Modern Vespa

LP in Michigan, between Bliss and Cecil Bay. I then rode to Weinerlicious hot dog emporium in Mackinaw City to call for help and pick up. That is where Feb31st found me.

Just for local pride, I'm glad it wasn't Wisconsin...though our roads suck too.

That part of the LP seems pretty remote too, though closer to civilizaton than the UP.

Hope you're healing up well.

LOVE IT!! That’s some serious Mojo you got, GotMojo!!

You know, Hunter S. Thompson could hardly have opened with a better line :

"It was hot and rainy that day I rode my bike to Weinerlicious with a busted arm and a broken heart."

Heal up. The next one's right around the corner.

I'm gonna need a t-shirt from this place.

I found this.


https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Wienerlicious-Mackinaw-City-by-petrini1/22882036.240QL.XYZ

And to think we were within a mile of that place a week or so ago...

I think your question has been answered by others.... but every SCBR since 2008 has had unpaved surfaces in the planned route. Although I don't think anyone rode them in 2012!(?)

It's hard event to balance (plan).

As the event's current caretaker and planner, my goal for 2020/21 was to take a boring ass, snoozy, yawn filled path between Maine and California and make it incredibly challenging every single day.

Like 2018 paid tribute to 2008, 2020/21 did the same to 2010. 2010 had a single vintage rider, it was long, kind of miserable, plenty of gravel roads, dirt/mud trails, Canadian border crossings, UP of Michigan, etc. That was the theme for 2020/21 - long, hard roads, and challenging for the rider and modern scooters. You had to be a good rider and/or disciplined enough to stay within your limits.

IMO, some people rode beyond their limits or conditions and had some misfortune. Others dialed it back and were just fine. There was a lot of distracted riding going on with technology that contributed to a few wrecks. Multiple riders had bikes with mechanical issues that should have been dropped from competition (rule change?). If you don't have working brakes or you can't idle - maybe checkpoints are something you should forget about...? I am not being critical - I do my share of stupid shit and get wrapped up in it just the same.

The people who finished the event seemed satisfactorily challenged. It wasn't for everyone though!

As shared in other places, the plan for June 2023 is a tribute back to 2012. It will be the 10th SCBR and it would be fun to being back the different class scoring with an overall handicap adjusted winner. 8 or 10 days across the southern United States. No dirt. Maybe leave your "300" at home and ride something competitive? Details announced early 2022 with registration opening in the summer.

Thank you Dave! This was my first CB and had only ridden one day of 400 miles prior to this. I had set my goals to be simple and realistic for my experience, which was to finish, ride every segment, gain experience from others and mostly to have fun. I think I achieved those goals. I tried to be consistent, disciplined and not push my ride envelope too much.

I am considering doing it again and is mostly driven by the social aspect of the people that participate in these events! As my wife says “you have found your tribe!”

Thanks for organizing/planning a great ride!

The 2012 was my first time following the SCBR. I think I started following over at MB.

I never would have guessed - you handled the days like they were no big deal! You always catch objections/reasons for not doing the event due to the route, "if it was from A to B then I would", "maybe if it went from...", "the XXXX year route was the one to do", "too short", "too long", blah, blah. The social aspect and parking lot really makes the city pairs irrelevant.

The variety of terrain is what makes it challenging and stimulating. It was also my first one and I also had little to no experience riding long distances. I had no choice but to learn as I went along and adapt as best I could.

The best parts of the ride was arguably when conditions changed. That's when you saw different bikes/riders gain or lose advantage. I can't tell you how many times @wbvdt and I passed each other out west. He could go faster in the flats and I was geared a little lower and could pass in the hills. It made for some great slow-motion-ricky-bobby-like action sequences!

I was one of the people who thoroughly enjoyed the dirt sections. I had planned to use those to make up ground against stronger riders and it worked beautifully. Well, most of the time anyway...

The high attrition rate was partially due to people not quite understanding how much preparation and fortitude something like this requires. It's not a Sunday ride with your local group. It's hard. You're exhausted almost the entire time.

My only real complaint (if you can call it that) is that the long days meant that there was less time to hang out than I would have liked. You don't often get a chance to spend an extended amount of time with your tribe so it felt like a bit of a waste to not be able to maximize it.

totally agree with this. longer days makes for shorter nights and less time to swap stories and enjoy everyones company.

I love the dirt sections! And will be a little let down if 2023 doesn't have any off roading!

Brook - give me 20 minutes with your GPS and I'll make sure you hit plenty of dirt

Thanks for all the help & cheerful support that everyone here gave me.

Here's the playlist link for my 2021 videos. All of day 1 is up….the beginning of gopam turning into a circus clown on fire.

Please Subscribe & get notifications as I will be adding videos to the playlist. 🤡🔥❤️MV

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaVlnHMBusuuvMYoptDoyWjUevgvFatvj

I seriously recommend that you all take a look at Pam's catalogue of events.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll reach for the matches.

Bless your little cotton socks

My cotton socks are now blessed.

Sorted.

Update: mystery rider is Ramsay!!!

well folks, I finally finished editing day 2 of cannonball. There are 5 parts up on youtube.

I'm working on editing and posting videos......it's a big feat, so it will take me a long time to finish....just like cannonball.

I'm now starting to edit Day 3....

Does anyone know who this mystery rider is? Around 4:54 in my Day 2 part 5 video? The red vespa is cdwise, we started riding together once we met up at a checkpoint.

The mystery rider looks like a black Yamaha SMAX. But I don't see this person on the registered riders' list for 2021. We only had 4 SMAX registered riders, and it's not them.
Update: mystery rider is Ramsay!!!

Either way, hope you enjoy my shenanigans.....

If you click the first link.....it will take you to the 4:54 mark to see the mystery rider.....

https://youtu.be/hj1xCVSgPOk?t=294

Pam - You need to update your States Ridden map...you were most certainly in PA and OH on last year's Cannonball

Crazy Carl, my map is updated! I was on the support truck for ALL of Ohio and Pennsylvania.

gopam didn't get to go on 2 wheels in those states

How did I not know that before...perhaps it fell out of my head as I hit the pavement in MI

ha, a ton of my cannonball memory has fallen out of my head too. I'm reliving and seeing what happened from my iphone photos and recorded video.

I wrote bear on my windscreen at one point....because I didn't want to forget I saw Bears! Turns out I didn't forget i saw bears lol

Carl - I think you need to do the same. ME, NH, VT, NY all come to mind that I know you rode thru.

Yep, I've been pretty lazy about that...

This video is for all of you here on ModernVespa. You are my hero's!!

It meant the world to me how you all tried to help me on the road.

I'm honored to be part of such a great scooter community. I've got mad love for all my MV peeps.

and Seamus26 holds a special hero place in my heart forever ❤️

-much love
gopam

That is hilarious. I do not remember all. That. Blue. Tape.

look what came in for service at the shop. anyone know this 2018 vespa GTS300 red?

the only one that fits is Lon's scooter https://2021.scootercannonballrun.com/riders/scooters

cdwise might recognize it.

Nope, I rode a red 2919 Vespa in 2021 but it wasn't that one. Brain is too foggy to remember who else rode a red Vespa so I'll defer to OAD.

Show the LH side if possible.