The scooter, a nationwide gathering of scooters of all makes and types, celebrated its 18th birthday on Saturday. This year, from half past eight in the morning, five hundred scooters from all over the Czech Republic gathered at the Na Mlejnku car park in Prague’s Braník, who then set out on a fun ride through Prague and then through Zbraslav to the Ždáň na Slapy Autocamp.

“It is already an event with a tradition that has the support of experience as a form of transport in the city and beyond and as a relatively young industry in the Czech Republic. We want to show that they are equal participants in the traffic and we need mutual tolerance and respect, which we are trying to deepen between two-wheeled and multi-wheeled vehicles, “explained the main organizer of the Scooter Václav Nerad in the Slapy caravan park.

Meanwhile, the scooters talk, walk around the machines together, order sausages and birellas, and plan a trip home, where everyone will ride on their own axis. Some leave after a while, others enjoy the sun at the dam until late afternoon.

Although scooters are still building their tradition in the Czech Republic, it is also clear that interest in individual transport is growing, not least because of the pandemic. While in the first year in 2004 about sixty riders gathered on the Scooter, in the last few years the participants have counted in the hundreds.

“This year, during their transit through Prague, their convoy extended from the Office of the Government to the Dancing House. According to the commemorative stickers handed out, there are around five hundred participants today, even though I expected that we were even more involved, around seven hundred people, “added Nerad.

Everything was well taken care of during the trip. In addition to the organizers, other volunteers and rescuers from the Czech SAR Team took care of the whole event. The Police of the Czech Republic dropped the column of scooters. In some places they had to stop cars, in others they slowed down, but passers-by enjoyed the sleepy omnivorousness and waved, photographed and filmed them on the trumpet scooters.

“This year, twenty-one ‘fortune tellers’ on scooters and quad bikes supervised the line. Everything in the back was guarded by a box and personal ambulance, fortunately nothing happened, “added the main organizer, adding that a large pick-up was also prepared in case one of the participants” put it on the road “and the scooter had to be taken away. .

Eyes on it in front of you

The scooter has its own rules, with which the organizers will acquaint the individual participants before the actual ride on the capital through the capital. In one lane, riders ride in a convoy led and closed by the police. Two machines will fit in the width of the lane, but the riders must line up zigzag.

I join the colorful line and remember that I have to keep a lot of distance from the scooter in front of me and next to me, before riding the partner in front of me and above all: not to cross the column from side to side. No other vehicle is allowed on the police line, which some do not know. For example, one cyclist will join us for a while.

On a cord with red

The scooter is not a classic club meeting of one brand. Riders can join in the experience of all kinds of brands and types, maybe that’s why there is such a relaxed atmosphere. You will find here the taste of people and machines. There are those who travel on a scooter to work or school, who only sit on it on weekends and spend their free time on it. Or just fans who don’t have a scooter yet, but have borrowed an electric BeRider (we wrote about it here).

I drove the Scooter with a tested limited edition of the Italian icon Vespa Primavera 125 RED. This Italian is all in red. This time it’s not just a perfectly red lacquer, but the saddle and wheels of a scooter are also dressed in red. And its color is not an end in itself, red Vespa helps. One hundred dollars goes from each piece sold (ie about 2,100 crowns), ten percent for each accessory sold, for the fight against HIV and now also with the covid-19 pandemic.

Most fans of these Italians already know that Vespa hardly changes, does not react too much to the trade moves of other brands and follows its proven classic path. So don’t expect any groundbreaking news again. Vespa Primavera is more of a girl in the city. It is gorgeous, it still has the same unobtrusive timeless design and style. It doesn’t catch up with connectivity, bigger headlights, keyless ignition, more storage space or bigger wheels. Primavera is a giant passion with small drawbacks.

More precisely, wheels. He drives beautifully in Prague, the fast engine ensures fast starts and ABS with a smooth and immediate braking response. The stated consumption of 2.5 l / 100 km corresponds to an eight-liter tank to ensure you a long journey. Our Red drove over 100 kilometers on Saturday and the indicator of the amount of petrol in the tank moved only an inch.

Few people could imagine bigger bikes at the Vespa, but lovers in science would take it away by shaking the dice or the unevenness on the road. And also less security on wet roads or gravel, which was confirmed by the Scooter behind Davlí after heavy rains fell and the roads remained wet and slippery.

The moment you realize on the machine that you can see beautifully, I forgive everything. We attract attention, people praise us at the meeting, they smile at us, everyone can talk. Even cars will not miss us in traffic on the way from the meeting. And when you drive through the districts around the poppy fields, which are the same color as the RED limit, all the shaking is immediately forgotten. This is primarily an experience.