standard. The cranks vary in cost,
but the standard version offers great value for
money considering the quality and reputation
the company delivers.

Brand: Polini racing crankshaft

Price: £170
Stroke and con rod lengths: 57/105mm
Compatibility: Vespa 125 GTR/PX 125/150/150
Sprint
Overview: The Polini race crankshaft is very
well thought out in its design and offers
several worthwhile features. It benefits from an
extended intake control angle and has better
flow through its optimised webs; this allows for
increased power across the whole rpm spread.
The well-balanced webs allow for smooth power
delivery, vital for high-revving engines. At the
price, it will be hard to find a better alternative.

Brand: Polini Evo

Price: £430
Stroke and con rod lengths: 51/97mm
Compatibility: Vespa 90-125/ET3/PK
Overview: This is the answer Polini has come up
with when it comes to having the best-balanced
crankshaft available. Tungsten and resin balance
holes carefully positioned ensure the least
vibration possible even at high rpm. The inlet
has longer control times allowing for maximum
fuel charge to give the most power possible.
Not cheap by any means but well-engineered
and certainly worth bearing in mind if you are
building a high-powered engine.

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

BGM
BGM offers a wide choice of crankshafts for
smallframe and both small- and big-block
casings for largeframe models. The prices are
extremely competitive and some of the cheapest
currently available. They are an alternative to
the original Piaggio factory crankshaft which
therefore makes them a perfect replacement.
BGM claims they are reliable up to 20bhp so
though not ideal for high-powered engines they
are perfectly good in a mild-tune set-up.

Brand: BGM Pro Touring

Price: £130
Stroke and con rod lengths: 57/110
Compatibility: Vespa 200 rally/P200E/PX 200E
Overview: The BGM Pro Touring crank is forged
and much denser, allowing for better heat
dissipation and preventing distortion. The forged
and CNC-machined con rod has a total of six
lubrication slots allowing for better lubrication to
the big end bearing. The inlet timing is greater
than on the standard Piaggio crank so gives
better performance with tuned cylinders.

Brand: BGM Pro Racing full-circle

Price: £115
Stroke and con rod lengths:51/97mm
Compatibility: PK125/ETS
Overview: The BGM Pro Racing series of
crankshafts is aimed at the smallframe engine
market. There are several versions available
depending on what stroke and con rod length
you require. The cheek diameter of the web is
enlarged compared with the touring version,
meaning more material around the crankpin
and therefore giving it less chance of twisting.
Certainly, worth checking out if upgrading the
crank in a smallframe engine.

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
Serie Pro
Serie Pro are fully flowed racing crankshafts,
they are based on the Mazzucchelli and Tameni
crankshafts and are specially modified. This is
to allow for the optimum fuel flow and is done
by allowing the inlet contour to guide the flow
through the crank flange instead of hitting it
directly and thus reducing turbulence. The
result is more fuel is allowed in which helps
create more power. The crankshaft is very
well balanced, and all these qualities give the
Serie Pro an advantage over its rivals. With all
the work and development that has gone into
producing them it comes as a surprise they are
competitively priced, a bonus when it comes to
seeking perfection in a tuned Vespa engine.
They are only available for largeframe engines
but have several options regarding stroke and
con rod length.

Brand: Serie Pro

Price: £200
Stroke and con rod lengths: 60/110mm
Compatibility: Vespa 200 rally/P200E/PX 200E
Overview: This option for the largeframe large
block casings used a 60mm stroke con rod. The
flowed crankshaft is for use with a reed-valve
induction, not disc, but used with the right kit
the results are very impressive.

Falc
Falc only manufactures cranks for the smallframe
engine but should be included because of the
amount of highly tuned kits available for them. With
many kits producing a high-power output then a strong
crank is a must and that’s exactly what Falc has created.
The company produces three versions in total, and all are
full circle for use with reed-valve induction. Such high
quality comes at a price, and they are at the top end when
it comes to cost, but if you want the best crank for your
smallframe racing engine then look no further.
Brand: Falc full circle
Price: £500
Stroke and con rod lengths: 54/105mm
Compatibility: Vespa 90-125/ET3/PK80
Overview: The perfectly balanced crank has wider webs
allowing for a stronger pin that is welded to the crank web.
To allow the crank to fit the casings it must be machined
so bear that in mind and though it is compatible with race
cylinders from other manufacturers the base height of the
kit may need to be adjusted because of the con rod length.
Jasil
Jasil is a Portuguese company that
has been around for 70 years –almost
as long as the Vespa itself – and has a
reputation for producing high-quality
motorcycle and scooter components.
It produces standard version
cranks as a direct replacement
for the factory original and covers
most models from smallframe to
largeframe. It also produces a race
version which over recent years
has gained a good reputation and
is recommended in highly tuned
engines. The prices of both types are
competitive and well worth looking at
before you make a purchase.
Brand: Jasil
Price: £145
Stroke and con rod lengths: 57/110mm
Compatibility: Vespa 200 rally/P200E/
PX 200E
Overview: The standard Jasil crank
has the exact same dimension as
the Piaggio original it is based on.
Precision made, very strong, and well
balanced – the perfect solution for a
direct replacement.

Brand: Jasil Super racing

Price: £100
Stroke and con rod lengths: 43/87mm
Compatibility: Vespa 100/PK80-125 S/ PK 125
Overview: The Jasil racing version of its standard
crankshafts is greatly improved. The crank
webs are modified to be more aerodynamic and
reduce the turbulence of the gas flow and greatly
improve it. The con rod, which is machine forged,
has its profile improved and has a silver cage
bearing fitted, allowing it to cope better at high
rpm. There are also extra lubrication slots and
openings to extend bearing life and allow the
bearings to keep cooler when revving high.

Summary
As has been seen over the last two editions there is
a huge choice when it comes to the Vespa engine.
However so great is it that choosing the right
crankshaft can be a daunting task and at times
you can be left scratching your head when trying
to make the right decision. Break the crankshafts
up into groups for the casings they fit into, then
what type of performance they offer. That way it’s
much easier to navigate the choice in front of you
and make the correct purchase. Also keep in mind
that you may have to machine or alter your casings
to accommodate certain cranks which cannot be
easily reversed once the work is carried out.

Words: Stu Owen

Photographs and special thanks: Scooter Centre
Koln, SIP and Ve-Uk

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 

BSSO Pembrey
Following on from the hugely successful BSSO Three Sisters event, the
2021 Championship visited Wales. Hosted by British Historic Racing, it
was time to return to the challenging 1.4-mile Pembrey Circuit.
lthough not perfect, the weather
A was considerably better than
previous years when the Welsh
rain has made things difficult. In
the stock classes Group 4 saw a clean sheet
of wins for Tom Shaw, who was unchallenged
aboard the SRP Group 4 machine. He
collected maximum points, with his rivals
suffering a catalogue of disasters and
mechanical issues, meaning no one else in
the class managed to finish a race!
Classic Stuart Day.
Group 4E is fast becoming the
competitive class for close racing.
Following issues preparing his own bike
John the Greek was chucked on to a
borrowed Lambretta that he hadn’t ridden
before courtesy of Danny Loder. He was
immediately on the pace and spent every
race swapping places with Stuart Day
and Justin Price in some extremely close
racing. When I say close – onboard footage
will have you wincing and wondering how
July 2021
they were actually missing each other at all
parts of the circuit as they swapped and
changed places. Despite his natural talent
John was unable to keep himself in front
as he shadowed the wily Stuart Day across
the line. He was only a fraction of a second
behind across the line for each race, but he
maintains his reputation as one of the most
spectacular riders on the grid.
The weekend ended with two wins for
Justin Price and one for Stuart Day, but you
could have thrown a sheet over the three
of them at any point and covered them!
Best wishes must go to the unfortunate
Ian Scutt who suffered a mechanical issue
which threw him from his machine, and he
was very unfortunate to then be run over!
Trouper that he is, he drove himself home
and then admitted himself to hospital to
find he had a fractured pelvis and vertebrae!
Speedy recovery.
Production class saw another strong
weekend for championship leader Graham
Tatton, but he saw his team-mate Stephen
Hamilton pip him in race one, with the ever-
improving Jeremy Steel putting in another
solid weekend of three podiums as he
battled with Steve Wright. Behind them the
midfield settled itself into the normal close
order as Bob West, Simon Palmer, Justin
Offland and Shaun Nickless all battled away
in the competitive midfield. Harry Smith on
the PK Vespa is now finding his feet in his
rookie year along with Kieran Kearney. Auto
Production unfortunately was only contested
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 by Alex Van Dyke this weekend, but he
doubtless enjoyed his time racing
the Lambrettas.
Over on the Specials Super grid the
geared specials saw Justin Price take two
wins aboard the aero special Lambretta,
leaving Steve Wright to take the win on his
traditional-looking special for the last race
in which Zack Tingle really hooked things up
with a super-strong second place.
Steve Wright’s DSC Special also powered
him to the fastest lap of the weekend with
a super-quick 1:13 lap. Taking three great
third places was John the Greek, again on
a Lambretta, but still pushing the others
despite being unfamiliar with Lambretta
riding and managing to keep Graham Tatton
behind him, which is no mean feat.
The Auto specials was a three-way affair
with Steve Hamilton taking two wins and
veteran Mark Shirley taking a well-deserved
Justin Price. win in the final race. Alex van Dyke took a
second and third place but he blotted his
Graham Tatton.
copy book with a non-finish.
The Open class had a single competitor as
Stuart Day was reunited with his old Group
6 chassis which he has overhauled and
restored after a few years at the back of the
workshop. This chassis had powered its way
to more than nine championships for Stuart
and Peejay McLaverty over the years. With

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 


Ian Scutt – Mr Pelvis.
a new development motor featuring
a 300cc Rotax set-up it was pulling
like the proverbial train and could
be an interesting set-up to develop
and certainly good to see the familiar
silhouette back on track.
BSSO track action moves to the
Blyton Circuit for the inaugural track/
test day before moving all too quickly
Zack Tingle.
Close racing as always, Stuart Day vs John the Greek.
to the final two championship rounds
at Cadwell Park and Lydden Hill in
September and October. For more
information check out www.bsso.co.ukk
and search YouTube and Facebook for
BSSO content.
Words: Paul Green
Professional photographs: Special
thanks to the talented Lee Hollick
ROOKIE RACER 2021:
RACE TWO
Race two would see Kieran take on the challenge
of Pembrey Park, completely different from what
he experienced at race one. This track, with its
long sweeping straights but tight corner section, is
almost like two different tracks merged into one.
With weather conditions favourable as the British
summer continued to hold out, all looked good.
However, that soon unravelled when, after
qualifying at the rear of the grid, he then came off in
race one. They always say the first crash you have in
racing is the hardest and no doubt it was a wake-up
call Kieran could have done without. The machine
suffered a bit of damage but thankfully didn’t take
long to repair and get it fit to race. Dusted down,
Kieran was also ready to go out once again, happy
just to get back out on track rather than lamenting
what had happened.
He found the going hard and, though competing
the rest of the weekend’s races, remained at the
back of the grid. Despite that, he enjoyed the
meeting immensely and is raring to go ready for the
next meeting. Any form of circuit racing is a steep
and hard learning curve and though this weekend
wasn’t the best, perhaps one of the biggest hurdles
in gaining experience has just been overcome. No
doubt he will recover from this setback and prove
that rookie racers are a tough breed.
Words: Stu Owen
Photo: Helen Edwards
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 | SCOOTERING | september 

Resurrected Rarity
Spontaneity, acting on impulse; something many of us experience...
right before we find ourselves owning a new scooter!

