Varietyisthe spiceoflife
IthinkI’vepreviouslymentioned that when askedwhatmyfavourite st yleof scooteris, Iusually reply: “One that theowner love s” andthat’snot alie Whetherit’saChine se auto with afew eBay stickers,awell- ridden rallyhacko ra fullblowncus tom, Inever tire of listeningto owners who view theirs co ot as amemberof thefamily. However, anyone lo okingatmy ownmachine swills ee that Ihaveadefinite preference when it come stospendingmy owncash. Whetherit’smyo riginalpaint GP, therecentlydeceasedMotovespa Iris or my currentPX200,it’sobvious that Ihavea le aningtowards standard lo okingmachine s. Standard lo okingyes,but always with ahintof mischief underthe panels However, that preference wasshakenthis monthbyone of ourfeature scoots,57Heaven. Rarely have Iseensucharadically modified scooterthatlooks so ‘right’. I’ve studiedevery single oneofthe images andI can’tfind any anglethatlooks anything less than perfect. Irealise that hybridsdrawmixed emotions,
sometimesonprinciple andsometimes because of aesthetics.After all, shoehorninganengine designed forone machineintoacompletely differentframe canoften result in linesthatare, let’sbetactful,‘challenging’ to theeye.Not so with ‘57’;the engine’s obviouslyway toolong for theframe,yet itscur vesare sublime. Whydoes it work so well?Possiblybecause itsbuilder is more used to building custom motorcyclesand as aconsequence wasabletoapproachthe projectwithnopreconceptionsastowhatwas ‘right’or‘wrong’.
In anyevent it’s asuperbmachine andone that proves whatever ourpersonaltaste s, thereare plenty of scooters outthere that can make us appreciate howtruly diversethe world of scooters is.One thingIcan guaranteeis that in our40 th anniversar yyear, there’sstill no shor tage of scooters to featureand we’ve gotsomecrackingcover scooters linedup. Ipromise that there’ssomething for ever yone,evenifyou’renot expectingit…
Theridingseasonisdrawing ever closer,and we’d love to featureyouradventure s. If you’re planning atrip, or have completedone that you’dlike to share, drop us alineand we’llhelpyou getitintoprint Don’tworry if you’re notawriter, Stan will help youget things into shape.
■ stan@scootering.com
ww w.scoo tering.com
Scoo tering Magazine
@scoo teringmag
CO NTE NT S
Your chance to buy afully formed
76Saigon superstore
Stu talks to Chris Pope of The Chords
us what you’re thinking Your feedback on your magazine
An epic trip to the UK from Switzerland for some August Bank Holiday adventures
At5that’satribute inmore ways than
The view from the van on last year’sepic round Britain charity ride
Big Chris takes us back intime to when Italian scooters were built in Bristol
Our friends at Saigon Scooter Centre haveanew home
80This month in the garage
Dan puts fivedifferent scooters through their paces on thedynoand sees some interestingresults
86Vespa tech
We try an aftermarket cylinder,and for once it’snot tuned! 90Italian stallionrolling revival
We complete our component inspection before movingonto the enginerebuild 96Vespa GTS
Will aspeed ring make any difference to our GTS’sperformance? We’ll fit oneand see
100RaceChat
Injuries areanoccupational hazardofracing andSteve Wrightknows more aboutthemthanmost…
104Buyer’sguide
Your guide to this year’snew scooters
108Road test
We update you on our Quattrini 218’sadventures
111Tales from the vault
When club loyalty goes too far…
112Word search
Find words andwin
114Scooter Trader
Bargain hunt, without the golden gavels
116Events
Plan your next outing
120Final word
We end as we began, with a gorgeous hybrid
122Next month
If you like chrome you’ll love next month’sedition
Ta ken at the 1956 Farnborough air s how,t his snap sho ws aVes pa 42L 2 in fr on to ft he RAF’sl atest all-weathe rf ig hter,t he Gloster Javelin .A s the ai rc ra ft in question, XA764, was s cr apped in 196 3, the 42L 2m ay wel lh ave outlived its mo re st re amlined c ontem porary
Copies of this and thousands of other images from our archivecan be ordered in various formats from: www.mortonsarchive.com
57 HEAVEN
Nikdoesloveascooterthat’sal ittleout of theord inar y, preferably onethat’shad alot of thoughta nd imag inationthrow natit. RichardLavender’sL D/GTShybridh itsa ll ther ight spots.
