[anjan_c2007]

Friends , today I became the proud owner of an old Lambretta Li 150. It had always been my desire to buy a good example and I was discreetly always on a hunt. In fact, it was with a Lambretta that I started to drive two wheelers. The prices are going up. Very soon, I can predict it crossing the six figure barrier. The D 150 and the LD 150 prices are already in these stratospheric levels.

It was when we had gone to the Nawegaon Dam, for a pre- Nagpur-Goa- Nagpur trial run (more than 45 days ago) with our old cars ( to attend the Goa Vintage Rally on 1/10/2016) that a friend confided about the presence of a Lambretta securely parked in his property. It so happened that a young friend of his had parked it there and had told my friend to look for a buyer. The scooter was restored to this beautiful physical and mechanical condition by the young owner, with a view to keep it for a longer time. But due to some unforeseen reasons, he decided to sell it. I had not much cared about what my friend had said while on the Nawegaon trip but told him that I will take a look at the scooter. More than three weeks passed and I decided to visit him to have a look. It was love at first sight.

The deal was soon finalised. The beauty came home today and since our home is so used to Lambrettas ( Dad had three, the last one was sold in 1991) it was a sort of homecoming for the brand. So home folks were quite enthused as this one made an entry after 25 years.

The scooter is in fine fettle. As I was used to the other more modern two wheelers, the first few kms on this beauty made me remember my Dad's lessons from the pillion seat, while on my first drives. It has four gears and the first gear can be engaged while on the move. But one dare not switch off the engine at a signal. Its because the kick starter needs one to get down to re-start the engine. We are used to the self starter and switch off the engine machines. And the right foot has to be kept above the foot brake always for emergent situations, that creates a minor fatigue on the ankle, especially for long distance drives.

More pictures later :



The scooter at a temple gate with the grandchild of the Priestess on board



The scooter at a temple gate with the Priestess performing its Puja

[ARUN.V]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Friends , today I became the proud owner of an old Lambretta Li 150. It had always been my desire to buy a good example and I was discreetly always on a hunt. In fact, it was with a Lambretta that I started to drive two wheelers. The prices are going up. Very soon, I can predict it crossing the six figure barrier. The D 150 and the LD 150 prices are already in these stratospheric levels.

Neat Lambretta sir. The ring on the seat for the pillion rider to hold and a chrome headlight ring are to be added to the vehicle to make it complete.

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Friends , today I became the proud owner of an old Lambretta Li 150. It had always been my desire to buy a good example and I was discreetly always on a hunt. In fact, it was with a Lambretta that I started to drive two wheelers. The prices are going up. Very soon, I can predict it crossing the six figure barrier. The D 150 and the LD 150 prices are already in these stratospheric levels.

Let me be the first to congratulate you Anjanji

Wish you pleasant scootering!

[veldeep]

Dr. will surely attend next year Goa rally on his new beauty. Once again congrats.

[adidac369]

Many congratulations! Its usually meant to be - when people fall in love at first sight. Not that you wont have tough times later on, but knowing you loved it can help you tide over troubled times. Its great that you have family support on this decision, and that this is not your first Lambretta, so it is in good hands after all.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by ARUN.V

Neat Lambretta sir. The ring on the seat for the pillion rider to hold and a chrome headlight ring are to be added to the vehicle to make it complete.

Thanks Arun. An apt discovery by you. That's already on my shopping list. It helps hold the scooter in position while kick starting other than provising support to the pillion.

Originally Posted by autocrat

Let me be the first to congratulate you Anjanji

Wish you pleasant scootering!

Thanks autocrat, true, I am enjoying my rides .

Originally Posted by veldeep

Dr. will surely attend next year Goa rally on his new beauty. Once again congrats.

Thanks Deepakji for your wishes, let's hope so ! The restoration job was quite thoroughly done by the previous owner.

Originally Posted by adidac369

Many congratulations! Its usually meant to be - when people fall in love at first sight. Not that you wont have tough times later on, but knowing you loved it can help you tide over troubled times. Its great that you have family support on this decision, and that this is not your first Lambretta, so it is in good hands after all.

Thanks adidac for your wishes. Yes, Lambretta its a familiar brand for the household.

The clutch wire, gear wire, speedo cable, headlight, speedo, pilot light and taillight bulb, tail light cover, spark plug, delco point, carb repair kit (float and float pin too), extra horn, rear brake pads are essential as spares to be stored, to keep the beauty running. I would appreciate additions to this list.

A joke:
Two brothers in discussions
First brother

Mere paas Splendour hain, Pleasure hain, Pulsar hain, Luna hain, TVS XL Heavy Duty moped hain, Activa hain, dekho main kaha se kaha pahuch gaya hoon.
Tumhare paas kya hain, do waqt ki roti ke paise ?

Second brother

Mere paas Lambretta hain.

