Modern Vespa

This months issue of The Classic Motorcycle has an article about the MotoGiro held in California last July.

A few local scooterists in Monterey turned up to show support by entering a few Vespa's and a Lambretta in the Concourse and other events leading up to the Moto GP the following weekend.

We watched the initial timed start on Cannery Row and then followed the pack for a days ride around some of Monterey's wine country.

Part of the route was a lap around Laguna Seca, seen here screaming down the famous Cork Screw, (top left) the wife on her ET4 (with leather Piaggio bag) followed by a Honda Dream 305 owned by Bob, Anthony on his GTV, Ken on his GT200 and bringing up the rear Bill on his Elite 150...then some shmo on a street bike.

I had just installed a J.Costa and the Prima pipe on the GTS so I was already done, waiting....waiting....

It was a great ride! But I've got to admit I've been kinda disappointed that I entered and rode the entire Giro - and came in first in my class, though there were some odd issues with the scooter classes and I was on a modern Vespa, so I really don't mind - but didn't make it into a single article or accompanying photo. Not here, not Scoot, not any other publications I've seen!

Oh well, guess I just wasn't slated for stardom. 8)

Oh yeah, I remember meeting you at the Hyatt, I set your riding partners clock on his MP3 for him so you were both 'in sync' before the ride on the 2nd day.

1st in class!

Congratulations.

I was suprised to see Modern Vespa's actually entered, I had the understanding that they had to be pre-77 or something and everything else was classed as 'Tourist'.
So were you in with the modern Ducati's and everything, or Vespa class?

This would have passed right by except a scooterist friend went into Borders looking for Scoot! magazine, couldn't find it but the Vincent on the cover of this magazine caught his eye so he picked it up and flicked through it.

Actually you're thinking of the other woman on a modern Vespa. She was riding with the MP3 guy...I was there on my own. (I'm really good at setting clocks, btw!)

I was on the gray GT200 with the windscreen. And I do remember meeting you...there were lots of folks to meet so I have no problems with being forgettable.

They had lots of confusion with the classes, as there was supposed to be a special Vespa class. So we had our own little class of four modern Vespas who did all the agility tests and time trials....which the tourist class did not. One of the scooters dropped out after the first day, so it's that tiny class of three in which I came in first. Coming in first was definately a tiny, insignificant micro-achievement in this case...more like an in-joke.

HOWEVER, they also had vintage scooters, and for some reason while they tracked them against each other they were not shown in a separate class, so it was incredibly confusing. Really, only they deserved to be recognized - riding the Giro on a twist and go is like cheating - and at the end they were the only ones who were. And that's as it should be.

Of course if you really want to talk "cheating" one of the vintage motorcycle guys sidled up to me while I was watching the MP 3 go through a timed cone slalom (where the objective was to go through almost as slowly as possible) and said "So, what's the point?" I had to agree. When the objective of the agility test is to go slowly with balance and not put your foot down, having an MP3 really is ... um... an unfair advantage. It was even more so on the straight line ultra-slow time agility test. (He may has well have taken 28 minutes as 28 second...balance was never an issue.)

I found myself longing for a friction zone to play with. The main reason I beat other the other two scooters is I never missed a check point, and they completely missed one checkout and agility test. I doubt I could have beat the MP3 on sheer agility numbers as I knocked down cones with abandon! (I either do great at agility or terribly, more often terribly. I surely need to buy some cones and practice up if I ever do this again.)

Anyway, it was a fun experience! I felt honored to be able to watch the true riders, vintage guys field-stripping and rebuilding their bikes for tuning them by ear, throughout the ride.