Scootering 324 June 2013 Preview

1958 IoM Scooter Week – Blast from the Past Scootering | June 2013

WORTH

SHOEI GT AIR CRASH HELMET £469!

CRASH HELMETS

“Hello to Jason Isaacs”

2013 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

FIRST RIDE

NEW HONDA

FORZA 300 ANT & DEC SCOOTERING’S NEW FACES?

FIRST RIDE www.scootering.com

NEW SUZUKI

BURGMAN 650 Plus

Custom Vespa Sportster, How to build Lambretta forks, Back to Basics, rallies, shows, scooter news & more!

No.324 June 2013

£3.99

CONTENTS

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03 Editorial

Why aren’t more people riding scooters in a recession?

06 News

All the latest scooter news, new products and other bits ‘n’ bobs too!

24

08 Workshop Essentials

Behind the scenes with Mike Phoenix.

12 Competition – Win a Shoei crash helmet!

A brand new Shoei GT Air to be precise, worth up to £469.99!

14 Show Us Your Scoots

Wish You Were Here? Where’s that? It’s wherever you go on your scooter!

16 AVP

Our Hollywood blockbuster themed Lambretta ... and the result is a cover star scooter.

20 Feedback

Your letters, emails, personals, questions and other stuff you’ve sent us.

24 Road Test – 2013 Suzuki Burgman 650

After a decade of popularity the Big Burger gets a makeover, but is it for the better?

28 Sportster

44

A Vespa PX customised in Germany with plenty of those subtle touches.

44 All About Crash Helmets It’s 40 years since they became compulsory headwear in the UK for bike and scooter riders, but do you know much about them?

33

4 | SCOOTERING | JUNE 2013

28 38 Blast from the Past

55 years ago this month… The Isle of Man Scooter Week. How scooter rallies were back in the 1950s.

16

102 Specialist Services

52 Club do’s & events

Whatever it is you want, you’ll find them all here.

A calendar of scooter related events.

54 Burton Brewers SC Custom Show

104 Back to Basics Cleaning your carburettor.

And a fine one it was too.

106 Tech Tips

59 The Rules – Part 3

Rebuilding Lambretta forks.

Essential guidelines for successful scootering. Riding to a rally – how you know you’ve earned a scooter rally patch to wear.

112 Project Underdog Reloaded

The smallframe’s back – with thanks to Parmakit.

60 The Munich Custom Show

Down with the SIP crew in southern Germany.

67 My First Euro, part 4

Final list ticking before the off!

68 LCGB C2C Run

A popular day’s riding gets an earlier slot in the year – just missing the snow.

74 Cobblesoul Run

A weekend in France, which was nice.

66 BSRA Tenby Scooter Rally

The bank holiday national in a picturesque Welsh seaside town.

101

92 Road Test – the new Honda Forza 300

How does the Japanese giant fare in the 300cc scooter class?

96 Seeing Red

What colour is your Lambretta GP? And if it’s red, is it the right shade? Read on…

123 Scooter Trader

86 Time for Action…

Classified and business advertising, for all your scootering needs.

88 Vambo

Memory Lane and the regular page.

with Ant and Dec. Yep, scooters on TV. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band immortalised on a Vespa.

137 Show Us Your Scoots!

123 A Buyer’s Guide to…

Lambretta J Range scooters.

142 Scooter Sport

BSSO Scooter Racing at Croft.

144 Behind the Scenes…

At a scooter race meeting – in particular, at Mallory Park.

148 Scooter Sport

BSSO Scooter Racing at Mallory Park.

152 Lambretta Scrambler

aka The Geoff Parker Experience. Proper old-school scooter sport machine.

140 Various Club Events

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www.scootering.com www.scootertrader.com Editor: Andy Gillard Email: editorial@scootering.com Publisher: Steve Rose Contributors: Sticky, Richie Lunt, Barrie Braithwaite, Iggy, Lobby, Nik Skeat, Andreas Reinhold, Steve Dawson, Adam Winstone and Ian Mutch. Many thanks to all other scooterists and clubs that have also contributed to this issue in some way.

Cover: Photography by Richie Lunt Designer: Charlotte Turnbull Reprographics: Simon Duncan Group production editor: Tim Hartley General queries and back issues: Tel: 01507 529529 24 hr 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 22 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £47.88. Export rates are also available – see page 22 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. Distribution: Comag, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middx UB7 7QE Tel: 01895 433600 Printed by: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton

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The 2013 Suzuki

Burgman 650

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| It’s no secret – in my mind the Suzuki Burgman is one of the best, large capacity scooters available today. I should know, I clocked up over 14,000 miles on one in 2011. But is the new 2013 version any better?

