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Editor’s Note Greetings dear readers - this is the November 2010 issue, coming to you from late January. Hope you’ll forgive the lateness.. 2011 is looking to be busier than ever for me - more details in the Dec/Jan issue which will shortly follow this one.
The Allstate story finishes (for now) in this issue - although there were a few owners I have not yet tracked down, so the story may have future instalments. Jess
Contents Editor’s Note
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Bits and Pieces
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The Doug Coutts Memorial Motorcycle Park - in memory of the long fight to get our motorcycle park back Story of an Allstate: #14
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5-7
Classifieds
7
Subsidised Rider Training
8
Canscoot Show Weekend Ride 14-16 Nov - by Nicki Trevathan of Dunedin Subscription Details
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Canscoot Show Weekend Ride 14-16 Nov - photos by Toby Ricketts of Christchurch
13-14
Errata:
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Next Month: Blue Smoke and Pedals, In the October 2010 issue the NZCSC 11th Lambretta in the barn, Rally 2010, Best Indian Scooter pictured on page 9, was mistakenly credited to Nick Gill. LAST scooter team get Of course it should have been Nick Whiting, of to Bluff. Wellington. 1
November round up 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
Magnetos SC had their Great ANNIVERSARY RIDE Saturday, 13 November, followed by a BBQ.
Piaggio announced they are bringing back the PX in a 125 and 150, minor changes include the seat shape and range of colours.
NZTA announce they will end free access to the motor vehicle register. The most well known user of this is Carjam, which had become an essential resource for anyone looking at vehicles for sale on Trade me. NZTA is stopping the provision of this free information effective Jan 1st 2011.
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opposite L’Affare; on the street itself Fancy a coffee but don’t want to walk too far from your scoot? Now you can - there was freshly painted pay-anddisplay car parking, a result no doubt of in College St. the Moore Wilson refurbishment. It was towards the end of last year that So in October 2009 I sent a grumpy the WCC announced a clampdown of motorcycles, especially scooters, parking email to the WCC information people asking , if illegal motorcycle parking on the footpath. The practice was a hazard to pedestrians, said the Council, was frowned upon, why the Council was removing legal parks. In a matter of and besides, there were plenty of designated bike parks around the CBD weeks the reply came. Apparently there had been a mix-up between – just look at the handy map. http://www.wellington.govt.nz/services/p departments – the department in charge of providing parking spaces had arking/pdfs/mcycle-parking.pdf failed to check on the department in The map was indeed handy although it charge of painting white lines and was a little inaccurate, as a trip to Caffe planting street signs after the L’Affare proved. On the map there was extensions to Moore Wilson’s posh nosh a motorcycle park in College St just
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emporium, but never fear, sanity – and proper department. I assumed that the bike park – would soon be restored. was code for another month or more of delays, but no, the very next day I got a Perhaps we should redefine the word call from Alan Morris of Traffic “soon”. In April 2010 there was at last Management apologising for the delay advice from the Council that they were and advising that he’d just sent off a still planning on restoring the bike works order for the signage for that park, moving it across to the other side park and another on the other side of of College St, but first they would have College St close to Cambridge Tce. He to call for submissions and wait for pointed out that it would now be a 2objections. Excited, I started taking hour maximum, not all-day, park and trips down College St on a weekly basis we agreed that’s as much time as a so I could be one of the first to use the bloke needs for a coffee and a muffin. new park and perhaps even have a flat A week later, the park was there. No white into the bargain. one’s using it at the moment it seems, After 8 months of no park and even but it’s only a matter of time before less L’Affare coffee, I decided to risk word gets out. I’m wondering though, another grumpy email. On November since I made the first fuss, if the spot 28 I enquired about progress on the closest to L’Affare’s front door should new bike park and a day later got a be rightfully mine. A plaque at the reply saying they’d referred it the very least would be nice.
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STORY OF AN ALLSTATE: NUMBER 14 This month we complete the story of the owners of a Sears Roebuck Allstate Vespa, first brought into New Zealand in 1963 by an emigre from the United States.
