Motorists Angry
Demonstrating motor scooter riders yesterday staged a parking protest in the heart of Sydney.
​Thirty-Two riders took over all but one parking meter in Elizabeth Street., between Park and Market streets for the four-hour Christmas shopping period.
​They stage the "park-in" in protest against inadequate parking facilities for scooter riders.
They claim they are being bullied by motorists who move their scooters so they are illegally parked and take over the space.
​Motorists yesterday were furious but police took the side of the scooter riders.
They came from as far as Parramatta and rode into the city before breakfast.
By 8:30am, when the meters began operating, they had occupied every available parking space on both sides of the street.
Close to the big retail stores, this section of Elizabeth Street is regarded as the "gold carat" parking area in Sydney.
From 8:30am to 12:30pm the scooter riders stood by their machines, shifting them to a meter in front or behind every half an hour.
Motorists were at first dumbfounded then furious.
But those who double-parked or trie dot squeeze in scooter space were moved on by a parking policeman specially assigned to watch the demonstrators.
Several motorists were caught attempting to move scooters.
Women there.
When an attempt was made to move one scooter, riders swarmed across the road shouting at the motorist. When he started to argue the riders called the police.
Whenever a motorist was moved on by the police the riders cheered.
Motorists countered by waiting alongside a meter until the time expired and attempting to take over the space when the scooter had to be moved.
But the scooter riders were too quick. With engines warming, they waited for the word "go" and swapped parking spaces before motorists had time to move.
Miss Ann Deed, vice President of the Lambretta Club of NSW, said the parking protest had been planned for weeks.
"Silly, isn't it," she said. "But we had to do something like this to bring our plight to the notice of the authorities.
"Everything we are doing today is legal. We consulted a solicitor before we acted."
Earlier, police told the scooters riders they were acting quite legally as long as they move their machines after half an hour to another meter.

More than 60 motor scooter and motor cycle riders staged a "park in" demonstration in the heart of the city yesterday.
Motorists argued heatedly with riders when they found parking meters taken up for the busy four hour shopping period.
Police and parking police ordered the motorists to move on.
Riders took up all parking meters in Elizabeth Street between Market and Park streets.
Others parked in Elizabeth Street closer to central Station.
The riders stage the "park-in" as a protest against inadequate parking facilities for motor scooter sand bicycles in the city.
They claim that "bullying" motorists moved scooters from meters and the scooters were then booked for illegal parking.
Special
The riders said they wanted areas set aside in the city for motor scooter and motor cycle parking.
Riders from four cycle clubs met in the city at dawn.
by 8:30am they had taken over all available meters in Elizabeth Street.
For four hours riders stood by their machines, moving to a meter in front or behind when the half hour expired.
Within Law
The organiser of the demonstration, Mr Don Brain, of Granville, Captain of the Lambretta Club of New South Wales, told the "The Sun-Herald":
 "We want a better deal for the motor scooter and cycle rider in the city.
"By that I mean special parking areas for bikes.
"we are not breaking any laws with this demonstration - just trying to rectify one."
Parking policemen said riders were acting legally if they moved their machines to other meters every half an hour.

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.

The Italians, battling for the big scooter market with the Japanese, have come out with a flyer.
Those of you who like power-punch, performance and reliability of a manual gear change should have a close look at the Lambretta GT 200.
The letters GT are usually reserved for souped up cars, but the Lambretta company is not fooling when it tacks them on to the name of their scooter.
Believe me - This machine can go.
This week I hammers the 200cc Lambretta around my 15 mile north habour-side suburb test route just to see what it could do.
There were 3,000 mile son the clock already and the scooter had lost the sluggishness you usually find in a new machine.
Despite what I expected, in the city the scooter surprised me. At every traffic light change I had no difficulty skipping out ahead of the traffic - and staying there.
Out in the suburbs the GT really showed its power.
From a standing start at the bottom of the steep North Sydney Alfred Street hill the scooter charged through the first 3 gears and was pulling strongly at 40mph in third as I topped the rise.
On the flat, it cruised comfortable at 50mph with only a little body vibration but with quite considerable engine noise.
The GT is particularly fast through the gears.
I was consistently able to reach 40mph from a standing start (working through 3 gears) in 8 to 10 seconds.
The extremely powerful first gear will drive up to 30mph before the engine demands a change.
Second gear will rev comfortably up to 40mph and 45mph-plus in third.
In the Steady suburban traffic I found causing in third gear was quite adequate. Naturally the fourth gear lacks the pulling power of the others and is really unnecessary (although the pundits may disagree) except for long open stretches.
The GT's brakes can cut the scooter's speed quickly.
From 40mph the hand brake alone stopped the scooter in just under 100ft; the foot brake in 66ft, an bother together in 45ft.
The GT's balance allows steeply angled turns.
But a word of advice. Do not depend entirely on the gears for braking when coming fast into a corner.
Cutting back through the gears does not slow the scooter as much as it does with other models.
Visually the GT is a Handsome machine. The bodywork is white with a contrasting - and comfortable - black seat.
The driver can operate the lights and the horn without taking his hands off the accelerator. The choke and petrol controls can also be manipulated while riding. They are behind the driver's heels.
In addition to the steering lock the GT has another safety device. The electric system must be switched on before the scooter can be kick started.
And the scooter promises economy for the budget-conscious. The agents conservatively estimate 100 miles per gallon.
​What price the Lambretta? - £292

