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#349 July 2015
EXCLUSIVE
Lambretta prototype twins Back to back!
SANE N I
ERED W O P VESPA K R O O ZE
R
P L U S
Racing from France, Wales & Scotland, custom scooters, music, Kelso, news & product reviews
CONTENTS 03From the Archive 06Kickstart Show time, 1965.
Welcome to the informative front section of Scootering, jam-packed full of useful stuff from news and reviews to products tested, opinions, readers letters, a little music and plenty more besides.
15Competition!
Win Tucano Urbano rider clothing worth over £450!
26
Insane Kroozer
A Vespa GTS powered Lambretta Series 2 that features some amazing engineering with a custom paint job. It’s our cover star scooter, aka Morris.
34
Exclusive – Innocenti Super Scooters
The Lambretta Prototype twins Part 2. For possibly the first time ever, a magazine looks at these two rare scooters side by side.
94Specialist Services
Need help keeping your scoot on the road? Have a summer project planned? Whatever you want, from engineers to painters, fabricators to upholsterers and more, you’ll find them all here. Hopefully.
97Scooter Trader
Classified and business advertising, for all your scootering needs.
Sticky’s 15 Scooter 108Touring Upgrades
Before setting off on his latest adventure, Sticky modified his scooter and this is what he did.
10 simple mods for 112Vespa GTS touring
For the auto riders, this is what Iggy’s done to his GTS before setting off to Vespa World Days in Croatia.
Scooter Touring 114 The Best Way to Travel
42
Advice and recommendations, because whether you’re on a Suzuki Burgman 650 or Vespa PX, there’s no better way to see the world than from the saddle of your scooter.
48Club do’s & events 52SIP Open Day 58Kelso BSRA Rally Luton Lambretta 64 Club’s 60th Anniversary
134 136BSSO Scooter Racing 138BSSO Scooter Racing 140ESC Scooter Racing 142Elegant Sufficiency
Ace Face
A Vespa PX125 named Elenore that’s had a full transformation into a stunning café racer-inspired street racer.
A calendar of scooter related events
Fun and frolics in Bavaria.
A sunny weekend in Scotland.
Some old school scootering.
70Glencoe Gathering 72Hayling Island 76Absent Friends
No cars, no campervans, no excuses.
South coast weekender.
Lambretta chopper inspired by the comrade encountered during military service.
86Mods Mayday 90Staff Scooters Kuala Lumpur style.
Richie returns to his Vespa Rat Rod and tackles some of the finer details.
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Club do’s & events
Anglessey, Wales.
East Fortune, Scotland.
12 hour endurance in France.
How to accessorise a Series 1 and retain the classic lines.
Next Month!
With the height of rally season upon us we’ll have a packed edition with reports form Vespa World Days, EuroLambretta, Disc 30 and Cleethorpes to name but a few. There will also be some stunning scooters like the 80s inspired Vespa sidecar and a very shiny Series 2 Lambretta. Add to this stuff from the workshop, product reviews, and a classic interview with off and on road scooter racers from years gone by, and it’ll be another packed edition!
142 p20
114
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KICKSTART
This month we’ve been
listening to...
The Rifles – No love lost (Cooking Vinyl)
Various – Le Beat Bespoke 6 (Detour Records)
To celebrate their 10 year anniversary, The Rifles have released a digitally remastered edition of their debut album, No Love Lost. The release includes the Walthamstow lads’ energetic first album in its entirety, plus two bonus CDs. If you like guitar-driven Britpop, lively songs and catchy choruses this three CD special edition should be right up your street. If you’re already a Rifles fan the bonus CDs include all the B-sides and demos from the studio sessions, including versions of Local Boy, and an acoustic demo of She’s the Only One, among other Rifles classics. If you’re not a fan, this album should turn you into one within a couple of listens. Available now: www.cookingvinyl.com
Newest arrival in NUTs compilation series, like its predecessors, The New Untouchables Present LBB6 gives a wide and eclectic mix. Compiled by Dr Robert, all 20 tracks have become floor-packing favourites via the varied regular NUT club nights over the past few years. From R&B such as Catapult’s No Time To Turn Me On (pitched up +2 on this collection), through raw 60s garage like Spontaneous Combustion’s Purple Purple to the psychedelic soul screamer Freedom by Monica, (a scorching reworking of Richie Havens’ Motherless Child), Le Beat Bespoke 6 is tailored to suit all tastes. Packed with rarities, obscurities and proven dancefloor winners, it’s an essential buy for anyone with a taste for 60s sounds.
