Scooters at the bottom of the garden?
I heard an interesting tale the other day from Bayston Hill plumber Kevin Cater, who told me about the time they buried two old Lambrettas at the bottom of their garden when they lived in a council house off Ladymas Road in Hadnall.
His dad had been asking him to get rid of two tatty Lambrettas that were taking up space in the pig sty. I have heard that pigs might fly, but never that they rode Lambrettas. Mind you they were always very good at stopping yours truly when I was riding my Lambretta around Swansea and Cardiff in the late 60’s.
According to Kevin, they should still be there. Sadly they cut through the frames before burying the about 4 feet under.
Anyone fancy some digging ?
Paul Barker
His dad had been asking him to get rid of two tatty Lambrettas that were taking up space in the pig sty. I have heard that pigs might fly, but never that they rode Lambrettas. Mind you they were always very good at stopping yours truly when I was riding my Lambretta around Swansea and Cardiff in the late 60’s.
According to Kevin, they should still be there. Sadly they cut through the frames before burying the about 4 feet under.
Anyone fancy some digging ?
Paul Barker
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ADDICTION-PART ONE
’71 to ‘84
It’s been called many things – Obsession, The Money Pit and The Other Woman and That Fu***ng Scooter, I’d go with Addiction.
It started around ’71 to ’72 ish seeing the Skinheads and Suede Heads in my old stomping ground of Selly Oak, Birmingham. What a sight it was seeing smart lads and their birds on mirrored up Lambrettas. I never saw a Vespa, not round our end, maybe Villa fans rode them!
So the seed was sewn, Skinheads, Lambrettas and Birmingham City F. C. Time moves on and the Skins and Scooter seem to fade away, but not in my mind.
Forward to ’79 and I’m at Senior School and there in the school car park is a Turquoise Lambretta G.P. 150 - wow. We would sneak a little sit on it until the caretaker would chase us off, great fun. Then 'that film' and it all kicked off again and now it was my turn. Hair cropped, my Cherry Reds on, and the loudest Window Pain checked Brutus Slim Fits, SKA, Soul, bring it on. But one thing was missing. I had to have a Lambretta. At the bottom of the street was a bike shop called Moto Continental which sold crappy motor bikes like M.Z.’s but it did have a handful of Lambrettas. Every day I walked past that shop stopping like a kid and touching the scooters and wishing they were mine. I must have drove Mum mad with my going on and on about them-in the end she gave in and signed a H.P. agreement. So off I went to pick up my Silver Dream Machine a LI 150 Special. I had to push her home as I hadn’t a clue how to start it let alone how to ride it. With a bit of practice up and down our street I got the hang of it. Now to find likeminded faces. I didn’t have far to go as on Saturday mornings down at Moto you would find Mods, Skins and Rudeboys all talking about where to go that night-maybe Polly-Annas or the Barrel Organ and the Top Rank and where the next rally would be. My world soon opened up. What a buzz and the girls dug it too. I’ve had a wonderful time and I can’t remember most of it.
I met people from all over and been to places that I would never have gone to, even Shrewsbury where the fork was that? I will leave that for part two - the meeting of Shrewsbury Scooter Club in the Shires, Hobbit Land!
To the people I’ve met
The old friends I’ve got
And the friends I’ve not met yet
Goffy
Euro Lambretta Ireland 2011
Back at the beginning of 2011 I discussed with friends this years Euro Lambretta trip to Ireland. This years venue was to be held in Killarney, Co Kerry.
The months went past and eventually June 22nd was upon me, the day that we arranged to set off for the Emerald Isle.
After loading the scooter up with my luggage and bags of spares, I eventually started the first leg of my journey to Swansea leaving Shrewsbury at 11:00 am. It was planned that I would meet up with several members of the Scootermaniacs Scooter Club from Somerset at Magor services on the M4 at 14:00 pm ( 2pm for those that dont understand the 24 hour clock ) lol! I made good time as I enjoyed the trip down through Herefordshire and later the winding roads of the Wye valley, reaching my first destination with plenty of time to spare.
It wasn`t too long before my travelling companions arrived at the services. After a drink and a chat we made the not too distant trip from Newport to Swansea where we were to catch our Ferry to Cork.
We arrived in Swansea with plenty of time to waste as were due to board at approx 19.00hrs. We topped up the petrol and had a bite to eat in a nearby Maccies. While waiting at the ferry terminal we were soon joined by other scooterists from the Modrapheniacs & Exit 17 Scooter Clubs. Once on the ferry and found our cabins for the supposedly 10 hour crossing we made our way to the bar where we started what only comes natural to any rally going scooterist. We soon found out that this trip was not going to be a cheap one, drinks were about 4.65 euros a pint on the ferry-but we were there to enjoy ourselves so we tried to not let it bother us too much. We carried on drinking until about 1.00am-as we were due to dock about 08.30am we called it a nite and returned to our cabins. The crossing at first didn`t seem too bad with a little bit of swaying as you walked around the ship, but with the beer inside you its hard to notice. It wasn`t till we woke up and it was announced that during the night one of the ships engines had decided to call it a day! This didn`t help our crossing anymore as we were also sailing into a head wind, it was also announced that instead of our schedueled arrival into Cork at 08.30am, we were now not going to get in too Cork until 11:00am. At least it gave us an extra couple of hours to get our heads right.
At last we were allowed to disembark on to terrafirm. Once off the ferry it was like the starting grid of the Wacky Races, as about 50 scooters took off heading the 90km towards Killarney. The weather was quite good at this point and remained so. You hear stories of the roads not being very good in Ireland, but our first expierience wasn't too bad. We had travelled about 48km and came to a small town called Macroon where we pulled over to wait for one of our small group of merry scooter riders who was having some minor problems with fuel starvation. Once Paul had caught up we decided to make use of our stop in Macroon and find a Cafe for a spot of lunch. Pete decided he was off to find a bank to draw out some euros. While were waiting for Pete , Exit 17 passed through and not much time had passed before the Modrapheniacs started filing through the narrow street.