Lambretta's on its way back, returning after a break of about ten years, through Laverda distributors Stanco in Melbourne. It was Stanco which originally handled the machines when company founder Stan Evans became known as "Stan the Scooter Man". However shoved a spanner in the works by inundating the market with their light-weights at an ultra-lightweight price. Goodbye scooters.
But now it's hello-time - prepare to meet some very nice people eon scooters, we're advised.
Initially Stanco had two models sent for test and ADR approval. The machines proved to be robust, safe and reliable, the staff of Stanco clocking up 5000km on each.
But heck, why a scooter? Surely we have enough Jap lightweights to satisfy the market?
Not so, according to Stanco manager Ian Cartwright. It's all a matter of image.
Some of the huge upturn in the motorcycle market is attributed to the 35-years-old person who is rejecting the second var for the family in favour of a commuter motorcycle for himself.
That's where scooters come in, and Stanco sold several container loads of Lambrettas it received earlier this year straight off the floor. Now there's more complete with dealer network, full spares back-up and six months/10,000 km warranty.
The agreements Stanco are making with dealers binds the dealer to having a complete spares stock of the normal items and be able to service the machines fully (including re-bores), while Stanco stocks the larger. more unusual parts to be ordered by dealers as required. All this means full back-up for sales.
If you're interested in the Return(ore revenge) of the Lambretta, and see it as an ideal way to commute while retaining your inoffensive, clean-cut image, you can choose from a 150cm2 model at $999 or a 200cm2 at $1209. Stance is at 291 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne 3000 (phone (03) 67-6039).
For Sydneysiders, a further note: The moped Machine, at 72A Oxford Street, Paddington is launching its business with the Lambrettas.

Lambretta Stars in Safety Ride Down Under

Only 3 months after its invasion of the Australian two-wheel market, Lambretta has swept the opposition before it in a unique motor scooter and motor cycle safety ride.

With only nine Lambretta riders in a field of more than 400, they cleaned up three major prizes and were placed third over all in the teams section.

​The two day ride held last weekend's sponsored by the Road Safety Council of New South Wales to find the safest riders in the state.

​Competitors were required to ride over a 140-mile observed road course, undergo machine examinations, take written road rule tests and negotiate a series of six hard manouverability tests.

The tests were extremely difficult, but the results speak for themselves.

Two girls riding 75cc Lambretta Vega scooters tied for first place in the Women's under 100cc section - with an overall loss of only 170 points.

On a count back of points Mrs Anne Travers of Newcastle, who was riding in a team with her husband (also on a Lambretta) won the prize of a trophy and $50.

The other girl, Sally Wilkinson of Collaroy, came second to Mrs Travers. She took out the best female rider in the Sydney feel category against all-comers on all sizes of cycles.

Sally also completed the cycle manoeuvrability  tests without a loss of points to become one of only a half dozen riders to do so.

"It was easy," she said. "All I did was point the little Lambretta through the flags and it did all the work for me. It just wants to stay upright all the time."

The only girl to complete the manoeuvrability  tests with a clean sheet, Sally was also awarded the Caltex trophy.

​A Lambretta Club team comprising two men and a girl was placed third outright in the team section.

The team of John Coomer, 40 (Vega), Alan Phipps, 20 (GP200) and Nancy Naumann, 25 (Vega) lost very few points on the road and in the manoeuvrability  and machine examination sections.

"But two of us are recently arrived from Britain and went down on points of local road rules in the written test," Alan Phipps said.

Alan two years ago won the British Rospa Cycle Safety Award on which the New South Wales event was based.

The team was narrowly defeated by only 70 aggregate points for second place - and were more than 100 ahead of the next placegetter.

​While more than 25 riders dropped out of the Safety Ride with mechanical troubles, none of the Lambretta riders experienced difficulties.

"the little machines were like a dream," Nany Naumann said. "My Vega averaged more than 100 miles per gallon over the two days in conditions ranging from flat out riding to cruising on all types of road surfaces."

Road Safery Council officials say response to the Safety Ride, the first held in Australia, has been so great it is almost certain to be run again next year.

"And next year we expect more than 800 entries," Ride Director Bob Moore said.