P
eter Keeble, Keebs to his mates,
experienced one of those
spontaneous moments while
enjoying himself at a small show
during June 2019, resulting in Keebs
becoming the new owner of an old imported
Vespa. “As well as scooters, another passion
of mine is VW campers. There was a small
show taking place in Thatcham, Rally On
The Common, which also had a few live
bands on. I booked a display pitch for
myself and a few VW clubmates. We got
there early, parked up, and started drinking
straight away. I’d sold my previous scooter,
a Vespa PX, a while before and had been
regretting it since. I’d a desire at the back
of my mind to get a ’67-’69 registered
scooter, to match the year I was born or the
year of my VW camper. Wandering around
the Rally On The Common rather pissed, I
saw an unregistered old Vespa with a bit of
natural patina. It started up fine and ran fine
on tickover; I was informed it was a 1967
Spanish GS. On the spur of the moment, I
bought it, paying more for it than I would’ve
preferred (especially when sober!).”
After getting his purchase home Keebs set
about researching the Spanish Vespa he’d
acquired. Although it was imported from
Spain, the badge at the top of the horncast
was oblong, in two-tone blue and reads
Piaggio, Genoa. The speedometer is a Veglia
Bressel, defining it as a Spanish-made item.
Given the absolute wealth of knowledge
available online, finding out and confirming
certain details about Vespa should have been
straightforward. Reality proved otherwise; it’s
perceived by some that the Mk2 MotoVespa
150s is the Spanish GS. The round headlight
Mk1 version was made between ’61 and ’63,
while the trapezoid headlight Mk2 version
was made between ’64 and ’65. Besides,
the frame and engine number were nowhere
near the prefix numbers for a MotoVespa
150s. Instead of a few hours researching,
Keebs ended up spending several months
digging, delving and cross-referencing
information, advice and knowledge of
MotoVespa enthusiasts. Finally, Keebs’
in-depth detective work paid off; frame
and engine number prefixes (V1 04C and
04M) confirmed his scooter was a 1967
MotoVespa GS 150 – a rare Spanish model,
based partially on a Vespa Sprint.
MotoVespa were renowned, even notorious,
for using whatever parts happened to be
to hand when manufacturing, including
badging, something that Keebs is aware of;
it was a factor when he gave the scooter a
name soon after buying it. “It seemed to be
made up of so many different parts from
different models, I named it Heinz! Not
that the opinions of purists, or anyone else,
bothers me at all, but I did think it wasn’t
going to be a scooter that would appeal to
purists, and I know it still won’t either.”

O W N E R D E TA I L S
Name: Peter Keeble.
Scooter club & town: Tilehurst Scooter Club, Reading.
First interest in scooters: School in the early 80s.
First scooter: Vespa 50 Special back in 1984.
Favourite style of custom scooter: To be honest I love patina. Also,
some of the early paint jobs. I also appreciate scooters that folks
put a lot of effort into.
First ever rally: Skegness 1983.
Favourite rally: I love the charity ones. I used to run Dubaid, a
VW charity show, so I appreciate the work and effort that goes
into these things. When people do it for a cause they tend to put
more effort in. Take Rally On The Common, a small local rally well
run, great bands, great banter and all the money given to worthy
causes. I love how people get selflessly involved.
Furthest you’ve ever ridden on a scooter: I rode through France on a
P125X in 1985, grape picking for a summer. That was a laugh.
What do you like about rallies: The music and the different scoots.
I love live music and take every opportunity to see different bands.
I love looking at how people have come up with their own take
on things. And the smell of two-stroke! Where else can you get a
weekend camping and lots of bands for about £30?
What do you dislike about rallies: Idiots, I can’t stand people who
criticise people’s personal choice on originality, colour etc. If it’s
yours you can do what you like to it as far as I’m concerned!
Your most recommended scooter part or related item: Sad to admit
but I love my backrest and rack. Saves the Mrs holding on!
Most useless part you’ve ever bought for a scooter: I had some
tassels years ago on my handlebars, they drove me crazy. Lasted
five miles before I ripped them off.
What would make the scene better: People just being nicer to one
another, forget the snobbery, the differences between Vespa or
Lambretta, old or new. Who gives a shit? Just ride and enjoy.

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 Defining exactly which Spanish model
he’d bought was part of the process Keebs
needed to go through to register his scooter
in the UK. As readers who have experienced
jumping through the series of hoops required
when dealing with DVLA, especially when
registering an import, will be aware, it’s
neither easy nor straightforward, as Keebs
would discover for himself, eventually. The
Notification of Vehicle Arrival, NOVA, form
has to be accompanied by various other
documentation when submitted, including
a valid MoT certificate. Keebs booked his
Vespa in for a test, which it duly passed,
with the certificate issued to the VIN/
frame number. On his ride back home
Keebs encountered the engine cutting out
several times. That, coupled with, albeit
later down the line, DVLA knocking back
his application to register his Vespa on a
couple of technicalities, left him feeling a
bit down. “To be honest I’d reached a point
where I was having a few regrets. Like if I
wasn’t so drunk at the show, I would never
have bought the scooter in the first place. I
would have done some research on different
models, or more likely I’d have stuck to
a trusty PX. I’ve found, over time, asking
around pays off, if you’re trying to overcome
a problem with a vehicle of any sort, asking
people helps find the solution or someone
 | SCOOTERING | september 
who can help. It’s how I defined that the
Spanish Vespa was a ’67 MotoVespa GS, a
rare scooter it seems. Asking around put me
on to Rob Skipsey, who has reprocessed the
NOVA documentation for me. I’m hoping I’ll
finally get an age-related reg’ plate through
soon. Asking around also put me on to
Doug at Target Scooters. I took my Vespa
over, he showed me a five-port barrelled
conversion on a PX engine that he’d done
on a Sportique. I liked the sound of that and
was impressed with how quick it went. I’d
been getting at best about 25mph out of
mine when it wasn’t cutting out. Scooters
are made to be used, I’ll take modernisation
over originality to achieve functionality,
besides I tend to ride it like I stole it. I’m not
into polishing, though I do appreciate the
effort some people put into their machines.
My Vespa matches my VW camper, it was
originally red when new, I like the two-colour
paint job it was given way back. Now I’ve got
it sorted the way I want, I doubt I’ll sell it.
I’m toying with the idea of replacing the trim
with a set in red, to match the twist grips.
I’ve booked my tickets for the Isle of Wight,
which will be my first proper shakedown ride
out on my Spanish GS, which I’m looking
forward to. Over my years of riding scooters,
I’ve owned bikes and VW vans, yet there’s
nothing that compares to the feel-good mood
I experience when out riding a scooter.”
Words and photos: Sarge
SCOOTER DETAILS
Name of scooter & reason: Heinz... it’s
made up of so many different scooters
and parts, definitely not one for the
purists!
Scooter model: MotoVespa GS 1967.
Date purchased and cost: June 2019...
too much money!
Inspiration for project: I was talking to
Doug, and he showed me something
similar he had done. I liked the sound
and how quick it moved so thought
why not... I was only getting about 20-
25mph when I bought it.
Hardest part of the project: Finding
someone reliable that knew what they
were on about and trusting them to do
the work.
Tech tip or advice for anyone starting a
project: Research, research, research,
talk to the girls and guys in your local
clubs. They will generally know someone
local that is honourable.
In hindsight, is there anything you would
have done differently: To be honest if
I wasn’t so drunk at the show I would
have never bought the scooter in the first
place. I would have done some research
on different models, or stuck to a trusty
PX... but I wanted a ’67 to ’69 to go with
my old VW camper. Now I have it sorted
to the way I want, I doubt I will sell it.
Thanks to:
Doug at Target.
 After passing his test
the final leg-up in capacity
was reached by way of a
Polini 133 kit, combined with
a Mazzucchelli crank, 24mm
Dell’Orto carburettor and
PM40 exhaust. The
power he craved was
finally there.

Frankenstein’s monster
himself looking like he is
jailed within the leg shields,
clever.
 First there was the bride of
Frankenstein, then the
mummy, and now… the
Vespa of Frankenstein!

F
rankenstein’s monster, the
broad-shouldered and stumbling
creature played by Boris Karloff in
those old black and white movies,
was created by Mary Shelley back in the
19th century; the character in her novel
Frankenstein has inspired filmmakers ever
since, and countless adaptions of her story.
Now that character has been brought into
the scooter world by way of this smallframe
Vespa creation. Owner, Axel Braun, wanted
to create a custom scooter that was different
and free from all the usual bright paintwork
and chrome bling, so basing his theme on the
spine-tingling story was the ideal way to do it.

Bits and pieces

In the original novel, the monster created by
scientist Victor Frankenstein is made up of
various body parts of other people and sewn
together; when it came to this scooter the
same could be said. It started life as a 1980
Vespa 50 with bits added from other models
as well as anything that could be cobbled
together to put the scooter in one piece.
Perhaps that was Axel’s thinking in making it a
true reflection of the theme he was following.
Looking at it from a distance everything
seems as it should be, but the PK forks which
have been shortened, the different seat and
little extras make this a group of parts that
come together to make one unique object.
In a way that could be said of many custom
scooters and maybe they are all based on
the same idea, but this is something
completely different.

