DTC New Breed
& interview with Maca
Ride of a
Dealer Spotlight
lifetime
Custom
Lambretta
Tuscany by
Vespa
Milan
#367 January 2017
LATEST!
irleapon M rt how
s
8-paiagl e spec
PLUS
1000 MILES ON A VESPA 50 H TO TASTE THE FINEST SCOTC ALL MOD CONS: THE KRAYS PART 1 OF OUR A TASTY CUSTOM LOOK AT THE VESPA WITH A MOD REVIVAL DARK THEME Ranking Roger interview ■ Aviemore Rally ■ Stu Owen Tech ■ Mablethorpe Rally ■ Ride of Respect ■ Scooter Trader ■ Event Guide ■ Your scooters ■ MN&C SC ■ Darrell Taylor: Tech Torque ■ Sprinting ■ BSSO and more…
CONTENTS 03Letter from the Editor
89Rally report
06
93
A warm welcome to the January issue of Scootering.
Kickstart
The front section with all the latest news, views and product reviews!
Dave O tackles Mablethorpe and has a whale of a time.
All Mod cons
Part 1 of our look back at the great Mod revival.
14DTC – New Breed
101Tuscany by scooter
25EICMA Show report
108Tech Torque
A stunning brace of custom scooters and an update with Maca.
Special eight-page report from the Italian trade show.
36The Krays
A tasty custom Vespa with a dark theme.
43Letters
Feedback and full throttle responses from the readers.
44Dealer spotlight
This month we take a look over the water – at Custom Lambretta Milan.
52
Series 4, 2 & 1 scooter collection
A lucky man with only a Series 3 required for a full house.
58Aviemore Adventures
Big Stan goes north of the border to see what’s going on.
63LML 125cc auto review He’s a big man, it’s a small scooter… what’s a mere 900 miles between friends?
68
Reader’s Ride – Nagasaki Nightmare
58
Penni Gladstone and friends discover the delights of Tuscany and offer a great touring guide. Dan continues the Vespa tuning and upgrades section.
113Tech Torque
Stu Owen brings us part 3 of his Lambretta restoration guide.
118Tech Torque
Darrell Taylor takes us through service schedules. You may be surprised by what the manufacturers recommend!
122BSSO News
Paul Green brings us the latest and finds out what’s in store for 2017.
125Scooter Trader
Your sales and classifieds section – including Specialist Services & at a glance.
Roger 136Ranking Interview
Nik gets his ear to the ground to bring us the word on the street.
138Targa Twin Ferrari 250
A custom scooter at Maranello.
A hard-ridden custom in daily use – just the way we like them.
73Whisky Burn
A 50cc Vespa, a 1000-mile trip to visit and sample the distilleries of Scotland… we are suitably jealous.
78Show us your scoots
The best of our readers’ rides as sent in by you.
82Club Do’s & Events
Your essential guide to the scene – What, Where & When!
Words & 87Scootering Sounds
The best of words and music as reviewed by Nik & Sarge.
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The
New
Breed
It’s been a while since the launch of Maca’s New Breed mples available colour scheme. With two stunning exam and access to the man himself, we thoug ght it was time to catch up with all things Down Town Custom.
B
rendan ‘Maca’ McNally, is one of the great names of modern British scootering yet he’s someone who manages to keep a low profile (we published a full interview with him in our May 2010 edition – back issues are available!). Based in Yorkshire, Maca has never lost touch with his roots, even when he took a break from scooters and the machines featured here are the result of those close ties. But before moving on to the machines themselves, what’s Maca himself been up to? “I’m enjoying life!” says Maca. “One of the reasons I left scooters behind for a while was that I stopped enjoying them. I had a good career in
digital media but that also stopped being fun. I’m older now, more mature and seem able to strike a better balance between work and family life. If the number of commissions starts to take over, or it’s something that doesn’t appeal, I’ve now got the confidence to say no. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve produced recently and that’s very important to me.” This doesn’t mean that Maca’s taking things easy. His workshop is lined with projects and there’s certainly no reduction in demand for his distinctive schemes, which brings us neatly onto our feature scooters. First seen on Peter Rutterford’s black example back in 2012, there are now 18 New Breeds out there, with our feature bikes wearing very different colour schemes.
u o Y o D o h W Think You Are?
