Classic Scooterist - October / November 2018 - Preview

MAD FOR IT MATT CRAWLEY’S CUSTOM S2

Isle of Wight

DIRT DIGGERS AN ALTERNATIVE SCOOTER SPORT

FULL EVENT REPORT INSIDE

INTERNATIONAL SCOOTER RALLY

THE LUNA LINE 50 YEARS IN ORBIT (PART 2)

SEXY SINDY MIKE MUIR’S VESPA SS180

LAMBRETTA TO MOROCCO THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME

ICK y COSikM e Hayman stor ISSUE 123 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018

The M

SCOOTERAMA! – A FELICITOUS FANFARE OF FACTS, FEEDBACK & FACES

Issue 123 October/November 2018 Founding Editor: Mau Spencer 01507 529408 mauspencer@classicscooterist.com Publisher: Dan Savage Contributors: Rich Addison; Gill Beecham; Jon Betts; Graham Bird; David Brown; Terry Brown; Cakeman; Colin Cartwright; Pete Davies; Jock Dewars; Phil Didcote; Dave Dry; Rod Gillan, John Power; Doug Turner; Chris Wainwright; Dave Walker; Phil Walker; Andy Westlake.

Apologies to anyone we’ve forgotten.

Some articles express contributors’ opinions and are not necessarily those of Classic Scooterist.

Design: Fran Lovely Production editor: Dan Sharp Picture desk: Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield Divisional advertising manager: Zoe Thurling zthurling@mortons.co.uk (01507 529412) Advertising: Emma Buxton-Rockley ebuxton-rockley@mortons.co.uk (01507 529410) Subscription manager: Paul Deacon Circulation manager: Steve O’Hara Marketing manager: Charlotte Park Commercial director: Nigel Hole Editorial address: Classic Scooterist magazine.

PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ General queries and back issues: 01507 529529 (24hr answerphone) Archivist: Jane Skayman 01507 529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk Next issue (124) published: November 21, 2018 Editorial deadline: October 22, 2018 CLASSIC SCOOTERIST (ISSN:1756-9494) is published bi-monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $36 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Postmaster: Send address changes to CLASSIC SCOOTERIST, Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595 Email: chris@classicbikebooks.com www.classicbikebooks.com Distribution: Marketforce UK Ltd 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU Subscription: Full subscription rates (but see page 44 for offer): (12 months 6 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £22.80. Export rates are also available – see page 44 for more details.

UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. Customer services number: 01507 529529 Telephone lines are open: Monday-Friday 8.30am-7pm, Saturday 8.30am-12.30pm Printed by: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton © Mortons Media Group. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication maybe reproduced without prior written permission.

In the event of a dispute developing between two or more individual clubs, businesses, or organisations – and in the absence of any legal ruling to the contrary – Mortons Media will strive to maintain a neutral position in not disadvantaging either party.

28 CONTENTS 4

Back when we had hair

Nostalgic memories from times gone by

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Scooterama

A felicitous fanfare of facts, feedback and faces

14 What’s going on?

A look at the scooterist calendar

16 Isle of Wight International Scooter Rally

Full event report. Were you there? Did we take your picture?

28 Veston Partin DBT5 You only scoot twice…

The Professional Publishers Association

34 Cosmick

The Mike Hayman story

Member

Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

38 Sexy Sindy

Why not Just Ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month?

The Vespa SS180 the last of the piston ported Vespas

42 The Luna Line and the UK market Pt 2: in orbit

46 Back in the day

It can get lonely on the Yorkshire Moors

48 Mad for it

Matt Crawley’s custom Lambretta Series 2

52 They think it’s all over…

Colin Cartwheel reflects on the trips of a lifetime

I

66 Lambretta to Morocco A trip to remember for John Power

72 Rally Round-up A quick glance at recent events

80 Dirt Diggers

82 Scooter clubs

Meet and greet your local club

56 Project:E

The classic answer to your carbon footprint problems

58 ‘Little Star, shining bright’

Richard Gabb’s Lambretta Super Starstream

62 Keeping it in the family

Fred’s 152L2 Vespa

or good personal memories that can be reflected on and talked about in years to come? To me one of the best parts of the event is the 200-mile journey down, when my mind’s full of expectation of what will happen over the weekend. On departure, everyone in our travelling party will be happy and jovial (although whether that will still be the case after a few breakdowns is anyone’s guess).

