Editor’s Note
Jess Corbett
Establishment Group, I have now been asked to be on the Advisory Council. First meeting in February 2011, chaired by Gareth Morgan. With that extra workload, I have handed over my role with the New Zealand Classic Scooter Club to Ian Tolerton of Nelson.
I’ll try not to spend every editorial apologising for Scoot NZ being late. Suffice to say that I am still catching up, and I am very conscious of my subscribers. It has been an interesting time - after spending several months on the Motorcycle Safety Levy
Contents Editor’s Note
1
Grahame McIver - and his lambrettas
2-5
Blue Smoke & Pedals
6-8
Classifieds L.A.S.T. Scooter Tour Wellington to Bluff December Dash
7 9-12
13-14
Errata:
Next Month:
None that I could find, but the layout for November needed a bit of work. Have paid more attention to layout for this issue.
Allstate Road Trip L.A.S.T. Scooter Tour part 2
1
Grahame McIver
Interview with Grahame McIver, by Jess Corbett alternative was a scooter. So I bought a lambretta – an LD150 lambretta. He found a scooter for me, and I bought it with money I had earned.
“I needed transport, and I did want to get a motorbike, but my father, who had ridden motorbikes in the second world war, said no. So the other
This was in 1966 in Christchurch. I was a 15 year old schoolboy, and you had to go to parties, and to work - I had after school jobs and holiday jobs. I rode that for a couple of years and then I ran into problems with the driveshaft. I took it somewhere to be repaired, and then I ran into some strife trying to get it back from him. It was a motorcycle shop in Christchurch, and by this stage my father had died, and I didn't have the wherewithall to to get this shark to release the lambretta.
2
He claimed I owed him a lot more
money – I took it in to be assessed, and first New Zealand owner was Timothy Speakman, of Colgate, in 1964. Then it he claimed he'd done work on it and was at McCleary Motors, then Miss that I owed him all this money. Teresa Minehan of Montreal St, Scooter Motorcycle and Moped It stayed in the shop. I never went Services, and then Lesley Brian of back and got it. Christchurch, then Tony Ebert. I went and got a series one TV175 – I moved from Christchurch in 1974 – still quite a big scooter. It went well, and then I came upon a slimline – the I bought it up with me, and had a 200 by then as well – a TV200. The series one that's still in the shed now. I one was in parts at that stage. th bought in on the 11 June 1970. I sold the TV175 much later, when I was up in Palmerston North. The scooter was imported from the states – it was USA new in 1962, and came into New Zealand in 1964. The
Because I'd wanted a motorbike, and wanted more performance, the only option was to tune my scooter. I was working in a glasshouse, and an English woman also working there
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3
Omega crank, manifold, and Amal carb.
knew about this company in Britain that sold hot parts for lambrettas – Arthur Francis. I've still got the brochure and a parts list. You had to write letters – although there was a rudimentary fax system operating, through the Post Office, Bureaufax or something like that. There were some things that needed a signature quickly.
After waiting for it to arrive, you had to go through Customs – anything attracted duty. I put it all together, and it performed quite well. But there was nobody else about with hot scooters at that point, in Christchurch. I was getting to parties quicker! All my mates had cars – one had a truck. But there were times when three of us would get on the scooter and go to a party.
I wrote to them, they sent the catalogues and parts list (1969), and they also wrote with advice on what to get. So I imported all the bits – a special exhaust system, double engine mounts, larger piston (200), extra plate for the clutch, ball end levers, reverse pull for the disc brake, an
The longest trip I did on it was Christchurch to Greymouth, over
PO Box 5392 Lambton Quay Wellington 6145 Editor/Owner: Jess Corbett 021 10 595 10 jess@scootnz.co.nz scootnz.co.nz facebook.com/scootnz Twitter @scootnz ISSN 1178-7643 4
another on a Mack three kawasaki, one of the first 500 Kawasaki's, and a guy on a Vincent Black Lightning. I got beaten by everyone except the guy on the Kawasaki – the kawasaki wasn't running properly.
Arthurs Pass. In those days, once you got past Springfield, most of it was shingle. There was a cabaret in Christchurch – New Zealand's first licenced cabaret – the Shoreline Country Club. The owner bought a hotel at Jackson, and I went there to work at the hotel. I was helping to renovate it, and also working as a barman. It's still there – Jackson's Pub.
I finished at university and came up to Palmerston North in 1974, and by that stage, because I rode it flat out most places, I'd blown the seals out at the end of the crankshaft, so it wasn't By this stage I was at University, and I running properly. I bought it up here, did a couple of track days at Ruapuna. and because I had the 200, I've never It was a complete mismatch of bikes – ridden it since. It's been moved about as I moved houses. I did the 200 up there was nobody else on a hot scooter – it was mostly cars. There was and sold it much later. one guy on a Greaves track racer,
5
2
Blue Smoke & Pedals Sunday 9th January 2011 from 10am to 3.30pm Organised by the Waikato Branch of the Vintage Car Club of NZ - event secretary Ron Tuck
Nzeta just gently cruising around the field, getting psyched up for.....
