My scootering life -

Show photo's of your scootering history, dont be shy, we all looked stupid back in the day :)
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Richjak
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After a stint as a young skinhead (81 -83) i realised that after a couple of years the skinhead scene on and around our estate had degenerated from from the trojan ska, rocksteady and 2 Tone image into a more sinister bonehead image and along with it came the glue sniffing, racial violence, and the National Front politics, and after a few good kickings it was time for a rethink.

I was 15 (1983) when i decided to jump ship as so many of my other true skinhead mates had done and become a Mod, most of whom we knew already anyway. My life was totally changed after my first rally to the Isle of Wight in august 83. And after owning a couple of old banger lambrettas (TV175 series II and an SX 200) that i stripped and left to rot in the shed, i finally obtained my pride and joy in 1984 a road legal 50 Special that i slowly covered in lights and mirrors.
too cool for school loved this but i cringe as i look back now
too cool for school loved this but i cringe as i look back now
Who you calling a mod.jpg
After just a year on the road it was decided that combats were more practical than a suit and a parka so the mod image gave way to Scooterboy and so followed a succession of appropriate scooterist type scooters including my pink lambreta chopper called hot bubblegum (yeah i know) a brand new T5, a PX125, numerous lambrettas in various states of disrepair, i finally ended up in a long term love affair with the Lambretta GP 150 that i bought for 250 quid.
my first Lambretta Chopper
my first Lambretta Chopper
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Richjak
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Margate 86.jpg
IOW mud.jpg
This romance continued for a good few years and during that time many lambrettas and vespas passed through my hands. During this time i was always working on something and the shed at my mums house was never empty, i taught myself to weld to paint build engines and generally rebuild scooters to a very high standard (if i do say so myself) as we drifted through the 80s my love for scooters continued and i would be proud of the title scooterboy.
Scooter boy.jpg
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Richjak
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As the 80s drew to a close the short hair gave way to longer hair and northern soul gave way to a new type of pumping house music as the rave scene swept the country i grew myself a ponytail and dabbled in various types ways to lose weekends if you get my drift. During this time i was still using my scooters for work and recreation when i wasnt on a rally i was at a rave. To me, just like the pschobilly music a few years prior the advent of other types of music into the scooter scene seemed like natural progression.
It was during this time that i had a bad smash on the way back from work one night which resulted in a ruptured spleen and a couple of months in hospital.

When i got out i took things kind of slow and did the usual "i am giving up scooters" but really didnt want to, it was more to appease my mother and girlfriend of the time. Slowly but surely the lambrettas slowly crept back in as "projects" After a few various lambrettas that i built up and sold on i felt the desire to build something a bit different and then spent the next 2 years or so building up a series II custom called Fat Boy that was featured in scootering magazine. (sorry no photos on this laptop - any one got any pics please post) It was on the front cover and the centre spread - as childish as it sounds that was my crowning glory a recognition that what i had build was good enough to feature in our own magazine.

