August/September 2013 Editor: Mau Spencer 01507 529408 Email: mauspencer@classicscooterist.com Group production editor: Tim Hartley Publisher: Steve Rose Contributors: Rich Addison; James Belcher; Henry Byer; Dave Dry; Iggy: Ashley Lenton; Paul Martin; Phillip Tooth; Alan Turner; Andy Westlake; Steve Wright. Apologies to anyone we’ve forgotten. Some of the articles within these pages express the opinions of the contributors and are not necessarily those of Classic Scooterist. Design: Sarah Scrimshaw Reprographics: Simon Duncan Divisional advertising manager: Sandra Fisher sfisher@mortons.co.uk Advertising: Sarah Mitchell-Savage 01507 524004 smitchellsavage@mortons.co.uk Subscription manager: Paul Deacon Circulation manager: Steve O’Hara Marketing manager: Charlotte Park Production manager: Craig Lamb Publishing director: Dan Savage Commercial director: Nigel Hole Associate director: Malc Wheeler Managing director: Brian Hill Editorial address: CLASSIC SCOOTERIST MAGAZINE PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ www.scooteristscene.com General queries and back issues: 01507 529529 (24hr answerphone) Archivist: Jane Skayman 01507 529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk Next issue (93) published: September 18, 2013 Editorial deadline: August 29, 2013 CLASSIC SCOOTERIST (ISSN:1756-9494) is published bi-monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK . USA subscriptions are $36 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Postmaster: Send address changes to CLASSIC SCOOTERIST, Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595 Email: chris@classicbikebooks.com www.classicbikebooks.com Distribution: COMAG Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE USA subscriptions: $30 per year (Six bi-monthly issues) available from Motorsport, 31757 Honey Locust Road, Jonesburg MO 63351-9600m USA Periodicals postage is paid at Jonesburg MO. Tel. 636-488-3113. Fax 636-488-3196 Printed by: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton © Mortons Media Group. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission.
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CLASSIC SCOOTERIST – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013
30 S2 TV175 rustoration project
24 A new beginning
34 Simson – an East German gem
Cunningham’s race tribute SX 38 Ian
48 The Swallow collection
What’s in a name? While putting this issue together, I came across a rally report which contained a full list of acknowledgements to the scooter clubs concerned; this set me thinking about the names that scooter clubs give themselves and the reasoning behind them. Clubs seem to fall into different categories: Tramps, Stowaways, Nomads all give the impression that these club members are rebels of sorts. Vespaholics, Martini, Inn Crowd – well, they obviously like a drink or two – or three – or four, while others like Coasters, or Steady Plod are probably more laid-back. There are also the loyalist band of brothers type clubs with names like Patriots, Collective and Alliances. All of this leads me to ask
you what is the name of your club and does its name reflect your lifestyle? For my own part, since the 1960s I’ve always been a Saint (well, of course – what else) – at least I was a Saint until I moved to Lincolnshire, where I’m now just one of a Generation of scooterists (okay, an older generation one). So what’s the strangest named (or should I say uniquely named) club that you’ve ever belonged to? Why not let us know?
See you on the Isle
By the time you read this, I’ll be off on my hols – the first real holiday that I’ve taken in the last 15 years – and it’s long overdue. Why am I telling you this? Well, just in case you try and contact me and don’t get a reply – or
even worse – you do manage to contact me and incur a large international phone bill in the process. I’ll be resurfacing just in time for the Isle of Wight scooter rally, so maybe I’ll run into you there.
www.classicscooterist.com
40 Norman Ronald
Mau interviews ‘Stormin’ Norman’ to find out more about life as a 1960s sportsman
Tessera’s 52 Vittorio scooter museum
73 Back with Mods
76 BSSO circuit racing highlights
7 What’s new?
30 ‘I hate blue, but it’ll do’
60 Rallies and rideouts
IN DETAIL
A round-up of the latest gossip and gadgets
12 Rated or hated?
New products on test
13 Win £150 of Hotfuel clothing In our free-to-enter competition
16 Book reviews
A look at some of the scooter-related books recently published
19 Mailbox
Readers express their views, ask questions and show us their pictures
Kirk Wattis and his Series 2 TV175
34 Simson Schwalbe
An iconic East German scooter
38 Race-inspired Lambretta Ian Cunningham’s tribute SX
40 Stormin’ Norman
The life and times of Norman Ronald
46 Back in the day
An alternative use for your Lambretta?
48 Swallow scooters
– and a sports car too!
