Bargain Hunt
A trio of beautiful yet affordable Lambretta scooters.
Most of us have a list of ‘must own' machines and at first glance, it seems that Gary’s ticked off several of these with his GP Electronic, Series 2 LI and an SX200 – but all is not quite what it seems. Best known for his Stone Roses custom GP, Gary’s certainly no stranger to expensive projects. “If you want to enter concours events then you need deep pockets,” he says, “but something classy to ride can be built for less money than you’d imagine.”
Step One: Free your mind
It’s over 40 years since an Italian Lambretta rolled off the assembly line and around 20 years since production ended in India. There are very few ‘thoroughbred’ machines still in existence, particularly ones in regular use, yet the Indian v Italian v Spanish discussion continues to roll on. If you can escape from this debate and suddenly a world of opportunity opens up. Gary’s main advice is that there’s nothing wrong with genuine SIL (Scooters India Limited) parts but in order to avoid cheap copies they should always be sourced from a reputable dealer: “All my builds use Indian components including casings, gearboxes, crank and flywheels. I’ve used Scooter Restorations for years as their prices and quality are hard to beat.”
The same applies to frames. “There’s an obsession with Italian frames but there are still good examples from Spain and India available at reasonable prices,” said Gary. His common sense approach is difficult to
There’s an obsession with Italian frames but there are still good examples from Spain and India available at reasonable prices
argue with as long as there’s no intent to deceive. Just remember that when offered a cheap frame that the cost of small items can quickly mount up. Unless you’ve got a stock of spares in the garage buying a complete scooter, however rough, is often cheaper in the long run. As the saying goes, ‘You pay your money and take your chance.’
Step Two: Fleet management
According to Gary, the second key to success is finding a formula that works and sticking with it. “All the engines I build are basically the same. I could get more power out of them but that stresses components. By keeping revs low it reduces wear and increases reliability as they’re built to ride not race.”
With slight variations, Gary’s recipe for engine happiness is a TS1 225 kit turning on a SIL crankshaft with a RB rod kit. Fuel is fed via a 34mm Dellorto VHSB carb mounted on a MB manifold and gases are expelled via Saigon Scooter Centre’s version of the old Taffspeed expansion chamber. Once casings are matched to the barrel all the top end components are fitted straight out of the box.
Sparks are provided by a SIL electronic ignition. However, Gary rebuilds the stator, welds the boss and lightens the flywheel. A SIL GP200 gearbox with 19/46 sprockets mated to a four-plate Surflex B clutch fitted with MB springs completes the package.
Gary explains this standardisation has several benefits, not least of which is ease of maintenance: “I ride all my machines so if one has a problem I know that the others won’t be far behind.” A recent example of this was a worn carburettor slide. “Vibration had caused damage to the slide on my GP. While looking for a replacement I found that one supplier had them on offer. I know how many engines I’ve got out there so bought one for each. Savings like that mount up.”
Of course not everyone runs a fleet of scooters but the same principle would apply to club mates.
Step Three: Maintenance
Finally, Gary’s keen on routine maintenance. “I strip the engine down after its first 1000 miles and conduct a visual examination. Piston rings and reed valves are checked every 5000 miles.” Admittedly not everyone’s a competent mechanic but investing in a decent workshop manual, some basic tools and having a go, even if it’s just tackling simple tasks at first, can save a lot of hard earned cash. An often overlooked part of maintenance is keeping things tidy. Making sure everything is clean and straight isn’t just about appearances – giving your scooter a regular examination means any problems become obvious before they can cause more serious damage.
Still not convinced?
Purists may take issue with Gary’s approach but as classic scooters continue to rise in price few can argue that it makes sense both financially and for sheer riding pleasure. Gary’s not one for keeping receipts but a quick calculation reveals that he’s built all three of these beautiful (and reliable) machines for less than the price of a restored SX200. As the Americans would say: “You do the math.” Words: Stan Photographs: Gary Chapman