Scooter Oddities

Scooter oddities includes a multitude of styles which are just a little bit different from the normal full-framed, two wheel scooters that we all know and love.  The oddities on this page are a mixture of trikes, trailers and unique pieces of engineering!

So here goes, the best scooter oddities I’ve photographed over the last 35 years…

Scooter Oddities

The first one is from Newark in 1984.  I’m not actually sure what this is, so please do leave a comment at the bottom if you can enlighten me.  I think it’s from the 1950s but that’s all I can offer!

The next one is a Lambretta trike, pictured at the Isle Of Wight custom show.  Trikes are relatively rare on the scene and this one looks particularly radical.  I do admire the engineering that goes into fabricating something like this, when it started life looking similar to the blue scooter behind it!

Another scooter from the Isle Of Wight custom show is this copper-effect Vespa Primavera.  It’s really eye-catching and probably very tricky to keep shiny!

This is one of the ultimate scooter oddities and I came across it at the Isle of Wight a couple of years ago.  It was conceived in Dorset, built by Garagista for a friend of a Hoodlum, but it has since been sold.  There’s a Vespa PX at its heart, but it owes more to Batman than Mr Piaggio!

It has the most insane riding position too, and I’d love to know how it handles, as it doesn’t look easy to manoeuvre.

This oddity was sent to me by owner Barry Eglen who built it over a period of nine months with his mate Neil.  Barry, from King’s Lynn in Norfolk, bought a frame which was already cut down, made the seat and and welded various parts himself.  He enlisted a grebo to weld the cobweb, and bought a Harley Davidson petrol tank, handle bars and silver skull from Ebay.

Another one of my scooter oddites which I found on the green in Ryde is this old Lambretta, with a Castrol oil tank on the flatbed at the back.

I’m not too sure what this is, except to say that it’s a modified 1950s Lambretta which has been made a bit more sporty with the drop handlebars and the mini front fairing.  Answers on a postcard please!

This is a Vespa PX cutdown with a unique cooling system thanks to the holes in what is left of the side panels!

This is an IWL Berlin scooter with a trailer.  It’s really long, and was made in post-war Germany in an attempt to compete with the popular Vespas and Lambrettas from Italy.

This is a PK bicycle!  I think I took this photo in Woolacombe in 2001 and a young lad was riding around the site, pedalling furiously.  I’d never seen anything like it before and probably won’t for a long time either!

Some of my scooter oddities are functional and this is a fine example, a fully equipped Lambretta fire engine!

Here’s another of my scooter oddities which we can’t actually identify!  It was taken at the Surrey Custom Show a number of years ago but I don’t think I’ve seen it since.  Please do comment below if you know what type of scooter(s) were used to make this hybrid oddity.

Here is another trike, this one is a Vespa P Range which I remember being ridden around the Isle Of Wight Smallbrook campsite a few years back.  Most trikes are made from one scooter with two wheels bolted on the back, but this has at least two PX frames welded together to create the back end.  It’s certainly a feat of engineering!

Here is another functional oddity, this time it’s a Lambretta with a hearse trailer, to be used for a scooterist’s final journey…

Here is an example from one of the most prolific builders of scooter oddities, Ferdy, of Insane Innovations.  He built Insanity in the early 2000s and then this came along fairly soon after.  Ferdy has a heap of technical know-how and manages to fabricate fast and streamlined scooters which us mere mortals can just scratch our heads about what it actually IS!

This isn’t so much of an oddity, it’s a GTS with matching VW Camper style sidecar, owned by John Barnett from the A5 Scooter Club.  It always gets plenty of attention, not least when he blasts the Nolan Sisters from the sub woofer!  Or maybe he just does that when I’m around…

One of the best scooter oddities is this one which was customised by Sticky, of ‘Complete Spanner’s Manual’ fame.  There’s even an hilarious video on YouTube here and eBay description here.  Sticky raised money for Stoke Mandeville by selling the scooter so it was all for a good cause!

Here is another Lambretta trike, from the Isle Of Wight custom show again.

Now this is one of the best scooter oddities, and it is a full-blown custom Lambretta at that.  Its owner, Rob, demonstrates here how the back end lifts up, it’s amazing.

From the sublime to the ridiculous!  A dragon Lambretta which even blows out smoke from its mouth!

I love a scooter with a theme, particularly when they follow it through.  Take this skeleton Lambretta, with a beating heart at its core!

Here’s another Vespa PX trike, this one with extended forks takes it to another level.

This one is much less freaky and not really odd at all, but the trailer and rear storage make it stand out from the norm.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my scooter oddities.  If you have then it really helps the site if you can share, pin, retweet or like any of my posts on social media, or comment your thoughts below.

If you’d like to read more then I have plenty more scooter blogs to cover all tastes.  From 80s Custom Scooters, to Mod Scooters, Pink Scooters and Lambretta Choppers.  There’s something for everyone!  And if you’re a lover of simple full-framed vintage scooters then check out this blog for some lovely, classic examples.

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