Scootering October 2014 preview

Scootering | #340 October 2014

ight Isle ootferW Rally Sco

10-page re

por t

This issue is sponsored by

AF S-Type anniversary

starring Arthur Francis, Team S Equipé & more!

inside

Custom

Didn’t we have a lovely time, the day we went to Ryde...

Vespa

from recycled parts

Northern Soul The film

Exclusive interview with director

Elaine Constantine

Vespa GTS

www.scootering.com

Oil & filter change Also

Lambretta Lui, Vespa 50, Mersea Island, scooter racing, product reviews, scooter news & more!

No.340 October 2014

£3.99

CONTENTS 03Hello & welcome…

…to the show that never ends, the finest of its kind on earth. Probably.

06Kickstart

Mod 114Brighton Weekender

Sarge hangs out with the NuTs, and also takes in some of the fringe events, down on the south coast.

Packed full of useful information from news and reviews, products tested, opinions, rumours and whispers, Oddballs, custom scooters from yesteryear, handy hints, readers’ letters, personals... and plenty more besides.

Island 126Mersea Scooter Rally

30Spanish Bombs

Us 130Show Your Scoot!

So you’ve got a whole load of leftover scooter parts lying around, what do you do with them? Why not build a custom Vespa worthy of a place on the cover of Scootering?

36Northern Soul

A new film is about to hit the big screen, and Iggy gets an exclusive interview with the scootergirl who made it.

42

50 Years of the AF S-Type

We find Sixties, Eighties and brand new examples to discover the owners’ views on the famous Lambretta dealer special.

Where a silent disco meets beer and banana races, over in sunny Essex.

Go on, send us ya snaps!

scooter 132Various club events Racing 138Scooter at Croft The penultimate round of the season.

140Pizza Fresca

A Lambretta Vega 75 gets the custom treatment with added patina. It’s really quite clever actually…

54Club do’s & events 146Into The Sunset The Lambretta S-Type 5650th Anniversary A calendar of scooter related events.

More of your tales of trials and tribulation. Keep sending them in please folks. we all love reading them!

Celebrating the famous dealer special up in Yorkshire with Arthur Francis, Team S Equipe and a cast of hundreds!

of Wight 62Isle Scooter Rally

We take a ticket to Ryde to enjoy this year’s August Bank Holiday event.

But is the change of programme for the better?

74MIG 1 82Back to Basics

The Mythical TS1-Eater from the 1980s.

Iggy tackles an oil and filter change on a Vespa GTS.

88Specialist Services

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

97Scooter Trader

Classified and business advertising, for all your scootering needs.

110Mully’s Bully

Sporting Vespa 50 smallframe from across the sea in Ireland. It’s not really a bully though…

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KICKSTART

VFM and SCSW present Mountain Mayhem 2014

(aka Run to the Hills) Builth Wells, Wales Builth Wells is well known for its showground which puts on many events from the Royal Welsh Show to sheepdog trials – proper countrified stuff.

R

esiding in Wales meant that it was only about 60 miles to get to this one, but thankfully through beautiful countryside.

With the sun shining on my back and a forecast of stormy weather, I decided to leave Cardiff on my own at midday and risk riding with no waterproofs, for a change. In just over an hour and with nothing eventful to report, I was on site and pitching my tent ready for the weekend, sun still shining too.

Friday night saw one of my favourite bands playing, Britpop stars Dodgy who performed all their old hits from the 90s, including a special cover of Al Wilson’s The Snake to please the Northern Soul crowd too, that first appeared as a B-side back in the day.

The night’s entertainment is located on-site in a purpose built barn with a bar, stage and dance floor. It’s a great place to have a camping weekender, with good toilets and showers too! You can take your own booze, but can’t drink it in the main hall, which is fair enough. Anyway, it was a good night to start off the weekend and a nice dry tent to rest my weary bones in later.

Saturday saw further sunshine and, after a nice hot shower and a cider to whet my whistle, I was encouraged to enter my Series 1 auto scooter in the custom show to show off the skilled engineering work of Steve Rowe.

There was quite an array of beautiful scooters there, but the one that caught my eye was Tony Bryant’s Targa-Twin Lambretta with dropped handlebars, a seriously nice scooter and a

seriously nice chap, even if he is from Berwick upon Tweed (living in Cardiff for the last 26 years though). I was chuffed to find out later that my scooter won ‘best engineered’, so Steve now has a trophy in appreciation of all the hard work he has already done and is going to complete for me in the future; well done Steve!

The afternoon session entertainment was a Johnny Cash tribute called Crazy Heart who went down really well with the scooterists that stayed on site, while the rest went into town to the Fountain Inn to see a ska band which was laid on by the pub – who also own the campsite and the tractor taxi trailer – a cunning plan if I say so myself Baldrick!

Back to the campsite on the last taxi tractor trailer at 7pm, we headed to the main hall to mingle

Shark’s versatile Explore-R The guys at Shark Helmets have introduced their “most versatile helmet yet”, the Explore-R. Made using Shark’s carbon skin technology, it combines carbon and aramid fibres to create its structure. For added protection it also features a second skin for higher performance and improved shock absorption and the range is divided into two shell sizes.