We need more power!
To start with, Axel upgraded the small-capacity 50cc
engine by adding a 75cc kit, but it soon became
apparent this wasn’t going to be powerful enough.
That was then scrapped in favour of a 100cc kit,
which gave him better performance, but in his mind…
it could still be improved on. After passing his test the
final leg-up in capacity was reached by way of a Polini
133 kit combined with a Mazzucchelli crank, 24mm
Dell’Orto carburettor and PM40 exhaust. The power
he craved was finally there.
Lovely detail on the levers.
It doesn’t get any better
from the front, looking like
years of neglect, but in
reality it’s a fake patina.
A bit of porting work was added just to spice it
up a little but having the satisfaction of the power
when you need it and reliability to boot makes for a
contented owner. Usually, the casings of the engine
are polished or finished off to stand out but for Axel,
that would look wrong. Instead, the outside of them
was subjected to a wire wheel brush to give a used
or second-hand effect which in theory is what the
monster created by Frankenstein was.
Rotting paintwork
That brings us nicely on to the paintwork which at
first glance looks like a rusty, rotting piece of steel,
resembling more of a neglected scooter that has been
exposed to the elements over several decades. You
couldn’t be more mistaken as it’s painted on, but very
cleverly, to give an effect of ageing. Alex describes it
as more of ‘a fake patina’ and maybe that is so
but it easily fools you into believing it’s
genuine rust.
This was the hardest part of doing the
paintwork and taking several months in the process
before getting the right finish. No one can miss
the monster himself on the front legshields which
originally was planned to be just his head. For some
reason, it started to grow as Axel added more detail
and as you can see now it is his whole upper torso
locked behind bars. The finished effect looks great
and complements the rest of the machine perfectly
without looking too over the top. To add to it is the
creator’s name in the bottom corner of the left-hand
side panel just in case you weren’t sure of the theme.
 M A N & M AC H I N E
Name: Axel Braun.
Scooter club & town: Wild Hogs VC
Wuerselen /Aachen.
First scooter: In 1989, aged 15, I bought
my first scooter, long before I got the
driver’s licence for it. It was a 1978 V50
Special with a 102cc engine and Polini
right-hand exhaust.
Favourite style of custom scooter:
My favourite style of custom
scooter is the rat look. I like an
underestimated style of impeccable
working technology in combination with
a neglected look.
First ever rally: Must have been around
1989. I went to a Scooter Dive in Aachen
with a couple of guys who became friends
to this day.
Name of scooter: Frankenstein.
Scooter model: It’s a 1980 V50.
Date purchased & cost: Bought an original
V50 in 2018 for 1500€.
Inspiration for project: I just wanted to
build ‘my’ unique Vespa. No chrome,
shabby look and nice performance.
Time to build & by who: I started in
May 2018: first engine 75cc. After
the first ride of only 50km I knew that
there had to be more performance. So,
I decided to switch to a 102cc engine,
but just for another year. Then the time
has come for the next step, but first, I
had to get the driver´s licence. So, I was
able to build a 133cc engine and
drive it legally.
ENGINE SPEC
Kit: Polini 133cc.
Crank: Mazzuchelli.
Carb: Dell’Orto 24mm.
Exhaust: PM40.
Ignition: Polini.
Porting work by: D Rombach.
Suspension: YSS.
Brakes: Crimaz disc brake fully hydraulic.
Describe engine performance and scooter
handling: It always keeps a smile on my
face to ride this fast, agile, small and
ugly thing.
Is the scooter reliable: Absolutely reliable.
It’s always getting treated gentle.
Paintwork by: The ‘fake patina’ took
about six months to get a nice balanced
appearance and I started to do my first
airbrush paintjob on it. Some coloured
details on the patina. At the end I wanted
to add the classic monster motif on the
legshield. I started with the head, and it
always became more and more.
Engraving by: I was able to use the laser
equipment of my workplace to do some
engraved graphic details on the motor housing,
front wheel hub cover and the handlebar.
Tech tip or advice for anyone starting a
project: If you need technical support, then
ask for help. The scooter community is
great. If you want to create something out
of the ordinary, then get inspired and do
your own thing. It’s your decision what your
scooter should look like.
Thanks to: Two Stroke Devils SC, Wild Hogs
Wuerselen VC, Z-Design, TÜV-Fetischisten,
D Rombach, CM Zinnen, A Stammsen,
C Barth.
Man and
machine.
WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 
 The handlebar ends conceal
the discreet indicators.

Don’t be fooled –
the rust you
Held together
see in front of
with string
you is actually paint.
You might be fooled into thinking
the whole thing is falling to bits
with the ripped seat and the
mirror being held together with a
piece of string. It’s all for effect
and the reality is it’s a strong, well
put together machine. At the front, the
Crimaz hydraulic disc gives strong braking
power and is helped by the YSS front
damper with the same make fitted at the
rear. The CNC machined brake and clutch
levers are another good addition with the brake
lever engraved with Frankenstein’s name.
The indicators required by German law are
cleverly set in the ends of the handlebar grips and
look almost hidden from sight, the best place for
them. The spare wheel carrier behind the legshields
becomes less noticeable painted black with the
only other addition an old, weathered Castrol badge
for effect. The stone guard on the front headlamp
finishes it all off, resembling the bars Frankenstein’s
monster is standing behind.

Understated
When building a custom scooter, the vision is
achievable because of the bright paintwork and
extras that make it; however, when that is reversed,
and the idea is to make it look rusty and rotten
then surely that is much harder to achieve: making
something good look understated, but at the same
time everything is mechanically sound. That was the
vision Axel wanted to achieve and one that is difficult
to execute but as you can see it has been done to
perfection. If Frankenstein’s monster was around, I’m
sure he would give it his seal of approval, but I doubt
his large frame would be able to squeeze on it and he
would certainly have trouble getting a helmet to fit.

Words: Stu Owen

Photography: Claudia Zinnen

 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 

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CHROMING CLUBS

CUSTOM LAMBRETTA PARTS SCOOTER TOURS / HOLIDAYS

REGISTRATIONS

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PHOTOGRAPHY

PAINT & GRAPHICS SCOOTER TRADER

VESPAS SPARES

WANTED

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SCOOTER TRADER
LAMBRETTA JET 200
1975, (Spanish SX) TS1-225, engine
originally built by JB Tuning, 34mm
Dellorto carb, BGM adjustable shocks
f+r, £5000 Tel. 07549 037634.
LAMBRETTA GP150
1969, LCGB certified with age related
plate, TS1 230cc ‘Harry Barlow’ built
engine, new engine case fully machined
for 230cc, £6350 Tel. 07821 912769.
LAMBRETTA LI
Series 1 Framebreather with Italian
engine upgraded with a 186cc kit, fitted
with 12V Conversion kit, including trailer,
£6000 Tel. 07540 879363.
LAMBRETTA SX200
Italian model, Series 3 scooter, fully
restored, all paperwork, Authenticity
paper and Nova certificate, 12V electric
ignition, £10,700 Tel. 07908 618029.
VESPA GS
1964, no rust, £5000 Tel. 07752 649953.
Kent
VESPA PX200
original spec, one owner, off road since
2010, needs MoT, excellent condition,
£3500 Tel. 07528 800514. Email.
geoffowotzit@btinternet.com
100 | SCOOTERING | SEPTEMBER 2021
LAMBRETTA
Special 1964, painted by Kas Race
Paints, GP200 engine with LI150
pacemaker gearbox, Mugello (V4)
cylinder kit, £4500 Tel. 07702 745083.
LAMBRETTA GP200
started life in 1980 as Indian Vyjay 150,
rebuilt it with new SIL 200 engine, old 150
engine included in sale, now done 951
miles, £3250 Tel. 07846 869859. Staffs
LAMBRETTA LI125
with a RB200 engine, had a full restoration
done mostly RB Developments, parts
fitted front disc brake, new respray, t&t
exempt, £6400 Tel. 07761 144448.
LAMBRETTA TV175
1962 Series 3, with original engine &
frame numbers & original number plate,
standard 175 engine/gearbox/carb,
£7500 Tel. 07582 375058.
VESPA GTV
Special Edition, SEI Giorni 300, 2500
miles, used for commuting, bodywork
excellent, Scorpion exhaust, matching top
box & helmet, £3995 Tel. 07855 548556.
VESPA PX200
in original midnight blue, currently Sorn,
V5 in my name, MoT till 06/22, £2750 Tel.
07379 409951.
LAMBRETTA
GP DL Italian, kitted 225, immaculate,
garaged since bought, Lambretta Club
Great Britain certification & original Italian
certification, £6000 Tel. 07443 431660.
LAMBRETTA J50
1968, fitted with a 80cc Cassa kit, really
nice example, £2195 Tel. 07976 285445.
Email. richard.moore66@ntlworld.com
LAMBRETTA LI150
1962, with a standard SX200 engine,
restored 3 years ago, professional paint
job, rebuilt engine, 12 volt electronic
ignition, £5000 Tel. 07582 375058.
LML STAR DELUX 125
recent refurb, new clutch and throttle
cables, new battery, MoT, electric start,
full service history, front mudguard needs
attention, £950 Tel. 07712 049759.
VESPA GTV400
2013, 10,500 miles, Della Moda Model
GTV fitted with Malossi kit Akrapovic
exhaust, 12 volt external socket, new
battery, £2300 Tel. 01142 303931. Yorks
VESPA SPRINT
1966, 5400 miles, restored 2013, reg 125,
with P200, recently serviced, t&t exempt,
£3100 Tel. 07761 350019. Manchester
LAMBRETTA GP125
all moded up mirrors, indicators, good
runner, £2950 Tel. 07500 774663.
LAMBRETTA LI
Special 150 1964, all paperwork, two sets
of keys, everything running and working
well, £5000 Tel. 07854 131817.
LAMBRETTA LI150
1960s S3, with non transferable reg
242VXH, V5, engine Mugello 225 built
& tuned by John Balcombe has 12 volt
system, £4500 Tel. 07849 989681.
VESPA 125
Primavera, 70th Anniversary Special
Edition, includes unused 70th Anniversary
scooter helmet and unused brown leather
bag, MoT, £3600 Tel. 07961 785106.
VESPA PX125
excellent condition, low mileage, 12
months MoT, garaged, owned since new,
chrome side panels, £3000 Tel. 07768
140099.
VESPA SS180/200
1967, 200cc, 1192 miles, Italian import,
purchased in 2003 from Armando’s
scooter shop in Sheffield, £7450 Tel.
01623 402038; 07980 911358.
 www.scootertrader.com
VESPA not concours but is in great VESPA PX125E no MoT, starts WANTED LAMBRETTA SX200 any
Automatics condition, registered as a 125 but with sometimes, selling due to nowhere condition considered, if you have one
HONDA FORZA 2019, 69 reg, 300, a strong E200E engine and painted safe to keep it, £1900. Tel. 07756 you would like to sell (it will be going to
warranty to Sept 2021, 4559 miles, cherry bomb red this scooter is quick 005240. a good home!) Tel. Alex 07341 839332.
automatic, one owner, Honda FSH, and turns heads, £3500. Tel. 07533 VESPA PX200 custom Street Racer, Email. abw289k@yahoo.co.uk
excellent condition, £3895. Tel. 07799 795143. frame stripped and built by Scootlife, Miscellaneous
814339. Stoke on Trent.
sprayed in candy green by KB Paint
Vespa Parts HAYNES WORKSHOP MANUAL
Lambretta Shop, Hull, airbrushed by Dave
for Piaggio/Vespa, unmarked,
SEAT: very rare Giuliari King and Dickinson. Fully stone guarded,
LAMBRETTA 200cc Spanish import white pages, £7.50 can post. Email.
Queen seat with light and fittings for Headset dropped by 35 degrees,
first reg 1984, full UK docs V5 in my delhel2003@yahoo.com
Vespa, small tear on side of the seat T5 mudguard, engine built by PM
name, some history, SX200 AO158 PIAGGIO FLYWHEEL MAGNETS
frame number, indicators tool box, as shown in the pictures but still very tuning ported casings, Malossi barrel brand new and unused, fits various
USB port and charger, rear wheel useable, open to sensible offers Tel. & cylinder head, head reworked, Gas years and models, genuine Piaggio
carrier, overtaking mirror and also 07521 570730. flow race crank, T5 4th gear, up graded part, Piaggio part number 830293,
has phone charger, great starter and VESPA 125 2017, front carrier, bearings through out, Dellorto 28mm can post if required £80. Tel. 07710
runner, MoT July 2022 Tel. 07960 backrest and carrier, also side panel carb up jetted, lightened fly wheel, 433910.
390334. protector bars with footrests and front SCOOTERING MAGAZINES 3 years
Malossi whoop front disc & pads, Sip
LAMBRETTA 125 SPECIAL excellent mudguard, crash bar all chrome, any of magazines in binders, free collection
race front brake caliper, scooter is
condition, rides like new, very clean reasonable offers Tel. 07904 693313. only Tel. Paul 07591 290106. London.
reg’d as a 125, has MoT, £5800. Tel.
and tidy a couple of extras fitted, South Yorks. THREE JACKETS two Armadillo, one
comes with presentation box £1650. 07980 190969.
Oxford Churchill, all medium, good
Tel. 07485 424491. Vespa VESPA PX200E year 1985, blue/ condition, box helmet open face,
LAMBRETTA LI125 yellow and white, VESPA GTS300 Piaggio, just had a ivory, MoT when sold, mileage 17,463, medium target, mod style Tel. 07799
Series 1, 1959, has a 190 kit on it built full service and MoT, stored, when not accessories fitted, £4500. Tel. 07947 814339. Stoke-on-Trent.
by chalky at replay scooter, £6500. Tel. used in locked garage, as from new, 979381. Bristol. Email. douglewis779@
07736 339860. classic details such as additional front gmail.com
Lambretta Parts wind-fly shield, vented engine, LED Wanted
sidelights, ABS–Anti-Slip regulation
LAMBRETTA SEAT with fittings, EXPANSION CHAMBER exhaust pipe
(ASR), lockable storage cubbies,
bought around 10 years ago but never wanted for a tuned Peugeot Speed
chrome on the tailgate, circular mirrors

