Sommaire pour March 2024 de Scootering

Last year the legend that is Norrie Kerr floated the idea of a event to celebrate the golden era that was the Isle of Man Scooter Week. The dates have now been set as June 25 to July 2 and it looks like being a corker. The original suggestion was to host something in Derby last year but, unfortunately, time and budget were against that idea. Instead, a decision was made to move the meeting to the IoM in 2024. As Norrie explained: “The general concept is a get-together on the Isle of Man for riders and competitors and return to Druidale, Tholt-Y-Will, Port Soderick Hill Climb, Ramsay Sprint and other notable scooter venues on the island. We also intend to support the biennial Manx Scooter Weekend Rally, June 28-30.…

Too Much Too Young – Daniel Rachel Ladies and gentlemen of the scootering world, I give you what must truly be the definitive account of the rise and fall of what was then the most successful British record label, the UK’s answer to Tamla Motown: 2 Tone Records. Author Daniel Rachel is no stranger to writing on the topic of the ska explosion of the late Seventies and early Eighties. His previous works included helping the late Ranking Roger with his autobiography and an exploration of the Red Wedge musical movement that included much of the 2 Tone roster. I can’t help but feel that this detailed account of the tale of 2 Tone is going to be his peak. Incredibly well researched to the point of obsessiveness, with many…

The piss pot helmet hanging in Dad’s shed always hinted at a two-wheeled past, but it was Mum’s joyous retelling of a story that illustrated his Yorkshire frugality that revealed it had been a Lambretta. In the early to mid-1960s my mum and dad travelled everywhere by Lambretta; they weren’t club riders but Dad certainly enjoyed the freedom of two-wheeled transport, more so because it appealed to his inherent Yorkshire frugality. I think Mum was less keen and when she fell pregnant with me it was the ideal opportunity to force a four-wheeled upgrade. After Mum announced that she would no longer ride pillion, Dad was dispatched to find something more suited to his impending fatherhood. The story as told saw Dad return triumphantly with a decrepit old Ford van…

PRACTICAL SCOOTERING TECH TIPS Under pressure Dear Rhodz,Every forum I look at, it seems like someone’s going on about tyre pressures. I’ve always managed mine by feel so are they really that important?Laura,Leeds Hi Laura As a rule, tyres should be checked once a week; we are all guilty of neglecting this little duty (I know I am). So why must we check them if they look all right? The first checks are visual; are there any worrying signs of cracking or damage, and how is my tread depth? In short, am I legal? We must also check we have the correct tyre pressures as changes in temperature affect the air pressure (a cold tyre will show a different reading to the same tyre 20 miles down the road). Next,…

PRACTICAL SCOOTERING TECH TIPS Part 4 Tuning the 125cc engine was an interesting exercise, as we increased the top speed by 20% and overall power output by 28%, which was very pleasing and translated well from the dyno to the road in terms of real-world results. We went from a top speed of 51mph up to a new top speed of 61mph, and improved 0-45mph acceleration times by 3.5 seconds. The new power output inspired far more confidence when out on the open road where we’re now able to keep up with traffic and not lose so much speed up hills or into headwinds. A fabulous result on a ‘bang for buck’ tuning package. The next tuning step will involve moving over to a 180cc big-bore kit, a remap…

It was back in 1964 that the whole Mods and Rockers ‘thing’ started. The clean and the dirty became sworn enemies and the main battlegrounds became the south coast beaches although the pubs, streets and alleyways of any UK city or town had its own small skirmishes. In the 1979 revival times those battles and rivalries reappeared. Even in sleepy old Grantham there was a Hells Angels incident where a shotgun was drawn from a motorbike sidecar, and I remember being somewhat petrified riding to Great Yarmouth rally hearing through the grapevine that the Rockers would be waiting at Long Sutton to attack and knock us off. They were there but thankfully just shouted at our closely packed convoy! I went to a friend’s birthday disco (remember them?) and although…

After a brave battle with illness, Dave Gould died in late January. A member of the Blazing Glory Scooter Club from Loughborough, he was one of the most well-known and respected characters in the scooter scene. A devoted rider, he would take his Lambretta to rallies year in and year out across the country and into Europe. Such was his devotion to the cause since the 1980s it has been almost impossible to go to a national rally without bumping into him. More than that, he was a very likeable and friendly person who had time for anyone, always stopping for a chat, ready to make you laugh, and always on hand if you needed help. It was in his nature to ensure those he travelled with were always okay,…

The Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) has recently published sales figures for December, and the full year of 2023 for new motorcycle, scooter and other L-Category vehicles. The December market closed at 5236 registrations, taking the full year-to-date volumes to just over 113,500 units,-2.5% compared with 2022. While this represents a small decline, the market continues to be incredibly robust when compared with other retail sectors. Unlike the automotive sector, which has seen large swings in year-on-year volumes over the past three to five years, it is encouraging to see the L-Category sector remaining consistent, more predictable, and therefore a trustworthy market to do business in. As we enter a year of further economic challenges, the industry is confident it can successfully navigate these challenges, while at the same time…

★ STAR LETTER ★ Carry On Abroad Hi Stan,Eight of us are travelling to Normandy in June and we’re getting conflicting advice on what documents we need to take with us. Personally I’m on a 1961 S2 and in the UK I’m tax and MoT exempt. We’re unsure where we stand on this issue so any advice would be great. Ian Sheppard Hi Ian,Firstly, have a great time, riding in Europe is a fantastic experience. People do get worried about the different regulations but one of our regular contributors is a frequent visitor to France, both riding and taking two-wheelers by van; on 90% of the trips he has no hassle whatsoever. The main problems are around the ports, particularly when he’s paid for a ticket at the booth; it…

Best laid plans etc… we sent the bodywork off to paint an edition or so ago, with the promise of a quick turnaround. Unfortunately, we hadn’t considered the Christmas shutdown and then our mate Rich at Hobnob Racepaints in Barnsley, who was doing the job for us, was struck down with Covid. So, all in all, we ended up with a month’s delay in getting the chassis back. However, we’re now back on track and it’s time for the rebuild! One of the last snagging jobs we still need to do is to paint the stand. We did the forks and front hub before Christmas, but inadvertently forgot the stand, so we need to satin black that also. Then we need to mask off all the little holes on the…

Paul Green had a chat with Russ about his sprinting exploits before his YouTube stardom. PG: Where did all this sprinting malarkey come from? RS: Well, I was in the pub talking foolishly with Dom. I had been doing a little bit of sprinting for fun and we were talking about Top Speed events. I’d seen Richard Baker’s records of 105/106 and I thought, well that seems easy – obviously I know now it isn’t! I had Shedtune 78 and tried to make it streamlined. Chalky White was going to sort me an engine but for various reasons and his BSSO commitments it wouldn’t be ready in time, so I stuck a TS1 in it and had a go. Of course it was nowhere near quick enough but we had…

The Lambretta tuning lark was beginning to get tedious because progress was so slow, but it was hardly surprising when you looked at the evidence. Relying on old tuning books that read like ancient manuscripts or a piece of hearsay from an old boy down the pub who managed an extra 2mph out of his BSA Bantam wasn’t very scientific. If anything, because of our lack of knowledge combined with the rubbish we were told it was making the damn thing slower. Carlo and I had 200cc Lambrettas by now, and the novelty of a small boost in power from fitting a bigger carb and exhaust had long since worn off. We did the odd messing about with polishing ports and skimming heads, but it was hardly noticeable when done,…

Q. I have just settled my compensation claim. My solicitor has mentioned to me the possibility of putting the money in a personal injury trust. I don’t really understand what it is or why I should do this. This information is provided by Stephen Hattersley, of WildWood Legal, a firm of solicitors specialising in claims for injured scooterists. Stephen, a qualified solicitor for 25 years, has been riding scooters for more than 30 years and has acted for injured riders across the UK. He knows the tricks and pitfalls that insurers use and pulls no punches in his dealings with them. He rides to work every day and understands the challenges you face out there. A. A personal injury trust is something which can, in certain circumstances, be set up…

RST Pro Series Paragon 7 men’s textile jacket RST has a reputation for quality and value and this latest incarnation of its Paragon jacket continues that tradition. The Pro Series Paragon 7 has been elevated and developed with an improved fit, extra ventilation, upgraded armour to Level 2, redesigned removable throat coat and additional chest protector pockets. The RST Paragon model has rightly earned its reputation as a true four-season performer; we’ve tested plenty of gear over the years and RST consistently comes out on top. Available with or without hi-vis inserts and in sizes S to 6XL, there’s bound to be a fit that suits! ■ RRP £259■ www.rst-moto.com Ladies’ suit The Oxford Spartan ladies’ suit is perfect for those on a budget, and is designed to suit the…