B

ack in November 2012 at the Milan Motorcycle Show Suzuki presented what was to be the updated Burgman 650 scooter. I must admit that at first glance it took someone who had spent a year on a ‘Burger’ to notice the subtle changes that had taken place during its makeover.

Overall the styling has been updated, it’s sharper and we’re told that features such as a body coloured panel across the inner legshields add to the feel of elegance that Suzuki was after, while clever use of black plastic in other areas reduces the appearance of bulk. Certainly, together with a general slimming of the new Burgman 650, when viewed back to back with the older model the visual differences become more obvious.

Elegant The reason for the revamp is obviously marketing, triggered by the 10th anniversary of the Suzuki Burgman 650 which, when launched back in 2002, was the largest capacity (and fastest) production scooter ever produced at that time.

Its electronically controlled CVT gearing was also new, and is something to which even now only Honda has anything that can be considered a rival, and that’s a recent thing. Granted having a manually operated gear selection system alongside two highly developed automatic options is arguably a luxury – or even an excess – that no other scooter manufacturer has felt the need to develop, yet with 83,000 650s exported from Japan since the big Burger’s launch back in 2002 and the feature continuing on the new model, there’s obviously a call for it.

I assume that because Suzuki went to great lengths to point out that much of the revamp was the result of customer research, presumably the gearing featured there too.

The Burgman 650 has hardly changed since 2002, with 2004 seeing the arrival of the Executive version with its electric mirrors and screen, as well as heated seat and grips. This became the only version available in the UK, according to demand.

Suzuki looked at the premium car market when restyling the Burgman, the upswept exhaust apparently an aggressive look, the pillion backrest deserving the ‘Executive’ badge it wears while the LED sidelights follow the fashion of Audi, Jaguar and other top end brands.

Italy then France are Suzuki’s big markets for this top of the range luxury scooter, which doesn’t surprise to be honest. Apparently in the best year for the British market, 180 of these scooters were shifted, which isn’t a lot, but considering the prejudice most motorcyclists have over scooters in this country, isn’t bad either. Not when you consider that in a number of opinions, the Burgman 650 is actually superior to motorcycles in certain aspects.

By all accounts the British market is becoming a little more like the European one, with two-wheelers being accepted as a more

useful tool and that there’s nothing wrong with choosing a big scooter over a bike.

Burgman owners love the comfort and luxury of this scooter. In fact it’s known as the king of comfort cruising, to which I say Amen to that brother (and sister too, of course). The storage space too is a sales winner, Suzuki has sacrificed six litres of underseat storage (it’s now ‘only’ 50 litres) when trimming it down slightly as owners suggested the Burger was too bulky in appearance. You can still fit two full face helmets underneath though, and the legshield storage space has been enlarged as well as changing the DC outlet to accommodate more gadgets.

Speaking of which, this scooter is now hardwired to take accessories such as a GPS without the need to be splicing wirings in and out of the ignition, which can only be good.

Silk It was interesting to watch the motorcycle journos on this launch, one commenting he enjoyed it more than a bike launch as he didn’t have to concentrate on changing gear when riding through the glorious Scottish countryside.

While the engine remains the same, inside the technicians have made numerous modifications to get more from this impressive power unit. Revised valve spring tension, low torque bearings, more efficient piston rings, reduced injector size, new clutch plates and a remapped ECU result in a 15% improvement on consumption apparently, while also offering smoother low speed scootering at a decreased rpm.

Certainly the initial pull away is less harsh in town and seems less juddery now, although it’s still not perfect. I suppose there’s only so much refinement you can make to a 650.

Aside from the top speed – to which ‘Power’ mode will accelerate you towards three figure numbers in a matter of seconds if you so desire – it’s the electronic CVT system that continues to impress.

If your only automatic scooter experience is that of a Vespa GTS or similar, then let me tell you this is a different kettle of fish. Not vastly, but enough to make you take notice.

Sit at 60mph and grab a handful of throttle and the sensors will lower the range of the pulleys to enable you to, in effect, drop a gear and kick past whatever you are overtaking. Let the red mist drop in Power mode and should you need to come to a halt rather sooner than you anticipate, the engine braking is now even better than before.

