Sommaire pour August 2018 de Scootering

Fame and fortune don’t visit everyone, but as the saying goes… every dog has its day! It was interesting to edit articles which showed two distinct sides of the same scooter racing coin during the build up to the press day for this month’s magazine. On the one hand, Stu Owen waxes lyrical regarding the great success of legendary racer Richard Wilfang at his peak during the mid-70s scooter racing scene. Whereas on the other hand, Russ Machin reflects in a rather more informal manner on his chance meeting and subsequent interview with lesser known 70s racer Laurence Moore. Two names from the same era; both talked about and reflected upon during this edition and both great examples of success in their own right. Bridging the gap from 70s to…

Name: Bobby Ball Scooter club & town: Dougies Stamford Scooter Club. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: In 1979 ish… seeing older lads on scooters and Quadrophenia. Your first scooter: Li 150 Series 1. I had it when I was 14 and bought it for £10, I did it up and sold it for £100! Favourite scooter model: SX200. Favourite style of custom scooter: Creatively engineered ones. First rally or event: Yarmouth 1981. How did you get there: I persuaded the local YMCA to organise a trip there… they said never again! Any stories: ’83 Weston-super-Mare. It was a very hot day so we put all the coats etc. in the van and rode out of town in just our T-shirts. Of course we then lost…

Name: David Delaney How and when did you first become interested in scooters: In 1983 I watched a Betamax copy of Quadrophenia and was hooked. What was your first scooter: 1984, a three-speed Vespa 90 for £50 (thanks Dad). What is your favourite scooter model: Vespa 90SS. I have had several over the years and recently added my Holy Grail, Norrie Kerr’s multi-championship-winning K1. What is your favourite style of custom scooter: Full bodied street racer with engine and rider to back it up! Also anything different and out the norm’. First rally or event: ‘Weston-super-Mud’, 1984. Slept in a bus shelter until a tramp told us to get off his bed! Later a couple came in eating fish and chips; when they left it was a race to the…

Name of scooter and reason: Dominator. When we were teenagers growing up in late 70s/early 80s, Reghams local Lambretta dealer came up with these bikes and I always wanted one. When I smashed my GP up I thought nobody had ever reproduced one, so I got in touch with Maca who sprayed them originally and this is the result. Well chuffed! Scooter model: GP 200. Date purchased and cost: Bought in 2005 off Stu Thurston (The Emporor) who’d done a lovely paint job on it for me. Cost about £3500. Inspiration for project: Going back to my youth and the amount of time we use to spend in Reghams. Time to build & by who: Just over a year. Built by my mate Jase Potter and sprayed by Maca. Any…

“One of the biggest mistakes people make is buying the wrong size helmet,” explained Stuart. “I’d strongly advise against buying a helmet online, certainly without trying one on somewhere first. The starting point is a head measurement (which should be taken around the temples) but this isn’t the whole story. Sizes and shapes of helmets vary between manufacturers and even within their own range. There’s no such thing as an ‘Arai medium head’ and sometimes the helmet that looks fantastic in photos simply doesn’t suit an individual’s head shape. When trying on a new helmet, forget how the old one fits. That’s probably been used for years and moulded itself perfectly. It’s not unusual for a new helmet to hurt. A good sign is that the helmet’s aperture sits about…

JULY 20-22 Summer Scrum 8, by Driffield Midnight Runners SC. Friday night-5:15’s playing and then Ska-Boom UK on the Saturday. Driffield RFC, YO25 9DW 20-22 Solent Cougars SC, annual rally. BTC Sports Club, Eastleigh, Hants. SO16 2PA 21 All or Nothing SC Rally, Barkers Butts RFC, Pickford Grange Lane, Coventry, CV5 9AR. Gates open 1pm. Ticket Only. www.aonsc.co.uk and FB “All Or Nothing SC” 21-22 BSSO scooter racing, Anglesey Race Circuit, north Wales. On-site camping. 22 Scunthorpe Parts Fair, The Pods, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, N. Lincs DN16 1AA. Details - Kev Walsh 07966 265588 Email lcgb2@blueyonder.co.uk 27-29 BSRA National 6, Exmouth 27-29 Rocking the Heifer 2, Rock and Heifer, Rock Lane, Thornton, Bradford BD13 3RH. live bands Food/ Drink Custom show money raised towards local charity. Camping £10 per person…

Stu Smith Vespa & Lambretta owner, scooter obsessive, amateur home mechanic, rally goer, Mod sympathiser, music lover and general all round good egg. He writes your rally reports, be nice to him. Nik Skeat Vespa P-range obsessive, well-travelled rally rider since the 80s, and founder of the once notorious Scooterboy World online forum. He’s also a brilliant beer-brewing bearded Scootering feature writer. Paul Green Vespa & Lambretta scooter enthusiast, BSSO professional and general good egg. Our Paul has a long history of scootering both on the road and on the track, with the breakdown bills and crash scars to prove it. Stuart Owen Life member of the LCGB, 100mph LambrettaClub owner and scooter restoration expert to boot. Scooter rider, rally-goer, racer, restorer and author. Reaches the parts other scooter journalists…

