Classic Scene-Blog

Customshow Ried (Austria) 2010

sibylvane — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:26:00 GMT

Scooter enthusiasts from all over the world came to Ried last weekend. And they came for a good reason: The annual customshow that took place in the Energie Ried Halle. Beautiful originals, extraordinary tuning-ideas and spectacularly modified scoots: Something to every visitor’s taste.

Beside the actual customshow, you also had the chance to visit the traders’ area, where you could finally see and touch recently developed parts and a spare parts fair for all the bargain hunters. Fortunately the venue was big enough to allow the 1500 visitors to take a good look at the 170 scooters unhurriedly. Which was definitely worthwile, as our latest custom project ‚Glorious Basterd’, (winning the category ‚Best Vespa’) contained a lot of details one could only recognize at a second glance.

That’s the Basterd’s charm: The artful combination of elements that normally ‚would not fit’. From the new SIP Performance Digital Speedo fitted into the dropped handlebar to the GTS-conversion to 12“ - The beautifully painted scooter is an eye-catcher all along the line. And with an RS Performance Curley exhaust, a 35mm Mikuni carburetor and a 172cc Quattrini racing cylinder - the qualities underneath the surface are matching, too.
Two other absolute highlights of the customshow were – without a doubt the breathtaking acrobatic show, performed by the Oldtimerfreunde München and the Allnighter, taking place at the WOMM - disco after the main event.

Our congratulations to the other winners (among them: Mike – ‚Best of All’ for his Depeche Mode and Wolfi – ‚Best Paint’ for the Projekt HRG) and many thaks to the organizers and visitors. We are much looking forward to seeing you all again at the Jetson’s Customshow 2011 in Munich!

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Here you find some of the pictures we took:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sipscootershop/sets/72157623401834861/

SIP team off to Southern France on their Vespas

Ralf — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:11:00 GMT

Wednesday 15 July 2009, 7am.

Meeting point SIP-Scootershop Landsberg am Lech.

Eight 2-stroke addicted Vespa junkies head for a little spot on the map called Mormoiron near Avignon in France, a mere 1,000km ride. It is raining!

So we get out our waterproof rain gear and embark on our journey neatly packed. Remember, “There is no such thing as bad weather…!”

The rain would be a steady companion right until the middle of the Alps, varying only between light drizzle and torrential rainfall until we had crossed the Oberalppass and the Furkapass 2,436m above sea level (a mystic ride through clouds and snow).

The first leg of our journey brought us to Saint-Maurice right above Lake Geneva where we encountered a friendly welcome with crisps, gummi bears and beer by the guys from www.70s.ch, a local scooter club. An extended round of introductions ensued with 70s member “ExtremBoy” reasoning about the possible size of the manhood of our SIP colleagues Olli (Vintage Vespa expert) and Matze (wrench wizard) compared to their stature (both of them are quite sizeable characters!). Our next stop was the famous Montreux Jazz Festival right on the shores of Lake Geneva. Two thumbs up for both an impressive scenery as well as culinary skills…but where exactly was the jazz? After a rough night out at ExtremBoy’s studio we visited Rocco at Martigny who proved to be completely mad about Vespas. His private collection is simply amazing, he calls himself the proud owner of one version of every Vespa model that has ever been built. Needless to say his scooters are all restored to perfect original condition. More treasures were about to be discovered in the basement and some of them changed hands rather quickly.

Among those treasures was a seat for a SS and a Rally speedo that Alex and Ralf, the two SIP founders, bagged for themselves. Michael, aka the Danish guy, bought a picture of a Ford Oldtimer dashboard, Olli returned with a VBB and a VNA while Matze opted for a VNB. Thanks again, Rocco!

After passing the Mont Blanc glacier, we took the highway full throttle style to Grenoble and on to Mormoiron. Once again, we were welcomed in a very tasty way with an Asian buffet and first-class French wine. Of course we found the time to do a mandatory cannonball into the heated pool afterwards. Henry Mouries, his charming wife and their son Baptiste proved to be outstanding hosts during the next days. Thanks again for all the comfort we could enjoy, it was much appreciated after our long journey.

On the next morning, we had a “petit-dejeuner“ and then headed for Avignon. After enjoying a huge three course lunch, we visited the former papal residence which surprised us with a lot of crazy people. It turned out that we had bumped into an art festival which turned the whole city center upside down. This explanation somewhat helped to restore our peace of mind.

Our ride back to the meeting of the Scooter Club du Sud-Est at Mormoiron taught me the important lesson that even a Vespa Sprint won’t go very far with an empty tank. Thanks to my colleagues, I made my way to the next gas station (40km altogether) in “push mode”. What an experience.

