Amerivespa 1995
3rd Annual National Rally
June 15th - 17th
Manitou Springs, Colorado
After successfully invading the Ozarks at its Second National Rally in Springfield, Missouri, the VCOA got high at its third in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A mile high, in fact. Approximately two hundred Vespisti and Lambrettaphiles rallied near the Springs' justly renowned Garden of the Gods. Among the earliest arrivals were Ron Bussey, Bill Reid, and son Andy, along with Roy Bacon, the "Michigan Mafia," who showed up on Monday.
Other early arrivals continued through Wednesday, June 14. By the fifteenth, the official opening, cottages at the Buffalo Lodge, the rally site, filled to capacity. Across El Paso Road, the Garden of the Gods Campground took up the surplus. The attendees traveled from as far away as San Diego, California; Washington, D.C.; and Vancouver, British Columbia. Aki Hasegawa and Akira Miyano, our two Japanese members, traveled the furthest. Brian Holm from San Francisco tested the metal of hist P200e, riding 1,487 miles. But imagine his surprise to find Jeff Lillie and Jeff Reese rode 1,515 miles from Portland, Oregon to win the "Iron Butt Award" for furthest traveled by scooter. Members brought over ninety Vespas, fifty Lambrettas, four Cushmans, a Heinkel, a Fuji Rabbit, a Harley Davidson Topper, a Mustang, and an ultra rare Czech Cezetta.
Registrations opened at 9am, Thursday. For $20 the registrant got a T-shirt, a rally pin or patch, a raffle ticket, Friday night meal ticket, ballots for the concours d' elegance, a rally program complete with maps for individual or group rides, and a ticket to Friday night's dance.
Tech sessions, or "scooter school," was a popular new item this year. Mike McWilliams of Last Chance Scooter Ranch called his homeroom to order on Friday morning. With chalkboard and various audio-visual aids he showed his students how to roll neoprene foam in vinyl to restore their own seats. Using a few simple tools and a few dollars' worth of materials, he transformed a dilapidated and weathered saddle seat into one better than new. The improvement comes from modern materials, especially the neoprene foam.
Don Short from Channing, Texas, just two months retired, showed how those on fixed incomes or tight budgets can take the high cost out of restoring scooter electrical systems. Specifically, re replaced a defective rectifier, a fifty dollar replacement, with Radio Shack substitutes costing less than two bucks. He explained there are only four ways to generate electricity for scooters and how to refurbish each cheaply, event the notorious P-series "black box," with cheap Radio Shack alternatives, a shocking notion to many.
Every scoot needs electricity to run. But speed makes the electrifying. And a lot of scooterists have a need for speed; they get a real rush from it. Vince Mross from West Coast Lambretta Works in San Diego told a capacity crowd how to add performance parts to squeeze more mph from their favorite ride. As he spoke, he stood next to a racing Lambretta, a most enticing sight.
Victor Voris from Seattle's Big People Scooter Stuff enticed his audience into rebuilding their own engines, a necessity for those on their own, those perhaps hundreds of miles from a scooter mechanic. An adept and capable mechanic himself, he handled questions from his audience as deftly as his tools.
Later Eric Halladay explained how to rebuild clutches. His presentation was so lucid that even a tyro mechanic like me could understand and do the work.
Hepped up after scooter school, scooterist kicked their bikes into life for a mass ride through the Garden of the Gods. Given to the citizens of Colorado Springs in 1909 by a wealthy citizen, the red limestone formations are incomparably beautiful. They are especially breath taking at dawn, when the sun's long rays strike the cathedral rocks with fire. Choirs of birds raise their voices in matins, breaking the Sabbath stillness. The only sacrilege is cigarette butts thoughtlessly discarded. Before returning for a group photo, the ride continued through the mountainous beauty of the Springs. At every traffic signal experienced riders rode into the intersection with the green light, forming a line or barricade across the road, effectively preventing cross traffic from moving when the light changed. With traffic stopped, the scooters stayed together safely throughout the ride. There were no accidents or lost riders.
The long ride waked an eager appetite. Riders happily returned to the Buffalo Lodge for dinner. The menu included meat and vegetarian chili, corn bread, salad, lemonade or iced tea, and dessert. Unfortunately the caterers sent too little chili and the line lasted longer than the food, an unfortunate glitch. But thanks to quick thinking and the local Wendy's everyone was fed. The only other mishap occurred Friday evening. The agent engaged to book a ska band failed to deliver. Consequently, scooterists settled for records and a deejay at a local club. John Stafford packed the dance floor for three-and-a-half hours, playing music from '60s soul/R&B to Irish and ska/reggae. John dug up Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way" especially for Peter Crowl. He followed with the crowd's favorite, "YMCA" by the Village People. Both young and old danced away the night.
