Kevin’s Chronicles
Thrashing up and down the avenue on a friend’s old moped was the perfect introduction to the world of scooter ownership and beyond!
Part 8 of our homage to scooter legend Kev Walsh. Thrashing up the avenue on a friend’s old moped was the perfect indtroduction to the world of scooter ownership and beyond!
Batey Avenue was a quiet cul-de-sac situated in Rainhill, Merseyside, with number 14 being where the Walsh family lived. It was situated at the very end and the ideal location for peace and tranquillity. It was also the start point for their teenage son's race track. Kev was too young to legally own a vehicle on the road and regardless, didn't have the funds to do so either. It just so happened that his friend who lived a couple of houses up had in his possession an NSU ‘Quickly’ moped. Why NSU named it the ‘Quickly’ was a bit of a mystery as it was easier to walk faster.
To them it wasn't important, and the fact that it propelled itself was all that mattered. With the mudguards and luggage rack binned to make it lighter, the top speed was slightly increased. Finished off with the bicycle handlebars turned upwards to make them look like racing drops, their thoroughbred racing machine was complete. Kev's driveway now became the start line of their race track and by the time they got to the
other end of the avenue, they could get the puny NSU up to 25mph. Turning around and going back the other way, they were often greeted by angry neighbours as they came to a screeching halt outside number 14. It was worth the hassle though, to feel the freedom of the open road, albeit about 100 yards. Kev was still a few years away from being able to legally own anything two-wheeled, but he knew where his destiny lay.
Freeze frame
As soon as he was old enough Kev pressured his mother to allow him to buy a moped. Having set his sights on a Honda 50, it was with great disappointment that he eventually had to settle for a Raleigh Roma instead. This was his mother's decision as she was financing it all, with Kev paying back in instalments. It had two wheels, looked a bit like a scooter so would do for now. Kev would often moan about the lack of power, which got considerably worse after mistaking antifreeze for two-stroke oil. The resulting piston failure required his mother to make a trip by bus into Liverpool to get a replacement. Unfortunately, there wasn't one available and after incessant nagging, Kev persuaded his mother that he should have what he called a proper scooter instead. Though still against the idea, in the end she gave in, probably to have a quiet life.
White City Motorcycles in St Helens provided the perfect solution in the shape of a Vespa Sportique. With a partexchange on the Roma, what they could actually get for it and an H.P. agreement signed by his father, having dragged him into the saga, the deal was done. While signing the forms, Kev disappeared along with his new scooter. With no L plates, insurance or helmet, he shot off down the road, followed by a friend on a motorcycle. Struggling to catch up until they got home, Kev explained that he didn't know where the brakes were so he found it hard to stop. Looking back, he was a danger to the roads, but there was no stopping him now. After all, he had got what he had been dreaming about for years... freedom on a scooter.
Endorsement
Happily immersed into the work ethic, even though there seemed to be a regular change of jobs, it all helped to keep the scooter on the road. Kev went everywhere on the Sportique and soon joined other locals who owned scooters. They would meet at the Victoria pub, and though there were a lot of motorcycle riders with the same idea, there was rarely any trouble. Quite the opposite, in fact, as there seemed to be some sort of mutual respect between what most saw as rival factions. Soon the scooters started to take over and it didn’t take long for the idea of a club to be formed.
Before it could there were problems mounting up for him by the way of driving endorsements – the old system of points on your licence. The first time was on the way to watch Everton FC for carrying a passenger with no L plates. The same happened later, this time with his girlfriend as pillion. Before long Kev’s licence was taken away from him and in doing so his scooter became re-possessed by the HP company, as getting to work became more expensive. Having his most prized possession taken away was a harsh lesson, and one he would never allow to happen again. Once his licence was returned, a new scooter was purchased – this time a Lambretta SX 150. It proved very reliable and rightly so, as it was almost new.
Bad luck continued, this time when he was hit by a bus. Despite being bruised and battered there was no lasting damage, although the same couldn’t be said of the Lambretta. That required extensive work, and once done was quickly replaced. Not that Kev thought there was anything wrong with it, but it just seemed that the Vespa suited him better. Kev eventually swapped the Lambretta for a Vespa SS 180.
By this time he was married to Hillary and the Vespa became their workhorse – getting them both to work, doing the shopping, anything for that matter, as it became vital for daily life. It was still used socially, of course, as by now, along with a few others, they had formed ‘The Unity scooter club’. Initially, it was made up of four lads and their girlfriends, all whom later married their respective partners. That's where the idea of the name came from, with them all being a kind of union together. It was nothing too serious, but socially they did everything together, always on the scooters.
Magic bus
For a while everything continued as normal, although Hillary started to struggle on the scooter in cold weather. The maisonette where they lived was some distance from their places of work and required a 50-mile round trip each day. Kev only had a motorcycle licence and anyway, the cost of a car was too much for the newlyweds to afford. There was a solution though, by changing two wheels for three. The law stated that you could drive a three-wheeler on the road with a motorcycle licence. Sure enough, a Reliant Robin became their daily choice of transport, but in doing so the Vespa would need to be sacrificed to pay for it. It was a harsh decision, but just like he did throughout his life, Kev put others first rather than himself. Even he admitted that on winter days the Robin was more comfortable and warm, especially when it rained. This was the late 1960s and at the height of psychedelia, so the fact that it had been painted bright purple helped.
Kev named it ‘the magic bus’ after the record by The Who, and it certainly stood out on the road. Ironically, only a week or two after purchasing it the council got them a new place to live close to where they both worked. Without hesitation, Kev went back to the shop where they had done the part-exchange in the hope the Vespa was still there, but alas it had been sold. He was devastated, but there was nothing that could be done about it.
For now, their transport would revolve around using the Robin which, even though he wouldn’t admit it, was the best option in the short term. The new flat needed some money spending on it anyway so money was going to be tight over the followingmonths. This didn’t stop Kev from dreaming however, and once back on his feet financially a scooter would definitely be his next purchase.
The side panels had the rider’s name, Dave Appleton, written on them, which was a common thing to do at the time. Jeff Collins, who sold Kev the scooter, said he knew Dave and so put Kev in contact with him.
Saints and sinners
As soon as his finances allowed, there was no stopping Kev from getting his next scooter. He often frequented Tom Collins Motorcycles, which was full of all different makes of two-wheeled vehicles. His eye soon caught a neat LI 150 done as an ‘S Type’. It wasn't a genuine one, but that didn't matter, it looked good and was a head turner. This was soon to be his new pride and joy, and finally meant being back on two wheels again. The side panels had the rider’s name, Dave Appleton, written on them,them which was a common thing to do at the time. Jeff Collins, who sold Kev the scooter, said he knew Dave and so put Kev in contact with him.
Little did he know at the time that this first meeting with Dave would change his life forever. Dave was a member of the Widnes Saints SC and he invited Kev along to meet the rest of the members. The scene was set, with Kev ready to turn up on Wednesday at club night, eager to impress on his ‘S Type’ lookalike.
Unfortunately, he was greeted with laughs as once again the out-of-date LI re-appeared at the club. "I wondered who was w going to buy that old thing," said Dave jokingly. Kev felt slightly bemused at the t reaction, but it quickly turned to one of warmness as he was welcomed into the club. Also present that night were John Illing and Gordon Eves, who were to become instrumental in shaping Kev's career within the scootering world.
For now though, they laughed and joked, sharing a beer and unaware of what w they were all going to achieve in the t future.