Some Vespas at the Imola fair

Waiting for the customers, on a Vespa 50 Special.

Time for some pics of Vespas at the Imola fair. This year I had no eye for the nice "oldies", maybe I had an overdose last year? And there are more of the Vespas from the 80's and the 90's for sale. The faro bassos and other 50's and 60's models are quite pricey.
Isn't "junk" fascinating? But some vendors are asking a lot for stuff in bad condition.
I also spotted a nice Cosa 200 but "forgot" to take a picture. Maybe the "not so old Vespas" are gaining a following for each year passing?
Well, I myself bought a PK 50 XL from 1987. Unfortunately I hadn't time for searching for the right white plastic accessories...
But if you went for new spare parts, Mauro Pascoli was present with a really big trailer!

At least a T5 and a PX.

Not to everyone's taste - a cutdown.

This is not paint but printed foil.

Come and get the bargains!



An old scooter from Gilera

In 1962 Gilera tried to get into the scooter business. With the model G50, pretty much a Vespa look-a-like although it had a four-stroke engine, leaning to the left hand side. In 1964 they upgraded it to a 80 cc within the same body. I don't have a clue of how rare it is.
This red one was for sale at the Imola fair last weekend. Maybe I should have bought this one instead of the more mundane Vespa PK 50 XL? Well, the availability of spares scared me...

The glass to the tail light was broken.

Ancora una volta - Imola!

Yes, I managed to get to the fair at Imola this year too. The "Imola Mostra e Scambio" was arranged 14-16 September on the Imola racetrack. About 2 000 vendors, maybe some fewer than last year.
As always a heaven for a scooter freak! Lots of Vespas and Lambrettas of course. And other italian brands. The Aermacchi Cigno below had a fake gas tank some 15 years before the Vespa SS50 and SS90.
I lay a bid on the Iso Milano, which was rejected. So I ended up with a 1987 Vespa PK 50 XL! Not one of my dream machines (compared to a Lambretta B or a SX 200 or a Vespa 98), but when I laid my eyes on it, the deal was struck. It's in working order, lights, indicators, fuel gauge (!) and brake light are also working!
That's how much I investigated it on the track. It's arriving to my home in about a week.
And it's a part of the Vespa history!
Later on there will be more blogposts, look out for a Gilera G50 and a Ducati scooter!

Very strange, an Aermacchi Cigno 125 from 1950! Fake gas tank!

A rough but nearly complete Iso Milano, Piccolo to you Swedes.



I didn't know that I was going to buy a PK 50!



Silvio sold the Vespa PK 50 XL to me.

My PK 50 XL, I think the colour is green...

The British scooters on exhibit

The DKR Defiant had Dynastart and could reach 60 mph!

Yes, I'm a fan of the english football club Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. Since I was ten years old and fell for the club logo of a wolf.

I'm not quite sure if I'm a fan of the DKR Defiant, a scooter made in Wolverhampton by the firm DKR Scooters Ltd. Their first scooter appeared in 1957, with a 150 cc big Villiers-engine (6,3 hp) and a "distinct" body.

1958 saw three DKR scooters; "Pegasus" (148 cc Villiers), "Defiant" (197 cc Villiers) and "Manx" (249 cc, twin-cylinder Villiers), with pretty much the same "distinct" body. 

In 1960 DKR launched the "Capella", with a more conventional body. But in 1966 all production ceased.

Robin Spalding is an English gentleman who cares for the scooters made in Britain. He has a collection of over 40 scooters. Among them Swallow Gadabout, Dayton Albatross, DKR Defiant, Triumph Tina and T10, Brockhouse Corgi, Phoenix, Douglas Vespa and more.

Coventry Transport Museum will feature his scooters in an exhibition that starts in November 2012 and ends in March 2013. Robin Spalding is currently also working on a book on the subject.

You can also read more about the DKR Scooters here.

Lambretta 65 year celebration

On Sunday the 7th of October there is a great celebration of the Lambretta's 65 year anniversary in Milano, "Raduno Lambretta 125m". The rideout is only open to the first Lambretta model, the M or A.
The participants gather at Vittorio Tessera's "Museo Scooter & Lambretta" in Rodano. The Lambrettiste arrives between 08.30 and 10.00. At the 10.30 they drive away to Stabilimenti Innocenti, just 10 km's away. Aperitifs will be served at the bar "Il Lambrettino". After that they'll depart to La Villa Innocenti for lunch and then it's back to Rodano.
Photos will be taken and each participant receives a memorial placque. Yeah, there will be two lorries as well, taking care of mechanical problems along the road.
But you need to have a rare Lambretta 125 m, no other Lambretta models will be allowed. Last day to register is on the 29th of September. More info here and here.

The first ever Lambretta, the 1947 125 m.

Lambretta and embellisher

Lambretta LD 150 spotted in central Stockholm yesterday.

Yesterday I was shopping for my youngest son's birthday. The Lambretta LD was parked on at street in Stockholm.

I have also checked my Lambretta embellisher, bought this spring. As you can see there is a cutting in the metal. Maybe I should have seen it before the purchase, but I was probably to excited. The cutting may have been there for making place for the registration plate up front. That indicates that the embellisher could be old and not an aftermarket product, in the old days scooters and motorcycles in Sweden had to have plates both at the front and the rear.

I found a similar mud guard embellisher for sale at Rimini Lambretta Centre, with a red instead of a blue tab. They look pretty much the same.

I have also bought a oilcloth with a Vespa pattern, one picture is from the movie "Roman Holiday"with Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and the photographer on a Vespa 125. There is also a VBB I think in different sizes. Silly? Yes! 

My embellisher, with the unfortunate cutting.

The embellisher for sale at Lambretta Rimini Centre.

The backside, the cutting clearly visible.

RLC's embellisher's backside.

A Vespa-infested oilcloth.

Another fog-lamp - Raydyot

There is always nice when these show up in pairs. This single one was found in the beginning of the summer at a Swedish veteran fair. The seller asked if it was a Marchal, and I said it wasn't, but a Raydyot. I got the impression that if it had been a Marchal, the price would have gone up...
I'm now figuring out if it will accompanying my Carello half moon lights on my Vespa 160 GS, or if it will end up as a single piece on my Lambretta TV 175.

Mods vs Rockers 2012, Sthlm

The weather forecast was accurate, Mods vs Rockers 2012 in Stockholm was dominated by rain. Or light drizzle if you prefer that expression. The Mods gathered at one end of the S:t Eriks bridge in the center of Stockholm, the Rockers at the other end. Then they met on the bridge. I didn't count, could it have been 60 or so Lambrettas and Vespas? About the same amount of motorcycles.

Then there was a rideout to Vinterviken were the Tug of War took place after lunch. Rockers got revenge after last years loss.

Next Mods and Rockers rode together to Nytorget, a square at Södermalm. The "winner" is the side with the most participants, and right now I don't know the score. Actually there was a pause in the rain, but when it began again I went home. Party later on this evening.

Two finnish guys, from USA and Italy!

At the S:t Eriksbron, waiting for the Rockers!

The blue Rally is ridden by "The Want".

Modette in the rain...

Strange ivory colour on my TV 175.

Checking the helmet with fag in place.