A roundup of all the latest scooter events
73 Talkin’ ’bout My Generation More news from the younger scooterists
76 BSSO scooter racing
The latest circuit race reports
80 Scooter clubs
Meet and greet your local club
82 What’s going on?
A guide to planning your riding season
24 A new beginning
52 Il Museo
86 Scooterist classifieds
26 The largest scooter jigsaw ever
56 Grasstracker revival
90 Not my favourite scooter
A touching, out-of-the-ordinary tale
Stuart McNeill and his Baldet Vespa
mauspencer@classicscooterist.com
The Milan scooter museum Our scooter rustoration comes to an end
For all your wants and needs
What’s your least liked machine? classic scooterist – august/september 2013
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YOU’VE GOT MAIL!
Classic Scooterist, PO BOX 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ mauspencer@classicscooterist.com Fax: +44 (0)1507 529495
Lambretta SX225 bought from Speedway of Acton
Manual perpetuates a valve stem problem
Hi Mau, Having just purchased the Haynes Manual for the Lambretta, a book that must be at least 40 years late, I would like to make a negative comment on an otherwise good book. In section 6.19, para.16, there is a note that says, ‘45º valve stems were subsequently made available, thus preventing the front tyre valve stem coming in contact with the fork link bolts’. Very sound advice, as fitting the 90º valve stemmed tubes – these are meant for Vespas – could have potentially fatal consequences to the rider in event of these tubes instantly deflating and causing an accident when the valve parts company with the tube. Sadly, the pictures in this book (including the one opposite the text) show close-ups of a Lambretta front wheel display with a tyre fitted with these highly questionable 90º valves. The problem with photographic reference books of this type is that there’s a tendency to look at the pictures and gloss over the text. Because of this Haynes is, presumably unwittingly, perpetrating an ongoing and potentially lifethreatening problem associated with the maintenance of the Lambretta scooter.
Dave
Buckingham Palace ride
Hi Mau, Here’s a few pictures of my SX225, which originally came from Speedway of Acton. The paintwork was apparently ‘blown over’ between ’66 and ’71, although the original paint is still underneath. It has a very early frame number (***101 in production) and has been laid since 1974. I entrusted Dez Askill to get it back on the road, but under firm instructions to leave the bodywork as it was. As you will spot in the background, I do have several other scoots, mainly Vespas (Rods, G, GL2, GS150s, etc). The bug has certainly taken hold! Darren Bradbury mauspencer@classicscooterist.com
Dear Mau, Bar Italia’s annual ride, organised by Nick Robbins, took place on Saturday, May 25, 2013. Just over 300 scooters gathered at the meeting place – Carnaby Street, London. The original plan was to hold a minute’s silence for soldier Lee Rigby but unfortunately this was prevented by the noise of the nearby roadworks. However, John Car (Scooters Galore) and myself did hold a collection in his memory. We raised £102.28 which will be sent to his widow via the Royal Battalion of Fusiliers. On behalf of the Foresters SC we’d like to thank all those who contributed, which included fans of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund who had taken over the capital that day for the European Cup Final... Martin Heath Foresters SC CLASSIC SCOOTERIST – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013
19
YOU’VE GOT MAIL! 1960 Panther Princess
Foresters’ annual 400 mile round trip to Bruges
Hello Mau, I am looking for someone to restore my Princess. Villiers Services is prepared to overhaul the engine and transmission unit, but do you know anyone who would be interested to complete the cycle and tinware? Edwin We have already put Edwin in touch with various contacts we have, but as yet he has been unsuccessful in finding somebody willing to take on the work. If you know of anyone who might be able to help, then contact mauspencer@classicscooterist.com
My name’s Charlotte Watmough and I’m writing to you with regards to my dad and his scooter club (Foresters). The club have just returned from a 400 mile round trip to Bruges via Flanders Fields and Holland. They were looked after by the Oostende Vespa Club
(this is an annual trip for the Foresters). Charlotte Watmough Yes, Charlotte, we are well aware of The Foresters and have regular contact with a number of club members.
Vespa tyre removal well within the scope of non-mechanically-minded owner Hi Mau and/or Scooterguru, As far as the classic scooters are concerned (GS160 / SS180 in my case) one of my least looked-forward-to tasks is splitting the hubs and removing the tyres. Even though no rust is present the effort required is diabolical. I read somewhere that levering it off with a claw hammer eases the pain, but in my case it didn’t help much, but it did badly damage the inner surface of the rim. Are you aware of an easy solution to this problem?
