For those of you (us) who've been to a rally:

What rallies have you attended?

Did you ride in / to the rally?

Did you find that there were enough organized rides?

Do you like organized rides?

Did you spend most of your time chatting about oil, insurance, & modifications you've made or would like to make?

Did you learn anything about your bike while at the rally?

Where there local riders at the rally who pointed you to good roads?

Was it a positive experience?

What do you like most about a rally?

Will you attend more rallies?

This is the year for rallies. It has been on my mind for a while now. I need to start doing the research, to figure out the when and where's. I know for sure that I will attend the rally in New Holland PA. I want to make it point to attend as many event's as possible. I am also in the process of starting a riding group so if there is any interest in Delaware, Maryland, or Virgina, let me know.

Hey Dale,

I can't believe you posted this on Dec 25th and I haven't seen this yet. I have another site just for Bay area riders so we can set up rides in our area. Anyone can join and we do have someone from New Zealand that posts sometimes. Our group is planning on a rally this July for the larger Touring Scooters, 250cc and over. We of course wouldn't turn anyone away but some of our rides will be kind of far, so that would get tough for the smaller bikes.

I'm glad you posted this because we are thinking about what to do at our rally too. So if anyone out here has ideas on what to do I would appreciate that too. I have never been to a rally but will go to a couple this year to get an idea of what goes on. We only have the smaller Vespa type rally's around here though.

When you mentioned insurance, I just went to GEICO and found that I can save about $25 a month. I am paying $50 a month with Farmers but am going to change real soon. I have no tickets or accidents but just didn't think of shopping around.

We plan to have quite a few different organized rides. We have 68 members in the group but probably only 20-25 will show up. But we also want to have a cook-out on the last day and have get togethers at night to talk about these type of scooters. Thanks for the post.

Alright I posted this some time ago and I’ve not answered the questions myself, so here goes:

What rallies have you attended?
- End of Summer Ride, Mentone, AL – 2006 & 2007. Missed the 2008 ride to attend STO. This is not so much a rally as a weekend gathering and ride. There are prize drawings and lots of opportunities to have conversations with other scooter riders. There is one primary ride that is split into several flights (smaller groups) for safety, each flight is staggered at the start and all meet for lunch. Standard motorcycles are welcome, but are outnumbered. The host location is the hotel in the Little River State Park, camping is available. The area has lots of great roads to ride and beautiful scenery.
– Scooting the Ozarks, Eureka Springs, AR – 2008. Scooting the Ozarks (STO) is the follow-on to Scootercade. This is a full-fledged scooter rally complete with riding games, show, vendors, organized rides like a poker run, and some guided rides. Plenty of ride routes for go it on your own rides. This rally is located in a great spot for riding with really good roads that are challenging for riders of all levels. The area has beautiful scenic views and plenty of curves and hills. The host hotel was not my cup of tea, but there are lots of others to choose from and there are campgrounds aplenty.

Did you ride in / to the rally?
– We have ridden to all rallies and ride incessantly while at the rallies. Average day is easily 280 miles while at a rally. Our problem has been finding others to ride with us.

Did you find that there were enough organized rides?
– The Mentone ride has added shorter rides for those who ride less, but the primary ride is a blast. There were daily organized rides for large and small scoots at STO. There were plenty of roads to ride and of course the Pig Trail and AR-7 are close. Those two roads are always big favorites on the ride circuit.

Do you like organized rides?
– When properly run, organized rides are great, you are riding roads that have been picked for the event by people who like to ride. Organized group rides are especially fun for those in the pack you just have to follow the bike in front of you and keep your safety distance(s). They can be stressful for the leaders and safety coordinators. It is really fun to ride in a group, but the skill levels and risk levels of riders varies greatly and sometimes my engineer mind struggles to deal with other riders and thier riding decisions.

Did you spend most of your time chatting about oil, insurance, & modifications you've made or would like to make?
– I have a tendency to avoid these conversations like the plague. We’ll discuss the modifications made to our bikes if asked, but we really prefer to ride. We do look at the modifications others have made for ideas.

Did you learn anything about your bike while at the rally?
– I wrote this question and I now do not recall why!

Where there local riders at the rally who pointed you to good roads?
– I am very familiar with the roads around Mentone so did not need local riders. The organizers of STO did a real good job with the extra maps and with alternate ride routes. There were quite a few locals who were willing to tell you about roads to ride.

Was it a positive experience?
– Yes in the overall. I will definitely return to Mentone as it’s so close. STO was a real good experience and will get better as the organizers gain more experience.

What do you like most about a rally?
– Roads to ride and the rides.

Will you attend more rallies?
– I’m always looking for a new rally and will attend more in the future. I’m not sure if Kim and I are rally people, but if you’ve never gone to one you should go just to experience the atmosphere. Riding with a large group of scooters is really pretty incredible. I would like one day to attend the New Holland, PA (April or May) rally and possibly the Iron Range Rally (June).

I went to the Curve Cowboy Reunion rally two years ago. It was in the Ozarks below Saint Louis. It was mostly for BMW LT1200's but I really learned a lot. There were some good speakers and lots of displays. They did some demonstations which I enjoyed and liked looking at things to buy. It was on the TanTara Resort which was wonderful. They had maps of suggested rides which was nice.
I'll have to research this summer and see what is within driving distance for me.
That was the first event I had ever attended and of course next time would like to find one that was with Silverwings or a variety of bikes.

I am so happy that the warm weather has people thinking more about riding. I'd like to encourage all of you (y'all) to attend any and all rallies within riding distance and within your time constraints. The rally is one of the best places to hone your riding skills. There is nothing like riding in a group and following others to help you see things done well and otherwise.

Keep posting.

What rallies have you attended?
IRSSR, IRSSR2, IRSSR3 (Iron Range Super Scooter Rally's)

Did you ride in / to the rally?
About 600 miles to, about 500 miles in, and about 600 miles from.

Did you find that there were enough organized rides?
Yes.

Do you like organized rides?
Yes, if the destination is more about something to see or learn about the area, vs some place to eat.

Did you spend most of your time chatting about oil, insurance, & modifications you've made or would like to make?
No, most of my time was learning about the people I've met, putting faces to names I know, and seeing the sights.

Did you learn anything about your bike while at the rally?
Yes! SilverWings don't like gravel, and SilverWings are great for long distances.

Where there local riders at the rally who pointed you to good roads?
Yes. Up north, just point your finger in any direction and you have good roads to see. The locals give you the advantage of what sites off the beaten path to experience.

Was it a positive experience?
No question about it, it was great.

What do you like most about a rally?
Like minded people, riding similar machines, with similar attitudes and views.

Will you attend more rallies?
Yes. Info for IRSSR 4


The IRSSR rally is not what I would call a traditional rally, as motorcycle type minds might think. It is more like a group of extended family that meets once a year, or for the first time, to get together and have some fun.