When Mitch mentioned he owned a custom Vespa featuring his family history I’ll admit to only being politely interested. That changed dramatically when I saw it featured the Kray twins.
A
aron ‘Mitch’ Mitchell is no stranger to the pages of Scootering, as at the last count this will be the third of his projects to feature in the magazine. Although it’s been around for a few years I only became aware of this machine while we were photographing his latest Lambretta project ‘The Troubles’.
It’s not just Nammers
Menacing.
“I should have walked away from this scooter so many times,” said Mitch. “It was offered to me as a tatty but usable 150 Super at a reasonable price. Most of my builds have been Lambrettas and I thought it would make a refreshing change. Little did I know that the most useful thing I could have taken with me when I first went to look at it was an X-ray machine!” Much has been written about the quality of Far East restorations and just as not all of those horror stories are true, Mitch now knows that British restorations aren’t always perfect. “I don’t know the full history of this machine but it had been in the UK for at least 25 years before I bought it. Once I started the strip down I discovered that it had been bodged to the highest order. In places there were no fewer than three layers of tin cans welded to make the frame look presentable, all of which had been done years ago. The floor was completely rotten but replacement floor panels had just started to become available and I thought I’d give it a go. At that point I opened a money pit and in the end it was only stubbornness that kept me going!” Not only was the frame in poor condition but most of the panels were beyond use. “I have to admit that it’s something of a mongrel panel-wise. The mudguard I had kicking around and the NOS side panels had been on a dealer’s shelf for 20 years or so. I’ve no idea what they were intended for originally but they’re a full inch wider than the standard 150 Super examples.” The scooter’s engine had been rebuilt not long before Mitch purchased it but was still running in standard trim – including points and condenser. Mick Maidment worked his magic on the unit which emerged as a Polini 177 that combined with a 10in wheel conversion has proven to be both reliable and powerful enough for Mitch’s purposes.
Out of The East End
When it came to deciding a theme serendipity played a key part. Although he’s been based in the Midlands for most of his life Mitch was born in the East End of London. “My mum left London when I was only a child,” explained Mitch. “I always knew she’d done it to make a better life for us and
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Claudio’s man cave.
TRADE
S
PO
TLI G H
Garagistes. Originally a term of contempt, ‘Garageste’ has become synonymous with small scale, innovative production. Custom Lambretta of Milan follows this tradition. W H O W E R E T H E G A R AG I S T E S ? In the late 1950s Enzo Ferrari was scathing of the young, talented British Formula One teams such as Lotus and Cooper who were operating on comparative shoestring budgets. His full quote is ‘Garagiste Assembliatore’, basically assembly workers in a garage. The British teams went on to achieve notable success in the early 60s, proving Ferrari wrong and setting a template for others to follow. Ultimately the term became a badge of pride for any underdog challenging conventional thought.
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Garagistes Claudio and Alberto.
T
e n O , r u o F , o w T
s a t t e r b m a L f o a Series A trio of tasty Lambretta Li’s: Two bespoke customs with plenty of trick aftermarket items and one-off parts plus a rare streetcustom Series 4... Gary’s lucky man.
7A
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8A
7
6A
5A
8
6
5
SC
TERING O O
O N TEST
LML Star
125cc 4-stroke auto
With his P2 in pieces and the Avimore rally to attend, Stan asked if there was a scooter he could borrow. Of course there was. Nine hundred miles on an LML 125 auto... what could possibly go wrong?
M
y trip to Aviemore was looming, the PX200 was terminal, and Dan had an LML 125 in for test and review. I could see where this was heading. Try as we might to save the P2 in time, it was not to be. The good news though, explained Dan from the comfort of his armchair, was that a 900+ mile trip up to Scotland would really put the LML through its paces. He was right!
