Look Who's in American Motorcyclist...

In June, Grant Parsons from the American Motorcyclist Association asked me to write a piece for the back-of-the-book guest column in the association's magazine, American Motorcyclist. The subject was up to me, which left me with a lot of possibility. Should I write about the practicality of riding a scooter? Should I extol the virtues of a small parking footprint and gas economy? Should I talk about Roman Holiday and Quadrophenia? I was a bit stumped on how to say something fresh and new that didn't sound as if I assumed that the AMA readers didn't know anything about scooters. I also didn't want to sound apologetic. Many scooterists take that sort of tone, as if they are lesser riders because they ride scooters. I struggled with the concept of the article and was unable to decide before I took off for my week away at Comic-Con.

When I returned, I had to close the next issue of Scoot! and every spare moment of writing was dedicated to the issue. However, while I was editing the events calendar, I noticed something unusual. There were several Mods vs Rockers events happening this summer/fall. While Mods/Rockers events are nothing new, it was the amount of such events, spread out over the country, which impressed me. It meant that in pockets of the US, there were groups of scooterists and motorcyclists getting together to have fun, with no attitude...actually thumbing their noses at the notion that the two groups don't get along. Cool! I found the inspiration for my column.

Once I figured on a theme, it went quickly. As much as I think Quadrophenia is a tired source to cite, it actually was pertinent to the point, so I evoked it once (I promise to leave it alone for a while!) to illustrate the old view of scooters versus motorcycles. The point that I wanted to make was that scooterists and motorcyclists aren't that different. We want the same things, we find pleasure in two-wheeled transport, so we should offer each other respect.

The issue just hit mailboxes this week, and I have received some great feedback. If you are an AMA member, I hope you check it out. If you aren't an AMA member, why not join?

Photo by Jen Good @ jengood.com

Blog entry Soundtrack: Electricity by OMD and The Promise by When in Rome.

Upcoming Event: San Francisco Classic

One of the first rallies that I attended was Kings Classic in San Francisco. I think it was the one with the flaming die patch. I didn't buy a patch because I thought it was lame to buy one if I didn't have a scooter. I was on the back of my friend Paul's P200 and I had never seen so many scooter in one place; taking over the streets, ignoring traffic signals, populating the air with blue smoke. It was exhilarating.

The Rally Kings are gone, but the event lives on in the form of The San Francisco Classic which takes place this weekend. San Francisco is a great town for riding. I'm so used to scooting around that town, that I hate riding in a car and would rather tow my scooter in a truck and park it on the outskirts so that I can get around. Silly but true.

This is a classic scooter rally for vintage bikes. No one begrudges the new bikes, but it is an old-style rally that should be left as it is, like an interactive museum.

I'm planning on being there on Saturday. I am seriously behind on the next issue, so I can only spare one weekend day.

Merry Christmas from the UK

Mau at Classic Scooterist Scene and Twist & Go sent us this fab e-card. Enjoy!

Lambretta Bible by Veloce Publishing

UK publisher Veloce Publisher has just released The Lambretta Bible, a survey of "All Lambretta Models Built in Italy: 1947-1971."

I've had a great time reading through it, learning about Lambrettas. I own vintage Vespas, but never bought a Lammy, so I'm not familiar with their finer points. The book is informative and entertaining. I can tell that author Paul Davies really loves this marque.

In our next issue, we'll excerpt a chapter for readers to take for a spin. Our next issue is Lambretta-focused, so we've got Reader's Rides and Show Us Your Scoots that are Lammy-only. Some cool, unusual scooters and some historical info. We didn't try to present comprehensive coverage. Many books have done a better job than we could in one small magazine issue, but we did want to celebrate our love of this fantastic scooter.

Are you a proud Lambrettisti? There is still time to slip in a photo of you with your Lammy for the Show Us Your Scoots section. Send your high-res jpg. or tiff to me and we might be able to fit it in. Don't forget to include your full name, where you are from and a description of your bike.

Ohio Classic Sccooter Meet 5/1-5/3

I received a flier advertising the upcoming Plain City Meet '08, which is a celebration of classic scooter marks such as Cushman, Mustang, Heinkel, Bella, Rabbit, Whizzer, Vespa and Lambretta.

The weekend meet takes place May 1st-3rd at Pasttime Park, 370 Chillicothe St., Plain City, OH. The flier promises rides,games, show trophies and prizes. I think there wil also be a swap.

The event's website isn't working right now, but if you are interested in attending, you can contact:
Adam bzengelATaolDOTcom
Dave cscootdATaolDOTcom

Camping for the weekend is only $30.