Ever feel like a "scooting community of 1"?

[Whimscootie]

Well, our longest running scooting website, Scooter Cincinnati, is on the verge of biting the dust due to non-use. In fact, it may have already bitten the dust.

The name is gone anyway and has been replaced by someone who seemed to have tried to rescue it, but his post of a few days ago indicated that even he was on the verge of pulling the final plug.

Now I cannot find it at all!

I had posted there off and on over the years while I lived in the rural area outside of the city. When I moved back into the urban area in 2012 I began to realize that the site was pretty "dead".

This is not the only scooter related site to be in trouble. I know of three more prominent ones where posters are few and far between.

I've been riding for over 7 years now and have always been the only scooter rider I know, save for posting on these boards. I keep a scooter related blog, but most of my contacts are motorcycle riders.

Sometimes I feel like a "scooting community of 1". I ride alone, see few scooter riders in my area, and yet somehow maintain my own passion and direction.

How about you? What is your experience like in your neck of the woods?

[Syd]

I used to hang around with a scooter club ink the Phoenix area (the Scarabs), but they have been mostly inactive for a while, and I haven't gotten into the local Meetup group.

So I ride alone too, but that's ok.

[rsrider]

There's other scooters in my burg, and this one guy moved here from a town that had a scooter group and he's been trying to get one going here. We hung out at *$'s on wed. for over a month, and I tossed in the towel last week. We didn't even go on any rides, and I kept asking him if he wanted to go on a ride and nothing. I guess he liked to hang out and drink coffee, but I told him I'm not showing up and if he ever decided he wanted to go for a ride, he could e-mail me. meh......

[C2]

Sometimes I feel like a "scooting community of 1". I ride alone, see few scooter riders in my area, and yet somehow maintain my own passion and direction.

How about you? What is your experience like in your neck of the woods?

I feel the same way sometimes. There is the Los Gatos Vespa Club, but they are a bit far from me. There doesn't seem to be anybody around me that is on the board, or at least active... so most my riding is solo. Luckily I do have a friend who has an old P200 and a Lambretta, and we will occasionally make the trip up to Alice's Restaurant.

[k1dude]

I'm one of the very few in my area. There are a handful of other scooters out there, but none of them ever wave or pay any attention to me.

[Whimscootie]

I'm one of the very few in my area. There are a handful of other scooters out there, but none of them ever wave or pay any attention to me.

Yeah, over the years I've waved to or encountered a few in parking lots and tried to chat them up. No interest.

Motorcycle riders? Totally different outcome. Most wave, chat up easily, never had the scoots "poo poo-ed". Even "old grizly biker dude" types.

Most understand what it means to "ride" and there is "kinship" in that alone, no matter what you are riding.

I think this lack of passion is why so many scooters are up for sale with only a few miles on them. They are ridden a bit and then when the rider sees that there is some maintenance required or you just might get cold or wet out in the elements, then it's back to the car.

The passion, i.e., "need" to get out and RIDE never sets into their soul.

Just my thoughts...

[Drum Pro]

I live in a desert town and although I've seen a handful of scooters everyone who rides them are like a Patty La Bell song, you know,: "On Your Own." I've only counted 6 scooters I've actually seen in the wild. Most people who ride in my area are patched up Harley riders. I got into scooting though because I knew it would be the "un-cool" thing in my area so really I'm not bothered by it. In fact I think I'm the only person in the whole city that rides Genuine scooters. Hopefully that will change in the years to come....

[alleycat2332]

I 100% empathize with all of you. I live in Austin and there a ton of scooters here, but none of them want to come out and play. My girlfriend bought her Buddy and I took the plunge shortly after. I initially thought I'd stick to my motorcycle and only scoot to class, but now the big bike is for sale and my buddy is my main mode.

This is how I realized how lonely being a scoot 'n' toot can be. I see other scoots and waive or try to say, "hey", but to no avail. I've never had as hard a time making friends as I have making scooting friends. Part of the problem around here is, I'm a t-shirt and cargo shorts or regular jeans kinda guy. Most riders here are skinny jeans and tight designer v-neck kinds. Whenever I try to say hello, they dismiss me as unhip.

Woe is the tale of the urban rider Everyman against the dismal tide of trendy youths.

[skully93]

Denver has tons of scooters. We have many active clubs, stores, etc. I count many scooterists and motorcycle riders (collectively addressed as scootertrash) among my closest friends.

But sometimes, I just want to go out by myself and not have to worry about what anyone else is doing, their schedule, etc.

It does stink if you can't find friends though! We have a local chapter of the Scarabs too, and only a few of them are active regularly.

Hopefully you get some good riding buddies and can have some fun once in a while!

