First irst ride
Pre-production 125cc Scomadi
How to choose c your riding kit y
Lambretta a
TV 175
Accessorised A ccessorised d
Series 2
#344 February 2015
Stunning
Vespas
From o Russia with lust
Vespa around Ittaly 7300km, mon nks and hairpinss! First ride
The new 3-whee eled
Quadro
CONTENTS 03From the Archive 06Kickstart Back to 1957.
Our popular and informative front section jam-packed full of useful stuff from news and reviews, products tested, opinions, custom scooters from yesteryear (remember Wake?), readers’ letters and plenty more besides.
14Competition 26James Cagney
Win a National Scooter Rallies T-shirt!
A stunning Lambretta tribute to one of the most well-known black and white film stars. But would you buy and finish someone else’s project?
32
First Ride Scomadi 125
Once again Scootering is the first to ride a pre-production of a forthcoming new Scomadi scooter, this time the 125 four-stroke.
38
From the Butcher Garage
The two stunning Vespas that grace this month’s cover. From Russia with lust. And an angle grinder.
46 Scootering Buyer’s 56Guide to Riding Kit Club do’s & events
A calendar of scooter related events.
Our rough guide to what to look out for when shopping for kit, what’s waterproof, what’s protective, and what some of the jargon means. Plus some personal recommendations too.
64
What’s on the TV in Belgium?
A tastefully accessorised Lambretta TV175 Series 2 from Belgium, with a very rare piece attached. Can anyone shed any further light?
John Law 72The Interview
May 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of the Vintage Motor Scooter Club, while the year just gone was the 50th anniversary of the West Bromwich Olympics SC. John Law was a founder of both clubs.
82Back to Basics
Barrie changes the front hub bearings on his Lambretta.
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86Specialist Services
Planning your winter project or resto? Whatever you want, from platers to tuners, engineers to painters, fabricators to upholsterers, you’ll find them all here. Hopefully.
72
Classic 88Newark Motorcycle Show Venturing out in January.
95Scooter Trader
Classified and business advertising, for all your scootering needs.
110Clubs to Join
A list of scooter clubs across the land, complete with contact details.
Us Your 112Show Scoots!
Yes, they’re all yours and all you need to do is send us a photo (high resolution) with a few words and yours can appear here too.
Scooter Touring – 114 on a Vespa P125X around Italy
Two months, 7300km, some monks and plenty of hairpin turns!
scooter 122Various club events Douglas 124AVespa 92L2
…for the 21st century. It’s amazing what you can do in your shed with some good ideas, plenty of enthusiasm, a Vespa, and less cash than you’d imagine.
130Into the Sunset
Warning! We’re running out of your wonderful and entertaining stories here folks, so please get writing and send us some more in!
Free Stickers Next Month!
Yes folks, we're giving away a sheet of stickers, free with March's edition of Scootering, you lucky people! Stick them on your scooter, your toolbox, your phone, your cat*, anything you like, and feel free to send us photos of your stickering activities when you get them! (*we don’t advise stickering a live cat or any other animals. Maybe a stuffed toy one instead, hey?)
p18
124
114
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New horizons Do you remember your first time?The sense of adventure as you set off, the one of achievement upon arrival?What?You’ve not had that yet?Well, maybe 2015 is the year to change all that.