With Pete now back we set off again with a brief stop in Macroon for petrol. So we eventually got going again and soon found ourselves on a nice bit of winding road ( severe bends ), quite tame compared to what we were later to come across in our stay in Ireland. A bit further on and came to some roadworks-some much needed tlc was being carried out to one stretch of road ... you needed to keep your eyes peeled for pot holes in the road at this stage of the journey to Killarney. Back to the trip and we were making good progress catching up a with couple of stragglers from Exit 17 and passing them. It had started to look a bit grey by now and we seemed to be very lucky dodging a couple of showers. A bit further on we passed a few of the Modrapheniacs on the side of the road with there back up van in assistance as one of the scooters had broken down, but a club as they are they soon had it going again so we heard later. A bit further and passed the rest of their club who had stopped and waited. We weren't far away now and it began to spit with rain-it wasn't long before we were drenched as it came down a little heavier. There was one small complaint pointed out by a few people over the weekend which was about the lack of signage giving directions to the venue for the Rally. It wasnt long though before we found it and could check in to the hotel where everything was happening over the weekend.
Once I had my key to my room it was time to get freshened up and catch up with the others in the bar where I found the taste for Guiness, and also caught up with other people I knew who had travelled to different ferry ports, telling stories of break downs en route. There had been some accidents, but nobody seriously hurt. Come the evening and we had some tunes being played by some Djs-I managed to keep myself going 'til about 2am before I called it a day and went back to my room as it had been quite a long day.
Friday was pretty much like the Thursday in the way of drinking, again more people were turning up from all over. Spain, Italy,Sweden, France, Germany, Austria, next years hosts Belgium and many other nationalities. We had decided that we would venture into Killarney for the afternoon and try the the local bars in the town. We had quite a choice of bars to pick from as just on the one street there were 46 ! We chose "O`Conners Bar"-this we made base camp for the day and were made welcome by the staff . After 6 hours in O'Conners we made our way back to the hotel where that night we were having a Buffet meal and the Legendary Tony Class was to entertain us in the ballroom. I soon made contact with our very own Tweed who had been in Ireland since the Wednesday evening-he had crossed from Fishguard and spent his first couple of days doing some sight seeing. Tweed was supposed to be camping but due to the damp weather we were experiencing he decided to opt for a room in the hotel ( I hope you all enjoyed the sun here? ) . Again Friday turned into a late one and got quite messy ( you may begin to see a pattern emerging)-again I called it a day at about 2.30 am.
Saturday morning was spent looking around the few stalls that were there and signing in to get my LCGB points. Also on the Saturday morning was the first rideout at 11.00am, it's location I'm not too sure about but it was about a 60 km round trip. Not everyone participated in the rideout, there were still quite a few in and around the hotel. It was a couple of hours and people started to make their way back from the rideout. Was around this time Pete and myself took another stroll into town, see a bit more of Killarney and look around the shops. Killarney is a hot spot for tourists " especially Americans coming to find out there ancestory" O`bama !!! lol . After much deliberation, we found ourselves back in the familiar surroundings of O'Conners Bar, remembering we had only been in Ireland two days and had only been in O'Conners once before. We were greeted by the barman "will it be the usual" as we stepped in through the door. Some bars are quite dark inside as is this one, because in this one I could just make out Tweed-he had found his way into O'Conners too! After a bite to eat and a couple of drinks Pete from the Scootermaniacs and myself headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Saturday nights sit down gala meal ( a proper sit down meal ) with trophy presentations and speeches. The meal was superb and luckily the speeches never went on too long. After the presentations we were first entertained by a band from Dublin I believe, they weren`t too bad but I never caught there name. Once again we were making our way to the dance floor as Mr Class worked his magic once more and kept it full for most of the evening .
My Saturday evening finished about 3am, knowing that on the Sunday morning we would finally be leaving Killarney, as the rally officialy finished on the Sunday. So once we were all up we got sorted and loaded the scooters up with our luggage and prepared to ride to our next destination as we weren't due to return to this side of the water until Tuesday night. We weren't the only ones doing this as Exit 17 & Modrapheniacs were still staying also plus a few others although the latter 2 clubs stayed in Killarney.
Our next destination was a ride up to Dingle on the Dingle peninsular where we had booked a bed and breakfast for the night. It wasn't a great distance to travel really but it's certainly not one for the faint hearted in the circumstances we had. The first part of the journey to Tralee was pretty plain with spectacular views of the mountains. We found a roadside pub where we stopped for Sunday dinner. We were telling the landlord that we were heading for Dingle and we were following the N86 road. This soon changed when we heard Conners pass was open and after a discussion with the small group of seven we decided on Connors pass. The weather didn`t look too good in the distance but looked if it was going to clear. Stu was going to put his waterproofs on but me being Micheal Fish said he would be fine and wouldn`t need them. We had just entered the first bit of the climb in to Connors pass when the first bit of rain fell. Thinkin it was only a little shower, I proceeded in front, went about another mile and it was teeming down. I made an executive decision and stopped so Stu could put his waterproofs on. We got going again, the road gradually winding up into a wall of fog not being able to see 20 yards in front and constantly being bombarded with what seemed to be water from a firemans hose pipe. The road through the pass had now gone from being wide enough for two cars , but barely wide enough for one car and with a wall on the one side which was only a foot high the only thing between us and a shear drop, the pass had just been reopened due to land slides and rock falls. Eventually we made it to the top of the pass which was a success in itself, we then had to go down the other side, only this time bits of the wall were missing, to say my arse wasn`t twitching would be a lie, but found it a bit of an adrenelin rush. Slowly but surely we came down the pass and out of the cloud and the rain seemed to be giving in at last as we rode the scooters in to Dingle. It wasnt long before we found our bed & breakfast for the night and got out of our waterproofs, dried off, and made for the pub and something to eat, where we talked bout the experience we had just had. It was in Dingle we had our first expierience of listening to some good old DIDDLY DEE music, and good it was too, seeing and listening to something cultural for a change. Although after few more drinks, two others from our band of merry scooter riders proceeded to make themselves known by dancing to some Diddly Dee. I dont know what the locals and the other tourists made of it really but they laughed and clapped so it wasn`t all that bad . Sunday was now drawing to a close and we headed back to where we were staying the night.
