One of the great things about San Francisco is that its home to some of the best scooter shops in the country.  If you can’t find your scooter in San Francisco it may not be worth finding.  Every brand worth owning is sold in our great city, from new Vespas to Hondas.  My hope is after doing a little research we will earn your trust and business.  We get asked almost every day “What do you have out the door new for under two grand?”.  Here are a few links that will help answer that question.

The first is from a fine site loaded with info called Two Stroke Buzz

http://2strokebuzz.com/2008/08/07/17-choosing-a-scooter-on-a-budget

The second is from my good friend and fellow shop owner Phil Waters concerning Chinese scooters

http://clevelandscooters.com/id60.html

A great place to learn about Genuine Scooters from the people who ride them is Modern Buddy.  Introduce yourself and then ask “would you buy a Genuine Scooter”

http://www.modernbuddy.com/forum/index.html

To learn about Vespas from the people who ride them check out Modern Vespa

http://modernvespa.com/forum/

If you have thick skin and want a vintage ride try

http://www.scootrally.com

and Barry’s favorite place for everything Lambretta is

http://www.lambretta.org

Our advise is to do a little research on Google.  Try key words like scooter, San Francisco, the city you live in, or use the brand you are interested in and then check out our store and any others you like in person.  It is good to know who you are talking to and ask the people who work in the shop questions like “Do you own a scooter?  How long have you worked here?”.  Also ask to see the parts supply and service area, talk to a mechanic who works there and see what they ride and like to work on.  We will be happy to answer any questions about any scooter, even brands we do not sell.  Sometimes the perfect scooter for you is somewhere other than our store.  For example if you want a maxi scooter or something with three wheels we will send you to a shop that carries those models. We want you to find the perfect ride for your needs!  You may forward Barry Gwin, the owner, a link or craigslist advertisement and he will let you know what he thinks.  Feel free to contact us through Barry’s email address,  barry@sfscootercentre.com.

Keep the rubber on the road!

Barry and the San Francisco Scooter Centre Staff

Join Secret Society Scooter Club, San Francisco as we BOYCOTT DRAMA at the only continuously running scooter rally in the US that’s old enough to be a classic itself.

We liked the basic format last year so we’ll be concentrating on throwing a no BS old school weekender for our friends. Want a t-shirt, raffle ticket or gymkhana? Try Amerivespa or something (ok, we may have a raffle this year). We’re going to show you the best rides in San Francisco, put on some fun, free shows and feed you some great free grub.

We want to see you on a classic bike, but if you fry your Lammy’s clutch you have to borrow your “girlfriend’s” Buddy, we’ll go easy on you (just park it around the corner).

Here’s the Itinerary:

6/13
Thursday night – 7pm – Meet and greet at Rock Bar (80 29th St 94110)

6/14
Friday night – 7pm – Meet at Southern Pacific Brewery (620 Treat Ave 94110)and enjoy a beer and some tasty grub before few embark on a brisk city ride at 8pm. We’ll wind up at St. Mary’s Pub (3845 Mission St 94110) for the best in vinyl, spun by Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus and, as always, tasty cocktails.

6/15
Saturday Day – 11 am – Meet at San Francisco Scooter Centre (127 10th St San Francisco, CA 94103) Enjoy some tasty refreshments, stock up on oil, cables and if you’re so inclined, buy a new scooter! The ride will leave at NOON

Saturday night – 7pm – Meet at Buckshot (3848 Geary Blvd 94118) ride at 8pm. We’ll wind up at Bender’s Bar ( 806 S Van Ness Ave 94110) for a Punk Rock Tiki extravaganza, with music by Party Force, 1906 and Kitty Chow and Fisherman.
NOTE: Benders will be charging admission to this show but you will be admitted for FREE by telling the doorman “I know the door guy”

6/16
Sunday Day – 12 noon – Meet at Atlas Cafe (3049 20th St 94110) ride at 1pm. We’ll take a long leisurely ride around San Francisco and then head for the Homestead (2301 Folsom St 94110) for our world famous BBQ and ice cold beer.

Hosted by Vespa Club U.S.A.

http://amerivespa.org/blog/amerivespa-2013/

Meet @ 12 noon at Caffe Trietse, 609 Vallejo Street at Grant.  Ride leaves at 1pm.

www.sfscootergirls.com

www.sfscootergirls.com

A look at the 1987 San Francisco scooter scene.  This shop belonged to my good friend and mentor Walter Alter.  Without him my future would have been very different.  A lot of us owe him a great thanks for the time he spent keeping us out of trouble. Click on the picture to read the story.