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A cutaway is a modified scooter popular in the 1970s and 1980s, where the outer frame is removed to customize the vehicle. Skinheads and scooterboys stripped their scooters of unnecessary parts, resulting in a chop. The lighter skellys were faster and often used for drag racing.
A cutaway is a type of modified scooter that is most popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The outer frame of the vehicle is usually removed or “cut away” to customize the scooter. This method of vehicle modification was common among the scooterboy and skinhead subcultures, particularly known for their fondness for scooters. Another nickname for this altered scooter is a skelly.
Scooters became popular in the 1950s because they were convenient and easy to use. Italian brands like Lambretta and Vespa were particularly prominent because their scooters were designed to be sleek and manoeuvrable. Such was the popularity of the scooters that many owners over-customized them with mirrors, lights, and paint jobs. Skinheads and scooterboys, most of whom had working-class upbringings, responded with their own reaction. They stripped their vehicles of everything that served no practical purpose, and the result was a chop.
The usual parts removed in a cutaway were the tail section, fender, hood, and almost all of the protective lining. Vespa scooters were said to be more difficult to modify because the outer frames are welded together with the inner body. A Lambretta scooter makes cutting easy because the outer panels are separate and can be easily removed. The custom scooter would expose all the wires, hoses, motors, and other functional components.
One of the main advantages of a cut is the faster speed due to its lightness. Some would even tune up their skellys, replacing parts with other lightweight materials, adding windscreens for less wind resistance, and installing shock absorbers. A subtype of a cut is the rats, in which the scooters are built from scratch using second hand parts. For enthusiasts, worn rats are more attractive. Another subtype of skelly is the helicopter. This variety is distinguished by its elongated front, much like a smaller Harley-Davidson. Skellys were also driven for drag racing events, often taking part in the ‘specials’ category alongside other modified scooters.
A cutaway scooter is also similar to a bare scooter, only the latter is already purposely made without unnecessary panels, as opposed to actually removing the frame to produce a skelly. Newer scooters and motorcycles have a “naked” design for a streamlined look and improved speed. The reductions have a simple and functional design that many people prefer to fancy accessories. Many motorcycles, scooters, and cars today echo this minimalist look.
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