Scootering Magazine April 2015

RARE 1968 Fuji Rabbit

Classic Interviews

White Rose Lambretta Club

Back to Basics Lambretta rear hub

bearing change

#346 April 2015

r u o y s k c i l f t Wha

switch?

Tuned 2-stroke auto or

4-speed 40hp classic?

Also

Small Faces musical, Workshop Essentials, the latest scooter news and The CWSC’s 10 Point Guide to Subzero Scooter Adventure!

CONTENTS 03From the Archive 06Kickstart Neckarsulm, 1952.

Welcome to the informative front section of Scootering, jam-packed full of useful stuff from news and reviews, Workshop Essentials, products tested, opinions, more from the Trade Expo, Small Faces musical, readers’ letters, music reviews and plenty more besides.

Staff Scooters: 90 Rustoration Abomination

Barrie mulls over his winter project Lambretta Li’s (possible) history.

92Specialist Services

Planning your new project or resto?

Whatever you want, from platers to tuners, engineers to painters, fabricators to upholsterers, you’ll find them all here.

Hopefully.

The BSG 209cc 08Touring Smallframe Scooters: 94Staff My Other Workhorse Sticky road tests another madly-tuned Vespa from Italy!

A hard year for Andy’s Series 3.

Hugo Boss 28Sunshine Edition

99Scooter Trader

Vespa Primavera dedicated to clothes and summer riding.

36

Scomadi 172 2T: the next big thing?

Take a modern retro scooter, ditch the boring 50cc four-stroke engine, and replace it with a two-stroke fire breather. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

42

Carbon Footprint from the shed

A very tasty looking Vespa T5 built at home.

48 The Bristol Classic 54MotorCycle Show Club do’s & events

A calendar of scooter related events

Scooters in Shepton Mallet.

Classified and business advertising, for all your scootering needs.

Interviews 118Classic White Rose LC

Scootering through the 60s with the Briggs’.

Scooter Touring: 126 Pneumonia in Snowdonia

Geof Panic leads the Cockwombles Scooter Collective into Wales.

132Vlad (the Impaler) Cutdown custom Lambretta with some unique features and fixings.

138Into The Sunset

Your scootering tales from times long ago. Keep them coming please folks, we need to replenish our stock!

62Scooterists Meltdown Burton Brewers 70Custom Show Das power station party.

Blowing away the cobwebs.

Fuji Rabbit 90 74Hi-Super

A 1968 Japanese classic used daily for commuting in London.

80

Back to Basics

Barrie tackles changing a Lambretta rear hub bearing. Not so simple.

86

Staff Scooters – Vespa Rat Rod Part 2

Richie’s winter project Douglas Vespa gets a new, improved engine.

4 | SCOOTERING | APRIL 2015

132 Next Month!

Scootering celebrates it’s 30th birthday with some great reader competitions.

PLUS the first rallies of 2015, Norrie Kerr revisits the Vespa P125 ETS, a couple of DTC custom Lambrettas and in true 80s style we fill a Vespa sidecar with loads of scooterists!

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74 p34

28 WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 5

KICKSTART

By Andy & Sticky

A rare pair of twins

T

he doors of Italianbased Rimini Lambretta Centre’s new premises will be opened to the public over the weekend of April 24-26. That in itself might be interesting enough but a few ‘newsworthy’ scooters will also be lined up for visitors to not only see but also to actually try out.

Among others, for the first time ever since they left the factory, BOTH of the Innocenti prototype Twin cylinder SX200s will be present. With the blessing of the owner, Vittorio Tessera of Casa Lambretta, RLC’s guests will actually get to ride what must be the two rarest Lambrettas on the planet.

COMING SOON

During the weekend, there will also be an evening meal and do planned for the Saturday and a scooter run out into the surrounding mountains on the Sunday in collaboration with the Teste Cromate SC. If that isn’t enough to convince you to book a flight over, the RLC crew have also let on that there will be an “historically important ‘surprise’ Lambretta” on display during the weekend. You can find more details, recommended hotels and other relevant info on the shops website: www.riminilambrettacentre.com and the centre’s Facebook page.

Alternatively, call ++39 0541 686449 (workshop hours).

BSG 225CC KIT FOR VESPA 125/150 LARGE-FRAME

Fresh from the mould are these example cylinders for two new big-bore kits for the PX125/150 engine (and earlier Vespa variants with the same square stud layout).

These Nikasil-lined aluminium kits from BSG come in two versions; rotary/crankcase reed or alternatively another version with a massive cylinder-mounted reed-valve. Both kits use a special 69mm forged piston from Wössner.

With such a massive over-bore you must get the crankcase mouth of the casings machined out to accommodate the wider spigot and piston. The kit has been designed with tapered-in transfer ducts so that the gasket face will seal on a stock crankcase.

