MAN & MACHINE
Owner: Gavin Chamberlain Job: Plant and buildings manager Scooter club & town: Red Kites SC Thame First interest in scooters: My sister bought me a Jam single for my 13th birthday and it all grew from there. First scooter: Vespa PK50 in December ’83. Favourite scooter model: Vespa Rally 200 or Mk1 P range, Vespa P range. Favourite style of custom: Full framed/classic scooters are my favourite. First rally: Great Yarmouth National in ’84. How did you get there: On my slow PK50. Any stories: I got my first ticket from PC plod onn the way to Great Yarmouth, for going too slow on a dual carriageway... I was flat out on a standard PK50! Favourite rally/event: Weston-super-Mare, classicc seaside town or Great Yarmouth. Funniest experience with a scooter: Riding to Camber Sands a few years ago. Just over 100 miles took 12 hours! Furthest ridden on a scooter: Have done a couplee of Scottish rallies by scooter and a tour of Normandy – 1000 miles in 10 days by PX200. What do you like about rallies/events: Always lovee the ride to and from a rally no matter what the weather – just makes for an adventure. What do you dislike about rallies: I hate it when they charge for the parts fair/custom show.
Favourite Scootering feature: At the moment I amm liking the new ‘practical scootering’ articles. Your favourite custom/featured scooter of all time: : Has to be Revenge or Vespasian. Most useless part ever bought: Patent headlight for the wife’s V100, had to take a hammer and file to it to make it fit…
Name of scooter: Rusty Rita – she was covered in rust for years. Scooter model: Vespa Rally 200 with late Ducatti electronic engine, and no it’s not a replacement engine – it had the PX kick-start from new. Date purchased: Got it for my 21st birthday fromm my wife, she paid £150 for it but decided she didn’t like riding it so gave it to me… Inspiration for project: NEED – she was rusting away as all those Italian classics do when madee from rubbish steel. Time to build: About three months. Spec: Standard except Road Race 2 exhaust. Top/cruising speed: 70mph/60mph. Is the scooter reliable: Yes very so far. Paintwork & murals: Paintwork by Roadrash in Leighton Buzzard. They also sand-blasted heer and welded in a new floor. Is there any chrome: Spare wheel cover from Weston-super-Mare rally for £5… bargain. Overall cost: £1000 for the total rebuild Hardest part of the project: Putting the new floorr runners on. Advice for anyone starting a project: Photograph everything on disassembly, buy the best qualityy parts you can and have lots of patience. Your favourite dealer: Allstyles for speed of delivery and SIP for the amount of spares.