Althoughthisisn’t thefirsttime I’ve seen this idea executed,I do thinkthatit’spossiblythe tidiestfinished product that I’ve come across.Innobody’swildest dreams coulditbemistakenfor somethinglikea factor yprototype;it’sunmistakablythe creation of someonewho knowshow to make one- offmachinery that couldnever be mass produced.
Ihopehewon’t mind me saying this,but ownerRichard Lavender is an interesting character. He hasa foot in both custom bike andscooter territoryand doesn’treally differentiatebetween thetwo.Hejustlikes somethingdifferent from thenormand hasbeenresponsible fora couple of tidy motorbikechopsinthe past.The problem is that,ashe’ll happilyadmit,while he has aheadfullofideas,hecan’t actually build things.Luckily forhim,heknows aman that
Ihave this mental imageof him laughing maniacally as he chopped this poor scooter,which never did him anyharm, into ahuge pile of tiny bits of rusty tin.
can. This scooterwas inspired by asimilar buildfromFrancethathesaw photos of at a custom show.Thatmachine waspowered by aHonda engine,and only hadone majorflaw in itsdesign. It couldn’t actually be ridden.As Richardsays, what’s thepoint in that then?
Intriguedbythe lines, andwanting a road-going version, he setabout gettingthe
basics together.AGTS 250was picked up, andafter awhile theframe,a 1957 LD150 in case youhadn’tspotted it,was foundto go with it.Luckily,the engine went straight in andthere were no issues.I didn’t really thinkyou’d believethat!
I’ve sp oken to both theowner and thebuilder whilepreparing this piece, andtheys eemtohaveslightlydif ferent versions of theconvers ationthattook placewhenthe topicwas broughtup. Richards eems to thinkthatthe builder, therespected custom moto rcycle builder Martin Welsby of Hyde in Manche ster, thoughtitwas achallenge wo rthtaking on.Mar tin, however, remembers it mo re along thelines of:“No.D efinitely no.A re youmad?Idon’t know anything ab out scooters.That’snever goingtowork. I can’ts ee howtodoit. Go away.” Or wo rds to that ef fect
The ugly parts are allcarefully hidden.
From adifferent angle
Once theideawas lodged in hishead, it niggledawayuntil apossiblesolutionwas found. Andanunusual solution it was.
Anyone who’s builtsimilar engine transplant machines in thepastalwaysseems to come at it from asimilar angle. Remove therear of theLambretta,build asubframetotake theengine, weld it to theremaining front endand then replacethe rear arch over the top, followingthe original linesasclosely as possible.Not in this case.A completely differentapproachwas takenhere.
Firstly, thetubular spineofthe scooter wasremoved,leaving thethinsteel upper shell. As this wasobviously notgoing to be able to take theweightofthe engine,let alonethe rider, alengthof1/8in thick, 2inx 1inbox sectionsteel wasobtainedand small triangular pieces removed in appropriate
Built to be ridden.
places to allowthe steeltobebenttofollow thescooter shape. Thesecutswerethen welded shut againbeforebeing joined to the outerofthe LD frame. This framewas going to have no flexinitatall.And probably weighalmostasmuchasthe complete Lambrettawould have originally!
Theenginewas then removed from the GTSframe.Sadly,Mar tinhad neverworked on an auto Vespabeforeand hadnoidea as to howtoremovethe engine.Luckily, he didown an anglegrinder.Withall the unnecessar ybits(thechassis,inshort) removed usingthis, it wastimetowork outhow to actually fit it.Ihavethismental imageofhim laughing maniacally as he choppedthispoorscooter,which neverdid himany harm,intoahugepileoftinybits of rustytin.Sorry,getting offtopic there, butI suspectit’snot amillion milesfrom thereality
Just in case anyone hasbeenupinarms aboutthe whole idea of cuttinganLDto pieces (I doubtanyonecares aboutthe GTS, to be fair!),don’t worr y. Thebase scooterwas abit of ashedtostart with and it probably wasn’t worthtryingtosave. On theupside, thepanelsweregoing to have to be extensivelyreshapedtotakethe width of theengine, so aset of good ones wasn’t really needed.Thiswas abit unfortunateas Richardhad decidedthathewantedtokeep thepanelsasoriginallooking as possible,so some more cuttingand weldingfollowedto getthemsomewhere howtheyshouldlook, andthisinturnled to oneofthe nicest little touchesonthe scooter. Thewidth of the engine meantthatthe floorboards couldn’t easily have suppor ting struts made to hold them in thetraditional outrig germanner. Thesolution? Remove therearrunning boards andweldthemdirectlytothe panels afterincorporating abar to give some protection to theexposed engine.Not only
OW NE R
Name: RichardLavender. Scoo tercluband home town: Chester/ Flintshire
What wasyourfrs tscoo terand howdid youfrs tbecome in tere st ed in them: A GP200in1984… from ateenagerIwas into scooters
What wasyourfrs tr ally: Colw yn Bay1984.
