Scooter restoration

Above is my container unit, which is full of bits and bats (not including my girlfriend sat there) Including to the left the Chinese branded scooter, which is in bits. I purchased her (again the scooter not my girlfriend) from a young lad on Facebook for £100. She runs, but is a bit tatty, and the ignition barrel had been butchered, you have to jam a screw driver into the ignition hole just to get the electric's going to start the engine.

Iv had her for about 5 weeks now, but iv only worked on her for around 4 hours in that time due to my full time job. This is just a spare time job of sorts. I don't like to start a new projects, when it comes to motorcycle restoration until iv finished the previous one. This is because you end up with a container full of bits and pieces from several different bikes. Which just makes things a nightmare to work with. So a little tip which I learned from my Dad. Don't start something you cannot finish. Don't start lots of different things until you have finished the first job you started, and always keep your work area neat and tidy. It makes it much easier when you are putting that gearbox back together if you put all the little nuts and bolts in a tin or container rather than throwing them over your shoulder.

My adopted father, used to race speedway. He's always been a huge biker and got me my first motorbike when i was 10. It was a 50cc Italjet scrambler and he used to tie a bit of rope to the back and hold it whilst I learned to ride. It scared me at first, just because of how loud it was, but I did eventually learn to ride and I'm thankful to my Dad for that, among many other things.

I work, to earn money for bills and buying things I want. I buy broken motorcycles as a 'side job' to fix up and sell on, And I write because i enjoy it and I find it to be a great way of expressing myself. I have to admit though, fixing up old bikes is a bit more than just a side job. I get a great deal of enjoyment out of it. I have friends iv met through buying bikes and parts, and other guys with containers full of motorbikes down at the container yard who I enjoy a laugh with and chat and share old bike stories.

I have a couple of Engineering qualification I gained from serving as a tank driver in the British Army. I have also worked as a bus and coach mechanic, and iv done bits and bats over the years on my own cars and bikes. So I'm not what you would call a fully qualified motorcycle mechanic. I'm not really a fully qualified anything for that matter, I just do my best, and I never start a project unless I'm sure I can complete it.

One thing I enjoy about bike restoration is the challenge. I like getting a new bike, stripping it down into bits and having the challenge of getting it put back together fully restored and better than when I started. I enjoy shopping for new tools and parts. Taking my time to mull over what style I might go for with each bike. For example this one, the Chinese scooter. Is in the process of being painted fully in Matt white. Once iv painted it ill put it back together and put some lambretta 'mod' style stickers on the mud guards and plastic fairings. Iv had to buy a number plate as it didn't have one, iv also bought some chrome 'mod' style mirrors and fitted a new ignition barrel so it actually has keys to start it. The idea being it'll look like a unique Lambretta replica scooter. There will be only this one like it as iv designed it myself.

Once it's complete it will go up for sale and ill start looking for the next project. It keeps me busy, keeps my brain functioning well, helps me to meet new people and I enjoy it. I enjoy getting my hands dirty and having my head stuck in the engine bay of a bike. I enjoy ratchetting bolts off, screwing part on and off of bikes. I enjoy getting each bit fixed and modified bit by bit and having the satisfaction of thinking, hey iv done that! and by gosh it actually works!

Bikes and tinkering is in my blood, passed down from my dad, and passed down to him from his grandad, who was a bus driver during world war 2, which funnily enough is my dads job now, a bus driver in West Yorkshire. I guess you could say we like to keep it in the family. I will one day pass down the skills and enjoyment to my kids, and who knows, one day we may have a Valentino Rossi (world champion motorcycle racer) in the family. If not its not loss to any of us, because we love it, and we enjoy it together.

The End.