Rider’s Profile – Amerivespa series: Bryan Bedell

It’s the weekend and time to end this series with bang! Okay, if that’s too much of a word, then maybe ‘buzz’ is the more appropriate term.

You see, today’s profile features a guy I consider ‘the main man’ when it comes to online scooter news. In fact, he has been scooter blogging back in the days when blogging seemed too geeky a concept meant only for computer nerds and loners. Talk about some pioneering work! His site is well known among scooterists in the States, here in the Philippines, and probably the rest of the world (or at least, the English-speaking part of the world)!

That’s him back in 1995 on his first ever scooter — a vintage Vespa Primavera. Let’s get to know more about this guy and the work he’s done in the U.S. scootering scene.

rider’s name: Bryan Bedell
also known as: Bb, Beeb, Illnoise
ride: Vespa Primavera 125 (1971); Vespa VBB 150 (1965); Genuine Blur 150 (PGO G-Max 150) (2006)
homebase: Chicago, Illinois
dayjob: Graphic designer (coudal.com)
blog/podcast: 2strokebuzz.com

more about the rider:

I’ve been riding scooters for about 12 years. When I got my first scooter in 1995, the web was just starting to happen, and the scooter scene was all vintage bikes, which were nearly impossible to find.

Scooterists tended to all be mods or skinheads, which was fun and interesting, but sort of homogenous, so I started 2 Stroke Buzz as a magazine to try to involve a greater variety of scooterists in the scene. I only did four issues, but I had a great time doing them and a really postive response.

more about the blogger:

In 2000, my wife bought me the domain 2strkebuzz.com for my birthday, and I started publishing news and stories there. About a year later, I heard about Movable Type and downloaded an early version and became probably the first scooter blog, which continued to grow for the next few years.

After a catastrophic spam attack in 2005 that corrupted my database, I relaunched the site in WordPress and it has continued to grow ever since. I still try to cover a wide spectrum of the scooter world, and I’ve embraced modern scooters (despite the name of the site), in fact I bought a modern twist-and-go last summer and I have to admit my Vespas are getting a little dusty.

We now have a three-year-old daughter so we don’t ride as much as we used to, but we have so many friends in the scooter world and I’m so obsessed with scooter news (for the site) that an hour barely passes when I’m not thinking about scootering.

(More of 2 Stroke Buzz’ colorful & interesting beginnings can be found in this page ironically creatively called “The Incredibly Boring History of 2strokebuzz.” ~John)

That’s Bryan in last year’s Amerivespa held in Denver

thoughts about the upcoming Amerivespa?

I think it’ll be a fantastic rally, it just gets better every year, and Seattle’s one of America’s best scooter cities. I designed the artwork for Amerivespa 2005 (Cleveland) and helped out a lot last year (Denver) but haven’t really had anything to do with the planning this year, so it’ll be nice to just be able to enjoy myself and not worry about anything.

Usually there are a few Italians that show up and maybe a few other long-distance travelers. This year it’s so close to Canada and he VCOC (Vespa Club of Canada) is based in Vancouver, so I’m sure they’ll be there. And
hopefully, since there are many flights from Asia to Seattle, there will
be a few from Asia.

- – - – - – - – - -

During the course of our email exchange for this feature, Bryan asked me if I’m coming to Amerivespa and told me to track him down if ever. I told him the idea never really crossed my mind until he brought it up. Only then did I start to imagine how great it would be to meet these guys I only get to read about online. The fact that Bryan is coming out there with Jordan Cinco (the guy who brought the same scooter rally concept via “Vespa Attack!” here in Manila) made the prospect more exciting! I hope I’ll be able to join them in the future.

So there you have it; a week full of bloggers and Vespa riders. For those attending Amerivespa, have a great time in Seattle!

Buzz the word!

-o-
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J0HNRANA

john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com