...the big jump!
It was a good day, and well organised by the local Vintage Car Club. The weather was perfect, fine and not too hot. The swimming pool was available and several took the plunge, though not on scooters or even mopeds. A super low cost lunch in the form of hot dogs, etc and cold drinks was available and much appreciated. Prizes were awarded in the traditional form of chocolate fish, and an excuse was
found to give one to just about everybody. We took the Sunbeam in the back of the Bedford camper. We tried bunking down in there with the bike but on the second night we decided it was better to roll the bike out overnight. Ivan Gardiner
Above: Not one, but two BSA Sunbeams. Valrae Gardiner's newly restored green one, and Ron Altena's very low milage blue and cream version. Ron Altena in the background. Both bikes are early models
with the rear mounted exhaust. Apart from Vespas, one of few examples present of a pair of bikes of the same make and model. Both are in their original colours.
7
Classifieds
Left: Contrasting approaches to what should constitute minimal transportation. The little Honda viewed through the leg space on
Scooter Tyres Seven 90/90x10 kt937 Kings tyres $37.00 each. One 300x10 kt928 Kings tyre $25.00 Freight free in North Island. Prices include GST. Jack Milham [ex Auckland Motor Scooter Club 1960/62] Target Road Tyres, Glenfield, 09 443 4471.
Eagerly lining up for the slalom.
L. Jousting - scooter style. R.. A modern Vespa plus a Lambretta Li third series, lots of chrome, not much left to paint.
L. Honda & Chris Thomson's Maico.
Valrae Gardiner's BSA Sunbeam, along with Vespa, Solex etc all making good use of the shade. 8
What began as an idea at Blue Smoke and Pedals 2010 turned into team shirts and a commitment to 4,000km by Vespa over three weeks. We begin the scooting adventure on Boxing Day 2010...
26 December 2010 Wellington to Golden Bay 4 Vespas – 1968 SS180 (Laura), 1976 Rally (Aaron), 2002 PX200 (Sarah), 1964 GS160 (Thornton) – cruised on the Interislander, headed for Golden Bay. Great day for riding in the south, with regular stops for food and scooter repairs. At one stop Thornton and Aaron received a visit from a biker with a limp who offered some local produce and gave the sage-like advice to “Watch out for the idiots.” Planned arrival time in the Bay: 5.30pm, actual arrival: 7.30pm. Ah, it’s the scooter life.
27 December 2010 Golden Bay Local shambling day. Scooter shambling around the Bay in the wet (read: deluge). Thanks goodness for the Bainham Store with their coffee and chocolate cake, The Naked Possum and their hearty fare, The Mussel Inn with their delicious brews, and Laura’s family hospitality including large garage for drying scooters and gear.
28 December 2010 Takaka to Murchison Delayed by flooding and high winds. Forded floodwaters twice (up over the floorboards) when we finally left at 2.15pm. Visited Des Molloy who said it’s great to see bikes loaded up as “they have either had an adventure or are about to”. The Vespas then navigated slips, came across strange tourists with yodelling shorts, and arrived in Murchison freezing cold and wet. Summer?! Fixits: flat tyre (GS), round 2 of broken CDI wires (Rally) 29 December 2010 Murchison to Hokitika Scenic bliss along the West Coast with nikau palms, coastal breeze, and pancake rocks, from the vantage point of a Vespa up hill and down dale. Hokitika did not offer much more than an opportunity for random scooter fettling, not a bad thing we hear you say.
10
Fox Glacier. LF. 30 December 2010 Hokitika to Haast Playing tag team passing with motorbikes. Encountered Taiwanese tourists at the glaciers who wanted to take pictures with our scooters because “they have bikes like that at home”. Had the unique and joyous pleasure of gullible Kate, the receptionist at Haast campground who believed Thornton when he said we’d ridden from Wellington in one day. She had as big a personality as the local mosquitoes’ bite. Cue new saying “a face like Kate”. Fixits: broken throttle cable (Rally), head and tail light issues (Rally – all the way from here home ... lights as an optional extra)
11
Whataroa. LF.
31 December 2010 Haast to Arrowtown Day of riding from the lush West Coast to the sparse brown landscape of Otago. Spent an unscheduled 75 minutes hanging out by the side of the road near Wanaka switching hubs from front to back on the SS when Pete Groves happened upon us. Emergency phone call and mission into Wanaka at 5 p.m. on New Years Eve for spring washers. Vespas strained themselves getting over the Crown Range and around the switchbacks. Celebrated the new year over a delicious meal at The Stables and resting our Vespa-weary bodies. Fixits: loose wheel nuts damaging rim and studs (SS)
TO BE CONTINUED
Haast accommodation.. LF.