O
ver the Christmas period, while speaking with friends, the topic of winter projects was often discussed, although for some of us, ‘end of year repairs and essential makeovers for overused scooters that really need a rest’ have been in the pipeline for a few months now. It’s always interesting to learn what people may or may not be doing to their scooters, from as little as a clean, oil change and new tyres, to full strip and rebuild. For me, my Lambretta GP has finally shed its legshields, front end and floor runners, with some much needed structural repairs and a respray hopefully following soon, while I recently treated the Vespa PX to a complete set of new cables, brake pads and a full lube up. Long-range tanks have also been debated in our home, which ones suited our needs best, were affordable and did we really need them? On the wall in our kitchen hangs a large map of Great Britain (a Christmas present last year from my sister and her family) on which we began looking at rally destinations. Llandudno is on the BSRA’s list for 2015, around 300 or so miles for us from the south east of England and somewhere neither of us have been to for a few years now. And it kind of counts as a different country too. Which got us talking... Kelso, that’s not really Scotland for some of us – it’s only just over the border really, barely 420 miles. I mean, I only ran out of petrol once on the way last year. Fort William though, back in the 1980s, that was such a sense of achievement. About 580 miles for us, living in London at the time I think. Definitely well over 500. No offence to Wales – Rhyl was great – but Scotland was a much bigger deal for me. I’d been to Scotland before with my family for a wedding, in a car, and remember very little of it other than as an impressionable kid (I think I was about eight or nine), the hotel had a shoe-shining machine by the lift. Wow! I’d never seen such a thing before in my life! Anyway, the thought of riding there on a 125cc Vespa with mates, as a teenager, I mean what a f**king achievement! Especially as I discovered later (thanks to a
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So back to the winter projects and a long range fuel tank is on my new year shopping list tug from a ‘friendly’ policewoman) that the forks on my scooter were quite bent, but that’s another story... I think the farthest I’d ridden previously was Newquay in Cornwall, which for us was about 300 miles each way (that was two-up with a mate, on a learner-licence, that got me three points and a fine at the obligatory roadblock on the edge of town. It turns out the Cornish police weren’t as easy to fool as those on the Isle of Wight...). Scotland therefore was not only another country, but much farther too. I remember coming home, seeing signs in Manchester proclaiming Birmingham to be 120 or so miles further south. After hours and hours in the saddle this felt like we were almost home. At Birmingham, with around 100 miles still to go, we were as good as home. Fort William was the farthest I’d ridden on my scooter so far to date at the time, and Brum felt like the equivalent of the Wimpy in the high street near my mum and dad’s place. That it still took a few hours to get from Birmingham back to home turf was another thing – after the weekend we’d had, that was nothing! Obviously, for those who live close to the border, as a friend from Cumbria was explaining not so long ago, to go to a rally in
Scotland to them is little more than a nice local ride. They have the advantage of all the lovely roads the Borders region offers without spending hour upon hour on the boring motorways to get there first. Of course turning the tables, to them and the Scots heading south beyond the Midlands is a good trek, the south west counties of Devon and Cornwall being an exceptional challenge no less deserving of praise, an obligatory photo alongside the relevant ‘welcome to ‘wherever’’ road sign, and a entry into the ‘iron butt hall of fame’ list. So back to the winter projects and a long range fuel tank is on my new year shopping list, but I will be making another list... of places to go that I need such a tank for. So if you’ve never been to the opposite end of the United Kingdom on a scooter, then give it a go. If you’ve not attended a scooter rally in Europe get a (free) E111 health card, check your vehicle recovery and head off towards a ferry. There’s a lot to see out there, both home and abroad, and the sense of achievement you get on arriving at these places is amazing. Trust me. And thousands of others too. Oh, and don’t forget to send us some photos of your scooter adventures as well! Happy scootering. Andy
ABOUT THE EDITOR Since half pushing, half riding his first Vespa 90 home in the 1980s, Andy has consistently had an unhealthy interest in scooters. Riding them for both pleasure and commuting ever since, he first contributed to Scootering magazine in the early 1990s, progressing from part-time, to full-time staff member over the years, and then became editor in 2003.
He’s ridden hundreds of scooters, classic and modern, from a 50cc Lambretta Luna to highly tuned Super Monza, and a 1946 Piaggio prototype of the Vespa, as well as snapping the stupidly long forks on an old Vespa PX chopper in Weston-super-Mare back when he was young enough not to care. Today his PX200 is fairly standard, and his Li Series 3 is a parts guinea pig.
KICKSTART APP OF THE MONTH
Kyajet
Operating system: Website Hardware requirements: Any browser Price: Free Available from: www.kyajet.com
Needle comparison. It’s been a while since we had an app of the month and this time we are pushing the remit a little to include a rather fine website. Anthony Tambs alerted us to this page developed by German scooterist Wolfgang Neikes. It should be of use to anyone trying to jet a Keihin PWK carb, or one of the many copies floating around (OKO/BGM/Koso etc). What this website does is demystify the setting of PWK carbs. Stage one is calculating needle codes. If, for instance, you have a JJK needle, but need your carburation to be slightly richer from one-eighth to half throttle then you can adjust those parameters and the software spits out the needle code to suit. In this case a JGJ would be suitable. The next tab calculates jetting changes based on pilot and main jet selection. Finally the setup page combines all your selections and allows you to visualise how different needles and jets can be combined to
Jetting comparison.
