Sommaire pour May 2017 de Scootering

Well it’s been a joy getting this month’s magazine ready, and we’ve been all over the place doing it! Big Stan was getting wet on a 600 mile round jaunt to Teignmouth with the SWSC, Paul was up at Croft for the first BSSO race of the season, I was enjoying the YSA ride-out, and Stu was over at the Southport VFM pre-season rally. We’ve also received the Clacton ride out report from VCB head-honcho Robin Quartermain, and overseas correspondence from the Antwerp custom show. Not content with getting the UK miles in, Stan has been Scomadi touring in Spain, as well as covering miles on dealer visits to unearth some Spanish gems. It doesn’t stop there either… as soon as the Scarborough rally is over (which it will be…

April 21-23 Bangers & Mash MFN Club, Shipley Gate, Ilkeston, Derbyshire NG16 3JE. April 21-22 South II BTC Sports, Stoneham Lane, Eastleigh. 150 mile tour of the south’s finest scenery, hosted by the Solent Cougars SC. Please check Facebook, LCGB forum and Scooterotica as details unfold. April 23 Vespaholics SC St George’s Day Rideout. The Forester Public House, Burrow Road, Hainault IG7 4NH. April 23 York Inset SC and Bikes & Bits Annual Mods and Rockers Charity Ride. Starting from Clifford’s Tower, York. Suggested donation £5. Food available at destination. April 28-May 1 Weston-super-Mare – National Rally. May 5-7 Phoenix Nights Hinkley RFC. May 6 Doncaster Hunters SC 47th Anniversary Rally. Parklands Sports & Social Club, Wheatley Hall Road. May 6 SIP Open Day Mare-Curie-Str. 4, D-86899 Landsberg am Lech,…

“From a standard factory exhaust to a fully blown expansion pipe, the noise of one revving makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.” A scooter engine, no matter what make it happens to be, controls the engine revs or power by the throttle on the right-hand grip. With a movement of no more than half a turn, or even less on a quick action setup, the temptation to rev the engine never leaves the rider. What is this great desire that somehow takes over once the engine is started? Why do we seem obsessed with revving the living daylights out of it the second it is fired up, regardless of the inevitable consequences? I always recall the ferry docking on the way to the Isle of…

Based in the Devon Valley Holiday Village at Shaldon, just outside Teignmouth, this is the first and smallest event of the season hosted by South West Scooter Clubs (SWSC). Although day tickets were available for Saturday, weekend tickets were restricted to those staying on site, effectively limiting attendance to 650 people. Now in its second year at Devon Valley, SWSC’s reputation for hosting great value events ensured that the site had sold out within three weeks of the rally being advertised. Anyone in any doubt that scooterists were there to shake off their winter blues only had to walk around Shaldon on Friday evening. On the site most chalets and caravans seemed to be hosting their own parties while other groups had migrated into Shaldon and taken over the village…

beyond prototype. He had a flywheel in his hand and armed with some designs and a sales pitch. Tino designed Varitronic ignition for Lambrettas based on race experience and the first examples were on sale commercially from late 2003. What comprises the Varitronic system? It includes a stator plate, CDI, lighting regulator, wiring diagram, spanner and flywheel. The latter, after a few different weights, has settled at 1.85kg. Indian ones are 2.6kg. CDI and regulator are both made in Italy. The regulator runs both AC and DC, and the system delivers an output of 80W. What are the advantages of Varitronic? It allows the timing to advance at low revs giving an increase in power, and the option of backing off at higher revs which helps in avoiding engine failures.…

I imagine it’s not just me who thinks today’s music scene is pretty dire? A cursory glance at the nation’s pop charts reveals no one displaying any of the passion and energy that enlivened bands at the tail end of the 20th century. With the new kids on the block seemingly deluded by the turgid mediocrity delivered by the likes of The X-Factor, Voice, Britain’s Got Talent etc. it’s like punk never happened. But fear not, there is a revolution coming – and some of you may have had advance warning. Heading up this musical tsunami is a young man by the name of Billy Sullivan. If you haven’t heard about him and his band The Spitfires as yet – believe me, you soon will. Let me tell you a…