Once on the island and ensconced in our temporary lodgings, the weekend’s partying

The art of touring

Scooter racing with a difference

A JOURNEY OF EXPECTATIONS t seems strange sitting at my desk and writing this editorial before scooting-off to the Isle of Wight International Scooter Rally and knowing that these words won’t actually appear in print before the event is over. But as a journalist that’s often the nature of the beast we have to deal with.

As the largest scooterist event in the calendar, the IoW Rally is always eagerly awaited with anticipation – will the journey down be uneventful? Will it provide bad

64 Trials and tribulations

86 Scooterist classifieds

For all your wants and needs

90 Blast from the past The Motobecane Moby

SUBSCRIBE TODAY SEE PAGE 44

will begin with gusto – mind you, none of us are getting any younger and the next day recovery period just seems to get longer every year. Whatever happens we’ll all do our best to make it a good weekend, meeting-up with old faces we haven’t seen for a while, as well as making new friends – that’s what it’s all about. And if you couldn n’t make it this year, then you can n read all about what you missed on page 16.

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n e h w k Bac we had hair DO YOU HAVE A NOSTALGIC STORY TO TELL, OR AN OLD PICTURE

TO SHARE?

6LZ ✉ mauspencer@classicscooterist.com ☎ 01507 529408 ✎ Classic Scooterist, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9

Vespa cruisers

I ‘Seeeaguulll’ Happy memories.

Steve Jb

’ve been wanting to show these Vespa P200E cruisers for a long time. The white Vespa was one of my first Vespas, an SS180, year unknown, didn’t seem important then, but what was important was that a friend of mine (George Hopton) died while racing his SX200 down the Tewkesbury road in Cheltenham, near the old clock tower. l used to have Li 150s (it’s strange that l don’t have any pictures of them). Then for work, a brand-spanking-new P200E Vespa bought by my dad in 1978 from Williams Scooters, in Portland Street (l was broke). l just couldn’t wait to get g myy pay p y and start

dressing-up my new china blue cruiser: crashbars, front/rear, cow catcher (never got to test it), flyscreen, mirrors, a loud electric horn, front/rear racks, spare wheel, front wheel trim, backrest and whip... oh and chrome stand feet. l was really proud of that cruiser, sadly though, my neighbour didn’t seem to think it was nice at all – not surprising l suppose; he was a leather clad biker intent on trying to do me and my cruiser harm. But two can play his game; every morning before going to work l’d wait for him to come into sight and then shoot out of the garden in front of him... serves him right g for thinkingg l was a pushover! p

Ginger’s Egg Run

Gingers Egg Run – at Pendlebury Children’s Hospital (mid-90s I think)?

Jamie Langlands

There’s more to that story, but l won’t bore you with it.

The red Vespa cruiser P200E pictured belonged to my nephew; whatever l did, he did (well almost everything, I was the crazy one)!

I enjoyed my cruising and rideouts, hunting Skins or anyone that done my family harm... so maybe it’s a good job I’m no longer on the road (and paths).

My old scooters

Just found this old photo of my two scooters. Picture was taken around 1992-ish.

Martin Friend

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Spartans forever!

I’m 67 now and still appreciate a good cruiser, even listening for the familiar sounds that l knew so well. Now that arthritis has got a grip of my hand joints it’s walking for me now...

One last thing; l never rode with a roundel on my back; l didn’t want to become a target for a crazed biker!

Anthony Jones

Me and the lads back in the day – Spartans forever!

Melvyn Middleton

Scunny Road Runners

Scunny Road Runner, Pete Pacey, and me. I must have been around 10 or 11 years old at the time, LOL Mike Pacey

Yellow Van Man

Every scooterist’s best buddy – the man in the yellow van. This picture was taken because of a snapped woodruff key; just 20 pence worth of metal.