After running the scooter around for a year or so and icking up a few trophies at local club events the scooter was finally sold when i left the UK in the mid 90s.
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Richjak
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After arriving in indonesia it was soon clear that i was in scooter heaven as the huge asian export of scooters hadnt yet begun and there was plenty of good condition cheap scooters to be had and after about 3 months i bought myself a vespa VBB and stuck a P200 engine in it and painted it yellow. That was to be my daily rider for the next 5 years until it was put into storage back in the UK, i was going to return to the UK, but after a lot of deliberation i decided to stay on and another succession of scooters followed there after. VBBs were my favorite but there was also a string of Indonesian PXs and even Indonesias first Vespa chop, which i built to show my clubmates what we did to Vespas in the UK as they had no concept of a Vespa Chopper.
my first indo VBB back in the UK for storage.
my first indo VBB back in the UK for storage.
At the time $200 would buy a B+ condition scooter needless to say the collection grew rapidly.
Indonesias first ever vespa chopper
Indonesias first ever vespa chopper
Around this time i met the girl who was to become my wife, it was just coincidence that her dad had a VBB that had been in the family since brand new. I married her and a few years later when her father passed away i got the scooter. I rebuilt it completely and painted it blue. When our kids were born they were quick to adapt to the asian / scooterboy mode of transprt.
like father like sons
like father like sons
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Richjak
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The first vespa chopper was sold off to a friend to fiinance the building of the refined mark II version that was originally finished in orange. The photo was taken after its third rebuild and second paint job. I still own this baby today.
indonesias second chopper the MK3 version.
indonesias second chopper the MK3 version.
In 2006 we moved the family down to Bali and we brought the VBB and the chopper with us. After a couple of months i fell in love with an orange original Bali DK plated 150 Sprint that i used as my daily run around. Again i still own this scooter to this day, again its been rebuilt twice and now runs a slightly tuned P200 engine and a few other trick modifications.
facebook.JPG
What to buy the girl who has everything ?? For my wifes 35th birthday i rebuilt her fathers VBB for her, painted it pink and returned it to her. She has grown up with this scooter all her life now its hers and she uses it daily.
IMG00920-20110604-1712.jpg
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Richjak
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Fast forward a few years and there are now 4 hardcore scooters in our family collection. My chopper with is fast becoming like triggers broom, its the same scooter just with its third engine second set of forks and a highly modified frame. At 44 years old this is the chopper that i always wanted as a teenager drooling over little rascal on the isle of wight 84. Everytime i ride it i feel 17 years old again, sad i know but i am sure you all get it.
Triggers Broom
Triggers Broom
There is my beloved Vespa Sprint now complete with modified panel (Rally /SS 180 style) inside legshield toolbox and P200 engine.Again this is the closest i could get to the Rally 200 i never had as a teenager, Rallys were never imported here attachment=0]Denpasar Selatan-20120611-00958.jpg[/attachment]

My wifes VBB the family heirloom
Family hierloom all original engine and running gear.
Family hierloom all original engine and running gear.
Attachments
My Sprint.
My Sprint.
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Richjak
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And finally the flagship of my fleet is my newest addition (3.5 years) my Lambretta SX RB 225 fully rebuilt from a bare engine casing and rusty bare frame that was found in a village in central Java, all parts were imported from the UK and from Siagon Scooter Centre in Vietnam thats also owned by another british scooterboy expat mate of mine. It runs the best of whats available today and is the fasted road scooter in the country. Again this was built to provide me with the SX 200 that i got my hands on and stripped when i was 15 and ended upselling as a box of parts as i just couldnt put it back together again.
226083_2307222685287_1390907370_32733595_3762196_n.jpg
Denpasar Selatan-20120616-01001.jpg
IMG-20120603-00928.jpg
So there we go after almost 30 years transfixed by this obsession i dont feel like i will slow down anytime soon. Apart from a few months here and there i have always had a scooter tucked away and even now i still plan to keep building scooters, the next up will be an original paint unmolested old boy owned from new 150 super that i found when i was last back in the country ($350) that i want to do as a rustoration and keep all original and i am also toying with the idea of an Indonesian build PX 150. I keep saying no more thats the last one.................but there always is.
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Richjak
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And seeing as i am on a roll, here are a few of the other scooters i have built up over here and sold on over the years.
There has been a few older models passed through my hands which have been swapped sold and traded but here are a few of the ones that i built up to very high standards as custom scooters and i a am very proud of. Three Asian built scoots i am sure anyone would love to own.
P9030025.JPG
DSCI2336.JPG
DSCI2390.JPG
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drunkmunkey6969
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All I have to say is this: Thank you for that mammoth post, and thank you for sharing that with us. It's that kinda post that makes this place what it is. That's a full-on, proper life story....and a good one at that. Thanks for sharing.

Dan
See our YouTube scooter channel for Tech-help: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheScooterFactory/videos
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Richjak
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eden wrote:Yes, a good series of posts :)

re: your signature, is that what the wife calls you?

beautiful bald :lol:
Botak Itu Indah just means Bald is Beautiful, as for the wife she calls me things youd be glad not to understand. :D :D
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