Often, when doing research on any Lambretta-related article, one name frequently crops up: that of AF Rayspeed. Since the 1970s their name has been associated with a host of popular products, many of which have been ground-breaking. The ‘S-Type’ brand has become iconic within the scooter scene, replicated a countless number of times, the people behind it mostly keeping out of the limelight. Any business takes years to gain a good reputation and staying at the top is even harder, sowhat is the secret to their success? The driving force behind it all is Ray Kemp, a household name throughout the Lambretta world. The roots of the business go all the way back to the early 1960s under the name of ‘Francis and Woodhead’, which went on to be the…

Name of scooter & reason: ‘Eclipse’, the first legal rave nightclub in the 90s. What other themes did you consider before coming to this choice of theme for the scooter and why did you go with your chosen theme: Perception raves / Renaissance club in Mansfield. The Eclipse was always a good night with good memories. Scooter model: API Li150 Series 2. Date purchased & cost: January 2016 for £500. Inspiration for project and theme: I always wanted to build a low rider, which would be reminiscent of the American 1950s low riders. Time to build & by who: Two years, by me. Any specialised parts or frame mods. What and by whom: All fabrication, welding and machining done by me. Engine spec: 225 Mugello. Crank: AF Race 58. Carb:…

It was another great Wednesday night at the Camden Palace in London, and after cutting some mean shapes on the dance floor a young bloke approached me... “Would you like to be in a video?” he said. Of course the first thing that popped into my head was ‘how X-rated is it going to be?’ But alas, no such luck. He then mentioned it was for a pop music video and would take place the following day at a disused warehouse in the East End. So the next morning, after phoning in sick at work, I arrived at the location and to my surprise found fellow Jokers SC mate Duncan Patey (later of the Vespa Club of GB) and two others I believe were from the A41 Eagles already there.…

The Allan Tester Best in Show: Vespa GS – 346 GKO Best Lambretta: ‘Valiant’ – 392XUM Best Vespa: ‘Rossi Replica’ – S823 RAG Best Auto: ‘Orange / Silver’ Chopper – 128 UXU Best Chopper: Lambretta ‘Headline News’ – E516 CCH Best Ridden Classic Scooter: Yellow LD – NSL 486 Best Street Racer: Lambretta Series 2 – ‘Soul Surfer’ Best Mod Scooter: All or Nothing Scooter – PK14PVX Best Rat: Military Lambretta with trailer – 851 ACE Furthest Travelled by Scooter (Male): Stefan Kilner (Germany 682 miles) Furthest Travelled by Scooter (Female): Karen Soulsby (291 miles) Best Attended / Turned Out Club: ‘Collective SC’ (23) Big 7 Shiny Red Dyno: Lambretta RB250 ‘Knott Boy’ (33.68bhp)…

Name: Rob Stewart or ‘Dave’ Scooter club & town: Doghouse SC, Louth. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: Louth has always been a place you’d see a scooter. What was your first scooter: PX125. Brand spanking new! What is your favourite scooter model: Lambretta GP & Vega. What is your favourite style of custom scooter: I’m a bit like Bertie Bassett. I like all sorts! First rally or event: ‘Skeg Vegas’, 1980. How did you get there: In my friend’s parents’ car. We were 10 years old. Any stories: Morecambe. We lost Robbie Fox. Gary and I turned back 10 miles looking for him. In the process Gary ran out of petrol, only for us to find Robbie coming towards us in a van. It turned…

Name: Steve Chapman How and when did you first become interested in scooters: Family camping weekends to the seaside when I was growing up and we used to get swallowed up by scooters! Your first scooter: Vespa 50 Special at 16. Favourite scooter model: Supertune Lowline SX200. First rally: Clacton ’84. How did you get there: Vespa 50 Special. Any stories: We went everywhere on our 50s including Hastings that year. Idoubt weever took more than £20 with us, no M25 and no map. It took us about twelve hours to get to Hastings – we just asked people for directions at every stop! Favourite and worst rally: Fave was DJing at Mersea around 1998 in the dance room. I asked for three turntables and a 6k Martin Audio Rig.…

