Lambretta TV200 This is now
What could be better than a British registered-from-new TV 200 with provenance? The obvious answer is TWO British registered-from-new TV 200s with provenance…
Without doubt the TV 200 occupies a strange position in the hearts and souls of Lambretta enthusiasts. On one hand it’s undeniably scarce and as the original 200cc machine its place in scooter history is secured. On the other it’s a scooter with a mixed reputation for practicality, mainly due to its unusually high gearing.
To see how the design has stood the test of time we paid a visit to Chesterfield where two standard TVs have found very loving homes.
Both Alan Beckett and Steve Lievesley have been around scooters for longer than they care to remember. They grew up close to one another, rode together for years and by pure chance have both found themselves owning TV200s. Even more intriguing is that their TVs were both supplied by the same dealer – their registrations being separated by a few weeks and their frame numbers by around 200.
750
First out of the gate in terms of age is Steve’s example, AET 750.
First registered on July 17, 1963 and purchased from R W Hey in Maltby, near Rotherham, this is a genuine ‘one owner from new’ example that, as Steve explained, he found while working at a client’s house.
“We got talking over a brew and somehow the conversation turned to scooters. She said her dad had an old scooter in his garage and asked if I’d be interested in seeing it. I agreed, more out of politeness than anything else. I expected to see a Honda Cub or something similar; you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw it was a GT.”
Despite being laid up for some years the owner was still very attached to the machine; he’d used it as his daily transport until 1981 and it took two years of careful negotiations before a sale was finally agreed.
“In the end he knew it was the right thing to do,” said Steve. “I paid a fair price, and the family was very pleased to see it find a new home. I can’t lie though, there were tears when I put it in the van.”
At first Steve hoped it would be possible to conserve the original paint but it soon became obvious that this wasn’t possible.
“Although it had been dry stored it really was too far gone, but the most difficult decision was what to do with the original glass fibre mudguard. This is obviously a unique part of the TV’s design but it had lost its integrity.
“By the time it had been stabilised enough to take paint most of its originality would have been lost. I decided to keep the original ‘as found’ and replaced it with one of Disco Dez’s reproductions.”
The people tasked with bringing the TV back to life were Dave Waddingham,
who handled the build, and Paul Bullivant of Retro Ride Paint shop in Bolsover.
“From the start both Dave and Paul said that this couldn’t be a half-hearted restoration. A TV is a very special thing and deserving of a full restoration. That’s exactly what they did, I can’t speak too highly of them.”
Although the paint was beyond recovery the only panel that’s been replaced is the mudguard. Likewise, wherever possible as many original parts have been reused.
“More often than not the originals are still more reliable than copies, the switches are all original, but the headlight had lost most of its silver and had to be replaced. The only non-standard part has been the addition of variatronic ignition, after all I do I intend to ride it!”
I bought it to ride and that’s exactly what I do with it. Not having to bother about preserving original paint, or indeed a pristine paint job, makes that much more enjoyable.
863
Although registered at Hey’s slightly after Steve’s example – on September 24, 1963 to be precise – Alan’s TV has led a far more chequered life. It also represents another aspect of TV ownership, being a battlescarred daily rider.
“The first owner was one of the Kenning family,” Alan explained. “They were big around here and for a while were one of Yorkshire’s largest suppliers of commercial vehicles. Like Steve’s this was bought as a commuter and was used that way for years before being stored and later picked up by some local scooterists in the early 1990s.
“That was the era when everyone wanted a shiny scooter and they completely stripped it in preparation for a full restoration. That never happened and once again it changed hands; this time the rebuild happened but with a very frugal approach. Instead of hunting down replacement parts and using stainless fastenings as was all the rage back then, as much of the scooter as survived was reused, from panels to nuts and bolts.
“At the time it must have looked odd, fresh paint and old fastenings but I’m
glad it was done that way. The paint’s now mellowed and most of the scooter’s still original. It’s not a machine I’m precious about; I know how rare it is, but I bought it to ride and that’s exactly what I do. Not having to bother about preserving original paint, or indeed a pristine paint job, makes that much more enjoyable.”
Ridden not hidden
When it comes to discussing what the TV’s like to ride Steve defers to Alan, after all his machine has only just emerged from a rebuild and at the time of our visit was still being run in.
Before getting to the meat and potatoes of that question it’s worth pausing for a moment to explain Alan’s scootering credentials. He may not look old enough but Alan bought his first Italian GP brand new from Harry Jarvis, who was a Lambretta dealer in Doncaster. “It cost me £189 and they gave me £70 for my old TV175. I couldn’t sign the papers fast enough as I’d only paid £12 for it!”
A succession of scooters followed, the overwhelming majority of which Alan kept in standard condition. He’s not a man who spends a fortune on tuning. As the TV200’s now stabled alongside an Italian GP200 and comparisons between the two are inevitable, Alan’s opinion counts for more than any quick test ride.
“Given the choice I’d take the GP on a long run any day of the week,” he began, “but that doesn’t mean the TV is a bad scooter, far from it. When moving from one to the other it’s obvious the GP is a far more polished machine, it feels more developed, more ‘user friendly’. My wife and I have done some long trips on our GP and it’s never let us down.”
When asked about the TV’s reputation for long gearing Alan shakes his head in disagreement: “I don’t find that a problem. The gears are nicely spaced and fourth is reached very easily. It doesn’t pull quite as well as the GP but I’ve used this as a daily ride for years and never felt the need to alter anything. In fact I think that’s where people go wrong. The TV gearbox and barrel are a good pairing but mixing and matching them with other combinations only leads to heartache. I had an RB that ran a TV200 gearbox and it was just awful.”
Stu’s sprinter
As this flies in the face of popular opinion it’s also worth taking into account the view of our own Stu Owen. During his printing days Stu tried a multitude of gearbox combinations but found the evenly spaced
TV200 to be the best for sprinting where a combination of being able to get off the line quickly is matched by the need to have long enough gearing that allows top sped to build. On the standing quarter mile Stu used a completely standard set up, including the factory specified 15 x 46 sprockets, while for flying quarters these were changed to 17 x 47. Although this meant gearing was so high the scooter could only be bump started, it was capable of incredible speeds.
Whether the TV 200 ownership is a dream or nightmare depends on who’s telling the story. One thing’s for certain though, there are two very happy owners in Chesterfield.
As the TV200’s stabled alongside an Italian GP200 and comparisons between the two are inevitable, Alan’s opinion counts for more than any quick test ride.