6 | SCOOTERING | APRIL 2015

However, it makes sense if you are boring the case mouth to first weld up around the transfer passages to make use of the much larger ducts available once you open up the barrel.

The kits are supplied with a special 118mm-long con rod which can be fitted to the standard crankshaft (or many after-market cranks).

Port timings are in the region of 128º transfer and 185º exhaust.

At the moment these kits have yet to be tested and put into full production however BSG expect around 25-30hp from them. The purpose of the early announcement was to ensure that they were homologated for the 2015 Italian race season. While this is intended as a race kit, those port timings are not too extreme for the road.

At the moment details of these kits remain slightly ethereal, however, when pushed the BSG boys expected that a complete reed-valve kit including exhaust adapter, inlet manifold, Rotax reedvalve, head and con rod kit would retail for less than €900 (£650) while the crankcase induction one should cost a little less.

BSG are also planning a new dedicated crankshaft specifically for the cylinder reedvalve version.

For more info see www.bsgcorse.it

Top: Reed cylinder kit with ducts opened to match welded casings.

Above: Crankcase induction version with ‘closed’ ducts to match stock cases.

BSRA Championship A last reminder about the BSRA Solo Rider and Club Championship for 2015. The rules are to ride your scooter (of any make) to every national and get the chance to win free insurance, cash prize, a beautiful trophy to keep, Tucano Urbano bike jackets (solos), and other goodies too including some Croclocks to keep your scooter safe from Datatool (www.datatool.co.uk). The categories are as always, Best Supporting Male, Female and Club, and signing on takes place on the Saturday morning ONLY of each rally, usually at the Lexham Insurance stand.

To enter all the BSRA needs is your name and address (including postcode) and what scooter you’re riding.

There are 10 BSRA national scooter rallies this year and your mileage is calculated from your house to the centre of the rally town and if you can’t attend all 10 you’re still in with a chance at the final results will be calculated on your best eight. All entries should received by March 31, 2015, via www.bsra-uk.com or by post to; BSRA 2014 Championship, Bridge House, 61 High St, Edwinstowe, Notts NG21 9QU.

Datatool has just announced it’ll be supporting the BSRA Championship, and offering some Croclocks (RRP £29.95) as prizes in all categories.

SCOOTERING WINNERS As part of its 20th birthday celebrations, SIP Scootershop (www.sip-scootershop.com) kindly offered 20 readers the chance to win an anniversary T-shirt, and the lucky winners were; Helen Aiken of Aberdeenshire, Paul Chadwick of Barnsley, Kim Howes of Epsom, D Reach of Newark, David Reeves of Warminster, Ruth Horrocks of Bedfordshire, Derek Oxley of Banbury, Darren Abbott of Grimethorpe, Mike Collum of Blackpool, Claire Burton of Rutland, Hannah Whitling of Leicester, Kevin Allsopp of Nottingham, Steven Shackleton of Keighley, Kirst Hall of Coventry, Jenna Othen of Birmingham, Maureen Findley of Powys, Sue

Harrison of Great Yarmouth, Rachel Burns of Cumbria, Kevin Dawson of Coventry and Michael Witty of East Riding.

Then in the February 2015 edition Crusader Promotions (www.lifestyletshirts.co.uk) offered us five official BSRA 2015 Run T-shirts to give away and the lucky winners of those were: Andrew Phillips of Pontypridd, Sandra Tomkinson of Saltash, Paul Rogers of Wimbledon, David Sims of Barton upon Humber and Neil Gent of Cleveland.

Congratulations one and all, and if you didn’t win don’t worry as we’ve got more competitions in next month’s Scootering!

Casa Lambretta 225 SS kit New from Casa Lambretta Performance and produced in Italy for them by Parmakit, this ‘Lydden Hill Replica’ kit is based on the top end used by the Casa race team when they came to the British circuit last year to compete against the BSSO riders, and did, ahem, rather well.

The aluminium barrel is Nikasil lined, boasts a very tasty looking anodised head with centre squish, and the piston is forged and uses two thin rings.

The exhaust seals with an O-ring over the bridged port, and the inlet features a six-petal Boysen reed block with a choice of manifolds to suit Dellorto 30mm, 34mm or Mikuni TMX 35 carbs.

Designed to work with a 58mm crank, the kits comes with necessary gaskets and retails at £585 plus p&p. We’ll have a test of it for you

Editor: Andy Gillard Email: editorial@scootering.com Publisher: Steve Rose Contributors: Sticky, Richie Lunt, Barrie Braithwaite, Iggy, Sargie, Dave Oakley, Jordan Lewis, Nik Skeat, Lobby, Geof Panic, Andy (BLC) and Lee Daniels. Many thanks to all other scooterists and clubs that have also contributed to this issue in some way.

