Tabla de contenidos para November 2018 en Scootering

Wow, what a fabulous few months it’s been in the UK – definitely a summer to remember. Was it really a ‘heatwave’ or was it just a proper summer like they used to be? Whatever it was, it left me a bit more tired and a bit more skint… purely due to all those extra days and nights riding on the scooter! It’s been a great few weeks (as long as you’re not near a heath fire anyway). How nice not to go everywhere with wet weather gear piled on. Like many I kept thinking ‘it’s going to end soon’… but it just kept going, day after day, night after night, week after week. Brilliant. Usually when we get a few days of sunshine and summer weather it’s normally when…

For years the Government had been pushing stringent new laws on motorcycle and scooter riders in many different ways. The helmet law, capacity limit and so on. If there was a serious threat though that would possibly mean an end to scooters and the lifestyle many of us loved then, of course, we were going to fight it. For anyone on two wheels whatever the make then the fight with Westminster was taken up by The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG). We weren’t members of MAG but that didn’t mean you couldn’t support the cause if needed. The latest threat of legislation was the most absurd to date and the possibility was that it could force scooters off the road for good. It was something to do with leg shield protectors.…

Over the years Mersea Island’s custom show has been the place to be and be seen. Along with the IOW and Bridlington it is a hot date in the custom calendar! Many scooters have made their debut here, and in recent times it has been nice to see quite a few classics taking to the stage again. Now for most of us the custom show just simply ‘happens’ when the marquee opens its flaps late Saturday morning, but to get to this point many hours have been put in by both organisers and competitors. Sponsorship, trophies, layout, classes and even just getting the venue ready after the previous night’s frivolities all have to be sorted. So when he had a few spare minutes I grabbed one of the custom show…

Best Classic Lambretta: Golden Special – FAV 195C (Denby Central SC). Best Custom Lambretta: Red & White TS1 – XKH 270H. Best Classic Vespa: Red Vespa – 979 JRB. Best Custom Vespa: Black & Gold Armandos. Best Mod-Style: Cream Vespa – JGU 229C. Best Auto: Lambretta Ld conversion – OHU 183F. Best cut-down/chop: Black Lambretta – AAU 147. Best Engineering: Purple Lambretta conversion. Best Oddity: Rusty Vespa cut-down. Best in Show: Lambretta Series 2 KTM conversion – VRH 787W.…

Produced in early 1969, ’R205’ was one of the first DL150s to emerge from Innocenti’s Milan factory. Finished in the white and red ‘export’ scheme, it was shipped to South Africa and allocated the registration R205. The prefix denoted the registering office and ‘R’ was saved for military vehicles, making this a rare machine. In 2015, after decades in storage, R205 was auctioned along with other Lambrettas by South African Railways. Most went to Retrospective Scooters and when I saw R205 listed on their site I knew my search for an original paint GP was over. During the strip down it became obvious that it’d barely been touched since leaving the factory and there were several interesting discoveries. The loom, air scoop rubber and rear brake cable were all grey.…

Pete Edwards and Sue Coster from London Scooters. Pete: TV175 S2 ‘Mr Bojangles’. Sue: Li 125 S3 ‘Wendy Woo’. How was the ride down? Pete: Mr Bojangles is an ever-evolving scooter, I’ve just finished converting some of my spotlights to LED, and added a row of flashing mini lights to the bottom of the front rack; first proper journey since making those changes. It was a very leisurely four-hour journey, including a stop off at a Maccy D, ‘we’ had only one minor mishap on the way down.’ Sue: I lost a light off the front of Wendy Woo somewhere on the road after stopping for a break, which was a bit annoying. The other lights on the front are all still working. Wendy Woo sometimes gets called Wendy Moo,…

