After seeing the wildflowers on the roadside driving in from the northwest last weekend it must be time to grab the camera and hop on a scoot. I’m thinking of this route:
Meet for breakfast:
Sandy’s Produce Market 12171 Katy Fwy Houston, TX 77079
From there to Pattison, TX (25 miles) taking the Katy part of the way until we are where the flowers are blooming according to the TXDOT site then take FP roads over to Independence (39 miles).
Then over to Brenham (16 miles) and back to Hempstead (31 miles) via a mixture of FM roads, TX 6 & 290 where we saw all the wildflowers last weekend. After that people can split off back to Houston or wherever.
Where to stop besides any field full of flowers is open to suggestions.
Our group there is a variety of scooter types, styles and manufacturers. While most of our members ride modern scooters there are vintage scoots in our group.
Vintage & Vintage Style Scooters
While there is no single definition of what makes a scooter vintage for most people a vintage scooter means a Vespa or Lambretta but there are many more out there such as the Fuji Rabbit and Cushman scooters seen at the Sandblast Rally.
Many scooterists prefer the look of a vintage scoot even if they want the relaiblity of a modern (warranty and parts availability) scooter. For some that means a Genuine Scooter Company Stella or Bajaj Chetak made in the same factories that produced Vespas in earlier decades. Others have
Maxi-scooters are large frame scooters which typically look like a sport bike with a step through frame. Typcially a maxi-scooter will have a minimum of 250cc engine used in the Honda Helix, Yamaha Morpheus, Kymco XCITING 250 up to Gilera GP 800 though the largest cc scooter in our group is a Suzuki Bergman 650.
Our Beckers, wheelchair and all made it on Channel 13 news as a posterchild for commutng to work using a scooter. She even took the reporter for a ride in her Stella’s side car.
This anyone listening to public radio (KUHF) heard more about scooters and particularly scooters in Houston. During the piece they said scooter sales were up 25% nationwide. I suspect that it sales are up mroe than that in Houston since whenever I’ve been to Scootersmith or Apollo lately they have been busy. Others have reported Yamaha Majesty shortages. Seems that an average of 70-80 miles per gallon (depending on engine size and how they are ridden scooters can get from 50-105 miles per gallon) makes scooters appealing with $4 gas on the horizon.
Why scooters over motorcycles?
While I can’t speak for everyone, straddling a hot engine, wearing out the toe of my boot (with the exhaust right there near your leg boots are a necessity IMHO), and the typically much louder engine were factors in my getting a scooter instead of a motorcycle. Besides, I’m a classic scooter style person who first fell in love with scooters watching “Roman Holiday” (and have the t-shirt to prove it. )
All Scoot- Local Houston area ride for all scooters to enjoy 50cc-500cc.
150+ scoot- Only 150cc and up allowed on these rides as we will most likely be traveling major roadways and it will be neccessary to keep up with traffic.
Newly added “Meetup Wednesday’s”, where our dinner meetup changes location on a weekly basis. This is a great chance to talk and get to know everyone…maybe even learn a thing a two about riding and mechanical skills.
We tour different venues of interest to most; i.e. music concerts, restaurants, coffee houses, bars, wineries, state parks and even overnight camping!
Special Events
Riding the Texas Hill County
Kerrville Folk Festival
Weekend to week long rides, either camping or hotel stops
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