And of course to assist you to stop safely there are the twin disc brakes at the front (now floating) a single one at the rear, and ABS all around should potholes on the road descend into a gravel fest when least expected.

Nimble Suzuki’s engineers have improved the handling, which was arguably a bit wallowy before if you pushed it to extremes... and wasn’t helped when you’d squared off the tyres with thousands of motorway miles on the clock.

The new Burger’s wheelbase is shorter and there’s less trail apparently, so Suzuki reckons it’s a little more nimble. To be fair, it did feel less like a bus when in traffic. As part of the cosmetic overhaul the subframe under the seat has been removed, the seat rail is slimmer and pillion footrest a little higher (suiting those with shorter legs more), while the rider still gets the sculpted floorboard that allows him to get both feet down at the lights. The ABS unit is apparently 55% lighter too, though the Burger still weighs in at 277kg when fully fuelled. To put that into perspective, a Vespa PX is around 110 to 120kg depending on which spec you read. Again owners had commented on transmission drag when the engine was off, so Suzuki has addressed this to make this behemonth easier to push around in your garage.

The parking brake has been relocated, now handily to the left just beneath the rider’s seat.

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 25

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| If the challenge of building your own custom scooter isn’t enough for some, then doing doing so to meet tough TÜV regulations makes it that little bit harder for German scooterists to join in the fun.

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M

aik Ediger started out on a PX 80 back in the early 1990s and he’s stuck with the reliable Vespa range ever since – a PX 125 being the basis for his custom scooter you see here, which he bought back in 1996.

Using his Vespas as a daily ride, the inspiration came from the chopper and dragster motorcycle scene, and Maik is proud to say this scooter is all is own handiwork. It’s also worth noting that, as with many German scooters, the attention to detail and subtle modifications are often not that obvious at first glance... or even the second.

To begin with, the Vespa frame was cut and then cleaned up, which included the filling of unnecessary holes, such as indicators. Now this is where a British scooterist might think: ‘what the hell, I’ve got two good arms which should be more than enough to signal to car drivers which direction I intend to turn towards’. Not so in Germany, however, as the TÜV laws state otherwise and so handlebar end flashers were purchased and installed on the custom bars Maik decided he wanted on his scooter. This in turn led to a further problem, because such indicators need a switch, and when you’ve just fitted some nice, clean handlebars the last thing you

want is to clutter them with unsightly electrickery. His solution is subtle, very subtle; in fact almost to the point that you can hardly notice the little switches within the bars, the wires discreetly routed inside.

Very neat indeed.

While we’re up at the handlebars – or in fact just in front of them – note the digital speedometer that is housed in the headlamp, again avoiding unnecessary clutter.

Back to the frame, and a bar has been added to brace the frame between the headstock and rear monocoque, to which a petrol tank more at home on a HarleyDavidson Sportster has been fitted. Anyone

40

Years

of the Crash Helmet Law Some ‘whys’, ‘hows’ &

‘do you mind if I don’ts’

about skid lids

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| When it comes to riding a moped, motorcycle or scooter in Great Britain, the crash helmet is currently the only piece of clothing you are legally obliged to wear, all thanks to a law which was introduced in June 1973.

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44 | SCOOTERING | JUNE 2013

Who was Fred Hill?

Barry Sheene shows the damage a helmet can take, which means your head doesn’t have to.

O

f course the safety helmet has been around for millennia, presumably since man first wore an animal skin on his head as protection from another man throwing stones. Then man discovered metals and throughout the various ages (Bronze, Iron etc.) weapons were matched by protective armour as the human race did its best to destroy itself. It’s common sense really; one of the most precious parts of your body is the brain within your skull, so it’s a good idea to protect it.

Metals being heavy as they are, early crash helmets went back to basics using leather and tree bark (cork) for protection.

Not that many people bothered wearing one of course; unless it was really cold, or raining particularly heavily. A flat cap was probably more comfortable and of course cheaper. Just add a gimp mask and you’re sorted...

Apparently it was the fatal head injuries sustained in 1935 by motorcycle riding enthusiast T E Lawrence – aka Lawrence of Arabia – that caused neurosurgeon Dr Hugh Cairns to study head trauma prevention in motorcyclists ,which led to the British developing a crash helmet specifically for motorcyclists, as opposed to riders wearing horse helmets or other ‘adapted’ safety hats.