Monday morning we woke to dry weather, had breakfast, and then had a little walk around the harbour and some of the shops before we made our way to our final stop over which was to be in Cork. So once again we packed our things, got scoots loaded, and off we set going back the easy way this time, although the roads were still very dangerous with the odd deep pot hole dotted about. It wasn`t long before we were back in Tralee and heading back towards Killarney where we stopped to refuel the scooters . The weather had at last been at its best all weekend and managed to stay dry for the last bit of the trip. We had travelled about 40 km when Stu overtake us to stop us because three scoots had fallen behind. We sat and waited a while as we had not long come through some roadworks thinkin they may have caught up in the lights, but traffic was coming through and still no sign, so Stu rode back to find out what was wrong. We soon had a phone call telling us Dave had holed his piston. Rather than go back they told us to carry on to Macroon and wait there as paul was going to see if he could repair the hole with nut and bolt. Pete , Andy and myself carried on to Macroon where we stopped for fuel, took some photos, and went to the same cafe we went to on the first day over there. After about 2 hours of waiting for a call to find out what was happening, we heard the sound of scooters passing through the high street and not stopping . So the chase began to catch them up as Nadine was the only one who knew the address of the guest house in Cork. We had no luck catching them-I knew the name of the road we were staying on, that was all. As it happened, Pete knew the name of the guest house, so between us we finally got there and found out Dave had got recovery, and the others were following the recovery vehicle straight to the guest house. On arrival we also found out Exit 17 and Modrapheniacs were all in the same accommodation. Some phone calls were being made and messages left on the LCGB forum and Facebook to see if anyone knew of a spare Mugello 186 piston knockin about near to Cork. Later, while in a pub down the road, Dave had a call off some chap called Keith who was at the guest house waiting, and had come to take the piston away to weld up the hole.
With nothing else to do we ventured in to Cork city centre for yet some more drinking, only this time we found a student bar and lots of drink offers! We stayed there for most of the night-it seemed to rude to leave . Eventually Pete and myself headed back via the kebab shop and called it a night with a long day ahead of not doing anything, as we had got to fix daves scooter if at all possible. As it happened, Keith had managed to weld the hole in the piston, so by 4pm on the Tuesday everyone was packed and ready for the off back to the ferry terminal. It was about 18.30 before we were allowed to ride on to the ferry, and once on we got our cabin keys, we then made for the bar. By this time I think most people just wanted to be back home and soon dwindled back to there cabins. I was soon asleep the moment my head hit the pillow, the night seemed to fly by as I heard the tannoy information telling us we were just about to enter Swansea within the next 30 mins. Didn't need to rush as everything was still loaded on the scooters ready to ride straight off. We all started to gather on the garage deck where scooters were all parked, milling round saying our goodbyes before we all went our ways. i carried on riding back with Scootermaniacs to where I met them the very first day, and then made my solitary way back up the Wye Valley and back up to Shrewsbury via A49 & Hereford..
Gopher.....
EURO LAMBRETTA 2012......... BELGIUM
The months went past and eventually June 22nd was upon me, the day that we arranged to set off for the Emerald Isle.
After loading the scooter up with my luggage and bags of spares, I eventually started the first leg of my journey to Swansea leaving Shrewsbury at 11:00 am. It was planned that I would meet up with several members of the Scootermaniacs Scooter Club from Somerset at Magor services on the M4 at 14:00 pm ( 2pm for those that dont understand the 24 hour clock ) lol! I made good time as I enjoyed the trip down through Herefordshire and later the winding roads of the Wye valley, reaching my first destination with plenty of time to spare.
It wasn`t too long before my travelling companions arrived at the services. After a drink and a chat we made the not too distant trip from Newport to Swansea where we were to catch our Ferry to Cork.
We arrived in Swansea with plenty of time to waste as were due to board at approx 19.00hrs. We topped up the petrol and had a bite to eat in a nearby Maccies. While waiting at the ferry terminal we were soon joined by other scooterists from the Modrapheniacs & Exit 17 Scooter Clubs. Once on the ferry and found our cabins for the supposedly 10 hour crossing we made our way to the bar where we started what only comes natural to any rally going scooterist. We soon found out that this trip was not going to be a cheap one, drinks were about 4.65 euros a pint on the ferry-but we were there to enjoy ourselves so we tried to not let it bother us too much. We carried on drinking until about 1.00am-as we were due to dock about 08.30am we called it a nite and returned to our cabins. The crossing at first didn`t seem too bad with a little bit of swaying as you walked around the ship, but with the beer inside you its hard to notice. It wasn`t till we woke up and it was announced that during the night one of the ships engines had decided to call it a day! This didn`t help our crossing anymore as we were also sailing into a head wind, it was also announced that instead of our schedueled arrival into Cork at 08.30am, we were now not going to get in too Cork until 11:00am. At least it gave us an extra couple of hours to get our heads right.
At last we were allowed to disembark on to terrafirm. Once off the ferry it was like the starting grid of the Wacky Races, as about 50 scooters took off heading the 90km towards Killarney. The weather was quite good at this point and remained so. You hear stories of the roads not being very good in Ireland, but our first expierience wasn't too bad. We had travelled about 48km and came to a small town called Macroon where we pulled over to wait for one of our small group of merry scooter riders who was having some minor problems with fuel starvation. Once Paul had caught up we decided to make use of our stop in Macroon and find a Cafe for a spot of lunch. Pete decided he was off to find a bank to draw out some euros. While were waiting for Pete , Exit 17 passed through and not much time had passed before the Modrapheniacs started filing through the narrow street.
With Pete now back we set off again with a brief stop in Macroon for petrol. So we eventually got going again and soon found ourselves on a nice bit of winding road ( severe bends ), quite tame compared to what we were later to come across in our stay in Ireland. A bit further on and came to some roadworks-some much needed tlc was being carried out to one stretch of road ... you needed to keep your eyes peeled for pot holes in the road at this stage of the journey to Killarney. Back to the trip and we were making good progress catching up a with couple of stragglers from Exit 17 and passing them. It had started to look a bit grey by now and we seemed to be very lucky dodging a couple of showers. A bit further on we passed a few of the Modrapheniacs on the side of the road with there back up van in assistance as one of the scooters had broken down, but a club as they are they soon had it going again so we heard later. A bit further and passed the rest of their club who had stopped and waited. We weren't far away now and it began to spit with rain-it wasn't long before we were drenched as it came down a little heavier. There was one small complaint pointed out by a few people over the weekend which was about the lack of signage giving directions to the venue for the Rally. It wasnt long though before we found it and could check in to the hotel where everything was happening over the weekend.
Once I had my key to my room it was time to get freshened up and catch up with the others in the bar where I found the taste for Guiness, and also caught up with other people I knew who had travelled to different ferry ports, telling stories of break downs en route. There had been some accidents, but nobody seriously hurt. Come the evening and we had some tunes being played by some Djs-I managed to keep myself going 'til about 2am before I called it a day and went back to my room as it had been quite a long day.