The meeting was all about drinking, singing, dancing and getting too little sleep. The drinking continued the next morning when we visited our old friend Jean-Paul at his vineyard for some wine tasting. We had some really noble grape that brought us back on track when Jean-Paul pulled a bottle of red wine from 1976 from the dusty shelf. We drank with the appropriate devotion. A proper alcohol level and a belly full of appetizers with a red wine-onion topping were the immediate result. The group then split into two camps, the pool dwellers and relaxers and the ones motivated enough to participate in the rally, i.e. Alex and Ralf.
In the evening, we were invited for dinner by the boss of ACSUD, one of the suppliers of SIP Scootershop. Thanks again for the tasty duck *** skewers and the chocolate cake. It would have been all too easy to give in to the temptation of eating the whole cake, but our sense of decency won the fight and it was just one piece of cake for everybody.
Back at the meeting we continued just the way we had ended the night before, a fact that did not exactly help our plans of continuing our journey on the next morning.
We kept our cruising speed on a high level both for reasons of controlling our body temperature and to reach Nice and the Cote d’Azur in time.
Cannonball into the sea, wrenching, on to Monaco, wrenching, pit stop at the casino, wrenching, on to San Remo where we had a collateral damage through a crash against a wall due to a damaged headlamp.
Dinner at the restaurant, a good night’s sleep in a nearby hotel, breakfast, getting the injured to the hospital, X-ray, broken thumb, rescuing the scooter from the street, train station, farewell, on to the Lago di Garda.
On our way we lost our Danish friend for about 200km because he preferred to ride relaxed rural roads rather than bolting down the highway.
In Garda we met our good friend Ali who took us to a nice all you can eat and drink fish restaurant and another 12 course meal. Our culinary needs were more than fulfilled.
What followed were two days of relaxation at the Lago incl a boat trip etc… In order to keep the level of envy among you in check, we will cut our report short at this point and close the road book with the conclusion that walls are not there to be kissed and that French people speak neither English nor German. And while our scooters are still in good shape, we will go on and on just like that.

Take a look at our picture gallery here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sipscootershop/sets/72157621789187102/

Springtime in Italian Racing Scene

Ralf — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:09:00 GMT

While the snow masses were still putting a thick blanket over the countryside here in Southern Germany, the Italians organizing the new VPI cup announced a training run at Ottobiano at the end of February.

These are the facts that you should keep in mind about the VPI series:

In 2008 the Italian importer of Stage6 parts organized a brand racing series of its own. Company Ricambio Rapido has its roots in the vintage geared scooter sector. After a successful year 2008 the idea was born to create a separate geared Vespa class for the automatic scooter races.
Not even we would have seriously considered travelling 850 km to Italy just for a training run but, by coincidence, there happened to be the spare parts market at Novegro on the same weekend. Team SIP/Stoffi’s, represented by Michi Pesendorfer and Stoffi, already arrived on Friday morning so there was enough time left to buy some of the overpriced scooters on sale at Novegro. On Saturday around noontime we made the last couple of kilometers to Ottobiano. There already was fair bit of traffic and we seized the opportunity to check out the track on Saturday afternoon with sunny conditions and 15 degrees. For most geared scooter riders Ottobiano is a new track that offers everything from fast sections to a narrow infield. Saturday evening was reserved for lots of tech talk with the organizing team from Ricambio Rapido who stayed in the same hotel as we did. We arrived quite late at the track on Sunday morning. When we finally did, we could not believe what we were seeing: more than 148 competitors squeezed into the crammed paddock and the grandstand was already buzzing with visitors.
In the morning there was only a short warm-up training for the 21 geared scooter riders among us (20 Vespas and 1 Lambretta). The whole thing took off as from noontime with a moderator of its own, lots of journalists, a photographer for the event’s homepage and so on. This event was perfectly organized, a big thumbs up to the organizer!

Contrary to what we know from our latitudes, Vespa races are well accepted here. Every time you hit the track the crowds were cheering and people were constantly patting your back out of sheer joy when you returned to the paddock.
Olaf from Berlin turned out to be the third German-speaking rider. He took a flight to Italy just for the event. Unfortunately, he had a jammed piston after the third training run and it looked as if he would be out for the rest of the day. A small crowd of people gathered around his scooter when suddenly an elderly Italian guy grabbed the piston of his Quattrini and started filing it. The rest of the Italians watched in awe and explained to us that this nice gentleman was Mr Quattrini himself. It is worth mentioning that he was not exactly wearing his workshop clothes at this moment but rather his best Sunday suit. When Olaf’s piston was ready to mount again Mr Quattrini paid us a short visit for a little chat. The chat was held in Italian and English and we also made good use of a little sketch book. At the end, Mr Quattrini handed over a prototype of a new Smallframe cylinder to us, just telling us to make the best of it. Mille grazie, signore Quattrini!
The last training ended at 5pm in the afternoon. We packed our gear instantly and headed back for a long way home. The snow chaos had us back right at the border.
For those of you interested in this race series, all the information can be found at www.scooterracingitaly.com or www.stage6cup.it.

