Series 4, 2 & 1 scooter collection

A trio of tasty Lambretta Li’s: Two bespoke customs with plenty of trick aftermarket items and one-off parts plus a rare street-custom Series 4... Gary’s lucky man.

A lucky man with only a Series 3 required for a full house.

Gary Richmond has only recently experienced long distance riding, despite a long involvement with scooters. His initial interest came via his older brother.

“My brother had an Li 150 when we were in our teens; once he passed his car test and bought a Triumph Herald I sort of inherited the Li,” he says. “Though it was always owned by him, I used it for getting about. I remember waking up one morning in the 70s looking out the window and the Li wasn’t where it had been parked up.

“It had been nicked! I rang my brother to let him know and his reply was ‘it looks like you’ll be getting the bus to work then’. Like many others, Quadrophenia was a big influence on me. Though I’d been riding my brother’s Li before then, it’s still one of my all-time favourite films. I've always been into the scene, but getting hitched, having kids and buying a house make it hard.

“Six or seven years ago I was down in Camden and a load of scooters went past, that was when I decided it was time I got one. I was initially expecting to pay around £1500, but after looking for a while I decided I definitely wouldn’t go over £2000, and then later perhaps £2500. In the end I paid £2800 for a green Li 125 Series 3. I bought it off a lad from Leeds Crusaders Scooter Club about five years ago now. It was absolutely spot on, never missed a beat the whole time I had it. My very first rally was Santa Pod 2013, then the Isle of Wight the same year.

“I’ve ridden to that rally every year since. I did the Guernsey rally early(ish) 2016, which was the first time out on my Custom Lambretta (Milan) Series 2. I’d say for certain, without any question its vintage Italian Lambrettas that are my passion. I got the Series 4 from off someone in Manchester via eBay and I had both my Series 2 and Series 1 built in Italy. I'm currently working on a deal that should result in me getting another Series 3 Li as well, then I’ll have a full set of Li Lammies to choose from – Series 1, 2, 3 and 4!”