It’s always nice to receive appreciative comments on your work. These unsolicited reviews of my latest manual – my first on classic Vespa scooters – are all wonderfully positive.
 
At the moment the book is selling very well, both direct from my webshop, and also through all good scooter dealers.
 
Anyone interested in a signed copy or one of the limited-edition hardbacks (now 70% sold out) can only buy them direct from me.
 
Here are a few samples of the feedback I’ve received so far…

YES - you can read a workshop manual in English! Very shortly my first Vespa manual in the Complete Spanner's Manual series will be released. And you can follow the instructions in any language using a smartphone.
 
Simply use the camera function of Google Translate (or similar), to take a photo of the section you would like to read. It will translate the written word, as if by magic, directly on the screen.
 
There has to be some benefit to selling your soul to ‘big tech’ and this is one of the most useful ones. Certainly more useful than social media photos of what your friends are about to eat…
 
The Complete Spanners Manual: Vespa Wideframe Engines will be released at the start of February 2024. It is the first modern manual to unlock the secrets of the earliest 125 and 150cc Vespa models. If you would like to pre-order a copy then you can get it here - https://www.stickyfeatures.co.uk/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

The Complete Spanner's Manual: Vespa Wideframe Engines has finally gone off for print so I've put it on sale in my SHOP.

The books should arrive from the printers in the first few days of February and despatch will start after that. Pre-sales should all be in the post by Feb 6th, as long as there are no print/delivery/weather disasters.

After New Year I'll have some exciting news about two potential book signinig events in Germany at the start of February. If you want to know more about the book then please read the blog post below.

It's been emotional. Now time for a holiday...

• Do you want to know how to run and maintain an early Vespa in the 21st century?
• Would you like to learn how to identify and cure common faults?
• Are you looking for instruction on how to rebuild a Wideframe Vespa engine?
• Are you interested in upgrading the performance to make it usable in modern traffic?
• Do you want to learn the tips and tricks of expert Vespa mechanics?

 
The Complete Spanner’s Manual – first published in 2004 – was a revolution. 35,000 copies and three editions later, these books have given much enjoyment, and helped return many scooters to the road.
 
Now the time has come to transfer the same easy-to-follow system to the world of Vespa. So we’ll start at the beginning: with Faro Basso.
 
In Vespa’s 125 and 150 ‘Wideframe’ models exists the same scarcity of information. No step-by-step manual was ever published before. Working on these primitive engines is very different from the PX models that most Vespa enthusiasts know. Many people, even some respected mechanics, consider Wideframe Vespa repair a ‘dark art’.
 
Thankfully, I found Wideframe wizards willing to share their hard-won knowledge. I toured Europe to learn from them and photograph their methods. Without their input this book would not exist.
 
Now, with more Wideframe engine parts than ever being remade, and this book in hand, there has never been a better time to revive that old Vespa.

Open your toolbox and let’s get to work!

​ Dateline – publishing and printing
 
If all goes to plan we should be sending off the final layouts to be printed before Christmas 2023. As soon as that happens we’ll put the book on here for pre-order.

The book will be around 210 pages in full colour throughout.

We have now sent the book off to the printers so we have put it up for PRE-SALE in the SHOP. If you pre-order from me direct then the book will be posted on or before February 6th 2024.

We should also have some exciting news soon about a book launch and sigining taking place in Germany. More details to follow soon.
 
What are the advantages of ordering direct?
 
STICKYFEATURES.CO.UK will be the only place you can order hand-signed copies of the book direct from the author.
 
If you pre-order from me direct then the book will be posted on or beforeFebruary 6th 2024
 
At the moment, the plan is to avoid the pain of UK-EU shipping post Brexit by shipping from two locations.
 
The price will be £29.99 UK or €34.99 in the EU. You can pre-order a copy now in my shop.
 
The Complete Spanner’s Manual: Vespa Wideframe Engines by Martin 'Sticky' Round will be published by Fingers in Pies Publications and carry ISBN: 978-0-95-482167-8

Well, the last 2 years were an adventure; establishing ScooterLab.UK with Iggy Grainger and Tracy Round as a force for good in worldwide scooter journalism and developing a ton of new scooter products for the SLUK Shop. Iggy Grainger continues to sail that ship because I've got other urgent projects on the go. Firstly the third edition of the Complete Spanners Manual for Lambretta Scooters. The last edition been sold out now for more than half a year and copies are changing hands on eBay for £60! After that, a couple more book projects; one commissioned and another that's been on hold for far too long...

