Just in case you didn’t know, ScooterLab is run and written by roadgoing scooterists, we put the miles in and test products as thoroughly as possible. We also develop products and have them manufactured if we think there’s a need for them.
Our SLUK Plastics™ can be seen at any scooter rally or gathering around the world and the feedback we get from our customers is generally very good, if not we strive to perfect things further. Since Sticky’s first plastic product, the infamous Coast 2 Coast screen we’ve gone on to design, develop and make over 50 new products under the SLUK banner. We’ve also expanded our SLUK Shop over the last three years to incorporate brands and products we use and recommend. It’s no accident if you find something in there – it means we use and trust them.
Euro events
As the Euros are fast approaching I’m sure many of you are fettling scooters, having sleepless nights over your luggage, thinking about what spares you may need and how you’ll get out of a pickle in the Polish or Hungarian wilderness if you do have a problem. Or even what would happen if your scooter was stolen from a campsite or hotel whilst you were touring. This feature is to give you some help and reminders about useful products you may be glad of on a long trip.
Tracking devices
There’s nothing worse than worrying about the safety of your scooter, either at home or away. If you have a modern scooter then it’s easy enough to get a dedicated hard-wired tracking device installed, like the Datatool Trakking Adventure we tested when we rode to Croatia in 2015. Currently Peter Green is also using one on his GTS as he heads the long way around to Hungary, he’s covering 17,000 miles and 47 countries.
MoniMoto – no wiring, no fuss tracker
If you want to fit a tracker to a classic scooter (or modern) then you’re not really likely to be hard-wiring one in. That’s why we set out to find a good reliable battery-powered solution last year. The best one we found was MoniMoto. It’s small enough to hide on a classic scooter, is very reliable, you can track the scooter down yourself using the app if it’s stolen – rather than waiting for days for an uninterested copper to ring you back and take the details. It can be used on classic or modern scooters and if you own a few bikes you can swap it around between them, or buy separate ones for each machine.
Recovered in 10 minutes
Since we reviewed them here we’ve sold plenty of these and one owner had his GTS stolen, he tracked it down and recovered it himself in just 10 minutes, without it he’d have never seen the scooter again. The MoniMoto costs £142.99, works throughout Europe and is invaluable in my opinion. You can buy one here.
Always use a good chain!
Although a tracking device gives peace of mind it should always be used in conjunction with a decent mechanical device. In fact most insurance policies specify at least one must be fitted. A good chain is something you should never leave home on a scooter without, or leave a scooter at home without chaining it up. It can make the difference between your scooter being there or not.
Oxford Revolver
On a scooter touring holiday you’re often limited by space and weight so a traditional lock and chain may well be too heavy to carry. I prefer to take a decent quality armoured cable lock instead. This Oxford Revolver is 25mm thick and it’s tough. It’s 1.8 metres long so can fasten two scooters together easily enough or go around a fixed object. It also coils up well to stick on your luggage carrier when travelling. It costs £79.99 from Oxford Products or your local scooter/bike shop.
Somewhere beneath all that luggage lies one of our SLUK Supports, they really are fantastic on a long trip. Although the excess weight of the luggage had just snapped the rear shock…
Note the spare shock tie wrapped across the frame tube? We were glad we took that, although the spare was knackered and we ended up getting a new BGM shipped to the hotel in Spain last year during our trip to Ibiza.
SLUK Support
We’ve all seen planks of wood and BBQ trays helping to stop luggage from sagging, moving around or setting on fire on hot exhausts but until we developed the SLUK Support there had been no purpose made product for the job. We now make curved SLUK Supports for Lambretta Series 1 and 2 to go on the Sprint rack. We also make a Series 3 version for the Sprint rack (above).
This sexy SIP rear rack needs a SLUK Support for practicality…
There are Supports available for the Vespa GTS – both standard rear rack and Classic Rack styles, we’re also developing one to go on the new SIP sports racks we featured recently.
We also sell a Vespa PX version and our Lammy Series 3 Supports also work on the Scomadi/Royal Alloy rear racks. The GTS standard style Support can also be used on a front carrier to stop luggage drooping and obscuring the front indicators. Peter Green is also using one of these on his 17,000 mile trip around Europe.
Get yours here
You can check out the SLUK Supports here.
As an added bonus (aside from the S1 & 2 version) they also hold a couple of bottles of beer so you can use them as an impromptu bar/picnic shelf whilst you’re sat around a campsite.
Rok Straps
If you look at the GTS Support (above left) you’ll see the Rok Straps attached, we reviewed these here, they save you hours on a touring holiday and make life so much easier. Get yourself some from eBay, Amazon or bike shops.
Electrics by Scootronics and Readspeed
Most Lambretta riders will have experienced a failed ignition at some time, usually at the side of the road. We stock a few products that should help prevent or overcome some of those issues.
Firstly the Readspeed Lukas Pro CDI. This CDI eliminates the low tension coil problems because it does away with the low tension coil on your stator. Just by fitting one of these you’ve eliminated one of the Lambretta weak spots. As with all ignition parts though you should strobe your timing when fitting one of these so it’s not quite a straightforward plug and play side of the road swap (although you could fit it and risk it just to get you back on the road), unless you’re already running a Lukas on your scooter. The Lukas Pro also comes with a handy USB charging point.
