Amerivespa 1996
3rd Annual National Rally
June 25th - 27th
Manitou Springs, Colorado
For the fourth time in its history, the Vespa Club of America rallied. Eager Vespisti, Lambrettaphiles, and aficionados of other European scoots slipped the leaches of constraint to gather beneath Pikes Peak at the Buffalo Lodge, site of last year's meet. Colorado, understandably, provided the most scooterists. Texas was a close second, followed by California and Michigan. Remarkable this year were the scooter clubs. There were the Pub Scouts and the Aces from Denver. Los Diablos Scooter Club came from Colorado Springs. There was also the Great Lakes Scooter Club for the Midwest, Jinx Scooter Club from Salt Lake City, and Steadfast Scooter Club from Albuquerque.
On Thursday evening, Treasurer Michael McWilliams (VCOA #358) and his lovely wife Gretchen Whitworth opened their home and yard to hungry scooterists, the "early birds," who took turns grilling while talking scooters. Outside, the scooter lineup on Cascade Avenue drew many a curious bystander. Some stopped their cars for a closer look. One was a young man from Bombay who hadn't seen a Vespa since leaving India over a decade ago. He was pleased to point out the scooters to his children who did know what one was.
Friday morning registration began at eight o'clock. Over the next two days, around 150 scooterists registered. About thirty also joined the VCOA. There were, however, perhaps another 150 gatecrashers who enjoyed the activities but did not deign to join the club or to register and help share the expense putting on the good times. The VCOA welcomes everyone to rally and enjoy the fun. But fun costs. There are tents to erect, tables and chairs to rent, rally patches and pins commemorating the event to pay for, rally guides to print, trophies to buy, dance venues to let and various other expenses. It is only fair that everyone enjoying these things share the expenses. Therefore, next year the rally site will be open only to registrants, to those paying the registration fees. No pay, no play.
At eleven o'clock Big Ride number one began. It took hardy souls up Pikes Peak to 14,110 feet. This was a ride for those who don't mind altitude and don't mind the absence of guardrails. Vespas and Lambrettas were not the only scoots attempting one of North America's highest peaks. At least sixty Cushman also braved the task during the annual Pikes Peak Cushman Boogy sponsored by the Colorado Cushman Club. Several Cushman "boys" also stayed at the Buffalo Lodge. The guys on their Eagles said the VCOA doesn't look anything like the CCOA.
Big Ride number two left the Buffalo Lodge at noon. The forty-mile journey led to the Black Forest with a stop for refreshments at the Black Forest General Store.
Back in camp, tech sessions began at two o'clock. Don Short (VCOA #299) from Channing, Texas, discussed P-series electrics. Your reporter, who is technically illiterate, found Don's presentation intriguing. He described how to make low-cost test equipment and cautioned his audience to note carefully their bike's VIN number, for number 34,627 is the key. Bikes before this number are the "old series Ps" and numbers after it comprise the "new series." Electrical systems in the two vary.
San Diego's own Tim Stafford (VCOA #1033) from TJ Scoots was next to lecture. He told listeners what to ask their painters. He covered the pluses and minuses of sand blasting, glass bead blasting, and dipping to remove old paint and primer. In addition, he covered various primers and preferred paints and finishes. By the way, in his pickup he carried two Vespa GSs, a VS4 and VS5, both impeccably finished in the correct, computer matched silver. The primers, too were computer matched, the VS5s in brown and the VS4s in green. His attention to correctness, detail, and execution qualifies Tim as the undisputed GS Master.
Roger Sawicki (VCOA #877) from Denver was the third technical guru. He gave Saturday's session, on bodywork. Particularly captivating were his instructions for using spray cans for painting. Judging from the orange paint he applied to a Lambretta side panel, Krylon finishes can qualify as art. If you don't believe it, check ot the beautiful legshield on Jay Zancanaro's P200 in the accompanying photos. Jay did the Italian flag, with map of Italy on the horncast using just spray cans. Incredible!
New this year was the scavenger hunt. The rally program describes the event like this: "All participants have until the meeting on Saturday to complete the Scavenger Hunt. Prizes will be awarded to the two individuals obtaining the most items. Most items on the list are free ore relatively inexpensive." There were thirty one items on the list, mostly "doodads," defined as "objects except tourist brochures, with the location printed on them." Among the doodads were gambling tokens from Cripple Creek, a Seven Falls postcard, a pine cone, a Patsy's candy wrapper and a bookmark from Chinook Bookshop.
Also new and extremely popular was the gymkhana. Sponsored by the scooter clubs of Colorado, the gymkhana consisted of an obstacle course where riders picked up a glass, rode over a teeter-totter and navigated cones. Young riders from around the nation challenged each other and a few old timers in the lists. Like knights and squires errant, they mounted their iron steeds to engage in the jousts.
Friday evening six bands played SKA, SKA and more SKA at the VFW Hall #4051 at 430 E Pike's Peak. Featured were the Vengers, the Grownups, the Aquabats, Model Citizens, Five Iron Frenzy, and Lawless Street. Chris Shauinger said the Aquabats, in swim gear, from Orange County, California (VCOA #857), "threw him for a spin."
Returning to the Buffalo Lodge in the wee-hours, the Skankers entered the lists once more. This time they doused the teeter-totter with gasoline and ignited it, turning it into a flaming ramp. Amid shouts, cheers, and laughter, some squires shed their armour to ride naked on their mounts, redefining the equestrian term "barebacked."
