The Barbie Scooter

This is what I came expecting to see and I did find it, riding some 2000 miles round trip on my vfr I was expecting to find a rally representing somthing like this. I wasnt expecting to find a bunch of skin heads 6 foot five in vintange british clothes and wayfairer glasses listening to ska music turned way up riding 80mph down the highway on a souped up scooter! Now that wasnt what I was expecting - bashing on the plastic scoots this MOD crowd came with all kinds, young and old alike the atmosphere was rather different from what I thought it would be. There was alot of drinking, alot of music, alot of patches, alot of color and alot of attitude. It reminded me of my college days listening to ska music from England wearing my thin black tie and tight suit with a fedora on top. I couldnt beleive they had the English Beat booked to play that night at the Tropicana Ballroom - now I was really taking a trip back in time.

Things to know about scooter people

• Vintage is better than new
  
• Italian nuff said
  
• Metal is better than plastic even if its half rusted out it will still pass you going 80mph on your Kimco any day of the week
  
• Tikibars are a way of life
  
• funny haircuts are normal
  

These scooter people they seem to come from everywhere all ages all shapes and sizes, even more so than motorcyclist they are more female friendly too, lots of women ride scooters,

Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas

What a typical scooter motor looks like all one peice - motor and swingarm

People where all tribal about thier scooters and thier clubs

An old Lambretta series 1 I am not sure - not a scooter expert

The Vintage scooters where the real draw

A nicely restored Lambretta

more scooters arrive from a group ride

A large contingent of British came out to the event aka Quadrophenia style

The newer scoots were quarantined

Modifications were considered normal

For the brits more mirrors more horns more lights

Now this is a racing scooter stripped down and customized with custom exhaust and fitted with a water cooled head

another racing scooter note the upgraded shocks the flatside carbs (dirtbike carbs) and no frills stripped down

stripped down cafe racer bars

A fully restored vespa two tone paint and blue accents

Now we took off to go hang out a Tiki bar the 6 of us from Denver but not before the girls did some scooter judging of thier own

more comments from the East German Judge

The girls were doing thier own judging this one is unofficial though

Most people called it a cooler the glove box that is, cause that is where the booze was

This guy is a true enthusiast he is probably older then the scoots he owns too

This restored Lambretta just needs somthing a Dalmation sitting on it perhaps

This is what Vespas look like now days

High performance exaust on a vespa? hells yea!

The freaks dont only come out at night really nice guy stopped and posed for me

I think a pin ball wizard owns these

I like this one classy

The judges have spoken

There were a few of these three wheeled things too

Dont hold back tell us what you really think

wow thats red

I loved the restored scooters made me want to go out and scour the classifieds for a beater to fix up

Wha how did that viffer get in there

Mine wasnt the only one this guy is a member of the scarab scooter club though

My buddy Andy was out snapping me 4 to 1

Lavender vespa

Another look at the fire truck again in the morning this time

this guy spent 5 hours polishing and preening this one

This one was rescued from the scrap yard

Again they quaranined the new ones banished

Want a margarita?

The Margarita Mobile courtesy of the Heat Siezed Scooter Club of Las Vegas

This Stella was full of hope

Kermit came out for a Margarita too he was busy gaurding the tires though

wow Metzler makes sport scooter tires

This one has been pressed into military service

If I had to guess I would say wavy gravy owns this one

I couldnt get enough of this color I must have taken 8 pictures of this one

Another souped up Lambretta nice color too

Hey I may have found Pedrosa's ride for next year just his size - he might even be able to stay on it.

This one looks like it should have been in a production of Grease!

I think this would be Dutchinterceptors if he owned a scooter

Vendors where out too A cute Canadian couple selling one of kind patches you cant get anywhere else

I bought this one

come on now Andy - back away from the dumb I had to knock some sense into the man - 50cc's man what are you thinking

Andy kept telling me how rare the color of his vespa was well looky there hmm truely rare

It seems the Lambretta club is into performance

The British invasion 2009

thats what I call mod

Custom seat and hand drawn pinstriping

Same scoot it was souped up too

OK this one is just cool

yup Dutch would have this one

The helmet makes it art complete with a before picture before it was restored

This one comes with central plumbing

What this sticker is from my hometown looks like its on the colorado college campus

This is one of Andys friends ACE scooter club out of Denver entered in the buildoff contest

This one was just finished the paint wasnt even dry

The Lambrettas really looked cool

1966 Starstream

This made me laugh

This one wins the wtf award a wii in a trailer - behind a classic vespa wtf?

Loading up the Vespas Me on the other hand was headed to Arizona on the BIKE

The funny thing is Andy took his bike off the truck to rejet it for the weekend, replaced the jets and then he rode it 20 feet and some car backed out and hit him smashed up the fan/flywheel and took off all the cooling fins. so he had to stay close for short rides only GEEZ 20 feet and he gets hit? It was a great rally and one of the best organized I have ever been too some 500 people came from all over the country and it was a lot of fun

http://www.highrollersweekend.com