But it’s the following options that give it the versatility. You can change it to have sunshield only, visor only, goggles only, peak and goggles or peak and sunshield. The helmet also includes an integrated chin cover that can be

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unzipped and tucked inside a jacket depending on the weather.

The interior of the helmet is made using a special bamboo treatment that is hypoallergenic, antibacterial and offers good perspiration absorption, as well as being extremely comfortable. The lining also has an easy fit option for riders who wear glasses along with cutaway sections so a Bluetooth system can be easily fitted.

Available in three colours and various sizes from £299.99. For info visit www.nevis.uk.com, or call 01425 478936.

and see The Uplifters, although they’re not my cup of tea as many are aware; I’m not a big fan of ska, sorry. A 2am licence meant that there was no later entertainment unless you want to continue it back on the campsite, which a few did, mentioning no names, Reevesy. Bedtime for me though was at a more sensible time, full up with a curry and cider… nice!

I enjoyed this rally because the weatherman got it wrong again... until it was time to leave and I was without my waterproofs, how old am I? I recommend this venue for a rally because it located in a picturesque part of the countryside and Builth Wells welcomes scooter riders and doesn’t rip ’em off either. Me? I’m looking forward to another one next year please!

Lobby (Company ‘C’ SC)

Series 3 clutch kits Those Scootopia chaps in Weston-super-Mare have been busy again, their latest product being these Lambretta clutch kits.

They say: “The corks are Surflex and the rest of the parts – top clutch pressure plate, retaining clip, 2.5mm clutch top plate, clutch steel set and springs – are our own production, although in a month or two we’ll also have our own production corks which will bring the cost down slightly.”

The Li SX and TV kit is priced at £51.30 and the GP one is £49.30. For more info call Scootopia on 01934 641811.

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A custom built from

leftovers

I’m sure if you’re like me your garage and the surrounding area is full of parts that have been collected over the years.

Hell, I must have 30 redundant spark plugs off various models scattered about to start with!

The Lambretta S-Type 50thAnniversary

There are few who have managed to carve their name into the history books of classic scooters alongside Lambretta andVespa.

Therefore the opportunity to celebrate arguably the most famous dealer special scooter ever was a no-brainer; we got on our scooters and rode the 250 miles or so up from the south east toYorkshire to join the party.

N

ame a dealer special? I’ve asked a few times in various places and the one that keeps cropping up is the AF S-Type. Even those that differ from the 60s to the 80s and today are somehow instantly recognisable as having the right pedigree in a line-up from 100 paces. It’s for this reason I suppose that hundreds of scooterists made the pilgrimage to North Yorkshire one Saturday in August to celebrate 50 years since the first S-Type Lambretta was produced by a scooter shop to the north west of London in Watford, Hertfordshire.

Full house

Arriving mid morning from the nearby LCGB rally, the car park out front of the shop was already overflowing with scooters by the time we rolled up, and the sun wasn’t even up to 10 yet.

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With profits from the weekend going to charity, many attending were supplementing the raffle ticket included with the entrance fee with the purchase of more – at £5 a pop I too tried my luck to win a newly built S-Type scooter, fresh from the workshops of AF Rayspeed. Fortunately I didn’t win as I’d made no plans to get it home on the back of my Series 1.

Helmet and coat in one arm, cameras in the other, I dumped my belongings with the friendly chaps at the Lexham stand and set off for a look around the field behind the shop and adjacent Snooty Fox cafe/pub/campsite that had been transformed into a mini rally site.

With a few stalls at the top end – the LCGB having moved sites for the day, and a trailer stage taking, ahem, centre stage, my attention was drawn beyond the dealers, tents and fish and chips van to the three marquees set up towards the bottom end which housed the rows of S-Type show scooters.

TROPHY WINNERS Best original owner of an S-Type: Doug Miller Oldest S-Type from new: Richard Oswald Best Replica S-Type: Graham Bird Best Race S-Type: Guy Burnett Best S-Type of the day: Mark Gill Most deserving owner: Dean Huffton (runner-up: Gary White)

Show time

They say – whoever ‘they’ are – that a picture paints a thousand words. Well, I don’t know about that, but I’ve tried to give those of you unable to attend an idea of the wonderful sight greeting those of us who did. S-Types from original 60s bikes to replicas of the early models. Metalflake heroes of the 70s and 80s, transforming drab Indian Lambrettas into something both fresher and often faster too, right up to the race-style DTC scooters and modern interpretations of the classics.

As long as full frame Lambrettas was your thing, there was something here to keep you happy, with all the colours of the rainbow represented, as well as the three main factories; Italy, Spain and India (well, ‘main’ as far as European customers are concerned).

Among the crowd, regular scooterists mingled with former racers, Chuck Swonnel could be spotted reminiscing with the Ronald brothers, Arthur Francis himself in deep conversation with Ron Moss of Supertune, while various traders such as Andy Francis (no relation) and Dave Dickenson took time out to join in the celebrations of a scootering classic.

