Category Archives: News

What’s in the mags…

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Whatsinthemags

A new feature this, maybe a regular if there is any interest. A bit of a rundown on what’s in the scooter mags on the shelfs, and in the bi-monthly LCGB mag Jet Set.

Scootering

I’m not pushing Scootering, but it’s a must buy for me, alway got a fresh bit of info. This month’s is the second or third after a bit of a facelift, and the mag looks all the better for it. The content is pretty much the same though, just presented in a bit more of a contemporary way.

So in addition to all the regular features, there is a nice article on a British ‘oddball’ the Pheonix, with some beautiful shots of frankly, quite an ugly scooter. As usual there are a couple of nice featured Lambretta’s, taking Disney’s Cars movie, Pirates of the Carribean and Baileys cream as their inspiration respectively. There’s also a cracking 1958 Douglas Vespa.

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On the techy side there’s an in depth article telling you everything you ever needed to know about the humble nuts and bolts that hold your machine together. There’s a nice feature on the Troglodytes SC from down in Cornwall. 

Events wise, there’s rally coverage of Woolacombe BSRA Rally, The Ribble Valley Mod and Soul Weekender, Jersey’s “Strickly Scooters” Rally, The “Ride for your Rights” protest, and a Rally in Belgium to Liege Chateau. 

For the more cometitive souls, they also cover scooter racing at Cadwell Park and sprinting at Elvington. 

There’s also a nice double page spread on the “A-Z of the Lambretta”. 

Phew. 164 pages this month… a lot of ads… including a couple of really dodgy ones from “Bradford Exchange”, but also a lot of good content.

JetSet

JetSet, the club mag of the LCGB, which you can only get by signing up… has also had a bit of a revamp lately, and is an extremley well produced, well presented publication these days. Clearly it’s going to be more focused on the Lambretta rather than scooters in general, and it does that from a quite authorative, knowlegabel position. A lot of the features cover the same ground as Scootering… the mechanical section is known as Oily Rag, features ten tools as you can trust in your workshop, there’s a featured scooter club, (Redcar Frontline), and Rally reports… Isle of Wight, York Inset, all with more of a Lambretta owners slant.

One nice feature is a tribute to the late Dave “Iron Arse” Jackson, a reprint of his account of a year on the road in his bid to become LCGB’s best supporting member. He’s not the only one recounting tales of epic journeys on a Lammie, there’s Eden who recounts a tale of the 2011 Coast to Coast ride, lets just say… it wasn’t all plain sailing… or should that be riding. Putting a few more miles on the oddometer was Pete Orchard… who rode his Series One back from Istanbul!

I’ve only just scratched the surface of JetSet’s content… it’s 48 pages packed with Lambretta relevant content. Worth the £21 a year it cost to join the LCGB alone, without all the other benefits you get for joining… (discounted insurance, parts discouts, expert advice, access to the forums etc, etc.)

I haven’t done the other mag, Classic Scooterist Scene yet… as it’s bi-monthly and been out a while, I’ll review it when the next edition comes out. 

Your classic scooter might not need an MOT soon…

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The government has launched a consultation to decide whether or not pre-1960 cars, bikes and scooters should be exempt from the annual MoT test. Pre 1960 is fairly old for a Lambretta, but there are tons of Series 1’s (and maybe some very early S2’s) and earlier Lammies on the road. Maybe it’s another reason to look at getting an LD!

It’s beeing done on the basis that owners of classic bikes and cars are more likely to look after them properly, that they’re involved in very few accidents and account for a tiny percentage of the vehicles on the road, plus the fact that much of the modern MoT is not suitable for older vehicles anyway, the idea is to leave the responsibility for checking they’re well maintained up to their owners. The evidence shows that classic vehicles are more likely to pass the MoT than average.

Under the proposals, the test for pre-1960 cars and bikes would be ditched but there would still be a legal requirement to make sure they’re safe and ‘in a proper condition’ to be used on the road.

I’m not sure about this. I do keep my scooter in good condition, as I’m sure the majority of owners of classic Lambretta’s do, but in my mind, the MOT fulfils a couple of useful roles… it makes you do those annoying little jobs that you sometimes “let ride”, and it flags up things that you may never have spotted. Mines a 1960 vintage anyway, so it probably doesn’t apply to me!

What do you think? Let me know in the comments (you may have to join Posterous to do that, but, hey, it’s free!). Or if you feel strongly about it, let the government know. There’s a public consultation that will run until January 26, and can be found here.

Via Visordown. Read more here.