Video:

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2008 Vespa Racing season kick-off

SIP_Admin — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:10:00 GMT

Bring on the new racing season!

Our boys from the SIP-Stoffi-Racing Team are all ready to get the asphalt burning. But with three consecutive titles from seasons 2005 through 2007 under his belt, the acting German champion is facing some serious competition this time. A huge field of riders bringing on a tough battle of material as well as skilled racers stand in the way between Stoffi and his fourth title in 2008.

Stoffi and Zini are racing in class 2 (126-150cc) as usual.

Stoffi will once again show off his white Vespa PK XL on the track. The engine has seen some further improvements: a FALC cylinder has replaced the POLINI 133. The exhaust goes by the same name. When it comes to the clutch, we put our confidence in the manufacturing qualities of QUATTRINI. The crank is a reworked version of a MAZZUCCHELLI crankshaft. The gearing features a lot of DRT gearwheels. Superior workmanship and a fine gear shifting make for a good ride. A GRIMECA disc brake and the Race-Track system are helpful in keeping the beast in check. The chassis has seen an adjustment of the compression angle and a lower suspension setting.

The power makes you wet your pants. Check Stoffi’s statement before the first round of the “Run and Race”: “Two years ago, we were able to win the championship on the Race-SS90 with close to 16hp. As the competition is ever increasing, we had to make a move. Now, we are already reaching 16hp at 8.000 rpm and feature a peak performance of 26.9hp, and this on the Vespa PK XL’s overall weight of 85kg.” The scooter’s manoeuvrability is close to zero at the moment and only time will tell how this will work out on the small kart tracks of the ESC. But anyway, we want to give some 40hp Lambrettas the creeps with this scooter in England this fall.

During the first training runs in Munich, Stoffi has already been chasing SUPERMOTOs. Some of the amateur riders on their 600cc bikes saw themselves being overtaken in a bend by Stoffi with his front wheel loosing touch of the track. The poor boys were considered suicidal afterwards and a lot of SUPERMOTOs are on sale now.

Zini is also competing on his PK in class 2 this year again. With a respectable 3rd place in last year’s championships, he will once again be riding his Polini Racer. The scooter has seen some optimizing work during the winter and leaves a lasting impression with its terrific rev range starting from lower rpms up until beyond 10.000 rpm. The constancy of both scooter and rider once again make him a candidate for the championship title in a heavily contested class 2 this year.

Just like the last two years, Michi Pesendorfer is representing the team in class 4. As the Lambretta riders will be competing in a class of their own this year, Michi finds himself the number one contender for the title with his 220cc Malossi engine-powered Vespa. As always, Michi will impress the crowds with his dedication on the track which, unfortunately, gets him off his scooter sometimes. However, if he is not held back by technical problems or a crash, he will certainly be fighting for the first place.

Let us keep fingers crossed that all riders will stay safe and sound during this hot racing season!

More information: http://eurochallenge.vs2052049.vserver.de/

http://community.sip-scootershop.com/forums/thread/2265597.aspx

Vespa Customshow Ried (AT) 2008

SIP_Admin — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:32:00 GMT

It is as much a legendary as it is a compulsory event – the Customshow organized by Stoffi’s Garage at the Austrian town of Ried im Innkreis. While this established event did not take place last year to everyone’s disappointment, the guys from Ried have finally summoned up their strength again in 2008. Once again Christof Maier has succeeded in reuniting all renowned scooter clubs and the upper crust of the scootering scene in Austria. A colourfully diverse spare parts market presented by the exhibitors made for plenty of stuff to plough through. The team of SIP Scootershop was also among these exhibitors once again, taking advantage of this fair to present the scene’s latest and most awe-inspiring tuning parts.
One floor above, the awards for the best scooters were given away in various categories at the Customshow that formed part of the fair. 1,200 visitors marvelled at the vehicles from all over Europe. The next Customshow is scheduled to take place in 2010!

Image Gallery Customshow Ried 2008

Paris Scooter Show 2007

SIP_Admin — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:58:00 GMT

19/20/21 October – 11^th PARIS SCOOTER SHOW

« IF THE KIDS ARE UNITED … »

The 11th Paris Scooter Show organised by the Vulcan Scooter Club France and the RGC scooter clubs kicked off in usual Friday night fashion with the Warm Up do right in the heart of Paris.

No Metros, no trains and consequently absolutely no taxis because of a national strike made it pretty damn difficult for anyone to make it. However, by 2am the party was packed (you can’t keep a good scooterist away) and swinging and the whole thing was off to a flyer. The doors shut at 6am this year which made for more than one weary eyed scooterist the following morning/whole day. As it should do…

« I PREDICT A RIOT … »

The Saturday night party was hosted, as usual, in the local Chaville town hall right next to the Custom Show. The beers delivered, the stage set up and the sound checks done, the doors were opened at 10pm.