Saturday was filled with big events. The ride up Pikes Peak was first. It was an arduous trip that got harder by the yard. With every turn the air got thinner as both men and machines found it harder to breathe. Just steering was exhausting, causing riders to gasp for air. At fourteen thousand feet the hardy crew stopped for eats. Waid Paker, the grand old man of scootering, said he felt lightheaded and dazed. It was then he noticed he was dressing his hot dog with Sweet'N'Low. Turning to his coffee, he noticed mustard floating on top. As the crew neared the summit, the pavement ended, giving way to mud, slush and snow. Only two scoots couldn't make the summit.
When he returned from Pikes Peak, Waid cleaned his scoot in time for the concours d' elegance behind the registration tent. His engine cowl is unique. He removed the louvers, leaving many chromed parts visible. Under the cowl above the engine, he installed a flourescent light that casts an eerie glow over the engine and road at night. Other bikes, each a beauty, began arriving until at least fifty crowed the concours d' elegance. Scoots competing for best original and restored Vespas and Lambrettas shared ground with these "special" classifications: Best European, Best Rat Scooter, and Krylon King.
In his rally packet, each registrant got a ballot to pick winners in the various classifications. Classifications for Vespa and Lambretta were divided between restorations; customs; and original, unrestored machines. These classes were further broken down by decade: Best Custom '50s Vespa, for example, or Best Original D Range Lambretta. Entries in early decades didn't face much competition; the '50s were sparsely covered. Those from the '60s and '70s, however, provided lively competition. Voting democratically, attendees picked winners in all categories.
Tim Stafford of San Diego, California was the event's biggest winner. He entered a 1956 Allstate 125 and a 1962 Cushman 150 GS (VS5). Both took best of class. In addition, he painted Peter Crowl's 1959 Li 150 that took both Series I & II Custom. Tim also painted Scott Chain's Best Original '50s Vespa. Tim's VS5 also knocked down Best of Show. It is fair to say he does not do restorations; he creates art. Although barely thirty, he is a consummate artist. His bikes don't looked restored, they look brand new. Besides peerless artistry, he tries to make each restoration absolutely, 100% "correct." His knowledge is encyclopedic. Accordingly, he fusses over details like correct finish for screws, and which parts need to be anodized black and which gun-blued. He has been known to spend over a day restoring a front fork cover rather than replace it with a readily available but incorrect aftermarket product. On his VS5 he even uses the correct, original tone of brown primer inside the cowls.
Following the judging, the crowd moved into the main tent for a meeting and raffle. The raffle was an upper for everybody. Dealers provided the prizes. Thank you Scooterville, Garner's Classic Scooters, Vespa Supershop, and West Coast Lambretta Works, John M. Stafford and Tom Neff for donating prizes and providing members with so much fun at the raffle.
Various dealers from around the country sold spares, accessories, and various paraphernalia to hopeless scooter addicts. The latter, stealthy figures in parkas and flight jackets, moved from table-to-table checking wares, and surreptitiously taking hits off performance exhausts, T-shirts, and key chains. Vespa Supershop offered neat, miniature, matchbox sized models and vintage scooter calendars. Garner's Classic Scooters presented books and the new 1/6 scale-model Vespa Clubman. West Coast Lambretta Works distinguished itself with a line of beautiful Lambretta fashions and the new, Indian GP. Anaheim's Scooterville presented buyers with custom chromed engine parts and front and rear racks. Big People Scooter Stuff offered the biggest set of patches ever assembled under the big top and huge, reasonably priced, unique posters. In addition, John M. Stafford had a fine line of T-shirts, two boasting covers from American Scooterist. Tom Neff offered scooter photos-as-art at courtesy prices. Particularly noteworthy was the photo used on American Scooterist Volume 3, Number 2, and an engaging shot of a shop window in Italy, the reflections from the street in the multiple panes creating a haunting, surreal effect. First Kick Scooters arrived a little late, but still managed to present a varied array of goods to please the crowd. Among these choice items, this reporter noticed a freebie well worth having. It is the new catalog from Scooterworks. Thirty-nine pages long, this highly professional production is light, airy, and whimsical. At once utilitarian and fun to read, it is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Behind the tent, a few informal dealers opened shop on canvas tarps in a swap area where various hard-to-find used parts and accessories were had. Offerings ranged from used engine parts and vintage accessories to incomplete scooters - candidates for restorations - and parts bikes.
During the awards presentations, Peter Crowl presented the Founder's Award to President Randolph Garner for making it all happen. Without Garner's initiative, labor and personal sacrifice, there would be no VCOA today. The award was richly deserved.
The rally ended with the raffle's grand prize. Participants had arrived over five or six days. Being around so many like-minded, interested and interesting people is a heady experience, more intoxicating than wine. But after the rally they left of a sudden, all at once. Emotionally, the experience reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe's description of the crash after opium: "the bitter lapse into everyday life - the hideous dropping off of the veil. There was an iciness, a sinkling, a sickening of the heart - an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime." The Rocky Mountain high was over.