Richard Allen Skinhead, Suedehead, Skinhead Escapes (DSP) ISBN: 9781911095415 ISBN: 9781911095422 IBSN: 9781911579472 In recent times Old Dog publishing has resurrected the cult fiction genre and in some style. The undisputed emperor and innovator of the genre, Richard Allen, penned a total of 18 books during the 70s. First of these was Demo, it was his second book, Skinhead, that introduced anti-hero Joe Hawkins in the process capturing the attention of a generation. The Joe Hawkins character was a larger than life East End skinhead who embraced and got involved in every element of that youth culture. Subsequent Richard Allen books followed the exploits of Joe Hawkins as the Skinhead culture evolved through the Suedehead era, with Joe as something of a city slicker, and beyond. First published by…

Some had voiced fears that after such a superb 2016 where we had Italians racing the whole year, 2017 may not be the same – well they needn’t have worried. The UK’s riders have continued to up their game and we saw some amazing racing. Croft in the North East of England is a very popular fast circuit and although not the best for spectators it always provides some great racing and a mixed bag of early season weather was thrown into the recipe for the weekend. Pit lane rumblings There was a good entry level which gave the BSSO chance to split the grids in such a way as to ensure that as many people were able to get out on track as possible, and also to allow riders…

Sarge With over four decades of riding, rally-going and competing on both Lambretta and Vespa scooters under his belt, he’s still going strong. A key player in the Scootering editorial team since the 80s. Top DJ to boot. 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. Big Stan 80s scooterboy turned long distance rider. Be it local, national or international, he’ll ride anywhere in his quest to bring you the tastiest scooters, best roads, trade interviews and hidden gems. 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…

MONDIAL 3 JACKET Already tested in Spain was the Mondial 3 season jacket which promises to be “three jackets in one”. There’s the mesh ventilated main jacket, a waterproof layer which can be worn inside or out and finally removable, thermal ‘puffa’ jacket which can also be worn on its own when off the bike. From Southern Spain to rainy Devon, Stan’s already pushing the jacket to its limits. As he’s decided to wear it for a planned Italian mega trip the test seems to be going well! RRP £199 HJC FJ-ST One area no-one should compromise on is safety, particularly where a helmet’s concerned. HJC’s FJ-ST is one of only 56 helmets (most of which are no longer available) to be awarded a five-star rating in the UK Government’s…

“I remember sending a cheque in the post after buying a book from the newsagents full of accommodation adverts. All seems very quaint and a long time ago now.” Although there are more scooter events than ever taking place all year round the ‘main’ season starts at Easter for most. The traditional first rally of the year is always full of anticipation and excitement for many of us as we look forward to seeing new custom scooters that have been built over the winter along with the first chance to ride miles to meet up with scooter friends at the seaside! The tinkering and fettling that will have been taking place in sheds, garages and workshops all around the country will be there for all to see. By the time…

 Please send your scooter pictures to: Show Us Your Scooters, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 6LZ (include an SAE if you want your print returned) or email a HIGH RESOLUTION image to suys@scootering.com…

Many British scooterists are familiar with a handful of continental dealers, most of them based in Germany. Over in Europe things are very different and from small beginnings Alicante-based Recambios Motos Clásicas (RMC) has grown to be one of the largest suppliers of classic scooter spares in Spain. We sent Stan to meet its owners Israel and Charo. Classic love affair Unusually Recambios Motos Clásicas was born out of a love for motorcycles. In the UK scooter and motorcycle enthusiasts rarely cross paths, however in Spain the two are closely linked, as Israel explained: “There are some large scooter clubs in the big cities but the Spanish scooter scene is more like that of classic motorcycles in Britain. There are very few ‘lifestyle’ scooterists over here. I started my first…