The Rugby world cup final made some late arrivals as did the strikes but by midnight the party was well and truely underway.

The 9 strong girl band (except for the drummer bloke) from Germany The Schogettes provided the soul with a live concert set that, from what I heard the following morning, went down a real treat. Djs Keb, Alan, Olivier and Yann also served up a nice dose of classic and modern scooterist tunes much to the delight of the dancing dozen and cigar slinging Fatty.

Truth be told, the attendance wasn’t great and the reasons for this are unclear. The Strikes didn’t help and despite our best efforts, we can’t pin everything on that. It’s been the 4th year on the trot that the party has been hosted in Chaville and it’s probably time to pack it up and move back into the centre of Paris. After all, if you’re coming for a Week End in Paris you actually would want be… in Paris.

A very kind lady from the Newport Dragons said to me that she’d enjoyed the evening enormously and that it’s the quality of the punter that counts rather than quantity.

« GOING UNDERGROUND … »

The attendance at the Custom Show on the Sunday was however pretty high with 450 entries so it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Whatsmore, the quality of the scooters in the show was exceptional. Amongst others, Dave Bishop brought his 230cc Liquid Cooled GP, Tomo from the Newport Dragons came with his Twisted GP, Romuald from La Rochelle came with his Vespa “Little Player” and the RS Performance crew also turned up with some very nice Custom Lammies.

Also, the number of stalls is ever increasing at Chaville which makes for quite a buzz when it’s time to shop for that all elusive part.

By the end of the afternoon , the custom show results were in and it was time to end the day by announcing the winners and handing out the trophies.

After 11th year, we’ll be taking a break next year so it’ll be 2009 for us…Thanks again to all and we hope you enjoyed it.

Feel free to sign our guestbook on www.vulcan-sc.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Special thanks :

To all our sponsors & partners : Three Stroke Productions, SIP-Scootershop, Scooter Center Cologne, STC France/Lambretta Clothing, Vulcan SC Bezak, Eddy Bullet UK, Scooterworld.fr, 70’s Scooters, Top Scooters, Scootering Magazine, EuroLambretta.com, Jean Do Aerographics, Ted’s’type, Andy Francis Scooters UK, ScootHere, Les Années Scooters, Weekend Sauvage, Shed Magazine, Flo the Modette, London Styl Paris, London Calling Tours, Star Breizh, JP Helmet, Warrior Clothing, Lambrett Import. Special thanks to the 2 bands “Fix It” and “The Schogettes” for their live performances. Thanks also to the DJs : Olivier (Tribu Scooterist Liège), Alan (Eurolambretta.com), Keb (Vulcan SC) and Yann (RGC).

Thanks also to all the club and solo scooterists from all over Europe who attended and all the others we forget to mention !

Custom Show results :

- Best non Vespa : Jawa Cezeta (Pierrick - SC Nord 59/France)

- Best Oddity : Lambretta AF Sprinter (Scooter Center Koln/Germany)

- Furthest Travelled Scooter : Jerry (Vulcan SC Celt/UK)

- Best Paint & Artwork : Vespa PX “Kill Bill” (Wolf – Allstar SC & Sqooter.com/Austria)

- Best Display : RS Performances (France)

- Best engineered Street Racer : Lambretta GP230LC (Dave Bishop/UK)

- Best Cutdown/Chopper : Vespa PX “Hog” (Ludo – Canards DSC – SkootOff/France)

- Best Small Frame : Vespa SS90 (Ray Strawbridge/UK)

- Best Custom Lambretta : Lambretta GP “Twisted” (Tomo – Newport Dragons SC/UK)

- Best Standard Lambretta : Lambretta LI 125 Special (Daisy Vercammen/Belgium)

- Best Custom Vespa : Vespa “Little Player” (Romuald – Atlantic Racing SC/France)

- Best Standard Vespa : Vespa GS150 sidecar (Sqooter.com/Austria)

- Best of Show : Vespa “Little Player” (Romuald – Atlantic Racing SC/France)

Text: Olivier Gransir, Vulcan SC

Image links:

