Quadrophenia Club Night – Dingwalls Camden
Bristol Modernist & Sixties Weekender
Planning ahead? Check out the Events page.
A forthcoming film about the UK scooter scene, THE SCOOTERISTS focuses on the theme of scootering being a ‘way of life’. This film delves into the world of scootering at it’s roots and told passionately by those who ride them.
THE SCOOTERISTS celebrates everything scooter – the lifestyle, the music and the oil! A true British movement that’s still moving.
They’re currently raising the finances to start shooting this year. If anyone is interested, visit the Facebook page for more updates on how you can get involved, or read the ScooterLab interview with director Andy Hylton, here.
Spotted this rare 2 seater chain driven pedal scooter, possibly made by MG of France.
This has clearly been modelled on a Lambretta – looks like a Series 2. These toys were crudely made and would never reach today’s safety standards, so this is a display piece only, not for pedalling!
Picked up a copy of this yesterday… looks an interesting read – a full review will follow. It’s available on Amazon here.
Check out my Reading list.
I don’t often post about music on here. But occasionally something or somebody comes along that I have to share… And you need to check out this Band. I was lucky enough to catch Durand Jones & The Indications last night, in a great venue – The Waiting Room – a tiny room beneath a pub in Stoke Newington (can’t remember the last time I paid £6 for a gig either – bargain of the century!).
They blew me away. Durand Jones’s vocal is up there with all the great soul singers I love – on occasions, it was as if he was channelling Donny Hathaway, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding – and these are not names I bandy about lightly. He’s really that good. He’s got a great, authentic delivery, and you really felt he was experiencing the essence of every song.
The band were tight – really tight – working as a unit – the drummer was an absolute machine. The rhythm section reminded me of Muscle Shoals’ finest – and the horns – tenor sax and trumpet – were Stax like in their attack – but mellow and gentle when they needed to be. There were shades of King Curtis as well – really nice stuff. Under it all was some beautiful floaty, hammond style keys.
The Indications have more than one great singer in the band – When the drummer Aaron Frazer guested on the lead vocals (Check out “Is It Any Wonder” below) it was incredible – think Sam Cooke meets Smokey Robinson – and as Durand himself said “The voice of an angel – how do I follow that?” he DID though!
It’s hard to say enough good things about this band… I’ve seen a LOT of bands at a lot of gigs over the years. I’m not into comparisons and superlatives – BUT I reckon this is the BEST band I’ve seen, and the BEST gig I’ve been to.
If you get the chance – do yourself a favour – and go and see these guys. Buy their records. They’re the real deal.
Information on this little oddity is scarce, but I’ve pulled together what I can. My main source is the french site moto-collection.org As is usually the case, I’m working from a position of profound ignorance, and you, my readers often know much more than me… so I’m quite happy to be be put right – just leave a comment and I’ll update the post when I can. All pics harvested from an intensive search of the web. If they are yours, and copyright, my apologies. Hopefully it’s ok to collate them all for the sake of posterity!
There seems to be differing accounts of it’s genesis… whether it is an ‘official’ machine out of the Innocenti factory (perhaps a prototype, or side project), OR something ‘knocked up’ by a neighbouring factory in Milan. It appears to have been marketed by a manufacturer of marine equipment, based – like Innocenti – in Milan… Nautica Pennati. who are still in business. (I’ve contacted them, to ask if they have any information, but it was a while ago, so don’t hold your breath!).This would suggest the Rosella was designed as an accessory for a yacht… as once the handlebars are removed and the front wheel is turned over it is only 90cm long.
Innovative design – perhaps the cutest Lambretta of them all?