Peter Caseley Holland
We advised:
Never the easiest job, but within the scope of a non-mechanically-minded owner, although a bit of brute strength is needed. The SS/GS 160 rims are equally dished per side, unlike the one third/two third split of other Vespa models. Let’s assume that the rims are in reasonable, non rusty, condition and that part of the exercise is to change the tyre and not to do damage to the painted surface of the rim in the process. 1: Deflate the tube, squeezing all the air out by squeezing the tyre casing. 2: Release the rim nuts and pull open the rim halves to expose the deflated tube. Pull the tube envelope out from between the rim halves and wriggle the valve of the tube from its fixed position. This can be awkward, but can be achieved.
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CLASSIC SCOOTERIST – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013
3: Place the tyre/rims on the floor (on a piece of carpet to save the rims). Stand on the tyre and press down hard against the tyre walls – if you’re lucky, this will force the tyre into the centre of the rim halves and off the rims. 4: If you’re unlucky, a method of freeing the death grip of the tyre from the rim is needed – try the plastic tyre levers as sold in a cycle shop. Work these levers into the gap between the rim edge and the tyre bead section by section. This is where a bit of brute strength is needed. This should break the immediate seal of the tyre bead to the rim and not damage the paintwork. 5: Place the tyre in the jaws of a vice (soft jaw inserts are preferable if you don’t want to damage the tyre wall). Pull the rims so the tyre is forced away from the rim edge – rotate the tyre section by section in the vice. 6: If the above is not working alternate items 4 and 5 as you go. The application of WD-40 can help to lubricate the tyre/rim interface and release any paint bond, but does make the tyre difficult to grip. 7: As the tyre gives up its death grip, repeat item 3 until the tyre can be pulled off by hand. In the case of rusty rims – the inside surface of steel rims are prone to rusting badly – substitute a metal tyre lever or a heavy duty screwdriver. This will inevitably damage any paint and,
probably, the tyre bead as well. The rim halves will need repainting after this and a new tyre will be in order. In really bad cases of rusty rims, a method of cutting the tyre bead might be tried after cutting off the tyre casing. If you reach this stage, you really need new rims!
Peter replied:
I tried your suggestions and eventually managed to get the tyres off the rims, but a struggle nevertheless. My rims are thickly powder-coated, so no doubt this exacerbates the problem. I got the rim half without the threaded studs off first. I then tackled the half with the five studs and while leaping up and down on it, swearing profusely, I had a flash of genius – somebody must surely have had this problem before, since I’m not a genius. Instead of laying the tyre flat on the floor, I thought my weight might be more efficiently employed if the rim was supported on something solid instead of the bouncy tyre, so I made five 5cm long pillars from 2in wooden dowling and drilled 8mm diameter holes in the ends of each one (about 10 minutes work in total) so that the dowels could be slipped over the studs and kept in place by friction. Hey presto, the tyre was off in about five leaps! I can’t wait for my next puncture so I can try something of similar principal on the unseparated rims.
Peter
www.classicscooterist.com
It’s gonna work out fine
A NEW BEGINNING 24
CLASSIC SCOOTERIST – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013
www.classicscooterist.com
I’ve heard a few reasons for building a custom scooter, but the story behind this one is quite touching and a little bit out of the ordinary. It also gave the scooter its perfectly apt name, A New Beginning.
F
amily is important to many of us and it’s fair to say that over the last few years Gren Lyons (this scooter’s owner) and his family have been through the mill. Gren’s son, Johnny went off the rails a bit; like many of us he enjoys a drink, but he’s also got an addictive personality and ended up battling drink and drug addiction. It was a never-ending spiral of self destruction, one that was hard to get out of and despite still only being aged 30, the lad has gone through plenty of turmoil, putting his parents, friends and family through it as well. Luckily he reached a turning point a year ago and spent seven and a half months in rehab. Johnny not only got his life back on track but he’s also helping others with their addictions too, plus he’s got his family back on side. Johnny told us: “When I used to go out on the beer, I’d finish work on a Friday lunchtime and wouldn’t come back until Monday morning, I’d be drinking Tennents Super at 8am and just couldn’t stop, then the coke would come out. It’s like an obsessional thing. It got to the point where I was really bad, but rehab helps to put things into perspective, it’s a learning experience. I do a lot of work for Narcotics Anonymous now; I chair meetings in a few towns to help others and my programme is one of complete abstinence, I even gave up smoking while in rehab and that was harder than giving up the beer! I’ve been clean for a year now and won’t ever be able to drink again so I’m having to find other hobbies to keep me busy.” This 1961 Lambretta Li Series 3 has been in the Lyons family for a decade or so. It
mauspencer@classicscooterist.com
