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Scooter riders hope to travel from Oregon to New York
Mike Garrett will be on a Vespa and roommate Rob Downs will be riding his Lambretta. Both scooters have been modified to raise their top speeds from about 50 mph to as high as 80. (Washington Post)
September 5, 2006 | Permalink
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Comments
Sounds like fun to me though I think the trip will be more about breakdowns and trying to find parts in Iowa than danger on the highway.
Posted by: TomW | Sep 5, 2006 8:12:10 AM
HELL YEAH!!! Go for it! Scooters are a subset of the Motorcycle culture and I support anything that gets people out and riding!
Posted by: JD | Sep 5, 2006 8:36:14 AM
I just hope they don't get mowed down by an 18-wheeler.
Can a Vespa reasonably go 80 mph? I imagine it being like my Chevette when I was in college. The thing shook like crazy when I went over 60 mph.
Posted by: Swangirl | Sep 5, 2006 9:13:11 AM
Awesome! Do the newest scooters go that fast?
I also had a Chevette in HS, a lame 3-speed that backfired from 2nd to 3rd. 4-doors, flip-down backseat for the hatchback party, a kickin' 8-track deck and no a/c. That was back in '89. I think it was 10 years old at least when I got it. I couldn't go past 60 either or I'd be jiggled so bad my chest would hurt.
Posted by: Soo | Sep 5, 2006 9:18:46 AM
I can picture Swngirl and Soo meeting new people in college and saying "yep, I drive a 'Vette".
At least thats what I would have said if I had one.
Posted by: A-nonnie-Mouse | Sep 5, 2006 9:25:32 AM
Back in the 70's I rode my Vespa from L.A. to Carmel and back. I recall it was about 800 miles total and took 5 days. Yea, it's not cross-country, but then again I was going 25mph and not 50+. Boy, did my butt hurt when I finally made it home. FYI, the truckers were always cool, the (real) bikers always snickered, and regular drivers were always clueless.
Posted by: db | Sep 5, 2006 9:30:45 AM
"Can a Vespa reasonably go 80 mph?"
Theres vespas out there with engines to rival some smaller motorcycles for sure.
I had a little honda metro to scoot around locally for a while, that only had a 50 cc engine and could do 40. So a 150 to 250 vespa will do fine.
I'd still take my motorcycle. Scooters are great fun but with the little donut wheels you're scooting around on... Medium sized potholes i'd barely notice on my CX would have tossed me on my scooter.
Posted by: boynamedsue | Sep 5, 2006 9:41:20 AM
If only I had enough spare time to do this!!!
Posted by: Mark | Sep 5, 2006 9:55:40 AM
I made the drive from Spokane WA to Montgomery AL in a U-Haul (about 3300 miles). I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy!
But the scooter does sound like fun!
Posted by: Rusty | Sep 5, 2006 10:26:10 AM
This past August saw the Ten Year Anniversary of my father's ride to the National Scooter Rally. He rode from Milwaukee, WI to Pike's Peak, Co (and back) on a 1963 Lambretta (with no modifications) in 5 days. He travelled with only a sleeping roll, a thermos of vile coffee, some home-made specialized tools, $100 cash and a pair of clean undies.
If anyone was on the MKE or CHI scooter scene in the 1980's/'90's, they'll know of Bob Ward. He could McGyver any engine he saw, loathed Italian electrical systems and insisted on painting that Lambretta with brown house paint. These whippersnappers have nothing on old Iron Butt.
Posted by: Ward | Sep 5, 2006 11:10:39 AM
In 1994, while traveling in Honduras, I ran into an Italian guy who was sponsored by Vespa. He had already taken his Vespa across Asia and Europe (something like New Delhi to Paris), and was currently traveling from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego (southern tip of South America). Imagine trips much longer than these guys, over bigger mountains, across deserts, tropical forests, and in Asian and Latin American traffic!
Posted by: Taylor | Sep 5, 2006 1:04:13 PM
80 miles an hour on a vespa? Do they have a license for that airplane?
Posted by: Charles Brobst | Sep 5, 2006 11:47:22 PM
I'm buying a scooter due to the cheap mph. Any scooter over 99 cc (I believe) needs a full license and plate, and you must have your motorcycle drivers' license. This is the case in MO and IL, anyway. I plan on getting a 249 cc Honda or Suzuki. Many of them around that range cannot be differentiated between a scooter and a motorcycle, except scooters are automatic.
On a side note, I would never modify one that was under 100cc to perform on the highway. 249cc is one thing; these bikes were made to be used on the highway when needed. The smaller ones just plain look... well, look flimsy :) I wouldn't risk it.
Posted by: Craig | Sep 6, 2006 8:30:46 AM
And about getting fun over by 18 wheelers... vespas survived Italy, where evryone, and I mean EVERYONE drives like they have a ferrari (from Big tour buses to the little grannies). I've almost been run down while walking. I hope this guys make it!
Posted by: wish i was dancing | Sep 6, 2006 9:48:36 AM
Soo! Another Chevette survivor! Woo hoo!
And yeah, I think I did occasionally tell people I drove a 'vette. :-)
I drove the Chevette from 1985 to 1988 when I went off to my junior year in college two hours away. Had to give it back to Dad as he drove it only about 20 miles to and from work. In '89, he sold it to the maintenance man at his office. A month later, it literally CAUGHT ON FIRE as the guy was driving it home. Fortunately, he got out of it in time.
So I can truly say it was one smokin' 'vette.
Posted by: Swangirl | Sep 6, 2006 3:29:44 PM
My 'vette went out in style, too.
I got run off the road by a state maintenance vehicle, rolled about 4 times down a hill, started the thing back up and drove it back up the hill. A year later, a slow oil leak killed the engine (I never claimed to be good at auto maintenance).
So I donated it to the local fire department. They tried out their new jaws-of-life on it. What a show. I got to take home a tiny piece of my history; the rest went for scrap.
Posted by: Soo | Sep 6, 2006 6:23:38 PM
Wow, Soo, I'm amazed by the off-roading abilities of your Chevette. I'm glad you weren't hurt. And I'm sure the local fire dept. enjoyed using the new Jaws on it. :-)
Posted by: Swangirl | Sep 6, 2006 6:51:19 PM
Swan: it wasn't anything great, just the invincibility of being a teenager. We usually took my 'vette "4-wheelin" thru the pasture. Damn thing rode like an army jeep anyway, so why not act like it was one?
I got a double concussion and a severely pinched nerve in my neck from that wreck, which caused me to black out if I moved my head too quickly to the left. A chiropractor sorted me out, but I'll never drive without my seatbelt again.
Posted by: Soo | Sep 7, 2006 3:50:28 AM