When I bought the scoot from Matt I loved the classic rounded look but didn’t think I could ride a weedy 3 speed 125cc back to Palmy so elected to upgrade it a little in the evenings while living in Wellington. Hence I fitted a 4 speed Sportique engine with a ported barrel, domed piston and matching head then put on a 20/20 carb and Sito+ exhaust . As the original scoot had no front damper I fitted a Sportique front fork with new damper and 10” GS wheel rims with 90 x 90 tyres. This certainly improved performance and handling to a more useable level and it was in this configuration that Matt rode it to Palmerston North where we completed the exchange on the PX200 I had. Over the next few months I upgraded the lighting to 12 volt, repaired the speedo, fitted a new seat cover and a Pinasco 177cc 2 port cylinder. I didn’t like the Sito + so fitted an ASC big bore exhaust when I fitted the Pinasco kit. That combination works really well. These improvements were done while using the scoot daily, putting about 2,000km on the clock.
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My original plan had been to keep and use the scoot in this configuration but being a habitual restorer I couldn’t help myself. I then took off the pods and front guard for panel and paint prep, quite liked the stripped down look too. I had a water colour painting that my mother had done of Clare and I on an old dark red scoot so decided I really should have something to match the painting.
STORY OF AN ALLSTATE: NUMBER 14 So then next phase began. Pulled the whole thing apart, rebuilt the front fork, blasted and powder coated the wheels, seat, brackets etc. Blasted and zinc plated all the odd nuts and bolts. Made up a new wiring loom, bought a new cable set and some rubbers. Stripped the engine, cut the crank, open up the ports and fitted a 24/24 carb to improve the breathing further and rebuilt the cush drive. The engine went back together with new bearings and seals. Then I had all of the rebuilt parts sitting waiting…… So I had the chassis sand blasted, carried out some repairs and commissioned the work painter to panel and paint while I was on holiday. I came
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STORY OF AN ALLSTATE: NUMBER 14 Jess Corbett
back from holiday and blocked back all the primed body work so the painting could begin. Some stone chip underneath, 3 coats of red and 2 of clear on all the prepared panels and I was just watching paint dry itching to put it back together. A few days later I spent a couple of big nights in the garage and you have the photos to see how quickly it has come together. Andrew Lynn
Classifieds Vespa Super for sale Call Mr Skoot, 04 977 5630. Complete, running, with lights. Needs TLC. No reg, no wof.
$1800.00 7
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.
Subsidised Rider Training
Manawatu (Ashhurst) 06 326 9606
Top of the South Tasman, Nelson & Marlborough
RidingTo@StayUpright.co.nz
RoadSafe
Stay Upright
03-544 8965, mobile 0272015-064 roadsafenelson@actrix.co.nz
Wellington Various providers To enrol or find out about rider training courses in your area, contact one of the following: Kapiti
Jane Pearson
(04) 296 4854
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Lower Hutt
Jan Simmons
(04) 570 6730
027 480 7206
Porirua
Mark Kairua
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Joanne Kinnaird
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Ruth Locker
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Wellington
Anna Blomquist
(04) 803 8635
021 227 8635
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L-R: Paul, Valerie, Nicki and Terry- a pre-Oamaru pause and coffee
By Nicki Trevathan 9am Thursday 11 November saw four hardy scooterists leaving Dunedin Botanical Gardens to take part in the annual Canscoot Rally. Paul and Valerie Dyer on their 300cc Vespa, Terry Clapham on his GTS 250cc, and Nicki Trevathan on her GTS 250. By the time we arrived in Oamaru it was to shed all the thermal linings in our biking gear- and then try to find somewhere to store it! Our packs looked remarkably small really with Paul and Valerie going to stay with family on the way and Terry and I with our tents,sleeping bags and air beds!! Opihi river for a lunch stop and on to Christchurch where we split up - Terry 9
and I were staying in Lincoln Road, Paul and Valerie going to a motor camp for the night. It was great to meet with familiar faces at Toby's for the Pre Rally BBQ. Paul and Valerie arrived too so it was great for them to meet some of the people I had talked about. (I was the only one from Dunedin who had been on one of these Rallies before, and after showing the Dvd's to the others and talking hard we made a good team.) Prunes arrived just before we left and was able to give us the new T shirts. It was off to bed early as we had to leave at 8am the next morning. It was still very warm (27°C) and the first time I ever heard the fan start on the Vespa was as we were driving into Christchurch.
