# Cutdown > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cutdown > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cutdown.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutdown > Source revision: 1178205416 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Customised scooter For the surgical procedure, see [Venous cutdown](/source/Venous_cutdown). This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (June 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) A **cutdown** is a customised [scooter](/source/Scooter_(motorcycle)) (usually an Italian [Vespa](/source/Vespa) or [Lambretta](/source/Lambretta_(motorscooter))) with parts of the bodywork removed or cut away. Cutdowns were popular amongst [skinheads](/source/Skinhead) and [scooterboys](/source/Scooterboy) during the [mod revival](/source/Mod_revival) of the 1970s and 1980s. While the style-obsessed British [mod](/source/Mod_(subculture)) youth subculture of the 1960s prized the glamorous, metropolitan image of scooters, many skinheads and [scooterboys](/source/Scooterboy) viewed their bikes as simply a form of transportation.[1][2] This "naked" Lambretta has been cut down and customized. While some scooter enthusiasts have focused on the stripped-down look, with just a bare frame and visible engine and mechanical parts, some scooterboys put back almost as much hardware as they had taken off, by adding customized chrome-plated accessories and racks. ## Modifications Many cutdowns have unneeded parts removed to improve [power-to-weight ratio](/source/Power-to-weight_ratio). Typically the front mudguards, leg shields, floors, rear section and side panels are removed. Cutting away body parts is the easiest with Lambretta scooters, because they are built on a tubular frame, which means that the body parts do not have a structural role. Vespa scooters, on the other hand, are usually built with a [unibody](/source/Unibody) design, so the body panels give the bike its structure. This means that when Vespas are cut down, they cannot be made as bare-bones as a Lambretta. The body panels of a Vespa are modified by slimming them down or giving them a different shape, in such a way that the structural soundness of the bike is not compromised. Cutdowns are often tuned – much like a four-wheeled [hot rod](/source/Hot_rod) – by overboring the cylinders to increase engine power or adding performance exhausts, modified [carburettors](/source/Carburettor), or aftermarket shock absorbers. Some enthusiasts replace the standard drum front brakes with hydraulic disc brakes or add water cooling radiators. Lambretta owners may replace existing parts with a [Nikasil](/source/Nikasil) plated aluminium barrel with radical porting, large [Dell'Orto](/source/Dell'Orto) or [Mikuni](/source/Mikuni_(company)) carburettors and bespoke (custom-made) [expansion chambers](/source/Expansion_chamber), hydraulic clutches, and modern low-profile [tyres](/source/Tire). Some scooterists use aluminum Fabrizi racing barrels, because they use a rotary induction mechanism. Stock gas tanks may be replaced with increased capacity tanks, which put the weight of the fuel further forward. Some riders install a small fairing to reduce wind resistance and enable higher speeds and stability. To reduce weight, some scooterists use lighter-weight aftermarket parts, such as carbon fibre sports seats and other parts made from carbon fibre, carbon kevlar and fiberglass. Some cutdowns have been used for [drag racing](/source/Drag_racing). At scooter races, cutdowns often race in a separate category called the "specials", which is for cutdown and heavily modified racing scooters. The other scooter race categories include stock races with relatively unmodified larger scooters (152 to 250 cc) and "small frame" races for scooters with 136 cc or smaller engines. For races, scooters usually have to have accessories removed, such as center and side stands, mirrors, turn signals that stick out, and luggage racks. Scooter races often disallow performance-enhancing fuel additives such as octane booster. ## Related scooter types A Baja 150cc scooter. A cutdown scooter resembles a **"naked scooter"**, which is a scooter designed without panels covering the engine and with little or no bodywork. The difference between the two types is that while a cutdown scooter started as a regular scooter with body panels and bodywork, before it was customized, a "naked scooter" is designed and manufactured as a "bare-bones" vehicle. In the 1960s, Lambretta models A through D were in this category. In the 