Amerivespa 2006
14th Annual National Rally
July 27th - 30th
Denver, Colorado
Review by Chris Bulat
My decision to attend Amerivespa this year was clinched with the announcement that it would be held in Denver, Colorado. I had heard stories of Mile High Mayhem being one of the largest rallies in the United States and now it would coincide with Amerivespa. The Lambretta Jamboree held in conjunction with Amerivespa was like three treats in one.
I had never visited any location west of Cleveland (Amerivespa 2005). At first, my wife Patricia and I planned for us and our three sons to drive out from Windsor Locks, Connecticut to Denver. We realized that the combination of 2,100 plus miles each way with the sons (ages five, three and six months) would turn a hard three-day journey into more like five days. I planned to bring my new Stella, riding part of the way and carrying it in my van the bulk of the distance. However reality prevailed and we decided Patricia and kids should wait a couple years before attempting such a long trip.
I found the Scooters Caravan discussion group on Yahoo and considered riding the Stella across the country with other scooterists. I had to bow out of the caravan idea due to the extra four or five days off from work it would require. I was already taking off eight days from work! I posted on several internet scooter groups in and around the New England area, mentioning I was willing to bring out scooters and their owners on a large trailer. Several scooterists contacted me about bringing their scooters out and back but no one wanted to share the driving. I decided I would take the easier route and ship my scooter and fly like everyone else. As I was making plans, Josh Kane (#2931) from Manchester, Connecticut said he wanted to drive with me and bring his Stella. I had also been in contact with Pete Selkowe (#2926) from Racine, Wisconsin. He wanted us to pick him up in Chicago. Pete offered to split the 1,000 mile drive from Chicago to Denver with us. At this point, I had two Stellas that were going to be loaded into the van with the three of us and all of our gear. Pete’s Vespa would be in back on a hitch-mounted carrier.
While attending the “Biggest Little Rally” in Rhode Island, Simon and Sondra Braeutigam (#2648) from Brooklyn, New York mentioned they were going to Denver with or without a scooter. We figured out that we could fit their Primavera between the rear doors and the bench seat in the back. All we had to do was take the front tire off and load it in diagonally. It fit snugly but it worked. The van would carry four scooters and three drivers at one point or another from Connecticut to Colorado.
I readied the van and gathered supplies needed for the trip. I put together an in-depth toolkit (spare parts, oils, cleaning supplies, etc.). I also brought a refrigerator that allowed us to carry some decent snacks and cold drinks.
Josh and I left at 7:30 am on Monday, July 24th. Pete was riding down from Racine, WI, on Wednesday. He suggested that we pick him up south of Chicago right off the highway. I suggested to Josh that we check out Scooter Works and the Genuine Scooter Company. We informed Pete that we would pick him up at Scooter Works even though this would take us a few hours out of our way. Since it took us longer than I thought to get there, Pete took the time to change his tires. I bought some carburetor jets and three chrome Prima rims.
The ride across the country was great. The terrain and vegetation changed as we crossed state lines. From Connecticut through Wisconsin everything looked the same. After Wisconsin it was corn, corn, and more corn. One thing I could not understand is why there is so much open land and people still build houses just a hundred feet off the highway. We went through an awesome lightning storm. The terrain was flat so we could see multiple strikes all around. The climb to Denver’s elevation was gradual yet it definitely affected our gas mileage. The van averaged 12.9 miles per gallon and the average cost per gallon was $3.06. We arrived at the Holiday Inn Select on Wednesday at approximately 6:00 PM and the rally began.
Visiting the rally sponsors allowed for some scooter-branded shopping. Erico Motorsports, a huge high-end shop, carries many lines of motorcycles and scooters. There is a repair shop and a large riding apparel area filled with everything from the basics to the unique. The Concours d’Elegance, Gymkhana and Slow Races were held Saturday on the recently-paved Erico Motorsports parking lot. Surprisingly, Casa Lambretta USA is located right next door to Erico. It is a no-fluff scooter shop. Repairs and parts is their business. It was great to just hang out and soak up the aura of one of the largest Lambretta shops in the United States. I did notice a few Vespas lined up in the shop awaiting their turn for repairs.
