Long-time Scootering lens-man Richie Lunt shoots this Mod-based vintage racer, a machine which stands out for all the right reasons.
Mod-Style scooters have a well-earned position in the scootering scene, and Dean Fradley's fanstastic-looking Lambretta Li150 S1 doesn't disappoint.
This scooter oozes feeling and delivers the element of non-conformity, which was generated by those sharp-looking kids of the day who were wanting to stand out from the crowd. Dean Fradley’s interest in scooters started when he was just nine years old. Living on the Crackley housing estate in Newcastle-under-Lyme he used to see the teenagers of the day riding round on their late-70’s/ early-80’s Mod revival scooters, and it was the name of this estate, which formed the inspiration for the name of his scooter, ‘Crackly Racer’.
Dean is a professional musician. The group which he plays in is called The Vibe and was previously known as the Liable Vibe back in 1993. The band re-formed in 2018 and has now returned to the scene performing and recording some super jazz-funk tracks.
It’s a fact that Dean’s love of scooters and his passion for smooth tunes is in his DNA, and this has only served to develop and progress his love for the scene. It’s no surprise Dean’s favourite style of scooter is ‘Mod-Style’.
Making the right connections
Having obtained the scooter for the project in 2016 Dean began to develop his ideas for the final look of the machine; he openly admits one of the main inspirations behind the final look of ‘Crackley Racer’ was the influence of an aficionado of classic scooters and style, Iain Wilkins a.k.a. Arfa Francis.
Dean explained one of his main objectives throughout the build was to be able to blend all the elements of the look he wanted to achieve without overdoing it, and he knew Iain would be able to guide him through this process.
Working a combination
To support the look, Dean needed to make sure the paint job he chose would support the overall appearance and period of the scooter. “I had to get the paint spot-on so I commissioned Farout Paint in Congleton to complete the work,” he explained.
However, style, paint and appearance wasn’t the only thing which Dean was interested in. He also wanted to bring performance, power and reliability into the scooter; as we all know that’s not a combination which can always be achieved without a lot of headaches on the way. To deal with the
engine set-up Dean chose wisely. He fitted a 185 Gran Turismo unit built by Nathan and Dez (DiscoDez) and performance doesn’t disappoint; it gives out a cruising speed of around 60mph and a top speed of over 75mph.
In safe hands
With all this said and at the back of his mind Dean knew if he was going to make this project work he had to get the main element right: the accessories.
“I knew that with my ever increasing desire to achieve the correct look, and after nearly 60 years of being out of production, original items were becoming super rare and incredibly difficult to source, but I was in safe hands with Iain. He has a vast collection of original bolt-on accessories and he also has the ability to replicate most items using the same old-school methods employed by the original manufacturers,” Dean explained.
“To deal with the demands on the accessories, which Iain is involved with, he ensures all the joints are brazed rather than welded, which gives a little more flexibility. Also before fitting any of the accessories to the ‘project machine’ Iain dry-fits them to straight machines of the model, which ensures the parts are neat and correct before being triple chromed in the UK,” he added.
Keeping the focus
During the build process Dean openly admitted he caught a “collector’s disease/obsession kind of illness”.
“I needed to be careful and I had to manage things sensibly because it’s easy for things to start getting out of hand; everything can end up looking a jumble. The planning of the combination of the accessories needed to be managed responsibly.”
A non-conforming harmony
Looking at the front of the scooter the flyscreen sports Dean’s initials and the Ulma horncast embellisher sits behind a period front-rack carrier.
The registration number appears on the scooter three times, but the way it’s been positioned complements the era and the feel of the scooter, and it correlates harmoniously with the adjustments the teenagers of the day were making to their machines.
The legshield embellishers with gems on are a particular favourite of mine, and the Ulma fork boots complement the Nannuci front mudguard,