Found on Newspapers.com
I can't ride a push bike, let alone a motor scooter.
Yet there I was at Warwick Farm yesterday for the launching of the luna range of Lambretta motor scooters. Press representatives had been invited to the launching, to see the new vehicles and to test them. They even had a special scooter trainer ready for those who, like me, pleaded ignorance. the scooter-trainer, officially called a static simulator,is a fixed scooter with rollers under the back wheel. "I guarantee we can teach any adult, provided he has an I.Q. of at least 100,to ride a scooter in 10 minutes," said Lambretta's managing director, Mr Peter Agg. Anyone but me, I thought as I hopped on the trainer, safety helmet already strapped on. Knowing as little about motor cars as I know about scooters (public transport is usually my lot), I got lost half way between explanations of which was the clutch and which was the throttle. To be fair to my instructors, I didn't wait the full 10 minutes. If I had, I wouldn't have had any excuse left to avoid driving a real scooter. I am too much of a coward, and besides, the pathways are still wet and slippery from the morning rain. But the scooter did look tempting. The publicity handouts ("moon silver" in colour and stamped "top secret" to make the most of the name Luna and the recent space shot) described the new scooter as being designed with women in mind. They are in four bright colours - mustard, tangerine, red and aqua. But more importantly they show just what influence the mini-skirt revolution has had. The Luna Lambretta has a wide front to protect bare legs from the wind, and a lower seat to make negotiating the scooter a more dignified business for the with-it girl. Even the handles are more upright so she doesn't have to lean too far forward ...a must with minis. The Luna has been on sale in Europe for about 12 months, so it is only coincidence that its launching in Australia took place so soon after the moon landing. It was named because its designers felt it was the ideal commuter vehicle for the space age.
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