Sleeping in, many gymkhananists missed Teela Lewellen and Jane Weiderman as the latter opened registration at eight the next morning and opened the club store. In addition to extra rally patches and pins, the women sold white T-shirts with the club logo in maroon, teal, or blue. They also sold club flags and legshield banners.
From ten o'clock until noon a group went for a small ride, stopping briefly for a group photo in Palmer Park. When they got back, they enjoyed Buffalo burgers or Buffalo brats provided by Bud Ford, mayor of Manitou Springs and father of a local scooterist, Bud Ford III (VCOA #674).
With their bellies full of the meat that won the west, rallyists prepared their bikes for the concours d' elegance. Judging was people's choice. While officials counted the ballots, President Randolph Garner (VCOA #1) conducted the annual meeting.
After the meeting, master of ceremonies Peter Crowl (VCOA #379) handed out prizes and conducted the raffle. First, however, he presented this year's award, only the second ever given by the club. Last year he presented Randolph Garner with the Founder's Award. This year Peter bestowed the club's first Lifetime Achievement Award on Robert Cantrell (VCOA #7) in appreciation for Bob's work as editor and printer of the club's first magazine, The Vespa Club of America's Membership Magazine. Along with the award went the following letter that says in part: "You gave us a tasteful, carefully edited color magazine when we had fewer than a hundred members. In the beginning when we were only a fledgling group, your work represented us as a credible organization. Volumes One and Two of the Vespa Club of America Member Magazine convinced scootering enthusiasts at home and internationally that there was a new kid on the block and that he was a serious and permanent resident. This last statement is not hyperbole. Already our events and rallies are reported in international scootering journals. And when the club joins the Federation of International Vespa Clubs (FIV), probably within a year, we will be one of the largest bodies in that esteemed international congress. Without your efforts as first editor and printer, the VCOA would not be where it is today. You richly deserve teh second award presented by the Vespa Club of America, for yours is truly a life time achievement. Enclosed please find your award, a token of the club's appreciation of your work, effort, and commitment on its behalf."
After the serious awards came the prizes for the scavenger hunt and the gymkhana. Bill Reid (VCOA #213) and Julie Schneider (VCOA #531) from Michigan prevailed in the scavenger hunt with twenty six out of thirty one items. They got Piaggio Fiftieth Anniversary calendars complements of Scooterworks. Dustin Gable (VCOA #946) presented the gymkhana awards. Vivian Volhe won third place. She got a T-shirt and license plate holder from Big People's Scooters. "Norm" Walters took second place, riding to victory abroad his NSU. He got a watch from Scooterworks. Creston Coates (VCOA #248) from Oklahoma City came in first. Having ridden scooters for maybe forty years, Creston proved a knight banneret, defeating all the young squires. Creston won driving lights from Garner's Classic Scooters.
Bob Ward (VCOA #268) from Milwaukee got the Iron Butt award for farthest ridden on a scooter, 1,158 miles on a Lambretta.
The raffle was the rally's final event. Conducted by the inimitable Peter Crowl, it was a real howler. Big People Scooter, Classic Vespa of Phoenix, Garner's Classic Scooters, the Scooter Shop, Scootersworks USA, and Vespa Motorsport donated the prizes. Among the goodies were Vespa and Lambretta caps; T-shirts; license plate frames; sweatshirts; front wheel locks; posters; Vespa models, including the new gray anniversary model; Piaggio logo sunglasses; racks; chrome flywheel covers; flags; legshield banners; patch packages; gift certificates; calendars; and tires. During the raffle Peter thanked everyone who worked on the rally and making it a big success. He thanked Bud Ford senior and Bud junior, "big Bud and little Bud,, Bud and Bud light" for the Buffalo burger concession. Later a scooter girl won a chrome rack. Peter congratulated her, assuring her she had a "nice rack."
Besides providing prizes for the raffle, dealers also set up shop, permitting those who have to buy from catalogs through the mail a chance to shop in person and browse through all the wonderful parts and bits on offer. Big Peoples Scooters offered some great NOS parts like license plate holder to fit around taillights of bikes from the '50s. They also had a supply of original speedos.
Garner's Classic Scooters specialized in many fine parts for the impecunious rider, offering nice mirrors for only $6.00. Thoughtfully they also brought all the necessaries to keep bikes running at the meet, just in case.
Scooter Shop's Scott Chain (VCOA #9) dazzled the crowd with literature from scootering's golden age, much of it British. Scoot was also selling what is probably the nicest Sears Primavera n the country, a while beauty with fewer than ten miles on the odometer. Vespa Supershop and Vespa Motorsport from San Diego brought along not only the capable and charismatic Alex Cohn (VCOA #59) with all his scooter goodies but also the intriguing Waid Parker (VCOA #4), recently retired.
Waid is so busy in retirement he wonders how he ever found time to work. In his Ford van he will soon follow a few guys leaving California on scooters for New Your, where the crew will air freight their bikes to England, ride them to the coast, cross the channel and visit Europe, arriving in Rome for Piaggio's Fiftieth Anniversary bash and the unveiling of the scooter for the twentieth-first century. If a bike breaks down across the USA, the rider will bring it inside the van and repair it on the fly from spares on the shelves along the side.
And finally, Scooterworks USA stunned the crowd with two 1996 bikes fresh from Italy. One was a green PX200e with brown seat, a model now dubbed the "Classica." The other was a red Hexagon. Later this year, according to Scooterworks' Phil McCaleb (VCOA #6), the bikes are headed back to Italy. But their presence at the VCOA Nationals was rife with symbolism. They represent Piaggio's presence int eh United States for the first time in over a decade. What that presence will mean for American Vespisti in the future Mr. McCaleb wasn't saying.