[WileE]

Whimscootie, I'm also in the Clermont area. The scooter scene in Cincy was booming a few years ago, but drama took it's toll (drama is the whole reason scootercincinnati.com was started and why XYL went exclusive). Most of the people that ride regularly are in Northside or the burbs inside 275. Hanging out with those people is fun, but not when it takes 90 minutes round trip.

In the suburbs, people see scooters as a toy, not a lifestyle or hobby. Check out Mighty Ohio Scooter Club on facebook. They do regular rides often meeting in Oakley or at Metro Scooter.

If you see a Pamplona with a Mad Tree crate on the back, that's me. I'd be happy to chat scooters with you.

[charlie55]

We had a club that has petered out over the last couple of years, so group rides are a thing of the past for me.

Truth be told, my scootin' time is just about the only opportunity I have for some semblance of solitude. So the club's demise really hasn't had much of an effect upon me. Also, there were times when group rides were more work than fun, especially when I was riding sweep and trying to keep all the slowpokes and scenery-gawkers together.

[jrsjr]

We hear your S.O.S.

[EvilNerdLord]

i'm 45 miles from two scooter clubs (royal bastards & burgundy tops) as well as the moped army's landsquids in sacramento, by the time I get off work, fight the traffic to get to meetinigs...it's all over.

So, I ride alone, I've seen maybe (counting myself) 4 scooters in the area.

I'd like to even start a group, but there's no base to justify the effort.

I even had the theme/patches picked out:
the president would be the 'evil over lord'
http://islandofdoctorgeof.co.uk/shop/in ... a51vqtj0j2
the secrectary would be the 'evil technician'
members would be 'evil minions'
for, say..night rides...award the 'golden owl'
I've email doctor geoff about using the patches that way, they loved the idea...
get the idea?

[SF Pamplona]

Yay, my first post! I'm a new Buddy owner from San Francisco. I bought my scoot only weeks after trying out Scoots, the scooter sharing app/business in San Francisco. Riding around on those little red electric 50ccs with my girlfriend was so fun that I knew I had to have my own. So, I bought a 2009 Pamplona, and soon I will be buying my GF a Vespa Primavera.

I actually come from a cycling background, having raced road bikes since 2002 so scootering feels like an easy transition... except for the camaraderie part. I haven't really seen that yet although I imagine the scene here must be large. In cycling, there are always thousands to people to ride with, and since you're more efficient drafting, it's easy to strike up relationships.

I am really not sure what to expect while scootering though. Thus far, I am the gang of 1, and that's just fine, but I am keeping my eyes and ears open for any friendly nods or waves from fellow Scootizens.

On an entirely different note, they recently installed a handful of new motorcycle parking spots in the Haight/Ashbury, and the timing is simply perfect. I can park and walk half a block to my apartment without any worries. Love my Buddy!

[jrsjr]

...I am keeping my eyes and ears open for any friendly nods or waves from fellow Scootizens.

Welcome to Modern Buddy!

[ohiotj]

And I'm another Clermont county resident. I don't mind hanging out with other riders, but I tend to prefer to ride alone, then meet everyone else at an end point.

[libwitch]

Once in a great while I will see another scooter of some sort on the road, but its not a common thing around here - motorcycles are certainly more common. But there are not many dealers around here either -- the closet GS dealership is 40 miles away; and the local Honda and Yamaha dealerships only had on their floors 1 or 2 50cc models on their floor. It took me 3 years to find a scoot - no wonder most people go for a motorcycle.

So yeah, around here its pretty lonely, but I don't look for rec rides either. I use my bike for transport, so it doesn't bother me that much, I guess...

[bluebessie]

I'm just up the road from you off of 71 N and I feel a bit differently. I bought my Buddy at the end of June and mostly just stick around my city limits. I've seen quite a few different scooters out there (even a couple of Buddies). When I ride on campus for volunteer work I do, I see a handful of scooters parked in one specific area.

We seem to have a lot of people on bikes in general though which is nice.

I get stopped often in parking lots and have had motorcycle guys stop me to ask questions. It's kind of cool. A few thought it would be a great option for running errands around town (which is why I picked a scooter over a motorcycle).

We even had a scooter only MSF course offered this summer in the capital city. That was simply awesome.

I'd say out of all the motor bikes I see, 1/3 are scooters. We even have a handful of old school mopeds.

So if you want to feel the love come north... I'm feeling it here. Check out http://www.scootaque.com/ too. I

[lovemysan]

Facebook! Facebook has all but killed the local scooter club websites. If you want to see what's going on you have to frequent the Facebook pages. We have 5 Facebook scooter groups in Kansas City.