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By Martin “Sticky” Round
Published by: Fingers in Pies Publications
ISBN: 978-0-9548216-2-3
Paperback: $16.75 | Kindle: $4.99
When it comes to motorcycle overlanding, scooters typically don’t come to mind—at least not in the traditional sense. But, there are certainly enough small bikes and scooters making their way around the globe to focus some light on this growing trend. Not that it’s time for the mighty BMW or KTM to retool their factories, but they do give new meaning to the “L-o-n-g Way Round.
”Martin “Sticky” Round is a latter-day scooter buff who’s been tinkering with, and hot-rodding, these mostly Italian vintage designs for a few decades—pushing them to their limits. Hence, “Frankenstein Scooters” refers to the radically modified Lambretta and Maicoletta that he built to co-star in this book.
And his story is certainly an enlightening glimpse into the alternative possibilities. Consider what it would be like to ride these beasts, originally intended for brief romps around southern European metropolises, on an epic 5,000-mile journey from England into Asia, and back.
Add a mountain of gear and spare parts—and just to make things a little more interesting, a pillion. Then, toss in a questionable route through Romania where the roadways clearly haven’t been repaved since the Mesozoic Era. What could possibly go wrong?The author quips, “Straight to Turkey through Greece would be too easy. Instead we are going via Romania. We’ll stop off at Vlad the Impaler’s house on the way, to see if he can come out to play. I’ll bring a Frisbee….”
Sharing story credits with the scooters, are Sticky’s wife and son (pillion), along with a friend on a near-stock Lambretta and his daughter (also as pillion). Sticky has a way about him that keeps the reader chuckling. “I don’t think I’m alone. There must be thousands of us with two-stroke oil in our veins and strands of broken clutch cable for chest hair. And that’s just the girls.” An attitude that sets the tone for a yarn that’s both a lot of fun and informative.
Frankenstein Scooters is a curious take on scooter culture. The author reminds us that there’s another side to two-wheeled adventuring that doesn’t require one to be wealthy or to mortgage the homestead to get out there.
