I'm not necessarily the type to start fiery debates butI feel that I'm ready to tackle this one and settle it once andfor all. That uncontrollable urge to want to debate hassuddenly taken me over. I call it the DJ Warren PeaceEffect. Listen to the radio show and you might be afflicted too. Oh, oh.Will I start writing blog posts a scotch snifter in hand?
A website dedicated to Vespa and Lambretta scooters. The frame numbers on all Li/TV/SX machines is found on the kistart side of the frame tube, just above the motor. LAMBRETTA MODEL D (L-76) In the early years of the scooter, Vespa and Lambretta had very different ideas of how a scooter should look. The Lambretta came out of Innocenti’s business making pipes. You can easily see that heritage on the early Lambrettas, like the model D.
By the endof this article, you'll get a definite and clear answer from me.Parka Avenue will declare a winner! Who said I can't take on important issues? First, most Mods fall into two camps: Vespa or Lambretta.
Just likethe age old Coca-Cola vs Pepsi rivalry, the two Italian scooterbrands have been trying to outshine each other since the start. (I'ma Coke fan by the way) Whether you like the feminine curves of theseductive Vespa or the streamline, bullet shaped modern design ofInnocenti's Lambretta, most have a preference.
If you are part of thefew that would rather stroll along the seaside on a bankholiday on a German Heinkel Tourist or a Zundapp Bella, thenmore power to you but you're certainly in the minority. Can someone remind me again what the Ace Face was riding inQuadrophenia? Yes, that's right, a Vespa. The Vespa has curves and issexy. The classic design has endured the test of time and is stillrelevant today.
They preceded Lambretta and you just need tocompare the first model of each make to see that Vespa isthe clear winner. There's nothing cool about riding a Lambretta DModel. I also give Piaggio an extra point for being the first to havethe headlight mounted on the handlebars. For a Mod, that's crucialbecause it frees up space to add a rack or a badge bar.
Whereelse are you going to put all those mirrors and lights? The Turismo Veloce ranks as one of the best scooters ever produced, period. It was also the first two-wheel vehicule to ever use a mechanical disc brake.
When compared to the 160cc Vespa, it doesn't take Einstein to figure out that it can't outrun a 175. (And believe me, I'm no mechanical genius) It can reach a top speed of 65mph and that's plenty of veloce for me. It does have slightly less power at 8.75 hp at 5300 rpm when compared to the GS at 8.9 hp.One thing makes me all goo-goo ga-ga for this two-stroke marvel: the side panels. The early TV175 Series 3 models had the same flat cowls as the LI's. The later TV's had the coved side panels with the famous 'knuckle' flashes that give them a distinctive look. Another noticable feature that I like when compared to its nemesis, is the extended floorboard. When you are riding to your local Soul club, you want your lovely lady to have somewhere to rest her feet.
You don't want them dangling on each side like on a Vespa!This my 1965 TV175 in the midst of a complete restoration at, Montreal's premium scooter shop. It should be ready to hit the pavement in a few weeks. More on the ground up restorations in an upcoming post. Gehenna adimiron black rar. Great article. I was only discussing my Vespa SS180 this morning. I was racing Velocettes and had raced a little Kreidler but my road bike was a BSA 500 Goldie cafe racer when I 'turned mod' under the influence of a pretty girl 😍 and Northern Soul. I road tested everything and chose the SS because it banked over and handled/ cornered quicker than the others and that was my sole criteria.I think I gave the dealer my bike and £30 for a shiny new SS white and red which I added 20p kilos of chrome to before venturing to the 'Pop In Cafe' to show it off only to have 20 rockers turn up and having to run out of the kitchen and over the back car park.
Those were the days! AnonymousYep pretty cool but speaking as one of the 'hell I was there' gang I traded a really nice C15T for my first scooter (in 1966) which was a'64 Vespa 150 Sportique (with union jack bubbles and go slower chrome).Primarily the base reason was sex, all the prettiest girls were mods and the wore mini dresses, a BIG plus! The SS180 was the one to have if you could afford it on pittance apprentice wages, the girls loved to be seen on the Vespas. I just got my hands on a 1967 Granturismo 125 which is a very similar looking beast.
SS's are through the roof. Going to restore it stock white with clean lines and minimum chrome.