Established in 2007 as part of a Government drive to reduce road casualties, the SHARP initiative provides an independent and consistent measure of helmet safety. To achieve a sharp rating each model of motorcycle helmet undergoes 30 linear and two oblique impact tests. A minimum of seven individual helmet samples, in a range of sizes, are subjected to impacts at three speeds and the result is presented in an easy to understand rating of one to five stars. Unfortunately this only measures active safety, so a ‘five star’ rating may have been obtained at the cost of rider comfort. The aim is to ensure no-one’s wearing a one star helmet rather than make sure everyone’s wearing a five star. For most riders anything with three stars or above is probably…

Reissue round-up With the current glut of scooter-friendly reissues hitting the market at the moment, we’ve compiled some of the better releases together in a single column to separate classic reissues from new releases. Infamous punk label Captain Oi! has been busy over the last few months, pushing out a steady stream of box sets showcasing material from the early years of punk. First up are stalwarts Peter And The Test Tube Babies. This Early Years compilation covers the band at arguably their best, with the legendary Pissed And Proud the obvious highlight of the set, although some of the lesser known material scattered across the other four discs is well worth revisiting. The Toy Dolls have been subject to a five-disc compilation featuring their first four albums and a…

Many things have changed since my days of racing. To be honest there isn’t much that is the same. However one thing that is the same is the paddock atmosphere. I have fabulous memories of how friendly and helpful everyone was. We were all competing against each other out on track but in the paddock we always tried to help one another and to this end I feel the same exists today. As for the bikes… well, there were no automatics, no tyre warmers, no grippy tyres, no external disc brakes, no special dampers, no aluminium cylinders, the list goes on. I am very impressed with the Production Class, it probably resembles the class that I competed in which was Group 4. We had to use Lambretta cast iron cylinders…

IS SILENCE GOLDEN? Making its debut at VWD was Retrospective’s prototype electric conversion. Electric two-wheelers are a growth industry but Retrospective’s solution is believed to be unique in that it allows conversion of a classic scooter to electric power in a way that’s entirely reversible, the design brief being ‘no welding, no cutting’. Although it’s currently only available for small-frame Vespas, a PX conversion isn’t too far away. But the big question is what’s it like to ride? First impressions are that a lot of thought’s gone into making this look completely stock. The hub motor’s hidden behind a dummy plastic crankcase and a mock expansion chamber means that when parked up it’s very difficult to tell this from a standard machine. The power cell is mounted beneath the seat…

Upon arrival at the store, my eyes were drawn to an unusual beast in the corner. It was a very big motorbike/scooter ‘thing’ which was custom painted with Union Jacks all over it. I couldn’t actually decide whether I loved or hated the thing. A few days later though I went back and paid the man… so now I was the owner of a Yamaha TMAX 500cc ‘thing’, painted in Union Jacks. During the first trip out on it I was getting used to the handling and took it round some swooping country roads to get to the A1 where I headed south. I looked down and with no effort and not much noise, it was whirring easily along at, well, let’s just say motorway speed. I was sitting in…

Owner: Pete Millard Club: Invicta SC Hometown: Gillingham Scooter : Vespa 90 ‘Lill Focker’ Engine: Parma 133 Is it reliable: Yes The quality of scooters in the field was outstanding and making the choice for the winner of this year’s ‘Campsite Custom’ wasn’t easy. After a lot of deliberations it was Pete Millard’s Vespa 90 which came out on top. At the age of 16 Pete got his first scooter, aVespa 50 Special and at the age of 17 he upgraded to a P200E. Pete had always wanted to build a smallframe street-racer; so in 2012 he decided to put his practical knowledge up to the challenge and bought himself a Vespa 90 in bits. He and a friend sprayed the scooter in Pete’s garage in a yellow and blue…

The Animal Antics Scooter Rally started in 2009, the year after Mick Shore formed the Armthorpe Animal SC with Dave Copeland and his wife, Marie. The rally was initially held for several years at Clampit Creek, Haxley, Doncaster. However, due to circumstances beyond their control Clampit Creek was closed down. The rally briefly moved for a year to Squires Café, Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire before taking up its current residence at the Hayfield Shooting and Fishing Lodge, Doncaster. Patched Club The Armthorpe Animals SC are a ‘patched club’, which means that members go through a period of assessment until they are properly accepted as a full ‘patched member’. An individual is first classed as a ‘hang around’ then they move on to being a ‘prospect’ and then, if they are successful…

Stu Owen on John O’Groats My sincere thanks to Stuart Owen for his wonderful overview article about the LCGB John O’Groats ride 1988 in edition 385 of Scootering. Given the space he had, he managed to encapsulate everything about the event. I spent a lot of time minutely planning the route and stopovers etc. and it all worked perfectly to plan. Some time in the future I will dig out the souvenir New Jet Set magazine that we produced in A4 size in order to fit in all the pictures and the stories which would have you rolling round laughing. Stuart rightly says that I led my club members through the gates at Land’s End and even to this day it was the most emotional and proud moment I’ve ever…