We were the first to arrive at the restaurant in Rangiora and had almost finished eating when we heard the magical tones of different motors coming in to town! I was watching the other's faces and it was great to see the excitement in their eyes when it all just happened! All shapes and sizes of bikes and one even with a coffee machine "bungeed "onto the back carrier. Amazingly, there was an Nzeta (complete with new motor and large orange cushion as extra padding for the seat.) There was much talking and admiring of bikes. Then we were off in bunches according to cc'age of scoots. Lunch in Culverden, then on to Springs Junction. The scenery was amazing with snow still on the mountains and also with rain clouds appearing but magically vanishing with no dampness at all. So different from last years rally. There was a slight mishap with a disconnected water hose, but someone was able to back track to Culverden for a hose clip. Then it was Earls' turn when
his drive belt snapped. He was gutted to see his bike loaded onto the trailer. Paul and Valerie slipped away to stay with a relative and we hoped to meet up the next morning. We pitched tents at the camp at Murchison We were offered 50c towards a shower at the camp so I am not sure if that was standard practise or we were a bit stinky. Then back into town for a meal with the others. First time for this tent for me and I was really happy with it. An enjoyable meal, and then a text to Paul to let him know which way we planned to come through the next day. There were several choices! And Paul missed us by about 3 minutes at Belgrove. However he carried on to Blenheim after a great lunch in Nelson at Lambrettas. 10
A great nights sleep with the trees rustling - I wasn't sure if it was rain or just wind. After packing up and zooming into town there was quite a bit of talk about which way to go. In the end we zapped to St Arnaud but after this we took a wrong turning and missed the road to Motueka that we really wanted to go on. We had to turn back when apparently we were almost in Richmond! I had to do frantic texts to my son and family who were meeting with us at Lambretta Cafe for lunch. We weren't the only ones to take a wrong turning either. By the time we arrived at the cafe most had gone on! But lunch was great. Paul at this stage had left his wife with family in Nelson and carried on to Blenheim. We stopped briefly in Havelock where we met up with most of the others. A fantastic drive round Queen Charlotte Drive - a bit of a challenge with some very tight corners. Terry and Ginni had waited for me in Picton as all the others had gone on. Ginni left us to stay with friends at Spring Creek. Arriving at camp, it was a bit of a challenge to get the tents up in the wind. Paul was ready to go for a meal with us at a Thai cafe. It was still very warm - just t shirt and shorts. We had a prizegiving which was fun. We said our goodbyes as the others were heading off fairly early back to Christchurch or North Island. Terry and I backtracked to Richmond where
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we stayed a further four days with my sons family. Paul headed on to Christchurch where he met up again with Valerie. They had completed the ride to Nelson two-up and again from Christchurch home to Dunedin, and the Vespa 300 handled the extra distance very well - traveling comfortably along side the 250’s and using about the same volume of fuel. Following the experience of the longer trip two-up Paul has since invested in the back rest that goes with his top box and a front shield carrier! We all met again in Christchurch with Paul and Valerie at Rolleston BP 9am on Friday 19th. Actually I didn't, as a part of a prize I had received was a Vespa T Shirt from e moto and they had shut the night before on the dot of 5pm! So I was there on the dot of 9am to choose the t shirt with the knowledge that I would hopefully be able to catch up with the others a bit later on. Which I did as they had stopped for a coffee in Ashburton. There was a Rally on at Winchester for motorbikes I think as there were heaps on the road. All went well till Oamaru when I inadvertantly managed to put a couple of litres of diesel into the fuel tank before I realised what I had done! A very friendly mechanic had it drained in about 20 minutes and I was watched by the others as I filled it from scratch 8.42 litres! A super trip home and I know we were all tired but feeling it had been a great trip. 2.200km and $130 of fuel.
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Brent McGill drying off after a dip in the hot pools. (Canscoot Show Weekend Ride) Photo: Toby Ricketts
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Cover photo: Bruce Pollock’s Lambretta Photo: Toby Ricketts
ISSN 1178-7643 Made in New Zealand