Afore mentioned lighting issues.. TP.
12
By Matt Brookes
arrived via Sears Allstate 150 vespa bang on time although James Morris (in four wheels) was held up with bottleneck traffic from Levin. Once our business was done we headed for Sanson, unfortunately a business phone call for Andrew meant he had to head to work after hours, so we only rode Day one was a short ride to Otaki together as far as Levin. We pushed on, Beach right on dusk Friday night finding the Polini tuned engine was arrived in at 9pm. Before setting out reliable enough on the vespa, although the rear tyre needed a repair, two patches on an old tube not a good look, thirsty on fuel and this meant we ran so in with a new one. Jess was waiting the tank dry near Sanson only half a k from the servo. Luckily the good folk at for me to arrive at home, so a quick Sanson Streetwise had time and energy shower and pack before we set off for to bring a ute and fuel to help us out. Otaki. The new vespa Super had been Thanks team!A compulsory coffee and a run in so just a case of trying to set a quick look at the scooters stashed in the reasonable pace two up – first thing I yard next to Streetwise, then the heat of noticed was the angle of the floor and the day was starting to make it hot work suspension lent to sliding off! This so back on two wheels to keep cool. The meant we had to work quite hard side ride to Feilding was a good against any headwinds. Great boat diversion and on stopping for fuel I spotting by the Kapi-mana island on calm cool evening! we made fairly good suggested scooter hunting – trying to find a shed on the outskirts of Ashhurst time to Otaki just on sunset - a great 15 years was almost impossible. Luck view to the South even as far as was on our side though as Graeme Canterbury peninsula! happened to be on his way home when we passed him heading through town. Day two was a late start and breakfast A quick hightail to chase him home and with two local moggies at the Brown he was very hospitable offering to Sugar Cafe. We had plans to meet a unearth the Lambretta that's been there couple of Palmy folk at the Streetwise for 30 years or thereabouts. What a coffee cart at 10am. Andrew Lynn Jess and I had planned to head away first weekend in December for some time, and had sent a couple of teaser emails to gauge interest – not a lot of response so we carried on with plans to do a loop of the lower North Island.
treasure. All there however motor was stored elsewhere, along with the wildcat tuning parts fitted like Amal big bore and o/size piston kit! We had a look at all his British cars strewn about the place plus did an ID on a vespa front end for him. We needed to visit my father in Dannevirke so headed through the Manawatu Gorge which is another perfect scooter section. We came to Woodville and started to get battered by easterlies so this made the riding a little arduous. Refreshments and meal in Dannevirke were substantial! Thanks to the local village idiots at the servo (Ed: sitting in their car giggling and poking fun at the scooter) I provided a burnout on the BP forecourt to vent some anguish. SH 52 via Weber and Pongaroa, now a favourite road after the Classic rally in Pukeora, was the only option to find some twisty roads to suit small wheels. The distance proved to be a little too far and once again we ran short of fuel near Eketahuna (3 km west in fact) At this point it was a little too late (Ed: the stars were out and it was pitch dark...) so we made a cold call on the nearest farmer for $5 of fuel . He managed to nearly fill the tank with his jerry can so we had enough fuel to get to Masterton. What a highlight - 100 kmh, clear skies, stars out – 'living the dream' to quote a friend. Another magic moment scootering! Our accommodation
in Masterton was adequate - by now we both needed some R&R. (Ed: I didn't want another episode of nodding off on the scooter...) Day 3 dawned clear and very hot - We decided to try to make the early meeting at Deluxe Cafe for Scootwell in Wellington. Breakfast was postponed and we set off and made a clear run to the Rimutaka Hill. Of course the wind whipped up and soon enough we were challenged to make the summit of the Rimutukas. Safely there we shared stories with some keen motorcycle dudes. The downhill run to Kaitoke was much easier to manage and a trouble free run on the motorway to home. Never ceases to amaze me - as soon as we hit Jervois Quay there were two scooters parked up at the markets, and then on Kent Terrace none other than NZCSC editor David Edmonds on his Tigress ahead of us – we tried to get his attention to pull up at the cafe but he rode on blissfully unawares. Two scooters at the motorcycle park was a great welcome as we were a little late arriving. Great food and company with Nick Whiting and Phil Mansford plus Arnold Reagan on his new 300 Super! Nice. Must make mental note “take fuel can on next trip!” sorry Jess.
Jim Carroll’s 42L2 Invercargill
Photo: Jim Carroll
Cover photo: Breakdown stop, on the way to Nelson. LAST scooter tour Photo: Laura Feasey
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