The Ride: Separadora De Pelo Rojo

Mark M became the owner of a white, Spanish made m TX200 back in 2005, parting with, even e then, a very reasonable sum of £600 in i return. Not being a driver of four-wheeled vehicles, v Mark affixed a sidecar to the TX, as a he did with a few scooters he's previously owned o as well as one of his other current scooters, s Pablo. Next, he treated the combo to a coat or three of army paint, finishing off with some signwriting carried out by a mate. Having a quick read of Mark's amusing owner details will reveal why riding a scooter with a sidecar is generally a good option for his riding style! Also, it gives a bit of an idea of just how many scooters he has owned, as well as a few of many mishaps he's experienced while riding. After riding the TX and sidecar outfit for some time, he moved it on to fellow Guernsey scooterist, Pete Sylvester. The sidecar was removed, as was the TX engine, which Pete discovered was in a typically used, very much abused condition that many scooter engines end up in after Mark has been riding them for any length of time. Army paint was removed from the frame, forks and panels, which were then stripped down to bare metal.

Unbeknown to Mark, Pete had an idea in mind, with Mark's steampunk leanings foremost in his thoughts. While the frame and fittings, after the odd dent and dint were filled and smoothed, were left al fresco, exposed to the salty island atmosphere, Pete refurbished a 200 engine fitted with a Malossi 210 top end and popped it in the reassembled frame, after all of the fixtures and fittings had been given three coats of clear lacquer over the natural patina, vreeble-esque surfaces. Final touches included adding a bit of ‘artwork', some of which are laser-cut bespoke stickers for this particular Vespa. “Pete invited me to have a look once it was built and running. He'd done it with me, as Le Crowman, in mind; he got it absolutely right too. I bought my old scooter back, and then I added a couple of trumpets mounted on a back-rack for my own amusement and to put my own stamp on it. Rusty the Spanish Stripper was (re)born. Starts first kick every time, handles like a dream, pulls nicely through the gears, and is very reliable too, which is everything I could ask for or want from any of my scooters.”