Go Hard or Go Home
Winter is here and we recently had a -6 frost, just nippy enough really. Not much to report on the scooter front as the new workshop is still under construction. The Bajaj was left outside in the interim and has expressed its disgust by leaking oil in the new carport. […]
Read moreMotoretta Tourist Trophy 2017 Another fantastic scooter event has finished and finally was located in the South Island. Sadly for some teams from the North Island, this years event was always going to be logistically challenging, however some would say the event was better with the fewer teams that came […]
Read moreMotoretta Tourist Trophy Friday the 21st April to Tuesday the 25th April. If you can only go on one scooter ride a year, make it this one. A 4 day, 1000 mile team ride for classic geared scooters. An epic test of man and machine, taking in the best roads and scenery […]
Read more1966 Vespa SS180 project The Super Sport, or S.S., was the successor to the G.S. 160 and was built from 1964 to 1968. With the exception of the increase in cc’s, the motor and suspension design are very similar on the two scooters. On the other hand, the styling […]
Read moreBurt Munro Challenge 2016 Recently we attended the 11th annual Burt Munro Challenge with scooter friends from around the country. This years event coincided with the opening of the new Classic Motorcycle Mecca here in Tay St. The Bill Richardson Transport World and Motorcycle Mecca are both world class collections […]
Read moreCanscoot Show Weekend Ride 2016 This years ride started out well with fine weather and no wind being a real bonus for any scooter trip. I met up with some of the Canscoot guys at Smash Palace the night before for a plot and scheme session. The route had originally […]
Read moreRecently we were lucky enough to travel to Rarotonga for a friends wedding and a holiday. What an awesome place for a holiday and a beachfront wedding. Mrs JC and I travelled with another couple of scooterists and had a great old time exploring the island, snorkelling, fishing, swimming and […]
Read moreVespa Engine Stand I have been thinking about building a stand for vespa engines for a while now and have seen a few designs on different sites and forums and used a type that you clamp into your vice. The assembled engines can fall off your bench if you aren’t […]
Read more1958 Douglas 92L2 update 4 Paint All through this project the aim was to just get this back on the road and to retain the character of the scooter as it was when I first purchased it. As time has gone by the floor area has been a bit […]
Read more1958 Douglas 92L2 update 3 The original 8″ wheels on this have now been upgraded to 10″ with the standard PX wheel on the back and a ScootRS, atomic branded, GS150 replica conversion rim on the front. The front wheel has plenty of clearance from the guard and with the […]
Read more1958 Douglas 92L2 update 2 PX engine upgrade The PX motor installation has provided some challenges although I never expected this would be easy. Basically it seems there are 3 brackets available for changing the original Douglas 125 engine for a PX – two specifically for the PX200 and another for […]
Read more1958 Douglas 92L2 update 1 Scooters made in the 1950’s had different frame styles and engines than the more recent scooters. Engine side cowl has a bump that cuts into the frame. There is a small door below the choke and fuel levers which hinges toward the headset. For models with […]
Read moreMotoretta Tourist Trophy 2016. “It is the responsibility of riders to ensure both they and their scooter are road legal. All scooters must be registered and carry a current Warrant of Fitness. Registration plates must belong to that vehicle. If a scooter is found to be in breach, the rider […]
Read moreDouglas Vespa project 1 Scooters made in the 1950’s had different frame styles and engines than the more recent scooters. To differentiate them from 60’s and later era machines they have the following physical attributes: Engine side cowl has a bump that cuts into the frame. There is a small […]
Read more1970 Vespa SS90 project This 1970 Vespa SS 90 scooter came with some other bits and pieces from a local Invercargill man called Rex. He had advertised on Trade Me looking for a cash sale – not an auction, for his cack (that is scooter stuff mum) and had some […]
Read moreNZ Classic Scooter Club Rally 2016 This year’s NZCSC rally at Tatum Park in Manakau, which is up north on SH 1 between Otaki and Levin got off to a bad start for the Black Roughie. Planning to leave early didn’t happen and while wanting to get to Ch-Ch on […]
Read moreThe 12th NZ Classic Scooter Club national scooter rally 19-21 February Fri 12 AM · Tatum Park · Manakau A weekend of scooter goodness. The NZ Classic Scooter Club was started in 1995 as a register of owners of old, interesting or unusual: scooters mopeds clip on bicycle motors Stepthru’s […]
Read moreBajaj scooter update 16 So its now into a new year and we are a bit closer to the next Moto TT. From the last post I had done some re-cabling and purchased some bits and pieces from SIP for the Bajaj. The checklist from the last post was: Working […]
Read moreIt’s the change of season here in the deep south right now so one day you could be mowing your lawns in relative comfort and the next its howling a gale and wet. Today has been howling and wet, so after a couple of days in the shed, once the jobs […]
Read moreBajaj scooter update 14 Sante has come early in the Southern Scoot workshop with new parts for the Black Roughie and some other projects on the go. Hopefully, the Bajaj will be the next scoot to complete next years MotoTT (which most scooterists still call the Mille) and its time for […]
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