1958, MY LIFE AS A TEENAGER

Life was hard at times then, sharing one room in a strange city with low pay, work form 7.30am until 5 pm and night school three times a week. There was also three types of homework to do and exams to study for and sit. On the good side, besides really enjoying the pop music from Radio Luxemburg (208m Medium Wave!) I fell in love for the first time and developed a great interest in motor scooters which continues to the present day. I couldn't afford a car and scooters offered modern, affordable, clean and stylish personal transport. I have a replica of my original Piatti scooter which my parents bought for me in 1958 which is greatly treasured as it transformed my life, so long ago now! There had been a big surge in scooter sales since Vespa and then Lambretta arrived from Italy. In fact 1958 was the peak year when there was a choice of thirty six different makes of scooter available in the UK market to buy, ten of which were produced in the UK. Meanwhile the British motorcycle industry was dying. I ended my two wheel experience in the 1990s with a 400 cc Suzuki Bergman which for me was the best of all. Fully automatic, user friendly and stylish with large wheels and more than adequate performance for my requirements.