Scooterotica

before i started restoring the Li there was a dealer sticker on the horncast for Davey brothers of ipswich which is only about 30 miles from where i live and just for a bit of a laugh i thought i would see if i could first see if the shop was still trading and also see if i could get hold of a dealer sticker.
after about an hour driving around ipswich finally found this small shop hidden behind a row of houses. the chap working there was a real gem not only did he go out back and find a couple of original dealer stickers which he said didn't have phone number on because they didn't have a phone in them days. He then went and got his sales ledger from the 60's and after about 20 mins trawling we found the date it was sold, who to, and how much ....a Princely sum of £95.
What a result!

Chutney wrote:before i started restoring the Li there was a dealer sticker on the horncast for Davey brothers of ipswich which is only about 30 miles from where i live and just for a bit of a laugh i thought i would see if i could first see if the shop was still trading and also see if i could get hold of a dealer sticker.
after about an hour driving around ipswich finally found this small shop hidden behind a row of houses. the chap working there was a real gem not only did he go out back and find a couple of original dealer stickers which he said didn't have phone number on because they didn't have a phone in them days. He then went and got his sales ledger from the 60's and after about 20 mins trawling we found the date it was sold, who to, and how much ....a Princely sum of £95.
What a result!

Thats great information to know you will hopefully have the full history of the scooter soon

Chutney wrote:before i started restoring the Li there was a dealer sticker on the horncast for Davey brothers of ipswich which is only about 30 miles from where i live and just for a bit of a laugh i thought i would see if i could first see if the shop was still trading and also see if i could get hold of a dealer sticker.
after about an hour driving around ipswich finally found this small shop hidden behind a row of houses. the chap working there was a real gem not only did he go out back and find a couple of original dealer stickers which he said didn't have phone number on because they didn't have a phone in them days. He then went and got his sales ledger from the 60's and after about 20 mins trawling we found the date it was sold, who to, and how much ....a Princely sum of £95.
What a result!

Davey Brothers, was that just down the Bramford Rd on the left? I used to work for Revetts which was the biggest motorcycle/scooter dealer in Ipswich and was located on the Norwich Rd where the Bramford Rd begins.
There were loads of scooter shops in Ipswich in the 60/70's, just opposite Revitts which has now been turned into appartments there was Jacobi's (now a discount bicycle shop) who use Raleigh mopeds, Just up the road in what is now (I think) a wedding dress shop there was Dave Bickers who did motor bikes, Dave was a famous scramble ridder back in the 60's. At the other end of town in Fore Street you had Cox's who was the main Vespa dealer and also sold Garellis. If Davey Bros is the shop I'm thinking of, I don't think they did new sales. Certainly not Lambrettas as they were only a 200yards from Revetts who had the Lambretta franchise...and Triumph, BSA, Norton, Honda, Yamaha and .....................................Reliant :wtf:

Fantastic find btw and facinating to think it was about when I was there back then

Correction, I just did Google search and it seems that Davey Bros isn't the dealer I was thinkinf of and they were at one stage a Honda dealer. Although the name is familiar, I don't recollect ever going to the shop. Great that they are still going though. Another one that is still trading is Alford Brothers in Felixstowe.

thats all interesting stuff, i remember revettts i bought one of my early bikes from there a little suzuki trail bike. the davey bros shop was down Allen road not far from Felixstowe rd. it was a honda main dealer in 60's there is all old photos hanging in the shop.
its funny you mention the name Bickers as the scooter was sold to a Mr I.G Bickers, the chap in the shop gave me a photo copy of the page from the sales book. how odd is that!
the shop up from Revetts was where Orwells was originally i believe.

Cool well done mate...

coaster wrote:

Chutney wrote:before i started restoring the Li there was a dealer sticker on the horncast for Davey brothers of ipswich which is only about 30 miles from where i live and just for a bit of a laugh i thought i would see if i could first see if the shop was still trading and also see if i could get hold of a dealer sticker.
after about an hour driving around ipswich finally found this small shop hidden behind a row of houses. the chap working there was a real gem not only did he go out back and find a couple of original dealer stickers which he said didn't have phone number on because they didn't have a phone in them days. He then went and got his sales ledger from the 60's and after about 20 mins trawling we found the date it was sold, who to, and how much ....a Princely sum of £95.
What a result!

Davey Brothers, was that just down the Bramford Rd on the left? I used to work for Revetts which was the biggest motorcycle/scooter dealer in Ipswich and was located on the Norwich Rd where the Bramford Rd begins.
There were loads of scooter shops in Ipswich in the 60/70's, just opposite Revitts which has now been turned into appartments there was Jacobi's (now a discount bicycle shop) who use Raleigh mopeds, Just up the road in what is now (I think) a wedding dress shop there was Dave Bickers who did motor bikes, Dave was a famous scramble ridder back in the 60's. At the other end of town in Fore Street you had Cox's who was the main Vespa dealer and also sold Garellis. If Davey Bros is the shop I'm thinking of, I don't think they did new sales. Certainly not Lambrettas as they were only a 200yards from Revetts who had the Lambretta franchise...and Triumph, BSA, Norton, Honda, Yamaha and .....................................Reliant :wtf:

Fantastic find btw and facinating to think it was about when I was there back then

Correction, I just did Google search and it seems that Davey Bros isn't the dealer I was thinkinf of and they were at one stage a Honda dealer. Although the name is familiar, I don't recollect ever going to the shop. Great that they are still going though. Another one that is still trading is Alford Brothers in Felixstowe.

Takes me back as well. I remember Lasty telling me about the stash at Alfords. Wasn't much left when I went there 81-82ish. Been twenty years or more since I lived around there,but can still picture those places in my head. Got my first ever Lammy, an SX 200 from Ray Didurain(sp?) aka Didi in Felixstow. white with an ironing board backrest. Cut down three months later
Nice find on the LI. Where'd you get it from? Who'd you speak to at Davey's
Wasn't Huntingfield by any chance was it?
Sorry for so many questions.

bit of a long story where it came from. a work collegue of my wifes husband bought it all those years ago with the intention of repairing but other priorities meant it just lay stored for years, like i said since the 1971, then unfortunately for him he suffered a stroke, my wife was then asked if i wanted it as they knew i was into bikes and the deal was done a loan of a transit and the rest is history.
as for the guy at Davey brothers i didn't get a name he was an oldish chap who smoked a pipe.
funny you say Alfords of felixstowe i bought my lad a monkey bike from them about 10 years back

getting there now just a bit of work to do on the floor runners

Nicely. Are you going to take it back and show it to the peeps you bought it from?

i have spoken to him recently and told him how i have got on with it, he is dead keen to see it, I think he may be a bit gutted he didn't hang on to it now!