Bert Badger

Throwback Thursday Those were the days.

Michael Phillips

Leo’s scooter

Scarborough scooter built by Leo in his garden shed. He road it to rallies; to start with it was fitted with twin carbs, but was hard to set up.

Kevin Seaward

Bradford Night Owls

Pic taken in 1980 – Bradford Night Owls leaving York.

Steven Ashley

On the th runs

Pictures are from 1985.

Chris Gegg gg g

SHARE YOUR NOSTALGIC PICTURES WITH OUR READERS

If you have any pictures from the past call Mau on 01507 529408, or email him at mauspencer@classicscooterist.com MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM

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A M A R E T O SCO

CK & FACES A FELICITOUS FANFARE OF FACTS, FEEDBA ooterist.com ☎ 01507 529408 le, Lincs LN9 6LZ ✉ mauspencer@clas

ristt, PO Box 99, Horncast teris oote Scoo i S Classic ✎ Cl

sicsc

LCGB Bridlington Custom Show Viper p RS04 open p face helmet

The 2018 Bridlington Custom Show takes place at The Spa, Bridlington, on October 27, 2018. The decision has again been taken not to accept ‘on the day’ entries, and all completed

entry forms must be returned no later than October 13, 2018.

While it’s accepted there are always going to be scooters only rebuilt days before the show, or scooter owners who make a last

RRP: £39.99 The RS-04 is Viper’s budget open face helmet, perfect for riders looking for a lid that’ll do the job and keep them safe, while still looking cool. It’s a basic helmet constructed using ABS; it’s ECE 22.05 approved and comes with a seatbelt clip fastening plus room for a goggle strap at the back.

Simple, straightforward and stylish it’s available in a variety of colours and designs in sizes XS to XL. Info: www.rondaleyscooters. co uk co.uk

minute decision to enter, ‘on the day’ entries cause immense difficulties – not only for the show stewards attempting to find them a space, but also for the judging which has to be organised in advance.

LIMITED ENTRY: Entries will be limited to the first 100 scooters applying for show entry to allow sufficient space for the scooters to be displayed adequately.

CLUB DISPLAYS: Entries will restricted to a maximum of five scooters per display to avoid the trend to ‘bump’ up the number of scooters by including scooters not falling with the usual criteria of a custom scooter.

A free programme containing details of the scooters entered is produced, so please provide interesting information about your pride and joy when completing the entry form.

Info: www.ilambretta.com or the LCGB Facebook page.

Do you have a photograph of Kev Walsh?

Vespa Road Race exhausts RRP: £ various Actif Road Race exhausts feature an expanding front pipe, and modified internals.

They’re designed to give power from low revs, right the way through the rev range, while remaining standard in looks and keeping the noise levels sensible. Actif Road Race exhausts are available for a wide range of classic Vespa scooter models from 50cc to 200cc.

Info: www.ve-uk.com www.ve uk.com

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Kev Walsh is best known for his role as the LCGB general secretary historically being the main driving force behind the club’s resurrection; he’s also well-known for organising scooter parts fairs, the main one being Wicksteed Park. Some may already know that he’s not been very well recently with various health problems; but staying positive, he’s using the time to put together a book of his memoirs – and he needs your help.

Over the years Kev has been involved in many various scooter events and activities, but because he’s been organising them, or taking part, he has very few actual pictures of himself. He’d like you to send him any pictures you may have taken of him at any scooterrelated events, albeit from the past or the present. You can send them to him at lcgb2@blueyonder.co.uk – and sooner rather than later, as he has a press deadline to meet.

Who’s Scomadi?

Bravado (The Who’s merchandise and brand management company) has reached a licensing agreement with Scomadi to produce a limited edition Who-themed scooter range. The designs are being produced in conjunction with and the approval of Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend and the scooters will be available at Scomadi dealerships in late autumn.

MOVE OVER MJ Mary Jane ‘MJ’ Watson is a Marvel Comic character created

by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. She went on to become Peter Parker’s (Spider-Man’s) second main love interest (after Gwen Stacy) and later his wife.