If youhad to recommendone scoo terpar t or it em of riding kitw ha twould it be: A bigger kitonmostscooters. What is your favourit escoot er model: LambrettaSX200
does this help keep thelines of thescooter, it’s onething less to removeifaccesstothe engine is needed,aseachsidecomes away as onepiece.Tidy.
Thelittlemudguardthatgracesthe rear wheelisanother neat touch. Notobtrusive, it’s just bigenoughtoprotect therider from whatever theroadthrowsupwithout distractingfromthe classiclines of the scooter. SomethingIwas surprisedtobe told is that thescooter comesinateight inches longer than standard.Itdoesn’t look that much to me,the propor tionsofthe classicframe beingkeptappropriate in my eyes,althoughIsuspect afairamountofit is down to that back wheel. Fortunately, the lump wasn’t toobad to squeezeinoncethe engine mountpositions were locatedonthe Lambretta; although it hasled to therear shocks beingatanangle,Iwas surprised to finditactuallyworked, as they’re approachingthe horizontal
Adownsideofusing theLDbodywas that theframe suddenly stepsdowninthe area that theVespa wouldhaveits fuel tank,
SCOOTER SPEC IFIC AT ION S
Name of scoo ter: No name
Scoo termodel: LambrettaLD1956/ Vespa GTS250 auto engine
Time to build&byw ho: 12 months by Martin Welsby/Richard Lavender. Engine specifcation
Thedonorscooter forall therunning gear andelectrics wasaVespa GTS250
We stripped it andbinnedall thebitswe didn’t want or need What ’s it like to ride: FAST!Smooth andcomfortable
Fr amespecifcation
Pain twork&mur alsby: Martin Welsby Ar tworkand pinstripingbyMonster Forge (PhilAppleyard).
Seat by: Martin Welsby
Anyframe modifcations?What& by whom: Many modifications to theframe,all inside wascut outtomakeroomfor thelarge Vespa engine.The whole spinehad to be reinforced to keep theshape with heavygauge steel.
meaningthatthere wasthe minorissue of having nowheretoholdthe petrol it would require. Afront mountedtankwas the answer,hidingawaybehindthe legshields in theareawhere you’dexpectthe radiator to sit. This also hidesall theelectrical gubbinsneededtopumpthe fuel to where it’s needed,keeping some seriouslyugly partsout of sight. Obviously, this meant that theradiatorhad to be moved; it ended up hidden away very subtly underthe floorboards where, to be totallyhonest, I completelymisseditatfirstviewing!
Up front, theforks arefromanother auto,thistimea Gilera.Asensiblemove as there’snot really much chance that the
Ar et here ar eany specialisedp ar ts: Many!Custombuilt petrol tank placed in thelegshields, custom batter ybox in legshields,extendedswingarmtopush thebackwheel outofthe back.Panels hadtoberefabricatedand cut, andrear floorboards areweldedtothe panels.LED headlight, custom-madehandlebars, side mountnumberplate andlight,handmade leatherseat.
Are ther eany otheruniquedet ails we may have missed: Thefront endisfromaGilera with acustom-made billet frontwheel and polished original covers,front disc brake caliperhad to be fabricated.All theelectrics were locatedtothe buttybox in theinside of thelegshields; electric star tbuttons were fabricated
What wasthe hardes tpar to fthe pr ojec t: Gettingthe engine to fit into theframe.A lotofworkwentintothis, finding alocation forthe petrol tank andbattery boxasthere wasnoroomlefttofitinsidethe frame.