SCOOTER
used, still in the packaging in as new fight, 100cc Tel. Mike 07748 543611.
condition, open to offers on price Tel. and passenger foot-pegs, under-seat
storage accessed via a button on the Cheshire.
07521 570730. LAMBRETTA LI125 1964 red and
Vespa
leg shield, lockable front glove box that
features a USB port so you can charge black floor mat (rubber) for Lambretta
LI125, Series 3 Tel. 07714 651527.
INSURANCE
VESPA 70th Anniversary Edition, with
helmet and leather bag, barely used,
your phone on the move, centre-stand,
side-stand, fuel injection, twist-and-go Dorset. 0800 781 9287
superficial scratches on the paint work response, front suspension, 12-inch LAMBRETTA LUI Cometa, Vega Carole Nash Insurance Consultants Ltd is
wanted, project considered Tel. Mike authorised and regulated by the Financial
and helmet, rust also present, £500. wheels, £2900. Email. Dandhterrett@ Conduct Authority.
Tel. 07427 634205. msn.com 01793 337571. Swindon.

Scootering Reader Adverts Complete the form below and return it to:
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For Publishing
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Name: .............................................................................................................. ..................................................................................... Choose a section

❏ Automatics ❏ Vespas for sale
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WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 101
 er t ise c a ll E m m a
To adv
on 0 15 0 7 5 2 9 4 10
 GIRLS JUST WANNA ISSUE 148 SURVIVING THEE
HAVE FUN RAVAGES OF TIM
ME
SCREAMING MEMORIES ALAN’S RESTORED GT2200
FROM THE 80s

60
Y

JULIAN’S
EARS
IN TH
SADDLE
E

SUPER
SPORT
The Peter Burley Story

THE
TO
ROAD RY
E
RECOVs S1
Rich’ the
rises tonge
challe

BACK WHEN THE NATIONAL MALLE MILE

WE HAD HAIR ROAD RALLY MAYHEM
A nostalgic look at the Don’t knock it if you Jon Betts competes in
past as seen through haven’t tried it – step up the latest round at a
readers’ eyes tto the challenge new venue
 130

Issue 148
September 2021
Founding Editor:
Mau Spencer
01507 529408
mauspencer@classicscooterist.com

Publishing Director:
Dan Savage

Publisher:
Tim Hartley

Contributors:
Rich Addison; Jon Betts; Dave Dry; Dave
Jefferson; Alan Smith; Chris Wainwright.
Apologies to anyone we’ve forgotten
Some articles express contributors’ opinions
and are not necessarily those
of Classic Scooterist

Design:
Fran Lovely

Group Advertising Manager:

Sue Keily
Divisional Advertising Manager:
Tom Lee
tlee@mortons.co.uk
Advertising:
Emma Thurman
It’s all action in the latest round of the Malle Mile which was ethurman@mortons.co.uk
held at Grimsthorpe Castle. Read more about it on page 130.
Sales and Distribution Manager:
Carl Smith

Contents in brief
Marketing Manager:
Charlotte Park

Commercial Director:
Nigel Hole
106 Back when we 110 Julian’s Super Sport 124 Sixty years in the Editorial address:
had hair A beautiful example of an saddle Classic Scooterist
Nostalgic memories from iconic Vespa model Peter Burley – a man PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ
times that have long who is never afraid to roll General queries and back issues:
since gone by 114 Girls just wanna his sleeves up and get 01507 529529 (24hr answerphone)
Archivist: Jane Skayman 01507 529423
have fun stuck in jskayman@mortons.co.uk
107 Through the Screaming memories,
Next issue (CS149) on sale:
Grapevine mainly from 1987 128 The National Road September 23, 2021
Trivia and titbits you may Rally Following issue (CS150)
have missed 118 Surviving the A rookie experience of a editorial copy deadline:
September 8, 2021
ravages of time formidable event – the
108 What’s New Alan Smith’s Lambretta best excuse ever for CLASSIC SCOOTERIST is published within
Scootering magazine by Mortons Media Group
A brief look at BGM’s GT200 a rideout Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire
updated Pro 177cc Vespa LN9 6LZ UK.
cylinder kit 122 Series 1 restoration 130 The Malle Mile Distribution:
project The alternative politically Marketforce (UK) Ltd
109 Mailbox Rich Addison’s field incorrect scooter sport 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP
0330 390 6555
Readers share their views find Lambretta nears event tries out a
and opinions completion new venue Customer services number:
01507 529529
Telephone lines are open:
Monday-Friday 8.30am-5pm

Time to let your hair down – but be sensible and stay safe Printed by:
William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton

© Mortons Media Group. All rights reserved.

B
ecause of the way magazine deadlines work,
it’s always a little strange having to reference
something that hasn’t yet happened at the
time of writing, but will likely have taken place by
the time you read this editorial piece. This year’s
IoW scooter rally is a case in point and it happens
to be significant in many ways – not least because
of the uncertainty of Covid, but also because it will
be the first time this excellently
run annual BSRA event will be
taking place at a new venue 128
(Sandown Airport).
Because of that time
difference between writing and
publishing, it’s difficult for me to
make any focused comments,
so just to say I hope that you will
No part of this publication may be reproduced
have a good weekend (or have already had if you’re without prior written permission.
reading this after the event has taken place). But In the event of a dispute developing between
let’s just remember that because of the way this year two or more individual clubs, businesses or
organisations – and in the absence of any
has panned out, this event will be the first 2021 legal ruling to the contrary – Mortons Media
national rally and as such everyone will be wanting will strive to maintain a neutral position in not
to let their hair down. Just remember that Covid disadvantaging any party involved.
hasn’t completely gone away, so try and be sensible,
not sorry.
On a separate note, you’re
llikely to have spotted Dan Clare’s
ccomments in last month’s
Scootering section of this joint
S Having trouble finding a
copy of this magazine?
publication, stating that he’s moving
p
on to pastures new;
o
we wish him all
w
tthe best in his
new venture.
n Why not Just Ask your local
newsagent to reserve you a copy
each month?

MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM 105
 ck
Ba hair we
when

DO YOU
HAVE A
had s LN 9 6LZ
PO Box 99, Horncastle, Linc
NOSTALGIC ✎ Classic Sc oo te ris t,
m
cer@ classicscooterist.co
STORY TO TELL, ✉ m au sp en
☎ 01507 529408
OR AN OLD
PICTURE TO
SHARE?

Back to the Seventies

Those were the good times with my mates Tim Upsall
and Chris/Steve Pick.
Of course, I had hair back in those days.
Tony Harker

Golden memories
Remembering the good old days at Clacton during
1966, riding my Vespa 150 and repairing my Parka
– and even better, England won the World Cup
that year!
I purchased this scooter from Lydamores Motors
in Tottenham for the princely sum of £99 and 10
shillings; this worked out at 10 shillings a week
on HP.
I later purchased a Vespa SS180 in white
with copper bubbles – no pictures of that one
unfortunately.
Martin Ditchman

Meet the Blytons

My Lambretta SX150 pictured outside home in
Hucknall, Notts, in 1970 with my younger siblings

SHARE YOUR NOSTALGIC

PICTURES WITH OUR READERS
Me today – still on a Lambretta. I live in Tasmania If you have any pictures from the past,
now. why not share them with our readers. Call
Jan Blyton Mau on 01507 529408, or email him at
mauspencer@classicscooterist.com

106 WWW.CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM
 GRAPEVINE
THROUGH THE

GS OF IN TE RE ST YOU MIGHT HAVE MISS ED ELSEWHERE

THIN
Hor ncastle , Lincs
07 529408
LN9 6LZ u ma usp encer@classicscooterist.com  015
 Classic Scooterist, PO Box 99,

Brussels’ Autoworld Museum

marks Vespa’s 75th anniversary
The Autoworld Museum in Brussels, home
to one of the world’s largest and most
prestigious collections on motoring history,
recently celebrated Vespa’s 75th anniversary
with visitors having the opportunity to admire
75 models of this iconic and much-loved
two-wheeler.
The exhibition was created to pay homage
to the Vespa scooter marque, a symbol of
Italian elegance.
The exhibition showcased many rare models
manufactured during certain periods in other
European countries, including the MISA factory
in Jette, Belgium, and in France, Germany,
Britain and Spain. Vespa sidecar combinations
and several Ape three-wheelers also featured.

Goldhawk SC,
Bristol
Do you know of – or were you a
member of – Goldhawk SC back in the
day? If so, please get in touch and tell
us more about yourself and the club.
The image attached to this editorial
surfaced on the
internet recently,
leading to one
of our readers
asking us if we

Nostalgic memories of St Helens SC

knew about
the background
Were you a member of St Helens SC back in a future issue, but could do with a few more of Goldhawk
the day? And more importantly, do you have period club-related pictures. SC – but,
any club-related pictures? If you can help, please email mauspencer@ unfortunately,
We have a feature on the club lined up for classicscooterist.com we don’t. So maybe
someone out there can fill in the
blanks for us.

