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Welcome... September 2010

In a packed edition this month we’ve got not one but two rare classic scooters, a prototype Lambretta we found at the EuroLambretta Jamboree in Spain in June, and a version of a Vespa GS with unusual electrical features. Yes not everyone’s cup of tea maybe, but yet another slice of our scootering scene uncovered.

We’ve got part 2 of our ‘Win a Paint Scheme’ competition where one lucky reader gets the chance to have their scooter finished by air-brush maestro Dave Dickinson in his new DDK race theme, celebrating 25 years of Scootering. See pages 22 and 23 for details.

We also have a competition to win almost £6000 of Teng Tools that is running across 12 Mortons Media titles in all. Basically there are over 1000 tools and their Mega Master tool chest up for grabs; see page 153 for details.

You can also win a Tucano Urbano Parka coat on page 9 as well in this edition of Scootering too.

And then next month we have loads of Vespa branded clothing and bags to give away, courtesy of Piaggio. The first prize is worth almost £500 and there are runners-up prizes too, so keep an eye open for that.

Goodbye 2-stroke?

I don’t know how many of you follow motorcycle sport, but there was a time when all the classes in the Motorcycle Grand Prix, from 50cc to 500cc were full of two-stroke bikes. In more recent times the classes contended were 125, 250 and 500cc, again full of two-strokes. The reason I mention is this is that like F1 cars in the motor world, quite often the technology developed on the track soon finds its way to the road. Then, around the time Honda announced it would be pulling out of the two-stroke market, the 500cc class became MotoGP and was replaced by four-stroke bikes.

Last year the 250cc class ceased and Moto2 was introduced, a series using just Honda 600cc four-stroke engines. Now the sad news reaches us that the demise of the two-stroke 125cc class has been brought forward to 2012 when that too will fall to the four-stroke engine. Is it a coincidence that that the 125s are currently dominated by European marques such as Aprilia and Derbi who also sell a lot of machines to learner riders from the age of 14 upwards, keen to ride a small capacity bike or scooter they’ve seen compete on the track?

If Apple Made scooters...

...then they wouldn’t crash so often, would have more power and efficiency and be more stylish than a PC type scooter! However it is Microsoft’s Bill Gates who has apparently invested his money into the development of a new two-stroke engine by a company called EcoMotors International. Using a BMW style boxer looking engine (opposing twin cylinders) it has opposed pistons in each bore, direct injection and a turbo charger, this could be good news for the future of the two-stroke (you can see a simulation on their website at www.ecomotors.com). By the way, the record breaking Vespa Siluro of the 1950s used opposed pistons too.

Lambretta junk

Finally, do you remember the Lambretta we bought from Vintage Scooter World (aka VeeKay Exports) in India that turned out to not only be a GP rather than the TV200 that was advertised (no surprise really!) but also a ringer featuring a 150 engine with a 200cc barrel, bent forks and loads of poor quality and dangerous parts? If not it’s pictured above and you can see it in issue 283 (January 2010) with our article investigating importing scooters. Anyway, due to the number of potentially dangerous faults with this scooter we can’t really put it onto the road, so we are open to suggestions of how to get rid of it – the more absurd and interesting the better!

Ride safe,

Andy