editors note: EVENT REPORT

This ride seems to deteriorate each year into something quite boring. My tip for the organisers would be to make it interesting for the riders... even just a complimentary sausage would do. We all turn out to help the Chamber OFCommerce sell more scooters and gain publicity... so how about putting something back, HUH?

I have been to this ride a few times now and get a buzz out of the sheer numbers of scooters in one place at one time.

The VACC is the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce, and while I don't necessarily agree with all of their 'missions' I do like to show the public just how many scooter riders are out there. 

I also like to go along and maximise the representation of classics among the hundreds of new scooters. Each year we get more, and I know the Melbourne Crusaders SC and the Vintage Scooter Club of Victoria are both attending.

www.nationalscooterrally.org.au

There is a forum up and running for discussions on the upcoming national rally as well as future ones.

 NATIONAL RALLY FORUM

ALSO....... 

The Lambretta Club of South Australia are staging a national classic only rally next October in the Barossa.... so as to not cause confusion, we will publish all the info and flyers once people are all booked for the 09 National in Tassie.

Congratulations to Siobhan Ellis on becoming the first EVER president of the newly formed Lambretta Club Of Australia.

The only contested position was for the presidency, leaving the rest of the comittee to enter their roles un-opposed.

The comittee is as follows:

President: Siobhan Ellis

Vice President: Mark Carter

Secretary: Steve Bardsley

Treasurer: Graham Gilks

Ordinary member: Adrian Gosbell

Ordinary member: Pat Couch

The nominations are in for committee positions, and we are all set for the big election.

The election of the President will be confirmed
at the first LCOA Inc., General Meeting, to be held at the British
Crown Hotel, 14 Smith Street, Collingwood, Victoria, on Wednesday the
23rd July 2008, at 9.00pm.
 

 To attend you must be a paid up member (see form below)

Memberships are being processed as we speak.

Be a part of scootering history.

membership form

The story so far,

It is all steam ahead for next year's national. After many years of mainland rallies it has been decided that we will be heading overseas for 2009. Our chosen destination is the very two wheel friendly south eastern coast town of Bicheno. It is a 238km journey from the ferry to
Bicheno (unless you wish to take a more scenic route.

Thanks to Chalky, our resident website genius, we will soon have a webpage up and running.

www.nationalscooterrally.org.au

Without blowing his trumpet (ooh err) we must say that he has done an absolutely stellar job.

The Rally will run from the 23rd or January until Australia Day the 26th January.

Accommodation wise, we will be based at the Bicheno East Coast Caravan Park, if you would like to make a booking give them a call on (03) 6375 1999 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it we are sure they will be happy to sort you out. I would suggest that you get in early as spaces are obviously limited and many have already booked. Check out their website
www.bichenoholidaypark.com.au

We have booked a venue for the Saturday night presentations and disco (bring your own talcum powder).This year we are trying something new when it comes to providing music for the masses, we will be opening up the decks to anyone who wants to spin a few tunes. If you would like to show us your stuff on the wheels of steel get in touch with Stuart This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will keep a slot open for you. Now we realize that carting a bunch of vinyl isn't really an option for most people but you can either organize to have them brought along by car or just use your MP3 device. While we realize that purists might not be too keen on the idea of using an ipod we really want everyone to have a chance
to dance to what turns them on. Most of us will be riding to the venue andhave a limited capacity to carry equipment and scooter booty. If anyone is arriving by Car or Van and has some room for an extra box or two please get in contact with Stuart ASAP, your help is very much appreciated.

As for activities there will be the usual candidates, Sharon has been to Bicheno and she assures us that the ride out on Saturday will be enjoyed by everyone (that's if you can stay sober long enough). There will be awards given for the show and shine as well as Furthest ridden etc. We will also for the first time this year has an award for furthest ridden club. We will also be organizing some fun and games including a gymkhana. If you have any ideas for other events by all means drop us a line and we will try and make them happen. For more local knowledge contact Sharon This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Obviously in this day and age many people do not have the time or the stamina to ride from the other end of the country to Melbourne, so another development this year is hopefully the option of cheap shipping of your pride and joy to Melbourne. We have some contacts with
interstate shipping companies and hope to be able to organize some pretty good deals for helping you all get to the starting line.
Contact Stuart This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for further details and booking.

We are always on the hunt for sponsorship and this year is no different. So far Australian Scooter Parts have come to the party in a big way, the others who have dug deep are:

Carter's Classic Scooters, Carz & Scootz, Casa Lambretta (Australia),
and Saigon Scooters. I am sure that this list will grow and grow and if you know of anyone who may wish to join the list by all means get in touch. Sponsorship does not need to be confined to businesses; your club or even you personally are always welcome to
help us out. The website and all fliers will include an acknowledgement of all sponsors and will be regularly updated.

Contact Lesley This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Nick This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or Siobhan This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for details or
queries.

If you have any questions, or if you have some ideas you think we
should know about, feel free to contact any one of us.

We would especially love to hear from anyone who has contacts in
the T-Shirt printing industry.

National Scooter Rally 2009 Volunteer Contacts
Lesley: Sponsorship, Maxi and Auto Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Nick: Sponsorship, Events Marshall This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Richard: Registration, Events Marshall and Design This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it


Stuart: Interstate Shipping, Events Marshall and Entertainment This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sharon: Location, Photography and Ride Day Co-Coordinator This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Siobhan: Sponsorship This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Vicki: Photography and Auto Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it



DISCLAIMER: 'This is an informal social activity run by
Scooterists for Scooterists. The organizers receive no financial benefit and the Rally
is run as a 'Not for Profit' event. Those attending and taking part in any of the activities do so with the understanding that they are solely responsible for their own safety and well-being and exempt the organizers of all liability whether actual or implied.'

Entitled, South Australia Kangaroo Island Run 2008, this looks like a fun trip for a few like minded Classic Scooterists from Adelaide.

Hello loyal readers.

  Having recently bought a bar AND had a baby (boy) there will be little time to nag and nag people to submit articles and club reports. Actual scootering will be my first priority when i am given any shore leave.

Because of this, in order to continue my dedication to uniting the the scooter scenes across the country, I am considering publishing any articles/club reports, etc directly to this website. Fortunately the site is one that has already been setup for news related content.

I thoroughly look forward to immersing myself back into publishing hard copy sometime later this year.

Meanwhile, please everyone send in any interesting scooter related stuff and I will publish it on here ASAP.

you can even publish straight tot he site by clicking on the 'Submit News' button.

cheers

derek

Your humble editor has taken over a bar in Northcote, Melbourne.

The first thing to do was to give it a 'scooter' edge by organising a mod/soul night for Sundays.

Interstaters sick of missing out on Monthly Melbourne events (when visiting) can keep an eye on our website for a weekly hang out.

WWW.WILLOWBAR.NET

Hi folks.

It is now time to submit club reports, items of interest, photocomp pics and (of course), Natiopnal rally anecdotes.

This next issue of the magazine will be the highly collectible 'post national rally' report that was the inspiration for doing the mag in the first place.

Please send all submissions to - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

from all initial reports the weekend was a blast... i look forward to reading more

Another great Mountain Goat run last weekend was enjoyed by a wide variety of scooters, from a Series 1 Lambretta through to an enormous Suzuki Burgman.

I rode the first leg to Yea with Klaus and Chris (the Germans) starting from Preston at 10.30 Thursday night. By the time we arrived at 12:40 am it was hard to imagine what feeling warm ever felt like. Next morning was perfect weather as we had breakfast with most of the crew in Marmalades cafe in Yea, before heading off towards Mansfield.

I had chosen to ride the vespa for several reasons. Firstly my lambretta was pinking badly (the vespa went out in sympathy anyway and was rattling it's way over the mountains). The second reason was that I had only just built the tuned vespa (63 GL with kitted px motor) before the last MG rally and wanted to see how well it went in the twisties now the engine is broken in and tweeked somewhat.

Hi Folks. Don't miss out on the first batch of the new issue.

If you aren't near one of our stockists, tehn be sure to order on online before Wednesday. 