Day 1: Tuesday Miles covered: 62
Here’s where I need to mention something important – having committed to riding a 125 auto to the Scottish Highlands, I’ve
never actually ridden an auto, other than a brief holiday flirtation 30 years ago! I’m not opposed to them, I’ve just never felt the need. I’m surprised how quickly I get used to the new riding regime. At first I stab the floor looking for the brake but I’m also pulling on the ‘clutch’ at the same time so no harm done. There’s no lag accelerating out of junctions, it reaches top speed quickly (59mph GPS) and happily stays there. It’s not going to break any speed records but this might not be too bad. One thing I notice is the fuel gauge. Like many PX owners I gave up relying on mine years ago, the red light illuminates
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Photograph by Bernd Geißler
One man, his Vespa, and an epic journey round Scotland’s whisky distilleries. A standard Vespa 50 may not be everyone’s first choice for a 1000 mile trip but for author and artist Ben Birdsall it was the logical choice for his highly focused tour of Scotland. If only we’d thought of the idea first…
W
hisky Burn is the record of Ben’s journey, being part travelogue, part distillery guide and part art work. Like a good Scotch it’s not something to rush but rather savour and return to time and time again. We spoke to Ben, firstly to establish his scootering credentials and secondly to get advice for anyone planning a similar trip. I’m packing my hangover cures and toothbrush as you read this…
SC: How does an Englishman find himself riding a Swiss Vespa 50 on a whisky tour of Scotland? BB: My wife is Swiss and I moved there in 2005. Growing up in an Anglo-Irish family, I didn’t know as much about Scotch whisky compared to Irish and the idea of a trip by Vespa came to mind. I thought that on a three-week trip I’d manage about 40 paintings and perhaps visit a dozen distilleries along the way. It turned into 40-odd distilleries and 12 paintings!
SC: Is the Vespa a travel writer’s ‘prop’ or do you have a history with scooters? BB: My Vespa is the only motorised transport I’ve owned for the past decade or so. It props me up, I prop it up. I bought it second-hand as a runaround when I went to Italy in the mid-90s. When my brother-in-law visited I lent him the Vespa while I was at work and one evening I asked where he’d been. He pointed to the top of Monte Pisano (3000ft). I’d no idea that a 50 was even capable of it.
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Show us your
Please send your scooter pictures to: Show Us Your Scooters, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 6LZ (include an SAE if you want your print returned) or email a HIGH RESOLUTION image to suys@scootering.com
Scoots t
Pat Purton sent this in of an Isle of Wight ferry.
Sent in by Danny Gray.
Wayne Norris at IoW scooter rally, sent in by Danielle Noble.
Gina on her totally original 1967 Douglas factory SS90. Sent by Tam Erskine from Scotland.
MABLETHORPE
Scooter Rally 2016
Mid-November, Lincolnshire seaside and a holiday camp location ready to close down for the season – doesn’t sound too appealing does it? But those that have attended previous years’ ‘season finales’ put on by VFM at Mablethorpe know this is a little gem!
A
lthough the weather was awful to say the least, the Haven Golden Sands Resort was soon welcoming a steady stream of scooterists ready for action. By 3pm the front office was busily handing out cabin keys and the venue was already blasting out hot scootering tunes! This continued throughout the afternoon and by early evening everything was set-up for a top night. Boasting no fewer than three internal do’s, the venue was a hive of activity. A ‘fully vinyl’ Soul Ballroom, Phil Bush’s (with the help of Blue’s Kitch) Jamaican Pressure road-show and a large ‘Mixture’ main room with the VFM DJ team meant you were spoilt for choice. Add to that two live bands: a powerpop ‘All-star’ band called Speakeasy and skanksters Mighty Shrimp. The next morning, although once again very chilly and wet, saw the main room transformed into a large parts and trade fair.
Outside a ‘ridden custom show’ was set up with a good mixture of machines including a nicely turn-out of King’s Lynn area customs. Like previous years, VFM kept the bar area lively with music, karaoke and a performance from young Charlie Campbell. Although the nearby town centre was also busy with scooterists who fancied an outside beverage that night, it was all back to the on-site music triathlon, live acts coming in the form of The Corsairs and the eccentrically named Johnny Warman’s Magic Bus both of whom went down really well and added to the party atmosphere. As usual quite a few people decided to finish the year off in fancy dress; luckily the theme was Mods & Rockers which for some meant ‘come as you are!’ So another great finish to a fantastic year. VFM would like me to add the following – thanks to everybody for supporting them throughout 2016! Dave O
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