In next month’s issue: For many, the month of November is one of reflection and remembrance. Our cover star is a show winner for many reasons, but at heart chronicles one family’s sacrifices both in peace and at war. From commemorations to celebratio

The roots of this build go back several decades, when nine-year-old Chris Hunt was given a model JPS F1 car as a Christmas present. Like many boys of that era, the black and gold scheme enthralled him and although he didn’t know it at the time, it wo

As exhibitors and punters gathered in the marquee at Sandown Airport to hear this year’s trophy winners, some may have noticed a group with far-flung accents. This was Suki Stockham and her family, most having made the trip from California for the oc

Alpinestars needs no introduction to most riders and its Hurricane V2 range offers several options from a full suit to separate jacket and trousers. The manufacturer’s description lists them as 100% waterproof with inner mesh pockets, Velcro adjustme

This year is the 9th Oddballs; it has firmly established itself on the annual scootering calendar. The winning formula has evolved over the nine years, with slight tweaks based on feedback and practicalities, the majority of which both improve and en

Although I’d heard of his collection, I didn’t know ‘Mr Vespa’ until I approached him to see if he’d be willing to feature in my book project. His reply was quick, and friendly: “I’m in! When are you coming to Munich?” Two weeks later, I was on my wa

After hearing about a neglected GP project that might be for sale, Rick Ellis went to have a look at it and was delighted at what he found. We asked Stu Smith to find out more. What was your first scooter and how did you first become interested in t

I’ve spent a reasonable amount of time on electric machines over the last few years. I’ve ridden the expensive stuff, I’ve ridden the cheaper stuff, and generally I’ve been pretty impressed. Yet, I’ve heard a lot of negative comments from ageing moto

The 1970s was a difficult decade for the two leading established scooter manufacturers. In 1971, the Lambretta would all but disappear, leaving Vespa to represent the Italian scooter industry in a highly competitive marketplace. The two major Italian

We’ve divided the market first by capacity, and then alphabetically within each category. We can’t possibly give values for every classic scooter, there are far too many variables for that, but we have included data for three of the most common machi

The Trac Mons circuit is probably the most spectacularly picturesque venue that BSSO visits, and the sunshine made it a great weekend of racing. Being coastal, Trac Mons can tend to be either storms or sunshine, but this weekend saw both sunburn and

My original plan for the S2 Lambretta was to get all the chassis items (cables, loom, brakes, tyres, suspension, etc) all upgraded, and then crack on with a full engine rebuild. As part of that, we opted to do a little ‘bang for buck’ interlude betwe

In this month’s news section there’s what appears to be a fairly innocuous statement by BSRA announcing the National Rally dates for 2025. For so long as any of us can remember these have been announced at the end of the season, so what difference do

It was back in 1958 that Ron Daley turned his part-time job of repairing motorcycles into a full-time career and for most of the intervening years this family business has held a Vespa franchise. In recent years it’s become well known as a PX special

This was the main event of the anniversary year for the VVC, so it was important that we selected the best and most experienced rally organisers that were available. As none were, this task, as usual, defaulted to Rich Vickery, who along with his wif

Admittedly, the last few jobs on the Vespa haven’t shown much visual progress to motivate us. Bleeding the front brake and fitting some floor runners are essential but somewhat boring jobs. They take a while to do as they are fiddly tasks, so I’m gla

Many of us may know the name of Paul Diamond, and even know or count this character of the classic scooter world as a friend. He proudly enjoys dressing up in period attire to match whatever classic vehicle he has decided to use on any given day, and

By 1985, the scooter rally scene was reaching its peak, with thousands of owners from across the country being gripped by the custom scene that came with it. Anything from full-blown muraled works of art to hacksawed cutdowns were the only way forwar

It doesn’t matter how much preparation and planning goes into making a rally happen, the weather always gets a vote in how the weekend unfolds. As Stu and I pulled our van containing the Scootering stall on to the ferry in Portsmouth it became obviou