Big Scooter Fun

The Second Annual Sandblast Scooter Rally is officially over. We had a great time, met some really fun people, and saw lots of cool scoots.

Things I learned:

• While I love the looks of vintage Vespas, I really don't want a bike with no electric starter, no battery and that burns more oil than Odyssey.
• A 150cc Italian scooter without a muffler is just as obnoxious as the largest American motorcycle. Add a high-pitched cutesy "beep beep" horn at 7:30am and the scooter wins the annoying contest, hands down.
• Above mentioned scooter plus constant 20mph winds remind me why I'm glad we don't tent camp anymore.
• Scooter rallies have at least three times as many women as motorcycle rallies. These are women riding their own bikes.
• Fat women prefer big, ugly scooters.
• Muttonchop sideburns are making a comeback, at least among the under-30 scooter-riding crowd.
  
• Scooters' low top speeds and cute good looks tempt their riders to wear shorts and flipflops. Those same attributes attract low skill beginner riders, who are the ones who most need protective riding gear.
• Beer, plus scooters, plus competitive obstacle course, plus testosterone equals crashing. No women dropped their bikes during the Gymkhana course. Fortunately, the events were low speed and held on sand and grass, so no one was injured. Several bikes lost parts, though.

Gymkhana video taken by "Emily is Strange," one of the rally organizers: