Lambretta Gp190

Lambretta Gp RT190 Schwalbe

We built this for my oldest mate Rex – we were apprentices together at the bus depot and still keep in touch for a drink, meal and catch up.

‘Rex Luther the greatest criminal mind of the century’ Taken from the Superman film with Gene Hackman. That was my line when we bumped into each other – if theres any one in the world that isn’t a criminal its Rex.

I still remember the first words he said to me in 1980 – ‘So you want a Lambretta do you Mate’ in his Southern cockney style accent!

He was a year older than me in the apprentice run of the ladder, Sherpa was a year older than Rex, he’d had a Lambretta along with Tricky who where both arrested at Scarborough and beaten up in the cells! They soon got rid. 30 years later Sherpa got another and still rides Scooters and we still bump into each other now and then.

I went to pick up a Lambretta Gp for Rex in the early 80’s he sold it a few years later to a customer who bought this bike 30 + years later – small world!

When we were Schwalbe UK we used this bike as one of our adverts – Rex sold it and its still on the road.

It started life as an Indian import that we brought into the country.

We still use this logo designed by Me.

As part of the promotion for the company we did the NEC motorcycle trade show and built this bike to show off the tyres.

It sports the second UK made MB RT190 cylinder kit with a 24mm Mikuni and a one off MB Clubman and as usual it’s built with all MB and BGM parts.

It uses a DC electronic ignition that Mark tested years ago and a new development bob weight crankshaft which gives no vibration!

We’ve seen 21bhp with a race pipe on this but from memory its around 18bhp as it is……. a Standard RT190.

Each mural was based on a different tyre that we listed and then we used ours and Schwalbes logos.

Nice bike shame the tyre company shafted us after we put them on the map in the UK…….

It’s since been sold on to a guy who stripped off the custom paint work and fitted it to a 200 frame, the engine stayed with the original frame!
Both Scooters were sold individually, one guy bought the engine bike and liked it so much he went and bought the bodywork bike and rebuilt it to it’s former glory.