Superb Racing Model D.

This Racing Model D was at Modrapheniacs and was a treat to see. 

Everything about her was so pristine and precise.

Here's the story of how she got to these shores.

Enjoy. I certainly did.

MOT and Service

Here she is, after the 'service' which turned out to be a major piece of work. She is running and proves to be (in Patch's words) a nice little runner. She's MOT'd and home now.

The Duke is alive and well

Having not seen him for a number of years he arrived on his 'Babe' on Saturday. It was lovely to see him.

continued... Only in for a Service and MOT

This carb is stuck solid...



















 

and the strut is broken clean in two...

The headset and forks had to be removed - fork links, springs and buffers are bound to be shot!

Only in for a Service and MOT?

This little lady has come in for a service and MOT. She is intact, everything is in the right place and all the parts are right, but she has been left standing outside at the mercy of the English elements. The following pictures illustrate what happens when moving parts are not maintained properly.

the stainless steel hub nut is more weather-proof...

the engine casing is covered in a white mildew.

At this point it's hard to say what the engine's like inside? The 'service' has begun at the front end, a recovery like this needs to be systematic! 

Returned from the grave...

Cameron's LD is nothing short of a miracle! 
The point of posting her on this Blog is to show you how pretty she is, how good to look at. She looks no different to when Cameron bought her at auction - but is a testiment to how NOT to be tempted by shiny paint! It was only Patrick's expertise, determination and a little bit of luck that's brought this scooter back from the Lambretta grave in the sky.

She has had to have a complete engine rebuild and it's been a real challenge to get the engine to even run. The engine was only the beginning, everything was wrong with her.

It's not known how the Vietnamese 'restorers' got hold of her or what her history is.  They clearly had a ‘donor’ machine to which they added many 'hand-made parts'... tin cans, bits of scrap metal and other machines (not Lambretta) - just anything to produce something to sell, that would run, although if it did... it was only briefly. 
 Buyers often fall for these restorations because superficially the scooter looks 'restored' but in reality it's often superficial! the paint work hides a nightmare.

I asked Patrick why he agreed to do her when she was so bad? Essentially he didn't realise the magnitude of the problems until he started to take her apart, once he had, he just had to keep going.  Patrick's now riding her and when he drove up this morning she sounded sweet!  She is back in the workshop for adjustments - everything in her is new and has to be run in. 

It's a miracle that she's been saved! Thanks to a lot of luck Patrick was able to source the various parts that are no longer remade.

 A video of her running will follow soon.

Chelmsford Joe

A fast little number

Patrick recalled this lovely little LD150 to Scooter Surgery for a medical examination of her engine which he rebuilt. She is not sick, quite the reverse, on being rebuilt she, for some unknown reason ran faster than an Ld is meant to the surprise of us all, including her keenness to see a hill and run up it, again unusual for an Ld.

The deal is that during the winter Patrick will take her in and investigate this phenomenon. The question is how did she achieve 55/60mph?

If it is possible to decipher the reasons the findings will be shared here.

Tim in his own words

Patrick says: "She runs as she should"

Tim's message to us:

Just to say thank you for everything.

Was good to get out on my little scoot this weekend!

I will be in touch after 500 miles for some guidance on changing the gearbox oil.

Happy Christmas to you all.

Regards,

Tim.

From the Scooter Surgery stable

Here again is Chris's 'Little Flirt' my 'Patsy' and Patrick's 'Little Lui.' Patrick and I have currently swopped scooters because, since breaking my ankle I find Patsy too heavy. I felt so happy and proud to be riding with Chris on Little Flirt, a TS1, Patrick on Patsy, kitted with the Casa 210, with myself on Little Lui; a magical little scooter kitted with a Casa 75 as we rode through Central London yesterday for Remembrance Sunday. All three scooters come from the Scooter Surgery stable.  Should anyone have captured the three girls running through town please send me the pictures.

Baby

This is Baby, a Lambretta 48. 
Allthough she was restored to showroom condition Roger (her owner) had no idea what the internals of the engine were like. She was part of a museum collection and had not been run. Roger has had a few challenges, but as you can see, he rides her around his home town.

Westaway

I am being a bit audacious and calling this little miracle 'Westaway', the name of her restorer and owner. She looks like a Westaway as in: "Go West, young man, go West. There is health in the country, and room away from our crowds of idlers and imbeciles" (Horace Greeley) - in this case, room enough to restore an old Lambretta!     

Before...

... and After

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                       

"Twist and Go"

Well readers, as promised, here is the Little Lui.  I have now done over 50 miles on her.  And wonder of wonders, Patrick is talking about putting a six plate clutch in Patsy when he gets back, so I can keep riding this little gem.

This little Lui was made in 1969 and was launched under the slogan “Lui per uno, Lui per tutti” (for one and for everyone). The aim of her launch was to attract the young rider. This did not work due to the rough ride and poor performance.  Innocenti stopped her production after 18 months. 

Innocenti could never have imagined the mobile phone, but we have them. The Little Lui does not look out of place with it. I wonder, if Patrick has unwittingly, with all the tweaking of this Little Lui, managed to develop, with the aid of new mechanical techniques that are available to do what Innocenti intended? Has he perhaps managed to give us a classic twist and go, especially in town traffic?