http://scoot.net/gallery/2007/10/parisscootershow/

http://www.vulcan-sc.com/reports.php5?report=Chaville-2007

2007 Oct Quartermile Bremen Minusschrauber

SIP_Admin — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 07:40:00 GMT

There is this new guy working in our shop, he has come from way up North of Germany, all the way from Hamburg. According to him, there is a lot of stuff going on concerning old classic scooters in the North, including an annual sprint race at Bremen on 3 October. So there you go: five guys, two scooters and a van (SIP On-the-Run-Vito) headed towards Bremen. Arrival at 1:00am, then we have to pitch the tent and we’re off for the party. The party is already well under way, with lots of guests and a perfect atmosphere until ligths are back on at 4:00am. The premises were declared open at 10:00 in the morning. After striking the tent and moving our things, we started to build our SIP booth and waited for the things to come. The riders area is starting to get busy and the first scooters are brought to life. The first runs are scheduled for 11:00am, but technical problems arise as the timing system does not work properly. At 2:00pm the system is still down, so timing is cancelled as the riders are eager to hit the track. The sidecar scooters are first, followed by the class up to 198cc, thrilling races packed with real fights. And then, the show is on!!! The Smallframe class starts and the scooters are, plainly speaking, awesome! Ranging from really plain and stylish to really wild and aggressive. Oh sh**, it’s already 5:00pm and we have to hit the road home again soon! 700km to go...But there are still the big scooter and the automatic scooter classes to come...Whatever, we have to leave, we’re still a seven hours ride away from home. However, I have already heard reports about how we missed out on something as both classes featured some really tough fights. The award for the best engine performance belongs to a Vespa with 39hp (respect!)

Lessons learned: yep, the North is definitely worth a visit!!!

So if you fancy nice weather, beautiful women and hot race action, grab your things and take a look up North, I can highly recommend it (and, by the way, club-branded jogging pants rock!)

Picture gallery Quartermile Bremen Minusschrauber RK

2007 Mostra Scambio Market Imola

SIP_Admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:14:00 GMT

Imola 2007: the race track is calling, the Motodrom is located right in the heart of the city.

What is usually considered the exclusive playground of drivers like Alonso and his fellow Formula One competitors these days turned into a meeting of motorbike and car afficionados from all over Europe.

The nearly 5km of the race track once again were home to Italy’s largest oldtimer market, leaving the area covered with both used as well as new spare parts fitting all makes and models.

Like every year, Vespa friends and dealers paid the race track a visit to stock up on spare parts and scooters for the coming winter months.

Adrenaline levels already hit record heights during the early morning hours as the hunt for the ultimate bargain begins. The levels won’t start to sink until the end of the day.

However, it seems that the excessive consumer behavior of many Brits and Germans went to the Italians’ heads as they charge 1000 Euros right now even for the most worthless pile of scrap. Despite this fact, we can only recommend a personal visit of this huge market to everybody. It is still easily possible to return from Imola with a sunburn during a season where a pullover will just keep you warm enough in our latitudes. Compared with the Oldtimer market in Ulm, Imola is warmer, nicer and more expensive.

Gallery Imola

Mersea Island Scooter Rally 2007

SIP_Admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:50:00 GMT

Report from Gary Youngs:

What a weekend, where do I start?

The 2007 Rally was bigger and better than previous years with a wide range of entertainment being laid on the by the club to suit all ages and tastes.

The rally kicked of at midday and by 5pm you could see that this was going to be an event to remember, tents, scooterist’s and of course scooters as far as you could see.

The atmosphere was buzzing and then came the bands, firstly Special Duties took to the stage (Punk) and there slogan “77 told the truth” above them. Within minutes the crowd had wondered what had hit them (Special Duties first ever Rally). They belted out some of there own tracks finishing the crowd of with that old favourite “Teenage Kicks”.

Next came Small Fakers with there versions of those Small Faces favourites now we are talking, they had the voices, tunes and style not to mention the audience in their grasp.

Finally as the old saying goes “those who wait”, it was Squire’s turn and well worth the wait with those classics such as Walking Down Kings Road, The Faith Youth Today and Jesamine.

As usual the Friday night events wound up sometime between 5 – 6am I guess as I was tucked up in my tent trying to get those’s last precious minutes sleep before I started the early morning gate shift.

Saturday Morning the traders were appearing and soon it was obvious that if we had not doubled the number of traders at the event over previous years we were not far off.

The Dyno was on site which was being taken care of by J B Tuning with a little help from both Putoline and the Colchester DVLC. SIP Scootershop supplied T Shirts for the participants of the Dyno.

During the afternoon the games/custom show were up and running which this year was being compared by both Warren Brown and Tony Wright, what a team the crowd was pulled in and the arena was packed, Ant and Dec watch out your jobs may be on the line.

The winners of the Games are as follows:

Scooter Jousting A Draw

Where's me Beer Armed Forces SC

Tug of War Sudbury SC

Bin Hur Basingstoke SC

Beer & Bananas Tattooed Trash SC

Scooter Tug of war Nick, on a small frame

The winners of the Custom Show are as follows:

Best Auto LK51 USW Dragster, Sexy Beast owned by Aaron Perks
Best Std Lambretta 924 XUE Terry Crook’s Rallymaster
Best Std Vespa FAV 299C Sacrilege
Best Oddity RGE 203W Kick out of hell
Best Vintage 146 UXT "Berlin"
Best custom paint LK51 USW Dragster, Sexy Beast owned by Aaron Perks
Best Street Racer ARA 269A TS1 No 27
Best brightwork ONG 519W Faithful Friend
Best Vespa FAV 299C Sacrilege
Best Lambretta 924 XUE Terry Crook’s Rallymaster
Best of show SVM 932H Built a dream