Friday was pretty much like the Thursday in the way of drinking, again more people were turning up from all over. Spain, Italy,Sweden, France, Germany, Austria, next years hosts Belgium and many other nationalities. We had decided that we would venture into Killarney for the afternoon and try the the local bars in the town. We had quite a choice of bars to pick from as just on the one street there were 46 ! We chose "O`Conners Bar"-this we made base camp for the day and were made welcome by the staff . After 6 hours in O'Conners we made our way back to the hotel where that night we were having a Buffet meal and the Legendary Tony Class was to entertain us in the ballroom. I soon made contact with our very own Tweed who had been in Ireland since the Wednesday evening-he had crossed from Fishguard and spent his first couple of days doing some sight seeing. Tweed was supposed to be camping but due to the damp weather we were experiencing he decided to opt for a room in the hotel ( I hope you all enjoyed the sun here? ) . Again Friday turned into a late one and got quite messy ( you may begin to see a pattern emerging)-again I called it a day at about 2.30 am.
Saturday morning was spent looking around the few stalls that were there and signing in to get my LCGB points. Also on the Saturday morning was the first rideout at 11.00am, it's location I'm not too sure about but it was about a 60 km round trip. Not everyone participated in the rideout, there were still quite a few in and around the hotel. It was a couple of hours and people started to make their way back from the rideout. Was around this time Pete and myself took another stroll into town, see a bit more of Killarney and look around the shops. Killarney is a hot spot for tourists " especially Americans coming to find out there ancestory" O`bama !!! lol . After much deliberation, we found ourselves back in the familiar surroundings of O'Conners Bar, remembering we had only been in Ireland two days and had only been in O'Conners once before. We were greeted by the barman "will it be the usual" as we stepped in through the door. Some bars are quite dark inside as is this one, because in this one I could just make out Tweed-he had found his way into O'Conners too! After a bite to eat and a couple of drinks Pete from the Scootermaniacs and myself headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Saturday nights sit down gala meal ( a proper sit down meal ) with trophy presentations and speeches. The meal was superb and luckily the speeches never went on too long. After the presentations we were first entertained by a band from Dublin I believe, they weren`t too bad but I never caught there name. Once again we were making our way to the dance floor as Mr Class worked his magic once more and kept it full for most of the evening .
My Saturday evening finished about 3am, knowing that on the Sunday morning we would finally be leaving Killarney, as the rally officialy finished on the Sunday. So once we were all up we got sorted and loaded the scooters up with our luggage and prepared to ride to our next destination as we weren't due to return to this side of the water until Tuesday night. We weren't the only ones doing this as Exit 17 & Modrapheniacs were still staying also plus a few others although the latter 2 clubs stayed in Killarney.
Our next destination was a ride up to Dingle on the Dingle peninsular where we had booked a bed and breakfast for the night. It wasn't a great distance to travel really but it's certainly not one for the faint hearted in the circumstances we had. The first part of the journey to Tralee was pretty plain with spectacular views of the mountains. We found a roadside pub where we stopped for Sunday dinner. We were telling the landlord that we were heading for Dingle and we were following the N86 road. This soon changed when we heard Conners pass was open and after a discussion with the small group of seven we decided on Connors pass. The weather didn`t look too good in the distance but looked if it was going to clear. Stu was going to put his waterproofs on but me being Micheal Fish said he would be fine and wouldn`t need them. We had just entered the first bit of the climb in to Connors pass when the first bit of rain fell. Thinkin it was only a little shower, I proceeded in front, went about another mile and it was teeming down. I made an executive decision and stopped so Stu could put his waterproofs on. We got going again, the road gradually winding up into a wall of fog not being able to see 20 yards in front and constantly being bombarded with what seemed to be water from a firemans hose pipe. The road through the pass had now gone from being wide enough for two cars , but barely wide enough for one car and with a wall on the one side which was only a foot high the only thing between us and a shear drop, the pass had just been reopened due to land slides and rock falls. Eventually we made it to the top of the pass which was a success in itself, we then had to go down the other side, only this time bits of the wall were missing, to say my arse wasn`t twitching would be a lie, but found it a bit of an adrenelin rush. Slowly but surely we came down the pass and out of the cloud and the rain seemed to be giving in at last as we rode the scooters in to Dingle. It wasnt long before we found our bed & breakfast for the night and got out of our waterproofs, dried off, and made for the pub and something to eat, where we talked bout the experience we had just had. It was in Dingle we had our first expierience of listening to some good old DIDDLY DEE music, and good it was too, seeing and listening to something cultural for a change. Although after few more drinks, two others from our band of merry scooter riders proceeded to make themselves known by dancing to some Diddly Dee. I dont know what the locals and the other tourists made of it really but they laughed and clapped so it wasn`t all that bad . Sunday was now drawing to a close and we headed back to where we were staying the night.
Monday morning we woke to dry weather, had breakfast, and then had a little walk around the harbour and some of the shops before we made our way to our final stop over which was to be in Cork. So once again we packed our things, got scoots loaded, and off we set going back the easy way this time, although the roads were still very dangerous with the odd deep pot hole dotted about. It wasn`t long before we were back in Tralee and heading back towards Killarney where we stopped to refuel the scooters . The weather had at last been at its best all weekend and managed to stay dry for the last bit of the trip. We had travelled about 40 km when Stu overtake us to stop us because three scoots had fallen behind. We sat and waited a while as we had not long come through some roadworks thinkin they may have caught up in the lights, but traffic was coming through and still no sign, so Stu rode back to find out what was wrong. We soon had a phone call telling us Dave had holed his piston. Rather than go back they told us to carry on to Macroon and wait there as paul was going to see if he could repair the hole with nut and bolt. Pete , Andy and myself carried on to Macroon where we stopped for fuel, took some photos, and went to the same cafe we went to on the first day over there. After about 2 hours of waiting for a call to find out what was happening, we heard the sound of scooters passing through the high street and not stopping . So the chase began to catch them up as Nadine was the only one who knew the address of the guest house in Cork. We had no luck catching them-I knew the name of the road we were staying on, that was all. As it happened, Pete knew the name of the guest house, so between us we finally got there and found out Dave had got recovery, and the others were following the recovery vehicle straight to the guest house. On arrival we also found out Exit 17 and Modrapheniacs were all in the same accommodation. Some phone calls were being made and messages left on the LCGB forum and Facebook to see if anyone knew of a spare Mugello 186 piston knockin about near to Cork. Later, while in a pub down the road, Dave had a call off some chap called Keith who was at the guest house waiting, and had come to take the piston away to weld up the hole.
