The golden era of scootering…
The scooter scene is made up of so many different elements that they all go through periods of ‘greatness’, but which era was the goldeng one?
These days most of us tend to look back on ‘what has been’, rather than looking forwards to ‘what will be’, gripped by the nostalgia of the so-called ‘golden era of scootering’, but what (or when) was that era?
If you go back to the days of Lambretta and Vespa production in the 1950s, that was certainly the golden era – but of scooter sales. We can all look fondly at an old shop picture, with hundreds of machines lined up outside and a showroom full of signs, spares and god knows what else. The reality is it was a common sight in towns and cities across the nation so back then it didn’t mean as much as it did to us reminiscing about it now. The huge clubs and rallies it all helped create were, I’m sure, great to be part of, and if you speak to people who were there, they will tell you exactly that.
So, the golden era may have been in the 1950s in one respect, but the thing is, it didn’t stop there. By the 1960s the Mod movement inherited the scooter as a mode of transport and we all know how that turned out, again those who were there will tell you how good it was. As that scene died out, the sporting side of scootering began to take over as the early days of racing took hold, again a great period in scooter history. Now here’s the thing: these two eras may stake claim to be the golden era of scootering but there is an argument to prove that may not be so. We all know about the Mod revival in 1979 and that was huge. It may not have lasted long but those who were there will tell you it was the best time. Scooter racing on the other hand grew much bigger in the 1980s and by the mid to late period of that decade was at its biggest with some of the best tuners and racers ever to grace a scooter.
What it proves is, although you may think the best times were way back before most of us can remember, the reality is that isn’t necessarily so. The scooter scene has this uncanny knack of creating new heights within it. Even when we think every avenue has been explored something new sparks interest and becomes the latest candidate for the greatest period in its history. The 1980s were definitely the halcyon period of the scooter rally, and running alongside it was the explosion of custom scooters. No one can have foreseen it would happen like that and while it now might be confined to the history books, there were parts of it that actually had greater times ahead. The Isle of Wight scooter rally became bigger much later on, reaching a peak in the early 2000s – was that arguably the best period of rallies? The same can be said of the custom scene and though there isn’t the volume like there was back in the 1980s they still appear every year. Many of the creations have gone way beyond what was thought imaginable since that time.
Last but not least is scooter tuning, the reason being that this part of the scene is the one which has periods of ‘greatness’ more than any. While it may have been good in the early days, we were certainly spoiled in the 1980s with the stage six engine and the TS1. Scooter tuning seems knows no boundaries and has continued to keep delivering ever since. It doesn’t matter whether it’s for the Vespa or Lambretta – it seems just as a height is reached, it then goes on to something even greater. In my opinion with all the kits, products and continued development the golden era of scooter tuning has been happening for some time and we are right in the middle of it now.
For that reason alone perhaps, we don’t actually realise when things are so great. If scooter tuning was to stop with immediate effect, then we would look back and say that’s when it was at its best. We are living through that period now but don’t notice it, sort of like only missing something when it’s finally gone but oblivious to what it really means at the time. If you speak to any scooterist past or present they will tell of the great times they had on their scooter; it doesn’t matter if it was this time last week or 60 years ago. What it proves is there is no other scene like it and it never slows down – if anything, it keeps growing. In respect of the title of my column this month and the golden era of scootering, it’s a simple answer. It’s been happening since the very beginning of ownership way back, has continued throughout each decade and will carry on in the future. I can’t think of a better thing to be involved in and I’m sure all scooterists out there will agree.