What are your recollections from 2002 when the original version of The Influential Factor was published? A lot of work had gone into producing The Influential Factor, after experiencing several knockbacks from various publishers I took the decision to self-publish. One of the things that I’m most pleased about when looking back was the invaluable support I had from Scootering magazine. Marketing consisted of 5000 postcards distributed around the country, three months of adverts in Scootering and great support from modculture.com. My expectations were simple enough – sell every copy and break even financially. Which is exactly what happened. In my mind, it was a success. When and why did you consider updating The Influential Factor? It has been a source of amusement, delight and astonishment that the book has…

Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man That Was Just A Noise (TNS) After 14 years of playing fast, short, abrasive punk rock, Manchester’s widely respected Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man wind up their career with this largely retrospective album. Taking tracks from across their three albums, a selection of singles and EPs, alternate mixes (including the brilliant Tim G remix of Beer For Breakfast) and a couple of new cuts, it gives a great overview of one of the best bands that the scene has thrown up this millennium. Hard edged, loud and shouty, with a healthy obsession with alcohol and Alan Partridge, ROTPM cover a lot of songs in not a lot of time, managing to cram 27 tracks into a busy 45 minutes or so, giving an impression…

In this penultimate round of the championship most classes are still to play for but could be won outright so there was plenty to race for. The Snetterton circuit in Norfolk is very much a premium circuit with some great facilities and one of its features is the ability to run various layouts, so uniquely racing each day was to be on a different track layout with Sunday featuring the 300 circuit which is almost three miles long. Saturday was dry and sunny but with a persistent wind which meant lap times may be a tad down on last year’s. Group 4 Darren Conneely was on top form in qualifying and put in a pole lap almost four seconds quicker than anyone else, but unfortunately a broken gearbox on the…

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, founder of the notorious Scooterboy World 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 LCGB ‘life member’, 100mph LambrettaClub owner and scooter restoration expert to boot. Scooter rider, rally-goer, restorer and author. Reaches the parts other scooter journalists just can’t reach. Dave Oakley Riding…

What’s the current position? Although anyone who’s ridden in Italy may find it hard to believe, members of the European Union have agreed to common standards for the issue of a driving licence. As a result a licence issued by one member state is recognised by all the others. This isn’t the case worldwide, with individual countries being free to impose regulations as they see fit. Fortunately over 140 countries, including the EU, have agreed to recognise foreign driving licences as long as they’re accompanied by an International Driving Permit (IDP) What happens after Brexit? The official position is that some sort of mutual recognition treaty will replace the current arrangements. In the worst case post-Brexit scenario, British drivers may need to obtain an IDP; however it’s a little known…

Name: Aaron Williams Job: Builders’ merchants. Scooter club & town: Oswestry – Oswestry area scooterists. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: Since I was 12 years old; when I first started to hear stories about my uncles back in 80s who were all skinheads. What is your favourite scooter model: Vespa PX (but have a soft-spot for smallframes). What is your favourite style of custom scooter: 1980s glitter flake and mural madness!! Any stories: My mate accidentally took a wrong turn onto the motorway once on his Malossi 166. He video called me the next day with a piston in his hand, which looked like a melted coke can but he is still adamant this never happened (I often remind him!). Favourite rally: Kelso for sure,…

Over the summer period, we have had an abundance of letters from avid readers, wanting to show us how much they enjoy the mag both at home and abroad! So we’ve decided to dedicate this edition to clearing the backlog of such communications, and are only sorry that we didn’t receive such similar enthusiasm from scantily clad female readers (purely in the interest of balance you understand)! Don’t worry, it’ll be back to ‘business as usual’ next month, where readers get to air their thoughts and opinions on this page. Letters&emails&correspondence&questions&personals&thank-yous&comments&more Feedback, Scootering Magazine, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 6LZ or feedback@scootering.com…

