Category Archives: Lambretta Life

Nice Brazilian Scooter Restoration video(s!)

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Nice transformation video posted by Guilherme Piva of a S2 “rat racer” to a custom cutdown. Crazy exhaust! Stay tuned at the end for a couple of Xispa shots!

UPDATE: Since my original posting, Guilherme has been in touch with me, with a link to a second video: http://vimeo.com/34800468

and told me that his dad runs a scooter restoration business in San Paulo –  Fenix Restauração de Lambretta, whose website is here. There are some very nice restorations, Brazilian style… See some of the after pics posted below. For the “befores” you’ll have to visit the website.

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via Basque Radical Mods blog

Stolen Scooters Alert

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Darren Williams has had four scooters nicked from his garage, in Hartley Witney (between Basingstoke and Camberley)  last night, Wednesday 11th of January. 

The stolen scooters are as follows

Scooters

Lambretta LiS S3, 1966; Gold, pathfinder spots and a Mugello 225 (only just re-lined and new piston!)

Vespa GS 1964, White, North American non-Battery model (no ignition in headset is an easy spot)

Vespa GS 1964, Black, with a PX200 engine.

Vespa Sprint 1967, Pastel green, witha PX166 Malossi, registered as a sprint, trapezoid headlight, it has no toolbox space in panel (as per the ss180, and motovespas).

There are some very nice, and very recognisable scooters there. If you see them for sale, of if you hear anything that could help him recover them, any info would be gratefullly received. His mobile is 07917 244472. Or you can contact Farnborough Police Station on 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

I hope Darren gets his scoots back. If you have had your scooter stolen, remember the Lambretta Clubs’ Stolen Scooter Registry. And drop me a line too (crocodilejock@gmail.com) and I’ll stick it up on here. You never know, every little helps.

Got a scooter? There’s an App for that.

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If you’ve got a scooter, and you’ve got an iPhone, you might want to download the Scootlife App by Anthone Campbell. It allows you to track trips, locate where you parked your scooter, setup service notifications as well as manage your maintenance logs. More info on the iTunes App Store, or Anthone’s website. I haven’t tested it, so I’m not vouching for it… but at $0.99c you haven’t got a great deal to loose!

Via Johnny Scoots.

…And a Happy New Year

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Happynewyear

There’s a couple of hard months ahead for those of us toughing it out on two wheels, so scoot safe!

Merry Christmas

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Merry Christmas guys and gals. Scoot safe. See y’al in 2012. 

5,000km Pan-European Roadtrip… on a 1966 SX

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A documentary video of an impressively bearded Italian guy (Alessa Andrini, I’m guessing from his YouTube user name) and a 5,000 km road trip from his home town in Riccione, Italy. Before he sets off to see the British Moto GP at Donnington, and then the Dutch one at Assen,  first he has to restore his 1966 SX 150… (although I thought it looked pretty good as it was, you can’t argue with the finished scoot, in vibrant yellow). Follow the whole series via his YouTube page.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Alessandrini1966#p/u/1/NUFPBVFWjf0

Get them young.

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I think it is the Jesuits who say ““Give me the child, and I will mould the man.” With this in mind, and trying to keep the “Way of the Lambretta” alive for future generations… when my kids came home from school with the following note “We are doing a project on transport. If any parents or grandparents have any interesting vehicles and would like to bring them in, we would be very grateful” … well, I had to respond. So I turned up, on the day, with a couple of other dads (well, actually they were Grandads) to show off our vehicles. As well as my 1960 Series 2, there was a 1962 Singer Gazelle, and a proper Al Capone style Chevrolet from 1932.

Two classes of six year olds (split into  groups of ten), meant 60 kids clambering all over my scoot, but it was worth it to see the excitement in there faces. And I’m officially the coolest dad in the year (this week, anyway). I made a little bit of Lambretta propoganda / colouring page to ensure the next generation of Lambrettisti. 