Cheam-based club celebrates Contact Mau (mauspencer@

classicscooterist.com) if you can help.
its 65th birthday!
hday!
Cheam Lambretta Club has just
celebrated its 65th birthday – DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION?
congratulations guys. Can Classic Scooterist help you find the
Originally formed in 1956 just answer? It doesn’t necessarily have
for the Lambretta marque, the to be a technical question and can be
club now embraces riders of about any scooter-related subject. If we
Vespa scooters and is affiliated don’t know the answer ourselves, then
to the VCB (Cog No 203). we’ll throw your question over to our
To celebrate the occasion, club member Bryan Connor organised a special readers to see if they can help.
commemorative banner, as seen here. Email scooterguru@scooteristscene.com

MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM 107
POWER & RELIABILITY
XXX
BGM Pro 177cc
Vespa cylinder kit
This issue we feature the proven BGM Pro 177cc cylinder
for Vespa PX125/150 models, which is now suitable for
the Vespa PX125/150 with electric starter.
T
he BGM 177 cylinder is very powerful,
durable and the complete everyday
conversion cylinder. It covers a very
wide range of applications.
By simply swapping the cylinder, you can
more than double the power of the 125cc
stock engine and surf the big torque wave
with ease. Likewise, the exact same cylinder
can turn the engine into a beast with more
than 20hp if it finds the right environment,
such as upgrades to the carburettor, exhaust
and crankshaft. As such, the cylinder kit
offers beginners a perfect basis to be able
to expand upon as and when required if they
want more power.
The BGM Pro 177 kit replaces the original
cylinder, head and piston and the conversion
is simple and easy to revise if necessary. With
its large displacement of 177cc, the BGM
Pro 177 offers a confident and relaxed riding
experience. The engine rides as powerful as a
200cc machine, but with the same reliability
and durability. It achieves this by operating in
the same rev range as a standard engine.
108 WWW.CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM
Low fuel consumption and the associated
high range are another bonus of the BGM Pro
177 cylinder and the cylinder is designed to
be fully compatible with all stock components.
The only adjustment required to be made is a
change in carburettor jetting and a spark plug
with adjusted heat value.
FEATURES
The BGM Pro 177 cylinder is a hard ceramic
coated aluminium cylinder with 63mm bore.
The coating (nickel silicon carbide) provides
an extremely hard and durable surface.
The piston has a high silicon content which
means it has less thermal expansion, is
more wear resistant and thermally very
stable. Two 1mm thick piston rings minimise
friction, increasing performance and
speed stability.
The cylinder head is CNC machined from
a solid aluminium block. The combustion
chamber is countersunk 4mm deep into the
cylinder for perfect centring and the seal is
always guaranteed.
FURTHER TUNING
The cylinder kit is designed as a plug 'n’ play
solution with great reliability; however, there’s
still a lot of potential for further tuning.
With a 24mm carburettor from a 200cc
model and a BGM Big Box Touring exhaust,
the power is already around 15hp and the
torque around 17-19Nm at the rear wheel.
The BGM Pro 177 responds very positively to
all performance-enhancing measures.
CONCLUSION
Universal plug 'n’ play cylinder kit with early
onset of power, wide rpm range, reliability like
an original cylinder, low fuel consumption and
therefore an unbeatable price/performance.
Big Chris
 ☎ 01507 529408
ssicscooterist.com
9 6LZ ✉ mauspencer@cla
t, PO Bo x 9 9 , Horncastle, Lincs LN
✎ Classic Scooteris

P
Poor place
l tto
rest a Vespa
Hi Mau,
Please see attached photo of a poor old Vespa
slowly being overtaken by a garden. I took this
photo recently in a little village called Argalsti
in Pelion, Greece.
Peter Johnson
Covid escapee

[It’s always a shame to see scooters ending

up like this – maybe someone will come along
and rescue this one.]

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION?

Can Classic Scooterist help you find the
answer? It doesn’t necessarily have
to be a technical question and can be
about any scooter-related subject. If we
don’t know the answer ourselves, then
we’ll throw your question over to our
readers to see if they can help.
Email scooterguru@scooteristscene.
com with your questions, but don’t
expect an instant answer – sometimes
these things take time.

The last of the Mod-hicans

Some time ago I was asked to be on one of
the Inside Out programmes for BBC South
East. Their plan was to go back to the
60s Mods and Rockers and they wanted
three people (a Mod, a Rocker and a police
officer) who were in Brighton around 1964.
The plan was to get us all together on the
beach – this ended up as being Dave B
(Rocker), Dave Rowland (police) and myself.
The BBC wanted Dave B and me to
ride down to Brighton in the early hours,
so it would be a very cold start to the
day. I thought ‘sod that’ so I caught the
train down to the coast and had a coffee
and a kip on the way (got to be done at
my age). Dave, however, rode his Harley
down and was frozen when he arrived
(understandable). Dave Rowland (the
officer) only lives up the road from Brighton,
so getting there wasn’t a problem for
him. I wasn’t in the BBC’s good books
for not bringing my scooter – but I have
friends in the Jump The Gun Mod shop who
provided me with a vintage scooter for the
programme – which was great.
The three of us started the
programme on the beach talking
about how we first met up all
those years ago. In the beach
scenario I was hitting Dave B over
the head with a deckchair while
PC Rowland felt our collars; we
were taken to the old Brighton
Police Station and locked up in Cell 1.
Back in the day, Dave B had scratched his
name and the date he was arrested on the
cell wall – which is still there to this day (as
can be seen in the programme).
The three of us became firm friends (both
Dave B and I are in our 70s and Dave R is in
his 80s) and the programme brought back
some great memories between us, sitting on
the deckchairs that had survived from the
1960s – including how we were put back
on the wrong train home and ended up in
Eastbourne – which is full of OAPs. The look
on Dave R’s face was a picture and he kept
saying they were great times and I agree;
there’s been nothing like that in modern
times – it was all history in the making.
Inside Out Series 15, episode 1 is still
available on the BBC website I believe – it’s
a great insight to my era and one that is
never to be repeated in my lifetime. No one
got badly hurt in those memorable years,
although there were a few battle scars to
boast about. The police loved us really, as it
kept them fit – just ask Dave R.
Since moving to the IoW, I’ve lost touch
with Dave B who lives in London (a shame).
But life goes on, albeit a Covid life.
Jurassic Steve
The last of the Mod-hicans

MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM 109
JJ & HIS SS

Super
Julian’s

Sport
To find a Vespa Super Sport these days is becoming
increasingly difficult; not impossible, but you need
ever-deepening pockets to be able to join the elite
club of ownership. One of the people who is lucky
enough to have joined this club with this beautiful
example is Julian Jones.
Even the dogs from Dunston
Hall got
in on the action by striking
a pose.
JJ & HIS SS
T
he Vespa Super Sport (or SS180, as it’s
more commonly referred to) is a very
desirable machine that was the natural
evolution of the Vespa marque from the
beautiful GS160 which had previously held
the position of the most covetable Vespa and
flagship model of the brand.
The SS180 still retained the piston-ported
motor similar to its predecessor, but with an
increase of 20cc above the 160cc GS version.
It was produced from 1964 to 1968 with
just shy of 36,000 machines rolling off the
Pontedera production line.
THE OWNER
Julian Jones is from a village in Derbyshire
between Sheffield and Chesterfield; he’s now
52 years old and like many (or most of us)
was the perfect and impressionable age to be
caught up in the Mod Revival years. He first
learned how to ride a scooter at the age of
11 on the Brockwell School playing fields – a
local hang-out for teenagers and where older
Mods would take their Vespa 50s and 125s.
If you were one of the lucky ones, they would
let you have a go on one of their scooters, on
your own, on the field. This meant that by the
time Julian was old enough to have his own
scooter, he was fairly competent in riding it
with regards to the clutch, gears, throttle
and brakes.
As time moved on and the Mod side of
things seemed to dwindle somewhat (for him
anyway) Julian got more and more into the
Northern Soul scene. He became a regular
feature at many an event with his displays
of acrobatically executed dance moves as
he threw himself around the talcum covered
wooden floors of the venues.
Now in the Noughties and as time marched
112 WWW.CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM
“A fair while back now Julian got an itch
to own a Vespa SS180 and after talking to
someone at the Dreamsville Mod Weekender
in Lowestoft, he was pointed in the direction
of someone who possibly had a spare one
knocking about (as you do).”
Julian back in the
day, with hair.
on again, Julian once more felt the magnetic
pull of this Mod thing and got back into the
scene in a big way, from then on being a
regular feature at Mod events both nationally
and abroad.
THE SUPER SCOOTER
Julian is one of those people who has no
emotional connection to any of his machines;
now, I know we are all different (which is only
a good thing), but this is something that I
have encountered many times while compiling
articles and talking with the owners. For me,
it’s something I just can’t get my head round;
to own something so beautiful (especially if
you’ve had a major input into the search, build
or design of such an item) and not want to
keep that thing, especially a beautiful scooter,
really is beyond my comprehension; or is it
just me? I couldn’t even bear to part with my
trusty old wheelbarrow, which I’ve had since
Julian in more recent times.
new, maintained and customised. But anyway,
that’s the way he is; forever buying nice
machines only for him to have then sold it and
got something else the next time you speak
with him. I think that the chase may be the
drug that satisfies his cravings.
A fair while back now Julian got an itch
to own a Vespa SS180 and after talking to
someone at the Dreamsville Mod Weekender
in Lowestoft, he was pointed in the direction
of someone who possibly had a spare one
knocking about (as you do).
The story goes that this particular
machine somehow made its way to the UK
and Portsmouth (via the Isle of Wight to be
precise) in the 2000s; it was then looked after
by a collector who specialised in Vespa GS and
SS models. As time went on, he started to sell
off nice items from his collection (this actual
example is supposedly the last one he owned,
as his interests turned to other things).
Julian’s dad, posing with his foot up on the scooter.
Right: Julian, recreating his dad’s 1960s pose.
Julian was lucky enough to get in there and
bag himself a very nice scooter, in the process
managing to satisfy his craving and scratch
the itch that had bugged him for a while. As
the scooter had previously been part of a
collection, it had never been registered in the
UK; so as of the latter end of 2020, Julian is
the first registered UK keeper and custodian
of this increasingly rare beast of a machine.
That is until something else catches
Julian’s eye; he ruthlessly just looks upon
it as a commodity and sells it on to fund
another purchase that his fickle personality
desires (and to think, I can’t even look at
another wheelbarrow in B&Q without
feeling guilty)!
THE GENES
Julian was brought up by his mum, who he
now cares for, as she sadly suffered a serious
brain injury a few years ago. He never knew
his dad, as he said his parents had split up
before he was born. About six years ago, he
found out he had a sister and from there,
managed to piece together a bit about his
own family history.
Upon finding out that Julian was into the
Mod scene, an uncle told him that his dad
was also a Mod, one of the originals from
London. Like Julian, his dad was also a bit
of a mover on the dancefloor and was one
of the dancers used on the now legendary
Ready Steady Go TV show. His father was
also a male model (which goes some way
in explaining the reason why Julian wasn’t
camera shy whatsoever in posing and
strutting his stuff in front of the camera lens
like a peacock – yeah work it baby!
This new-found uncle also told Julian that restoration – meaning that it wasn’t open to
there had been a picture published in the Mail the general public; many thanks must go out
on Sunday ‘You’ magazine way back in March to Ian Patterson, the site manager, for his
1987. It showed his dad and mates acting friendly and helpful attitude to our requests.
and posing for a picture in 1963, just as there
was a burgeoning public awareness of this CREDITS AND
new phenomenon known as Mod. Little did ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
they know back then that it would forever be Thanks to Julian for organising the day and
planted within the British psyche. showing me his beautiful Vespa 180 Super
Sport (that is, while he still owns it).
THE LOCATION Also, thanks go out to Pete Whelbourn at
The location for the pictures seen here was Mod Clothing for the clothes and to the staff
the beautiful Dunston Hall near Chesterfield, of Dunston Hall for their help on the day.
which is at present going through an extensive Big Chris
MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM 113
SCREAMING MEMORIES! (PART FIVE)
The Rockin Roosters – by 1987, a fully
established all-girls scooter club.
Girls just wanna have fun!
In this part of our ongoing article, we feature the pictures and memories of
Emily Wright (née Feeney) and Rachel Cropley.
E
mily’s story for this issue mainly
consists of pictorial memories from
the scooter rallies of 1987 as shown
here. Some events and scooter clubs may
have already been referred to in previous
parts of this ongoing nostalgic series of
articles, but most of the images displayed
here are previously unpublished in
Classic Scooterist.
For Emily, 1987 was the last year that she
owned a Vespa smallframe, as she was soon
to buy a PX. By this year, her beige Vespa
Primavera had been sprayed blue. The all-
female Rockin Roosters club was now well
Gold Diggers Show, 1987
114 WWW.CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM
Emily’s Primavera in
its new blue livery.
established and Combat 69 had their own
T-shirts, badges, etc.
The Gold Diggers events of the 80s were
run by Dave Jefferson and in 1987 the
venue cost £250 to hire with Col Kilgorres
performing in the evening. The following year,
1988, the cost to hire the venue doubled
to £500 and Edwin Starr performed. But in
1989, the event had moved to Bristol as the
venue wanted £1000 – way too much.
But the shows did pay for a back-up van Steve Hunter, Barry
and trips out as a club, going to places like Hayward and Jason
the Lambretta Museum and local Lambretta Brendish.
club events.
 Weston-super-Mare, 1987
Rik (RIP) with
Steve Hunter.