belonged to Johnny’s cousin, but he wrecked it and ended up selling it to Johnny’s uncle who had plans to do it up, but they never really materialised. Gren had scooters back in the day (Johnny had a J range Lambretta as well a few years ago) and fancied reliving his youth, so he bought it and decided he wanted to have it built to reflect some of the many influences and important things in his life. Music has always played a huge part, Gren loves many bands that have been associated with the scooter scene, The Jam, The Who, Small Faces, Kinks and Madness to name just a few. As mentioned before, he’s also a proud family man so wanted to incorporate as much as he could into the design. Midlands-based Jubilee Scooters was entrusted with bringing the tired old machine back to life, so it was stripped and the bodywork was repaired where needed before Mark and Jon at Jubilee could begin working Gren’s ideas into the paintwork. Look around the scooter and there are various band names
ghosted into the paint, there are also records and imagery that hold a special place in Gren’s heart. The sidepanels are probably the most obvious, each side features a hand painted mural of his two young grandsons, Cohen and Ryley; in fact, apart from the striking green basecoat, all the signwriting and scroll work is hand painted using traditional techniques. Hand painting (as opposed to airbrushing) gives a raw edge to the work and for me it enhances it. The number 61 on the panels is the year Gren was born and his favourite ever record, Band of Gold is also immortalised on the headset top; there’s also a Two-Tone logo and a Mod style roundel on the front legshields (albeit not done in the usual colours). Like many returning scooter riders, Gren also wanted to bling-up his scooter in the traditional style and he’s certainly gone to town with the mirrors, 28 in total, plus a smattering of lights. The 125 engine was kept standard and sent off to local scooterist, Hodge, for a rebuild; then Jubilee rebuilt the scooter ready for the new season to begin. Gren is so proud of how Johnny has turned his life around that he decided to give the scooter to his prodigal son, but Johnny said: “I couldn’t accept it; it’s his scooter and has his favourite bands on. I’m going to get another one and we’ll restore it together, but mine will be based on the Stone Roses, Oasis, that kind of thing.” Both dad and lad were waiting to take their CBT test when we called around to take the photos, so the scooter couldn’t be ridden, but they’ll both be on the road by the time you read this. Johnny seems determined to keep on the straight and narrow; he’s not a bad lad, just somebody who enjoyed a good time, but didn’t know when to stop. Thankfully he’s been given the chance of a new beginning and still has a close knit loving family around him. His love of scooters may just help to keep him on the straight and narrow, but scootering itself can also be addictive, so the garage may not be big enough... Words and images: Iggy CLASSIC SCOOTERIST – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013
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Gimme Dat Ding
AN EAST GERMAN GEM
If someone was to mention Schwalbe, you might automatically think they were referring to tyres – but did you know there’s also a Schwalbe scooter?
T
he Schwalbe scooter pictured here is owned by Alan Crook. Alan’s not a regular scooterist and owns a variety of motorcycles, but he also has a soft spot for funky, iconic small capacity machines and has several of these in his bike collection. Simson of Suhl (in the former East Germany) first unveiled the Schwalbe Swallow in 1958, although Alan’s model is a little newer than that. He purchased it around 18 months ago, almost by accident, as his dad was originally going to buy it – but bought the seller’s MZ 150 Trophy instead. Having paid £1800 for it, Alan then set about rebuilding it to standard spec – not as easy as it sounds with a rare (to the UK at least) German scooter like this. Needless to say, the next 12 months involved a lot of internet action using Google translate to obtain the necessary spares. However, when some of the parts arrived, the build quality was poor, so, being a precision engineer, Alan set about machining his own stainless spindles and fixings. The bodywork was fairly battered, so Alan got Tony Collins to take all the dents out and then do the paintwork. The engine has been kept pretty much as the original standard three-speed, fan cooled, 3.7hp two-stroke unit – “65cc big bore kits are available,” says Alan, “but I’ve resisted going down that avenue; it will buzz along at 55kph (34mph) all day long – well, until the plug fouls anyway! I just need to find the right grade.” The Schwalbe was produced until 1984 and during that time lots of subtle little changes
mauspencer@classicscooterist.com
were made on the production line: “Understanding the different parts that looked right, but didn’t fit was the hardest part of the project,” says Alan. “My advice to anyone trying such a project would be not to rush things – I did, and had to do several things again.” The whole project is finished now and Alan reckons that in total, it’s cost him around £2300. It’s not a bike that would suit everyone’s taste, but at least in restoring it, Alan has helped to preserve another part of scooter history. Words and images: Mau
OWNER/SCOOTER DETAILS Name: Alan Crook Job: Precision engineer Hobbies: Big boxing fan and riding my Harley Clubs: HDRGB (Harley-Davidson Riders Club GB); Harley Owners Club; MZ Riders Club First interest in scooters: 18 months ago when I bought the Schwalbe Featured scooter: Simson Schwalbe featured here Purchase price: £125 Total cost: £2300 Build time: 12 months Chromework: Marque Restore Would you redo anything: Use a later model front brake. The current internal arm brake doesn’t work properly (later models used an external arm from the S51 moped) Thanks and mentions: German company Zweirad-Shubert (fantastic service); Tony Collins (bodywork); Dad (my twostroke helpline).
