Sons of Valhalla

A Viking-inspired Vespa built over decades… Sons of Valhalla blends detailed custom work and engineering into an unforgettable masterpiece. Stu Smith reports…

Tony Wilbraham’s connection with scooters dates back to 1978. At the age of 13, he was playing football on a field near his home in York when members of Bootham Tavern S.C. turned up on their scooters for a kick-about. That moment changed everything. “As soon as I saw the scooters, I knew I had to have one,” Tony explained.

Working for his dad at the time and earning £50 a week, Tony bought himself a Lambretta SX150 for £30 after his father successfully haggled the seller down from £50, and before long he was riding with Bootham Tavern S.C. Like many scooterists from that era, rallies quickly became part of Tony’s life, and his most memorable early rally was Scarborough in 1978, when, aged just 13, he rode there with friends and ended up sleeping under the fish baskets in the harbour.

Although Tony has always considered himself a Lambretta man at heart, his eventual move towards a Vespa happened after reading about the performance and reliability of the Vespa T5 Classic in Scootering Magazine. That was enough to convince him to buy a brand-new white T5 from the York Suzuki dealership in 1993. The roots of the custom build began early. Tony had never liked the standard Vespa front end, so with help from Alan at Beedspeed in Grimsby, he developed a set-up using extended twisted Lambretta forks, along with a Lambretta front wheel and a GP mudguard.

Culture

As it often does… life intervened. Tony, who was serving in the Army, was posted away to Cyprus for three years, and the project was effectively placed on hold. However, the Viking theme had been developing in Tony’s mind long before the scooter itself began taking shape. Being from York, Viking history had always been part of the local culture around him. During his military career, he spent time painting military models and figures before later working for a company that produced military miniatures. Interestingly, the company had no Viking range, and Tony suggested producing one. The idea proved hugely successful and eventually developed into a worldwide line of Viking figures. That passion soon spread further as Tony and his wife, Tracy, became heavily involved in Viking re-enactment and Norse history. From there, Tony developed his own Viking business under the name Sons of Valhalla, and by that stage the scooter’s theme had effectively chosen itself.

The story behind Tony and Tracy meeting almost feels like part of the scooter’s mythology too. After meeting by chance in York during a night out in the early 1990s, Tracy soon joined Tony on the scooter scene, despite originally coming from the biker world. Following a trip to the Great Yarmouth rally in 1994 aboard this scooter, Tracy was hooked, and Sons of Valhalla became very much a joint project.

By 2015, with Tony approaching his 50th birthday, the timing finally felt right to complete the scooter properly. Rather than rushing into things, Tony had spent a long period researching Viking mythology, Norse imagery, and historical artwork. He studied countless images and references to ensure the scooter carried authenticity rather than becoming a collection of random Viking symbols.

Transformation

Finding the right artist was equally important, and eventually, after a lot of research, Tony approached Sam at A.P. Customs. After discussing the concept in detail, Sam agreed to take on the challenge. The bodywork and panels were handed over to him, and during the next 18 months to two years, the scooter slowly transformed into the machine as it’s seen today.

The artwork immediately sets the tone for the entire build; the Viking imagery flows naturally around the curves of the T5 bodywork. The Viking portraits mounted on the legshields and front mudguard give the scooter a focal point, and the Norse artwork continues throughout the bodywork with gold detailing tastefully woven through the paint.

Sam’s paintwork is supported perfectly by George Sharman’s engraving work, which adds another layer of craftsmanship to the build. Meanwhile, the chrome by Karl at Quality Chrome in Hull, and the powder coating from Raw Wheels in York, both help tie the whole machine together without taking attention away from the artwork.

Then there are the one-off themed custom-fabricated details; Tom at Flaxton Forge played a huge role here, producing several standout pieces, including the twisted rear backrest and carrier assembly, which has a forged appearance that fits beautifully with the Viking aesthetic. As well as that, Tom also fabricated the custom rear brake pedal and kick-start plate using Viking-themed belt buckles; it’s the sort of detail many people might miss at first glance, but once spotted, it perfectly sums up the thinking behind the build. The custom Viking Longship flywheel cover and the Sundance handlebar grips add further attention. At the same time, the K2 Customs knot-work footplates continue the Norse theme in more detail, and another custom highlight is the themed seat.