On Thursday, we spent quite a bit of time at Sportique Scooters where Colin Shattuck and his mechanics re-jetted and tweaked the scoots for higher altitude riding. Sportique Scooters is a large full-service scooter shop that makes repairs and sells scooters, parts, apparel and accessories. The paved outside was filled with major scooter models. Thursday was a meet-and-greet at the Walnut Room. Scooters were lined up outside and there was excellent pizza and beer inside.
On Friday, Sportique hosted the swap meet, tech sessions/discussions and Kymco scooter demonstrator model rides. A “bouncy castle” and a “dunk booth” were out near the Swap Meet. Breakfast and an evening BBQ were served onsite. Friday the party was at 3 Kings Tavern where the “Orangu-tones” performed. Each rally-goer received a free pint of SKA beer. Outside I saw an impressive display of scooters: Vespas, Lambrettas and everything in between. The age of the scooters also ranged from five days to fifty years old!
On Saturday, I found time to ride out to Golden and to the top of Lookout Mountain with Mark “Bobo” Bennett (#2154), Simon, Sondra, Mark and Josh. Adam Lerner and Gianluigi “Luigi” Giasi (#2779) rode in a van because they were unable to get their scooters to the rally. The roads up and down the mountain were filled with twistees. We visited Buffalo Bill’s grave at the top. As a group, we took the highway out there. On the way back we took a more leisurely trip through Golden, past Coors Brewery and down 32nd into the city.
The high point of the rally was the awards ceremony and gala dinner on Saturday night at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. The catered dinner took place in the middle of a giant aircraft hanger which had been converted into an aviation museum. Historic aircraft displays (mostly military) surrounded us. A huge B1 bomber towered over the front stage. It provided an impressive backdrop to the awards ceremony and later when “Twenty Minutes to Vegas” played. As we ate, awards were given for the gymkana, slow race and the Concour d’Elegance winners. There were speeches and recognition for people who have contributed to our club and the hobby.
On Sunday, after the breakfast and VCOA meeting at Fillmore Plaza in Cherry Creek, the official ride went to Lookout Mountain and then down and over to the open air Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Park. The gigantic raffle was held at Polly Esthers. Prizes included two scooters from the Lambretta Club USA, an older, custom-painted Lambretta GP from Royal Purple Synthetic Oil, a restored Vespa Sprint Veloce from Peroni Beer. The VCOA raffled off two aluminum Tilt-a-racks, a pair of Corazzo bomber jackets, a 125cc “Blackcat Buddy” from Genuine Scooter Company and an electric blue Xciting 250 from Kymco. The raffle tickets for the scooters and other big prizes were five dollars each. There were one-dollar raffle tickets for prizes that were provided by scooter shops and manufacturers. I was lucky and won a Redline Leather armored riding jacket donated by Chelsea from SCOMO Scooters. I also won what I feel was the grand prize for the rally, the Xciting 250 scooter donated by Kymco. It was delivered to my driveway in Windsor Locks, CT, free of charge. Thank you, Kymco.
This event is put together by volunteers. The sponsors, clubs and volunteers are too numerous to mention here. Many people and businesses helped put on this well-attended event. I did my bit by helping register attendees on Friday and selling raffle tickets on Saturday and Sunday. Without the year-round efforts of volunteers, rallies like this would not take place. What I did was small in comparison to the core group of volunteers that put this rally together. I would like to thank them for all their effort in continuing to put on Amerivespa. Maybe next year you will volunteer your abilities in the scooter community so we all may benefit.
After such a great rally as this, I look forward to attending future Amerivespas. I can’t wait to bring my three sons and their scooters!