CLASSIC SCOOTERIST – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013
35
King of the Road
STORMIN’ NORMAN!
Ian Cunningham may now own DRO 62F – featured on the previous pages – but it would be remiss of us not to tell you a little about Norman Ronald, who raced the scooter during the 1960s. Mau went along to interview him: Where were you born Norman?
I was born in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, where my father came from; my mother was from Nottingham and they met when my father was doing war work at Chillwell, Notts. They got married and moved to Newton-leWillows, which was near where my grandparents lived in Bootle. Brother John and I were born up there. Then, when we were around seven or eight, we moved back to the Nottingham area to be near our mother’s family and have lived around here ever since.
How did you get into scooters?
My father was an engineer working for the Government, testing tanks and all sorts of other things. He was always mechanically minded and in our family it was never about sport; for my father, it had to have an engine, so we always used to get taken to motorbike trials and scrambles (John remembers being taken to The Scottish Six Days Trial). We went to places like Aintree and Mallory Park for the post TTs and other events. Dad had a Scott Flying Squirrel 500cc and then a James Captain, but it was a bit too big for him. In the late 1950s Lambrettas came onto the scene and he bought a scooter – from memory an LD 150cc. Around that time, the Lambretta Concessionaires were trying to get a foothold into scootering; they advertised in various papers around the country, asking if anybody was interested in forming a club. My
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CLASSIC SCOOTERIST – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013
father went to a meeting and that was when the Nottingham Lambretta Club ‘The Bowmen’ was formed. There used to be a club night during the week and a club run every Sunday. In the winter it tended to be closer to home, but in the summer they used to go further, to places like the east coast and as a family we would follow the event in the car. When I was 16 or 17, I got my first bike, a second-hand Puch Cheetah which I ran backwards and forwards for a bit. Then I got a new Honda 50 when they first came to the UK. After that I bought a Vespa 150 (UNN 221). Don’t know why I bought a Vespa.
What was your first scooter event?
In those days there were three scooter clubs in Nottingham: The Bowmen (Lambretta), The Lightweights (mixed scooter models) and the Nottingham Vespa Club (although I had a Vespa, I can never remember going to Vespa club meetings). There were a few local gymkhanas and suchlike and I can vaguely remember doing some gymkhanas on the Honda, which used to take place in Bunny in those days. However, the first serious event I took part in was the Esso Scoot to Scotland. At that stage I had already met my future wife, Christine and when I first told her about the event, she didn’t believe me and thought I was off my trolley. The plan was to finish work on Friday and we would go down country
towards London (Kettering/Northampton rings a bell) for our starting point. There were different starting points for the event and everybody had to end up doing the same mileage. There were people starting from London so the idea of us going down country was to put in the miles at the different checkpoints. After being given our route, we left our departure checkpoint late Friday night (with the scooters leaving at one minute intervals) and rode back up country through the borders, checking in at various points at a specific time. On Saturday morning there would be different events to complete, like a hill climb where you had to do things like drive away without rolling back and crushing an egg with the back wheel. We ended up in Edinburgh on Saturday evening; then on Sunday we did a run to Loch Lomond and other places. Then Monday it would be the drive back home for work on Tuesday. I did that event on my Vespa. I think brother John did two events, but I only did that one. Scoot to Scotland was all roadwork, but we did other events like the Cambrian, where you effectively went off-road down country tracks. Then we went to the Isle of Man together (that would have been 1964), although John had been the year before. We formed a team out of The Bowmen. There was Roger Crook, John and myself; Roger won the event and I think John came second; we also scooped the team award. www.classicscooterist.com
So you were riding with The Bowmen (a Lambretta club) on a Vespa?