Power

Underneath the artwork and fabrication sits an engine package developed by Chiselspeed. The Malossi 210 kit forms the heart of the set-up and is paired with a Pinasco competition crank, a Polini carburettor, and a SIP Road 3 exhaust. A Cosa clutch and custom gearbox configuration handle the increased power delivery while maintaining smoothness over distance.

Describing the ride, Tony explained, “It’s smooth; it will comfortably cruise all day at 80mph and still feels like it wants to go quicker, and one thing is for sure: it doesn’t like being stood in traffic!”

For around three years, Tony and Tracy enjoyed riding the scooter together before disaster struck, when the pair were involved in an accident that caused serious damage to the front end of the scooter and artwork. After investing so much time, money, and emotion into the project, Tony nearly gave up on it completely. “I was ready to throw in the towel,” he admitted, and this is where the story takes another important turn. After hearing what Tony was saying, Tracy sat down with him and reassured him that rebuilding the scooter and getting it back to its former glory, rather than letting the project disappear, was the best thing to do.

Tony agreed, and so, to fund the rebuild, he sold a large part of his specialist record collection before sourcing a replacement frame. The responsibility for the artwork was returned to Sam at A.P. Customs, and Aubrey from Dark Arc Engineering produced a set of new forks, and slowly the scooter started to come back together once more.

Never say die…

Sons of Valhalla is a custom scooter with a genuine theme, because it comes directly from Tony and Tracy’s own involvement with Viking culture and re-enactment. This reflects creativity and shows what can happen when a project is built with patience, personal meaning, and the right people around you.

Like the Viking stories that inspired it, Sons of Valhalla has survived setbacks, evolved, and returned stronger and better. Alongside that, Viking history itself is layered with journeys, battles, setbacks, and rebuilding, and the development of Sons of Valhalla followed a similar path.

Words & Photos: Stu Smith

Owners and machine

Name: Tony and Tracy Wilbraham.

Scooter club & town: Solo riders, York.

First scooter: A Lambretta SX150, which I got in 1978.

Most memorable rally: Scarborough 1978, and I rode there on my SX150 when I was 13 years old. When we got there, a pal and I ended up sleeping under the fish baskets in the harbour. We stunk, and all the rest of the lads had bed and breakfasts or tents.

Name of scooter: Sons of Valhalla.

Scooter model: Vespa T5 Classic.

Kit: 210 Malossi.

Crank: Pinasco competition.

Carb: Polini.

Exhaust: SIP – Road 3.

Clutch: Cosa.

Gearbox: Custom to suit the engine set-up.

Brakes: Front: Lambretta drum. Rear: Standard.

Suspension: Front: Standard Lambretta with dampers. Rear: Standard shocker.

Paintwork by: Sam, A.P. Customs.

Engraving: George Sharman, Isle of Wight.

Chrome: Karl Russell, Quality Chrome, Hull.

Powder Coating: Raw Wheels, York.

Seat: Gordon Brown, Acomb, York.

Specialised Parts: Custom-themed driver screen and flywheel cover, custom-themed rear brake pedal and kick-start plate, both fabricated from belt buckles by Tom at Flaxton Forge, York, who also made the rear twisted backrest and carrier, and Viking knot-work footplates by Keith Newman at K2 Customs.

Thanks to: Sam for the paint and artwork; Tom for his fabrication work; Keith Newman for the themed custom parts, George Sharman for the engraving, Aubrey for the forks, Karl at Quality Chrome for the chrome-work, Raw Wheels for the powder coating, Gordon Brown for the custom seat, and Chiselspeed for the engine. I’d also like to thank Al Nicko, Kev Richo, and Mark Richo for taking me under their wing when I was 13 years old, letting me ride with them, and letting me become a member of the Bootham Tavern S.C. when I was just 13 years old.