Chris and Janine Walsh.

Chaz Ryles
and ??
Steve Hunter on his Dave Jefferson and
PX with Jason Chaz Ryles.
Brendish on
pillion.

Tracey and
Kev Payne.

Barry Hayward on Chris Davis with Steve Hunter

the ‘Nam Bucket’. and Steve Wall behind.

’Ello, ’Ello, ’Ello: Steve Hunter,

Jason Brendish and Barry Hayward.
Kirsty Smith with
Angie Brown
in the Rockin
Rooster T-shirts
– ‘Stick em up!’

Steve Hunter and

Jason Brendish.

Keith Voisey
(far right).

Barry Hayward.

WTF was Dave Jefferson wearing?

No wonder Sarah Pavord and Keith
Voisey are laughing behind him.

MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM 115
SCREAMING MEMORIES! (PART FIVE)
Scooters lined up for judging at the
1985 Great Yarmouth Scooter Rally.
Rachel, with Rankin Roger.
Rachel Cropley
Even predating her teenage years, Rachel developed a
passion for music and scooter rallies which would go on
to become a lifelong interest.
“My rally career started shortly after meeting
two lads – Longy and Ellwood – at high school
shortly after moving into the same village.
I’d already fallen in love with the Mod scene,
having been collecting Who LPs since the age
of 12 – and now I’d found some allies.
“Aged 14, my very first run was a bus ride
up the road in 1985 with Elly (Paul Ellwood),
but the Great Yarmouth Scooter Run was
always one of the best – what a day we had;
I’d never experienced anything like it in my life,
but I knew I belonged.
“Eight years on and I’d attended around 70
runs in total, as well as various Ska festivals
and other gigs; we’d often travel to see
Skinhead band The Business or travel down
to Carnaby Street to pick up some new Ben
Sherman shirts and Harrington jackets.
“Another memorable rally was Scarborough
in October 1986 – they boarded up all the
pubs after the Friday night, so the police put
on an event for us in an underground car park
with music/disco, etc. – absolutely crazy;
can't see that ever happening again in this
day and age!
“Newquay during October 1987 was
memorable because of ‘the hurricane’; I must
have slept well that night as I hadn’t noticed
that a hurricane had swept through Beccles.
Being young and carefree, we decided at the
time that it would take more than this to stop
us going on a rally! Off we set to find that we
116 WWW.CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM
Smithy, Yallop, Longy and Ellwood at the
1985 Great Yarmouth Scooter Rally.
would have to go across fields as the roads
were blocked with fallen trees. We reached
the A12 eventually and only just made it to
the nearest open petrol station. On the other
side of Ipswich, as the power lines were down
and there was no electricity, it took us hours
to get anywhere; it was wet and windy with
various problems en route, so we decided to
find a Travelodge for the night and forfeit our
Saturday in Newquay. Next morning, we set
off again, eventually reaching our Newquay
B&B at teatime. Just enough time for a quick
wash before we ventured out to the pub for
an evening of well-deserved bevvies and
some Ska music. We paid a quick visit to
the campsite on Sunday morning to pick up
our Paddy Smith patches before embarking
on the long ride home (again having to book
a Travelodge halfway). We soon ran out of
money and the last leg of the journey involved
being so hungry we ate sauce from sachets
we had stashed and had to make a phone call
to bring us fuel around 30 miles from home.
That was one memorable weekend! Two
days to get there, two days to get back, for a
couple of hours in the pub!
“I also remember the Basil Fawlty-like B&B
owner in Margate. Although he was as mad
as a hatter, he was very welcoming and what
he said was very true: ‘You might be the kids
of today, but you’re the holidaymakers of
tomorrow.’ I’ve enjoyed going back to many
Boarding the IoW ferry
in 1986.
Rachel as she is now.
of the old haunts and appreciate the love of
travel (and camping trips) that scooter rallies
have given me.
“The 1986 Isle of Wight Rally/Music
Festival – well what can I say! Anyone who was
there will know why they decided against that
type of rally/festival again! Always a favourite
rally of mine though; the excitement of getting
on the ferry, visiting The Needles, going on
the chair lift, shitting ourselves because the
Hell’s Angels were also on the island and the
relief when they raised a hand when we drove
by, Blackgang Chine Theme Park. Such great
memories of a beautiful island.
“I remember the 1986 Doncaster
International SC and watching Psychobilly
band Frenzy; a very good friend of mine
helped escort Desmond Dekker off the stage
in Tiffany’s nightclub after Desmond had
come under attack by NF Skins. We (and the
majority of scooterists that we knew) were
proud to be members of SHARP (Skinheads
Against Racial Prejudice) and totally disgusted
by the actions of the few.”
Great Yarmouth Scooter Rally. Great Yarmouth.

Frenzy on stage at DISC ’86.

With Saxa from The Beat.

te r.
zlee’ – myy fave ever scoo
Daazzzl
‘D

Pictured in 1989 with

Buster Bloodvessel.

All o the images and in ormation shown in s fea ure are s are o you y n
permission of Screaming Scooters and the individual members of the scooter clubs
mentioned either on their website or within this article.
Many more images can be viewed at www.screamingscooters.co.uk which is packed full of nostalgic memories and information.

MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM 117
SURVIVING THE RAVAGES OF TIME

Unrestored GT200 It has become harder in recent

years to find a scooter that has
survived the ravages of time
relatively unscathed; but this
Lambretta GT200
appears to have done that.

F
rom the moment you walk through the
doors and into Alan and Jane Smith’s
house, it’s obvious that this couple
are avid Lambretta enthusiasts; the signs
are everywhere, from the memorabilia
displayed on the walls to the scooters that
adorn various rooms in their house – you
can’t escape it!
We’ve featured some of Alan’s
scooters before in Classic Scooterist,
but it’s his latest acquisition that
has grabbed our attention this time
around – a Lambretta TV200 (aka
GT200) – which had previously been
hidden away for many, many years. The
scooter was originally registered with
the Greater London Council on May 9,
1965, by dealer White & Martin, based
in Southgate, London N14. The original
logbook shows that it remained on
their books until it was purchased by
James Walker Taylor on April 28, 1966
(the reason for the year difference in
ownership is unclear, but it may have
been possible that the scooter had been
used as a demonstrator model).
FROM BARNET TO
BORDEAUX
The scooter is still in mainly original
condition – including its original ‘oiler’ cable
outers, engine bay waterslides and rubbers;
it also still has its original set of keys. It’s
currently still running on the original 6-volt
points, although when they finally give up the
ghost, they’ll be replaced by Alan with a 12v
electronic prototype system that fits into an
original coil and regulator; this unit has been
specially built for Alan by the very talented
Anthony Tambs at Scootronics.
 The scooter’s original owner, James Taylor,
used the scooter to commute from where he
lived in Barnet to London city centre every
day for seven years (he apparently worked
creating special effects for the TV industry for
programmes, which included working on the
Doctor Who TV series). But he didn’t just use
his scooter as a daily commute – he also
rode it from Barnet to the Cote d’Azur in the
South of France and back, for his holidays;
and when Alan acquired the scooter, a
Cote d’Azur badge came with it as part of
its provenance.

CRASH, BANG, WALLOP! Between 1966 and 1973, the scooter

During the late 1960s, the scooter had a
prang at some point, which resulted in the
engine casing being replaced by a new and
unstamped Innocenti TV/SX unit and all the
original internal parts were transferred over
into the new casing; at the same time, a new
steel mudguard unit was also fitted.
The scooter was last taxed by Mr Taylor
in 1973 and this last tax came with the
scooter as part of its provenance; it also
came with some period paperwork – including
an insurance policy (which in itself is q
quite a
unique piece of scooter history).
covered more than 40,000 miles, both
for commuting and travelling. It was then
mothballed and stayed in the garage until
2015, when Mr Taylor’s widow contacted
Cambridge Lambretta, who went along and
picked the scooter up (thanks to Peter
Bowden for filling in the gaps). It was
subsequently sold to someone who kept it
until 2020, but didn’t do anything with it – this
was who Alan bought the scooter from. So,
original dealer aside, the scooter had only
g red owners from new when Alan
two registered
purchased it.

ORIGINALITY
Provenance on any vvehicle is
paramount – and this Lambretta
certainly has a lot
of that. The scooter
came to Alan
complete with the
original keys, last MoT certificate, buff
nsurance documents
logbook, historical in
and a couple of man nuals.

The original buff logbook clearly states

that the scooter is a GT200. AU
USPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM 119
SURVIVING THE RAVAGES OF TIME

TV OR GT?
The wording on the original document is
quite interesting. Back in the day, although
the Lambretta Concessionaires produced PR
material for the ‘new GT200’, it was never
badged as such; and the passage of time
has led to there being many arguments over
the TV/GT model. On this particular scooter’s
paperwork, the original buff logbook actually Given the scooter’s original condition, is it
refers to it as a ‘GT200’. still a reliable ride? “Yes,” says Alan, “unless
it gets started and stopped too many times in
WHAT’S IN A NAME? a short period – then it's a bugger to start on
Alan affectionally calls his scooter ‘GerTy’ (I the old 6-volt points system.”
didn't ask)! His inspiration for the purchase Well, nothing much changes there then,
was that he’d owned one a few years back, as that’s my overriding personal experience
before selling it on. The draw for this latest of owning a Lambretta TV200 back in
purchase was that the logbook showed it as the 1960s…
being an original British-registered GT200. Words/images: Mau