standard LD forkscould have been safely modifiedtohandlethe stopping power needed forthe scooter. Betweenthemsits what appearstobeabilletwheel at first glance butgiven that thecostofthiswould have runtoaneye-wateringamount, the cheaperalternative of twoaluminium discs bolted throughthe wheels givesthe same solidlooking effect withoutmakingthe steering tooheavy to be rideable.Aone-off calipercarrier wasalsomanufacturedbythe talented Mr Welsby
Finishingtouches
Thesteeringhas been deliberately kept clear of anysurplus switchgear,emphasising the
Gettingthe shocks to stillworkand relocating them
Do youhaveany ad vice or tech tips for anyone st ar ting aproject: Don’tdoit! In hindsigh t, is ther eany thingyou would have donedif ferently: No,not really Is ther eanyoneyou wish to thank: Martin Welsby.Ihad thevisionand thedesign, Idrewitupbut Martin made it come to life andgot me arunning paintedscooter with theuniquebackend Iwanted. He managedtoget theenginetofitand still made it look like ascooter.Mar tinhas builtseveral choppermotorcycles forme over theyears andhates scooters!(So he said –lol.) Phil Appleyard: Phil came to stay with me forthree days anddid allthe pinstripingand graphics.Iammassively into skulls andIdon’t like traditional pinstripingsoIdesignedthe styleand askedhim to incorporatethe skulls.He diditall freehandand Ifed andwatered himfor threedaysand hadablast
slightly droppedand pulled-backbarsthat feed throughthe original handlebarchassis, usingthe original Vespacomponentsfor brakes andthrottle, with one- offaluminium covers beingmadetoreplace theoriginal speedo andhornarea. Theswitches themselveshavebeenkepttoanabsolute minimum; literallytwo toggle switches,abig redenginestart button andamoresubtle onefor thehorn. Unusually, Richardmade thedecisiontomakeafeature of thebattery, siting it on thespine of thefloorboards open to view,heldinplace by asimple studdedbeltarrangement.Hmm .Exposed electrical connectionsand northern weather. What couldpossiblygowrong there?
Adesign that works –from every angle.
No prizes forguessingwho didthe paint either.Onceagain,Mar tincamethrough in spades andhas laid down astunning combinationofa blackbaseoverwhich a redcandy wasapplied.Thiswas followed by ared flake andablack blowover coat to tone it down slightly.Afew layers of clear coat followed.The overalleffectisofa very deep shimmerwhich subtly changes shadedepending on thelight it catches. Unfortunately, you’ll have to take ourword forthatasthe weatherdecided to be abit miserableonthe dayofthe photoshoot,but it really does ‘ping’,asthe saying hasit, on asunnyday
Over thetop theunusualgraphic design wasincorporated, whichbothdraws attentiontothe linesofthe scooterand complements thecolourscheme. This wasapplied freehandbyPhilAppleyard of MonsterForge custom paints,towhom
Richardgavefoodand shelterwhile Phil appliedthe design at hishouse.Fromthe soundofit, afew beersmay have been involved as apparently,theyhad adamn good time whilehewas at it
Thedesignincorporatedahandful of skulls to reflect somethingRichard collects, andthese just breakupthe paintenoughto make it more than just aset of graphics with avague feel of 1970swallpaper!
As thescooter wasbuilt to be ridden and notshown,something theowner feelsver y strongly about, avariety of seatsweretried outfor comfor tand styling. Whilehewas quitedrawn towardsaclassic Snettertontype minimalist affair,commonsense and ageing bonessug gested somethingwitha bitofpadding maybeabetteridea, and aftera lotofthought thesimpleone that you seefitted wasdecided on andhandmade, againbyMar tin. Personally,Ithink it again
suitsthe overallstyle of thescooter;a racing seat wouldhavetaken away from the propor tionsofthe machine.
Ialsofeelthatitemphasisessomething that struck me straight away when Isaw a side-onshotofthe scooter. If youimagine apetroltank, somethinglikeaclassic MustangorPeanuttype, in thegap behind thelegshields, then allofasuddenthe propor tionstakeonaver ymotorcycle chopperlook. Whetherthisisintentional or an unconsciousbiasfromthe custom bike builderwho constructed it, Icouldn’t say. ButIdofeelit’sone of thereasons this scooterhangs so well in itsentirety: apurposefullookofamachine waitingto be ridden
Whichishandy really,isn’t it?
Words: Nik
Images: Gary Chapman
Paintisbothsubtle andstunning.
Bare essentials.
Winter wonderland
Winter ClassicShow, Newark,January 11-12, 2025
It maynot have been thewar mest show ever,but therewas plenty to entertainatthe Newa rk Winter Classic.
