Please Note: This ride is for older geared classic 2-stroke motor scooters, and is our annual event just for the oldies. It's not for modern Auto Vespas. The event is for club members only.
What
Ladies and gentlemen, de-coke your engines, adjust your cables - the club’s annual Melbourne Classic Scooter “Blue Smoke” Ride is on once again. Last year our Blue Smoke Ride to Warburton was attacked by inclement weather. Nevertheless 22 brave hearts completed the 128-km ride (some coming from as far as Ballarat and Bendigo) and still managed to have some classic fun eating hot pies at the Warby cricket ground.
The club’s “blue smoke” ride celebrates the passion members have for their older classic geared two-stroke motor scooters. The slow-paced ride takes place on a carefully planned route that keeps us away from busy traffic allowing owners to revel in the joy of riding an historic vehicle. The older your scooter, the better. Scooters from the 1940s - 50s are particularly welcome as are other marques including Lambretta, Heinkel, Maicoletta, Puch and Rabbit. The entire PX Vespa range is eligible too.
Where
Once again we are venturing into the rural fringes outside Melbourne in the hills around St Andrews just east of the city. Because the quiet fabulous winding roads in the area are so enjoyable to ride, this year we have extended the route for more classic riding pleasure. Our destination is Hurstbridge - the long way round.
The Route
Much of our 105-km route will be on sealed semi-rural roads with little traffic. The scenery is very pretty and you’ll enjoy meandering along at a leisurely ‘classic’ pace. There are a few exhilerating challenges however. The route from Heidelberg to Hurstbridge is about 72-kms and will take us about 2 hours 20 mins. Much of it is along one of Melbourne’s famed “Green Wedges” - the Nillumbik Shire Green Wedge. After lunch you can either make your own way home from Hurstbridge or join us for an organised short 30-km scenic return route to Ivanhoe East where we’ll enjoy a farewell coffee.
Ride Support
The event is covered by the VCM's Public Liability Insurance. The ride will use designated corner markers who will point you in the right direction at each turn so you can relax and enjoy the unfolding scenery. We couldn't organise a van this year but the lead rider will be carrying a comprehensive tool kit with a complete set of cables for 60s-70s Vespas as well as a stator and CDI unit.
Lunch and other refreshments will be provided courtesy of the Vespa Club of Melbourne and served in Fergusons Paddock, Hurstbridge. Certificates will be presented after lunch.
Departure Point and Time
We will gather and depart from the car park at Heidelberg Cricket Ground <see map here>.
If coming from the city, go along Burgundy Street through the Heidelberg shopping strip and turn left just after Rosanna Road down into the parklands. If coming from the east, use Jika Street. The car park is sign posted just across a small creek at the Burgundy Street and Beverley Road intersection. This location puts us very close to those quiet back roads without any annoying traffic lights. Have breakfast before you arrive. We aim to provide tea, coffee and biscuits before we head off so turn up around 8:30 am for a relaxed start to our grand day out. Departure is at 9:30 am sharp.
IMPORTANT
There will be no fuel stops on the 105-km return ride so please arrive with a full tank. While a stock scooter should be able to make this distance on a tank, owners of scooters with performance kits may need to carry extra fuel as there is no fuel available at Hurstbridge.
Due to the logistics of this ride and for catering purposes we ask you to register to reserve a spot. It's free! Participants will receive a sticker as a memento of the ride.
Note, this event is being held on SATURDAY not SUNDAY as the Club’s calendar is chock-a-block with events
In the spirit of encouraging classic scooters to be ridden out and about, certficates will be awarded in the following categories:
Oldest Participating Vespa
Best Unrestored Vespa
Best Restored Vespa
Most Eccentric Vespa
Best Other Marque
Comments
Such a great day. Awesome route, great company and we even mastered corner marking (quite well). Thanks to David for organising everything. Everything the Club is about.
Thanks again David for organising.
My first ride with the club on my PX. Loved it.
Great location, Great route, Great weather...
What a great day. Lovely to meet new peeps.
Dave...a great route as expected!
I'm rating it these best Blue Smoke ride, thus far.
Can we possibly improve on this perfect day!
Mark.
A big thank you to all 18 participants of this year's Blue Smoke ride, especially Marc and Mark who came all the way from Bendigo to join us. We certainly had some classic fun in the sun negotiating hills and dales, twists and turns. The valleys rang with the sounds of two-stroke motors. Congratulations to the recipients of the following award certificates:
Oldest Participating Vespa
Marcellinus
1951 Douglas
Best Unrestored Vespa
Tony
1958 VNA
Best Restored Vespa
Adam
1959 VBA
Most Eccentric Vespa
Adrian
Mod Vibe Faro Basso
Best Other Marque
Rolf
1954 Douglas
Thank you Greg.
Hi david. I had all good intentions of attending, but as I'm flying out that night I find myself overcome with last minute arrangements to attend to. Have a great event.
Hi David, I have been looking forward to the ride, but unfortunately I have to pull out of the ride. Sincere Apology!
Hi David. Just a plain pie please. Thanks, Vikki
My poor little ET2 50cc 2 stroke auto missed out 🥲
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