This mod's Vespa is voted best

ROGER MORONEY
Napier scooter enthusiast Lance Robson has never had a problem knowing what was coming up behind him on the road. He can see whatever it is from 13 angles ... the British mods of the mid-60s would have been delighted.
And not just with the 13 mirrors which adorn his Piaggio PX200 Vespa.
The mods (who adorned their Vespas and Lambrettas with every possible accessory and add-on) would have also given the thumbs-up to the white-wall tyres, the smart mudflaps, the chequered windscreen and the lashings of chrome.
Earlier this year the judges at the New Zealand Scooter Association Show in Palmerston North also gave his remarkable Vespa the thumbs-up.
It took the "Best in Show" title, which left Lance with a smile on his face.
But then, when he's out on the scooter he usually has a smile on his face.
"They are fun ... they are just so much fun," he said.
"I'm always grinning away. That's why I wear a full-face helmet," he said with a laugh.
Through the years there had been a worldwide interest in classic scooters, namely those from Italy.
That word had reached Hawke's Bay, and as a result a casual, social group had sprung up, fittingly called the Napier Scooter Boys. Not a structured club by any means. More a group of blokes who love to get out on the first Sunday of every month for a scooter ride.
"We're never in a hurry," Lance said.
"It's about having fun."
He once embarked on a leisurely day trip aboard the PX200 to Gisborne and back.
"That was a bit of a ride."
He's also shot over to Taupo and back. Up to a dozen lads gather for the scooter rides, which can be anything from a visit to a winery or even up to the shoe fence near Puketapu to drop off a pair of old shoes each. Anything for a ride, and a laugh.
Lance believed that tucked away under covers in garages throughout the region were more classic old scooters than you could shake a mirror at.
"Get them going, get them registered and get them back on the road," he appealed.
"And come for a ride with us."
* Unlike back in the UK, circa 1965-66, the Napier Scooter Boys don't do the London to Brighton Bank Holiday run ... so no fears of being ambushed by teddy boys around Haywards Heath.