Category: Chicago

Chicago Tiki ride Sunday

Darren’s taking advantage of Sunday’s expected 40° heat wave and clear skies:

The weather forecast calls for slightly warmer temps and little to no precipitation until early next week, so let’s take advantage of it! The streets should be clear, and you know your scooter is asking to be ridden.

Meet at Orbit Room (Wellington/California) at 1:30pm Sunday 1/17, ride leaves at 2pm. Get there earlier if you want to eat. We will head up to Paradise Pup (1724 S River Rd, Des Plaines; #24 in Chicago Magazine’s 30 Best Burgers), planning to get there around 3pm. from Paradise Pup we will head down to Hala Kahiki (2834 River Rd, River Grove), planning to get there at 4-4:30pm.

Please join us for any or all of it. All bikes welcome! Or just meet us for food and/or drinks; you know January is the best time for tiki drinks, anyway. Hope to see you there!

I’ll try to make it, Hala Kahiki’s near my ‘hood and I haven’t been there in ages.

Slaughterhouse XV

sh15poster
Slaughterhouse XV is this weekend in Chicago, a fact so obvious to me that I didn’t bother posting it until now, which is sort of irresponsible of me, sorry. Who’d have known back when we joked about never making it to “Slaughterhouse 5” that the rally would endure and grow for 15 years. It’s changed hands a few times, but it’s always fantastic, and there’s always something for everyone. This year shuffles up the usual schedule a bit with Roller Derby on Saturday night and a bigger-than-ever party on Thursday, and still features a few great rides, one of the best gymkhanas around, and more. If you’re into the whole social networking thing, there’s a ning site.
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Perseids tonight

Tonight’s the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, we saw a few last night from the front porch with Chicago light pollution, so if you can ride out somewhere dark and clear tonight, it should be amazing.

Darren has organized a group ride for Chicagoans. Meet at Dunkin’ Donuts, 5000 W Irving Park. The ride departs at 10pm.

Motorsport 30% off sale, two Chicago rides

One of our favorite shops, Motorsport Scooters (aka Scooterwest) in San Diego, CA, has a spiffy new site and a big “NC-17” anniversary party scheduled for Saturday. If you’re not in town, take advantage of 30% off all items this weekend when you order from the new site.

And here in Chicago, don’t forget about Logan’s Run on Saturday and Scooterworks Chicago’s Sunday Ride.

Adidas/Vespa parties in 5 cities

vespadidas
After teasing America with mostly unobtainable European tidbits, the Adidas Originals/Vespa clothing and shoe line is hitting the U.S. in full force with five launch parties at U.S. Adidas Original stores over the next week:
Berkeley, CA July 23 6-8 PM
Chicago, IL July 23 6-8 PM
Georgetown, DC July 23 6-8 PM
Miami, FL July 23 6-8 PM
Portland, OR July 24 6-8 PM
(Click on the city for the specific invitation)
These “Private Shopping Events” include a 20% discount and a gift with an $80+ purchase (I’m told anything that’s sold out or unavailable in-store can be ordered online at the event with the discount). Visitors can enter to win a customized Adidas Originals Vespa S-50.

Flag Day Run

Chicagoans: Hang out with some Shriners on Sunday and do some good for the community: The Medinah Motor Corps is hosting a Flag Day Open House and Hospital Tour Sunday at the Medinah Shrine Center, 550 Shriners Drive, Addison IL. The ride starts at 10:30, tours start at 11:00.

ScooterworksUSA and Scooterworks Chicago

There’s been some confusion and angst lately on the Chicago lists about changes at Scooterworks and parts availability. Until recently, both the local dealership (and its service department) AND the catalog internet/mail-order business were located on Damen Avenue and called “Scooterworks USA.” Starting last month, the parts business, Scooterworks USA has moved to a new location on the West Side, and the dealership, still on Damen, has been separated from the parts business and christened Scooterworks Chicago (note the separate websites, as well).

Scooterworks Chicago will stock the general supply of parts, gear, and accessories typical to any good scooter shop, but will no longer sell the full lineup of items available from Scooterworks USA.

Sadly, Scooterworks USA is not accessible to retail customers, so local scooterists will not be able to order in person, or pick up orders placed by phone or online. This was very disappointing news to Chicago scooterists spoiled with 6-day-a-week access to just about any imaginable scooter part. To lessen the blow, ScooterworksUSA is temporarily offering free shipping for all Chicago orders over $35 until September 31, 2009:

Attention: Chicagoland Scooterworks customers
As many of you know, we have moved our warehouse across town from our dealership, Scooterworks Chicago. We are in the process of making Scooterworks Chicago one of the greatest scooter shops in the country.
We are unfortunately not able to stock all of our parts at our dealership. We know this is an inconvenience to our local customers, and for that we apologize. So to help everyone get through the 2009 riding season we are offering all Chicagoland customers FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $35 through September 31, 2009.
Thanks,
Scooterworks Staff

As always, orders placed before 2pm ship same day, and Scooterworks generally offers free shipping on orders over $100.

2SB/CWC Spring Party, Sat, April 11!

Hi everybody! Here are the details on the Galewood/Cold Weather Challenge ride and Karaoke party this Saturday (4-11)

Dinner at 5pm
Russell’s BBQ
1621 N Thatcher Ave Elmwood Park, IL 60607

I’ll be honest with you here, this is not the BBQ that made Galewood famous, but it’s a neat, old-school place with plenty of space for us, and if you forget about real BBQ, it’s pretty good in the way that Taco Bell is good if you forget about real Mexican food. And they have fried Macaroni and Cheese wedges.

Ride leaves 6:30pm sharp

We’ll do a quick ride (about 15 miles total) and see all the wonders of the greater Galewood area:

The Des Plaines River (Will it flood!?)
Forest preserves (“Balls Deep!”)
Elmwood Park’ (“Italinate” architecture!)
River Grove! (Home of Triton College!)
Kiddieland (and the “Scooters” sign!)
Maywood Park (Harness Racing!)
More Forest Preserves (Nature!-ish!)
Forest Park (Irish Pubs & Yarn stores!)
Oak Park (The Evanston of the West!)
Lake Street (The Gap! Starbucks!)
Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio
A bunch of Hemingway shit

Bonus! An 80-car-long freight train *will* hold up the ride at some point.

Then it’s on to Galewood for a lap around the best neighborhood in Chicago, ending at

BERRYOKE!
The Kat Klub
6920 W. North Avenue
at 8:00
Jason and Mary emcee the best Karaoke around, with a great variety of songs.
We’re talking New Wave, Punk, Mod, British Invasion, and even some indie rock, plus all the usual karaoke cheese.
No cover! Cheap drinks! Friends! Fun! Malört! Peeptinis!

Then! a late-night ride (four blocks) to River Forest Grill for the “AK-47.”

Then! Ride! Straight to your place of worship and sleep next to your scooter in the parking lot, because it’s EASTER!

Ride Map:


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