Most of us dream of escaping the rat race but there's always the small matter of earning a living. For Ian and Sue Duncanson, a lifetime’s involvement with scooters and a love of southern Spain provided the obvious answer in scooter tours. Although organised motorcycle touring is big business there are limited options for scooterists, which is something Gran Tourismo Spain plans to address. Based in the village of Urcal in Andalusia, Gran Tourismo has a fleet of Scomadi 125s and offers escorted tours of the area. As Ian explained this is ideal riding country: “There’s alarge biker community around here and they’ve shown us some fantastic roads.” The combination of lesser known routes, well-maintained tarmac and quiet roads is an enticing prospect for any motorcyclist. Include almost guaranteed sunshine,…

They say that you can’t polish a turd, and no matter which way I looked at the Vespa GTS I couldn’t get past the ‘It ain’t a GP’ phase – but I still wanted one! For years I’ve treated my GP to every trick part available, 37 modifications in the last 25 years! Now don’t get me wrong, I ain’t ever getting rid of my GP, but my days of riding to the IoW sat on a Snetterton seat wearing a flight jacket and Doc shoes are over, my old body just won’t take it. It is also said that a Lambretta, correctly set up and maintained, will be as reliable as a Vespa. Hands up who believes that? Fat chicks Okay, it’s an auto and I must admit this…

Rome, capital of Italy The latest stats show some 4.5 million people living there today and if you’re trying to make your way through its streets it feels like twice as many. From dawn till dusk the city’s asphalt, stretching in all directions like the tentacles of an octopus, is choked with cars. Attempting to go from A to Bon four wheels can quickly get you hot under the collar – so the best way to explore is astride a scooter. Threading your way through Roman roads on a Vespa, glorious sunshine beaming down, can be one of the finest experiences known to scootering. One minute you’re brushing against the Pyramid in Testaccio, the next you’re parking up 200m from the Collosseum or sitting down to have a drink in…

Cutting corners now will make the restoration look poor or unfinished and there is no excuse for being complacent. The fine attention to detail will not only mean the machine stands out but will make you proud of what you have achieved. There is a strange feeling when you take your Lambretta out for the first time since it has been restored. On the one hand, it is a proud moment as the machine goes down the road possibly decades after it last did so. On the other hand, it can be a scary feeling as you listen out for any untoward noises as everything starts to bed in properly. Don’t worry about it too much because if you have managed to get this far you will be more than…

Many people can claim a complete self-build but Andy Newman took the concept one step further by building his own sandblasting booth for the job. “I restored the whole thing myself, engine build, electrics, spraying, panel beating, even the sand blasting. The only body part that is new is the front mudguard. Everything else was on the scooter when I bought it, some bits might not be 100% GP, but I am happy with that,” he says. Andy bought the Italian GP in 1989 and used it for a couple of years on rallies before laying it up around 1993. There was still love for the old machine which moved around the country with Andy several times, finally stopping in Guernsey. Then winter restoration started with the intention of attending…

As we were going to press the Mayor of London announced his intention to extend London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to include motorcycles (and therefore scooters) that do not meet Euro 4 emission standards. If the plans are implemented adaily charge of £12.50 will be levied to enter the capital from Monday, April 8, 2019. It’s almost certain that the ULEZ will proceed as planned, however Transport For London’s own data shows that motorcycles account for 0% of harmful nitrogen oxide emissions. If enough people object to the inclusion of motorcycles in the plans, perhaps pointing out that the charge is both disproportionate and unnecessary to the harm caused versus the potential two wheelers have for reducing congestion, the Mayor of London MAY just change his mind on that…

“The reality is, there is no direct correlation between the number of miles you ride, and how much of a ‘real’ scooterist you are” On the off chance that any of you were paying attention last month, you may remember that I posed the question ‘what is it about the scooterboy scene of the early Eighties that makes it unique among youth cults?’ and promised you an answer this month: Of all the fashions and scenes which have been and gone, as far as I can see, only the scooterboy one hasn’t been pillaged by commercial interests. Think about it for a minute, name me a trend, and I’ll show you where it’s been popularised and commercialised. Mod? How many do you want? In film, TV and clothes shops, they…