Cover: Main photography by Joe Dick Designer: Charlotte Turnbull Reprographics: Simon Duncan General queries and back issues: Tel: 01507 529529 24hr answerphone Email: help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk Archivist: Jane Skayman Tel: 01507 529423 Email: jskayman@mortons.co.uk Subscription: Full subscription rates (but see page 34 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £49.20. Export rates are also available – see page 34 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. Distribution: Comag, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE Tel: 01895 433600 Printed by: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton Subscription manager: Paul Deacon pdeacon@mortons.co.uk Circulation manager: Steven O’Hara sohara@mortons.co.uk Marketing manager: Charlotte Park Email: cpark@mortons.co.uk Publishing director: Dan Savage Commercial director: Nigel Hole Associate director: Malcolm Wheeler SCOOTERING (USPS:020-245) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ USA subscriptions are $60 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft, WI and additional entries.

Postmaster: Send address changes to SCOOTERING, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921.

715-572-4595. chris@classicbikebooks.com SCOOTERING is published by: Mortons Scooter Media, a division of Mortons Media Group Ltd © 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any way without the written permission of the publisher. ISSN 0268 7194

TRADE ADVERTISING

Gary Thomas – gthomas@mortons.co.uk Andrew Bruce – abruce@mortons.co.uk Tel (01507) 524004 Fax (01507) 371075 Advertising team leader Richard Sinclair Email: rsinclair@mortons.co.uk

ADVERTISING DEADLINES The advertising deadline for the next issue of Scootering (May 2015) is Thursday, April 2, 2015 On sale in newsagents April 23, 2015

Free ads, personals, club do’s & events These are all to be booked via the website at www.scootering.com or via post to: Scootering Magazine, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ The next free ads deadline is Wednesday, April 1, 2015

www.scootering.com www.scootertrader.com soon, but if you can’t wait that long contact JB Tuning (Casa Performance UK distributor) on 01702 545952 or visit www.jbtuning.co.uk Member of the Professional Publishers' Association

Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

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

Hugo Boss Sunshine

Edition Look around the rallies, scooter events and ride outs and you can’t help but notice that the average age of our scooterists is creeping ever upwards.With age come those inevitable but not always preventable health problems.

T

he owner of this tidy street racer, Yian Baty, knows only too well how it feels to have the metaphorical rug pulled from beneath you. Five years ago he was diagnosed with a brain tumour, a scary prognosis.

Some people would just crumble; others stand up and fight an illness head on. Thankfully the tumour was operable and Yian had it removed. All was good for a while until the stubborn tumour returned. Another frightening time followed, as did another operation.

This time it was followed by six months of unpleasant chemotherapy, all at the same time as trying to build this tasty little Smallframe. The Vespa Primavera project was a pleasant distraction for him.

These life experiences can either make or break a person and like many of us Yian found that having a great family behind him and a close group of friends made all the difference, not only to his recovery but also to his outlook on life.

T he

2 7 1 i d Scoma t x e n e h t s Is thi

big

thing?

Style, power and practicality sell scooters.Think about theVespaT5, GTS 300 and the Gilera Runner 180.They all have the looks and performance a speed-hungry scooterist demands.

T

he Vespa GTS is an anomaly.

It’s the only four-stroke scooter to really catch on and fit comfortably into the scooter scene… so far. Classic styling, a reliable 80mph engine and all the modern goodies wrapped into a neat and reliable package.

Scomadi of course aims to change all that though when its own 300cc machine is released later this year. As a brand, Scomadi is offering probably the most eagerly anticipated new scooters since the Vespa GTS was launched.

Before that, the Gilera Runner (and Italjet Dragster) attracted all the attention; twostroke power, an often-exaggerated 90mph top speed, a tuneable engine, electric start, decent brakes...

Modern Mods

Scooterists aren’t known for patience but are known for creativity, so it wasn’t going to be too long before the relatively cheap 50cc Scomadi became the latest project guinea pig. Just days after the first scooters arrived in dealerships, the guys at Midland Scooter

Centre had turned the Chinese four-stroke engine into a makeshift paperweight and were busy transplanting an air-cooled two stroke Piaggio Typhoon lump into the empty chassis of one of theirs.

And they weren’t the only ones; other Scomadi dealers also had the same idea.

For less than £1900 you can get a brand new 50cc Scomadi to use as the basis for a two (or if you prefer) four-stroke conversion. It’s a fair bit cheaper, much quicker and less hassle than getting a Lambretta auto up and running, plus of course you’re not having to butcher a classic scooter in the process.

MSC’s 172 Scomadi

The MSC Scomadi project utilised as much of the original scooter as possible, the Piaggio Typhoon wiring was made ‘plug & play’ so it could be plugged directly into the Scomadi loom. The frame itself was left virtually untouched and a Typhoon engine cradle was modified to fit into the frame.