The character was portrayed by Kirsten Dunst in the three SpiderMan feature films directed by Sam Raimi (2002-2007).

The picture below, showing ‘MJ’ Watson, is taken from a Marvel Comics franchise T-shirt and also features a good representation of the classic Lambretta Slimstyle TV 175, or perhaps a GT – all less badges for obvious reasons.

This T-shirt is available from, among other places, Forbidden Planet (https://forbiddenplanet. com/) for £14.99.

Spider-Man franchise character Mary Jane Watson ‘sat on a moped’

The Life: Vespa RRP: £19.99 Reviewer: Mau Author: Eric Dregni | ISBN: 9780760360439 | Format: 240 page hardback This is the sixth book by Eric Dregni. The subject matter of this particular publication focuses on Vespa lifestyle and the culture created around the scooter lifestyle, which has been embraced ed by people from all walks of life.

The book follows in the footsteps of other scooterrelated publications that have gone before it and paints out a potted history of scooter lifestyle, covering Vespa history, the riders, the clubs, the publicity stunts, the music and the fashion –anything scooterrelated at all. And although marketed as a Vespa book, it does attempts to cover some historical background on other marques (there’s more than a smattering of Lambretta references, for instance).

While most historical facts and pictures won’t be new to many readers, there are the

BOO REVIEWK

Electrifying start for Supertune

odd few that I’ve never come across before. And where this book scores over other similar historical publications is in the way it is produced, being welldesigned and laid out; this makes it very appealing to the eye and elevates it above many of the other attempts I’ve seen at producing ‘coffee table’ books and magazines.

I’d certainly put it on my Christmas wish list.

Info: available via Amazon or other good bookshops

After changing ownership in 2017, the Supertune brand is now moving on under the stewardship of Gary Seale and Troy Treuberg.

The result is a range of new parts, some of which are made utilising Gary’s expertise in the 3D printing process (he’s won a Queen’s Award for the industrial process he developed in manufacturing metal plated printed plastic). This led to the production of a wide range of parts.

But their expertise doesn’t stop there and they’ve recently introduced their new Lambretta electric-start kit which incorporates a singular car-styled ignition turn-key (as opposed to having separate ignition switch and a press-start button). It’s not a cheap option though and having the kit fitted will set you back £1250; don’t worry though, a DIY kit is in the pipeline.

Info: http://supertune.org/

A homage to Bill Dorling, RIP VMSC member and Zundapp Bella Enthusiasts Club (ZBEC) original chairman and co-founder Bill Dorling has passed away.

Many VMSC members will have known Bill through his VMSC activities, but he’s probably best known for founding the sister club, ZBEC, to cater for the specific needs of Zundapp Bella enthusiasts, many of whom will have benefited from his help, knowledge and encouragement. I for one will always be indebted to Bill for his support to me as a raw Bella owner way back when information was sparse and experts even harder to find. Later when Bill stood down as ZBEC chairman due to ill health, I still leant upon his wisdom, knowledge and all-round common sense when the club was going through some difficult times, and I think he was always quietly pleased that we managed to keep the club (in which he invested so much time and effort) going and acting as a source of information and help to like-minded Bella enthusiasts.

The creation of our club, back in the halcyon days of early 1997, came about when Bill initially tried to

get a Bella section created within the VMSC. For all kinds of good reasons this was not possible, so Bill, ably assisted by Jeff Cleavely, took the plunge and self-financed the very first ‘Bella News and Views’ – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Apart from his love of the Bella scooters Bill was an avid fan of vintage motorcycles and for fear of getting the models wrong I won’t try and list the bikes he had. He was also a very skilled engineer and made many specific and unavailable items for ZBEC members throughout the years.

Bill had to stand down from management of the club back in spring 2009, but always maintained a real interest and enthusiasm for ZBEC, and I think the club’s continuance should act as a lasting legacy to a wonderful man. Our sincerest condolences got to Sue and the rest of the family, and I will cherish those memories of the Stanford Hall events and the company of the Dorling duo.

RIP Bill.

