Retrospective

Chris Miller, owner of Crucial Brew, had yet to finish his latest scooter project when he was taken all too early; so his friend Shane Barrow has picked up the mantle and completed the mission in a manner that I think would have pleased Buster.

In memory of Chris Miller, owner of Crucial Brew, friend Shane Barrow brings this unfinished project to life.

Tastefully done, Crucial Brew was one of the best race styled scooters on the road at the time. So after the passing of Chris ‘Buster’ Miller, rather than having the new project get covered in dust and be forgotten, a while after Chris passed, friend Shane Barrow made tentative enquiries about the scooter, with a view to finishing it as a tribute. With great generosity, Buster’s family allowed Shane to finish the project using parts that had been collected, either with the

project in mind, or just hoarded in the manner most of us do.

One big (dare I say crucial) difference between this scooter and Crucial Brew lies in the chassis used. Whereas the original used a traditional small frame, Retrospective is based on its successor, the PK. Not much loved at the time, they’re still one of the ugliest machines to come out of the Vespa stable… in my opinion, or at least they are until little Miss Bike Tank comes along to brighten things up, as she did on the original.

Taking most of its lines from Buster’s creation, this updated version is a tribute to both the scooter and the man himself, with the back of the legshields illustrated with a series of images showing the build of the small frame. Unusually, these pictures aren’t airbrushed on, but are of the form of transfers that anyone familiar with Airfix models in their childhood would remember. Sadly, I forgot to ask if he had problems with them folding over and sticking to themselves, falling on the floor and all the other problems keen 11-year-old modellers will be familiar with...

On the tank lies the name of the scooter – Retrospective – and a pair of definitions that explain the doubly appropriate choice for this scooter; the act of looking back, and the evolution of an artist’s work. The paint itself was applied by Air FX, the deeply shimmering carmine contrasting nicely with the gold band across the front and rear, colours that are also picked up on the handlebar yoke. The same company modified the Lambretta horn cover to match the legshields, having done such a good job that I wasn’t initially sure that the entire front end hadn’t actually started life on Innocenti’s last full scooter before being transplanted onto the Vespa!

Complementing the aggressive front end, with it’s nice and tight drop bars and fuel tank from a Kawasaki AR50 mounted atop a set of modified GP forks, is a one-off racing seat with Aprilia RSVoriginated tail-lights suspended below, giving an almost Sixties ‘ton up boy’ feel to the whole scooter with its fast, flowing lines.

Naturally, to go with the styling, a suitable engine is required. The DR135 is a kit that has been around for a long time now, and has proven its worth, so was pressed into service, along with a PM Evo and a 24mm Dellorto. A combination which should make for a comfortably quick engine, but not one likely to grenade itself at any time.

Looking back, I think that Shane has created a scooter that Buster would have been proud of, but has taken it his own way in places. A good reliable motor in a fast-looking chassis. What’s not to like?

Nik