Whatever shall be, Schwalbe

So who in their right mind would take a rare machine and give it a modern-day makeover - well, that would be Mai Wright then ...

Mai first became interested in scooters in 1979; a third (possibly fourth) generation motorcyclist, two wheels were in his blood. His older brothers were unimpressed when he became obsessed with the Mod scene during his early teens; his scooter passion was so strong he even inspired his dad (a devout biker) to buy a PX125 a few years later.

As a teenager, Mai and a mate pooled their paper-round money and convinced a local bloke to sell them his Vespa Sportique that had been tucked away for years. A bit of blind luck in fettling and fresh fuel had it running and they used it as a field bike for about two days. Unfortunately they sheared the main drive shaft splines and killed it. Any kind of repair was beyond their technical understanding and budget, so Mal's dad gave it to the local rag and bone