Saigon Skelly
The 1970s were long regarded as the decade that style forgot, but whether it’s Rally Choppers or flares, old school is definitely cool.
The skeleton, or ‘skelly’, is an often overlooked part of our rich scootering heritage. If the 1960s can be characterised as the decade of accessorised scooters, how did we reach the stage of taking angle grinders to otherwise healthy scooters in the 1980s? The answer lies in the 1970s. In Darwinian terms this is when our species evolved.
With the Mods seemingly consigned to history and small cars like the Mini taking the place of motorcycles in working-class families, there was no shortage of discarded scooters. No one thought of them as potential classics and they could be bought for a few pounds. Youth has
always sought a way to express itself and these bargain-basement scooters were an affordable way to do just that. Whether the original inspiration was Easy Rider or Bay City Rollers, a new style of scooter emerged. Usually, but not always, a Series 1 or 2 that had been stripped to its bare essentials, but still retaining a full frame, the accessories were outrageous for the time. ‘Chopper’ handlebars were common; spotlights replaced the usual illumination; and running boards usually needed a carpenter, not a welder.
They quickly became associated with the skinhead movement and their era burned bright, but short. One man who recalls seeing such creations in his home town of Wigan was Pat Joynt and fortunately his team, at Saigon Scooter Centre, was eager to do his bidding.
“I had an old Series 2 frame floating around and was determined to do something different with it,” said Pat “I’d already started building a cut-down so didn’t want to go down that route. I recalled that Dean at Rimini had built a skelly some time back and I thought if anything was going to stand out in Saigon that would be it.”
After cleaning the frame down it was really only a matter of sending it for paint. Wooden floorboards were manufactured and as Saigon’s climate isn’t friendly to wood, these were given several coats of varnish. Over the years Pat’s buying trips to Italy have built up a stock of almost
unobtainable parts, but this build required his fabricators to work overtime. “The high-rise Fiaam triple pipes are handmade, as is the handlebar assembly,” said Pat. “The Nanucci mudguard is from our own range and the twin filler 12-litre fuel tank was adapted in our workshops.” In true skelly spirit Pat has no idea where the speedo and rev counter originated, but their installation in an Ld-type toolbox is very neatly executed.
The only part Pat isn’t completely happy with is the headlamp, which comes from a Honda Chaly. “I’m looking for an original 1970s Hella, but they’re scarce out here.”
Other parts, such as the Acma gear shift and bespoke cowl, were manufactured in SSC’s workshops, with the whole project being turned around in a relatively short space of time. As for the local reaction?
“I don’t think the Vietnamese know what to make of it, which is great fun,” said Pat.
“I don’t think I’ll be taking it on this year’s Hanoi ride, though!”