Vespa GS160 This is now...
Although sporty by 1960s standards the GS160 looks tame today. Fortunately Mathew Owen’s ‘Skyfall’ GS proves it’s possible to mix style with speed…
Although he’s way too young to have had a scooter during the 1980s, never mind the 1960s, Lowestoft-based Mathew Owen was drawn to the Mod end of the scooter spectrum some years ago. The film Quadrophenia, Richard Barnes’ book Mods!, plus the music of the Mod revival years were all in some way responsible for stoking his interest. As a young Mod, he walked to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth scooter rallies, taking in the sights, sounds and scooters. From the early days of his infatuation he was determined to own a scooter; his first was a 1964 Li150, which he bought in 1997 and restored himself. Since then he’s been a confirmed Lambretta man, or was until about a year ago, which is when he fulfilled a long-held desire to own a Vespa GS. In his eyes the GS160 is a design classic, its curves being a thing of beauty. It wasn’t long before Mathew set about transforming his first Vespa into his dream machine.
I ride a GS scooter...
So far as the original Mods were concerned the search for the ultimate scooter was a two-horse race between Innocenti’s Lambretta TV175 Series 3 and Vespa’s GS160 GS Mk2. In reality both models were out of reach for many, further adding to the draw of these classics. Although Mathew’s owned a lot of scooters in his 24-year riding ‘career’ he’s always remained a Mod at heart. His current fleet numbers five Lambrettas, namely a 1968 S1 framebreather, S2 TV175, S3 TV175, his first scooter as previously mentioned and an Indian GP.
Although it’s an anomaly in the collection, the GS was an itch he’d wanted to scratch for some time. “It’s always been Lambrettas for me,” he began, “but I’d been after a GS for some time. Even ‘Lambretta only’ scooterists should acknowledge the looks of a Vespa GS, I certainly do. It took me quite a while to find the right one but my patience finally paid off. I found this one for sale locally, and at the right price, so I snapped it up. I’d always wanted a GS in standardish colours but with my own interpretation of a 60s dealer special scheme.”
As Mathew freely admits, this design changed several times during the painting process with the chosen paint shop, Dub Daddy Campers in Lowestoft, being particularly accommodating. “They interpreted my ideas, as well as advising me as to what would and wouldn’t work. I think the result is a brilliant paint combination.”
With no ‘matching numbers’ to worry about Mathew had a much freer hand in deciding how the GS should perform.
Something Old, Something New
When embarking on the restoration of a classic scooter manufactured 60 years ago, there’s a call that needs to be made, that of originality versus practicality. It’s a particularly tough decision for owners of machines such as the GS. These rare and exotic machines have a devoted following and there are often very strong opinions on the ‘correct’ way to treat them.
While returning the GS to concours condition would be perfect for a show scooter the GS’s performance, impressive in the 60s, is somewhat lacklustre for use on today’s roads. Fortunately a previous owner had made this decision for him as, when purchased, the GS came with a DR 180 kitted PX motor. With no ‘matching numbers’ to worry about Mathew had a much freer hand in deciding how the GS should perform.
The person entrusted to carry out the engine rebuild was Martyn Drake of Anglia Scooters. Not only is Martyn renowned for his quality work on classic scooters, his workshop also happens to be close to where Mathew lives. A winning combination. Initially, Mathew planned on keeping the DR180 motor, but while visiting Anglia to see how the motor was progressing he had a change of heart. “When I first bought the GS it felt quite weird to ride. At first I put this down to not being familiar with Vespas, but it just didn’t feel right.
“I tried to avoid the temptation to call in on Martyn too often, not easy as Anglia Scooters is very near, but one particular day I gave in to curiosity and popped in to see how things were going. While chatting I discovered that Martyn had fitted an allnew Malossi engine into a Vespa GL – the specification was outstanding and it gave me the riding experience I was looking for.
“Even though it blew my budget to pieces I bit the bullet and went for it. Martyn built a new, long-stroke Malossi 221cc engine, including brand new casings. It performs and handles beautifully, so much better handling than before. It has a smooth power curve, which gives a really nice riding experience particularly for cruising. There’s none of the violent acceleration that comes with super tuned scooters.”
Name It You Got It
The final component of any much-loved scooter is the choice of name. With no obvious theme to draw upon Mathew decided upon Skyfall. While most would assume this is a reference to James Bond, the most ‘Modernist’ of all secret agents, that’s not the case. Having twisted and turned in his choice of colour scheme Mathew finally settled on a shade of silver called Skyfall that’s currently used on Aston
Martin’s DB11. It’s a tenuous connection to Bond, but one that’s entirely appropriate. With its mixture of a classic 1960s appearance and use of the best in modern engineering this is a GS that leaves the rider stirred, not shaken.
Sarge
Gary Chapman
I discovered that Martyn had fitted an all-new Malossi engine into a Vespa GL, the specification was outstanding and it gave me the riding experience I was looking for.