JOHN AND NORMAN RONALD OF TEAM S-EQUIPE How did you first get involved with racing S-Types?

John: We got involved with Arthur in 1966 I think. Originally we borrowed a bike from him for a Snetterton event, I think?

Norman: Yes. For some unknown reason Snetterton speed trial was coming up and we didn’t have a bike to ride so we thought perhaps if we rang Arthur and he’d lend us one. We looked at one another and I got the short straw, so I rang him up and asked ‘Any chance of a bike for Snetterton?’ and he replied, ‘Well, what would you like?’

We went down and collected an S-Type which had 12v conversion and other things, we added a few bits like clocks that we used to control our speed during the race, and went on to win the event, which proved a perfect start for the three of us.

John: From then on we were riding S-Type bikes and later we went to the IoM as Team S-Equipe.

Where did Team S-Equipe come from?

Norman: Well we had been going to the Isle of Man for a few years before, then in ’68 I think, Arthur came up with his Team S-Equipe idea and started handpainting some banners for the scooters. Arthur is an artist and is very good at it you know. The first year Nev Frost was working with Arthur so there was John, Neville and myself and we got first, second and third so it couldn’t have been any better.

John Ronald, Arthur Francis and Norman Ronald on Norman’s old GP 125 S-Type. riding for Arthur and he came over this hill, the handlebars came away from the bike, so he came over with the handlebars in his hands and I heard Arthur shout to him, ‘Keep it on the stop Roy!’ He was a good egger-on it has to be said! ‘Keep it on your stop’ was one of his favourites, and also ‘Crank it over a bit further, you’ll be all right!’

Are you surprised at the response the S-Type and yourselves still get today?

John: Well we’ve spoken about this between ourselves and we’re amazed that we’ve sort of become a cult almost, people see us as being famous which to us is a big surprise! I was involved with the Lambretta Club, I was general secretary for three years, but after we stopped doing it the Lambretta world sort of Was Arthur a good racing team manager? disappeared. Then we’ve had these Norman: Before we started riding for wonderful people that took over since him, I remember we were down near and now the club has more than Luton at a scramble, Roy Wilson was 5000 members which is incredible.

The Isle of Wight International Scooter Rally 2014

Dawning of a new era?

It is said that familiarity may breed contempt, while for others too much of the ‘same old thing’ can get monotonous. For many however, what is arguably the biggest rally of its kind in the world is simply the perfect event to attend for a complete fix of scooter addiction.

T

hrowing another cliché or two into the fire, it ain’t broken so it doesn’t need fixing, but a change is as good as a rest... for 2014 VFM, the main organisers of the Isle of Wight scooter rally decided to alter things a little and brought the whole rally back on to the campsite once again.

On the surface, when riding up to the entrance at Smallbrook Stadium just outside Ryde on the Thursday afternoon, nothing seemed to have changed much. Met by the ever friendly VFM scooterists working the gate, the same AAA wristbands were available to include the entire weekend’s camping and entertainment, except of course there was now no need to leave the site until it was time to catch our ferry home on Monday. Apart from joining other early arrivals riding back and forth to local shops for supplies for a lazy afternoon in the sun, catching up with other

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scooter riders from all over the UK, as well as Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and even a couple of Canadians this year too.

The camping area on the site had been extended to accommodate extra scooterists, more portable toilets installed, and the best feature for many, a lorry load of shower cubicles offering hot water, privacy, 70s disco music to wash to, and a clean after each use by staff, all for a couple of quid a time.

For entertainment, a hall adjacent to the speedway had been hired for bands during the evening and the all day scooter custom show on Saturday. Also, alongside the massive dealer market within the speedway circuit itself was a large marquee which hosted acoustic entertainment by day, and with a floor laid for the dancers, became the soul room at night. Add to this the regular club house plus extra bar facilities dotted around, and there was pretty much all you needed for a good weekend of scootering.

Vespa GTs oil anD filTer chanGe Routine jobs still need to be done, even on a reliable four-stroke scooter like the ever popular Vespa GTS.

Look after your GTS properly and hopefully it won’t end up like this one did after dropping its big end bearing on the M5 on the way back from Woolacombe...

You will need...

Socket set, Allen keys, oil or pipe wrench

Difficulty rating

82 | scootering | october 2014

f

our-stroke ownership means you don’t have to get your hands dirty quite as often as you do with a two-stroke, but there are still jobs you can do at home to save you some cash.

For instance, a Vespa GTS needs servicing every 5000km and it doesn’t take long to rack those miles up on a rally-going machine.

Obviously if your scooter is still under warranty you need to keep to the service schedule, but if not here’s how to save yourself some money by changing the oil and filter yourself.

By the way, all main dealers will have the correct grade of engine oil (Putoline 5W-40 costs around £11 a litre). Or four litres of fully synthetic Halfords own brand 5W-40 costs just £12...

Iggy