With nothing else to do we ventured in to Cork city centre for yet some more drinking, only this time we found a student bar and lots of drink offers! We stayed there for most of the night-it seemed to rude to leave . Eventually Pete and myself headed back via the kebab shop and called it a night with a long day ahead of not doing anything, as we had got to fix daves scooter if at all possible. As it happened, Keith had managed to weld the hole in the piston, so by 4pm on the Tuesday everyone was packed and ready for the off back to the ferry terminal. It was about 18.30 before we were allowed to ride on to the ferry, and once on we got our cabin keys, we then made for the bar. By this time I think most people just wanted to be back home and soon dwindled back to there cabins. I was soon asleep the moment my head hit the pillow, the night seemed to fly by as I heard the tannoy information telling us we were just about to enter Swansea within the next 30 mins. Didn't need to rush as everything was still loaded on the scooters ready to ride straight off. We all started to gather on the garage deck where scooters were all parked, milling round saying our goodbyes before we all went our ways. i carried on riding back with Scootermaniacs to where I met them the very first day, and then made my solitary way back up the Wye Valley and back up to Shrewsbury via A49 & Hereford..
Gopher.....
EURO LAMBRETTA 2012......... BELGIUM
Lambretta Heaven-Rimini style!
Rimini Lambretta Centre, via Gessi 14-47030 Borghi-(FC), Italy
Courtesy of Si Richards
Littledean Jail
I read with interest an advertisement in the latest 'Scootering' which spoke of a place that boasted the largest collection of Quadrophenia memorobilia in the world, together with a massive collection of crime related artefacts too.
The advert reads:
The 'Alacatraz of the Forest', Littledean Jail is not only home of the infamous 'CRIME THROUGH TIME MUSEUM' - the only museum of it's kind in the World open to the public, but it also houses the largest collection of 'QUADROPHENIA' memorabilia.
On top of these two fabiulous collections, Littledean Jail also contains a unique, thought provoking and unrivalled private collection of worldwide interest... without fear or favour... witness for yourselves an ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of true crime material, ephemera, murderabilia - a menagerie of freaks of nature, beasts of the jungle, oddities & curiosities - Nazi holocaust years exhibition, Nazi SS militaria, historic, nostalgic, vintage and modern day signed photographs, tv & film memorabilia & much more!
As we were planning to go away for a few days, I suggested the Forest of Dean (the location of said jail), which was met with approval from her indoors. Un-suspecting, and not realising my ulterior motive, we set off.
The village of Littledean is quite small, but has quite a large 'house of correction'-jail to you and me! The entrance is lined with trees, and you enter through a large stone gate. I paid my fee, and left the good lady in the car, thereby saving £7.00-result!
As I walked round the building, I was amazed at the artefacts on display. For example, there were freaks of nature-cat with two heads, an eight legged lamb, just for starters! As I meandered through the cells, I was met with very chilling displays ranging from the holocaust (very graphic), to the Kray twins, a section on Oswald Mosley and 'The Black Shirts'and general stuff from the stage and screen. But my real interest was (of course) the Quadrophenia exhibition. Previously and privately owned by British Mod and Scooter mad fanatic David Wyburn, this remarkable and nostalgic collection was acquired by Littledean Jail In November 2007 and subsequently added to its own Quadrophenia collection. Opening in April 2008 …being the 30th Anniversary of when the films was filmed in 1978 and released in cinemas around the UK in 1979.
At the rear of the jail was a single storey building devoted just to the film. It was packed with stuff, and had the film playing on a constant loop. Jimmy's scooter was there, along with Sting's GS, and the original seat from Jimmy's scooter suitably autographed as having been sat upon by Leslie Ashe.
Probably not everyone's cup of tea, and it says:"WARNING: Please note however if easily offended or of a sensitive nature then please do not enter Littledean Jail !!!".
You have been warned!!!!!!!!!!!
www.littledeanjail.com
The jail is open Thursday to Sunday, Bank Holiday Mondays, and at other times by appointment. Perhaps we could organise a club trip?
Jezza
The advert reads:
The 'Alacatraz of the Forest', Littledean Jail is not only home of the infamous 'CRIME THROUGH TIME MUSEUM' - the only museum of it's kind in the World open to the public, but it also houses the largest collection of 'QUADROPHENIA' memorabilia.
On top of these two fabiulous collections, Littledean Jail also contains a unique, thought provoking and unrivalled private collection of worldwide interest... without fear or favour... witness for yourselves an ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of true crime material, ephemera, murderabilia - a menagerie of freaks of nature, beasts of the jungle, oddities & curiosities - Nazi holocaust years exhibition, Nazi SS militaria, historic, nostalgic, vintage and modern day signed photographs, tv & film memorabilia & much more!
As we were planning to go away for a few days, I suggested the Forest of Dean (the location of said jail), which was met with approval from her indoors. Un-suspecting, and not realising my ulterior motive, we set off.
The village of Littledean is quite small, but has quite a large 'house of correction'-jail to you and me! The entrance is lined with trees, and you enter through a large stone gate. I paid my fee, and left the good lady in the car, thereby saving £7.00-result!
As I walked round the building, I was amazed at the artefacts on display. For example, there were freaks of nature-cat with two heads, an eight legged lamb, just for starters! As I meandered through the cells, I was met with very chilling displays ranging from the holocaust (very graphic), to the Kray twins, a section on Oswald Mosley and 'The Black Shirts'and general stuff from the stage and screen. But my real interest was (of course) the Quadrophenia exhibition. Previously and privately owned by British Mod and Scooter mad fanatic David Wyburn, this remarkable and nostalgic collection was acquired by Littledean Jail In November 2007 and subsequently added to its own Quadrophenia collection. Opening in April 2008 …being the 30th Anniversary of when the films was filmed in 1978 and released in cinemas around the UK in 1979.
At the rear of the jail was a single storey building devoted just to the film. It was packed with stuff, and had the film playing on a constant loop. Jimmy's scooter was there, along with Sting's GS, and the original seat from Jimmy's scooter suitably autographed as having been sat upon by Leslie Ashe.
Probably not everyone's cup of tea, and it says:"WARNING: Please note however if easily offended or of a sensitive nature then please do not enter Littledean Jail !!!".
You have been warned!!!!!!!!!!!
www.littledeanjail.com
The jail is open Thursday to Sunday, Bank Holiday Mondays, and at other times by appointment. Perhaps we could organise a club trip?
Jezza
Clive's first Scooter
First
It's 1970, and a rusty old Lambretta, model unknown (I was only 10) sat in our garden in Birmingham for several months until eventually dragged away by the rag and bone men.
Second
1979, another rusty old Lambretta, model unknown (I was only 19) that never started and I sold to a disgruntled lad in Telford for £50.