Scootronics
I’ve been running Scootronics Diagnostic CDI’s on my own scooters for almost a year now and they’ve proven their reliability. The high-power CDI comes with a red LED to let you know the pick-up signal is ok and a green one to let you know the low tension coil is working (or not as the case may be).
We also stock Scootronics 120 watt regulators.
Tyre pressure monitor
These are a great safety gadget, Michelin Fit2Go tyre pressure monitors. Inflate your tyres to the correct pressure, fit the valve caps and stick the magnetic display somewhere visible. It gives instant tyre pressure readings and alerts you if there’s a sudden drop in pressure or raise in temperature. It could make the difference between an early warning and a sudden blowout. These are very useful but the valve caps are too big for a Lambretta front wheel. Check them out here though.
GB sticker and rear bumper
We made these Lambretta S3 rear bumpers especially to affix one of our gel GB stickers.
The rear bumper comes in a choice of carbon/gloss black/textured black/silver or white and has an oval recess for the GB sticker (which are also sold separately). It’s a neater solution than trying to stick a sticker on your panel/bags or knackered old rubber flap.
GTS SLUK Tail
We also make a rear SLUK Tail for the Vespa GTS with a GB sticker (or stick your own countries sticker on there).
Air Hawk
It’s no good having two weeks of touring if you’re one of those riders who suffer from numbness and pain in the nether regions. Many Air Hawk converts will tell you that using a correctly inflated Air Hawk has transformed their enjoyment of riding long distances, Sticky reviewed one here after his Lambretta ride to The Ukraine. Get yours here.
Waterproofs and clothing
If you’re touring there’s every chance you’ll be experiencing different climates, not all of them are hot and dry. Ideally, you need an all-purpose textile jacket like the Tucano Urbis 5G (pictured above), waterproof, warm and with built-in ventilation for those scorchio days.
A good textile jacket coupled with either a decent pair of textile trousers, or armoured riding jeans is a staple requirement for a big trip (or riding in general). I prefer to wear textile jeans when possible and carry a decent set of waterproofs with me just in case.
The Tucano Tuto Nano waterproofs won the massive waterproofs shoot out we did with Scooternova and are the waterpoofs of choice. They’re called Nano because they pack away into a tiny space. These are the one-piece but I prefer the separate top and bottoms. You can just stick the bottoms on if need be. Our full Tucano range can be seen here.
Touring tips
You can find out some tips on what and how to pack a GTS for touring in this GTS Touring feature. Nick Prince also gave us some Lambretta touring tips here.
Wherever you’re going, and no matter how far you’re riding just get out there and enjoy the miles. One man’s local scooter rally is another man’s epic adventure.
New products always in development…
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SLUK Clip bridge fitting kit for Lambretta S1 S2 & S3
£13.99 -
AVAILABLE NOW!! SCOOTERBOYS – THE LOST TRIBE
Rated 5.00 out of 5 £16.95 -
Vespa GTS/GTV SLUK Guard Original
Rated 4.67 out of 5 £33.00 – £35.00 -
ScooterNova – issue 1 | MAGAZINE
£5.00 -
Complete Spanners Manual ‘Lambretta’ – Third Edition NEW FOR 2018
£24.99 -
Vespa GTS/GTV SLUK Guard Ultra
£33.00 – £35.00 -
SLUK Support ‘Sprint’ | Lambretta S3/ Scomadi
Rated 5.00 out of 5 £37.00 -
Scomadi TL SLUK Sports screen
Rated 5.00 out of 5 £75.00 – £80.00 -
NEW Improved Coast to Coast Lambretta screen – GP/DL type
£75.00 – £80.00 -
Vespa GTS/GTV SLUK Guard + Tail DOUBLE-PACK
Rated 5.00 out of 5 £53.00 – £58.00
Waterproofs and clothing
If you\’re touring there\’s every chance you\’ll be experiencing different climates, not all of them are hot and dry. Ideally, you need an all-purpose textile jacket like the Tucano Urbis 5G (pictured above), waterproof, warm and with built-in ventilation for those scorchio days.
A good textile jacket coupled with either a decent pair of textile trousers, or armoured riding jeans is a staple requirement for a big trip (or riding in general). I prefer to wear textile jeans when possible and carry a decent set of waterproofs with me just in case.
The Tucano Tuto Nano waterproofs won the massive waterproofs shoot out we did with Scooternova and are the waterpoofs of choice. They\’re called Nano because they pack away into a tiny space. These are the one-piece but I prefer the separate top and bottoms. You can just stick the bottoms on if need be. Our full Tucano range can be seen here.
Touring tips
You can find out some tips on what and how to pack a GTS for touring in this GTS Touring feature. Nick Prince also gave us some Lambretta touring tips here.
Wherever you\’re going, and no matter how far you\’re riding just get out there and enjoy the miles. One man\’s local scooter rally is another man\’s epic adventure.
New products always in development…
