The Birmingham local who went from sleeping under his scooter to breaking records
Whizzing around on a classic scooter can get a few heads turning, but for one Birmingham local, his unique modified scooter makes getting attention a day-to-day occurrence.
Dave Wyton, 39, admits that he’s ‘addicted’ to scooters, currently owning 13, including four Lambrettas, nine Vespas, and a Piaggio Ape. He doesn’t plan on stopping at that either.
“My friends keep saying ‘stop buying them’, but when I see one I’m like ‘yeah, that’s nice, I’ll have that’,” he joked.
“I’m aiming for 50, if I can fit them in. I’ve got them everywhere, four in my living room, a couple in the garage, the Ape on the drive, a couple in the garden.”
Mr Wyton became a ‘mod’ when he was 13, being influenced by his older brother and getting his first scooter at 17 years old.
“I didn’t really know many people with scooters, because my mates were quite poor, so they couldn’t get a scooter,” he told Bikesure’s Scooter Stories.
“So in my first year, I went to the Isle of Wight scooter rally on my own. I rode down there with a petrol can on the back. It cost me £6.10 in fuel, I still remember that – you can’t do that now.”
He added: “I remember sleeping underneath the scooter in the middle of a car park. I didn’t know anyone, and was just chatting to people. Then I met up with the South Birmingham Scooter Club, and I’ve known them ever since. They’ve always looked after me.”
Since finding his scootering community, Mr Wyton has made himself known with his one-of-a-kind 66 Lambretta Li150.
It isn’t new for a mod to add some extra mirrors to a scooter - they’ve been doing it since the sixties - but Mr Wyton has taken this to an extreme, adding 56 mirrors (and counting) to his Lambretta.
One of the most famous ‘mirror-heavy’ scooters was owned by Bryn Owen, a 17-year-old in 1983, who customised his Vespa with 34 mirrors - Mr Wyton has that beat by 22.
“The target is 100 mirrors,” he revealed.
“I think I just love being ‘the mod’, and it’s just a bit different.”
Of course, it catches a lot of eyes when he brings it out.
“Kids love it – everywhere you go, people are always looking at you, no matter what.”
“Yeah, people have got different scooters, but it stands out with the amount of mirrors and lights. I just love it – I think they look good.”
As he plans to add more mirrors to his favourite ride as soon as possible, Mr Wyton is also passing on his passion to his children, Liam, 20 and Hannah, 17, who both have scooters.
“They’ve been on the back of mine since they were five or six, and they loved it,” he said.
And he continues to ride with his club.
“It’s a way of life, isn’t it?”
“I’m one of the youngest in our group, but there are a couple of lads who come out with us who are 75, and they’re still riding with us. So I don’t see me ever stopping.”