 

Lambretta LN lands in Vietnam

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Here in the UK, we sometimes get a bit of a “brit-centric’ view of the world, and scootering in general. And despite it’s obvious Italian origins, and the fact that it was never manufactured in the UK, we feel a certain “ownership” of the Lambretta brand. We love it more than anybody else. Except perhaps the Italians. And of course the Spanish. And the Germans. Ok, the Dutch, French, Swiss, Swedes… you get the picture. But maybe only half the picture… what about the US? There’s a huge scene out there. And Brasil, Chile, Argentina… But one place I hadn’t expected the Lambretta to be quite so popular is the far East… It’s held in high regard across Malaysia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam… as can be seen if you follow the reaction to the launch of the new Lambretta LN in Vietnam recently. And either the design is growing on me, or the photographer is rather talented… I’ve never seen the LN looking better than in these shots. I suspect a bit of both.

 

Can you help Chris trace his dad’s TV200?

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I know this is a longshot, but… a friend of mine is trying to track down this lovely TV200 that his dad used to own… It’s a 1964ish model, and had quite a distinctive orange/off white paint job. The TV200 wasn’t the most common of Lambrettas, so there’s more than a chance of somebody out there recalling it. It was sold in the late 60’s in Harlow in Essex. The Reg no (as you can see in the photo is LRO 124C. The DVLA has no current record of it… can any of you lot help? Maybe you owned it, or knew someone who did? Maybe it’s in your shed… leave a comment, or drop me an email to crocodilejock@gmail.com

Stolen scooter?

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Nssr-poster

If you have the misfortune to have your scooter nicked… Get it registered on the Lambretta Club of Great Britain’s National Stolen Scooter Registry

I can’t write it any clearer than they do themselves… so here goes… ” [The NSSR] is a detailed list of scooters or scooter parts stolen from owners in the UK. This information is provided by the owner in the hope that scooterists at large can help them recover their property by being vigilant and notifying them (or myself) should you become aware of stolen property that appears in the “LCGB National Stolen Scooter Registry“.

I urge you to contact me should you have any STRONG suspicion regarding any purchase, particularly on sites such as Ebay to check any potential purchase does not appear on the LCGB National Stolen Scooter Registry. All information received is treated in the strictest confidence.

 

Paul Slack – LCGB Webmaster/NSSR Representative

And good luck in getting your pride and joy back.

Lambretta Tyre pressures

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Credit card sized tyre pressure reminder. Download it and keep it handy!

LambrettaTyrePressures.pdf

Twist’n’Go Magazine review the new Lambretta LN

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http://www.twistngo.com/news/scooter-review-lambretta-ln125
On the whole, pretty positive. A magazine run by, and aimed at the modern scooterist rather than the classic variety, but this probably serves all the better to benchmark the LN.

The Telegraph reviews the new Lambretta LN125

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And gives it a pretty good review. There’s a bit of a pattern emerging from the reviews… if your’e a classic scooterist, you probably hate the ‘new Lambretta’.

If you’re not, you might well like it. I think there’s parallels with owners of original VW Beetles, and BMC Mini’s, a niche, dedicated and passionate few… compared to the mass market who like the idea of a classic vehicle, with the convenience of a modern one. 

EcoLa – the electric Lambretta

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Right at the genesis of this blog, in fact before this blog was even born, I posted an electric scooter concept, called the Fido. I remarked at the time it was very reminiscent of an early open framed Lambretta, such as the Models A-F.
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Well, I wasn’t the only one that thought the Model D would make the ideal platform for a modern scooter. And Richurci, in Italy (I’m sorry, I don’t know a lot about the fella) has built one. The EcoLa ( Eco Lambretta gettit?) It’s got a 1kW motor which only gives it about a 20km range, and a top speed of 50km/h, but bearing in mind it’s pretty much homemade, including the instruments, it’s a good ‘proof on concept’. And by swapping out the lead acid batteries for some lighter and more efficient, but more expensive Lithium ones further improvements in performance and range should easily be possible. It would seen a combination of lack of funding and trouble getting the vehicle licensed (Italian/EU bureaucracy!) have meant the project has come to a bit of a halt recently.

 

So, are there any eco-aware millionaires out there, wanting to fund the development of this vehicle? You could put a few quid into the development of the Smite while your at it, and help to change the world!

 

I’d have one. Sitting next to my Smite.
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Lambretta LN… at least it’s not a Pato!

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The kindest way to describe the Lambretta LN’s reception in the UK is to say it has been mixed. A lot of people, mainly those of us with ‘proper’ Lambretta scooters simply don’t like it.

Well, here’s the good news… at least it’s not a Pato… the “Lambretta” they have had to put up with in the states for the last couple of years.