THE DETAILS

120 WWW.CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM
SCOOTERLINEA
Slimstyle
Lambrettas
and their
mudguards
One of the regular
questions raised about
the Li Special, TV175
and TV200 (aka the
GT200) concerns the
front mudguard. This item
was originally made in
fibreglass in a two-part
mould (presumably a cost-
saving exercise), but the
real reason for this choice
is lost in the mists of time.
A
frequent question tends
to be phrased: “Did
all TV175s and GTs
have fibreglass mudguards?”
The answer, like most items
pertaining to the wonderful
world of Lambretta, has to be
vague out of necessity.
Theoretically, the answer is:
“They did all leave the production
line with fibreglass mudguards.”
However, these mudguards were
somewhat fragile (as mechanics
found out when trying to move
a TV3 around the workshop
by grabbing a handful of the
mudguard peak, and much to
their dismay, ending up with a
handful of broken fibreglass for
their efforts). So common was
this event that, at the Lambretta
Concessionaires as an example,
it would be a disciplinary offence
should a mechanic cause this
to happen.
With the advent of the Li
Special that was, at a glance,
identical to later production
variants of the bigger capacity
TV models, the water was
muddied a little more. The
Special started its production
cycle in September 1963, also
with fibreglass mudguards
(metal mudguards only being
fitted to certain examples in
1964/5). At last, there was a
more robust mudguard as a
replacement for the fibreglass
item of the TVs. We hear
many anecdotes of TV owners
boasting of having metal front
mudguards; but most likely
they were replacement items.
Obviously, these owners could
now have these items chrome
plated should it be desired (a
finish previously not possible).
An example of just how
quickly a TV could obtain a
metal mudguard – in this case,
a GT200 – is KME 108B, which
was purchased from Speedway
Cars of Acton, only 18 months old
and sporting both the chromium
plated mudguard and the side
panels. This short lifespan of
the fibreglass mudguard has led
some enthusiasts to insist that
their TVs had always had a metal
front mudguard from new.
MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM
Nothing is impossible - but
unlikely, we are bound to say.
Because of the physical
similarity between the three
models, the TVs’ production
line had adopted the elegant Li
Special-type side panel by 1964
(two years almost since the 175
production started, and just over
a year since the start of the 200).
Before this, both models shared
the standard Li side panels with
its distinctive horizontal bar type
pressing. Remember that the
175 and 200 shared the same
production line, so the change
in side panel design would have
occurred at the same juncture.
As to whether the metal
mudguards from the Special
production line might also
have migrated across, we
must refer to Vittorio Tessera’s
‘Lambretta Illustrated guide to
the identification’ which only
specifies fibreglass mudguards
for the TV models, but – you
never know?
■ The two images which
accompany this editorial piece
show the latest originally
registered TV200 that we know of.
Registered in 1968 after it was
found languishing in the back of a
dealer’s showroom, the unrestored
image shows it still sporting its
original fibreglass mudguard; this
was restored (along with the rest
of the bodywork) and remains on
the scooter to this day.
121
RESTORATION PROJECT (PART 3)
THE ROAD TO
RECOVERY Final destination unknown.
W
ith government restrictions easing,
I’m looking forward to returning to
the normality of a rally weekend.
The Series 1 engine still needs to be run in
before it’s ready to roll, but it now seems a
million miles away from pushing it out from
where it was left.
The scooter is almost unrecognisable from
being a beat-up hand-painted scooter with the
frame and replacement rear footboards. The
original handlebar internals and levers, etc.,
are proper Italian Innocenti craftsmanship and
in exceptional condition considering they’re 62
years old (I hope my working parts are half as
good in the coming years).
With the original 1959 Series 1 Li150
122 WWW.CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM
engine wrapped in rags and stored under
my workbench, work on its replacement was
carefully planned. I’ve built various motors
for friends – all different specifications,
from standard cast 150-200 runabouts and
Mugello 186cc through to maintenance
on RB250 powerhouses. I wanted to put
something durable in what was going to be
my own forever ride.
After riding a very nice GP200 feature
Lambretta for a few months and having a
nice original cast oversized SX200 barrel
in my cupboards, I had finally come to my
decision to go for that set-up. This comprised
a five-speed gearbox; 60-stroke GP crank;
one of my own repaired and rewired stator
plates with the Agusto 6000 advance/retard
units; a quality Iwis chain (the best you can
buy); and a practical Readspeed five-plate
clutch kit set-up. My hands and fingers are
getting very tired, due to arthritis. Riding in
the National Road Rally (featured elsewhere
in this issue) showed this and doing 185
miles in a day, I found it tough to pull in the
clutch and twist the throttle by the event’s
final few miles.
The new easy clutch set-ups produced by
Chiselspeed and also by Casa Lambretta
on their newly designed side casings are
brilliantly machined; the arm and plunger are
splined to inter-fit, allowing the lever to now
be pulled with just one finger.
 Always carry out a dry build to ensure everything fits as it should.

“The scooter is almost Fitted with a 26mm Dell’Orto carb and

a Clubman-style exhaust, the appearance
unrecognisable from of the scooter (apart from the paintwork)
being a beat-up hand- could almost be a standard ride. I’ve used
the commonly produced outboard front disc
painted scooter with the brakes in the past and although they’re very
frame and replacement good, on classic-looking scooters I normally
prefer to have a hidden master cylinder and
rear footboards.” inboard original-looking Italian front brakes,
but for this ride, the drum brake is plenty
good enough with a reverse pull set-up. The
scooter is not going to be a 75mph-plus flying
machine and fitted with good shoes, I'm
confident enough it will be adequate.

RISING TO THE
CHALLENGE
Taking on a challenge like this field-find
Lambretta, some would say, is mad; but I
suppose you have to see beyond the trees,
rust and alloy corrosion. I'm very lucky
being in my position, able to call on several
skilled friends to help plan the restoration
and knowing of good dealers that stock
replacement parts that won’t detract from the
original appearance of the 1959 specimen
stock machine. Knowing such highly skilled
enthusiasts is a benefit.
You’ll be able to see the scooter in its full
glory in the next edition; I also hope to see
many of you out on the road somewhere and
share the experiences that you’ve had in
rebuilding and restoring your own barn find or
rusty resto. Good luck and safe riding.
The original engine is now safely tucked away. Rich Addison

The original handlebars

were in reasonable condition,
given how long they had been outside.

MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM 123
SIXTY YEARS IN THE SADDLE
Peter’s favourite Vespa VS5 (circa 1961).

The Peter Burley story

Peter Burley is one of the friendliest, gentlest, most Competing at Edge
passionate people on the scooterist scene; a true Vespista Hill in the 1970s.

if ever there was. A man never afraid to roll up his sleeves

and get stuck into supporting and organising Vespa events
and still riding his scooters, whenever possible that is.

P
eter Burley was born on June 25,
1941, in Whitstable, Kent. His love of
scooters started when he changed his
job as a local builder in South Woodford in
September 1958 to take an office job in the
City of London.
A bicycle had been his transport; it had
already taken him to Belgium and Holland on
three occasions as well as several tours of
southern England. The journey to his new job
in London was initially on the Underground
from Woodford, Essex to Liverpool Street;
then, after a while, by bicycle which took about
the same time.
In September 1959, Peter bought an ISO
Milano from a dealer in Leytonstone. Why an
ISO? Well both Piaggio and Innocenti were
in the middle of an industrial dispute and
stocks were limited. His father (who was to
guarantee the loan) liked the look of the ISO
and as there was no way of knowing how long
a wait there would be for a Vespa, the ISO it
would be.
STUNG BY THE WASP
Peter’s neighbour, Stan Magee, was a member
of the Wanstead branch of the Vespa Club
of Britain (The Foresters) and he took Peter
along. After attending several meetings,
Peter found himself a cheap 125cc 152L2,
purchased for £25 and painted in West Ham
FC colours with a big chrome exhaust.
The Foresters (who were in the VCB’s
London region) were well run by club secretary
John Ellis, along with a great committee.
In 1960, Peter really got into club life; the
Tuesday 8pm meetings were at Wanstead
Community Centre and on most weekends
there would be a full programme, either
to a Vespa event or a club run. An annual
Midsummer Ball was held at the end of June
at the Majestic Cinema, South Woodford;
there was also an annual club road trial and
this introduced Peter to such events.
For the next three years or so, Peter would
find himself all over East Anglia and the south
and west of England on most weekends at
some event or another. By the 1962 season,
Peter had acquired a good second-hand
VS5 Vespa GS150 in black and grey. Along
with it came Peter’s first road trial win at the
Farnborough Vespa Club Road Trial; Peter said
the standard of competitors was very good.
NIGHT RIDER
In 1963, Peter entered the Western 250
(an overnight navigation road trial with three
starting points). Peter began at Thatcham
near Newbury at 8pm on the Saturday, then
rode to Cheltenham and around South Wales,
then headed back to Cheltenham to the 8am
Sunday finish.

124 WWW.CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM
First driving lesson…
Peter said the event had shocking weather
conditions, but his GS150 had a 12v car
battery strapped to the scooter’s floor with
two spotlights fitted to his D-bars; this
guaranteed cars dipped their headlights and
enabled him to keep his speed up with fairly
good visibility.
At one point, Peter got lost somewhere on
the Heads of the Valleys Road; he stopped
at an AA box to find out where he was, only
to find the map in the box showed Central
London! He also stopped once again to put
on an extra jacket as it was so cold, only to
discover his long leather coat was frozen
almost that solid that it stood up against the
scooter. Once back at Cheltenham, riders
had to complete a gymkhana course; they
had around 40 minutes’ break before setting
off homeward towards London (120 miles),
arriving home late afternoon.
Peter commented that you don’t forget
some journeys…
He fondly remembers the 1964 Woburn
Abbey event for several reasons. One being
The first VVC London-Brighton
run, circa 1964.
that he had three scooters present at the
event, as two of the Foresters had scooter
trouble so took his 150 Clubman, 125 Rod
Type and his own mount, his trusty GS150.
Another reason was Peter was one of the
riders who’d been chosen to escort eight or
nine scooterist guests from Europe from the
Dartford Tunnel to Woburn Abbey.
Peter and the rest of the escort got to the
tunnel at the agreed time, but there was no
sign of the European tourists. They sent one
member to the service area with a handful of
change and a list of telephone numbers, but
without any luck. Eventually, two hours after
the due rendezvous time, Peter and his mates
heard the sound of Vespa engines; they’d
made it! Apparently, the reason for the delay
was because one scooterist had tried to bring
some ‘illegal’ items into the country.
They all set off and all went well until
they met some Rockers at the Green Man
roundabout, Leytonstone. A few words were
exchanged, then the Rockers (who were
outnumbered) disappeared.
Peter on his 150 Continental (ex-Charles Caswell).
A TRUE VETERAN
In 1964 Peter heard about a London-Brighton
Vespa Run for older Vespas. He began a hunt
for an old model to ride in the event and came
across a Rod Type in Portsmouth for £35,
which had been hand-painted blue. Event
details then became available and his entry
was made.
The start was at Tattenham Corner, Epsom
and was to be marshalled by VCB London
Region members. Each rider was issued with
a bib with their number on; Peter’s was No11,
although in the entries list, he was down
as No7. The finish point was at Withdean
Stadium, Brighton.
This was when the Veteran Vespa Club was
formed and Peter says he’s eternally grateful
to the late Frank Brookes for coming up with
the idea and putting it to Eric Brockway at the
1963 VCB National Rally at New Brighton (a
great foresight and his legacy lives on as the
VVC is still a strong and active club today.
MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM 125
SIXTY YEARS IN THE SADDLE
Weston, circa 1966.
Being in the London Region was a great
advantage for Peter as they had a very strong
committee who were well-supported by all the
region’s clubs. The communication was first
class and they were very competitive; 10 of
the 37 riders on the first London-Brighton run
came from the London Region.
Peter moved to South Woodford in 1965
when he got married to Rita White and joined
the Hunsdon Vespa Club who had a good
reputation for putting on sporting events.
In 1968, after 10 happy years working
in the City of London, Peter took on a
challenging job as manager of White Line
School of Motoring in Brentwood, Essex.
For the previous six months, Peter had been
working part-time (evenings and weekends)
with the school and so, from September
1968, Peter had an office staffed six days
a week with three instructors plus three
Vauxhall HA Vivas.
A DRIVEN MAN
By 1970, Peter had saved enough to put down
a deposit on a new house in Chelmsford and
in September 1972, Peter started his own
driving school, Burley School of Motoring. Due
to this new venture and work commitments,
Peter’s scootering activity suffered, although
he still had his Rod Type and the GS150.
A new era would begin on December 31,
1973, when 12 Vespa Club members got
together in Springfield, Chelmsford, to form
what would become the second longest
126 WWW.CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM
Getting ready for the weekend in 1984.
continually running branch club of the Vespa
Club of Britain. Unfortunately, Mr and Mrs
Charles Caswell couldn’t make this first
meeting, due to it being New Year’s Eve.
The evening got off to a good start at 9pm
on the dot, with Mr Gordon MacLean acting
as chairman. The club’s name, Essex Vespa
Club, had been allocated ‘Branch 7’ with
Alan Stevens appointed chairman, Peter as
secretary, Miss Christine Burley as assistant
secretary/minutes secretary, Mrs Rita Burley
as treasurer, and Mark Burrage appointed as
club captain. Then the party began to bring in
the new year, and what a memorable start it
was for members of Essex Vespa Club, a VCB
branch that’s now heading towards its 48th
birthday this coming December.
Peter’s first event under the new banner
was on April 28, 1974, near Rochdale at the
Northern Hill Climb, Baitings Dam, Ripponden,
West Yorkshire. This was a great event though
and some reservoir – a real hill climb – but
unfortunately, he broke down and didn’t finish.
There was also a trip to Luton and a bit of
grass track racing, which was a little more
encouraging; at least Peter was getting round
the course and finishing.
The Vespa Golf Team (The Famous
Gup, Peter, Alan Stevens and
Chuck Ballesteros).
July proved more successful at the
10th annual Veteran Vespa Club Rally
in Nottingham, where Peter’s Vespa
Continental won first in both the Concourse
d’Elegance and the gymkhana, which gave
him the overall award of the Jet’s Trophy
for the second year running (this was to be
followed three more times in 1975, 1976
and 1977).
In May 1975, Peter was determined to
do better on his next hill climb which was
in Scotland, the Doune Hill Climb. For this
event Peter would use his 1957 150cc
Continental (a scooter that Peter had been
given by Charles Caswell as part-payment for
driving lessons). This scooter is now owned
by Peter’s friend and fellow VVC and VCB
member, Steve Turner. The scooter was a
wise choice and didn’t let Peter down, with a
first in its class.
Things all changed in December 1978
when Peter’s marriage came to an end.
He moved to Clacton for two years, but
continued working in Chelmsford. His
scootering activities continued and in 1981,
he remarried a lady called Helen and by
1982 he was back living in Chelmsford.

