Feature Scooter: Feeling Blue
Taking on an unfinished project can be a challenge – but Keith Newman’s latest creation shows the result can be well worth the effort.
Taking on an unfinished project can be a challenge but Keith Newman’s latest creation shows the result can be well worth the effort.
The story of this stunning chopper is a familiar one. Like so many of us the owner, Will Aitken, has roots in the 1980s scooter scene. He owned, rode, crashed and otherwise destroyed more scooters than he cares to recall before ‘real life’ intervened. For Will, it was a career in the licensed trade that took up his time and energies. However, scooterists and alcohol are a match made in heaven and inevitably Will found himself managing a pub frequented by the local scooter club, namely the Chesterfield Spirals.
The bug bites
The purchase of an LML marked his return to the fold but Will’s interests have always leant towards extreme engineering. Predictably it wasn’t long before another scooter landed in the garage, in this case Pretty Green, a cutdown from the stable of Keith Newman. Although he’s best known for his range of accessories, Keith is also an avid and extremely competent builder in his own right. Selling Pretty Green to Will was the start of a productive relationship, of which K2 Blue is the result. In late 2018 Will became aware of an unfinished chopper project that was being offered for sale in Loughborough. “The frame had come from a 1959 LI and to be honest wasn’t exactly what I was looking for,” explained Will. “However, it was fairly complete and as the price was right I decided it had potential.” At first the project made good progress and the engine received the careful attentions of Trev Emerton at Beverly Lambretta Engine Rebuilds (BLER). Despite the promising start the project soon ground to a halt until Christmas 2018 when, over a pint or two, Will persuaded Keith to take on the project. As Keith explained, the initial brief was straightforward. “The idea was to make it fit Will’s body shape, add a little K2 style and get it on the road. The moment I saw the pile of parts that Will unceremoniously dumped in my back garden I knew we were in for the long haul!” While waiting for a slot in Keith’s diary, the project moved from shed to garage and back again. During this time it wasn’t forgotten; Keith was using the time wisely, planning how to tackle the necessary work.
New tricks
To the uninitiated, building a chopper seems straightforward – break out the angle grinder, weld in a few inches to the forks and the job’s done. The truth is that building a good chopper is more akin to tailoring a fine suit, as to work well not only must it look good but it also has to be built around the rider. “I’d never built a chopper before and it took a while to get
The forks sold with the project were set to one side and replaced with a set taken from a KTM Motocrosser. These were fully rebuilt and re-pressurised, a quick ride having revealed that they possessed all the qualities of a pogo stick!
my head round the project,” said Keith. “Most of the obstacles it presented were due to choices made by the original owner, notably the frame’s geometry and his choice of forks. Just to make it fit Will’s body and make it rideable the tank and seat had to be moved, while the bars were lifted and shifted backwards a few inches. The foot controls were moved down six inches and forward five inches, so in all it was quite a challenge.” The forks sold with the project were set to one side and replaced with a set taken from a KTM Motocrosser. These were fully rebuilt and re-pressurised, a quick ride having revealed that they possessed all the qualities of a pogo stick! With the frame and suspension structure finalised, Keith turned his attention to the finer details, unsurprisingly his favourite part of a build. “Once the basics had taken shape the project became a lot more interesting,” he said. “I relished the chance to use a bit of imagination and let the creative juices flow a little. Nothing was particularly planned, it just flowed and evolved in the way I like to work.” As is to be expected, a host of components from the K2 stable adorn the chopper but these are mixed
with parts sourced on Keith’s many trips to the US. A favourite of both Keith and Will is the oil carrier bottle which has been moulded into the rear of the frame. This was made from the petrol tank of an old JAP lawnmower. Other detail touches include a custom halogen headlight and old Wipac British bike light sat above the side-mounted registration plate.
Fresh blood
If the chopper’s construction has been well executed, the paint is simply stunning. Although the frame mouldin ng and base coats were applied by Dan Windle of WRC Auto Bodies Whitwell, incredibly the top coat is the work of a complete newcomer. In fact it’s his first ever completed piece of work. The responsible artist is Chris Bell from Darlington and, as Keith explained, it was an opportunity to work on something other than playing about with old panels that would never be used. “We had a few conversations about my ideas and I sent him some
GGoogle iimages off 191970s0 scallop work that I liked. Other than specifying a silver and blue scheme, the execution was entirely down to him.” There’s no doubt that the finished paint is stunning and that Chris has a bright future in the world of custom paint. While all this creativity was coming together the engine waited patiently to play its part. Although Trev at BLER may be a relative newcomer to the world of Lambretta engine builders he’s quickly gaining a reputation for solid, affordable work. For the chopper he brought together a 186cc Mugello that runs on a race crank with a
good old-fashioned, open-mouthed 30mm Dell’Orto and DJ-style pipe.
Trophy taker
It’s fair to say that when the project began Will never imagined that it would take so long to realise. The result however has been well worth the wait, a view that’s already been shared by custom show judges. The coming season will see plenty of opportunity to catch up with K2 Blue as Will intends to both ride and exhibit his pride and joy at events up and down the country. Many shy away from partially completed projects but K2 Blue shows that there’s often a diamond waiting in the rough. It just takes vision and a trust in masters of their craft to realise the beauty within.
Words: Stan Photographs: Gary Chapman