Watching Starter for 10 at the mo and every soundtrack is just wafting me back. Mid 80s. Heady days and the best of my life. Yep theres been other good- great times and things I cherish but for pure hedonistic pleasure and... being full-on happy then this was my era - early/mid 20s and I was bullet proof. Scooter Rallys everywhere , gigs galore, met some peeps I can hardly believe I met and had some experiences I will never forget (ta girls) - and a good few ive probably forgotten. Sos - bit self indulgent 24 hour party people and Control do it to me as well! What takes you back to a good place and where/when is it? (I'm currently in the Hacienda talking to Tony Wilson, Hookey and Bernard!
Scooter Rallies!!! wooohooo....IoW ferry race....leaving chains and tools in portsmouth coz of the coppers....waking up drowning in tent....bad manners....stage 5 TS1 kit....king kurt.....that bloody tony blackburn song....snakebite and black....paddy smiths....3 days to get to Fort William...crashing in cabbage field in white stapress...straw skirts...riding scoot along margate beach chased by coppers on foot....CS gased by casuals in Yarmouth....and...and...oh those were the days...
I guess it depends on when what age you were in the mid 80's. It's the little things like you were in flares unless you were in sta press, the significance of how many hole DM's you wore, if a DP freestyler was as good as a GT Performer or Haro, if coating your trick ramp with paint and sand was dangerous - if nicking ply from a building site was a criminal offence when you were 13. The original The Firm film and all the John Hughes films as well as Restless Natives shout 80's to me.
Not just the amount of holes in your DM's but the colour of the laces. 80's was the rise of the proper skinhead from a trojan rude boy skin (good guys) to the plastic skinhead or 'oi' NF skins (bad guys). This killed (in my eyes) scootering in those days. NF skins getting involved towards the latter years of the 80's and early 90's. It sickened me to watch them assault Desmond Decker at Tiffany's in Yarmouth and when the Seig Heil to Liquidator a ska tune. Seeing them dance to ska and wondering why the never saw any hypocracy in this. Unfortunately they became so widespread in scootering that i felt i could not continue in this scene i loved. Although the early 80's this film says it to me as i was in care too. Made in Britain with Tim Roth.
I do recall spitting at skins at dos when the Upstarts came on and they sang along giving their seig-heil salutes. And yes i did get a few slaps but nothing more serious.
Dicky, remember what scootering was like. We kinda all knew each other by face. I missed only a few nationals between 84 to 92 and was everywhere. A21 animals was my last scooter club. I was known as Boots. I remember Gareth well. he stopped and helped me bodge on my rear hub of my lammy once outside redcar. Spent the next few hours and evening with him and his mates getting lashed. Scoot got me home. Nice guy but he owes me a fiver and a throttle cable. I will pursue him till eternity. If i remember i'll scan a pic of me on my AF X type GP250...purple and blue metalflake
Yep guess we did all know each othetr by sight tbh. Redcar - theres a place not for the feint hearted. Will be amazed if I dont have a pic of your AF. Bob McGhee form Southend was another of our crew. Had a 250 - think it was the flying scotsman but there was his and another in similar colours and I get confused was a light blue flake jobbie! Remember a Purple and Blue 250 at Kempys when I was up there early 80s but that would have been around 83 I think as I was working for Pete Merchant around then and we occasionally went up to pick up motors/parts etc. Or think about it it could have been the LCGB open day up there - cant recall when that was. Meeting a couple of mates for a jolly boys weekend up there this weekend and had half a mind to pop in but they probably dont do weekends! Kempy didnt anyway.
I'm up your way now and again. My wifes from Nottingham. She has family in Netherfield and we visit now and again. 83 is too early for me on the AF. I had a blue and chrome Rally 200 then or it mightve been a purple GP150/175. I got the AF circa 86 i think. Chucked the bultaco piston and oversized 250 barrel and put in a TS1 instead. Pete Merchant now thats a name i havent heard for a while. lol. I will dig out a photo of AF later. I too was the great unwashed. Combats, boxing boots and MA1 covered in Paddys, oil stains, holes, beer, vomit etc. Amazing how id go out in the middle of winter with holey jeans and deck shoes and flight jacket. I have bikes now and would not go out without full leathers, even in summer. I still have a Rally 200 Electronic at the back of my garage gathering dust. One day i will pull her out and put her back together. I have all the parts. 20yrs ago if there was a rally this weekend i'd have her together by hook or by crook in no time.
Funny you should mention Paddy Smith as I'm considering nipping down to his place in France later in the year as hes hosting a private rally. I did used to have a number of his patches but no idea where they got too, never sewed any on so they were all minters. I usually wore half decent gear on scoots following a few decent early offs in my scootering career, mostly gravel rash but i know aht you mean, when I had a bike on the road Its very rare I would consider going out on it in jeans. Id forgotten about my combats and boxing boots phase - nice one - no protection whatsoever. I eventually managed to get leather ones but they werent much better.
Hi, pleasedto see more cooter scene vw transfers on here too. My memories re more mod related. 79 thro 82, Birmingham Bingley hall, Stafford, jam gigs, rock against racism, two tone, coventry etc still got the li150 in he garage and keen to. Take her to camper van for he mods and rockers do, anyone else up for that ?
Wish I still had an LI - was my first scoot in 1980. 72 LI 150 Special (Jimmy Clone) I went all vespa for a while after breaking down everywhere I went. Dont worry I sorted that out and had a mix of Lammy and vespas through to the early 90s when I dropped out of the scene. Still got a couple of engines and a few bits and keep threatening to buy another to restore (another wannabe!)
I admit to seriously considering getting another Lammy. But seeing the prices of italian GP's I desided against it. Plus revisiting the past can sometimes not be a good idea. Ive moved on and so has the scene. I decided to remember it fondly instead. I understand your vespa spell. I once bought a new PX200E (just before i got the AF) as i wanted to get where i was going without a)heat seizing b)rear hub nut cross threading c)gear/clutch cable snapping (3.5mm allen keys ffs who makes 3.5mm allen keys, no-one) d)34mm amal carb blowing more fuel on my leg than into cylinder e)head gasket blowing (scissers and coke can needed as emergency repair) f)brakes that work g)woodruff keys shearing on flywheel h)cowlings rattling your teeth out i) exhuast manifold falling off J)sore arse on short snetterton seats K) etc etc But it bored me as it never missed a beat and never needed me to fettle with it. I sold it and bought the AF. Then spend the next few years doing most of the above. Usually late at night, when its raining and in the middle of nowhere.
