Hey friends!
Sorry for the lack of updating here. We have been getting a bunch of emails with interest in what we have going on. Until today, there has not been much happening. A few of us got together today to discuss some ideas on where to take this whole thing, since it’s not really an “official” club. This site was never intended on being what most scooter clubs are. We want people to come here and mostly find out what’s going on in the scooter community in Nashville and the surrounding areas. We do have members, but we mostly want people to get to know who else might show up to ride and get to know them. Please be patient, we will have updates soon. We are planning on having weekly rides/hangouts on sundays very soon! Locations will be announced soon!! Also, just so you all know, mopeds are more than welcome on any rides we do! No haters here. If you have a 2-Stroke, bring it!! Thanks!

MCM

KymcoJones has a little deal going, I believe in belated celebration of his birthday and BRU (his scoot) being back up and running? Details here.

Buckwheat pancakes, egg whites, veggie sausage and cheddar cheese. Incredible breakfast at Sky Blue Coffee & Bistro!

I just posted some photos from the breakfast meet-up this past Saturday at Sky Blue Coffee & Bistro in East Nashville. The food was delicious and a great time was had by all. We got there plenty early (right when they opened) and were able to sit at some nice tables out on the sidewalk. We also were able to beat the heat. Hope to see some more of you out next time. I’m not a morning person, but it was totally worth it!

Also, please welcome our newest members Oliver, Steve, Jason and Dave. These guys have really been around and involved since the beginning this past April, but we finally got some photos and info! You can check out their member cards here.

A couple of weeks ago Mark blew out his piston while trying to meet up with us on the last ride to Loveless Cafe that we did. His oil injection failed him (or at least thats the best answer we could come up with) and because of it his piston blew out a hole about the size of a nickel in the top of it.

nickel size hole = no compression,

no compression = one dead scooter.

dead scooter = 2 guys taking apart an engine and putting it back together for the first time… stoked!

Mark decided to install a new piston, switch it over to a premix (non-oil injected) 24/24 carb and install a new Hot Wing exhaust pipe while we were at it. And of course I decided to be there to document, help (if you can call it that) and add as many “thats what she said” jokes as I could during the proccess.

By the time I had gotten there Mark had already dropped the engine out and was ready to split the case.

Day two it was raining outside and we had to move it into the laundry room to stay dry. We installed the new piston, cruciform and put the case back together.

Day three we got the engine back together and installed a new “Hot Wing” exhaust pipe. Note the use of a lawn chair to prop up the bike while we worked on it (not recommended ).

SUCCESS! We got the whole thing back together and the new pipe on, scooter started up on the first Kick!

I would say for two guys who have never taken apart a p200 engine and put it back together we did a pretty good job… thats what she said!

Hey Nashville – the scooter pictured below (2007 125cc Buddy) was just stolen from the Eastland area of East Nashville. If you see this scooter listed on Craigslist or anybody trying to sell it please let us know and we’ll send info to the owner, Jesse. Thanks! More info in this forum thread – http://boards.scoot-nashville.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=414.

Kerry has been awesome enough to plan a ride for everybody this Sunday. The tentative plan is to leave Bongo Java West (aka Bongo Belmont – here’s a map) at 9:30am to ride to the Loveless Cafe for breakfast. Then Kerry will lead us on a ride north towards Pond Creek. The ride will return towards Nashville and end at Sevier Park for Las Paletas, Bocce Ball and possible BBQ.

Kerry is looking for input in regard to the BBQ portion. You can weight in at the MCM forum here.

Hope to see you all Sunday morning!

All you have to do is sign up on their mailing list and you get a free t-shirt!

Go here to sign up!

Check out this quick promo video for the new Vespa GTS 300, “the most powerful Vespa ever made.” 278cc. Top speed 80mph. More info at GTS 300 Super page at VespaUSA.com.

All of us probably have that scooter or piece of gear we would buy if money were no object. With this in mind I thought, just for fun, I would do a quick list of the top 5 items I have my eye on. I know a lot of you are always scanning Craigslist or Scooter blogs for gear you want as well. I encourage you to post links to scooters or gear you wish you had in the comments!

1. VESPA GTS 250. If I could afford it I would really like to get a modern Vespa for commuting. A vintage would be nice, but I’m not mechanically inclined. Since the point is to be able to ride as much as possible, it would be more than a little self-defeating. I wish this scooter came in Orange like the S 150, but I would settle for black or cortina gray. The two things I like most about this scooter are that it goes 76 mph and that it is an automatic. I also like that it is big and that it comes with a standard luggage rack. I would love to someday own this model. List price is $5,999 though, which is about $4k more than I paid for my current scooter.

2. ARMADILLO CAMOVISION PARKA. There are only a few companies making protective clothing geared toward scooter enthusiasts. Corazzo comes to mind. But Armadillo is based in the UK where scootering is a much more popular activity than stateside. I love the Camovision Parka. It has an MP3 pocket, velcro cuffs, detachable hood, 3M reflective piping and a number of other cool features (including D30 impact protection). Very cool, but at $295.00 (US) it’s definitely outside my budget. I bought a cordura jacket online for $77. It will do for now, but maybe someday I can get a slick parka from Armadillo.

3. RESTORED PIAGGIO VINTAGE SCOOTER WITH SIDECAR. Having a good reliable commuter bike is one thing, but sometimes you just have an itch for something fun. Really any one of these would be amazing to own, but I love me some orange! I can see my wife and I cruising down Natchez Trace in style. So beautiful! These restorations really are incredible! Not sure about the price on these, but I can’t imagine it’s cheap! I noticed that Scooterworks sells sidecars as well by themselves that run $1,899.

4. RUBY CUSTOM DESIGNER HELMET. I am not a fashionable person. The punk inside of me really wants to hate an overpriced helmet made by a french designer, but these helmets are awesome. The finishing details in the emblem, embossed leather, etc. are great. You can pick your own color and customization (see A-LA-CARTE) from their existing designs or you can even have them design a one-of-a-kind custom helmet. But, $965 for a helmet definitely is not in my price range. You can check out some photos here (under “images”) to give you an idea of just how nice these are.

5. AIRSTREAM PANAMERICA. When you first look at the outside picture of this Airstream Motorhome you might think I’ve drifted off topic. But what differentiates this from other trailers on wheels is that the front of it is a garage for “two motorcycles, ATVs or other action/adventure gear, up to 2,500 pounds worth” and has a ramp! I know they didn’t necessarily intend it for scooters, but obviously it would work! How would you like to cruise to the next out-of-state rally with this bad boy? I know I would. Maybe I could even get my dream car (1957 Chevy Bel Air) to tow the thing! here’s a video! This 34 foot version is supposed to retail for $80,000 which makes it the most expensive item by far on my list. But smaller versions (25 and 30ft) are possibly in the works.

Finally, on the list of things I’m NOT looking into getting. Here’s a test video of a rider airbag.