This one is a corker, with heaps of pics from the lambretta 60th  celebration in Sydney.

LAST CHANCE FOR CLUB SUBMISSIONS

remember folks there are great prizes for photocomp pics and scootering anecdotes.

I am extending the deadline to Sunday night to give the slackers a chance.

Cheers

Derek

The weekend in Sydney was a huge success, with stacks of Lambrettas showing up as well as some very nice Vespas. There are many stories to tell in the next print issue, but in the meantime we are collecting pictures and anecdotes on this page - www.australianscooterist.blogspot.com

Simply email your favourite pics as attachments, one at a time with the subject being the picture title and your name and any story you wish to tell about the photo in the main body.

click the link below to send a picture

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

this pic would only represent a small percentage of the scooters present at the palisade Hotel before Sundays ride.

Last night I rode in the rain with the Vintage scooter Club of Victoria to the Westgarth Cinema to see 'Forever Vespa' as part of the Italian Film Festival.

From memory there was a Super , a sprint, a Bajaj/sidecar combo, A beautifully restored mid-50's vespa, a mongrel tuned vespa (mine), a P2, a GL and two loverly lammies. Frank Tonon's lads (Vespa House) were out in force on an ET4 and GTS 250.

The festivel organisers looked after us with a fancy sash guarding a prime parking spot. After being treated to a show bag with some coffee, DVD's etc we sat down for the show. The vintage club was acknowledged and a special welcome was made to Frank and his family for being the first Vespa dealership in town (1956).

The film was well worth seeing, and I recommend having your Vespa outside the cinema ready to ride after youare immersed in the history and tradition of the little beast.

All the books and websited in the world can't replace the moving images of the Vespa designer actually sketching the shape while explaining each line. Priceless. I had no idea that at one stage this guy made a helicopter that held the world record for distance travelled in such a machine. Fascinating.

Anyway, I write this knowing that the festival is yet to go to many of the other states, so do yourself a favour and get your clubmates off their arses and make the effort. It is well worth it.

cheers

derek

http://www.italianfilmfestival.com.au/films.aspx?film=fv

From conversations with Lambretta mechanics, parts suppliers and amateur tinkerers, I can assume that the whole nation of Lambretta owners are busily racing the clock in preparation for the 60th bash in Sydney next month. (see link in the right hand column ===> )

Yesterday I popped into Klaus' workshop and it is a Lammy fest. Personally I have been burning the midnight lamp learning to rebuild a series 3 motor. Roadworthy went ok Wednesday, and the rego inspection is on Monday. Only then can I asses my skills as a rebuilder. One gets the feeling that Sydneysiders may think there are more marshalls than riders on the rides as there may be a Lambretta rider on every corner.

From a Melbourne perspective, 10 of the Crusaders SC are barrelling up the Hume in a 3.5 tonne truck and a Tarago. The Vintage club of Victoria (Klaus) are doing much the same.

Derek

The August issue of Australian Scooterist is at the printers.

Orders will be taken now for the first mailout batch.

Stockists  should have them by the 23rd of August.

Hi to everyone who plans on sending their club report/ ride report/photocomp entry, etc.

The deadline is in only ONE WEEK from now.

There are now prizes (helmet, gloves, etc.)for scooter anecdotes courtesy of Scooter Servicing in Melbourne.

A pair of Draggin jeans was won by Terry Colley for his submission to the picture comp with "logging trail". 

stay tuned for some more extensive deadline nagging in the next few days.

cheers

derek 

The June issue of Australian Scooterist Magazine should be arriving at stores and homes today. I hope you enjoy the read. Feel free to send some feedback on the forum (link below).

Club 'writers' and casual contributors are encouraged to get in early with articles for the next issue.

www.australianscooterist.com/forum

Copies are available from these stores.

A big apology to Lambretta legend Steve Diffey as (due to a layering problem in our software) his details were left off teh distributor list. Steve has the company Lambretta Obsessions in Sydney, specialising in Lambretta restoratons as well as repairs of Lambretta and Vespa scooters.