I was still on the Vespa at this stage, John was riding a TV175 and Roger, a TV200, but at this point, the pressure was being put on me to make the change. All three of us received gold medals for the IoM event, which meant we had cleared the Manx 400 without losing any penalty points. I can’t remember if there was a night trial in these early days – I think that came in later on – but there was a gymkhanastyled event. Then there was the Druidale on the Thursday; you had to have won a gold medal in the Manx 400 and it was the rider who got the nearest to their time on the Druidale who would win the overall event and the Tynwald Challenge Trophy. We learnt later on that it was a case of being on the right bike for Druidale. The difficulty was that the Druidale timing was a bit of an art. The stretch from the top to the bottom was on open roads and you were given loads of time to get down there. At the beginning of the climb there was a flying timed checkpoint which you went through flat out and they timed you across the line at the top. These times were always set so you had little hope of doing it, then you lost penalty points for how late you were at the top – and it was inevitable you were always going to be late. Because you were in different classes (125, 150, 200, etc.), it was always a case of getting your class time right. What used to happen was that a manufacturer would bring out a new model with differing acceleration and top speed, so some people struggled to get it spot-on. It became a case of getting to know the course and working out how to hit that time nearest to your individual scooter class. The first year we went, Roger, on a 200, was slightly quicker, which gave John a slight disadvantage on his 175. My Vespa 150 wasn’t that quick, so I had no chance. Going back to your original question. The pressure was put on me that year to make the change and I swapped the Vespa for a Lambretta Pacemaker 150 (BTO 729B if I
Crazy gymkhana ideas: the bucket was filled with water and the pillion had to feed a broomstick through a hole without spilling the water – or the pair of you got wet! mauspencer@classicscooterist.com
remember rightly) which I took back to the IoM the following year. Then I did the MilanTaranto on it.
How did that all come about?
Thinking back, I ask myself the very same question. I think Malcolm Clarkson was secretary of the LCGB; he later went on to run Supertune down in Croydon. I vaguely recall Malcolm being at the IoM during that first year and he asked me why I was riding a Vespa. It was after I’d made the swap to the Lambretta that we got the invitation to go on the Milan-Taranto the following year (1965) – presumably because we’d won the team award at the IoM. Bob Wilkinson of the Lambretta Concessionaires had turned up on the scene by this time and nine of us flew from Southend to Geneva, then drove through the Alps to Milan with Bob and his wife Usshi (Ursula) who spoke several languages and acted as our translator. In Milan we went on a trip to the Innocenti factory and were asked if anything was wrong with any of our bikes. Someone commented that their front brake wasn’t working too well – off came the wheel to be replaced with a new one – no expense was spared with any of the repairs needed to our bikes. This particular event was run by Innocenti and the whole plan was to get as many bikes as they could from Milan to Taranto; the event took place over five days (again a timed event, meaning you had to be at certain points at certain times). We were given a route card and everything else needed; all the petrol was provided by AGIP, so you had to go to one of its fuel stations if you needed fuel. Articulated lorries full of spare parts were on hand at the end of every day, so if anything went wrong with a bike, it was put in the lorry with a team of travelling mechanics who would rebuild it overnight if necessary. The idea of this was that if 500 riders started the event, then Innocenti wanted 500 riders to finish. We completed the event at Taranto on May 5, 1965 – my 21st birthday. Bob had organised
Norman, Bob Jackson (centre) and John
A copy of Norman’s FIM Licence which was needed for the Motogiro D’Italia
Scooters in the scrutineering bay at Snetterton CLASSIC SCOOTERIST – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013
41
RALLIES & RIDEOUTS
BRADFORD DISCHARGE SC LOW MOOR TO GRASSINGTON
O
ver the last few years, various scooter clubs have been organising runs to Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales. The most regular and popular ones are organised by the Bradford Discharge Scooter Club. The ride set-off on Sunday morning, June 2, 2013, from Low Moor, in Industrial West Yorkshire, ending up in the heart of the Dales by early afternoon. For a change, it was a fine morning, and being fairly local, we had a ride over on our two Lambretta LDs to see what was going on. There were good numbers of
scooters parked up on the picturesque cobbled square, and many more outside the pubs and cafes. Scooterists were mingling with the usual tourists and bikers, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. The large numbers of scooters present were causing much interest among the general public. After the obligatory local ice cream and a good lunch, the numbers of scooters had started to dwindle as various small groups decided to leave; so we set off back via the small country lanes where the LDs seem more at home! Dawn and Phil Walker
ARMANDOS OPEN DAY IS JUST THE JOB
W
hat can you do to enjoy yourself (legally) for a full day for under £20? Well in my case (or maybe I’m easy pleased), a trip to Armandos Open Day is just the job. With only about a 70 mile trip to do, I’m away at 9am on the GP and off down about 25 miles of motorway and on to arguably the best UK scooter riding roads, skirting Manchester and onto the A57 Sheffield road over the legendary Snake Pass, which takes you over the beautiful Pennines. It’s an hour of sheer pleasure, as I cast my mind back over the years when I’ve done the trip before on my Series II and my Vespa Rally 200 Electronic with sidecar – totally different ways to travel. Arriving at Armandos, scooterists are already arriving – around 75 machines already – with more arriving as I am. Armandos shop is one of the few UK dealerships which have been totally scooterbased (Lambretta & Vespa) since it opened circa 1953. It’s not the biggest shop, but it has everything a good scooter shop should have, with Guillio and Guido Pastorelli running it since their father retired some years ago, to go back to Italy. Sadly, he passed away last year.
