How does your town rate for scooting?

[Driller]

How would you rate your town or city for scooter riding?
Are there interesting places to ride and explore?
Is there a "scooter culture" or places riders may congregate?
Are there scooter or riding clubs active in your area?

Make a case for a traveling scooter rider to want to come to your neighborhood.

[Driller]

I spend a good bit of time in Jax due to work. I actually keep a scooter down there so riding withdrawals don't overcome me
There is a lot of great riding there. The beaches are one area that offer fun places to hang out . You can cruise north or south on A1A. One scooter shop schedules Sunday rides spring through fall.
The Riverside, Avondale and Five Points area offer nice neighbor hood riding with abundant places with outdoor eating and drink.
I have enjoyed riding with the Seven Bridges Scooter Club while down there.
This crew Rides! Every Tuesday night the club rides to one of the many good eatries around town.Sundays, they take longer rides around North Florida. Some trips are 200 miles or more. A couple of long road trips occur during the year. Last year they rode to New Orleans for Amerivespa and the NC mountains.
Jacksonville has a lot to offer for a visitor and scooter enthusiast.

Geesh, do I sound like a Chamber of Commerce rep?

[ravenlore]

How would you rate your town or city for scooter riding?
Are there interesting places to ride and explore?
Is there a "scooter culture" or places riders may congregate?
Are there scooter or riding clubs active in your area?

Make a case for a traveling scooter rider to want to come to your neighborhood.

1) Yes. We have a GORGEOUS parkway system along Minnehaha Creek, around the lakes, and along the Mississippi River.

2) We have SO many scooters most of them don't even KNOW there's a community! Not only do we have enough scooterists to have a culture, we have enough to have cliques! And that's not even counting the moped scene!

3) We have multiple scooter groups, and the moped club the Casserollers officially joined the Moped Army this past fall.

Riding around lakes and along the riverfronts in Minneapolis and St. Paul, not one but TWO dealerships who ACTIVELY participate in the scooter community...I tell you what, if it weren't for December January and February the TC would be a scooter HEAVEN.

[Driller]

Yes! The Twin Cities are on my list. You confirm the impression David Harrington leaves in his reviews and commentary that you live in a great place to ride.
Thanks!

[Dibber]

St Cloud, MN has some nice rides and some nicer rides out of town.
Munisgers Guarden, Wednesday night concerts at Lake George. Then the Great River Road can take you miles of great riding. Cannot forget back road rides in the St Joe, Avon, Cold Spring area. All this in or near my town.

[Syd]

The Phoenix, AZ area sucks for riding. There are two twisties in a 50 mile radius and one of them is closed at the moment.

It's all straight roads and 90 degree turns here.

[srbbnd]

Charleston, SC weather is awesome for scooting. However, there is so much traffic here, and so little nature unless you want to cross some massive bridges not too many country winding roads with little traffic, unless you really plan for a long scoot ride and get some confidence to cross some bridges. I have also noticed a distinct hate for scooter riders from drivers here.

[PeteH]

St. Louis isn't too bad. Urban riding is pretty pleasant, and there are even 'urban twisties' in the northern, southern, and western suburbs. If you get out of town a bit and go up the Mississippi, the views are fantastic, and you can take either bridges or ferries to get to and from Illinois. Along the river it's fairly flat, as the ocean tends to return to Missouri every 20 years or so and we flood up, but away from the rivers on the Missouri side there are plenty of hills and well-tended county roads.

The Illinois side of the Mississippi evolved much flatter, with lots of farmland and rectangular road grids once you get away from the Mississippi.

As far as 'scene' goes, there's a small group for sub-250cc 'urban' riders, and a slightly bigger group for highway riding (Burgmans (Burgmen?) / Harleys / sportbikes). Plus a couple of hipster moped groups. The small-scoot group is pretty urban - sorta tavern-to-Starbucks riding, so they don't get out of town much. I fit somewhere in the middle, so end up riding solo quite a bit. I can't keep up with the highway guys, but still want to get out on the interesting roads rather than stoplight-to-stoplight.

[skipper20]

How would you rate your town or city for scooter riding?
Are there interesting places to ride and explore?
Is there a "scooter culture" or places riders may congregate?
Are there scooter or riding clubs active in your area?

Make a case for a traveling scooter rider to want to come to your neighborhood.

Tucson, AZ is my winter home. It's a fine place to ride as the weather is great, it's flat, the roads are in a grid pattern so it's hard to get lost and I've yet to see a speed limit sign in excess of 45 mph. As long as you stay off of I-10 and I-19, you can go anywhere. But, in the 2 1/2 weeks I've been here I've only seen 2 other scooters. Strange.

Bill in Seattle but currently wintering in Tucson
'09 150 Blackjack
'12 170i Italia (AZ scoot)

[skully93]

Denver is pretty awesome for riding. There are a lot of places within a tank of gas that are gorgeous, and the right combo of decent weather/sunny days to make riding a year round adventure with some good gear.

The roads suck and the same fluctuations in weather make a lot of potholes, but those can be avoided.

we have a very large scooter/moped/motorcycle culture here. Everything from Vintage to Modern Buddy!

