Love him or loathe him, and we’ve tried both, Martin ‘Sticky’ Round has produced what remains the definitive Lambretta workshop manual… Dan Clare reports…
Some books you review politely. Some you skim suspiciously. Some you keep within arm’s reach of the bench because, sooner or later, they will save you from either mechanical disaster or an expensive act of stupidity. Annoyingly, Martin ‘Sticky’ Round’s The Complete Spanner’s Manual: Lambretta Scooters falls firmly into that final category.
I say “annoyingly” because Sticky and I occupy that strange little corner of the scooter world where mutual respect, professional rivalry, sarcasm, and occasional gritted teeth all share the same toolbox. We have both written books. We have both spent too much of our lives explaining Italian engineering to people who really should have bought something Japanese. And yes, I would dearly love to find a fatal flaw here and declare my own work victorious. Sadly, the swine has produced a very good book.
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Actually, that undersells it. This fourth edition is probably still the best all-round Lambretta manual on the market.
This is not merely a reprint with a new cover and a few fresh photographs lobbed in to justify another trip to the till. It is a substantially updated workshop manual that has clearly been dragged through real-world Lambretta ownership, stripped, checked, rebuilt, and put back together with fresh advice. The manual has been around since circa 2004, and this latest version reflects the many changes that have hit the scene since the previous edition.
That matters because Lambretta ownership has changed. We are no longer dealing solely with original Innocenti parts, NOS treasures, and the occasional pattern component of suspicious parentage. The modern owner now faces Indian, Italian, Spanish, remade, upgraded, performance, and reproduction parts, all of varying quality, accuracy, and compatibility. Some are excellent. Some are “character building”. Some appear to have been designed by someone who once saw a Lambretta in a dream after eating cheese.
This is where the book earns its keep. It does not pretend there is one sacred way to build, maintain, or improve a Lambretta. Instead, it acknowledges that there are multiple routes through the madness, and that the trick is knowing what works, what nearly works, what needs fettling, and what should be placed gently back on the shelf while nobody is looking.
The structure is excellent. After the introduction and model specifications, the book moves through the basics: before you begin, tools for the job, use and maintenance, fault diagnosis and common repair work. From there, it digs into engine strip, component checking, original-spec rebuilds, advanced rebuilds, leak-down pressure testing, exhausts, electrics, ignition timing, carburation, chassis work, wheels, brakes, steering, suspension, dry building, and final assembly.
The appendices are one of the strongest parts of the book. Carb jetting, component identification, crankshaft specifications, con-rod data, ignition timing, advance-retard curves, gearbox identification, gear ratio selection, torque settings, paint specifications, anomalies, speedometer codes, handlebar rods, and wiring diagrams are all included. This is the sort of information that saves hours, and occasionally marriages, because nobody wants to be found at 11.45pm swearing into a parts manual while covered in chaincase oil.
The fourth edition also includes the modern updates that matter, such as the latest ignition systems, fault-finding, five-speed gearbox upgrades, improved clutch action, and more. That is important because a Lambretta is not a museum piece unless you choose to make it one. For many owners, it is still something to be ridden, tuned, rallied, modified, broken, sworn at, and then improved.
Is it perfect? No Lambretta manual ever can be. The subject is too broad, the machines are too old, the parts supply is too inconsistent, and the ownership styles are too varied. One man’s essential upgrade is another man’s vandalism. One builder’s trusted method is another builder’s pub argument. That is Lambretta ownership. If everyone agreed, half of the social media spaces would have to close.
But as a single-volume manual for running, repairing, rebuilding, and upgrading the Li Series 1, 2, and 3, TV Series 2 and 3, Special, SX, GP, and related derivatives, this is an outstanding piece of work. It is broad enough for the newcomer, detailed enough for the seasoned home mechanic, and useful enough that even people who think they know everything will quietly reach for it when nobody is watching.
At £29.99, it is roughly the cost of discovering you have bought the wrong cable set. For that money, you get a manual that could prevent mistakes, improve your build, and reduce the blind guessing that still infects too much scooter spannering. Painful though it is to admit, Sticky deserves full credit. This fourth edition is comprehensive, useful, well-informed, and genuinely valuable. Would I irritate me slightly if you bought this instead of one of mine? Also yes. But would your Lambretta be better off with a copy on the bench? Almost certainly.