Way back when When Steve was growing up he regularly went on family camping weekends to the seaside and sometimes the traffic would be swallowed up by a sea of young people on scooters. “I was slightly scared and very curious. When we were in Dorset in 1982, driving down some beautiful country lanes, three scooters passed us – all chrome and mirrors. However, it was the menacing message on one of the scooter’s flyscreens, ‘Millions like us’ and the girls on the back that really did it for me. It was an invisible, glamorous army of young people and that’s what Iwanted in the next few years, a scooter to carry girls!” Steve explained. In 1983 Dave watched Quadrophenia and was hooked. And not long after a few trips…

Name: Pete Pulleyn (Piggy) Job: Postman. Scooter club & town: Northern SC Leeds but live in York. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: Just caught the back end of the mod/2-Tone era in the early 80s and always wanted a scooter. First scooter: Vespa PK80. Favourite scooter model: Series 2. Favourite style of custom scooter: 80s style street racers. First rally or event: Scarborough 1986. How did you get there: Vespa. Any stories: There was a lot of stealing going on, somebody nicked my mate’s headset top! Favourite event: Love Cleethorpes. Funniest experience with a scooter: Going to Morecambe ’87-ish, two-up on my Vespa and not being able to get up a hill! My mate had to get off and walk only to be greeted by…

Next time you wear a helmet think of T E Lawrence. In May 1935, the national hero suffered catastrophic brain injuries during a motorcycle accident. Among the medical experts summoned in an attempt to save his life was the neurosurgeon Hugh Cairns. Convinced that Lawrence would have lived if he’d been wearing a helmet, Cairns began a study of fatal motorcycle accidents. His findings led to the adoption of protective headgear by military dispatch riders and ultimately their use by motorcyclists everywhere.…

The first thing to check before buying any motorcycle helmet is that it’s legal. In the UK that means complying with either British Standard 6658 or, more commonly, EC22.05. This information’s contained on a certificate that’s usually sewn onto the chinstrap and shows in which country the helmet was tested, its certificate number and a code denoting what type of chin protection it provides. The latter is particularly important as it’s quite common for the chin piece on flip front and motocross helmets to offer no chin protection at all. The decision on whether to wear an open or full face is down to the individual – it’s personal choice – but it’s worth being aware of what exactly it is that you’re buying. Without the EC/BS certificate, in the…

Were you one of the lucky 100 who rode the Two Channels Dash last year? If you were you’ll know what a cracking day it was. Good weather, beautiful south west scenery, some of the country’s best riding routes, simple good old-fashioned fun. Those that rode will remember the ride through the Somerset levels, Glastonbury and Yeovil with its cream tea stopping point. Getting your cog card stamped, you’re then onto the ride down towards Dorset’s West Bay and riding the jaw dropping Jurassic coastline into Weymouth. If you didn’t do it then you’ll get another chance this year! This year though we’ve changed the location; we thought we would take the VCB to Cornwall – a club first. This year the event is on September 8 and takes place…

It’s happened to virtually every Lambretta owner: a breakdown. However, some of them are only trivial and easy to fix on the side of the road. How often, though, has this been prevented from happening because the necessary spares and tools were unavailable? Even the smallest of things like a split fuel pipe, for instance, can stop you from continuing on your travels. The question is, what exactly should you carry on board at all times and what is unnecessary? It’s adifficult balance to get exactly right but the simplest solution is to split up what you carry depending on what your Lambretta is used being for. What type of journey? What a Lambretta is used for can be split into several categories: general road use, longer distance use for…

Name: Jane Lightfoot Scooter Club: Smugglers Scooter Club – Saltburn and VCB. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: Way back when I was 13 and into the Mod scene. We use to hang out about town and the older lads and lasses would come and see us. What was your first scooter: Vespa Douglas V100 at the tender age of 15. What is your favourite style of custom scooter: I love anything from a rust rod to a fully muralled scooter. First rally or event: First event was Scarborough unofficial rally in 1984 and first National was Morecambe 1985. Any stories: My favourite story is about how I met my husband. As a 15-year-old Mod I saw Tim laid on a piece of grass at the…

“However, there is only one person who is universally accepted as ‘the greatest’ – Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, or as most of us simply know him… Ali.” Thinking about the greatest sports people of all time, several goliaths come immediately to mind in certain sports – Nicklaus, Borg, Babe Ruth, Jordan (basketball not boobs!), Phelps, Senna, Rossi, Pele, etc. the list just goes on and on. However, there is only one person who is universally accepted as ‘the greatest’ – Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, or as most of us simply know him… Ali. Now this scooter is very unlike most of the scooters I have previously featured, in that this custom (due to severe fatigue) has had to have a new frame and a complete respray since its 80s debut.…