[NPV]

Congratulations on the new acquisition Anjan sir, wishing you a very happy ownership with the new beauty
Brings back memories from my childhood - my dad and uncle had Lambrettas at home and I loved being taken around the city in those scooters. Coincidentally, both my uncle and dad let go of their Lambrettas as they grew older, in favour of easier to ride scooters like the Kinetic Honda that was the rage in the early 90s. My dad was a bit adventurous though as he first changed to a Lamby scooter and then got the LML Vespa Select before settling down with the Kinetic Honda.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by NPV

Congratulations on the new acquisition Anjan sir, wishing you a very happy ownership with the new beauty
Brings back memories from my childhood - my dad and uncle had Lambrettas at home and I loved being taken around the city in those scooters. Coincidentally, both my uncle and dad let go of their Lambrettas as they grew older, in favour of easier to ride scooters like the Kinetic Honda that was the rage in the early 90s. My dad was a bit adventurous though as he first changed to a Lamby scooter and then got the LML Vespa Select before settling down with the Kinetic Honda.

Thanks NPV for your wishes. Nice to know about your association with Lambrettas.

Today, I did some DIY work with the Lambretta. As it has been restored lately, a lot of spares have been changed over. Though TOUCHWOOD, the basic scooter and its mechanicals are largely company fitted, there are some irritants, though. The Delhi made spares that have been replaced are of poor quality. I have seen some websites of Lambretta spare suppliers from Delhi. They ask visitors to CONTACT US. And one website says they only export. No sales in India. I am sure this has become a very lucrative business to supply Lambretta and Vijai (all its variants) spares to the several thousands of scooters that have been exported out of India, since the past seven to eight years. Wonder about the quality of spares these fellows may be exporting, seeing some Delhi made spares fitted on my scooter.

Back to my scooter, the rubber hose connecting the air filter to the carb is weathered. Very poor quality rubber. The petrol and choke controls are of metal ( good quality). API started making plastic ones in the early 1970's.

Meanwhile, a few more pictures.













Above : This is what was called handgrip cover (rubber) and is a period accessory, fitted over the plastic handgrip. It has turned hard over a period of time (must be at least two decades old). Am thinking as to whether this should be replaced ( views invited) , or else this can be kept aside for events, and new ones fitted for regular use.



Lambretta/ Vijai lovers please also check out this thread if you have not gone through its contents:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-w...ais-shine.html

[anjan_c2007]

Could locate two pictures of my scooter from the 26/01/2014, Republic Day display, by the Cent Ind Vintage Automotive Association (CIVAA) at Nagpur, under the previous ownership:

[anjan_c2007]

Another picture of my scooter from the 26/01/2013, Republic Day Rally and Display, by the Cent Ind Vintage Automotive Association (CIVAA) at Nagpur. Mr Dhanush Doongaji, the previous owner is seen riding:

[anjan_c2007]

On 03/12/2017, we from the Cent Ind Vintage Automotive Association (CIVAA), Nagpur did a two wheeler run covering 180 kms from Nagpur to Patansawangi, Parsheoni via NH 47 (Nagpur- Bhopal Highway), then to NH 44, Kanhan, Kamptee and back on two wheelers. All the two wheelers did the winter run unfailingly.

My Lambretta was grounded due to fuel and electrical faults. I sat with the scooter for three days, cleaning the entire fuel system right from the petrol tank to the carburettor. The spark plug was changed to new, ignition coil connections rechecked and gear oil was replaced. I was shocked to find only about 300 ml of black, sooty gear oil remaining in the chamber, as opposed to its capacity of 900 ml.

With the new jobs done, the Lambretta was more than happy and ran flawlessly all through our 180 km trip. I was cosy throughout the trip, driving the scooter. It is the ultimate for driver comfort . The body feels solid on our treacherous roads. We encountered several dirt patches along the route.

[anjan_c2007]

Some clean-up, oiling and greasing jobs during the weekend.The old machine remains fit.

[V.Narayan]

Congratulations. She looks very natural and lovely in her original state. Remind me of my own pre-owned Lambretta my first ride.

[Cooltronics]

What a find
We had 2 in the house and both immaculately maintained by my uncle with bags full of spare parts which he use to keep collecting from scrap markets and known places.
He had so much of love for them that every Sunday he use to open and clean with Kerosene and service the scooter.
Unfortunately they were sold for 2000 INR 10 years back and none of the bag full of parts are seen around

I am sure these will give you decades of fun driving them and they are quite robust.
About the handle grip, keep as it is, if you remove them, they might crack and break as they would have harden up.
I will see if I can find similar in Ahmedabad.

[vnabhi]

@anjan---congrats! Stirred nostalgic feelings in me, as my dad was a Lambretta dealer till 1975. I had also owned a Lamby from 1983 for a decade.

I am a bit confused with the pictures of the speedo. One is API in black colour (presumably Yenkay), and the other one has a white background colour. The Innocenti models initially had white background speedos. The black Yenkays came later. Last were silver-background Pricols.