Essex VC Christmas party
(date unknown).
IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR
In November 1981, Essex VC held a Best
Pairs Road Trial (championship event). Peter
was paired with Dennis Howard of Lea Valley
VC and they won by a few points. They’d
already been to Edge Hill in October (the first
event in the 1982 championship) and had
two more events in Essex – the Western 250
Trial final and the 30th Anniversary Rally at
Havering in August. It was a busy time for
Helen and Peter, as Jonathan, their eldest,
was born in the August. It was also very hectic
in 1983 with three events, the last one being
August, and with David, their second son,
arriving in September.
With VCB membership going up, but with
younger riders not wanting to travel too far for
events, it was decided for 1984 that Peter’s
driving school would sponsor a London Region
Championship. This continued in 1985 and
1986, after which Kickstart Motorcycles took
on the championship until 1990. As Peter’s
Hamburg, circa 2000.
N
Norrie Kerr, reading Peter’s children a
bbedtime story (although it seems to have
hhad more effect on Chuck Swonnell).
boys got older, first Jonathan came to events
then, as he found other interests, David took
his place.
RAW HIDE!
Since that time, Peter and his family have
held most of the VCB committee positions
and have remained constantly active and
supportive within the club from both an
administrative and competitive position with
a great deal of success. Along the way, they
have accumulated an enormous number of
awards as a family for their efforts.
Peter is one of the true Vespa riders still to
this day and regularly attends as many events
as possible. He’s one of the characters of the
Vespa scene and celebrated his 80th birthday
in June of this year.
So, congratulations Peter – and may your
small wheels continue to keep turning for
many more scootering years to come. ‘East 17’ relaxing backstage: Peter (centre) with The
Big Chris Famous Gup (left) and Chuck Swonnell.
MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM 127
THE NATIONAL ROAD RALLY

A rookie experience
p
Rich and his mates take
part in the formidable
National Road Rally.

T
he NRR event is a navigational scatter
rally, organised in association with the
ACU and the BMF. It’s not a race and
each rider or group follows their own route,
visiting different control stations around the
country; the only time stipulation is that riders
complete their route within the given time.
The number of controls riders visit depends
on the award they’re competing for (from
chrome to platinum in different degrees of
what I’d say is ‘stamina of rider and bike’).
The location of the control points is shown
on the matrix normally issued to entrants two
weeks before the event.
Anybody with a full motorcycle licence can
enter. You don’t need a competition licence
or previous competition experience; just enter
online at www.nationalroadrally.co.uk following
the ‘entries’ link. You can also download a
copy of the supplementary regulations (make
sure you read them before taking part).
When you’ve signed up, you’ll receive IN FOR A PENNY… organised part of the team and made sure we
a confirmation email containing your rider Always up for a different challenge, I thought had a printout of our chosen route in case we
number and an entry code; you’ll need both I’d give it a go after my mate, Pete Hughes, got separated along the way. This was good
to log into the ‘myNRR’ website section where mentioned he was doing it again, but this planning, as I rode off at one point and they
you can download the matrix and control time his wife Netty was also coming along. watched me disappear as they turned down a
details at least 10 days prior to the event. This is always good because Netty is the country lane…

128 WWW.CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM
 The event took place on July 3-4 (which was
good, as my birthday is July 3 (21 again) and
I was looking forward to riding a Lambretta
I’d borrowed for a feature. Our starting
checkpoint was Scunthorpe (where Pete
and Netty live), so I rode over from my home
near the Humber Bridge. Official start time
was 9am with the check-in point being the
Skippingdale Industrial Estate. Already there
was a great-looking 1960 Triumph motorcycle
and its rider, ready for the off; we met him
again halfway along our route (nice to see
we’d all made it that far).
With rain clouds gathering we headed for
the second checkpoint (south of Scunthorpe),
then rode to Lincoln through villages and
the newly built southern bypass and on to
Waddington RAF base viewing area The Wave,
then dashed to the cafe toilet (it’s no fun
getting older). After signing in, we headed
towards Horncastle. Being from Lincolnshire
and working for newspapers around the
county, it was brilliant to ride through some
of my old workplaces, feeling nostalgic about
various stories I’d covered over the years.
Near Horncastle, Pete waved me to the
front; I felt great as I pushed it on a bit and
had to pull over at a junction to wait for the
others. As their lights appeared I set off again
– missing that Netty had her left arm out to
turn down a side lane as shown on their sat
nav. I carried on unknowingly and found myself
sat in traffic with them nowhere to be seen.
Doh! Back-tracking to the checkpoint at West
Ashby Village Hall, we soon reconnected.
After topping up with fuel, we headed to
Langrick near Boston and crossed paths with
some bikers using a similar matrix; a group
of crazy people wearing Muppet hats over
their helmets and having a great time riding
together (something everyone’s missed over
the last 18 months. Our own mental health
has never been challenged so much as in this
pandemic period).
We headed towards Grantham, which gave
me an opportunity to call in on my parents in
Sleaford. My dad was a biker in the 1950s
and scoffed that we were travelling a mere
180-plus miles in a day; back in his RAF days,
he’d travel hundreds of miles on his 125cc
Bantam to see my mum before they were
married. There wasn’t as much traffic on the
roads back then, but nonetheless, respect
to anyone making such journeys on a classic
machine on smaller roads than 21st century
motorway routes. Just another 16 miles
and we landed at Chris Walker Motorcycles
in Harlaxton Road, Grantham for our fifth
checkpoint and to grab some lunch in the
onsite coffee shop (our longest stop and a
well-earned rest break).
THE END IS IN SIGHT
Feeling refreshed, we set the sat nav for
‘number 19’ checkpoint at Friar Tucks
roadside cafe at Clumber Park, Babworth,
Retford (one of our largest distances at 32
miles). It didn't take long, heading up the
A1 from Gonerby Moor at a steady 60mph
with Netty mostly leading the way. With only
two stops left, my clutch felt harder to pull
in as my old fingers were now aching from
arthritis. It was only 30 minutes up the road
to Beckingham, where we were greeted by
a couple that Pete said had manned this
checkpoint for the last 20 years.
With more fuel loaded from the can on the
back of the scooter, the last leg went over
the River Trent through Gainsborough and
along the A159 past Blyton, Scotter and on
to Scunthorpe. Heading up Phoenix Parkway
back to Checkpoint 68, it was a relief it was
over – but what a ride. It just proves that no
matter what we do as a hobby in our spare
time, if we find ourselves restricted from doing
it, we suffer; being separated from friends and
social events is bad for our mental health. So,
keep safe and get out those classic rides and
meet up with your buddies for some fun!
Thank you to the National Road Rally
organisers backed by the ACU; it was
fantastic. And a big thank you to my riding
partners, Pete and Netty Hughes, who made
the day; we had many laughs along the way.
Rich Addison
MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM 129
 TIV
ALTER NA E
SC
OOTE
RS
T
P OR
The Malle Mile 2021
July 23-25, 2021
For this year’s Malle Mile event, a change of venue to
Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire, meant only a short trip
to get there, unfortunately marred by a three-hour wait to
gain access, due partly to the event’s increased popularity
and also some poor organisation. But what followed was a
fun-packed weekend on two wheels!
T
he event is basically a series of off-road
races with an ‘anything goes’ attitude.
There are some rather dubious classes
for anything under 250cc, but this can still
see some rather mismatched races with full-
on motocross bikes up against 50cc mopeds!
The races consisted of a short sprint, hill
climb and the Malle 100 mini-scramble with a
classic Le Mans-style running start.
The lightweight class was my chosen
category and I usually do quite well. Simon
Allan (my riding partner for the weekend)
also opted for the same class but as it’s a
knockout competition, we do try and avoid
racing each other. Saturday was an early start
for the sprint race. A sighting lap, two practice
runs, then into the knockout stages was the
order of play; it’s just a case of lining up next
to another rider and giving it some beans
when the flag drops!
I had some good practice runs to get a feel
for the bumpy track, then it was knockout time
and I found myself lined up against the same
125cc Suzuki I’d taken on in the practice
The lightweight class caters for
bikes under 250cc and can
see some strange match-ups!
It’s never a good sign when the panels come off!
One of the petals had broken off the reed valve
and without a suitable spare, it was game over.
heats. I thought I’d have a comfortable race,
but something wasn’t quite right with my bike
and I was lucky to win by a few short bike
lengths. With no time to investigate, it was
round to the start to take on an old motocross
bike. A good start got me to mid-track in the
lead but then my engine died completely,
although I did manage to coast over the line
as the winner!
My engine wasn’t happy; it would tick over,
but died as soon as the throttle was opened.
Further inspection back at camp found that
one of the reed valve petals had broken off.
Sadly, this resulted in an early finish and I
spent the rest of the weekend spectating!
Simon’s Vespa was still going well, but was
knocked out in the early sprint rounds; he
then headed for the hill climb, but his gearbox
refused to stay in gear, so he too took an early
shower! Not the best of results for either of
us, but we still got to enjoy a great weekend’s
racing from the sidelines. Thanks to the
organisers, marshals and fellow racers; now
it’s time to rebuild ready for the next event...
whatever that might be.
Words Jon Betts
Pics Jon Betts & ‘here we ride’