Lambretta Li 125 Series 3 Colours
Such a pretty thing it would be a shame to cover it up with too much.One request from an old timer who is actually from the north of England. Please stop referring to it as 'Northern' Soul. It's Soul music and it was and is universal, full stop. Only the people who came after the action had tailed off refer to it as being Northern because after clubs like the Wheel and the Mojo closed down around '68 people who still dug that scene,(mainly in the North)kept it going. We all moved on because Mod 'ism' was a fashion, same as rock and roll and Beats(nicks) and fashions change as do tastes. Some became hippies, some became skinheads, others moved into club and disco scenes and became medallion men and knobheads:) I sort of floated around in all three depending where the most fun was to be had.
Most Rockers turned into Greasers and like Heavy Metal.as do I. They pinched that from the progressive rock scene which was born of the Hippie movement. It goes on ad infinitum. Brian LucasAs a south London mod in the `60s, I and most of my mates aspired to owning a TV200 for the reason stated by Dave Dry, it was aimed at the British market on the insistence (and consistent pestering) of importer Peter Agge; so we viewed it as `our` scoot.
We preferred the TVs (and Lamby`s in general) sleeker look because it`s lines resembled the, then current, look of Bertone designed sports cars coming out of Italy as apposed to the 'bubble`y' look of the Vespa`s!Out of our group of 8 mods back then only 2 had Vespa`s and the only thing we envied about the Vespa`s was their deeper exhaust tone when fitted with certain sports silencers.I bought my TV200 (GT) 2 months after my 16th birthday in `66 when I part ex`d my old Li 150 for it. I still own that same scoot and have just finished a full restoration on it after last using it in `77, and am enjoying it every bit as much as I did in my misspent youth of the `60s.great times.The ultimate scoot for me has to be the Sr3 TV Lamby, it did it for me back then, and still does today. AnonymousIt is great, Patrick that you have both makes. I think any claims at bias can be shot down by just this.
The Lambretta looks great and I wouldn't say no to owning one.but. Design wise, aesthetically and intrinsically, I have to side with the wasp/ vespa. When I saw a documentry about post-war Italian scooters, I was honestly shocked at the Lambretta being made from a series of metal tubes. I had always thought it was a complete frame. The Vespa on the other hand is of complete/pressed construction. I think that is why it is more reliable and is still in production.
I have heard many arguments against this but for me they still don't hold water. So from a design standpoint it has to be the Vespa.
The British or other variants are for me a cruel joke. Like an Italian scooter only ugly and clumsy. Completely missing the point anyone? Just my two Aussie cents.
Take care Ozy Pete. Great article and one with a conclusion with which I wholly concur (although I too would have to declare a bias on the basis that a TV3 nestles amongst the other models in my stable). For some time now I have been toying with joining he blog community with this very subject my intended first attempt.I guess I'll still have a tilt at the subject on the basis (like all those maths calculations at school where the teacher insisted) you have to show your workings to demonstrate how you reach your result! AnonymousGreat article.
I have a '64 150 Special. Wouldn't you agree that the only real differences between a Special, an SX150, and TV175/200 are so minimal, that only a real Lammy man would be able to tell? The presence of a disk brake, the fiberglass mudguard on the TV200 (I think), and then just the badges?
After that it'd be different gearing etc which you'd have to really be familiar with to distinguish the different ratios from each other.They all could be dressed up as any of the others (providing they have age-related number plates in some cases I guess?). Stick SX200 panels on any of the above and make it look like an SX200 if you wish? Anyway, mines an Li150 Special, and so that's what it says on the leggies. Happy scootering! Anonymousi was a mod in the 80s. Revival mod is totally different from mod today or in the 60s.
My first scooter was a vespa 50 special, then a PK100, then a PX. I had no desire to ride an original 60s vespa nor any desire to listen soley to 60s soul/mod. The scene, secret affair, the prisoners and the rage ( to name a few ) were just as important as spencer davis, the high numbers, the pretty things or the small faces. A few years later I bought a gs160 s2, gs150 series 5 then an LI series 2 ( which was soooo unreliable that i sold it soon ). I suppose my point is that the ` ultimate ` mod scooter depends on one`s experience of being a mod. For me a nicely decorated, ride it every day, PX ( which i have now ), is fine.mike mckenna, london 80s mod, now living in osaka, japan.