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Don't know about ceased trading,I do know Steve sold the business last year. Steve's always stood behind his scoots 100%, and any problems were quickly put right. I know nothing about the new owners though, or where the bikes were being sourced after Steve sold up.

If you can't get an answer you could PM him on SBW or LCGB. 'Motoitalia' on LCGB, Stevescoots on SBW, although depending on when it was purchased it may well be nothing to do with him,and down to the new owners of the company.

Thanks for your reply but I can assure you that it was Steve Powell I dealt with at all times. I had the scooter barely any time at all and it stopped working, only to find that there was paint in the carb. I had a local well established scooter shop (proper scooter shop, geared Vespa and Lambretta not auto) fix the scooter and although Steve refunded the cost this time the repairers stated that it was definitely a poor Asian back street refurb.

The scooter quite soon after stopped working again and I had to have the stator, flywheel and various other electrical parts changed as they were knackered. I had a different repairer fix the scooter this time as I had moved and he said the best thing I could do was get rid of it as the wiring etc was dangerous. To quote him "in 28 years of working on scooters I have never came across anything as poor as this before"

I have also replaced various bits of wiring, the carb, worn brake shoes(despite the fact I have only managed to do a few hundred miles on the scooter) myself. There was a piece of cable that was less than 12" long but was made up of 3 different bits all woven together (not crimped), sizes varying from 10mm to 1mm in diameter!

After the first repair I challenged Steve about the scoot being built in Asia which he totally denied and assured me it was all works carried out in Britain, when I asked if he could send me a wiring diagram as the scoot is a VBB with a PX engine he just disappeared off the radar and the phone numbers I had for him stopped working, the website ceased to be and letters went unanswered.

I commend you for your defence of Steve but he and his scooter have left a bad taste. Just what this scene needs, more dodgy dealers selling death traps. I read about it almost every time I pick up a scootering magazine so it is obviously a common occurrence and far from being funny to the old hands out there I would suggest that this will be another nail in the coffin particularly if people start dying because iof it.

Take a look at the "Classic Scooterist Scene", page 44, News & Products, bottom left hand corner "Be careful what you buy". Although not my scooter this is the sort of thing that is happening more and more and gives you an idea of the type of people who put money before peoples lives.

Oops. Well, that's me told then!!

Henry Gray wrote: far from being funny to the old hands out there I would suggest that this will be another nail in the coffin particularly if people start dying because iof it.

Take a look at the "Classic Scooterist Scene", page 44, News & Products, bottom left hand corner "Be careful what you buy". Although not my scooter this is the sort of thing that is happening more and more and gives you an idea of the type of people who put money before peoples lives.

Henry.....NOBODY thinks it's funny. I personally have been warning people against far east restorations since 1998, when I first inspected one for a potential buyer. Same goes for most indian restorations. The Classic Scooterist Scene isn't news to me either, Scootering will also soon be doing a feature on far east/viet bikes.

Hate to say it....most folk buy these scooters without doing any research whatsoever. There's tons of info on viet bodge scoots on the internet, but generally it's preaching to the converted, as the potential buyers don't search for info before parting with their cash.
Occasionally someone does pop onto SBW, Scooterbbs, LCGB etc asking advice before buying, and are able to receive a warning, although in your case I don't think it would have made much of a difference as motoitalia had a pretty decent reputation.

Sorry hope I didn't sound like I was having a go at you.

Appreciate your reply and yes your right not enough research done on my part. I think the trouble is that after a 20 year absence and no longer having loads of mates in to the scootering scene some things do look too good to be true and I dived right in!

Many thanks,

Henry

I have just tried to book my ferry with Red Funnel ferries and the say they are not doing a scooter discount for VCB members this year. They say it will cost £20.00. Is that the case? Has anyone else had a VCB discount from them this year.

Harry

harrysgame wrote:I have just tried to book my ferry with Red Funnel ferries and the say they are not doing a scooter discount for VCB members this year. They say it will cost £20.00. Is that the case? Has anyone else had a VCB discount from them this year.

Harry

£20 is the discounted price with VFM, can't see them giving you discount on a discount TBH

trying to sort out discount with Al at Purdy Scooters Southampton, will let you know asap

so i understand http://www.scooterparts4you.co.uk/ has joined the membership discount scene

Tried gaining 10% off a Beedspeed order and the nice chap told me that VCB had yet to send them an upto date list of members and their membership numbers. Ended up having to fax a copy of my membership card through.

Appreciate it would take continued effort to update beedspeed but if you want the discount you gotta play ball I guess.

Update....

I won't buy from Beedspeed again. Guy I spoke to said he'd ask "The Boss" if I could fax through my membership proof for my 10% discount and whoever the boss is he still said no. Said some crap about open to abuse and they'd only accept membership cards shown over the counter (sort of defeats the object of mail order!). Good luck to him I say, just another me-me-me member of our society who for a short-sighted margin call has just lost out on several hundred pounds of future trade of bits for my next project??? Rally too, and nothin's cheap on them.....in the words of Cpt Mainwaring, "Silly boy!" "Hello, is that All-Styles? Yes, I'd like to order X, Y, Z......ad infinitum...."

Gotta say (and don't string me up - it's only my opinion) whenever I try and wangle member benefits I always get the customary "groan" or some jumped up tin soldier like Mr Beedspeed who will try every avenue to avoid giving what's negotiated. Sorry Fred but forgive me, I am speaking from very recent experience.

If this were communism, what would now happen is "The Club" would instruct all members to send this supplier to Coventry and never buy off him again until he remedied the situation.

VCOB Member No 4771

GrandmaPearlsJam wrote:Tried gaining 10% off a Beedspeed order and the nice chap told me that VCB had yet to send them an upto date list of members and their membership numbers. Ended up having to fax a copy of my membership card through.

Appreciate it would take continued effort to update beedspeed but if you want the discount you gotta play ball I guess.

Beedspeed have never asked for a list of members?


and I don't think I could give it to them because of the data protection act!

In Beedy's defence tho,

"BEEDSPEED INTERNATIONAL SCOOTERS



http://www.beedspeed.com

Will provide a10% over the counter discount
Beedspeed International Scooters
109/111 Corporation Rd,
Grimsby,
N. E. Lincolnshire,
DN31 1UR,
England.
Tel: 08700-660393
Fax: 08707-586586
Postroom Inquiries: 08707-585585
International Tel: + 44 1472 347303
International Fax: + 44 1472-250673
International Postroom Inquiries: + 44 1472 268999
email: sales@beedspeed.com "

GrandmaPearlsJam wrote:Update....


If this were communism, what would now happen is "The Club" would instruct all members to send this supplier to Coventry and never buy off him again until he remedied the situation.

VCOB Member No 4771

How the hell does communism come into that equation? Find out a little about it before rattling your teeth.
If you want a communist comparison, there would only be one scooter shop (probably selling shitty replica bits) that you could use. A different beast entirely.

Just thought you should know that Taffspeed do not offer 10% discount to VCB members!! Graham