Then from no where came 7^th Step a two piece ska covers duo and what a crowd puller to finish the afternoon off with Bad Manners, Madness and all those well respected Ska sounds, Scooterist’s were up dancing, singing. An encore was requested and we were not let down as they belted out yet another track and again the crowd chanted more, more, more, unfortunately though that was it for this year. The Saturday night had arrived in style with 7^th Step, but there was more to come the night was early, what else could we expect then the most came on stage, classic Jam, Who, Kinks tracks were being belted out and this was only 7pm, the marquee was packed with singing dancing not only from the Most but the Scooterist as well. This is a Band we will see around the scooter scene for some time to come.

Next, Goldblade, with that mix of punk, physcobilly, dancing girls, singing what an act. The marquee was now not only heated but about to explode as they performed track after track and what an entertainer John Robb was getting the crowd revved up into a frenzy.

After Goldblade what could follow, the Colchester DVLC were not going to disappoint though and here they came Intensified , playing to a packed audience they let rip with their 60’s Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae style music. Lead singer Paul definitely had that smooth laid back sound that just cooled the crowd of from the previous explosion of sounds and finished of the evening in complete style.

And then it was over for another year, 2007 had proved to be bigger, better than ever, covering most styles of music and activities for all the family.

2008 will with out doubt be even bigger than 2007, the preparation has started so put this one in your diary ready for next year

Total Scooterists in attendance was over 2600 Best year yet.....

Sponsors of the Event

Ikon

Allstyles Motorcycle Insurance

Birtoni Scooters Ltd

SIP Scootershop

Scooter Restorations

Putoline

J B Tuning

Wizard Cosmetic Repairs

Printwize

Scootering

We would like to thank the sponsors for their support

Mersea T Shirts were provided by IKon and SIP Scootershop and was really appreciated by the club!

Pauls Vespa Racer in SCOOTERING

SIP_Admin — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:35:00 GMT

In recent Scootering issue, august 2007, our customer Paul Becketts Vespa gets featured on a double page. It is a stunning Vespa PX - Racer with classic 3-colour design. Paul took care of lots of details, as SIP Sports seat matching the scooters paintwork, chromed racing exhaust, Pinasco kit, disc brake and much more.

The complete SCOOTERING article is attached as file! Enjoy.

1° May Italian Vespa Racing series started!

SIP_Admin — Fri, 04 May 2007 08:42:00 GMT

1° may the italian Vespa Racing series of et3.it started again, with the first race in Parma. You can see a picture gallery here: http://community.sip-scootershop.com/photos/klassik_rollertreffen/category1232.aspx Seite öffnen um die Medien anzuschauen...(read more)

EICMA fair in Milano (IT)

SIP_Admin — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:21:00 GMT

We spent some days in Milano to see and find the greatest and latest from the 2-wheeler industry and filter all scooter related stuff for you. Beside lots of small and little but still nice things we found the new Vespa S, a LX that received the Vespa...(read more)

Intermot Cologne (D) 2006 Report

SIP_Admin — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:15:00 GMT

This year, the "world leading Motorbike- and Scooter fair" took place in Cologne. And there was the big program: 7 huge fair halls, packed with lots of brands, manufacturers etc. Additional, the Cologne guys offer a big outside area, full of fun: here you can see our team rider Torsten Müller of the Rollerdoc-SIP Scootershop Racing Team on his ZIP and GENERIC scooter in action. And for the classic fans Stoffi from STOFFIs-SIP SCOOTERSHOP Racing Team is on site. Also there is much more to see: Trial Parcours, Playstation Truck, Stuntshow, Quad Test-Parcours, Customshow (with our Classic PX and N8RO Demonstrator on show), VIVA-la-MOPPED unplugged area, and much more.

Image Gallery Intermot Cologne

2006 Mersea Island Rally

SIP_Admin — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 09:44:00 GMT

The SIP Dyno challenge 2006

The weather was dry and sunny for the Friday start of the Mersea Island Scooter Rally 2006, but after a great night of entertainment, we awoke on Saturday to light rain and the threat of worse to come.

The boys from the Dynolab arrived and set up quickly, while I moved safety barriers into position and placed the sponsor’s banners. The SIP dyno challenge, supported by SIP Scootershop and Putoline oils, was ready for business.

The first scooter was on the Dyno shortly after 10am. It was the first of many 210cc Malossi kitted Vespas. This one made a healthy 17.5 bhp, which proved to be a fairly representative power output for the popular kit. In fact, six typical variations on the Malossi tune were tested with power output varying from 16.5 bhp to 19.7 bhp. There was one exception, which I will detail later.

A few T5’s were also put on the dyno: the most powerful being a 172ccm which made 16.5 bhp. Very respectable.