Name: Neil ‘Heppy’ Heppenstall. Job: Extraction engineer. Scooter club & town: VCB, Dewsbury. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: My dad used to make go-karts out of them in the 70s. They were always around as I was growing up… but I didn’t get one till I was 24, just to go to work on. What was your first scooter: PX125E. What is your favourite scooter model: Early Vespas up to the rally models. What is your favourite style of customer scooter: I like a sleeper, no frills but goes well. First rally or event: Bridlington. How did you get there: Vespa PX125E and slowly. Favourite rally: Always enjoyed the ride more than the do, never been into Whitby, but lovely ride there. Funniest experience with…

Name: Dave Britt from Portsmouth. Scooter: Custom Li cutdown Lambretta, Road Runner, 186 Mugello with 28mm carb, Vega legshields with trimmed side panels. How was your journey? It was a good run up from Pompey, took about an hour and a half to do the 85 miles. I stopped off in Abingdon to get a bit of breakfast on my way up, good move that was as it rained while I was stopped. And I didn’t bother bringing any waterproofs with me. What brings you to this rally? I was a member of Oxford Roadrunners back in 1979 and the early 80s. A 40th anniversary rally, I couldn’t miss it, although I’m riding back later this afternoon, (I’ve got other commitments tonight). I get to meet up with the likes…

The most unusual part of this set up is probably the 23mm Polini carb. This was chosen as it offers similar performance to the more common Dell’Orto but with modern engineering standards. It can be used with the factory air box or, if a larger tank’s fitted, an in line filter. The only downside I’ve found is that it’s sensitive to over fuelling. It’s a hard habit to break but the throttle needs to be left alone when starting. The only other snag was a dirty air filter which made starting difficult until the problem was traced.…

Let’s be honest, we all know that auto conversions are an emotive topic; people tend to love them… or hate them. The heated statements and conversations which can spring from this debate are legendary (and that’s a polite way to put it). Personally I enjoy the irony that the power-plant of choice to propel many old Lambretta frames into the 21st century is a Piaggio product, in this case one sourced from a scrapped Skipper. Its owner, Steve Apsey, is a man with little time for brand rivalry or auto haters, having owned everything from a Vespa 90 to a Scomadi 200 and most scooters in between. He’s been there, done it and got the T-shirt as far as owning and riding the various brands and models goes. “For many…

“…a display of memorabilia dating back to the start of the VCB in 1952 and a display dedicated to scooter racing with an emphasis on Wales, particularly Terry and Ian Frankland. There will also be a talk by Norrie Kerr with a question and answer session…” The final meeting at Brid is where the BSRA meeting takes place and rallies are announced for next year. Once the National rallies are confirmed, the VCB events team will work around them to put our attendance events in place for next year. As the VCB are members of the BSRA, we don’t promote events which clash with the National rallies. At present, we already have British Vespa Days at Llangollen in North Wales on August 16-18, 2019. Our other events will be put…

Yabba dabba doo! This month’s nostalgic offering is an unusual leather-bound and chopped Lambretta called Bedrock – that used to go under the name ‘Rubble Without A Cause’. Now, although the theme is light-hearted, the story behind it is both tragic yet at the same time uplifting… as present owner Vince describes for us below. I knew the original extrovert builder Ron Morgan well, and I’m sure he would be the first to congratulate Vince on his hard work and dedication to bringing this scooter back to top condition. For me this scooter, and the people who have been involved with both the original and the latest build, are what scootering should be about: friendship and loyalty! “Later that year Ron lost his battle; this news was very sad and…

As most of you are now well aware, one of our visiting scooterists, Michael Walsh of Littlehampton, was involved in an accident which claimed his life. No other vehicles were involved. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this sad time, other tributes and rideouts are being arranged as I write. On a happier note, the event which is held over the weekend of July 6-8, and the rest of the weekend went ahead as planned. On Friday scooterists started arriving around midday with quite a crowd assembled by the evening to see All Star Ska Collective play a storming set followed by music in the club house until the early hours. Saturday saw a steady stream of riders come and go with the added attraction of…