170cc Lambretta TV175 An elegant scooter of great merit: high standard of comfort, handling, braking and hill climbing. First class weather protection, fuel economy, ease of handling, a brisk performance and attractive lines are qualities essential to a scooter; they are possessed in good measure by the sparkling latest addition to the Lambretta range, the 170cc, TV175. The new model, which made its public bow at last December’s Milan Show, differs in several notable respects from its 123cc and 148cc stablemates. Most significant innovations are that the cylinder of the two-stroke engine-transmission unit is horizontal and that the primary drive is partly duplex chain. The output shaft of the four-speed gearbox forms the rear-wheel stub axle. The wheels are of 10in diameter and are shod with 3.50in section tyres. Styling…

WIN a smart ScooteringT-shirt with your photo For your chance to win a stylish Scootering magazine T-shirt, email your HI-RES pics to: suys@scootering.com and the least crap snap wins! For full terms and conditions, visit: www.scootering.com/comptc DATA: Protection of your personal data is important to Mortons. Your data will be stored securely and only be used for the purpose of processing the competition and notifying the winners. Data will then be destroyed. Least crap snap…

South coast Mods, but not the coast you’re probably thinking of… As a teenager in Waterford during the early 80s, being interested in photography and having a job at the chipper in Tramore provided me with a perfect opportunity to capture moments of the Mod scene during those summers. Looking back now it was wonderful to be able to document the culture and create a poster featuring one of the photographs. It’s incredible to think that something created all those years ago is still of interest today. The passage of time can often give a unique perspective on historical moments and subcultures, and it’s fantastic that it has endured and continues to resonate with people. The Mod subculture, with its distinctive fashion, music and lifestyle, is an essential part of…

The Baldet Dealer Specials that are now so sought after and cherished came about purely by chance after Andre visited the Douglas factory in Kingswood, Bristol in 1957. He noticed six Vespa Continental 150cc models that had recently been imported from Piaggio and purchased all of them. One of them had suffered some damage to the original white paintwork, so once the machines were at his Northampton dealership, he asked his own painter to do a quick repair job on it using some black paint that the company used for painting bicycles. Pleased with the result, he then painted the rest of the Continentals in a range of different colours and added the now famous Arc-en-Ciel badge, meaning ‘rainbow’ in French, to the legshields. From The Mountain From then on…

With the Lambretta cylinder kit marketplace being at saturation point, it’s quite rare to get an old-school cast-iron porting job through the door these days, which is exactly what happened recently. A customer, Barry, popped in with his 175cc cast-iron powered Lambretta, running original carb and airbox, along with a lower end expansion pipe. The concern he had was that although he could get his little scooter up to a speed that he was satisfied with (customer indicated circa 60mph – I’d say, based on dyno results, plus accompanying racks/spare wheels, screens etc, that it would be closer to a GPS 50mph) that when he hit a hill of any kind it would lose speed like someone had strapped a parachute to the scooter, and then it would cut out…

PRACTICAL SCOOTERING TECH TIPS Part 4 While simultaneously running tech articles on Lambretta, Vespa and Royal Alloy scooters, I’ve become acutely aware of how nice it is to work on an almost new machine (the Royal Alloy) and a factory-led production machine (Vespa), when compared with the ageing and almost hand-built affair that is the Lambretta. Almost every bolt I turn is either threaded, sheared off or stuck in place. Each brand-new component I offer up seems to misalign or not quite fit and somehow needs fettling; it’s the nature of the brand we know and love, but by heck, it’s bloody frustrating! Worse than that, it’s time-consuming. Fiddling around with broken old bits and difficulties in aligning and fitting new bits just soaks up the hours in the…

How to use the guide We’ve divided the market first by capacity, and then alphabetically within each category. We can’t possibly give values for every classic scooter, there are far too many variables for that, but we have included data for three of the most common machines; a Vespa smallframe, Vespa PX and Lambretta GP200. These should allow comparisons between ‘then and now’ and help anyone switching from classics to modern scooters, or vice versa. We’ve started with models from the usual suspects but over time we’ll be adding more models to widen the range of information available to you. The data Most of the data is taken from manufacturers’ websites. This can vary between manufacturers depending on what methods are used to test their machines. For example the type…

Paul Kench knows that feeling very well. With that in mind he decided to develop a custom scooter dedicated to those wonderful times and we asked Stu Smith to find out more. How and when did you get into scooters? “When I had a Yamaha FS1E I had two pals who were riding Vespa 50 Specials, even though it was faster than their scooters I always thought their scooters looked better. So as soon as I turned 17 I bought a Vespa PX150 and I’ve never looked back since.” Tell me about this scooter. “It’s based on a PX125 I bought in 2015. When I got it I hadn’t ridden a scooter for more than 10 years so as soon as I got it home I took it out for…