Asthe first show of theseason, theWinterClassic at Newark Showground is both theperfect antidotetothe post-Christmas bluesand areminderthatgoodtimes are just around thecorner.
This year’s attendeesbravedweather conditions that felt more like theArcticthan Nottinghamshire; andthatwas just inside thehall! However, thescooter andclub displays more than compensatedfor this.
This year’s attendees braved weather conditions that felt more like theArctic than Nottinghamshire; and that was just inside the hall!
Creepy: taking detail to anew level.
Notableattendees were membersofthe VeteranVespa Club,who once againreceived awell-deserved trophy forBestClubStand, although thepairofmining-themed scooters caused many to stop andtakeintheir glory. Elsewhere, thecustomLambretta named Creepy hademerged from itswinterrebuild to reveal alevel of detail that we’venever seen before andthe Scootering standfeaturedtwo very differentbut equallystunningscooters. Of course,the scooterhallisonlypar tof theshowand forfansofother two-wheeled funthere wasplentytosee,and purchase, across theentiresite.
In fact,words don’tdothe eventjustice –so enjoyour photographic coverage Seeyou next year!
Words: Stan Images: StuSmith/Chris Wainwright
Our Mau making awelcome appearance.
Red (Series) two.
Not 19 forever.
Asmall part of the Veteran Vespa Club display.
TopBanana.
H&H was on hand to temptbuyers.
NE WA RK WINTE RC LA SS IC CUS TOM SHO WR ES UL TS
Be st Scoo terClubStand: VeteranVespa Club
Be st Scoo terinshow: NW T976A–Lambretta
Judges ‘Special Awar d’: FY17 EHE
Be st Cust om Scoo ter: LambrettaGP, Creepy
Be st Lambre tt a: BUR25F
Be st Ve spa: 996XUR
Be st OtherMake: UXS141 –MVAugusta
Be st Original-Looking: VYC616 –Vespa
Be st Engineer ed: NE55 YYE
Be st Scoo terinthe fr e-up hall: XHJ810N –Lambretta
Aminer’slife and aminer’swife.
TheKnowledge
They’vegot your
NUMB3R
Registration plates arealegal requ irement, butwhatmakes one‘lega l’ andhow ca nit be personal ised?Here’sour guide to keepingonthe rightsideofthe law.
Every vehiclelicensedfor use on theroadmustdisplay its registration mark andthatmust conformtocer tain standards. Now, we allknowthatthere’s thelegal standard andthere’s real life.There areplent yofplate sout therethatdon’t conformtoregulations,but just because people areget ting away with it doesn’t mean they’relegal.A sk anyone who was riding 20 or 30 yearsago,and they’lltell youthatitwas possible to geta handfulof ‘producers’inone night; nowit’sraretosee atrafficcar andevenrarer to geta random stop.That’sbecause most enforcement is nowmanaged throughcameras,and that meansanincreasinglydim view of non-standardplate s. OutsideofMoT time,
Most enforcement is now managed through cameras, and that means an increasingly dim view of non-standard plates
you’re likely to getawaywithmodifications, butifstopped you’re likely to face the consequences.Ifthathappens,put on your bigboy (orgirl) pantsand accept what’s coming.You payyourmoney andtake your chance s…
Q: What ar ethe consequences of no t displaying my number corr ec tly?
A: Thereisamaximum fineof£1000,but it’s more usualtoreceive a£100fixed penaltynotice. In addition,ifthe case is heardatcourt,three points canbeadded to adriving licence. In some circumstancesthe vehiclecan also be seized.
Q: What registra tion plat emus tIdisplay ?
A: That’s asimplequestion, butthe answer is complicated as it dependsonwhenthe vehiclewas registered,and majorchanges took placefor motorcyclesregisteredonorafter September1,2001. Thesemustonlydisplay anumberplate at therearofthe vehicle. Motorcyclesregisteredbeforethatdatemay also displayaregistrationplate at thefront of thevehicle butare notobliged to do so.Plates must comply with therelevantBritish standard specification,and if manufactured afterthe 2001 date should also includethe BS number, away of identifyingthe manufacturer (usually apostcode) andthe name andpostcodeofthe supplyingoutlet.
Q: Is ther eaf orma tt odisplay registra tion number s?
A: Yes, andagain this dependsonthe date avehicle wasfirstregistered. Vehicles manufactured afterJanuary 1, 1973 must displaynumberplatesthatare made of a reflectivematerial, whiteatthe frontand yellow at therearwithblack lettersand numbers.