Name of scooter & reason: ‘Old School Fool’, this is the original name of the scooter, which is a good representation of me in a way so I decided to keep it! Scooter model: Vespa PX125 1982 – Douglas. Inspiration for project and theme: Just to bring it back to its former glory and the theme is 1980s glitter. Time to build & by who: Rebuilt by me and some help with the electrics from my fiancée’s uncle David. Is the scooter reliable: Yes, very (jinxed myself now!). Paintwork & murals done by: Steve Brodie. Is there any engraving: Light engraving to the flywheel cover and selector box. Do you have any advice or tech tips for anyone starting a project: Learn the theory behind anything before you apply it…

Another of this event’s main draws is the diverse music and entertainment on offer. Whether you prefer soul, ska, indie, darkside, party or even live music – all are on offer and included in the very fair entrance fee. For the last 15 years Jay Watson has been signed up, spinning the vinyl and ‘processing’ the CDs here, keeping the dance-floors packed with his infamous mixes. On his night off I caught up with him to see what had changed over the years, what could be improved and why he thought Mersea was so popular… Name: Jason ‘Jay’ Watson. Job: Dock foreman/ DJ. Scooters owned: Custom T5 Mk1 ‘Sufferer’, built 11 years ago. Also have a Lambretta GP currently stripped which will eventually be a full blown custom. Scooter Club:…

Name of scooter & reason: I don’t do names for vehicles, sorry. Scooter model: Piaggio Skipper with NSU body modified to suit Piaggio Typhoon with broken, recycled, handmade body parts. Date purchased & cost: NSU – 2015, about £110. Vespa – 2012, about £150 Inspiration for project: To improve on my standard auto Vespa VBB Rat. Any specialised parts or frame mods: Both scooters are based on modified automatic frames cut and modified to suit. Engine spec: Both engines are the same spec… Kit: 172 Mallossi. Crank: 54mm Racing. Carb: 25mm Dellorto. Exhaust: Prima – modified sterling, Vespa Lowlight – modified PM 59. Clutch: Mallossi uprated springs. Gearbox: Mallossi uprated. Dyno done by: PSN Tuning, Warren Wilkinson Racing. Describe engine performance, power delivery and scooter handling: NSU – 18bhp, smooth…

Graham’s book begins in 1949 with the arrival of what is perceived to be the first modern jazz album: Birth Of The Cool by Miles Davis. It was the same year that Bar Italia cafe opened its doors for the first time in Soho. There are first-hand interviews with the likes of John Simons, who was a clothes and style obsessive way before working as a window dresser for Cecil Gee in 1955. The Italian Collection window display of 1955 was one of the defining moments of the fledgling Mod scene. Simons went on to open his own shops and has dressed generation after generation for over 65 years. Other interviewees include Flamingo Club owner the late Jeffrey Kruger, whose iconic jazz and R&B club first opened in 1952, then…

OCTOBER 20 The Circles, and DJ Tigga at Benjamins, Halesowen B63 3HN. Tickets £7.50 phone Tigga 07854 620386. 20 Crossfire Allnighter, London, 9pm-6am @ 229 The Venue, Gt Portland St. £12. 3 rooms of musical perfection www.newuntouchables.com 20 Northallerton Soul night, 8pm-1am, Northallerton DL7 8QR raising funds for Teesside Hospice. Free parking, See FB Northallerton Soul Club for details 20 Soul Night, Northallerton, DL7 8QR Raising funds for Teesside hospice, 8pm-1am and free parking next to venue. See FB Northerallerton Soul Club for more details. 26-28 BSRA National 9, Bridlington, Trade & Custom Show NOVEMBER 1 From The Jam, Robin 2 Bilston Nr Wolverhampton. Tickets from box office 8am-8pm or www.therobin.co.uk/whats_on/giginfo.asp?gigid=5132 2-4 Southern Shakedown, full weekend of scooter tunes and live bands. Limited caravans left. Days passes always available. Winchelsea…