1990s, Italjet produced a stripped-down scooter called the Dragster. In the 2000s Honda produced the [Ruckus](/source/Honda_Ruckus), which had the motor mounted in a skeleton-style metal frame. The Honda Ruckus uses a skeleton-style frame without body paneling Another scooter type which is related to cutdowns is the **"chopper"**, which is an extreme cutdown scooter with extra-long front forks. These bikes are mostly made using Lambrettas, because when the bodywork is removed from their tubular frame they resemble smaller custom style motorcycles. **"Rats"** are cutdowns which are made by putting together old parts to create a rough-looking, unpainted bike. In contrast to many other scooter enthusiasts, "rat" builders view blemishes and unrepaired dents as attractive. The "rat" approach to scooter customizing is similar to the [rat rod](/source/Rat_rod) style of [hot rodding](/source/Hot_rod), in which old cars often have original paint with rust patches, or even just bare rusty metal. Major [scooter rallies](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scooter_rallies&action=edit&redlink=1) which give prizes to scooters sometimes put "chopper" and "rat" scooters in a separate category from the rest of the cutdowns. ## See also - [Hot rod](/source/Hot_rod) - [Skinhead](/source/Skinhead) - [Scooterboy](/source/Scooterboy) - [Kustom Kulture](/source/Kustom_Kulture) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Sarti, Doug (June 3, 2004). ["Vespa Scoots Sexily Back to Vancouver"](https://www.straight.com/article/vespa-scoots-sexily-back-to-vancouver). *Straight.com*. Vancouver, Canada: Vancouver Free Press. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110522112423/http://www.straight.com/article/vespa-scoots-sexily-back-to-vancouver) from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2012-06-30. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-CulturalHistory_2-0)** Long, Mary Anne (1998-12-17). ["From Scooter to Scooterist: A Cultural History of the Italian Motorscooter"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110717194516/http://www.vespaclubvolos.com/Scooter_History_1_.pdf) (PDF). p. 20. Archived from [the original](http://www.vespaclubvolos.com/Scooter_History_1_.pdf) (PDF) on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-08-28. v t e Kustom Kulture Key figures Kenneth Anger Joe Bailon George Barris Pete Chapouris Coop Bill Cushenbery Dick Dean Chip Foose Blackie Gejeian Norm Grabowski Kenny Howard (Von Dutch) Bo Huff Jim "Jake" Jacobs Dean Jeffries Dick Megugorac (Magoo) Dean Moon Ed Roth Robert Williams (artist) Indian Larry Vehicles Bobber (motorcycle) Café racer Cal Look Chopper (motorcycle) Custom car Cutdown Hot rod JDM Lead sled Lowrider Rat rod Rat bike Show car T-bucket Tuner Volksrod Woodie Culture DIY ethic Futurism Greaser (subculture) Lowbrow art Midnight movies Pin-up girls Pop art Punk subculture Psychobilly Raggare Rockabilly Surf culture Surrealism Media American Graffiti CK Deluxe The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby Ol' Skool Rodz Rat Fink Two-Lane Blacktop v t e Skinhead Vintage subcultures Mod Rude boy Sharpies Scooterboy Soulboy Suedehead Modern subcultures and groups Football hooliganism Gay skinhead Hardcore skinhead Friends Stand United Hardline Oi! 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Punk rock Reggae Rock Against Communism Rocksteady Ska Soul Stax Records Studio One Trojan Records Clothing and accessories Alpha Industries Ben Sherman Brogues Brutus Crombie Donkey jacket Dr. Martens Flat cap Flight jacket Fred Perry Grinders Harrington Levi Strauss Loafers Lonsdale MA-1 Sweater vest Solovair Steel-toe boots Suit Tredair Trilby Other topics Skinhead books Skinhead films Hooligan firms v t e Types of motorcycles By Wheels Monowheel Biwheel Triwheel Quadwheel Street Cruiser Sport Touring Sport touring Standard Universal Japanese Motorcycle Custom Bobber Café racer Chopper Cutdown Rat bike Streetfighter Dual-sport Adventure touring Supermoto Off-road Enduro Motocross Track racing Trials Small Minibike Mini chopper Moped (Sport moped) Pit bike Scooter Underbone Electric Electric dragbike TTXGP race class TT Zero race class Emergency services Ambulance Blood Fire Police Cabin motorcycle Derny Feet forwards Motorcycle hearse Taxi Streamliner template category --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cutdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutdown) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutdown?action=history)). 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