!&I came across another nice Lambretta blog the other day which is worth a look – Riding Lola is “The Adventures of a 1963 Lambretta TV175 and her current owner”. But the TV is actually Lola 2… Lola 1 was a LD150. The owner, Glen is from Dallas Texas… and his blog features one of the best Lambretta images I’ve seen for a while, Lola next to one of my favourite three-wheelers… the Bond Bug In fact it’s my favourite bike car combo for a while, although it doesn’t ‘match’ the bug quite as well as a Quasar…
I love the old fella in the shot too… in fact, it could be my grandad… he’s wearing the exact gear my grandad used to… the exact trilby hat and car coat!

Here are some shots of Lola (1) after being restored by Glen. The Dallas skyline makes a nice backdrop…

These little beauties come up occasionally on eBay, and I always think they’s make the perfect gift for any Lambretta enthusiast. They were originally a promotional items for Lambretta clothing stores. I think it’s a real headturner… and in fact the head does turn from left to right. This one started at £20, and it’s already up to over £100, with 9 days to go. Here’s the ebay link.

Anybody who attended a scooter rally in the 80’s or 90’s will know the name Tony Class. A larger than life character who loved the scene, the music and the scooters, Tony was one of the few who kept the scene going through difficult times. He sadly lost his battle with illness last month. Scootering magazine has written a piece here.

My condolences to his family and many friends.

These videos are worth a watch too.

RIP Tony.

Didier, or to give him his full appellation “Lord Didier Coquoz” sent me this pic via the blog’s Facebook page. He’s astride his ’66 150 Special, and particularly proud of his original 1960’s helmet, hand painted by himself “when he was a kid, a couple of weeks ago!” You may spot that he is Swiss. That scooter (restored by lambrettista.ch) looks worthy of a few close ups!

I’ve never met Didier, but I already  know he enjoys a laugh. If I’m ever in Switzerland, I’d love to share a Toblerone with him!

Apparently, the Ottawa Curd Vintage Scooter Rally is not to be missed… CURD? Yep. You Heard. CURD. So I thought, what’s that all about, must be an acronym for something. Canadian Urban Riders Day or something. Nope. It stands for CURD.  The squeaky cheese stuff. Now I’m partial to a spot of cheese myself… and Curd is the key ingredient in Poutine …a French Canadian dish made from french fries, gravy and cheese curd. Sounds like perfect rally fodder.

There will be Poutine a plenty, drinks, camping, games, friendship and some great group rides.

Check out these pics from last years event.

One of the movers and shakers, and key sponsors of the CURD Rally is Corey Fraser, one of my readers who puts me right when my limited knowledge lets me down. He’s owned and ridden Lambrettas (and those other scooters …the ones starting with V) for over 25 years, and…

Looks fun!
More details on the Lambretta Thailand Facebook Page

Friday night is scooter night at the Parkway (Orin O’Neill photos)

Folks in the PNW often refer to this time of year as “Juneuary,” because it’s usually cool and drizzly. Such has not been the case this year.

One of my readers, Rod got in touch from Western Australia yesterday, very excited about a scooter that had turned up in a shed where it had sat, unmolested for the last 35 years. It’s a Model F, The F is a pretty rare sight these days… I think by the time it was being produced in ’53 to ’54 the panelled LD was becoming the dominant Lambretta model, and they were of course also still selling the latest incarnation of the D model, one of Lambretta’s most successful models to date.

Something in the back of my mind tells me the E’s and F’s were more successful as the front end of Lambretta’s commercial range… but my knowledge of these vehicles is almost non-existent, so maybe you could enlighten me if you know more!

 Anyway, back to Rod’s F. He managed to pic it up for A$350. As you…

When I originally posted about Rod’s Western Australian Barn Find of a rare Model “F”, one of my eagle-eyed readers queried whether I’d made a mistake in classifying it as a F, as the forks didn’t have the distinctive ‘swept back’ look of the E’s and F’s. Check out the image above to see what I mean.

Well, you can write what I know about these early models on the back of a postage stamp… so I went back and queried it with Rod, who patiently sent me back pics of the frame and engine numbers both confirming it’s F status. Very weird. Was this some Aussie import F with D type forks? The explanation is a little simpler.

The Model F was based on the Model E… the E being a rethinking of the open frame Lambretta, with economy at it’s heart. It was stripped down, and the cheapest Lambretta…

Regualr readers will know I like a Davida helmet. And I was a big fan of their “Cosmic Candy” range… which I thought would set off a 70’s style skelly to a tee… Well, now you’ve got even more choice from the Birkinhead helmet artisans. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… I present metalflake!

I can do no better than quote from their press release… “The attention to detail, the depth of light and colour: the visual effect of the results is stunning. Davida helmets feel wonderfully luxurious and protective given their snug fitting and leather-lined construction and are well proven for all types of riding adventures.”

Pricewise, they’re not the cheapest helmets on the market, but quality never is is, is it? And the one thing you don’t want to be scrimping on is a bash hat. Davida Jet & Ninety2 RRP £378. Davida Speedster RRP £365 + VAT

With…

It was a perfect spring day to ride the 2015 Vespa Primavera (Orin O’Neill photos)

LYNNWOOD, WASH.?There has been considerable gnashing of teeth and rending of garments on scooter forums about the 2015 Vespa Primavera in no way resembling the 1968-74 smallframe.

Um, that’s a good thing.

It was Victoria Day weekend in Canada… you know what that means (Capital City Scooter Club photos)

Things are winding down in Victoria, B.C.; the 30th edition of the annual Victoria Day weekend scooter rally saw unexpected sunshine and the streets of British Columbia’s capital were filled with scooters (and scooterists) from all over Canada and the U.S.

A little digging led me to discover this great video on YouTube…

…and a fantastic article on the ever excellent Team S Equipe blog, here.

Joshua Donow photo

I’ve touched on this before, but in case you missed it, Joshua Donow of Ann Arbor, Mich. shows how you can fit not one, but two scooters into the cargo area of a Honda Element. You’re welcome.