Reader’s Ride: A Local Scooter….
If Tubbs and Edward formed a scooter club, is this what their scooter would look like? Stan visited Royston Vasey to find out, some say he’ll never leave….
If Tubbs and Edward formed a scooter club, is this what their scooter would look like? Stan visited Royston Vasey to find out, some say he'll never leave...
As I rode into Hadfield, in the High Peak of Derbyshire, there was a sense of foreboding. A gunmetal sky signalled its intent to soak anyone foolhardy enough to be in the open. The locals had taken note and retreated indoors. The main street was all but deserted as I headed towards the war memorial, where I’d been told my contact was waiting. The menacing atmosphere seemed remarkably familiar and indeed it should, for Hadfield has an alter ego. To a generation of dark-humoured TV viewers it’s better known as Royston Vasey, home to The League of Gentlemen.
Welcome to Royston Vasey
Incredibly it’s 21 years since the iconic show first aired. As characters such as the legendary Tubbs and Edward, together with the now controversial Papa Lazarou forged their way into the nation’s subconscious, this smallframe’s owner slept soundly. For at that time Saul Parker-Backhouse was nothing but a babe in arms and if that doesn’t make the average reader of Scootering feel old, nothing will. “Coming from Hadfield it’s impossible not to be aware of the League,” he began. “People either love or hate the attention it brings. Personally, I’m a big fan.” As we stand looking down the High Street, an area immortalised in the show’s opening scenes, there’s one question on my mind. How does someone so young come to own such a lovely scooter? Saul laughs and then explains. “I always wanted a motorbike but when I turned 17 everything I liked was out of my budget. Eventually I found an old PX125, it looked like fun and most importantly I could afford it. Pure chance but life changing.” Once he’d mastered the art of riding a geared scooter, Saul turned his attention to personalisation. As he tells the story it’s clear that Saul has true Scooterboy grit; out came the hacksaw and, after several weeks of fettling, a bright orange cutdown with extended forks emerged from his shed. With a huge grin on his face Saul admits: “It looks great but rides like shit!”
The Beast of Royston Vasey
Undeterred by the mixed results of his first foray into the world of custom scooters, Saul sought out his next project. “I’d met Stef Manoli through club meets and had been impressed by the quality of his work,” said Saul. “He told me about a V100 that was taking up space in his workshop. He’d lost interest but the engine was finished and from his description it sounded fierce. After the chopped PX I wanted something that rode well and a fast smallframe seemed ideal.” We’ve featured several of Stef’s scooters in the magazine and all have one thing in common: painstaking attention to detail. In his hands the V100 engine has been transformed from a lacklustre commuter to a 135cc firebreathing monster. Centred around Polini’s 135 Evo, its engine also boasts a flowed crank, 24mm Dell’Orto, straight cut primary and BGM clutch. A beautifully crafted Ludwig & Scherer exhaust completes the package, an expansion chamber that’s pleasing to both ear and eye.
How The Elephant Got Its Trunk
As a surprisingly untapped source of material, Royston Vasey was an obvious choice of theme. The only question was how it should be executed. Although it had spent the best part of a decade inside a Manchester bedsit, the V100’s original paint was mostly beyond repair and was carefully removed to give an aged, bare metal finish.
The exceptions to this rule are the headset and mudguard, both of which retain the V100’s original ‘pea green’ finish. It’s difficult to make that particular colour look good but here’s proof that everything finds a home eventually.
The Monster From Hell
With a host of eccentric characters and memorable catchphrases there was no shortage of inspiration for the scheme. The artist commissioned to turn the concept into reality was Phil Appleyard at The Monster Forge in Rochdale, and the results of his work are stunning. Splashed across the legshields are banners from Saul’s club The Manchester Night Owls, the not entirely fictional Royston Vasey SC and that of Italian club SC Massa, who have displayed a healthy interest in local goings-on. Elsewhere there’s a mixture of ‘stickers’ from Royston Vasey’s visitor attractions and quotes from key characters, all being presented in a circus-style font that Papa Lazarou would recognise instantly.
Mon Amour
Although some finishing touches have yet to be added, Saul has retained most of the scooter’s American market eccentricities. Usually discarded, these work well here, serving to accentuate the scheme’s oddity. Among the tasks still to be completed is the wiring. Although he’s simplified matters by replacing the original loom with a simplified specimen, Saul’s determined to reuse the American switches. It’s a marriage that’s proving complicated to execute but Saul’s determined to succeed.
On so many levels this is an outstanding machine. A novel subject, local connection and the enthusiasm of a young owner have combined to produce something that riders with decades of experience will envy. It’s a niche scooter, and fortunately not just for local people to appreciate.
Words: Stan
Photographs: Gary Chapman