Various – Island Presents Reggae Discomixes (Spectrum/UMC)
Popes Of Chillitown – To The Moon (self released)
In the late-70s a new vinyl format was introduced into the music mainstream: the 12in single. This suited the reggae artists of the time as an outlet for their extended dub mixes. So first of all, don’t expect Saturday Night Fever meets Bob Marley here, the disco moniker is a little misleading, although Inner Circle’s We A Rockers gets close to disco if you squint. And wear flares. Instead there are 22 fantastic examples of top quality 12in reggae from 1976 to 82, vocal, instrumental, DJ and dub sounds performed by legends such as Black Uhuru, Toots & The Maytals, Third World, Gregory Isaacs and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. Highlights include a good cover of In the Midnight Hour by George Faith, Rico’s Children of Sanchez and Aswad’s Warrior Charge which is a perfect soundtrack to anyone who remembers how good the late 1970s/early 80s were before the pop hits began. Now, Pass (me) The Kouchie please…
I’d written a massive list of reasons as to why you should buy this album. I’d mentioned the inventiveness, the songwriting, the humour, the infectious rhythms, the tightness of the band, their swagger, the experimental areas and that there were, at best, only a handful of UK bands that were on the same level as them. I’d observed that while they weren’t preaching, they had things to say. It was noted that tunes comfortably jammed themselves into your brain, refusing to leave until long after the album had finished, and that an occasional lyric would bring a wry smile to the face of the listener if they were paying attention. Then I realised I’d written about three times my allotted words and thought that it could be more simply reviewed like this: “This could quite easily the best new ska-punk album this year. It’s going to take an absolute monster to best it. Buy it.” http://popesofchillitown.bandcamp.com
Woody Woodgate – In Your Mind (DW Records)
Stereo Total – YéYé Existentialiste (Blow Up)
There are two distinct kinds of solo projects that members of long established bands make. The first is the ‘I don’t think the band is going in the right direction, this is what we should be doing’ one (something which often signifies the beginning of the end for the mother group!), the other being the ‘Okay, I’ve done that, now let’s have a see what I’m actually capable of’ type that exercises the musical muscles by trying something new. Thankfully Madness’ drummer Dan ‘Woody’ Woodgate has taken the second route, and has come up with something that is about as far away from the typical material he and his bandmates produce, while keeping the distinct ‘Englishness’ of their music. Falling largely between early Pink Floyd and late Beatles on one side, and Second Summer of Love records on the other, it’s obvious it’s going to be a floaty, laid back kind of album. The title track – a loving tribute to his younger brother Nick who has spent his post-teen life fighting with mental illness – and the happy childhood days evoked in We’re All Going To Brighton are the ones that seemed somehow to catch the ear from the off.
Stereo Total are a Berlin-based multilingual, French-German duo (who also sing in English), their music is an eclectic blend of new wave electro-synthpop with added 60s style, a dash of psych and punk thrown in for good measure along with a hint of disco, topped with a light sprinkling of ‘je ne sais quoi’. If you’re still not with me, then track one of the 28 here, I Love You, Ono (apparently a cover of I Love you, Oh No by a Japanese new wave band, Plastics) has been used by both Sony and more recently Dior in their respective adverts. This is a “compilation of the recording highlights” of this act, which was formed in the 1990s, these including a cover of David Bowie’s Heroes, a brief version of Salt-N-Pepa’s hit Push It, plus a load of self-penned numbers that whether you’re expecting it or not, will have you hooked and singing along. There’s a certain element of kitsch here, a retro feel in a modern world, a little cheesy but mild Cheddar, not an overpowering blue. This double vinyl offering compiled by Blow Up’s own Paul Tunkin may not be to everyone’s taste, but that doesn’t make it any less cool in it’s own right. This months reviewers are Andy, Iggy, Nik & Sarge
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Some old skool scootering Remember the old days when you made your own entertainment at scooter rallies rather than listen to yet another covers band? Well those events still exist, if you know where to look… The Flying 8 Balls SC host a small LCGB members only rally in their native Norfolk that boasts no more than a small field near a pub. There’s no music, no entertainment and little by way of amenities, just a group of friends and enthusiasts, old and new, talking scooters, future touring routes, the price of crash helmets and occasionally getting anorakky on scooter parts. Okay so the pub has a jukebox, but it’s a small venue and the locals know what they like (and to be fair some scooterists seem to like singing along to Queen and Dolly Parton as well). And during the day, in between lounging around, there was the chance to ride the gymkhana course on a scooter prepared by Lambretta Rehab. Here things did get slightly competitive, but with no prizes the emphasis was on fun.
