Custom scooters
Custom scooter is a term for modified Vespa - and Lambretta - Roller , where elaborate changes have been made that make this vehicle unique. This sometimes includes body changes , either cuts or the addition of body parts for other scooters or motorcycles, as well as a special custom paint job , often with effect paints. This has been fashionable with mods since the 1960s and scooter boys since the 1980s and has been subject to fashions ever since .
After race style in the 1960s, mod style in the 1970s, cutdowns in the 1980s and racers in the 1990s, original Customs are currently more "in", where only the engine and chassis are converted and a special paint job is applied becomes. The scooters are presented to a wider audience at custom shows or runs.
Custom styles and their development
Race style
- AF S-Type (AF = Arthur Francis, British racing driver and scooter tuner)
- Super low line
Mod style
The paintwork is monochrome with wide decorative stripes or, if you like, two-tone in two tone . Lots of accessories are built in: heaps of mirrors on additional mirror bars on the side of the leg shield, flagpole with fox tail, a noticeable amount of chrome accessories, e.g. B. chrome-plated fork guards, an additional large chrome-plated horn, sports exhaust systems (eye-catching and chrome-plated), additional chrome luggage rack, flyscreen (a small windshield on the lamp mask), backrest, rubber mud flaps and candy-stripe leg shield protection. The most legendary Mod Lambretta can be seen as the main supporting actor in Quadrophenia : James Michael Cooper aka " Jimmy the Mod" piloted his LI150 through the film store .
Cutdown
The cutdown is an English term used for modified Vespa and Lambretta scooters on which body parts have been removed or cut away (to cut down). Usually the cheeks are shortened upwards and the stern, often the leg shield is also narrowed. This was modern for Scooterboys in Germany in the 1980s, in England in the 1970s and 1980s.
Racer
A racer is a conversion that shines with a particularly sporty look. Often drop bars are used, one-man benches made of GRP or carbon, front spoiler, sporty paintwork in mostly bright colors and cuts. The racer had its heyday in the mid-1990s. The trend is now towards engine tuning with a simple classic look.
Other styles
- Retro / Classic
- Chopper
Reasons for customizing
Customizing (to customize) is the English expression for the adaptation of a series product such as a scooter to the needs of a customer. It is therefore a highly personal item that the builder has tailored to suit his own needs, without considering the opinion of others or placing great emphasis on originality. Not every scooter becomes a custom scooter by projecting the personal "way to love" onto the scooter .