Travelled across France shortly afterwards on my old friend Tim Harrison's Lambretta Li, covered in mirrors, Union Flag spray job and, to my surprise, adoring French mods & skins particularly in and around the north coast. Li ended up on ferry back to Dover (courtesy of the RAC) as we continued on foot around several more countries.
Third
Another Lammy, living in Telford now (1982) and this is the one I was riding nicely along the old A5 until followed by yobs in car, literally nudging me at 40mph with their bumper, intent on killing me it seemed.
A further ten mile chase ended as I pulled up at a notorious Telford housing estate for brother-in-law's support, dropped scooter to the ground, only to see them reverse out of cul de sac and speed away. My baby-sitting Grandmother opened the front door and announced brother in law wasn't in anyway-close shave.
Then a 3 decade wilderness.
Cars, Bikes, song, dance, pills, thrills & bellyache until recently. Then, two beloved Vespa Cosa's in quick succession and now my cherished (and unreliable) white J125 Starstream (reg: STU 34D non transferable).
I also released an EP with Nick Heyward (Haircut 100) recently.
Here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Albert-Bridge/dp/B003VXX8FW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1282862267&sr=8-1
I don't have much luck with scooters-I just love them.
Time, trouble and money, indeed.
Best Regards to all, Ride Safe,
Clive Booth.
It's 1970, and a rusty old Lambretta, model unknown (I was only 10) sat in our garden in Birmingham for several months until eventually dragged away by the rag and bone men.
Second
1979, another rusty old Lambretta, model unknown (I was only 19) that never started and I sold to a disgruntled lad in Telford for £50.
Travelled across France shortly afterwards on my old friend Tim Harrison's Lambretta Li, covered in mirrors, Union Flag spray job and, to my surprise, adoring French mods & skins particularly in and around the north coast. Li ended up on ferry back to Dover (courtesy of the RAC) as we continued on foot around several more countries.
Third
Another Lammy, living in Telford now (1982) and this is the one I was riding nicely along the old A5 until followed by yobs in car, literally nudging me at 40mph with their bumper, intent on killing me it seemed.
A further ten mile chase ended as I pulled up at a notorious Telford housing estate for brother-in-law's support, dropped scooter to the ground, only to see them reverse out of cul de sac and speed away. My baby-sitting Grandmother opened the front door and announced brother in law wasn't in anyway-close shave.
Then a 3 decade wilderness.
Cars, Bikes, song, dance, pills, thrills & bellyache until recently. Then, two beloved Vespa Cosa's in quick succession and now my cherished (and unreliable) white J125 Starstream (reg: STU 34D non transferable).
I also released an EP with Nick Heyward (Haircut 100) recently.
Here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Albert-Bridge/dp/B003VXX8FW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1282862267&sr=8-1
I don't have much luck with scooters-I just love them.
Time, trouble and money, indeed.
Best Regards to all, Ride Safe,
Clive Booth.
My first scoot!
A white Lambretta GP 125, registration WNT 65K, came into my
possession at the tender age of 17 in 1974. As I recall I bought it for
£100 from a lad called Ian out at Longnor, nr Dorrington after seeing an
ad in the Shrosphire Star. I owned it until the summer of 1976 when I
realised that I couldn't afford to run it and a car having passed my
test earlier in 1976. Given the registration number I would imagine it
was possibly one of the last Italian models - well that's what I'd like
to think anyway.I bought it primarily to commute from Bayston Hill
to school in Shrewsbury -yes school- and then to work. I never went
very far on it really as I wasn't mechanically minded, so no change
there then, but do recall one trip down to Ludlow where 2 mirror stems
snapped leaving me to juggle those and six mirrors on the way back.The
two smaller stems with 2 mirrors each survived that journey. At that
time I used ride around with a couple of lads from Telford Estate and
Copthorne. One night riding back from Copthorne
to Bayston Hill two lads on Gilera mopeds challenged me to a race, which
was no problem, except for the fact that I'd had far too many beers and
the last I recall was doing 55mph before I clipped the railings at Copthorne
island and ended up on the grass verge with the scoot falling just
short of an oak tree. The Police arrived and just checked I was ok and
as no other vehicles were involved left me to it! I got back on it and
despite some damage rode it back, very slowly, to my mates house about a
mile away.
It was a bright summer's day the day I sold it, and I remember getting on it at around ten and riding it for a couple of hours before the bloke came to pick it up and hand over the £90. A sad day and have I missed it, you bet I have. I don't even have a photo to remind me of it but nevertheless I can still see it in my mind after all these years. That's why I'm trying to find out what happened to to it as I feel I've lost a very important part of my life.
So, if any of you out there (or your dads) know anything about it, I would love to hear from you.
Steve Newell
It was a bright summer's day the day I sold it, and I remember getting on it at around ten and riding it for a couple of hours before the bloke came to pick it up and hand over the £90. A sad day and have I missed it, you bet I have. I don't even have a photo to remind me of it but nevertheless I can still see it in my mind after all these years. That's why I'm trying to find out what happened to to it as I feel I've lost a very important part of my life.
So, if any of you out there (or your dads) know anything about it, I would love to hear from you.
Steve Newell
Across the 'pond'!
Not so fast Yvonne, I'll drop the picnic!
Arrived
at Manchester Airport on Sunday 20th Feb and stayed overnight before we caught our
flight the following morning at 10.30am, landing in Orlando, Florida at 2.50pm
US time. We picked up our hire car, left the airport, and went to our villa not
far away in Kissimmee. The next four days we spent just chillin' by the pool
and watching the 'gator’ in the lake at the back of the house.
Thursday came round pretty quick, and Yvonne and myself went over to Cocoa Beach to catch the Shuttle launch that afternoon and then check into our hotel for the rally weekend. Shuttle launch was a bit of a disappointment as it was a bit hazy and there was a lot of cloud.......but still got couple of pics of it as it went up !!
Found the local bar where all the early arrivals were gathering, had a couple of drinks and said hello to a few of our American scooterist brothers, then went to find somewhere to eat. Found a real nice Chinese and made a pig of myself!! Had a few more drinks and then had an early night as there was no entertainment that evening.
Friday morning was spent trying to get my new acquisition registered over there so that I could ride it ( an Li 150 with a 225 Rapido). But due to a lot of American red tape I was unable to get it done in time so had to be content with a few rides round the estate, then put it to bed in the garage until I can get the paperwork sorted ! Ah well never mind !
So the rideout left the hotel without us, and they had a good 40 odd mile jaunt around Cocoa Beach & Merritt Island, where they stopped for lunch and then made their way back in smaller groups.