Tested Macna Ivy Night Eye jacket I was impressed with Dutch designers at Macna when I got a jacket and trousers they designed in conjunction with Spada a few years ago. I’m glad to say this jacket continues with the same high standard. There are three levels of fastening – poppers, zipper and then Velcro – and a drawstring at the hem all help to seal out the cold. The sizing is reasonably generous, I guesstimated against my usual size and happily there’s plenty of space for a few essential winter layers. The fit can be adjusted with a poppered waistband and there are two zipped vents at the hips to provide more space and comfort when riding. The thermo and waterproof liner is fixed so is presumably designed for all seasons. The sleeves tighten at the wrists with Velcro making it really easy to get winter gloves over them. Fitted with CE approved shoulder and elbow armour, there’s also a space to fit a back protector. I can report that it is definitely waterproof, having protected me from a number of heavy showers and considerable, continuous road spray.
Setup comparison. correct fuelling at specific throttle openings. Wolfgang’s website is a work of genius. The only problem is that, for the moment, it only covers Keihin carbs. Perhaps Wolfgang should run a crowd-funding campaign to adapt his software to work for Dellorto and Mikuni carbs. Certainly, I wouldn’t mind putting a few euros in his pocket to have free access to such a useful tool for other brands of carburettor. S ticky
Daytime.
Dusk.
A design feature I like is that the soft collar is lower at the front. This sounds like a minor detail but it really helps when you’re wearing a thick winter scarf and gives space to do up your helmet strap. My only criticism would be that there is a lack of pockets – one Velcro fastened in the liner and the two outer pockets. I like the touring style and the subtle branding that in daylight hours makes for a tidy grey coloured jacket; but it is the Night Eye fabric that sets this jacket apart. When caught in a car’s headlights, or even bright sunlight, the jacket lights up in the reflection. There’s a technical description on Macna’s website if you’re really interested, but basically there are tiny glass beads embedded in the fabric. This creates an oddly noisy effect when brushed against, however, it really is incredible and the photos speak for themselves. I’ve noticed a few double takes from car drivers and their passengers when commuting. So if you’re looking for extreme night visibility while standing out from all of the road workers then this jacket is as good as it gets. Ann Available in sizes XS to XXL, or this year the Ivy Night Eye RL (RRP £169.99) will be available which is the same outer jacket but has the bonus of a removable thermal liner and is prepped for the installation of Macna’s heated Hot Vest (optional extra). For info dealer details call 0845 834 0102 or email info@factoryagencies.co.uk
Caught in the lights at night!
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Bend me, shape me,
anyway you
want me...
A ROUGH GUIDE TO
RIDING KIT
It often amazes me to see scooters that have obviously had a lot of care – and cash – lavished upon them, but the rider has invested little or nothing at all in their own kit. I mean, did no one else fall over and scuff their knee as a kid?
I
’m sure we all did. You’re running around with your friends in the school playground, you trip over your shoelace, you stumble about until eventually you hit the concrete, hand first to break your fall, sliding and rolling about on the ground. Your wrist is sprained, your palms and knee scuffed and bleeding, you’re crying, and the disinfectant the school nurse uses to get the grit out later makes it sting like hell!
Style or substance?
