Author: Stuart Owen
Design: Druck Media Pvt. Ltd.
Publisher: Steve O’Hara
Published by: Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR Tel. 01507 529529
Printed by: William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton
ISBN: 978-1-911639-97-8
© 2022 Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Introduction
Quadrophenia and the mod revival helped to get the 1980s scooter scene off on a strong footing, with owners spread across the entire UK. Fashion was changing at a rapid pace and it wasn’t long before the mod scene began to fizzle out – but the scooter owners remained. The parkas and smart suits were swapped for flight jackets and military-themed attire as a new revolution was born, the age of the scooter boys. With rallies building up a head of steam and as the decade progressed these would arguably be their greatest years.
Rallies were dotted around the country as thousands of scooterists flocked to seaside resorts on bank holidays and summer weekends. Unfortunately, so did others intent on causing trouble – trying to re-enact the old mods and rockers brawls of the 1960s. The media saw it as a quick buck, sensationalising and regurgitating fading stories from the past. While it didn’t wash with those involved, it created havoc with local councils and residents who saw the typecast youth of the scooter scene as a threat. Regardless of all the court and legal issues the organisers just got on with it as the rallies got bigger and bigger.
Pride in a scooter’s appearance had always been present but the individualism went up a notch as the custom scooter took a firm grip. Now only the best paint, chrome, and engraving would do as scooters outdid any other type of machine. As the competition became more competitive and intense so too did the creations with different styles appearing on an almost weekly basis. Full-bodied, cutdowns, choppers you name it, all being developed to the highest standards by the creative minds of those who owned them.
Midway through the decade, the entrepreneurs moved in – organising bigger and supposedly better rallies than ever before. Commercialisation meant changes and it was beginning to show an ugly side which many scooterists began to turn their backs on. The rallies would survive because the attendance was still big enough but diversity by way of other events catered for those who needed something different. As the sun began to set on the 1980s it was time to take a breath and reflect on what had been the biggest decade ever within the scooter scene. Most would carry on but it would never be the same as those involved had grown older and wiser, survivors of what had happened during those ten turbulent years.
PICTURE CREDITS AND THANKS
Wally Aylott, Tom Brown, Colin Cheetham, Steven Collins, Thomas Crinigan, Paul D’Arcy, Richard Dawson (RIP), Rob Dowding, Robert Doz Doyle, Simon Farrell, Steve Foster, Howard Gibson, John Gregory, Greg Harman, Dawn Lee, Adam Lyons, Alan Masterson, Paul Meeking, Paul Morton, Steve Moss, Frank Osgerby, Rich Oswald, Mark Sargeant, Gloria Saunders, Jamie Smith, Sean Wooden and the team at Mortons Archive
Scootering in the 1980s
With the mod revival in full flow, seaside destinations became sought-after venues