There were lots of autos tested this year, but they were not making such good power as in 2006, when the 30bhp limit was broken with ease. In fact, our winner was only the 9th machine tested. There were a number of Dragsters and Runners making power from 15.6bhp to our winner at 24.9bhp. The Gilera Nexus made a rather disappointing 28.9bhp, but the prize really had to go to the tuned Dragster owned by Gareth Bodsworth rather than the standard 460cc machine.

The Lambrettas were slow to take the SIP Dyno challenge. For the first couple of hours, very few made the effort. Perhaps, this means that Lambretta owners party harder and require more sleep! The 5th scooter tested turned out to be the most powerful Lambretta tested that day. With 26.1bhp, Dave Sutton had produced a very good 230cc TS1 scooter.

Dave’s power was beaten by one other Lambretta, which was John Balcomb’s group 4 racing scooter. While it was running, it made the most beautiful sound. This Rapido barrelled beast made a very healthy 28.7bhp, and then made some very unhealthy noises…. and stopped. Ouch.

Other tuned Lambrettas made better figures than last year. Seven road Lambrettas made more than 20bhp (all TS1), and others also made good figures, like a Rapido that made 18.1bhp and a piston ported Wiseco 205 which topped out at 19.4bhp. Good work gentlemen!

At the other extreme, one Mugello 185 kit making good power through the curve, but only recording 12.2bhp. Another Rapido only made 11.9, the same as an Innocenti GP200. It is surprising how much money people can spend on their scooters and make no improvement at all!

Also of note were a Zip 70 making 16.4bhp and a 1450cc Harley Davison that produced only 75bhp. There was a Fabrizi 145cc small frame Vespa that make more than 16bhp. A lot of work had gone into this little Vespa.

So by the end of the SIP dyno challenge, we tested 43 machines. We didn’t break any records, but we did find that the average power outputs of the scooters had risen. This might indicate that we are getting better at tuning our scooters, and keeping them together.

So the one detail I left out was the Vespa with the highest output. It was the GS160 owned by Koni Neumann, equipped with a water-cooled Malossi 220cc which made 28.1bhp. You can always rely on the Germans to deliver the goods.

Thank-you Koni. Thank-you SIP Scootershop! You helped make a good event great.

Martin Leech
Colchester District Vespa & Lambretta Club

Images of Mersea Island Scooter Meeting

2006 Stoffi scores again in Volary

SIP_Admin — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 09:44:00 GMT

3rd ESC race in Volary
In the East and on a Supermoto track – a pledge for variety!

This time it was up to Austria to stage the next race of the ESC. Stoffi’s Garage and team were charged with organizing the event. This task should prove more difficult than expected as the rules for staging such an event, especially concerning noise limits, are either very strict or the costs involved are horrendous. Eventually, we thus headed for the Czech Republic and a Supermoto track run by a native German. This was the result of a bright idea of Michi P., one of our team members.
The event took place on the weekend of 18 to 20 August 2006. Stoffi and Michi P. were the first to arrive on Friday and started off by pitching the tent, surveying and modifying the track and preparing the riders registration. When Zini and me got there at about 6pm four persons were sitting at the round table and waiting. It was not until 8pm that the racing teams and their supporters were arriving one by one. Registration under my supervision and the technical inspection run by Zini and Michi P. proceeded smoothly on Friday. Frozen to the marrow, we finally headed for our hostel at about 11pm.

