Month: June 2003

Actor George Clooney recently donated ten specially-equipped scooters to Rome’s emergency services department. The scooters will carry defibrillators and will be dispatched when ambulances can’t get through traffic or narrow streets. Thanks for the link, Nancy!

If you’re like most of the people in Vespa’s target market, you’d never pay $4200 for a scooter if you knew that, for a mere thousand dollars more, you could get it in two-tone with a couple accessories. Thankfully, The Sharper Image is looking out for you. It’s pretty, but not “$1000 more” pretty.

The Highland House in Highland Park, IL closed Sunday. The restaurant had been a popular motorcyclist meeting place for 25 years, and even back to the fifties, when it was Hal’s Pizzeria. Hundreds of bikers would meet and eat at the Highland House every Sunday morning before heading off for day-long rides in Wisconsin or Northern Illinois.

Second to Last SC has announced the live music lineup for the Slaughterhouse Rally Saturday (August 30) show at The Hideout: Waxon Seven, The Sonnets, and Mega Super Ultra. MSU will be playing a special show covering the UK Version of The Clash
in its entirety.

I just got a tip that there’s been some sort of scooter show going on at Presidential Towers just outside the Loop here in Chicago… sorry, that’s all I know. Anyone have any other info?

Andrea spotted this treat in an interview with Eric Bana in The Guardian: “Oealthough I have a very big love of Italian motorcycles, so maybe there’s some connection there.” [interviewer] A strapping fella like you would probably ride a Ducati, not a Vespa, correct? “A Vespa’s not really a man’s motorcycle, is it? It’s transportation. A true motorcycle should definitely be anything but comfortable transportation.” The Hulk has clearly never broken down on a Vespa 150 after riding sixty miles in the rain.

Remember that post a couple weeks ago about the Wildcat 100? 100 Wisconsin miles on a 100cc (or smaller) motorcycle or scooter? Well, Grace had the mighty cool idea to try to find a bike under $100 and get it running in time for the Wildcat 100, so 2SB is throwing out the challenge for others to try this challenge-within-a-challenge. If you’re interested in getting a $100 rat bike together by the end of summer, email us. I’ll make a page explaining the rules and outlining the progress of each team. any sub-$100 sub-100cc 2-wheeled vehicle is eligible, the rattier the better.

The quasi-official Breeders site noaloha.com now has a lot of demos and out-of-print b-sides available for download, including their cover of Aerosmith’s “Lord of the Thighs” and “Do You Love Me Now, Jr.” with J. Mascis. And the entire “Head to Toe” single with the the GBV and Sebadoh covers.

ChiVinMoto is hosting another Isle of Goose TT (for under-50cc and under-100cc bikes) on Sunday. Their events page says “7:00 a.m. If you don’t know where the IoG TT is run, you’re not invited.” It’s pretty difficult to figure out, since the name of the event narrows it down to about a square half-mile. I can’t figure those guys out, half of them post their events on scooter lists and beg us to come, and the other half sneer at us when we do.

Week 2 of Chad’s promise to organize a ride a week: Gears and Ears 26 Car Show and Swap Meet in Wheaton, this Sunday. The Voodoo Kings Car show last saturday was really fun, hot rod rallies are just like scooter rallies, minus nudity and worthwhile raffle prizes. Props to Chad, keep it up!

a.k.a. The Camp of Dr. Caligari. Editor’s note: As promised, Elvis ‘e*rock’ Jones’ Daytona story, guaranteed to scare you away from Florida for life:
Most of the license plates around here have a green peninsula and a juicy ripe orange inked by prisoners in back of the numbers. At the bottom, it reads: SUNSHINE STATE. Not this time. Shortly east of Tallahassee, the rains came. And came, and came. In the back of the truck, there’s no air filter or protective housing on the big Mikuni carb, except for the Lammy sidepanels. Fresh rainwater in the chamber does not make for a fun rally. If only I had a stock twist ‘n goOe
Continue reading “Rumble on the Beach”

From resident Italophile Scott Baxter: An Italian scooter newsgroup describes their favorite Vespa sounds. Scott also found these really detailed Vespa Models.

Liam Bradley, 3, passes his sister Fiona, 7, on the outside in turn one at Kiddieland International Raceway. The siblings miraculously finished in a four-way tie with Louise and Winston Upchurch in the eight-lap race, then celebrated by poking sticks into my air conditioner.

This one goes out to M5: From superchunk.com, a song for that other 2-stroke engine in your life: Mower (mp.3) from On the Mouth (Merge Records). Also, shortly after I linked up GBV last week, they replaced the intro photo with a photo of Bob Pollard on Scott Smallwood’s Vespa Rally. Anyone out there know the story?

JKSC Chicago is sponsoring a ride this Saturday to the Voodoo King’s weekly vintage hot rod cruise. (Woodfire Chicken, Irving Park Rd. & Rohlwing, Itasca, IL) “See old cars with dangerous modifications leaking fluids & polluting the air! Hear rockabilly & psychobilly from DJ’s & bands throughout the summer! Eat fire-roasted chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, ice cream!” Meet at Scooterworks, USA at 4pm, ride leaves for Itasca at 5pm.