Author: illnoise

Chicagomotorcycle.com is a brand-new site that looks like 2strokeBuzz, scoot.net, and Yahoogroups rolled into one, they’ve got photo galleries, forums, calendars, classifieds, and lots more. Very promising, and very slick. And yes, scooterists are welcome.

I forgot to mention this the other day, but the Chicago Fire beat the LA Galaxy 3-2 on Tuesday, and will play either the MetroStars or DC United in the Cup final on October 15. The Fire are kicking ass in the MLS as well, and looking at another double. They return to Soldier Field for their last two home games, Oct. 11 and 18.

Hey, our Times thingy got us a mention on Gapers’ Block. That’ll pull in more hits than the Times thingy, thanks Andrew! Gapers’ Block is a daily must for all Chicagoans, but I’ve been meaning to ask them, what’s up with the FIVE-pointed stars?

Bob Hodge sends us news that Indian Motorcycle Corporataion is closing their doors before producing any 2004 models, surprising dealers and owners. Still no word on Indian’s website. Now let’s get to work shutting down Harley-Davidson.

If you can hear pint glasses clinking, see scarves waving and hear the drunken warble of a soccer fan in your local pub, then you know the English Premiership season has started. One of my favorite places to go during the season is Ginger’s Ale House on Chicago’s north side and for good reason. The food is cheap, the fans are rowdy and it’s not Fado’s.
Continue reading “Ode to a new season”

at Briggs and Stratton Motorplex at Road America.
Elkhart Lake, WI. SPECIALS: 1. Scott Smallwood (Supersonic Scooters) 2.Matt DeVries (Brookespeed/Primoparts/2strokebuzz) DNF: JKo (HardLuck Racing) STOCK: 1. Ryan Bastianelli (Moped Hospital) 2. Myk “Ego” Rodriguez (Supersonic Scooters/2strokebuzz) 3) Tim Hugh (Moped Hospital) 4. Michael Durso (Speed Shed/2strokeBuzz) 5. Rick Swagger (Zoot Scoots/Supersonic Scooters) 6. “Silent” Ron Brockman (Baron Von Scoot) DNS: Tauras Stonys (independent) Official stats from the MASS YahooGroup.

Rumor has it 2strokebuzz will make an appearance in the New York Times men’s fashion section this Sunday. We’ll see. Carrie Dubiner, eat your heart out.

Birmingham, England’s National Motorcycle Museum lost 650 vintage bikes, two-thirds of the collection, in a huge fire. Many were one-of-a-kind. Tragic.

This one goes out to all the New York readers that saw the blurb in the Times (if it’s there). When I started doing 2strokebuzz, Vancouver’s Cub was the first band I interviewed (in Issue 1). They were one of the greatest bands of all time: they, more than the Sex Pistols or Ramones, proved you could start a band with nothing but good intentions and make great music. Sadly, they broke up a while back, but I still listen to them almost every day. There’s a typically Lo-Fi video for their song “New York City” on the Mint Records web page, later to be covered by They Might Be Giants. Robyn, Lisa G, and all of your drummers, I miss your smiles! DeVries and I have been talking about a men-in-drag Cub cover band (the Pillow Queens?), but we need (of course) a drummer.

To help pay OTR scooters’ Darren Lopez’ medical bills from his accident in February, SCOMO is raffling a beautiful aluminum-coated Lambretta GP200 donated by Ryan Basile. Tickets are available for a $10 donation to Darren’s medical fund, and can be ordered online from SCOMO. The drawing will take place at Summit Point on October 11.

John Stafford’s putting together a Serveta VIN reference page on the SCOMO site, if you have any information to add, he’d appreciate an email.

The Union was the only decent rock club in Athens, OH. Any decent band to come through town (and there weren’t all that many) would play there. They also had the only decent jukebox in town, mainly stocked by some guy that’d just come off an internship at SST. On my twenty-first birthday, my friends Don Fluckinger and Jeff Stacklin asked me what song I wanted to hear to commemorate my first legal trip to the Union. There was no doubt. I ignored all the H,sker D,, Black Flag, Minutemen, and Meat Puppets singles and said “Why are you even asking me?” Don put six quarters (a lot of money to a college student in 1990) in the jukebox, and punched in “Ring of Fire” twenty-one times. by the time it came up, I was starting to black out, but I remember the first few plays. Don tells me they pulled the plug after the fifth or sixth time, and the record was gone the next time we went in.

Pitchfork and MTV have confirmed it: Pigs are going to fly.

Man, I totally forgot the Columbus Scoot-A-Que was this weekend! Looks like it’s getting a lot bigger every year, and it sounds like a good time. Have fun! Wear your helmets!

Speaking of DeVrieses…es, Trish posted some Scooter-related magazine sightings, including a link for Scooter World Magazine, which is supposed to debut next month. Geoff Allen from Denver (not to be confused with Scootertwit Jeff Allen) is putting it together, and you can get subscription or advertising info on the site.