Brian Crook ZBEC

MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM

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SCOOTERAMA!

Sealey AK623 ¾in Sea torque wrench

Mortons Archive Deckchairs RRP: £99 The Mortons Archive offers one of the greatest collections of motorcycle images in the world. Whether it’s a rider from 1937, a showroom photograph of a rare bike, or just a highly unusual action shot – it’s probably tucked away in the archive.

And now you have the chance to get your hands on a deckchair bearing the image of your choice from the extensive Mortons Archive – allowing you to relax in style on your favourite moment from motorcycling history, whether you’re looking for that unique gift, or something different for yourself.

Info: www.classic magazines.co.uk

Vespa chrome RRP: £ various VE (UK) stocks a wide range of chrome accessories for most models of Classic Vespa. Carriers include simple flat rear racks for top boxes, folding front and rear carriers, and the Actif four-in-one carrier that includes backrest, grab rail, folding carrier and a spare wheel carrier. Bodywork protection also features in the range to keep your classic Vespa looking its best by fitting front and rear crash bars, or a front bumper bar to protect paintwork. For owners who want something a little more subdued, many of the accessories are also available in a black finish.

Info: www.ve-uk.com

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RRP: £65.34 (incl VAT) Reviewer: David Brown When Sealey sent a torque wrench for review, my first thought was why do we need a torque wrench?

A simple question with an obvious answer – to tighten nuts and bolts to the correct torque setting. But if you’ve never needed one before, why now? Because you can do as much damage by over-tightening a nut as under-tightening.

The effects of under-tightening are obvious; the nut may come loose and something may drop-off.

Over-tightening may shear the bolt or stud, but it will also damage or strain the threads, causing problems later. By using a torque wrench, you’ll always tighten to the optimum tightness for that particular size or strength of bolt/stud.

Reviewed here is Sealey’s AK623 3/8in square drive micrometre torque wrench. It came in a moulded plastic case to protect the tool from accidental knocks that may easily upset the calibration. The instruction leaflet gave operating and safety

PRODUCT REVIEW

instructions, together with a copy of the calibration certificate.

The wrench looks well-made; it’s approximately 270mm, finished in silver/black and covers a setting range of 20-80lb-ft (27.1-108.5Nm) which although it doesn’t cover many of the lower scooter settings, it will (in conjunction with Sealy’s STW1012 model) tighten the vast majority of nuts. To set the wrench, simply turn the adjusting grip accordingly: if you require 34lb-ft, turn the adjuster until its level with the 30 mark, and continue to turn until the ‘4’ is aligned with the centre line.

The ratchet head is reversible, but it must be noted that this torque wrench will not tighten left-hand threads to a setting – so

Lambretta flywheel nuts cannot be torqued-up correctly.

I tested it against my Britool and Proto torque wrenches at various settings during a Lambretta engine re-build and it compared very well. One criticism could be that it’s not really long enough for the maximum setting (or perhaps I’m not as strong any more)! It’s worth pointing out, as with all torque wrenches, don’t forget to slacken the adjuster off after use, or the spring will weaken.

So is it worth the buying? I’d say yes – but bear in mind you’ll need a second torque wrench for below 20lb-ft settings.

Info: www.sealey.co.uk

THE BIGGER PICTURE

RRP: £19.99 Reviewer: Mau Author: Don Hughes | ISBN: 978-0-9565727-6-9| Format: 200 page hardback Not to be confused with Nicci French books, published under a similar title, The Bigger Picture is the third part of the Friday On My Mind trilogy penned by Don Hughes and published by Days Like Tomorrow Books.

Friday On My Mind is a part scooter, part music/ lifestyle account based around Don Hughes and his friends’ nostalgic memories of the 1960s which focuses on events in Hounslow,

London. The storyline begins with Don relating his 1950s childhood experiences and progresses through his teenage years as a Mod scooterist with interjections from various friends and people he met. As the tale unfolds, it’s obvious that music, as well as scooters, played an important part of his life.