Our afternoon was spent by the hotel pool and having a look round the stalls, stopping for a chat here and there. Met Stan from the Lambretta Club USA, and had a good long chat about scootering our side of the pond. Had a few (more) beers with some lads from the Blue Diamonds Scooter Club Cheltenham.
The evening soon came around and before going to the evening do, (which was a disco with DJ's from the UK and USA spinning the discs), we went over to the IHOP restaurant for a bite to eat and then went into the function room. It was a bit quiet to start with, but after a while bodies started drifting in and the room soon filled up. Most of the early sounds were Ska, Reggae and Mod revival stuff. After a while we went outside for a bit of fresh air and struck up a conversation with some of the Orlando based scooterists that were there, mainly a couple called Geoff & Nanette, who we've arranged to meet up with again at the Orlando Scooter Society's rally in October......looking forward to that !
Anyway, went back into the function and they were starting to play something a bit more to my taste.......Northern !!! Which if I may say so attracted a few more onto the dance floor than the earlier tunes did! Come 1am, Yvonne and I were feeling a bit knackered so moseyed on up to bed.
Saturday morning dawned and it was in the 70's at 8.30am !!! Lovely, went to the nearby Shark Pit bar for breakfast, which was a bit of a disappointment as it wasn't as good as it had been built up to be! After putting that away we went to the hotel poolside again and went round the stalls-again! But this time actually bought a few things, mainly from the LCUSA stall.......and yet another chat with Stan !
The rideout went out a little later today, about 11.20am. Took loads of good pics (there were about 150 scooters in all) about twice as many as the day before! While they were away, Yvonne wanted to have a look around the local area so we had a wander round and found the Dinosaur Store. If you're into that kind of thing there's loads in there to see and buy. From there we did a bit of window shopping back toward the beach and found the Sandbar Sports Grill & Bar where we stayed for a while and had a few drinks. I had a fish sandwich for lunch and it was great......could have ate another if I could have found the room to put it !! Then we went back to the hotel for a chill and get ready for the night do. Went to IHOP (again) for something to eat and get my stomach lined ready for the evening! The night’s entertainment was an American group called the Pietasters......but none of them looked like they'd eat them all !!! Bumped into Martin Penny from Peterhead who was over for the rally and then going on a 7 day cruise and doing Disney afterward !!(these hairdressers get paid too much-or the tips must be good !!) Had a few beers with him, and watched the group. For the next couple of hours they had the room bouncing !!! Their brand of Ska was really good and they never did a song I'd heard before all night-they were brilliant, could definitely go and see them again !!
After they'd finished we went outside to cool down and chat some more with our newly found American brothers-their scooter scene is very different to ours !! Went back in and Martin was showing a few moves on the dance floor to some good northern tunes, also saw Dave Simon & Christiane. Dave doing a lot of talking while Christiane spent most of her time on the dance floor! By the way, nice blazer Dave !!
Well we managed to stay the distance this time till the last tune at 2am. The bar was closed so we said our goodnights and wished Martin a good cruise...........and went off to bed.
Got up on the Sunday (which was the final day),and went to a local diner for breakfast-one of those typical American ones. We sat at the counter and had our eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns etc. Compared to the previous days breakfast this was 100% better and the service was spot on !Anyway, after a good start to the day we went back to the hotel poolside and had a chat with whoever we bumped into and there were loads there, until it was time for the raffle draw. Top prize was a Vespa Primavera with a 125 engine in it-not bad if you're into them ! There was literally dozens of prizes and it was one of the longest raffle draws I've ever seen-it took about an hour to do, and as luck would have it we never won a thing!! Although our friends from the Orlando Scooter Society won at least half a dozen at least between them and they also won the best turned out club with 15 attending. Other prizes were furthest travelled, which was won by a lad who had come from......Australia !! All the usual best scooter trophies as well, which all found some well deserving recipients.
After the raffle and prizes had been distributed people started to leave and started getting ready for the long haul back to where they'd come from-literally all over America. So scooters were loaded onto trailers, the back of pick-ups, and in vans-then started the drive back home. The ones who lived within riding distance also went on the road. We packed our stuff into the car and drove the 50 odd miles back to our villa in Kissimmee-and chilled out yet again until we flew back home on the Thursday evening, landing back in a very chilly Manchester at 7.30am on the Friday morning. Picked up our car and made the hour and a half journey home where we put down our cases and went straight to bed ............ to SLEEP !!!!!!!
It was a cracking weekend thanks to our hosts (The United States Scooter Clubs Alliance & South West Scooter Clubs) who jointly organised the event and ran it very well-good venue, great people and the weather was SCORCHING !!!!
Roll on 2 years’ time when it will be on again !!
Iain & Yvonne Bradley
Thursday came round pretty quick, and Yvonne and myself went over to Cocoa Beach to catch the Shuttle launch that afternoon and then check into our hotel for the rally weekend. Shuttle launch was a bit of a disappointment as it was a bit hazy and there was a lot of cloud.......but still got couple of pics of it as it went up !!
Found the local bar where all the early arrivals were gathering, had a couple of drinks and said hello to a few of our American scooterist brothers, then went to find somewhere to eat. Found a real nice Chinese and made a pig of myself!! Had a few more drinks and then had an early night as there was no entertainment that evening.
Friday morning was spent trying to get my new acquisition registered over there so that I could ride it ( an Li 150 with a 225 Rapido). But due to a lot of American red tape I was unable to get it done in time so had to be content with a few rides round the estate, then put it to bed in the garage until I can get the paperwork sorted ! Ah well never mind !
So the rideout left the hotel without us, and they had a good 40 odd mile jaunt around Cocoa Beach & Merritt Island, where they stopped for lunch and then made their way back in smaller groups.
Our afternoon was spent by the hotel pool and having a look round the stalls, stopping for a chat here and there. Met Stan from the Lambretta Club USA, and had a good long chat about scootering our side of the pond. Had a few (more) beers with some lads from the Blue Diamonds Scooter Club Cheltenham.
The evening soon came around and before going to the evening do, (which was a disco with DJ's from the UK and USA spinning the discs), we went over to the IHOP restaurant for a bite to eat and then went into the function room. It was a bit quiet to start with, but after a while bodies started drifting in and the room soon filled up. Most of the early sounds were Ska, Reggae and Mod revival stuff. After a while we went outside for a bit of fresh air and struck up a conversation with some of the Orlando based scooterists that were there, mainly a couple called Geoff & Nanette, who we've arranged to meet up with again at the Orlando Scooter Society's rally in October......looking forward to that !
