Ben
This one must have been taken in around 1978 or 1979. It’s a Honda C90 that my dad used for commuting to work at the British Steel works in Port Talbot. I can remember the day it was delivered and two guys lifted it from the back of a flat bed lorry. Something must have stuck as during owning a long list of mopeds and motorbikes I traded a Honda CG125 for a C90 around about 1990. It ran well and I finally sold it to Richard Saunders to raise funds to buy the red Vespa PX from Ben Hapgood.
On the GP cutdown in the summer of 2000. This is a long story but Joe and I rode down to Tenby for the scooter rally, him on the red PX and me on my blue ET4. We got really drunk in the disco on the friday night and somehow I lost the keys to the ET4. In the end the AA “recovered” it back to London, where I had a spare key at Ians. Whilst negociating with the AA a guy on the next stall suggested as a joke that I buy this Lambretta from him to get home on. In a weird Hunter S. Thompson way it seemed like the perfect gonzo thing to do.
So I got the cash out with my credit card and bought it! Everyone standing around was pretty impressed and I even had an offer to swap it for a new but seized PX. It starting raining really heavily on Saturday afternoon and the tent blew down so we decided to come home. On the way back the exhaust fell off the Lambo and we couldn’t find the nuts on the road to bolt it back on. I called out the AA again! They weren’t happy about me having two vehicles in the system at the same time but they finally bought my story and sent a recovery van. Then Joe admitted that he didn’t know the way home so he pretended to be me and went home in the AA van with the Lambo and I rode the PX home on my own in the rain.
We tinkered a lot with the GP over the next few days and then I headed back to London and it went into dads shed. I thought it would only be there a couple of weeks but it ended up being in there for six years!
Johan and I hired a van in 2006 and brought it over to Belgium (taking the ET4 to Brighton for James in the same trip). I got it registered with a Belgian plate and now it’s legal and on the road. It went into ScooterMarket to have an electronic ignition fitted and now it’s runs really well.
I fitted a front disk brake and racing exhaust from ScootRS. My first go at welding for the damper brackets on the front forks.
This Lambretta Li125 was being sold in an advert on internet forum of the Belgian Lambretta Owners club by a lady who has just got divorced. Very much like the scene from “High Fidelity” when he goes to buy the ex husbands record collection. She confessed that she was so desperate to clear the garage of her ex’s stuff that a week later I could have had it for free.
Like the GP it had ignition problems so this one also went to ScooterMarket to have an electronic ignition fitted, they also changed the clutch. It’s such a joy to ride, I put front dampers on as it’s a bit hairy without them. Other than that it’s pretty much standard. Loads of patina and bags of style.
Joe
My nephew Joe with his red PX. Joe has always been into scotoers and at one point he had a Lambretta which he gave to Robert Deeble. Joe was working in the sweet factory in Bridgend and having trouble getting to work so I gave him the red Vespa PX which wasn’t doing much. At the time I was living in Reading so Joe and Jane came up to get it and after a great sunny sunday afternoon outside the pub we lifted it into the back of her Volvo on it’s side.
He loved it and upgraded a lot of the wiring loom and added his own special touches. Then he changed jobs and didn’t need the scooter any more so it got a bit reglected. It lived out the end of it’s days in my sisters back garden before going to the dump. Joe got me a model red PX and gave me back the number plate to say thank you. A fitting end for a cool machine.
Leon
My nephew Leon on his beloved T5. Compare that cool denim jacket with his dads below. Style must run in the Lewis family.
Jon
My brother Jonathan looking cool on his Fantic circa 1976. The story goes that he missed the last HP payment on this bike and got dad into a bit of trouble. He’s always been something of a mod, into soul and sharp clothes.
Jon on his Vespa and still looking cool. 1972 Vespa Sprint
Derek
Uncle Derek and his brother Trevor on Dereks LD150, circa 1959. Derek played trumpet in a jazz band. He seems to have played all the coolest places, including the famous Eel Pie Hotel.
Cousin Nick on the same scoot
James
My nephew James showing early signs of scooter fanatsism circa 1992.
James had a Peugeot Rally replica 50 for a while, modeled here by Gran (with ET4 just visible in the background).
He’s currently the owner of my old blue Vespa ET4.
James has the biggest collection of model scooters I’ve seen.
Martin
My brother in law Martin is the original Brighton mod, a one man mod revival.
The photo captions are his
“GP 150 after prang in Lewes High Street”
“Me in Parka in Cranleigh visiting a mate’s house circa 1979″
“Scooter Rally on Brighton Seafront circa 1979 – my scooter is the white
one parked in middle”
“Going for a walk on Brighton Beach, accompanied by the Old Bill.”
Neil
No pictures yet but I’m sure my sister mentioned that my brother in law Neil had a Lambretta in the seventies.
Nancy
Showing extremely early signs of scooter addiction
