The whole thing including the registration process cost £750.
Whether it’s full-blown murals and chrome or state-of-the-art tuning we all love to admire a high-end custom scooter, and thank goodness for those with the vision, skill, time and money to produce them. Unfortunately for most of us, owning such a machine will forever remain a pipe dream and there’s also the reality that prices of classic scooters have risen to unprecedented levels. Earlier this year we started our Budget Scootering feature to show that there are ways to get on the road without breaking the bank, but never in our wildest dreams did we expect to find a custom Lambretta that went from a standing start to daily rider for under a grand. Which is why Frank Brown’s project is so intriguing.
Admittedly it helps that Frank can wield a spanner and a pair of tin snips. It also helps that he’s been around scooters for a long time – but even so, the results are incredible. Probably the best person to take up the story is Frank himself…
Bargain hunt
“I’ve been riding and building Lambrettas for 40 years now and have seen most things come and go. In the 80s I built a custom chopper, Hot Pearl Snatch, which is still on the road today as Fengirl; which is lovely to see. My claim to fame is being pictured on the cover of Gareth’s Scooter Boys – that’s me sat on the chopper with the worst haircut ever.
“As a daily commuter into central London, I need reliable, functional and cheap (cheaper the better) transport and a Lambretta is the perfect mule for this task. I have a couple of wide lasses in the garage but really fancied something ‘silly’ like my old chopper, so I built this from an Indian GP150 frame, S1 150 lump, Honda tank, generic ‘el cheapo’ seat and very little else.
“The whole thing including the registration process cost £750. Yup, that’s less than a grand. The frame came off eBay, cut to the bone and already terribly brutalised. Admittedly I took a risk as it was advertised as having unclear numbers, but show me an Indian frame that has clear numbers… The intention was to use the tube for another project, but when the frame arrived I found the numbers weren’t that bad at all. With the help of Richard Oswald at LCGB we managed to get a new V5 assigned; so the frame and logbook cost me £110. The engine cost £200 off a friend and I spent another £100 on a chain, clutch, seals and a few bits and bobs to get it running properly.
“I’m a metal worker by trade, so the welding and fabrication work was straightforward. I rolled the tank tube at work on a section roller and thought it would look nice if it followed the profile of a spare wheel which gives the bike a pleasing look, to my eyes anyway. I really enjoy solving those little build problems like the brake light switch mounting bracket, this was made from Lambretta wheel spindle washers welded together and then mounted as a ‘floating’ part. It works really well and adds to the ‘less is more’ look I was aiming for. The headset clamps, mudguard mounts and gear change were sourced from MB and JB Fabrications which were well worth the investment. We’re fortunate to have guys with such talent and skill among our ranks.
“The hubs, tyres and rims were sourced from mates and the back of my garage; the tank was £40 and the seat was less. Paint was mixed locally and cost £30 while the remaining sundries such as loom, cables and lights were all sourced from eBay, bringing the total price to the princely sum of £750.”
Easy rider
Of course building something is one thing, being able to use it is another, but so far Frank’s happy with the results.
“The engine is a slightly ported (mild road tune) 150cc, with a 22mm carb and expansion pipe, otherwise it’s standard with a used BGM electronic ignition and not much else. As it’s so light it accelerates nicely; admittedly there’s not much top speed but I only use it for a 20-mile commute into central London and for that it’s an economical blast of fun.”
So there you have it – our ultimate budget scooter. Unless, of course, you know different...