Q: What abou tblack andw hite plat es?
A: Thereisananomaly in theregulations around blackand white(or blackand silver)plates. As we’vejustset outabove, thesebecameillegal on vehicles registered afterJanuary 1, 1973.Vehiclesthatwere registered priortothatdatemay continue to displayblack andsilverplates. However, when thehistoricvehicle taxation classwas introduced, theregulations allowedblack andwhite plates to be fittedtovehicles registered in that category.Thisruleapplied on a40-year exemptionbasis anduntil 2021 rolled forwardautomatically on April 1. This loophole wasclosedonJanuary 1, 2021,but theregulations weren’tapplied retrospectively. So,vehiclesthatdateafter 1973 butprior to Januar y1,1980, andare registered in thehistoricvehiclescategor y, canlegally displayblack andsilverplates.
Q: Is ther eas tyle of le tt er that must be used ?
A: Yes. Fornew vehicles thereisa ‘prescribed font’; slight variations areallowed providing they are‘substantiallysimilar’tothe prescribed font.There areveryspecific measurements forthe font,and againthose depend on theyearofregistration. Fontsthat
Motorcycles have specific regulations.
areitalic, stylised,ormakethe registration mark difficult to read,are notpermitted
Q: What abou tsize?
A: Thereisnominimum size of registration plate, howeverthe lettersmustbeset out in away that conforms to theregulations This meansthatthe registration ‘A 1’ can be displayedonaplate that’s smallerthan that required for‘PNT919G’ andstill be legal. Thecriticalpoint is that theborderis presentand allthe letters/numbersare of thecorrect size andspacing.
Q: What abou tthr ee-liner egis tr ations?
A: Thesewereverypopular on motorcycles aftersuffix registrationswereissuedand ledto seven-figureregistrationnumbers.So that the platecould sitonexistingnumberplate carriers, thesuffix wasadded to athird line.Thistype of registration can’tbefitted to motorcycles registered on or afterJanuary 1, 1973
Q: I’ ve seen number plat es with na tional fags on them.Istha tlegal?
A: It’s notonlylegal,but unless you’re travelling to Spain, MaltaorCyprusitremoves theneedtodisplay a‘UK’sticker when travelling in theEU. Britishridersmay choose betweenthe Unionflag,Cross of St George, CrossofStAndreworRed Dragon of Wales. Theflag andidentifier must be displayedon aretro-reflective blue background andbe accompaniedbythe internationallyrecognised descriptor forthe flag, forexample ‘UK’. Q: What abou tthe tint ed flm, or sprays that make it diffcult forANPRt opho togr aph thenumber?
A: Theregulations don’tspecifically outlaw such productsbyname; however, if you need to askthat, then you’ve notunderstood what’s goingon. Reflectiveplatesmust conformtothe standardsset outin
The basic requirements are the same for all vehicles.
regulations; tamperingwiththatinany way meansthey’re no longer compliant, so by defaulttints areillegal.There’s also aphrase that runs throughthe regulation whichis ‘tampering in away that makesitdif ficult to read theregistrationnumber.’That’s thecatch-all.It’salsowor th noting that no background design is allowed, thus the ‘honeycomb’disruptorsthatwerepopular in the90s arealsoforbidden
Q: Isee ‘showpla te s’ beingadver tised, what ar ethey?
A: Theregulations applytovehiclesusedona public road.Whenusedonprivate property, or exhibitedina custom show,any platecan be displayed. Theterm‘show plate’ is the manufacturer tellingyou that theplate is not legalfor road useand,tosomeextent, is their wayofevading theirresponsibilitiesshould youdecidetodootherwise
Q: This allsoundsver ycomplicat ed.How do I know if my plat es comply ?
A: TheDVL Ahas publishedall thedata online anditcan be foundinits publication: INF104.Alternatively,pop into the showroom of your nearestmajor franchised scooterdealer, it’s guaranteed that the plates they fit to newscooterswillshowall youneedtoknow!
Q: By pure luck,witha little cr ea tivity,the registra tion plat eonmyscoo tcan be made to read my name.Istha tokay?
A: Theregulations forbid anytampering with theletters andnumbers to form names or wordssothattheyare hard to read,for examplestrategically fitting ablack bolt to change thenumber‘4’ into theletter‘A’ However, thewhole subjectofpersonalised plates is adifferent matter entirely,and we’ll look at that next month.
