With the pandemic (seemingly, hopefully) letting up a bit, and the weather improving, I’d hoped for a good turnout for our May ride, and I was not disappointed. VCOA member Mark Bradley organized the ride from Aurora, up and down the Fox River in Kane County, in the far-west exurbs of Chicago. That left those of us in the city with a long ride to get to the ride, but we met up early and beat the traffic to Aurora in less than an hour. Darren, Steven, and I arrived at the bagel shop to find Mark waiting with another ten-or-so scooters. It turns out a lot of VCOA members live out that way, so we’ll definitely continue doing occasional events out there.
We ordered and consumed some bagels and coffee and gasoline and set out north along the west bank of the river. Adam was riding a P200 with a newly-installed “Smart Carb” and a mile or two into the ride, his throttle cable came loose. Turns out a smart carb has a bunch of hex keys holding the throttle tube in place, so i raced off to a hardware store to buy some hex keys, by which time Adam had cobbled it back together. We crossed the river hoping we’d catch the group on the way back down, but didn’t, so we headed south to the brewpub at the end of the ride. Almost there, Adam’s throttle cable broke for real, but we made short work of replacing it and arrived at the restaurant before the food came.
It was great to see some old friends and new faces. Between getting separated, and masks, and distancing, didn’t get to talk to everyone as much as I’d have liked, but seems like everyone had a good time riding on a day with perfect weather. Hope to see you all again for Vespa Parade Day!
-Bryan
(top photo: Steven Shay)