This means that the conversion can be put back to a standard 50 as quick as it takes to change an engine.

MSC mechanic Andy Dixon was in charge of the project and with the help of Malc Anderson he had it up and running just in time for the Newark show in January. Since then a lot of work has gone into perfecting the conversion, for instance rather than using an auto exhaust a Lammy expansion pipe was reworked to follow the lines of the bodywork. A PM Tuning TSAB engine brace was used to provide extra support for both the engine and exhaust muffler. It also allowed the twin rear shock to be retained.

Engine wise the air-cooled Piaggio lump was used to make things a bit simpler, no messy radiators or hoses to worry about.

Pound for pound you don’t get quite as much potential from an air-cooled engine as you do a liquid-cooled one, but with the Malossi 172 kit, 25mm carb, Malossi variator and upgear kit this particular Scomadi certainly isn’t a slow machine – especially when you factor in the power to weight ratio.

In standard form the Scomadi 50 only weighs 89kg – add around 6kg for the slightly heavier engine, the bracing and cradle and you’ve still got a very light scooter.

35th Carole Nash

Bristol Classic MotorCycle Show 2015 Having long ago outgrown its original venue of the BristolTemple Meads train station tram and engine sheds, the‘Bristol’ Classic, perhaps somewhat confusingly, is these days based at the Royal Bath &West showground, 30 miles outside of Bristol.

T

he weekend of February 7-8 saw hordes of bikers and a fair smattering of scooterists making their annual pilgrimage to this high profile West Country twowheeler event. The Bristol Classic doesn’t boast a dedicated scooter hall and as a result the scooter menu on offer is not as broad.

Nevertheless there is plenty of scooter action to be inspected and all but the most ghetto-ridden two-wheeled shopping trolley types will find enough classic vintage engineering on show to make for a great day out.

Local show regulars – and winners of last year’s best scooter prize – Soul City SC from Street (Somerset), yet again proved their reliability with a fine spread of Lambrettas. The Vintage Motor Scooter Club, by now part of the show furniture (in the best possible way), was represented by a selection of wild, weird and

54 | scootering | april 2015

wonderful scooter history. Bristol Lambretta Club returned for a second year standing the show, this year with a very special guest from the Lambro Club (thanks due to LCGB Linda for facilitating).

Laura and Ian won a very much deserved trophy for best three-wheeler with an immaculate Lambro resto, while a lone Bristol Mod SC member took the best scooter award for his Christmas-tree Lambretta.

Another top and well recommended show. Hopefully next year scooter numbers will be even further swelled by the recently formed Cog 18 Bristol (official local branch of the VCB). May the scooter invasion continue…

Words: Andy Bristol LC Pics: Dave T (BLC) and Joe Dick (Mortons) (More BLC pix of this and last year’s show on the club’s website)

7 7

KML4000

555

3

KML4000

555

3

Above left: Keith on his TV175 at IoM Scooter Week. Above right: Pauline on Keith’s TV, just back from IoM with a week’s worth of luggage.

White Rose

Lambretta Club

Keith and Pauline Briggs met through membership of Leeds’White Rose LC and a shared love of Lambrettas.The couple married in 1966 and remained involved with the club until the mid-1970s.

Recently Keith – at the age of 76 – completed the restoration of an LI that has sat unused in his shed for over 30 years.The Lambretta – like its owners – has an interesting scootering history…

Sticky How did you two get involved with the scooter club scene in Leeds?

Keith: I started with a Lambretta LI that I bought new in 1960. I joined the Five Star Lambretta Club; which was the main Lambretta club in Leeds at the time. There were three Lambretta clubs in Leeds at one stage with the Owls being another. We stuck it out with Five Star for a few months but a lot of them were old fellows and they wouldn’t get anything organised so we broke away and formed the White Rose Lambretta Club. Five Star LC fell by the wayside in the end.

118 | SCOOTERIng | APRIL 2015

Pauline: I bought a French LD125 brand new in 1961. It was grey with slate blue sidepanels. Eventually I had it redone with purple panels and horncasting after someone pulled out of a side road and knocked me off. I used to ride it every day from Leeds to Huddersfield and back for work.

How did you two meet?

P: When I bought the LD I was given no instruction, only a book. I went tearing down this cobbled street where I lived in Leeds and

fell off. I pushed it home and luckily Eddy from the scooter club was passing. He asked if I was having trouble and I explained that I just didn’t know how to ride it.

Eddy took me to the scooter club and he arranged for two members – Pete and Keith – to take me for some lessons.

When I came back my mum asked how I got on and I told her that two lads were coming to take me out; one was scruffy as anything with this old, split crash helmet – that was Keith – and the other one stutters, which was Pete.