The book isn't written in conventional book-type format and its imagery relies heavily on nostalgic pictures. Don’t purchase this book thinking it’s totally about scooters, as it’s more of a nostalgic reflection

BOO REVIEWK of the ‘Swinging Sixties’. And any publication that reflects that is almost guaranteed to find an interested audience.

Info: www.tonybeesley modworld.co.uk/ days-like-tomorrow-books

BEEDSPEED IMPROVES DELIVERY SYSTEM Beedspeed has totally re-warehoused its main building and rebuilt its website so that it is now completely linked to the warehouse, allowing customers to see whether their parts are available for next day delivery or not. The new system rapidly speeds up the picking and dispatch process, meaning more orders will leave the same day.

Info: https://beedspeed.com/

SCOOTERAMA!

P Preserving i scooter heritage

The dilemma surrounding Nev Frost’s and Bev Flanagan’s memorabilia collections.

I

t started-off as a normal working week, but little did I know that by the end of it, I would be the custodian of scooter memorabilia belonging to arguably two of the most well-known scooter sport personalities of the 20th Century – Nev Frost and Bev Flanagan.

To me, preserving the history and heritage of the scooter world is important, but the last thing I was expecting on that Monday morning was to be contacted by Neville’s widow, Tricia, who told me she was moving house and would I like to have all of Neville’s scooter-related memorabilia – and if I didn’t, she was just going to dump it…

Well, there was no way in the world that I’d let that happen.

Neville played an important part in the world of scooter sport, which has been well-documented over the years. And for those who missed it, we featured his story in Classic Scooterist back in 2011, not long after his untimely (and totally unexpected) passing.

So my response was quick and decisive; I’d pick-up Neville’s memorabilia collection as soon as I possibly could.

At this point, Tricia mentioned that she’d also spoken to Bev Flanagan (Neville’s race partner from back in the day); ‘Bev and Nev’ competed together in many of the race competitions of that time as a scooter/sidecar team, as well as both being competitions in their own right.

Tricia’s suggestion was that we could all meet up to go through Neville’s items, as there might be a few things there that Bev might want to keep.

Unfortunately, due to my workload, I couldn’t make it on the same day as Bev, so I suggested that she should take whatever she wanted and I’d pick up the balance when I could get there (not realising at this stage that this would lead to further developments).

IT JUST GETS BETTER!

I arrived at Neville and Tricia’s family home, as agreed, to find that Bev had been the day before and had taken a couple of items – but she’d left behind a collection of her own personal scooter memorabilia that she felt she no longer wanted to keep. So I was

now about to become the owner of a larger memorabilia collection than originally expected!

But here the reality of the situation started to kick-in; most of this memorabilia had been stored in various lofts over the years and most of the plated trophies had tarnished over time – a lot of cleaning up would be needed. And on top of that, the glue from the 1960s/70s hadn’t stood the test of time very well – the end result being that some of the engraved badges had parted company with the trophies.

There were also other items in Neville’s collection as well, including his jacket (he always wore a jacket emblazoned with a ‘frost’ symbol); the memorabilia he’d collected from his days in the Bromley Innocents scooter club; plus a selection of motorcyclerelated trophies (he was at one stage of his motorcycle career, crowned ‘The Lord of Lydden’).

To add to this situation (and intensify the confusion), Bev’s stuff had become mixed-up with Nev’s items in the short period of time between Bev leaving and me arriving, so I now wasn’t sure which stuff belonged to which of them. Taking all of this into account, it looks as though I’ve got a fair bit of sorting out to do and may have to call on an expert to help me make sense of all of this (are you reading this John and Norman? You might be getting a phone call soon).

FINDING A GOOD HOME

With me personally now being the owner of the Frost/Flanagan collection, it has given me a dilemma – what do I do with it all? Should it go to a museum as part of our scooter heritage?

I’ve given that some thought, but it begs the question, what

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The full Nev Frost article appeared in Classic Scooterist in the June/July 2011 edition (issue 79) museum? To be honest, I can’t think of one that could guarantee that this important part of scooter heritage is preserved for posterity (memories from the dispersal of the Mike Karslake collection still plays on my mind).

