Isle of Wight 2006

……………so continuing on, leaving the ferry port at Newcastle about 11 in the morning me and Jeannie set off to meet up with Martyn and Sam in Goole to pick up our camping gear and get down to Isle of Wight. We got a good speed going and arrived in Goole good time. Up until now both scoots had been running great. That was not to continue for the rest of the holiday! (more later). However my exhaust bracket cracking was no real drama as Martyn is a competent welder and had it sorted quick style. We battered on down to Portsmouth to catch yet another ferry and were doing well until my scoot started playing up. A long-standing electrical problem (since Holland last year) came back with an intermittent misfire that made the journey really hard work. Can’t get to the bottom of this as have changed all elec components in motor previously and keeps returning. Arrgghhh!!! Then to top that my clutch backplate broke (which was new when we left for Sweden) and I had to drive the last 10 miles with practically no clutch. Bollocks! Mind you – I wasn’t the only one with problems – Martyn’s own exhaust on his TS1 decided to part company at the end can! which was promptly recovered and stuffed in a backpack! Tad noisy to say the least. Never mind, we got there and set up tent in pitch black which is always fun – not! Mindful of the warning signs on site saying beware of deep cracks – bloody ravines more like! A whole section of the campsite was fenced off as unusable. The rest wasn’t much better. Just as well Cath wisnae here she’d have broke an ankle for sure! Quick venture to the stadium bar where we said hellos to Malice and Wyn, Scotty and Lindsay, Inny andHailey from Ghosts, Alex and Karen from Globies, Hatty from Billingham and some other familiar faces.

 Friday was the first anniversary of our wedding and some of you will be aware that this is known as ‘the paper anniversary’. Cue Jeannie receiving her carefully wrapped present of – a bog roll!!! Hey, that’s no a bad present at IoW haha. Came in well handy. A lazy day with all day drinking sesh on the site was finished with a trip into town and a perfect anniversary meal at the Mexican with Sam and Martyn. Thanks guys. Really appreciated.  Saturday was repairs day so I set about changing my worn out needle and carb strip as well as removing my clutch to replace it with the spare I always carry. Unfortunately the spare had a cracked basket that I hadn’t noticed. I set off to the stalls to get a new cosa clutch. Needn’t have bothered! IoW stalls are fine if you want a shiny bit, mug and coaster set, t-shirts, or anything Lambretta – but Vespa parts???? You’ve got to be kidding. Ended up using all the best bits from the two clutches and hoped it would get me to Mersea next week. One point here though – when down at dealer village I bumped into Alex from Globies at his t-shirt stall who had kept behind an engraved Ocean Colour Scene centre mat from his old scoot, with me in mind. Nice one mate. Top bloke and I’ll definitely be getting you a drink or two for that. Cheers. Nighttime was a bit messy and I can’t remember much although I’m sure it would’ve been worse if I hadn’t been sent to bed! I do remember chucking beer about and ‘dancing like yer dad!’ and I also remember the two wee lassies who could soul dance better than anyone I’ve seen. Also Daz from Leicester and Vess were superb in punk fancy dress although matching thongs is a bit too far (especially when they wernae part of the fancy dress!!)

 Sunday morning was another lazy one and wandered around taking pictures of scoots etc. Spoke for a while to the guy with the Rotax engined small-frame Vespa, which does 100mph. Impressive as hell but seemed a bit high maintenance even for me! Frank Sanderson built this and is currently building my YZ250 cut-down. Bit worried when Frank told this guy about mine he replied with ‘fucking hell that’ll be mental – is he crazy?!!” this from someone who owns a 100mph small frame!?!?!? Hee hee. Sunday night my man-flu was really kicking in and I felt totally shite – thanks Jonathan! Soldiering on though we went to the Balcony do until about 2’ish with good sounds and massive entertainment from the swinging glowstick of Sam! Then it got messy with Paddy from ‘alifax and then all else getting wrapped in bog roll?! So we made our exit so Jeannie could about start a fight at the taxi rank.  No help from me required – the 6ft skinheads and girls in tow all backed down instantly when she turned the look and then the gub on them. That’s ma girl! No really – that’s ma girl! Needless to say the taxi was ours!

                                                                                                                                                                                                         Monday most folks were leaving and the sounds of all those van and car engines starting was too much. Oh and a few scoots as well. Was really disappointing the amount of people not on scoots at the rally. At least we can rely on Mersea to be different (???). We packed up our tents as the gypo population were moving in for the monster truck fest and set off down into Ryde to get a B&B for the night. Now comes the next scooter problem. Ryde high street and the scoot cuts out and will not re-start. Kick after kick – no joy. Not much fuel so siphoned a bit in and figured that would be it. Nope – still no joy. Then Martyn turns on my indicator switch for a laugh – and it starts!! Weird as fuck. Must be coincidence surely. Gets to B&B and tries to restart scoot – nope. With a wee bit trepidation I tried indicator switch again – surely not – haha starts first time! How come I get the weirdest problems ever! New stator plate fitted and its sweet as a nut again – (except for the smashed indicator lens during a basil fawlty moment!)  Monday night is VFM night and we ended up drinking with Uncle Tubbs, Big Max, Mick Girvan and Sluice, Daz and Vess as well as our usual crew. We planned an early night and instead got an early morning! 3 am we buggered off to bed. Nuts. The rally was all but over for another year so Tuesday morning we saddled up and caught the ferry over to Portsmouth to head over to Brighton for a few days before Mersea. Only a 60-mile trip so not much could go wrong eh? Haha, Jeannies scoot cut out with fuel starvation from blocked carb which needed stripped and although I was worried about my clutch basket it was actually the plates which knackered and were slipping so bad I couldn’t get above half revs. Ah the joys! A few days were spent in Brighton but not much to report as it wasn’t a rally and was more like our personal holiday time. One thing though – the nightclub had a huge Jagermeister flag which we pestered the owner for hours for then tried to nick it anyway! No success I’m afraid so sorry Davie, would’ve looked great on yer wall! Friday morning saw us packed up once again and heading of for the 200-mile drive to Mersea Island………..woo hoo!

 Dunf

 Stats - IoW 2006 – 26 August

 Club scooters attending:-

 Jeannie-Vespa PX200 (T5172)

Dunf-Vespa PX210

Click here for Photo's

 
 

email: squirevespa1000@yahoo.co.uk

copyright ©2005 Edinburgh Blues

site design@zer03zer06