Re: Lambretta scooter lovers here ? Hi guys,
This is a brilliant thread, makes me nostalgic. I learnt to drive two wheelers on a Lamby (this is even after I got an Indian license mind you!!).
My father had a Lamby 175 (I believe that was the monicker) before relocating to the Middle East and even before I was born. He did not sell it but handed it over to his younger brother, my uncle.
Years later, after I was born and during our occasional trips to India my father took over the keys and was his vehicle of choice, four family members including my sister, luggage et. all....But I shall be honest as a child I did not like it one bit. It looked big and bulbous, all other scooters looked better in comparison, it was not something as a young boy (especially NRI) I was proud of saying my father drives that!!!
As I grew up still a student in Dubai, my uncle bought himself a RX100 back home, this obviously meant that the Lamby was no more the center of attraction, still in running condition though as my uncle relied on it for the market runs and during heavy downpours. No chance the RX100 would be subjected to such menial jobs. Sadly later my uncle relocated to Dubai as well and the Lamby was left to rot.
I came back home to do my engineering and still not legal driving age. My father although decided that a family runabout would be sensible and I had my fingers crossed on owning a brand new Kinetic Honda. Suddenly to my horror I learnt that the rust bucket i.e the Lamby was sent to a workshop to be given a second lease of life. This was the late 90s mind you and the last thing any 'cool' teenager wants to be seen driving is a Lamby!!
The scooter came back and amazingly looked in showroom condition. My dad said it was worked by the same mechanic he used to go to decades ago. I wasn't a fan, but was thoroughly impressed by the work he did. The guy even had new logos and plastic ornaments that replaced the faded and broken originals.
I started to learn to drive the old beast and man was that Lamby heavy or what. I remember my dad teaching me basic servicing and removing one of the side panels gave my then feeble arms (a lot more muscular now...ahem!!) a workout. It felt like an armored carrier on two wheels, jokes aside I think a Lamby can survive a mine blast!!
Two amazing qualities of the machine was its torque, it will chug along from a virtual stand still in fourth gear with some clutch and the best thing of all was its ride quality. I am yet to drive another two wheeler that rode so well on Indian roads, pot holes, humps, stones it just glided over them while other two wheelers had to slow down for evasive action.
I remember the clutch cable breaking off in third gear, the positivity of a teen I just decided to chug along rather than park it and look for alternatives. Rode it for twenty minutes through rush hour traffic in third until I reached home. Another time when squeezing through a gap in traffic the Lambys kicker (a heavy piece of metal that literally takes up the space of a side car) gave a Ford Escorts bodywork a real bad scratch, I did not stop but simply sped away!!
Years later after being employed I bought a Pulsar (soon after its launch), it meant the Lamby had no more space in the house and was sold off. When the new owner picked it up, it was after all these years of reckless abuse and taking the machine for granted that I realized this scooter had loyally served my family for two generations. It taught me how to drive and gave the the first sense of being free on ones own wheels. I have never seen it since.
Today being in the UK the only time one hears of Lambrettas are on t shirts or fashion accessories!! I do see a few guys driving their well looked after Vespas, looking quite cool. But then I did own something way cooler than that, only if I realized it then. I pray its in good hands. |