LambrettaFacts.pdf

 

London Wasps SC Ride of Rememberance 2011

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What a great day I had yesterday on the Wasps SC Ride of Remembrance… one of the highlights of my scootering year… no scrub that, one of the highlights of my year fullstop. A beautiful autumn day, with the sun shining through the misty light, London has never looked better. I’m told it was a lot better than last years weather where it was persisting down… well, when I got there, about 8.30 am, after a lovely ride up through Richmond Park and west London, there were four other scooters. When we left, I reckon it was closer to four hundred. Probably more.
After observing the two minutes silence at the Inner Circle of Regents Park, a run down Baker Street, onto Oxford Street and onto Marble arch, tourists and londoners alike stopping to smile, wave, take pictures and videos and smile…

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 After a quick regroup on Park Lane… and it was scoots as far as you could see forwards and backwards… it was onto the main event, the laying of wreaths at the Royal Artillery Memorial at Hyde Park Corner. Sweeping round HPC, we were waved at by the troops who’s been on parade, and that was a moment of real pride. After a while it was onto the Southern Cross pub on the Kings Road for libations, I skipped that as family matters need my attendance at home… and the queue for the bar and toilets was enormous. This is the third year Wasps SC have organised this event, last year it raised over £1,500 for The British Legion. And I’d be amazed if this year it wasn’t much more. What a day, thanks Wasps, I was honoured to attend and I’ll see you all next year.

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Wasps SC Facebook page.

Royal British Legion

Let’s get back to some PROPER Lambretta’s

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Right, just in case anybody had stumbled across my blog for the first time and was worried it was all about NEW Lambrettas… here’s a nice bit of pure nostagia. Come September, a film from 1961, stars Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Sandra Dee, Bobby Darin and a brace of rather fine Series 2 Lambrettas. I must admit, I’d never heard of this movie until it was flagged up on the rather good Vietnamese  “The Scooterist” blog. I’m not going to go into the ins and outs of the story, suffice it to say A) It’s got Rock Hudson etc. in it, B) It’s set in early sixties Italy and C) They ride Lambretta’s. Now what more could you want from a movie? Ms Lolobrigida, in typical Italian fashion even rides pillion ‘sidesaddle style’, It’s on my list of DVD’s to look a out for!

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eBay Watch, an LD Special

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For many riders, we are approaching the end of the scootering season. Owners who have decided that they’ve done their last rally, are working on a new project or realised that they are never going to get their project finished are selling their scoots… so it may be a good time to buy… I always keep an eye on eBay, (not that I can afford another scoot, but there’s always my “fantasy garage”!) and there seems to be a glut of good Lambretta’s on there. My taste these days seems to be going further back down the Lambretta lineage, it seems the older I get, the older the scoots I like. I’ve got a particular hankering for Series 1’s, and LD’s at the moment. Here are a couple I’ve found on the bay. As with anything that I post up here, I’m not recommending, just highlighting… go and take a look and make your own mind up before you part with your readies.

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This one isn’t your everyday LD, and that’s refelected in the price. Although it looks pretty authentic, and the two tone turquoise and cream paintjob screams 1950’s, it’s an Auto conversion by renowned builder Dave Briggs – those of you who’ve been paying attention may remember I mentioned him in a previos post on auto conversions – and it’s fitted with a modern Typhoon engine with a 172 conversion kit, upgraded clutch, gearbox, exhaust and brakes. Apparently it will “beat anything off the lights, sits at 70-75mph all day and still has more”. So if you want classic style, with auto performance and reliability, check it out on eBay here. I must admit, if I had the cash I’s be sorely tempted by this one.

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But maybe originality is more important to you. Well, this little beauty certainly looks the part, and has an MOT on her until March next year, and has been lovingly restored from a ‘basket case’ with all Italian parts. Lovely. Here’s the eBay link.

They’re not the only LD’s out there, theres everything from fully restored £4k (Plus!) scoots to bare frames… and spares seem easily sourcable. So if you want a Lammy, and you want to look proper old school… maybe an LD’s worth a look.