​So here we are, just over two weeks into the birth of our new project. Like any birth it started as a sexy proposition, developed into eye-opening realisation of the work involved, and finally emerged as something that everyone seems to love.
 
ScooterLab.UK, or SLUK for short is a new on-line webzine about scooters bought to you primarily by myself and Ian ‘Iggy’ Grainger, but with the support of many other scooterists. The website is completely free to view and supported by relevant adverts.
 
In its short existence SLUK has already produced the world’s first ever road test review of the forthcoming Scomadi TL 200. This review is a fantastic example of the new multi-media journalism that we feel is the future. It’s not two-dimensional on dead trees. It is bright, visual and includes video content to really tell the story in as many ways as possible. In the two-wheeled world, this type of article presentation is really breaking new ground.

We see user-generated content, interaction and particularly video as setting us apart from old-school print publishers. Our friends at Sena have been particularly supportive in this idea and have sponsored our monthly video competition with ten Sena Prism Bluetooth connectable helmet cameras to give-away. All viewers have to do is make a 90-second video with the intro card from our competition page, upload it to YouTube and send us the link.
 
Of course we are also making our own videos and some of those we’ve yet to release show that we aren’t taking this job 100% seriously. There’s still a strong vein of humour running through our work. After all, it’s what we do and who we are…
 
We think www.scooterlab.uk is the future of scooter journalism. Please visit, sign-up and give us your feedback. SLUK is only a baby at the moment but it’s growing really fast…

My friend Steve from Scooterdelic has just released this t-shirt design which will mean a great deal to some people and absolutely bugger all to everyone else, which is kind of the fun of the design. Do you get the reference?

The hand screen printed shirts sells for £15.99 from here.

​Two further designs are due to follow soon, one of which provides another clue if you haven't twigged yet...
​

While I still love stills there isn't much apart from a one-to-one lesson to beat a clear instructional video. Here's a couple that I shot, produced and edited for Casa Lambretta in conjunction with Rimini Lambretta Centre. Of course a good manual is still vital and you can find one in my book section...

Here’s the problem. You ride to a rally, or work, by bike and it rains. Even if you own the smartest bike jacket in the world, it’s wet and smelly so you don’t want to wear it to the office or the pub.
 
On my 19-country Twin Town Courier tour to Ukraine by 1968 Lambretta I had an extreme version of the same problem. I needed a smart jacket for meeting mayors once I got off the scooter, but I didn’t have space to carry much stuff. Night-mayors!
 
Enter the Knox ‘mid-layer’ Winter Jacket: a sartorial Swiss-Army knife for scooterists. The softshell fabric has a soft fleece inner and contains a membrane to be fully windproof but still breathable.
 
In warm conditions it’s less bulky to pack away than a hoodie, but the material is amazingly crease-resistant so you can pull it out of a bag, sling it on and have something dapper to wear off the bike.
 
In cooler seasons the Wind Buddy can either be worn as a replacement for the liner of your motorcycle jacket or even as an additional layer when it’s colder than penguin goolies.
 

My only criticism of the jacket is that the cut under the arms is low enough that when worn under a bike jacket the sleeves tend to ride up your arms a little, but that wouldn’t stop me using it as a mid layer when it gets chilly. Alternatively, some people buy a larger size and use this as a top wind-proof layer over leathers.
 
Nicely made, comfy and technical. A top bit of kit.
 
The Winter Jacket – also known as the Core V15 (why have one name for a product when ten will do) – retails at £79.99, but you can find it for less then £60 if you hunt around online.

​For more information see the Planet Knox web site.

Watch one of the scariest near misses in scooter racing as well as Vespa rider Paolo Birtele being launched into orbit at the end of the straight.

On-board footage from Luca Fuschini's Casa Lambretta sponsored SS225. Pitlane clips shot using Sena Prism camera and edited using Filmora. Music by Zinc.