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Armandos is always warm and friendly (exactly what scooterists want) and has the knowledge and skills to fulfil everyone’s needs. It’s famous for always having a restoration project underway on the shop counter (preferring to build a machine where customers can see the ongoing work). Tucked in every nook and cranny are scooter parts (many hard to locate and brought in direct from Italy). It is probably one of the few UK dealerships who could have you an SX200 or other rare machine built to order from stock. The open day attracts scooterists from around the country. In the car park next to the shop is a burger van, as over the years the shop’s staff found they couldn’t keep up with demand on the free barbecue. As usual there are DJs Daniel Guest and Steve Turner belting out sounds and loads of atmosphere. Inside the shop, the whole workshop area is given over to the visitors to inspect either finished machines or those waiting for a new home, while the shop front is serving as normal. One guy remarks to Guillio that they only had a few finished machines on show, only for Guillio to reply: “Machines are proper
nut and bolt restorations, built to order and as such they go out as soon as they are finished. Add to that we are also running a very busy scooter shop with only the two of us…” The street outside soon fills to overflowing and by noon is choked with scooters. The legendary ridden custom show is judged while people enjoy the weather and a bite to eat while meeting friends and making new ones. They’ve learned over the years though, to do the trophy presentation(s) prior to the 1pm rideout as some winners never return to the shop, therefore not getting that round of applause as their machine picks up a much-coveted prize. Once the rideout has left, I head home as the wife is finishing work early; I reflect on my way how much I enjoyed the day for under £20, with just two gallons of juice plus a tasty hamburger and coffee. This, despite the fact I gave at least one car driver premature grey hair, as I got skill and ambition mixed-up rounding one bend, with me leaning, leaning, leaning, as I fought to keep it on my side of the bend. Maybe next year I’ll take the Series 2 to curb my enthusiasm? Kev Walsh www.classicscooterist.com
Visit www.facebook.com/ScooteristScene to see more photos
RIDE OF RESPECT
S
cooter riders were asked to show their support on Sunday June 2, 2013, and in join in a ‘Ride of respect’ in memory of soldier Lee Rigby. The ride – which was organised by FAC SC – left the Beckton Tesco car park at midday for the short ride to the Woolwich Ferry, then on to Woolwich Barracks. More than 200 scooters turned out to show their support and sign the Union
Flag; it was all very respectable and no politics were involved. As well as individuals, the clubs in attendance included: Dabbers SC; Scooters Galore; New Originals SC; Foresters SC; A259 SC; Scooter Shack Hastings; Classic Scooter Shed; Vespaholics SC; Coasters SC; Nomads SC; Elms SC; A12 SC; Steady Plod SC; Essex Road Tramps SC; Woolwich SC; LOR SC; Patriots SC; Stanford
Parkas SC; Stowaways SC; Aces High SC; Lambretta Lunatic SC; The Brentwood SC; The Inn Crowd SC; Martini SC; Inner Circle SX SC; Surrey Downers SC; Victorians SC; The Miracles SC; Southend Classic SC; Cheshunt SC; The Collective SC; Peter the Mod, Bar Italia. Thanks go out to everyone who came along and supported the event. Bradley Hall New Originals SC
THE LARLING BUDS OF MAY
O
ver the Spring Bank Holiday of May 24-26 the Norfolk Scooter Run event took place at Larling Angel, just off the A11 between Thetford and Attleborough. The gates opened at 2pm on the Friday and the entertainment that evening was provided by VFM DJ Dave Porter, NMSC DJ Mark Bale and other guests. Saturday dawned with a custom show taking place at midday with trophies for various bests – Vespa; Lambretta; of Show; Mod Scooter; Classic; and Farthest Ridden – all classes were mauspencer@classicscooterist.com
judged from ridden entries. There was also an organised rideout which left in the afternoon. Saturday night’s entertainment saw live bands Mr Bridger and Monkey Spanner providing the music with support again provided by Dave Porter, Mark Bale and other guest DJs. The organisers would like to thank all who came along and supported the event – what a great turnout – it’s you guys who made it what it was. KTF Images: Terry Brown CLASSIC SCOOTERIST – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013
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NOT MY FAVOURITE SCOOTER
Ask any scooter enthusiast and they will be able to tell what they reckon is their all-time favourite machine.