Words: Stan Images: DVLA,Gar yChapman
With thanks to theDVL Af or as sist ance with this ar ticle
When anew year dawns, I always have afeeling of optimism that it’ll be better than the previous year,which in my case had ended quite badly and Iwas glad to see the back of 2024. I’dthought about new year resolutions, and Ihad afew plans formed in my head revolving around scooter racing and two-wheeled travel
Last year,Iwas lucky to be part of the SRP Taffspeed endurance race team and we were 2024 champions, so Iwas looking forward to riding withthe guysto defend the honours. Thisinvolved aloose plan to give my historicGroup 4racera few more outings to get track time. I’ve also been doing alot of kart racing which helps to keep the racing brain sharp. Iwas feeling very optimistic, and had even designed anew paint job for my helmet.
Iwas also planning to get aset of new roadwheelsand wasthinking about ticking off abucket list tripof completing the North Coast 500 route around Scotland. Iwas optimistic of improvingmy work/life balance, withmore time for scooters alongside thefullBSSO race season spectating.
Yes, January 1was good. But on January 2itall turned to sh1t!
Iwas out on my cycle and was hit head on by an e-bike that was travelling flatout. Ifound myself with two fractures to my right legand had afoot that just flopped around like it wasn’t attached. Around26 hours later Iwas finallyina hospital bed after atour of two A&Es and one trauma centre. Then followed eightdaysin hospital with four cancelled operations, and all Icould think was that my plans were now in tatters.
The likelihood was that I’d be in plaster for six to 12 weeks, followed by threeto six months of physio and possibly12
Endurance
is
key to crash recover y
This month Paul’sfeeling down, but by no means is he out of the game
months to make afullrecovery.I messaged theteam WhatsAppgroupwith the news, and the reply came back: “But we need you for the endurance in June!” My wife was with me at thehospital when this message arrived, and as youmay imagine she told me Iwas ‘very stupid’to be even thinkingabout it andracing.
As you will read in this month’sRace Chat (also with abroken bones theme) the racer’smentality is to ignore pain and doctor’srecommendationsand just get back on two wheels as soon as possible! So, Isaid to my wife: “I can try,and see how Igo, I’ve got nearly six months!” A (very) frosty look flashed back, but 20 minutes later it was followed by: “You will be careful, won’t you?”.
“Of course,” Ireplied. “Maybe!”
But why do we take these risks?
Riding any form of two-wheeled transport carries risks, which are greater thanina four-wheeled tin box. But we want to do it, don’twe? The buzz and pleasure of riding scooters draws us in.It’spartofour lifestyle.The typical reader of Scootering is no longer 21, and as we get older we don’t bounce so well. Neither do we recover so quickly. Our appetite for risk reduces.
Our scooters require areasonable amount of physical fitness. We know peoplesuffer with arthritis andstrength issues that may make clutch andgear change operation challenging. This is a factor in the growth of modern automatic retro scooters that solvethis particular problem.
In my instance, untilstrength in my leg recovers, Icould not entertainkick-starting aclassic Lambretta, especiallywith high compression. As and when Ireturn to a racetrack(fingers crossed)itwillbesome time before Iwillhave the strengthtorun and bump-start arace scooter.Sitting crouchedona race scooter fora45-minute endurancestint operating arear-set brake is very cramped and willbeboth hard and painful with limited leg/anklemovement. It will be physicallydifficult for alongtime. But it WILL improve andget easier
Once again,amodern scooter with electric start would solvethiskick-start
Riding any form of two-wheeled transport carries risks, which are greater thanina four-wheeled tinbox. But we want to doit, don’t we?
problem and lower limb issues will always be easier to overcome on ascooter rather than amotorcycle. Wristissues can be overcome by modern automatic scooters.
We all have to be realistic but, in the real world, age, mobility and mental capacity will one dayreduce or stop our ability to ride scooters andget all the benefits we enjoy.Whether that is speed, social, buzz, freedom or whatever.One day it may just stop
But until that day we may need to change thestyle of machine we ride, the frequency or distance we ride, or whatever But Iwould always sayfight these limitations as longasyou can. On the race track we’ve got acouple of competitive guys over 70 and anumber of us are in their 60s
Don’t let getting old stopyou riding. Maybeyou get old becauseyou stop riding?
So while I’m fresh off morphine and typingthiswithfoot raised,inafew weeks I’ll be outofplaster castsand hobbling around race tracks, just itching to get back outthere!