Later on that evening the Indecipherables got Eden to stand next the dartboard and getting ever closer themselves, repeatedly threw said darts at board until they’d completely forgotten they’d spent a return taxi fare to another pub to watch Aston Villa get thrashed 4-0 by Londoners in the cup final. After this Ian hosted a good old-fashioned pub quiz, Lambrettas being the main topic of the questions, followed by much banter and exchange in the pub while the winning team feasted on their homemade scotch eggs. And then on Sunday morning we dispersed and rode home, back to the four corners of our green and pleasant land, dodging rain along the way. It wasn’t big – to be honest it couldn’t cope with being much bigger – but it was clever, and a welcome break from the norm while still managing to ride through some wonderful scenery on your scooter over a weekend. Andy
Tested
Spada Hartbury Ladies Wax Jacket.
I’ve found Spada clothing to be generously cut and my usual size provides plenty of space for layering. This Hartbury wax cotton jacket is beautifully cut specifically for ladies with brass zipper, poppers and belt buckle giving a heritage style. It is kitted out in CE approved armour for back, shoulders and elbows for protection as well as good looks. I really like the blue tartan lining, but it’s also got an extra thermal liner and a soft fur feel collar for serious comfort. The only criticism I have is the front pockets are a bit on the small size and this seems to be a bit of a theme for Spada jackets. The Hartbury has a real quality feel with useful detailing like the different colour tabs for fitting the thermal liner – proper thought out design. I’ve used this jacket for a couple of local (within 100 miles) rallies as it’s not specified as being waterproof. From distant memories of my old battered wax cotton Belstaff I’d guess it’s unlikely to be as waterproof as the more technical jackets I usually wear, but I will give it a try in the next wet weather ride. Most recently it seemed ideal to wear for a retro ride at Crystal Palace for their classic motor sports day and I think it suited the event perfectly. Recommended retail is £149.95 for a jacket which is likely to improve with age, and as an added bonus, if you register your product online you get an extra 12 months warranty on top of the year you get a standard – bargain! www.spadaclothing.co.uk Ann
Laser Ratchet Tap Now here’s nifty little tool I’ve been using of late: a ratchet tap from Laser. Proving that sometimes it’s the simple things that count, this makes operating a tap for various reasons right easy, especially with one hand. From the basics, like cleaning out a Lambretta fork link bump stop thread in this photo, to the more serious business of tapping a new thread, this is a lot easier to use because you can keep the tap true and move the ratchet back for another turn, rather than be spinning a T-piece all the way round. If this appeals to you then Laser offers two 90mm ratchets for 3-6mm and 612mm taps, and 250mm
ratchets for the same. The RRP begins at £27.68 plus VAT but as Laser says, check your local Laser Tools supplier for the best prices and special offers. www.lasertools.co.uk
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This may not be the first Vespa GTS powered Lambretta to hit the road, but by a long shot it’s the most impressive. It’s also probably the biggest, boldest and trickest Lambretta we’ve seen in a while.
I
nsane Kroozer is a labour of love created for a demanding client by his slightly mad friend. It’ll be no surprise to regular readers when you hear it was built by our ‘In the Shed’ contributor and Insane Innovations hobby builder, Ferdy. A man responsible for unleashing many crazy one-off scooters on to our roads; remember the 700cc Raptor Lambretta? Rod model Vespa Auto? Upside down No Remorse Lammy chop? The list could go on and on. When it comes to design and styling, one-off fabrication and thinking in what to us ‘ordinary’ folk can only be described as random equations, Ferdy is the man.
Largely Insane
The scooter belongs to ‘Big’ Kev, a larger than life character who can look ridiculous on a scooter. An ordinary sized Lambretta is like a suppository, so he prefers a wide-assed Vespa Rally, or chunky GTS. His knees actually touch the bars on a standard Lammy so the idea to supersize an already fat Series 2 was probably a good call. He also wanted some speed and reliability so the scooter could be used for longer distances in relative comfort, so a Vespa GTV 250 was butchered to provide an engine, instruments and switchgear.
E C A E C FA
Back in the day Mods and Rockers used to fight. Looks like their successors turned from GBH to stealing.
T
he famous Ace Cafe was built in 1938 as a roadside cafe on London’s old North Circular Road. Destroyed during the war and rebuilt again it became the home of the original rockers and jukebox races in the Fifties and Sixties. Through changes in the social order, the declining motorcycle market and the expansion of the motorway network it had to close down in 1969. However, to mark the 25th anniversary of its closure London boy and visionary Mark Wilsmore organised the Ace Cafe Reunion on the original site and revived the old spirit. Since then Mark and his wife Linda have very successfully re-established ‘The Ace’ to what it is today; one of the most legendary and authentic venues for petrolheads on the planet. As to why a German scooterist would choose this historic biker bastion as an appropriate theme for a scooter project left me a tad puzzled, until I discovered that the café also played a leading role in the 1963 cult film The Leather Boys. “That’s just a bigoted cliché!” I hear you shout. Well, here’s another one for you; this Teutonic-built Vespa is so crammed full of technical trickery that we can barely scratch the surface of it.
