Love this retro looking oil inspired mug set. You can even choose your favourite brands. Great for the garage or workshop!
Not seen these before (although there seem to be a few listed on the Italian eBay site) Pop-up or ‘semaphore’ indicators for a Lambretta (or a classic scooter anyway). They remind me of the ones I used to have on my old split-screen Moggy Minor. I think they’d look good on a restored older open frame model (A-F), or an LC or LD.
You’d need deep pocket though – they’re priced at €2,000!
Loving this little Sprint Rack Toolbag… just big enough for a can of two stroke, a mix jug, and a couple of spanners… or a doorstop cheese & pickled onion sandwich and a snickers. Comes complete with an ali backing plate to bolt onto your sprint rack. I think this is a classy item, I hope me calling it a sporran won’t put you off purchasing 🙂
It’s selling for a not unreasonable £65.95 on eBay.
Well, they’re new to me. I always like to keep an eye out for a helmet, that while safe (obviously) suits the retro vibe of riding a classic scooter. I’ve posted a few before, like these from Davida. But what if you want to keep that classic vintage look, and wear a full face helmet? Your options are limited. I spotted the Nexx Garage Purist on the Get Geared site… which fulfils the brief! It’s £189.99 and comes with a free tinted visor. 
Get it here on the Get Geared site
If you’re one of those hardy souls who likes to sleep under canvas next to your scoot, this could be for you. It looks like it’s a quality product, made with care and decent materials – and rolls up to just 15cm diameter and 45cm wide. Just use your imagination to swap out all the motorcycle images for Lambrettas, and you’ll get the idea.
It’s a kickstarter project, and if you feel the urge, you can get involved here. Or there’s always the B&B.
Via DesignBoom
A while back I wrote a review of several ‘less expensive waxed cotton jackets‘, less expensive than the two big names in the market, (Belstaff and Barbour) anyway. Looking at my stats, it’s one of the most popular posts on the blog.
Well, I thought it was about time I wrote an update. In doing a little online research, there was one jacket that really stood out – the Speedwear Classic Wax Cotton Motorcycle Jacket.
Described as “The Classic Belted Classic Style Motorcycle jacket, made in heavy duty twelve ounce black wax cotton. As used by motorcyclists the world over, made using traditional techniques and Genuine wax cotton oil skin fabric. Contrast studs lined with tartan lining. Storm Cuffs . Breast Map pocket. Roller buckle throat adjustment. Studded front closure with heavy duty zip and roller buckle belt. This is the original Technical Garment that is a great Classic Fashion item for both on or off your bike.” This jacket is exceptional value for money at just £64.99 (at time of writing). Now, I can’t personally endorse this jacket, not owning one (yet!), but the reviews from those that have bought it seem consistently good.
Find it out on Amazon here:Classic Black Waxed Cotton Motorcycle Jacket (Large)
Or check out the Speedwear website for the full range of gear.
Speedwear are a British company, based in the Wirral. They’ve been in business for 15 years, making garments using the finest British waxed cotton available at a great price.
Update; There must be something in the air about wax cotton jackets… as the nice people at Scooterlab have just done a group test on a bunch of wax cotton jackets… all a bot pricier than the Speedwear however. Check it out here.
Got kids? Going on holiday? You need one of these badboys.
More stylish than a Trunki, on Amazon Here
If you’re into the whole ‘mod’ thing, this iconic item of clothing is a must have, especially if you ride a scoot. After posting about the “Being” movie, I received a few queries asking ‘where can I get those coats?” Well as many of you know (just skip this post if you do!), it was the coat of choice for the original scooter-riding mods, mainly worn as a functional garment to keep their smart clothes clean. It’s been years since I’ve worn one myself, but they were a pretty decent overgarment, tough, reasonably waterproof while you were wearing them, your body heat somehow keeping you fairly dry in all but torrential downpours. Once you took it off though, it the whole coat became sodden!
If you’re going to wear a parka, how you ‘dress’ it is up to you, but IMHO, less is more. Just because you can get a bunch of target and union jacks patches on t’interet, doesn’t mean you should. Beware the whole ‘comedy mod’ tag! This, by the way, isn’t a modern phenomenon. We took a very high handed attitude to kids (the same age as us) in the early eighties wearing patches that said “Remember ’64” (you don’t!) and “We’ll fight them on the beaches” (you won’t!).
The one pictured above, US hooded shell M51, is available on Amazon here
Not sure how good a crash helmet this actually is, from a safety point of view (it is DOT Approved), but it’s a definite head turner! If you’re a fan of Tony Stark and his alter ego its… On eBay here
Ships from the USA.
One item of scooterists wear it’s hard to avoid is the classic MA1 flight jacket. This took over from the ubiquitous fishtail parka – sometime in the early eighties I suppose. It’s easy to see why, it’s inexpensive, warm, casual and with enough pockets to easily stash the stuff you need to get access to. It’s also a great platform for stitching all your SC regalia and Paddy Smith run patches onto. Not a lot of crash protection, and not terribly waterproof, so a lot of riders will pack waterproofs, or upgrade to a ‘proper’ motorcycle jacket, or a classic waxed jacket for hardcore riding. For everyday riding, though slinging on a MA1 is quick and easy. Here’s a few I’ve found, with my thoughts.
As with everything in life, you usually want to avoid the cheapest. Quality usually suffers! There are bargains to be had online however… and this jacket has all the features you look for in an MA1 with a bargain basement price. Available in the classic scooterist ‘sage’, ‘petrol’ (my colour of choice) ‘burgundy’, and black. There is also a white one, which I’m sure is a fine fashion colour (if you want to look like an astronaut or a member of East 17) but less than practical for scooter riding.
A step up in price is the genuine article, the classic MA1 from the original manufacturers, Alpha Industries. 95% of people won’t notice the subtle differences between this jacket and the ‘entry level’ one posted before, but it’s the 5% that will that matters, right? At the time of writing you can pick one up on Amazon for under (just under!) a £100, so they are not that unaffordable.
Alpha Industries Olive/Sage MA1 Flight Pilot Bomber Jacket Sizes XS – XXL
As well as the classic MA1, here’s a variant of the jacket that I have owned, and I think I actually prefer. The CWU 45 has spacious patch pockets and a proper collar instead of the knitted one of the MA1. And I think you can get away with one in black without looking like you’re a neo-nazi.
Alpha Industries CWU 45 Flight Jacket – Colour Black
They look good in Gunmetal too…
Alpha Industries Alpha CWU 45 Flight Jacket – Gunmetal Size 2XL (46-48)
Have you got a favourite riding jacket? Let me know.
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