If you love scooters – and let’s face it, many of us do because we may have experienced our first motorized two-wheeler journeys on one – Barry John’s new Culture & Customization: The Motor Scooter Story is a book you might want to give a look.
With over 200 color and black and white images and illustrations (drawn by the author), the book offers remarkable insights into brand history, racing, design and development of the scooter. John sheds light on the many forms of the scooter and little-known aspects of one of the world’s most popular vehicles.
John reveals the earliest beginnings of motorized scooters in America in 1915 with early stand-on scooters like the autoped. From there he follows the development and development of the entry, single and double seat models from around the world and identifies the turning point after the Second World War, when the sale of scooters began.
Economical and reliable transport has always been in demand, but it is indispensable in post-war Europe and Asia. It was in this setting that the scooter really came into its own, inspired by machines like the British Excelsior Welbike and the US-made Cushman Model 32 that the military brought to Italy during World War II.
John describes how much of the post-war development of the scooter took place as a major factor in passenger transportation in Italy, when Piaggio’s Vespa and Innocentis Lambretta battled for dominance in the domestic and export markets. Similarly, in Japan, when the Nakajima Aircraft Company was banned from producing military aircraft after the war, the company was reinvented as the Fuji Sangyo Company. The result was the Fuji Rabbit S1 in 1946. Mitsubishi got involved in Japan with the Silver Pidgeon scooter, and Honda launched its Juno scooter in 1954.
1959 Fuji rabbit scooter. Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions.
Culture and Personalization: The Motor Scooter Story tracks the industrial and cultural evolution of the scooter in the 1950s and 60s and provides a great overview of the many manufacturers that have joined the scooter market as demand continues to grow worldwide. One thing to consider for a future edition of this comprehensive volume is Harley-Davidson’s entry into the scooter market – the topper. It was in the product line from 1960 to 1965, although only 7,445 were built.
John reports some notable successes with stock and radically modified scooters in land speed and drag racing (referred to as sprint in Great Britain) as well as in adventure driving around the world up to the last few years. It also explains the social phenomena of the “mods” spawned in Britain in the 1960s, linking scooter customization with an appreciation for British R&B bands like The Who and The Small Faces.
Jimmy’s Quadrophenia Roller. Photo courtesy Bonhams.
The next evolution in scooter power is also covered, with John taking an in-depth look at electric scooters and the potential development of scooters that run on hydrogen fuel cells. He explains how they work as well as possible limitations and disadvantages of fuel cell technology, at least for the foreseeable future.
Culture & customization: The Motor Scooter Story is beautifully produced. John’s writing style is clear and concise, with a great mix of conversational style and intriguing technical details.
- Title: Culture & customization: the history of motor scooters
- Author: Barry John
- Released: October 2021 by Evro Publishing, Westrow House, Holwell, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5LF, UK
- Hardcover, 112 pages of 8.25 x 8.0 inches, 200 color and black and white images (from the period) and illustrations
- ISBN: 978-1-910505-74-8
- Price: $ 30 MSRP
