OWNER DETAILS
Owner’s name: Chris Macnamara (Chris Mac) Job: Managing director of www.TheBrogueTrader.comm Scooter club and town: Cardiff. How and when did you first become interested in scooters: 1985 – just a young Mod at the youth club, it was fashionable & cool as a lad to be involved in our local scene but a year later I got my first scooter. First scooter: Vespa 90 3-speed. Favourite scooter model: Vespa Rally 200 – pure class. Favourite style of custom scooter: Street racer or understated, not in slightest bit interested in engraving and murals. First rally or event: First rally Porthcawl 1986. Any stories: Paul Aktins Vespa chop in 1989 with fuel pouring out over his leg from the tankk between the seat and headset on the way to Margate, he wrapped a sleeping bag around it to temper the flow... you guessed it... it all caught on fire somewhere on the M25, I was behind him two up trying to catch him up to lett him know about the 2ft flames behind him! Favourite and worst rally/event: More recently Paddy Smith’s rally, pretty chilled out with lovely people but back in the day it has got to be Margate. The worst for me has got to be Skegness 1990, in that shitty stock car track, it was snowing and freezing cold, police road blocks stopping all the scooters going into townn and only a pokey club house to entertain yourself... not a good rally memory. Funniest experience with a scooter: Got stuck in a side car bolted to a Rally 200. The rider had it on full lock going around in circles spinning, he was going pretty slowly and it all looked pretty safe, so I jumped in and then the rider whacked the throttle open and jumped off, I was bloody stuck in the sidecar with it spinningg for about 10 minutes at 20mph and I couldn’t get out... I puked everywhere and felt so sick... Furthest ridden on a scooter: Cardiff to Crotia and back via southern Italy and France, 17 days away, 3500 miles, loved every minute of it. What do you like about rallies/events: I love meeting old friends who I haven’t seen for a while. You can just chat for hours and catch upp on each others’ lives. What do you dislike about rallies/ events: I’ve always hated camping. I can’t stand carrying all the luggage and bits and pieces you need. I’m not a fan of autos and mirrors either, that wholee comedy Mod thing isn’t for me.
Favourite Scootering feature: Into the Sunset, real stories written by real people. Favourite custom/featured scooter of all time: I think it must be the Lambretta ‘Spirit Walker’ I know I’m contradicting myself by stating I don’t like murals and engraving, but this scoot came out when I was at school and I remember seeing it in Scootering and thinking ‘Wow!’ Most useless part you’ve bought for one of your scooters: I bought a Lambretta kickstart from eBay in 1997 for my GP TSI, after weeks of waiting it arrived, I popped it on and kicked the scooter over for the first time and all the splines just ground away, utter shite.