The World's No.1 Scootering magazine

Welcome... May 2011

A number of the custom scooters featured in this issue of Scootering boast a lot of input from their owners. Some of course have more than others, different owners have different fields of expertise, and there is always the chance to learn something new.

Of course when times are tough all this means that you can create a scooter for less money than if you were to farm out the entire build process to numerous dealers and specialists. The other bonus is being able to stand back and say ‘I did that’ when someone asks about your pride and joy.

Over the years I have built many a scooter, although beyond the nitty-gritty of the mechanics and running gear, my best attempts at finishing a bike in a DIY style have pretty much always been courtesy of a rattle can from a local motor factors.
I can’t help but be inspired by the scooters we feature in Scootering magazine however, and this has been the case ever since I first saw a copy back in the 80s (although I think Stuart Lanning’s British Scooterist Scene was the first scooter mag I actually bought!).

I know that my ability to draw is pretty crap, that I’ll never be able to airbrush like Paul Karslake, Dave Dickinson, John Spurgeon or many others, and that if I want stuff chrome plated it’s simply not practical to set up a facility in my own shed (especially at less than six feet square!), but that doesn’t mean I can’t be motivated by the talents of others.

We’ve got a few things lined up for Scootering over the coming months which I reckon are pretty exciting, and if all goes to plan we aim to discover whether some of us have got any hidden talents when it comes to building scooters too!

Isle of Wight competition

Speaking of saving money, if you turn to page 28 you’ll see we have a fabulous competition for anyone planning to attend the Isle of Wight Rally in August. You can win ferry tickets, VFM weekend passes and a whole load of camping gear too. In fact all you’ll need to add are your scooters and a few quid to spend on petrol, food and drinks – good luck!

Andy