[DeeDee]

I second Denver. All of what Skully said plus two huge 4-day rallies each summer. Well over 100 scooters on some of the rides.

[GregsBuddy]

San Francisco area has too many roads to pick from, with dry warm weather. Many country roads have very little traffic and plenty to see.
Don't come here unless you plan to have a great time.

[Tazio]

My area is great south, north and west. East sucks. There's no life east of Topanga Canyon is our chant in the western valley. Nothing but urban congestion and a multitude of traffic lights. The other three directions we've got ocean, lakes, mountains, country roads and little towns for the most part.

[wheelbender6]

Houston has weather that allows you to scoot all year.
-Its still a pick up truck town, and you must drive very defensively and make yourself visible.
-There are two organizations (that I know of) in town that hold regular group rides.
-We have a Vespa dealer, a few Taiwanese scoot dealers and plenty of mainland China motorsports dealers.
-I have to haul our scooters out of town by an hour or so to find twisty, uncrowded fun roads.
-All things considered, its a good scooter town.

[az_slynch]

Well, it's the end of January and it's in the 70s during the day.

We have the Catalina Highway. The ride up to Kitt Peak is pretty great too.

We also have several great riding loops to the south, east and west. Lots of Old West history is within an easy day's ride.

[az_slynch]

The Phoenix, AZ area sucks for riding. There are two twisties in a 50 mile radius and one of them is closed at the moment.

Would that be 88 to Tortilla Flat?

[az_slynch]

3) We have multiple scooter groups, and the moped club the Casserollers officially joined the Moped Army this past fall.

The Casserollers are good people. I've bought parts from Maize and sent parts to Tyler.

[Syd]

The Phoenix, AZ area sucks for riding. There are two twisties in a 50 mile radius and one of them is closed at the moment.

Would that be 88 to Tortilla Flat?

South Mountain Rd, actually. The other twisty road.

[skully93]

I second Denver. All of what Skully said plus two huge 4-day rallies each summer. Well over 100 scooters on some of the rides.

Which you somehow enjoy despite the fact that you don't drink. Madness .

[ravenlore]

I second Denver. All of what Skully said plus two huge 4-day rallies each summer. Well over 100 scooters on some of the rides.

Which you somehow enjoy despite the fact that you don't drink. Madness .

I think other than 1 sorta ceremonial beverage i think the LAST thing I would do at a proper rally is drink.

[Yalzin]

Bloomington, Indiana is really a tale of two experiences.

On the negative side, getting around town can be a challenge. Sneers from drivers/college kids, muttering under their breath about "DUI's" etc. Drivers not paying attention (Seriously, I can't tell you how many times people go the wrong way on one-way roads...). Parking, while not bad (depending on how the city reacts to the new registration law), would benefit from dedicated motorcycle/scooter parking.

But once you get past the Campus/Downtown area, Bloomington offers some EXCELLENT scootering roads. One of my favorite little ditties is the Cascade Park --> Lake Griffy combo, featuring woodland, hills, and the lake. Not far south, driving around Lake Monroe is always a treat, with some nice vistas. Plenty of cool spots to visit going in all directions. Oh yeah, and a 50cc friendly way from Bloomington to Indianapolis, which will be handy for Amerivespa.

[wheelbender6]

"South Mountain Rd, actually. The other twisty road."
I have ridden my bicycle up the South Mountain Rd to the antennas a few times. I did not have a scooter at the time.
What I really enjoyed was hauling my mountain bike to the top of South Mountain with my car. Then, I rode my mountain bike down to 48th st on the National Trail. Good times.

[Syd]

"South Mountain Rd, actually. The other twisty road."
I have ridden my bicycle up the South Mountain Rd to the antennas a few times. I did not have a scooter at the time.
What I really enjoyed was hauling my mountain bike to the top of South Mountain with my car. Then, I rode my mountain bike down to 48th st on the National Trail. Good times.

When there's little or no traffic riding a scoot up S Mtn is as much fun as riding your bicycle down! Can't wait for it to reopen.

[Driller]

Wow,great response. Thanks!
I have some new places to put on my list.
I may give Charleston a try in a couple of weeks if weather permits. Always wanted to ride up the river and see a couple of the plantations and historic sites. S.O.B (historic district) would be fun to putt around with much to see.

The Twin Cities are high on the list. I have fancied riding on up to Bemenji to see where the big river begins. River Road beckons.

St. Louis is neat. We rode out there for a MaxiScoot gathering. Lots to see. I am a history buff and enjoyed seeing the Lewis and Clark sites. Really enjoyed following the Missouri up to Herman. Excellent roads. Even visited a cool Scooter shop...tons of Italian eye-candy!


The Bay Area is a place that sounds great. I'm afraid getting that far is a stretch, though. Some RR's with pics might inspire.

Might have to pass through Bloomington as plans are brewing for going to AmeriVespa this year. Want to do a lap around the "brickyard".
Arizona and places West beckon and I and my Buddy might actually visit. Got a lot to work on before it happens.

Plenty or room on the page for more. Keep it coming.