A-Town Rumblers

Riders, Spring starts Sunday hitting the magic 60! A perfect day to start the 2021 riding season! The ATown Rumblers are inviting all motorcycles, scooters, and three wheelers to join us for our inaugural season ride!... Our route will circumnavigate Saratoga Lake (the site of the world’s first potato chip, so bring a bag for a snack)! We will begin the ride from the Farmer’s Market in Menands, but for those closer to Saratoga Lake, we will pick up riders at the Stewart’s Shop at the southern end of the lake. If you want to join us along the route, let me know and we’ll look for you! We will adhere to Covid protocols, so all riders must wear masks and maintain 6 feet distances when not riding. Some have already had their vaccines, but others have not, so we need to keep everyone safe. Ok, just the facts, ma’am: WHAT: Inaugural ride WHEN: Sunday, March 21, 2021 WHERE: From Menands to, and around, Saratoga Lake MEET: a.) Capital District Regional Market, 381 Broadway #109, Menands, NY 12204, or b.) Stewart's, 504 NY-9P, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 at the southern tip of Saratoga Lake. KICKSTANDS UP: a.) Menands - 12:30 pm, and b.) Stewarts at Saratoga Lake - 1:30 pm

Dear Riders of the Capital Region, The ATown Rumblers has been on furlough for over a year. Yes, we staged the 11th ATown Rumble last summer, but that was all we could manage under the coronavirus. This year, though there will be no ATown Rumble rally, we will have a ride on July 10, and hope to see many of you there! In addition to the scheduled ride on the July 10, we hope to have additional group rides this spring and summer (maintaining safety protocols per the CDC). B...ut before planning those rides, I’d like to know if there are riders interested. What kind of rides? It’s up to you. They could be short morning or afternoon jaunts. If safe, we could ride to lunch (perhaps picnicking), or we could take day rides to some beautiful, historic, or unusual places just for fun. For the more adventurous, perhaps a camping/cabin overnight rides, or even to a rally in another state. As for the continuation of the ATown Rumblers as a club, that’s up to you, too. If there are riders who would like to be members of a riding club under the A-Town Rumblers banner, that would be great! If not, I can just organize some rides for those who express an interest in riding. The ATown Rumblers has been a riding club since 2010. Though we began with scooters, we soon welcomed all types of two or three wheeled vehicles. The club held some fantastic rides and events over the years, and had weekly ice cream meet ups, too. There were no dues or obligations other than to pitch in now and again to help with a ride or event. In addition to this Facebook page, we have a website, Atownrumblers.com (it hasn’t been updated yet), a newsletter, which is sent out a few times a season, and even unofficial headquarters in Menands, NY. I hope there are club veterans and other riders interested in bringing back the ATown Rumblers this coming season! So, there are two separate questions: 1. Would you be interested in attending some group rides in the Capital Region? 2. Would you be interested in being a member of the ATown Rumblers? Feel free to make suggestions along with your response. You can also email me at [email protected] with your replies. Thanks! Scott Brodie

