Scooters: Red Eyes, Whitewalls and Blue Smoke

Scooters tells the story of the scooters’ transition from a practical, efficient workhorse to a counter-cultural catalyst.

The Scootering hobby blends a healthy obsession for things mechanical with a distinct taste for the unusual. Scooters offers an insiders’ look at the massive growth of the avocation in North America since the mid 1980’s and explores the diversity of characters that make up the scooter scene. Filled with photographs and revving with color and personality, this wonderful book takes the reader along to the rally and should prove revealing and entertaining to those involved in Scootering and those who simply appreciate what it means to love and ride a work of art.

Invented in America and perfected in Europe, the scooter became a critical component in post-war reconstruction on the continent. Out-of-work munitions and aircraft factories churned out the user-friendly two wheelers as a boost to manufacturing and a way of providing inexpensive transportation capable of traversing a beleaguered infrastructure. Two key Italian marques, Vespa and Lambretta, lead a wave of stylish offerings from across Europe and created instant fan fare. Enthusiasm for the machine was such that scooter clubs were formed almost as quickly as the first models rolled off of the assembly lines. Competitive scooter riding events soon followed, and, in their heyday, scooters gave motorcycles a run for their money both on the racetrack and in showrooms.

Colin Shattuck is an active and well-traveled Scooterist involved in DCD, a Denver coalition of Scooter Clubs dedicated to hosting the annual Mile-High Mayhem Rally, one of the most heavily attended in North America. Shattuck is also co-founder of Sportique Scooters, a small chain of Scooter Shops based in Colorado.