The subject of today’s first rally story is Mike Oxley who runs the ‘Scooters and Riders’ Facebook group. I like this group as it does what it says on the tin – featuring photos that Mike has taken of people riding their scooters. This may not sound earth shattering but how many photos do you have of you riding your scooter? I have hardly any! One blurry one of me on my old pink smallframe but that’s about it. Mike captures scooterists on rallies and rideouts with really good quality, action photos. Much as I love taking photos of static scooters, it does take skill to get a good shot of one in action.
Mike got into scooters in the 1980s, and has owned a few custom scooters, and is still passionate about the scene and the sheer fun of riding to an event with his mates.
Read Mike’s story below and join the Facebook group for more great photos.
Mike Oxley – My First Rally
Name : Mike Oxley (Moxy)
How did you first get into scooters?
Listening to 2 tone music as a young lad. My’ interest in scooters was much to my old Dad’s amusement as he ran and sold motorbikes for a living!
What was your first scooter rally?
It was Scarborough, around 1985.
What did you ride?
It was a Lambretta DL 125 with a mixed group of lads from around Hull. Scarborough is only around 40 miles from Hull so it wasn’t far to go.
What job were you doing at the time
I was doing shop retail work and didn’t take much money to the rally.
Where did you stay when you were there?
I slept rough next to my scooter on the seafront in just a sleeping bag. It was near the old seafront cafe, on the cobbled road past all the amusements.
Were you in a club at the time?
No, I’ve only been in three scooter clubs in my life. I was in Hull Furys for a short period as a teen, then a lot later in life the Hull Drifters for around six years, and I’ve been in The Black Sheep for two years and counting.
Do you have any memories of the rally itself?
I just remember posing up and down the seafront on my scooter most of the day, much to my mates’ amusement! My biggest memory was the feeling of belonging, been in a seaside town away from home and grown-ups and surrounded by hundreds of like-minded kids. That feeling stayed with me right through to adulthood and although I went through a 15 year gap with no scooter, the scene was still always there in the background through music and friends.
Was the journey home eventful?
I remember one of the lads falling asleep on the back of somebody else and I had to ride alongside him to wake him up before he fell off!
Do you remember what your favourite rally anthem of that period was?
I can’t remember an anthem really, but for me it was anything from The Specials to The Small Faces, I loved both 2 Tone and mod music and styles.
What was your favourite custom scooter of that era?
It was Karl Rusell’s Vespa, Levi Stubbs Tears. He always turned out a quality custom scooter did Karl and still does to this day.
Do you still have a scooter now?
Yes, I own a semi-customed Lambretta Rapido 225 Series 2. It’s a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and I know she had her demons, but what a voice and what songs, even singing with The Specials later on in her life and covering a few of their classic hits.
I’ve owned two other ‘custom’ scooters but they were created by other people, and I just liked them so bought them when they came up for sale. No, I’m not loaded, it was back in the day when one cost me only £800 and when I’d had enough, I sold it for £350. A fully customised Vespa T5 for £350!!
If only I’d had the foresight to just put them away in a shed for a few years, but girls and cars crept into my teenage life so needs must and all that!
What do scooters mean to you now?
MEMORIES! As in making new ones, nowadays, for me, the further away the rally the better! Local rides and rallies just don’t do it for me anymore, they are like groundhog day, no challenge to machine or man.
Sometimes you make the destination, sometimes you don’t, but whatever the outcome the memories I have from the last few years are worth their weight in gold. The sense of achievement when you’ve ridden hundreds of miles to a rally, on a old classic scooter with a few of your mates, is fantastic.
Joining the LCGB four years ago turned out to be a turning point for me, as it opened up new destinations to visit and even a “Best Supporting Member Championship” to take part in, resulting in me this year reaching the Number 7 position. With around 1000 riders taking part each year I was really chuffed with a top 10 result.
It’s lots of miles and lots of smiles, along with my long time riding partner in crime and top bloke, Keith “Fozzy” Foster
How did the Facebook group start?
I started it in 2015 after a photo of myself was taken at Kelso, and made it into Scootering magazine and I was well chuffed, who wouldn’t be right?
I was sat on my Lambretta, fully loaded, ready to make the six hour journey home, and I just thought that I’d like to do that for other people. Everyone’s got photos of their scooters, in a field, or sat on the drive etc, but unless you’ve asked a friend to snap you sat on it, you never have one of you actually riding your pride and joy!
I’d always taken lots of photos of scooters for my own collection/memories, so it was just a case of making a mental change in what photos I took when on a rally. It does have its downside sometimes though, because while friends are in the pub I’m sat on a roundabout snapping away for an hour instead. To be honest though I’m a lightweight when it comes to alcohol so it works out better in the end!
The Facebook group is at nearly 4000 members now, which is great, and we have a regular hardcore group that always contribute every day. It may just be a “morning” comment, or a click of the “like” button, but to me that’s great. I joined Facebook because I am a social person and I like interaction.
I try to keep the group fresh and have started taking small video clips now while on rallies to include once a week. I hope when someone sees one of my photos in the group, they are as chuffed as much as I was when I saw that one of myself in Scootering.
I am guilty of my camera being drawn towards my love of Lambrettas, and am really trying to increase my snaps of Vespas and others this year, honest!
Thanks so much to Mike for sharing his story and for the brilliant photos. I love the idea of Scooters and Riders and really hope that I’m riding around the roundabout which Mike is stationed at this year!
Here is a link to Mike’s Facebook group, Scooters And Riders, if you’d like to see some of his brilliant photos. I’m not claiming to have a ‘Delia effect’ on anything but it would be great to push the group over the 4000 member threshold as a result of this interview!
More My First Rally stories
Read more My First Rally stories using these links (in alphabetic order)
– Ali Richards
– Bill Mac
– Dave Lloyd
– Dean Percival
– Dizzy Holmes
– Iggy Grainger
– Jo Jackson
– Lee Parker
– Lee Richards
– Mike Oxley
– Niamh Pennington
– Nick Jolly
– Norrie Kerr
– Roger Williams
– Sandra Smith
– Sarah George
– Sean Robinson
– Stacey Gardner
– Steve Bone
– Sticky
– Stuart Owen
– Vince Wooloff