VESPA MARKS 75TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A SPECIAL SERIES THE VESPA 75th WILL BE SOLD IN 2021 ONLY: A UNIQUE OFFER TO CELEBRATE A LEGEND THAT HAS ACCOMPANIED OUR CHANG...ING LIFESTYLE OVER 75 YEARS AVAILABLE IN THE PRIMAVERA AND GTS MODELS, WITH STYLING SPECIFICALLY FOR THE ANNIVERSARY: AN EXCLUSIVE LIVERY, SPECIAL FINISHES, NEW SADDLE AND CHROME-PLATED LUGGAGE RACK FOR A BAG DESIGNED FOR THE SCOOTER From 23 April 1946, the patent filing date, to 2021: seventy-five years of history during which the Vespa has taken the roads of the entire world up by a whole new gear. A period that has seen the Vespa lead new trends in social customs, music, youth culture, accompany the growth of countries and continents and become a timeless icon, a symbol of contemporary living, an example of Italian style and technology. To celebrate the Vespa’s 75th anniversary as a true citizen of the world, a new special series, Vespa 75th, has been created for the Vespa Primavera (in 50 and 150cc models) and the Vespa GTS (300cc). It will be available in the US in May/June, and for 2021 only. A unique offer, which is also presented on the VESPA.COM website and the Vespa social media channels. The Vespa 75th body, as always in all-steel, is presented in Giallo 75th, an original metallic yellow. Developed specifically for the new series as a contemporary interpretation of hues in vogue in the 1940s, the color evokes the heritage, innovative spirit and fashion-loving style of the Vespa. The side panels and front mudguard display the number 75 in a slightly stronger shade, creating a quietly elegant tone-on-tone effect, which is repeated on the front of the scooter, where the traditional tie is an opaque Giallo Pirite yellow. The two-wheeler also features a special nubuck leather saddle with edge in Grigio Fumo grey, wheel rims painted in grey with a diamond finish and a host of chrome-plated details, including the tie ornaments, the badge on the front mudguard, the instrument cluster surround, the muffler cover, the rear-view mirrors and, on the GTS only, the foldaway passenger footpegs. The rear luggage rack, another distinctive feature of the Vespa 75th, is also chrome-plated: it houses a round bag whose shape replicates the typical spare wheel holder. Made from soft nubuck leather in the same color as the saddle, the bag has a shoulder strap for easy carrying, and clips on the luggage rack with a quick-release mechanism. It comes with a waterproof cover. Like all Vespa special editions, the series is identified with a plate behind the leg shield. In technology terms, the Vespa 75th represents the top of the Vespa range: the models of this anniversary version (with 150cc/300cc engine) are equipped with a 4.3 TFT color display, while the fully digital instrument cluster makes the best possible use of the capabilities of the Vespa MIA smartphone connectivity system. In addition to all this, to mark the exclusivity of this special celebratory series, each Vespa 75th comes with a Welcome Kit including an elegant Italian jacquard-silk scarf with handsewn hems, a vintage steel Vespa plate, a personal Owner’s Book and eight collector postcards with images from the eight decades of the Vespa story. THE VESPA LEGEND In 75 years of history (Piaggio registered its patent on 23 April 1946) and nearly 19 million vehicles on the road in five continents, Vespa has given the entire world a new gear, spreading as it has across the world's roads, uniting youngsters from very differing and distant cultures in a unique passion. The first truly global mobility brand, Vespa has become a common thread between generations, used by all different groups in society, creating various cultural phenomena particular to the different settings in which it has found itself, to the point of becoming a protagonist and a distinctive trait. It has steered habits, music and youth, and has accompanied countries and continents as they have grown, racing alongside them in times of economic boom. Now, as it celebrates this wonderful milestone, Vespa is experiencing one of the happiest moments of its long life. Since 2004, when 58,000 vehicles were produced, the growth of the Vespa brand has been constant and spectacular. More than 100,000 units were produced in 2006, arriving at 180,000 in 2017 and passing the benchmark of 200,000 units in 2018. In the last decade, more than 1,800,000 new Vespa vehicles have been produced and taken out on roads all over the world. Today, Vespa is a more global brand than ever before, a real citizen of the world, produced at three production sites: Pontedera, the plant where Vespas have been built uninterruptedly since 1946 with production destined for Europe and Western markets, the Americas included; Vinh Phuc, in Vietnam, which serves the local market and the Far East; and India, at the ultra-modern Baramati factory, opened in April 2012 to manufacture Vespas for the Indian market. Availability USA: Arrival in May Vespa 75th 50cc, $4,499 Vespa 75th 150cc, $5,849 Vespa 75th 300cc, $7,949 Only IN USA

https://visitadirondacks.com/recreation/motorcycling

Took NelliBee out of hibernation and went for a swell ride on the first spring-like day of the year.