Category: Lifestyle

Chicago rides: Scooterworks and weiners

Isn’t today the first day of summer? That’s not stopping Scooterworks, whose Spring Ride starts at the shop at 9:30 on Saturday. Their new catalog is in the mail, and I’ve heard good and bad things, hopefully I’ll get it today.

Also on Saturday if you’re into cased meats, The Hell’s Fairies are hosting their June Weiner Ride. It starts at 4pm, not far from where the Scooterworks ride ends, so you could pretty easily do both. 2sb can’t make either ride, but if we had to choose one, I think we all know which we’d choose.

Mods vs. Rockers 2007 photos

I think his timing is off

As someone on scoot.net chat said the other day, “In the future, all rallies will be called ‘Mods vs. Rockers.'” Although there were six or eight similarly-named rallies in the last few weeks, we’re talking about the Chicago version, which is beginning to rival Milwaukee’s fantastic Rockerbox, in terms of quantity, variety, and quality. (Nary a Harley was to be seen!) Silent Ron’s 200-or-so photos (one is above) sum up the event much better than I could , and if those aren’t enough, here are a few dozen more from Jordan.

Piaggio bombs?

More good PR for Piaggio: A recent study exposed a 1942 plan hatched by the Fascists and Piaggio test pilot Niccolò Lama to bomb New York City from a Piaggio P-23R airplane flying from France. (Thirty-five years later, their dreams would be realized when the P-series Vespa arrived on American soil.)

Midwest rallies abound

Chicago-area scooterists have no one but themselves to blame if they have a boring summer: (let me know if I’m forgetting any)

  • June 16-18,2007 The Defilers (no site that we can find, though there are about six bands called the Defilers, and they’re all bitching about each other -ed.) present Beer Bong The Rally in Madison, Wisconsin. Friday night starts at Mickeys Tavern from 8 till 10. Saturday features lunch, then a ride then 7 bands and a BBQ, and Sunday there’s a breakfast if you haven’t been defiled enough. For info contact Andy at (608)446-4026
  • July 13-15, 2007 Wisco’s Section 8 SC’s Barn Bash Scooter Rally in Van Dyne Wisconsin on . $15 preregistration (until July 4) covers camping, food, drinks, patch, seven bands (what’s with seven bands?), and more.
  • August 3-5, 2007 Knuckledraggers SC is hosting “Barrel O’ Monkeys — Going Ape Shit.” in the Quad Cities (IL/IA border).
  • August 16-19, 2007 In the Twin Cities, where No Direction Home has joined Scooter Du in the history books, M5 tells us a new crew “are taking over with a vengeance,” hosting Rattle My Bones 2007. I don’t think that’s a Dylan, ‘Mats, Prince, Huskers, Soul Asylum, or Trashmen reference, but it sounds good anyway.
  • August 30-September 2 Labor Day Weekend is, of course, Slaughterhouse 13 in Chicago hosted by a thankfully-still-unnamed coalition of Chicago scooterists and clubs. The site still features last years’ info, but it’ll be updated soon. Can you believe it’s been 13 years? Well, twelve, technically, but 13 calendar years. Don’t make me explain that again.