uite a few articles have appeared over the years, with people beating the drum for this or that make or model, praising its looks, its performance, its pedigree, its reliability and so on. No one is right or wrong; it’s all down to personal taste. But I’ve often wondered how a top 10 would stack up of the all-time worst bikes ever made – a sort of beauty contest in reverse. We could all have a go at this and it might be fun to compare the results. There are many ways to find out more, but a good starting point could be the excellent book recently published by Vintage Motor Scooter Club stalwart, Robin Spalding. He has produced a potted biography of every UK bike ever made and while there are some gems, there’s some real shockers too. Leaving aside things like appearance, build quality, cost and performance, it’s easy to see why some of these were instant hits, when others went straight down the pan. We can all see why Lambrettas and Vespas immediately clicked with the public on looks alone – while other marques barely got out of the showroom. My own introduction to which bikes were highly-rated by the public (and which were not) came in the mid-1960s when I was a young teenager. It was the big boom time for scooters and every lad’s dream was to own one. (I’m purposely not going down the motorcycle route here. At that time, British bikes were on the way down and the Japanese hadn’t yet recognised the massive market that awaited them for quality big bike exports. So the bikers at this time had to make do with arguing the toss with scooterists on south coast beaches, trying to prove their point with bits of broken deckchair). Anyone around at this time would have thought that Lambretta was the market leader, which indeed it was here and by a long way, with Vespa running second. Go to any car park, or check out any seafront line-up and the story would be the same. As the colour Sgt at Rorke’s Drift might have said to Michael Caine and Stanley Baker: “Lambrettas, captain, thousands of them!” The UK was unique with this situation; on the continent, it was different. Vespas were the biggest sellers by far, with Lambrettas quite a way down the pecking order. I don’t really know why it was different here. But I’m sure people will be good enough to write in to the letters column, and explain. Meanwhile, back to the list of good, bad, and just plain ugly. My own top 10 (in no particular order) is Lambretta TV3, Vespa GS150, Lambretta SX200, Vespa GS160, Lambretta GP, Vespa SS180, Rumi Formichino, Vespa PX series, the Heinkel Tourist, and the Durkopp Diana.
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My ‘not-my-favourite-scooter’ list (and this is based purely on looks alone and in no particular order) is the 1963 Peugeot Elegante (it wasn’t), the Terrot from France, the HarleyDavidson Topper (yes really), the Sun Geni (with a Villiers engine and motorcycle-type wheels), the Puch RLA (with odd motorcycle handlebars), the German Kreidler (more like a moped with a bit of bodywork), the BSA Dandy (see previous), the Bitri from Holland, the bull-nosed DKR Pegasus, and finally the Bond. Now this company was known for its quirky glass fibre three-wheelers. And it seems to have applied the same design considerations to its 150cc scooter. Different, yes, but not a style icon. Having logged all that, it must be said that opinions do change over time. What I would have sneered at in the 1960s has, in many cases, now developed a new appeal of its own. When everyone wanted a Series 3, you could practically give a Series 1 away and still not find many takers. Today, I think they look just great; a classic piece of design, with the TV variant particularly desirable. I could even fancy a nicely restored LD, particularly if it was decked out with those bizarre period tartanstyle accessories. And I’ve always liked Vespa Sportiques: classic lines, understated, mechanically understressed and just about as reliable as you can get.
But for years, I’ve never been keen on smallframe Vespas. I know the 90SS is a whole different story, but as for the rest, they just seem like something that hasn’t quite grown up yet. However, having seen a few perfectly restored examples in the last couple of years, I’m now just starting to waver a bit. So watch this space. It’s fair to say one of the key reasons why Lambrettas and Vespas sold so well was because they looked the part. While scooters that didn’t, had a lot of trouble winning any friends at all. Meanwhile on the continent, Heinkel Tourists, Durkopp Dianas and other good-looking and powerful German bikes also sold well, in a market where build quality was essential. But my vote for history’s most extraordinary scooter goes to Maico of Germany. The MaicoMobil creation looks astonishing, and straight out of the pages of a Dan Dare comic strip. You half expect its accessories to include a brace of ray guns. Go and take a close look at one if you get the chance. You’ll find it almost impossible to believe it was designed and marketed for the two-wheeled transport generation. Dick Smith
www.classicscooterist.com