Continuing his work through the Second World War, it was down to Dr Cairns that the British Standards Institute (BSI) first set out its ‘Kitemark’ standards for motorcycle crash helmets in 1953. Military dispatch riders were already obliged to wear crash helmets from 1941, and after that those competing in motorcycle races were added to the ‘must wear a skid lid’ list.

Of course helmet design was as advanced as technology allowed it, and while cork lined helmets were protecting riders, they weren’t exactly much to look at.

If you wanted to stand a chance of attracting a member of the opposite sex, having a pudding basin perched upon your head was not a cool look.

Ringing a Bell

Meanwhile, over in America the claimed ancestor of the modern crash helmet, the Bell 500, appeared in 1954. Developed by Roy Richter, owner of Bell Auto Parts in

Yes kids, you CAN look cool and wear a crash helmet.

California, the 500 was aimed at both car drivers and motorcyclists and took its name from the Indianapolis 500.

Moving away from the pudding-bowl shape it featured sides that covered the rider’s ears and the shell also wrapped around the back of the head. This ‘modern’ shape was thanks to a new material: glass fibre. Three years later Bell added an expanded polystyrene inner layer to absorb impacts, replacing the earlier rubber lining, thus we had what forms the constructual basis for many modern day crash helmets, while the design of this open faced, or ‘jet’, helmet is still in Bell’s range today (as well as countless copies and imitations worldwide).

Eye say

It wasn’t until the late 1960s that a full face helmet with a fitted visor was produced – the availability of suitable material to construct one with, of course, somewhat restricting the progress here.

When the first full face lids arrived, their integral visor was fixed and there were no air vents either. But things progressed; first visors were clipped on with popper studs to both full and open face lids, and then in the 1970s the integral flip up visor was developed.

This was the period of space travel too, and whether by accident or design many motorctyclists seen wearing full-face helmets during that period were easily mistaken for Yuri Gagarin and other astronauts.

And so it was that the Motor Cycles (Wearing of Helmets) Regulations 1973 (S I 1973, No.180), dated February 7, 1973, was enacted and on June 1 of that year moped, scooter and motorcycle road riders in Great Britain were forced to wear crash helmets according to the new law, following several other countries which had already introduced similar legislation. Apparently a motion had previously been proposed in the House of Commons back in the 1950s, but was defeated first time around.

At the time there were arguments both for and against the new law regarding crash helmets; those against arguing freedom of choice and the fact that it couldn’t be proved that a wearing a crash helmet always saved a life. It was never going to be

Fred Hill died from heart failure in Pentonville prison aged 74. He was halfway through a 60 day sentence for refusing to recognise the 1973 compulsory helmet law.

Fred had been jailed a staggering 30 times before for exercising what he saw as a basic right to ride his motorcycle dressed as he saw fit. Fred’s shortest sentence was just 24 hours, which the court decreed could be served in the police cells. A sympathetic desk sergeant advised Fred that he wouldn’t even be locking his cell and recommended to his prisoner: “When no one’s looking, just bugger off Fred.”

Other officers were less sympathetic, with one burly PC bringing an assault charge against Fred back in 1978 when Fred was 68. The case collapsed in farce with the cop blubbing in court as the issue had caused him such stress.

A haughty woman magistrate once tried to talk down to Fred, a retired maths teacher and former Second World War dispatch rider, by berating him for his lawlessness. Fred reminded the woman that if it hadn’t been for others of her sex breaking the law years earlier she would not now be sitting where she was. That earned him another seven days in jail. One man’s stand against the 1973 helmet law spawned a whole movement.

MAG (Motorcycle Action Group) backed Fred throughout his campaign.

This riders’ rights organisation has never been against voluntary helmet use, it simply resents people being criminalised for exercising choice. Fred stood resolutely for the core principle of MAG which is, if people are not harming anyone then leave them alone to enjoy motorcycles without trying to protect them from themselves.

It’s worth noting that there was no reduction in fatalities following the introduction of the helmet law in this country. In the USA a federal helmet law was passed in 1967, but numerous states have since repealed helmet laws for adults.

Fred’s fight was for a freedom of choice, whether you agree with his views on crash helmets or not. It’s a similar story today with regards to riders being forced to wear HiViz clothing by local or EU laws.

Ian Mutch (MAG president and founder member) www.mag-uk.org

WWW.SCOOTERING.COM | 45

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