Saturday morning arrived with more of the same routine starting at 8am. I was really relieved to have the support of my friend Katrin (from my hometown Landshut) as the organization on Saturday should turn out to become quite stressful. Our schedule was rather tight as the use of the outdoor facilities was only allowed from 10am to 12am and from 1.30pm to 5pm. The actual race timetable started at 9.15am with the usual riders’ conference. Free training began at 10am followed by the qualifying for the individual classes from 10.40am to 12am. The distribution of the transponders among the riders turned out to be the toughest job as we had only 19 of the originally intended 20 pieces available. This meant that we had to set up a plan for the transponder allocation in not time at all. The overall number of 59 riders was a real success as some of the teams had to travel quite long distances. The largest number of riders, 26 overall, again signed up for class 2. We thus grouped the weaker riders of class 2 in class 1. Nevertheless, all riders in class 2 behind fourth position were really close in terms of lap times.
The track was a season highlight. It was situated in a run-down industrial estate without much ambience. It led around a collapsed hall with two hairpin bends, a long straight for top speed, two in-fields and an eye of a needle framed by hay bales. The track has something for everyone’s taste, among other things also potholes and speed bumps. Surely, some riders got scared while surveying the track during the riders’ conference.
Some first critical voices were heard, but by the end of the training runs the atmosphere got more enthusiastic as both training and qualifying took place without any severe crashes.
Originally, I intended to start in the Fun-/Ladies class (class 6) again, but unfortunately the organization took a lot more time than expected. Therefore, I handed my T5 and the corresponding leather suit over to my friend Nobs (who arrived from Landshut together with Katrin) to compete in class 6. He had already raced in class 3 at Liedolsheim at the Stoneheads Run & Race in 2004. Finally, the first run of Group I (class 1 + 2) started at 1.30pm. Klaus (Blues S. C. RT) held the pole position with a terrific qualifying time. However, he gave it all away after a bad manoeuvre in the first hairpin bend. After an interesting first race the classification of class 1 read as follows: Neuberger, Hillebrecht, Düring.
The race continued with the long-awaited first run of Group II (class 2). Juergen H. (Mad Max RT) started from pole position, followed by Veit (Team Challenger) and Stoffi (Stoffi’s Garage + SIP Scootershop Racing Team). The start always took the riders spectacularly from the long straight directly towards the spectators into the first left bend. Juergen had a good start, followed by Stoffi and Veit. Stoffi managed to take the lead from Juergen by a surprising and daredevil overtaking manoeuvre, while losing it due to some gear changing mistakes shortly afterwards. Another attempt to catch up with Juergen failed. The finish reads as follows: Huber, Maier, Haecker.
During the first run of Group III (class 3 + 4), Falco (Stoneheads S. C. RT) would defend his favourite position in class 3, as would Mats (Stoffi’s Garage RT) in class 4 with another fastest qualifying time on his Lambretta (55.8 sec). Michi P. (Stoffi’s Garage + SIP Scootershop Racing Team) tried to catch up, but his scooter once more touched the tarmac several times (during the day). Michi P. found a new and strong competitor in class 4 in Andreas (Stoneheads S. C. RT): his new leather suit worked as a strong positive influence and took him to his awesome performances. Nothing really new with the classification: class 3 Engelfried, Klossek, Betz and class 4 Engeler, Büttner, Genesius.
Finally, Group IV (class 6), a small but nice group consisting of six competitors, half of them girls – unfortunately without me! Nobs acted as an excellent substitute, way better, with a start/finish victory. Classification: Krimmel, Frey, Buismann.
The second rounds proceeded with a familiarly spectacular atmosphere. Personally, I am delighted with the internal duels between the riders, no matter what position is at stake, all that counts is fun and sportsmanship.
During the second run of class 2, Stoffi was eager to win against Juergen. At first, things turned out pretty well for Stoffi, but unfortunately he skidded out of the last bend and had to let the whole starting field pass by. Another chase was thus on. While Stoffi fought his way back from the rear and Juergen rode an easy race at the front, a tough duel took place between Gloeckl (Pacemakers S. C. RT), Zini (Stoffi’s Garage + SIP Scootershop Racing Team) and Alex H. (Stoneheads S. C. RT) for the other positions. Veit, who was unfortunately crash-prone, had to start from the middle of the field several times. Finally, Gloeckl was able to win the threesome by an amazing overtaking manoeuvre. Stoffi was able to secure fifth position, after Huber, Gloeckl, Haecker and Zinnoecker.
Mike B. (Low Rider RT) provided another surprise with an overall second place in class 3, while avoiding any of his typical crashes.

On short notice, it was decided that I should participate in the second race of Group IV. A funny exchange thus emerged – Nobs got out of my leather suit and into Zini’s while I started wearing my leather suit riding Zini’s scooter, which he kindly let me ride. I was really nervous at the start. First of all, I had never practiced on the track up to this point, and in addition, I was riding a scooter that belonged to somebody else. I started from the last line and always gave way virtuously, especially when Katrin (Team Challenger) and Brigitta (Blues S. C. RT) overtook me on both sides left and right. Unfortunately, Katrin crashed because of a brake failure during the last round, but without any further consequences. The small bunch arrived as follows: Krimmel, Wertz, Buismann.
Mats won the subsequent Best of All followed by Marco and Stoffi, and additionally gained a sensational fastest lap of 54.6 sec during the day – totally unobtrusive, but confident!
After the award ceremony, which took place in the restaurant on the track at 7pm, Stoffi’s Garage invited the whole crowd to free beer until the bottom of the last barrel. Stoffi and me acted as DJ’s, although somewhat limited by a slow DVD player, as the sound system that was brought along could not be connected. The guys from Deggendorf once again provided for a terrific beer tent atmosphere.
At the end, I would like to say thanks again to all helpers, especially Marcel, Hexe and Hans (track staff), who made sure that the event went by smoothly.
Congratulations to Mats Engeler (Stoffi’s Garage RT) class 4 and Falco Engelfried (Stoneheads S. C. RT) class 3 for their early championship victory.
The last race of the ESC season will take place from 9 to 11 September at the Harzring, organizers will be Team Challanger. The highly anticipated championship titles of class 1 and class 2 will be decided there.
Author: Susan Schlums
Photos: Robin Koch www.robin-koch.de
Picture gallery Volary 2006 (CZ)