Anyway, went back into the function and they were starting to play something a bit more to my taste.......Northern !!! Which if I may say so attracted a few more onto the dance floor than the earlier tunes did! Come 1am, Yvonne and I were feeling a bit knackered so moseyed on up to bed.
Saturday morning dawned and it was in the 70's at 8.30am !!! Lovely, went to the nearby Shark Pit bar for breakfast, which was a bit of a disappointment as it wasn't as good as it had been built up to be! After putting that away we went to the hotel poolside again and went round the stalls-again! But this time actually bought a few things, mainly from the LCUSA stall.......and yet another chat with Stan !
The rideout went out a little later today, about 11.20am. Took loads of good pics (there were about 150 scooters in all) about twice as many as the day before! While they were away, Yvonne wanted to have a look around the local area so we had a wander round and found the Dinosaur Store. If you're into that kind of thing there's loads in there to see and buy. From there we did a bit of window shopping back toward the beach and found the Sandbar Sports Grill & Bar where we stayed for a while and had a few drinks. I had a fish sandwich for lunch and it was great......could have ate another if I could have found the room to put it !! Then we went back to the hotel for a chill and get ready for the night do. Went to IHOP (again) for something to eat and get my stomach lined ready for the evening! The night’s entertainment was an American group called the Pietasters......but none of them looked like they'd eat them all !!! Bumped into Martin Penny from Peterhead who was over for the rally and then going on a 7 day cruise and doing Disney afterward !!(these hairdressers get paid too much-or the tips must be good !!) Had a few beers with him, and watched the group. For the next couple of hours they had the room bouncing !!! Their brand of Ska was really good and they never did a song I'd heard before all night-they were brilliant, could definitely go and see them again !!
After they'd finished we went outside to cool down and chat some more with our newly found American brothers-their scooter scene is very different to ours !! Went back in and Martin was showing a few moves on the dance floor to some good northern tunes, also saw Dave Simon & Christiane. Dave doing a lot of talking while Christiane spent most of her time on the dance floor! By the way, nice blazer Dave !!
Well we managed to stay the distance this time till the last tune at 2am. The bar was closed so we said our goodnights and wished Martin a good cruise...........and went off to bed.
Got up on the Sunday (which was the final day),and went to a local diner for breakfast-one of those typical American ones. We sat at the counter and had our eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns etc. Compared to the previous days breakfast this was 100% better and the service was spot on !Anyway, after a good start to the day we went back to the hotel poolside and had a chat with whoever we bumped into and there were loads there, until it was time for the raffle draw. Top prize was a Vespa Primavera with a 125 engine in it-not bad if you're into them ! There was literally dozens of prizes and it was one of the longest raffle draws I've ever seen-it took about an hour to do, and as luck would have it we never won a thing!! Although our friends from the Orlando Scooter Society won at least half a dozen at least between them and they also won the best turned out club with 15 attending. Other prizes were furthest travelled, which was won by a lad who had come from......Australia !! All the usual best scooter trophies as well, which all found some well deserving recipients.
After the raffle and prizes had been distributed people started to leave and started getting ready for the long haul back to where they'd come from-literally all over America. So scooters were loaded onto trailers, the back of pick-ups, and in vans-then started the drive back home. The ones who lived within riding distance also went on the road. We packed our stuff into the car and drove the 50 odd miles back to our villa in Kissimmee-and chilled out yet again until we flew back home on the Thursday evening, landing back in a very chilly Manchester at 7.30am on the Friday morning. Picked up our car and made the hour and a half journey home where we put down our cases and went straight to bed ............ to SLEEP !!!!!!!
It was a cracking weekend thanks to our hosts (The United States Scooter Clubs Alliance & South West Scooter Clubs) who jointly organised the event and ran it very well-good venue, great people and the weather was SCORCHING !!!!
Roll on 2 years’ time when it will be on again !!
Iain & Yvonne Bradley
48 years in the same family!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul Barker’s Series 2 TV was bought by his
brother John in December 1962. Paul first rode it to school in Swansea in the spring of 1965, spilling it
and putting a hole in his school blazer, whilst his brother was away at University. He took
up ownership in January 1967 when his brother bought an MG Midget and paid him £40 for it.
As can be seen the TV has gone through 3 transformations:- stripped to the bones by Paul in 1966 after they had bought their parents an electric drill for their Silver Wedding. Then customised in the summer of 69, sprayed yellow ochre with an ancillotti seat, amal carb and blue Perspex front. The big red exhaust made it incredibly loud to the dismay of the neighbours.
Most of his friends had motor bikes, but they rode together around the Gower Peninsula and further afield to London and Southampton.
After college Paul moved to Oxford, bought his first car an Austin 1100 and got married in Sept 1976. After which the TV largely slept in the garage with just an annual start up and ride around the block.
In 1998 Paul finally got it road legal again as spares had become easy to obtain. In 2005 he decided to restore it but not back to the original ivory. He still had all the original panels taken off in 1966, got them shot blasted at a farm at Halfway House, then Jamie at Viking Motors on Monkmoor Road did the spraying – a Toyota blue.
Paul & Rebecca took it to the Isle of Wight Rally in 2006, 2007, Isle of Man 2008, Weston 2009 then the Goodwood Revival last year – cheating a bit as it fits nicely in the back of their ancient Espace.
A fuller article appeared in the September 2007 issue of Scootering Magazine.
As can be seen the TV has gone through 3 transformations:- stripped to the bones by Paul in 1966 after they had bought their parents an electric drill for their Silver Wedding. Then customised in the summer of 69, sprayed yellow ochre with an ancillotti seat, amal carb and blue Perspex front. The big red exhaust made it incredibly loud to the dismay of the neighbours.
Most of his friends had motor bikes, but they rode together around the Gower Peninsula and further afield to London and Southampton.
After college Paul moved to Oxford, bought his first car an Austin 1100 and got married in Sept 1976. After which the TV largely slept in the garage with just an annual start up and ride around the block.
In 1998 Paul finally got it road legal again as spares had become easy to obtain. In 2005 he decided to restore it but not back to the original ivory. He still had all the original panels taken off in 1966, got them shot blasted at a farm at Halfway House, then Jamie at Viking Motors on Monkmoor Road did the spraying – a Toyota blue.
Paul & Rebecca took it to the Isle of Wight Rally in 2006, 2007, Isle of Man 2008, Weston 2009 then the Goodwood Revival last year – cheating a bit as it fits nicely in the back of their ancient Espace.
A fuller article appeared in the September 2007 issue of Scootering Magazine.