The Rosella is a tidy little design – I love the way it integrates the fuel tank into the frame… and the front and rear lights into the fuel tank. The main frame is very neat, basically two tapering tubes, welded together. To my mind, this supports the theory that it was a factory prototype – this is a sofisticated piece of design work, made by somebody with some knowledge of how to put a two wheeler together neatly. The main, obviously Innocenti element to the design is the J50 engine / crankcase. This helps date the Rosella, as the J range was introduced in 1964. Despite it’s tiny size, the Rosella has a complete suspension system: a short telescopic fork at the front and by a hinged, damped element by the power unit at the rear. I’m not sure how effective this would be, but the Rosella was obviously only designed to cover short distances! Another nod to the Lambretta is the “D” type toolbox in the first pic, though mounted ‘side-ways’ to the frame, rather than under the seat.
Rarity and value
Information is scarce – but rumour has it there are only three (yep, you read that right, three) Rosella’s in existence. One (pictured above) sold on German eBay a few years ago, for around €2.5k – if rarity = value, somebody got a bargain.
The Second of the three is (or was) in the US, and appeared at the LCUSA Lambretta Jamboree in 2006 – and the pics show it competing in the gymkana. Aparently, at some point there was quiet a nasty accident in which the rider broke his collar bone, but the bike survived.
As for the third Rosella, I’ve been unable to track it down, so it may, or may not exist! It may be (must be!) the one pictured in the GP turquoise. If you own it, one of the other two, or have another sitting in a shed (or on a yacht) somewhere, I’d love to know more. Send info and pics please! And, if you don’t actually own one, but know more about it than I clearly do, please let me know in the comments below!
This isn’t an 80’s scoot. It was imported from India in 2008. But, for me, it’s got that 80’s feel about it. It’s the type of scoot I’d have wanted more than any other in the ’80s. An Arthur Francis Super S-Type. Built, and signed by Ray and Ben Kemp. In orange (ok, “Red candy over marigold”).
I’ve not written for a while, and I’ve got posts queued up to go… but it’s nice to share some good news. A reader has got in touch to say he’s found a Lambretta, Reg No. KSC 161D, in the Edinburgh area. He’s reported it’s location to the police. (or should that be polis). So get in touch and get your scoot back. When you do, get in touch and I’ll give you the email of the good samaritan, so you can say thanks!
Spotted this less than pristine Dürkopp Diana on eBay. It’s missing it’s seats and sidepanels, the engine is seized, and there’s no documents. But it IS cheap, (classified ad price of £795) and as soon as I saw it I though of a headline for a post, so I had to stick it up! The same fella is selling a Swallow Gadabout, NSU Prima
, a Zundapp Bella
and a Heinkel A0
, all in a similar ‘restorable’ condition, so if Dürkopp is not your brand of choice, there are some others for you!
I was going to write a brief history of the Durkopp Diana scooters, but I couldn’t be more thorough than my online pal Tideous Ted, over on the Retrorambling blog. So, if you’re interested, just read this.
Here’s a glimpse at what it could look like after a little tlc. Conveniently shot at almost exactly the same angle!
If you fancy a bit of a rest job on a German scooter with Italian(ish) styling,
Happy New Year everybody! 2017 is a BIG year for Lambrettisti, with, amongst many other things, the 70th Anniversary celebrations taking place. More about that later, in a dedicated post. In the meantime, before I kick off with new posts, I just wanted to wish all my contributors, commenters, supporters and readers a slightly belated happy, healthy and prosperous new year!
Towards a catalogue of London’s inter-dimensional gateways
The ultimate place for smashing flavors
I read, I write, I sketch. For fun.
Blurring the lines between poetry and prose
Musings and books from a grunty overthinker
news, tips , tricks , advices
Specialising in Lambretta restorations, repairs & parts
the independent scooter magazine for all classic Vespa, Lambretta (and other) riders. Love scootering? Love ScooterNova!
High quality ads for WordPress
Travel for Fun and Adventure
They've done the hard work. Can YOU finish it?
Business & Marketing Consultant
Classic Motorcycle Restoration in Scotland
Entrepreneurship for For Bohemians, Punks, Artists, Rebels & People Who Don't Fit The Mold
Coffee at its Best
You’ve earned it. You deserve it. Buy it now.
1979 to 1986
A great WordPress.com site
A Parenting and Lifestyle Blog run by a closet extrovert