Now we’re not trying to be part of a nambypamby state where risk assessments and overcautious attitudes (fuelled in part by ambulance chasing solicitors eager to sue anything and everything that moves for their percentage of profit) take all the fun out of life, but equally if you come off at 40mph with no gloves on, and wearing little more than flip flops and a T-shirt, then you’ll likely need more than the school nurse to patch you up. Sturdy footwear, jeans and a jacket are a good start (as well as some gloves!), but there are of course plenty of options out there when it come to dedicated riding kit too, from the bare minimum to top-of-the-range items that protect some the world’s best motorcycle racers when crashing at 200mph. What we have tried to do here is use our many miles of road testing, touring, rallying and general scootering experience to compile an article to help you choose your riding kit, and at the same time share some of those items that we trust to protect our heads (shoulders, knees and toes) while on our scooters. Andy (additional material from Sticky, Iggy and Ann)
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LAYERS
While your outer layers are important for keeping you dry when it rains, cool in the summer, and safe if you crash, you can also add extra layers beneath which can be beneficial too. A cold, shivering rider is likely to be concentrating less on the road and more on the chill factor, which isn’t the safest winter ride to be undertaking. In the winter, wearing thin base layers can add an extra thermal layer without adding bulk, therefore not restricting your movement when riding your bike. It’s a bit like double-glazed windows where two thinner sheets of glass with a gap in between are a more effective insulation than one thick piece of glass. With base layers there are various types regarding fit, so do remember that you may have to use the toilet at some stage, and how easy they are to remove upon arrival. Another layer to consider is heated clothing, with a variety of options on the market. If you have a modern scooter or Vespa PX with a battery, then these can power such clothing. If not, then check out something with rechargeable integral batteries. Later in the year you may also want to consider a summer base layer, clothing designed to ‘wick away’ moisture (aka sweat) from your body.
Sealskinz socks
These are the nuts. The problem with waterproof outer-wear – including boots is that while it may keep you dry in the rain, the drying process for wet gear inevitably ends up with some moisture inside your jacket or boots. Using breathable Sealskinz means you can ride home with dry feet even if your boots have leaked, preventing massive heat loss and trench-foot. Just wash them with care. Prices from around £12. www.sealskinz.com Sticky
A few years ago I was using the Tucano Urbano Nord and Sud thermal base layers which are great at insulating. Last year Tucano Urbano introduced the Thermal top (Nord) and leggings (Sud) with WB (windbreaker) inserts which make a noticeable difference keeping the cold at bay. As well as the WB fabric the new version has a higher neck with zip fastening. I used these all winter last year and they’re still in great condition. Tucano seems to like to keep its range fresh so if you can’t find these products try the latest version Thermal Vest Upload (£45.99) and Technical Trousers Download (£37.99) with both male and ladies’ versions available. www.tucanourbano.com Ann
Oxford Inox heated vest
Tucano Urbano Polo Nord WB and Polo Sud WB
Another great product by a British company. Cold Killers are a superb layer; they stop the wind, look good and can be worn off the bike as well. We bought a load for our club and had the Monsters’ badge printed on the sleeve. The 2015 range has just been redesigned and looks much more stylish than this one. £64.99, www.planetknox.com Iggy
Knox Cold Killers Wind Buddy
Without a doubt this is my favourite piece of winter riding gear, it makes cold weather riding pleasurable. It’s like stepping into a hot bath... and it keeps your whole body warm. This vest costs £149.99 and simply plugs in to your scooter’s battery. I also use an Alpinestars vest and Keis heated jacket – all are just as good. Treat yourself you’ll love it! www.oxprod.com Iggy
Spada Chill Factor neck warmer
Windproof neck warmers are not exclusive to Spada, but theirs is priced right and fits so well that I’ve bought loads and given them out as Christmas presents in the past. Several magnitudes of warmth better than fleece or knitted versions but also more compact and less sweaty. Priced around £8.95. www.spadaclothing.co.uk Sticky
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LAMBRETTA FRONT HUB BEARING CHANGE
Drag an old Lambretta out of a shed or bushes where it’s lain for decades and the front end often catches your eye first, the tyre cracked and flat, the rims and hub covered in rust... You will need...
Socket set, circlip pliers, copper hammer or soft drift, 19mm spanners x 2 (or adjustable), grease.
