Harry Palmer

I’ve finally got the engine I’ve been building since last year into the Lambretta.

It’s now 186cc with racing carb and Ancillotti exhaust. It appears to run well although there is some drag from the new clutch plates. The new engine is just amazing, like riding a Ducati after riding with the standard engine for so long. There’s a wonderful slurpy noise from the Del’Orto 26mm carb and the kick of acceleration is so much fun.

I’ve already started stripping the old engine with a plan to rebuild it and put it in the other scoot (the GP cutdown thats in France at Estelles parents). Hopefully I’ll be a bit quicker with the next rebuild. As Fred Dibnah said of traction engines “15 years for the first one, I reckon I can do the second in 5″!

Had a magical day here last Saturday. I got my tool kit and bottle of two stroke oil together and headed across town to meet up for a scooter ride out at 11:30.

By the time we got there there were about 150 scooters in total. Just enough time for a small beer there and we were off.

I’ve never explored that part of the country, even though it’s only a few miles to the west of Brussels it feels very different. Our first stop was at a tiny road side bar which looked almost medieval. There the organisers had laid on free beer (well almost free, you paid a fiver flat fee for a much as you wanted all day) and food and everyone spent the time catching up with friends and inspecting latest purchases and modifications. The whole group moved on again and we did another lazy twenty miles before stopping again at another country cafe with the same setup at the bar. They had chosen really old fashioned places with genuine flemish doddery old ladies behind the bar!

I had to leave after that stop and head home as I didn’t want to leave Estelle on her own for too long with the kids. Everyone else rode back to the park where there was a disco and concert laid on with camping for those willing to brave the chilly night. It’s quite amazing weather here at the moment. Crystal clear skys and warm enough for a t-shirt in the day but very cold at night.

That’s Matt with the silk scarf, a guy I only met in the spring but we’ve done several rides together now (plus he works for Guinness!). You can see how good the weather was.

These people asked if they could take a picture of me!

Brussels scooter boys (imported Fred Perry and cigarillos de-riguer), I bought the old/new engine last year from Jean, the guy in the right.