How do I join the VCOA Chicago Chapter?
Simply join the VCOA! If you’re in the Chicago area (Illinois’ McHenry, Lake, Cook, DuPage, and Will Counties) you’ll get a VCOA Chicago patch with your membership kit. That’ll automatically subscribe you to the national newsletter, but be sure to subscribe to our local newsletter, too.
You’re welcome to come to (most of) our events and follow our newsletter and social media, but we hope you’ll soon see the value in the club, and start paying dues (only $35/year). If you’re not paying dues, you’re not a member!
Do I specifically need a Vespa motorscooter to join VCOA-Chicago?
While the focus of the international Vespa World Club network is the Vespa motorscooter, VCOA-Chicago welcomes ALL scooters and scooterists to our club and our events.
“Vespa” is in the name of our club, and we definitely lean towards that brand, but there are plenty of other almost-as-good scooters out there, ha. If your scooter makes you happy, let’s ride! There’s plenty of room for everyone. We celebrate the diversity of our people and machines. Heck, if you don’t even have a scooter at all, c’mon along, we’ll convince you that you need one right away. (Note that some events we publicize or co-sponsor have their own rules regarding the age or marque of scooter, but we’ll be clear about any such exceptions in our listings.)
What sort of events does VCOA organize?
We host a “meeting” on the first Tuesday of every month, which is mostly just an excuse to hang out and socialize (and in decent weather, ride!). We also host a “meetup” every month, we try to mix up times dates and locations, both for variety and so people with complicated schedules can attend at least some of our events. In the temperate months, it’s usually a group ride and/or some sort of outdoor get-together. In the winter, it’s more likely to be a ‘garage night’ (to work on bikes) or a get-together at a restaurant, bar, or coffeeshop.
Do your events cost money?
We generally don’t collect a fee to participate in our events.You’ll probably want to bring some money for gas, food, and drink. Sometimes there’s an admission fee or cover charge at our destination. We’ll be clear about that in the event listings. Some events that we co-sponsor or participate in, such as weekend rallies, might have a registration fee that covers a patch, goodie bag, and food/drink/entertainment… again, check the event description or event webpage for more details.
Find answers to lots more questions in the
Vespa Club of Chicago Guide to Scootering