80s Scooter Photos – Linda Burley

I first met Linda way back in 1984 when I started going out with Rich and she was going out with one of his best mates, Neil Bryant. Linda and I had one of my most memorable rides to a rally, when we went 2-up on her Vespa 100 Sport to Weston Super Mare. For some reason the boys went on ahead of us, and my Serveta was playing up so I rode her smallframe with Linda on the back, carrying 2 tents and 4 sleeping bags!

We couldn’t leave until after work and it was quite scary riding through the country lanes towards Somerset. We’d just gone through the Cheddar Gorge when the scooter suddenly went out of control and I couldn’t steer it – we’d had a blowout! We both came off but luckily the overhanging luggage spared the scooter from too much damage. Sadly my big toe didn’t fare as well and after a visit to A&E at Weston Super Mare hospital the next day, an x-ray confirmed I’d broken it! Luckily it didn’t stop me riding home and the story became one of those memories which I still remember 40 years later.

Fast forward to 2024 and at Rich’s wake Linda brought her old 1980s photos and it was amazing to go through them, some of which I’d never seen. Linda kindly lent them to me so I could scan them, and share them so that others can relive those fantastic days, hanging out and messing around on the scooters.

Hanging Out

In Bognor we generally hung out at Rich’s Mum’s flat in Berghestede Road, and Neil’s house in Oak Grove that he shared with brothers Pete and Pudders (Paul). There would be scooters coming and going at all hours, mainly the ‘SB lot’ (the South Bersted mods, who quickly turned into scooterboys) and their mates.

Then there were the hours spent outside the ISB amusement arcade, opposite the pier. Linda didn’t have many photos from there, and neither do I, but I would love to see them if anyone else has some from back in 83/84.

Camping at Slindon

Then we used to head off on our scooters for the night to wild camp in the woods, either at Whiteways or Slindon. I don’t have any photos of those jaunts but luckily Linda does! Although I recognise most of the faces below (Linda and Neil are on the left, me and Rich in the middle) I’m not sure who’s on the right with Pudders?

Bognor People Gallery

Rallies

Then we all used to go to rallies together and the photos below come from places like the Isle of Wight in 84 and 85, Weston 84 and Clacton 1985. Here’s a really young Rich with Jon Keen on the back, at the IOW just after his 16th birthday on the smallframe he built in his bedroom.

This is probably at the Isle of Wight in 1985, with Morph, Neil and Phil Moon in the foreground.

Scooter Rally People Gallery

Scooters

I always wish we had better cameras back then, because the photos really don’t do the scooters justice. Linda captured me looking at Dazzle for the very first time, I think at Weston 84. It was in its first incarnation, in blue, and was in a different league to most of the custom scooters around at the time.

Another favourite of mine was the smallframe Mytho Poekin, which was a cut above anything I’d seen before.

And there was Rich’s custom scooter Somewhere In Time, painted by Dave White from Almodington, a very skilled artist who turned his hand to scooters for a few of us.

What’s really sad is realising how many of our mates in these photos are no longer with us, including Phil Moon, Lee Simmons, Sam (Mandi’s best mate back then) and of course Rich. They were great times and I hope others get the same enjoyment from taking a trip down memory lane that I did.

Scooter Gallery