Difficulty rating
W
hen it comes to bearings I cannot think of ever having to change the front hub ones on any of my scooters because they have failed. This is surprising given the abuse they often take, but even on a complete wreck of a restoration project the front wheel is usually the only thing that still does what it is supposed to. In many cases though it is definitely better to be safe than sorry, and as a very wise man once said to me, discretion is the better part of valour so it’s worth replacing them for peace of mind. There are of course some cases where stripping the hub is largely unavoidable, such as if you are having the hub blasted before repainting. The blast media gets everywhere and even with careful masking up, if any gets into the bearings it will wear them out before you get to the end of the road. Having said that, by the very nature of them, bearings do wear out. So, if they have given up the ghost or you are having some paintwork done, hopefully this will help you out a little. Barrie
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If you have a hub that looks like this, take it apart and rebuild it with good quality parts. You know it makes sense.
1
First of all you need to chock the scooter’s stand up with a couple of wooden blocks or similar to lift the front wheel off the floor. If the stand actually works and lifts the wheel all the better, but it’s still worth using the blocks to give a bit more ground clearance to get the wheel out easily. 3
Undo the hub nuts, these are usually 21mm socket size which is not a common size in most socket sets, however the spark plug socket which is usually included is 21mm and perfect for the job. With the nuts removed unhook the retaining washers from the fork links and the wheel will drop out and you should be able to roll it out from under the mudguard. 5
Remove the back plate which holds the brake shoes and if necessary give it a clean using brake cleaner. Be aware that the shoes could well be original and as such contain asbestos which you do not want to breathe in. A good indicator of a failed seal is grease spread on the inside of the back plate, so make sure it is thoroughly cleaned.
2
Loosen the brake cable adjuster by turning the adjustment knob until there is enough slack to unhook it from the brake arm. Undo the speedo cable from the drive. The top hat which fits into the cable stop on the front hub has a slot in one side which should be facing outward so that the inner cable can be taken out without having to remove the top hat itself. 4
The lock nuts holding the spindle in place are a 19mm or adjustable spanner, push the brake arm to hold the back plate while you undo the nut. The spindle will probably be too tight to push out by hand so use a copper hammer or soft metal drift to get it moving. Do not use a normal steel hammer as you will damage the threads. 6
A ‘top hat’ seal retainer sits under the spindle nut on the hub side and a spacer bush sits inside the oil seal on the inner backplate side. Take care not to lose the inner spacer as the seal is removed. Use a screwdriver to lever the seal out and throw it in the bin; the inner lip will be damaged by levering it out.
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Douglas Vespa 92L2 ‌for the 21st century
Here we have aVespa 92L2 dating from 1957. Some would describe it as inspired by the‘hot rod’ genre, others as simply a tidy rebuild of a classic scooter. Scratch the surface and it reveals itself to be a whole lot more than that…
Carole Nash Classic Bike GuideWinter Classic JANUARY 3-4,2015
Just three days into 2015 theWinter Classic at Newark gave stir-crazy scooterists a chance to escape the house for the weekend. The show is primarily a bike show, with various club and trade stands in attendance but it also incorporates the Scooter World Hall. Into its third year now, the scooter hall wasn’t quite as full as in previous years but that was probably down to it being a few days earlier this year and because there was no direct scooterist involvement with the organising. Having said that though there was a good selection of machines to see, from custom and vintage, restored, sprint and race. Visitors could also visit the Vespa Club of Britain stand, sign up to the Vintage Motor Scooter Club, have a chat about sprinting with 100mphscooter.com, see the new Scomadi up close on the MSC stand (including the 172 two-stroke special), or buy scooter parts from Shaw-Fire Lambretta Spares’ stall. Sadly one light-fingered scumbag decided to help themselves to a pair of expensive Targa Line shocks off the stall, which put a
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dampener on the company’s weekend. Of course a positive about venues such as Newark Showground is that they do have things like CCTV… Despite being a cold weekend there were plenty of scooterists in attendance on both days, so it was a good chance to catch up with a few people for a chat. Many of the scooterists had risked the ice to ride in as well, which was good to see. You can’t beat the crackle of a meaty two-stroke engine to warm things up and things thawed out nicely when the sprinters were invited to start their machines outside for the large crowd on Sunday. The spectacle seemed to silence a few of the onlookers who had mocked these scooters earlier. It’s always good to see the look of surprise on the face of the uninitiated as they realise our scooters aren’t just pretty to look at! Words: Iggy Photography: Joe Dick