g n i r u o t Gone
Simple mods
M
y big scooter adventure for this summer is to Vespa World Days in Croatia, a 3000 mile camping trip, which by the time you read this I’ll hopefully be home from. As with any scooter tour or adventure, planning is critical if you want the journey to go as smoothly as possible. Obviously the scooter itself is important and because my Vespa GTS 300 is new it comes with a two year European warranty, so in the unlikely event that something goes wrong it could be fixed by a Piaggio dealer in any of the 10 countries we’ll be riding through. So aside from the factory fresh mechanical preparation, here’s what I’ve done to prepare the scooter for long distance use. Iggy
GTS forVespa Touring Standard Seat: Fitted with medical grade gel pads front and rear for improved long distance comfort. It cost £120 from Alan’s Custom Covers UK.
Front and rear genuine Piaggio racks for luggage: Pipe lagging on top bar of rear rack to stop it digging into my pillion’s back! Standard horncast replaced with cheaper carbon effect item to avoid drilling the original one. Scooter can be put back to standard later.
Body protection: Side panels, glovebox door, across the front frame seam and under front carrier rubber feet fitted with invisible clear vinyl to protect the paintwork from panniers/bags etc. Carbon ‘Super’ graphics also fitted by Image Works, Ilkeston.
112 | SCOOTERING | JULY 2015
Wiring harness: Fitted to battery and fed through under the front of the seat for heated vests. The vests are perfect for cold mountain passes and it means you don’t need to carry as many layers.
Mirrors: With integrated indicators fitted, a bargain at £20 from eBay. Front luggage will obscure the standard front indicators so these are an important safety feature.
Sat nav mount: One of the standard screen mounts was swapped for a RAM mount to attach the TomTom Rider. I’m using an Interphone sat nav at the minute but it isn’t very user friendly compared to the Rider so will be swapped for the journey.
Screen fitted: To keep windblast at bay and insects away. This was also vinyl wrapped to tie in with the black/carbon on the rest of the scooter.
Heavier bar end weights: Fitted to compensate for the additional weight of luggage, standard rear shocks set to maximum preload.
Small but powerful 8000mah battery pack: Fitted inside glovebox door using Velcro. It can be used to recharge phones, camera batteries etc. on the move or while camping.
12v charger socket: Fitted to pump up/deflate airbeds and provide an extra charge point for phones/heated clothing if needed. There’s also a USB point inside the glovebox.
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BSSO Scooter Racing, Anglesey Welcome toAnglesey for another weekend of mayhem! This weekend we have a mixed grid with geared scooters starting first, then a delayed start for the autos.
Race 1
What a great battle between the Conneely brothers Steve (6) and Darren (4) with Damon Tunnicliffe (6) a stone’s throw away. Auto wise, Joe Ravenscroft (6a) was in a class of his own, with neither Ryan Clipstone (6a) or myself (6a) getting anywhere near him. Lap four saw my transmission belt snap and the start of a torrid day for me. On the plus side I did have a ringside seat for the action and there was plenty of it throughout the field. Joe took the overall win despite the delayed start and what an impressive start to the weekend.
Race 2
Well we all start racing and after two laps the race is stopped with a red flag because of a crash on the start/finish straight. Unfortunately the gremlins set about my Runner in the meanwhile and I was forced to sit out the restart and again watch the racing. This time Damon and Stuart Day (6) battled for top honours, with Darren again the top four rider close by. Joe took top auto honours but that’s not the full story. Two riders finished within 0.39 seconds of each other and Chris Geyton (4) and Dan Lewis (4) finished 0.02
136 | SCOOTERING | JULY 2015
seconds apart – close racing indeed! Sunday and another day another Runner as mine’s in disgrace! Instead I’m off out on the PSN blue Runner.
Race 1
Damon this time has Mickey Bonett (Group 6) and Stuart Day for company in a racelong battle. Darren was again the top Group 4 rider and Joe the top auto rider. Despite throwing his freshly painted DTC Zip SP on the floor in race 1, Justin Price was back up to speed, winning Group 10 and also managing to jump the start for which he got a special prize.
Race 2
Last race of the day and the fastest/closest of the weekend. Again, despite the delayed start Joe stormed through the field and took the overall race victory, but only just. Mickey Damon and Stuart were all neck-and-neck all race long. However a race infringement cost Damon a 10 second penalty and a place. Again there was lots of close racing throughout the field and with no fallers or breakdowns everyone finished the weekend on a high. Words: John, #52 Photography: Lee & Karen Hollick Joe Ravenscroft (Auto 6A) with a delayed start catches and beats all geared scooters to the finish line. An exceptional rider.