Another option would be to sell it on and donate the money to charity (something I’ve already discussed with Tricia); I could do that by auctioning it at the next Scooter World event at Newark in January 2019, with the money going to the Air Ambulance charity. But if I were to do that what would be the best way for it to work – should I auction it in batches, or as a whole collection?

Also, if I go down the auction route, what reserve should I be putting on it all? It is after all, a valuable nostalgic part of scooter sport history, so it won’t be going for a song (especially if there are any hallmarked items as Norman Ronald suggested).

There’s going to be a lot of thought going into this dilemma over the next few weeks.

Mau

MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM

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SCOOTERAMA! Geoff Stephens, RIP

It was with great sadness that we heard of the passing on July 7, 2018, of Geoff Stephens, a kind generous and multi-talented man. Not only a great competitor on the track, but also someone with a wealth of knowledge in the field of the two-stroke engine.

G

eoff was also very generous with his expertise and was the prime mover behind the history of the Wildcat/Rafferty Newman articles featured in Classic Scooterist, issue 84.

Under Les Rafferty and Ned Newman, Rafferty Newman became a Lambretta dealership – an obvious logical progression for Les to go on from tuning two-stroke Ariel Arrows to tune Lambretta engines. These tuned Lambrettas were to be supplied, free of charge, exclusively to the local Hampshire Union SC for the club to race on the track.

This led the Hampshire Union SC to challenge the pre-eminence of the premier scooter sporting club of that time, the Bromley Innocents, on the racing circuit.

These club riders later gained a new recruit, Geoff Stephens, after he proved his prowess racing his own private entrant Wildcat Vega in 1969 at Lydden.

Les and Geoff became great Geoff at Lydden Hill on his 150 Wildcat

friends regularly sharing afterhours engine tuning activities in Raff’s workshop.

Geoff Stephens related that he paid £120 for a new Lambretta Vega plus an extra £90 for a 125cc five-port barrel and assorted race based addons, sold on a service exchange basis. This machine proved to be very fast on the track, if a little under geared on a long straight, where GP/SX/LI 125s would have the edge. Les overcame this problem by acquiring a Starstream gearbox to ‘up’ the gearing of the little Vega. The fitment of 3.50 tyres in the place of the standard 3.00 offering also helped in this respect.

Following the lead from other contemporary scooter dealers, Rafferty Newman designed their own stunning livery of blue and yellow for the Wildcat works racing Lambrettas. These could often be seen being run-in by one of the works riders – usually Geoff Stephens, a prolific road tester on trade plates – using the streets in and around the Fareham area, before being finally tested on the track. These successful racing scooters were also proudly displayed outside the shop front with details of their track histories A blow occurred in 1977 after an electrical fault caused a serious fire at Rafferty Newman’s. Dave Tooley

remembers passing the shop late that night and seeing the locals (including Geoff Stephens) desperately trying to evacuate bikes, equipment – including acetylene cylinders – from the showroom and workshop, mostly to no avail.

When Raffs gave-up their geared scooter franchises much of their stock went to Allstyles Scooters based locally at Hilsea, where Kevin Percival had gone into partnership with Gary Wells after Kev had left Raff’s.

In more recent years, Geoff Stephens was often to be seen wearing his distinctive white dust coat in the back room at

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Dave D

GP200 Wildcat and Geoff in action during 1972 on the IoM

On the famed five-port Vega

Sidecar tuning trophy

Geoff Stephens evacuating a motorcycle from the fire at Raffs in 1976

Allstyles, fettling barrels and dispensing sage advice on the subject of scooters and racing. The tuned Casa 185 barrel that will soon be marketed via Allstyles and SIP will be Geoff’s last tuning claim to fame.

Geoff is survived by his wife Wendy and his two daughters.

It goes without saying that the world of scootering will be forever diminished without Geoff’s presence.

Rest in peace Geoff. You were a beautiful individual and will remain forever in the hearts of all who have met you.

A selection of Geoff’s racing trophies

MAUSPENCER@CLASSICSCOOTERIST.COM

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ENDOFPREVI EW

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