“There’s more to life than custom paint jobs and cylinder kits, there’s more to life than rallies and club do’s, or boasting about how many miles you’ve ridden.” Some of the more dedicated readers will remember my ramblings about the house warming party a while back. However, with that being almost two years ago, it felt like time to get the YGSC crew round to have another celebration. With Lydia turning 21 this year, what better excuse was there for an almighty club and family get together? Although the previous occasion was very different, many of the themes are similar between the two different events. There’s something rather humbling about friends, young and old(er), travelling the length of the country to attend an event of a personal nature. There’s something…

For many who came up through the rally scene of the early to mid-Eighties, the P Range Vespa was the regular rally-goers’ tool of choice. Not as posey as a Lambretta, as niche as an older Vespa or as quirky as a Zundapp. They turned up at seaside towns in their thousands, clocking up hundreds of miles to get there, rarely missing a beat as they did. They were the scooterboy’s workhorse, machines that were bought in their tens of thousands, and ones that became something of an addiction to many of us as time went by. While some of us know we can give up at any time, Mike has embraced the monkey on his back with both hands (not easy, when you think about it!) and set about…

APRIL 20-24 Skamouth, Vauxhall Holiday Park, Gt Yarmouth. NR30 1TB 21-22 South Run II, 150 mile tour of some of the Souths finest scenery. Hosted by the Solent Cougars SC. To be held at BTC Sports, Stoneham lane, Eastleigh. Please check FB, LCGB forum & Scooterotica as details unfold. 21-23 Bangers & Mash, MFN Club, Eastwood, Notts., UK, NG16 3JE. £15 adv/£20 otd. www.facebook.com/events/754407144695873 or Dean 07901 578123 22 Irish Scooterist Egg, run. Meet Bray seafront for 12.30 departure to Red Cow, Dublin. 23 Vespaholics SC St Georges Day, ride out. Leaving High Beach at midday, ride through the lanes and onto M & B Sports Club, Dagenham Rd, Romford RM7 0QX. Trophies, Music & Dealers Stalls. 23 Cambridge SC, St Georges Day, ride out. 11am from Cambridge United FC,…

This month Well I was hoping to get onto ‘something wheelie interesting’ – SIP tubeless rims and tyres vs Pinasco tubeless rims with Dunlop ScootSmart tyres. However, last month’s Malossi 210 fitting threw up some fuelling issues, so we had to conquer that first. As it goes, two 210 Vespa owners were also getting dyno attention that day – Wayne and Stef. Stef’s had one of the most common component mismatches that I see on that particular kit, so I’ve delayed the wheelie interesting stuff, while we deal with the 210 anomalies. Malossi 210 refresher Last month, for our test machine, we used what I would call ‘a fairly common Vespa’ which is a bog-standard P200, with 24/24 carb and an aftermarket pipe. On his machine, Wayne had removed the…

The two-stroke cylinder contains various ducts and passageways referred to as ports. These ports have a range of specifications in terms of height, width, corner radius, area, floor/roof and side angles. All of these play a role in the design of the cylinder, more so than people generally realise. For the purpose of this exercise, the focus is on just two types of port, the exhaust port and the adjacent transfer ports. This is to show the effects of measuring an exhaust port that sits high in the bore which has clearer visual access than a lower transfer port which is difficult to see and considerably smaller in size. Donor engine Our model was a unit with an aftermarket 62mm stroke crankshaft with a 120mm con rod, and a stock…

Certain types of film have always been favoured as themes by the scootering fraternity: The Warriors, Clockwork Orange and of course the Mad Max series for example. The latter has spawned not just one but three memorable Vespa 80s customs. Having the same basic theme did not dilute their appeal though, the owners actually spurred each other on in the spirit of friendly rivalry with ideas and artwork. Road Warrior has remained with owner/builder Tony for over three decades, and still, for me, is one of the best finished machines of all time. Owner/nickname: Tony Lewis – Napoleon Solo/ Robert Vaughan. Apparently I looked like him when I had hair, cheers for that Dave Tommo Tomlins. Hometown: Shrewsbury Scooter club: Solo Scooter name: Road Warrior Theme and why: Mad Max…