The Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum welcomed every shape and generation of scooter for its annual summer ride-in.
Bright sunshine and a packed courtyard greeted visitors to the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum on 12 July, when the New Milton venue opened its doors to scooters of every age, make and model. The temperature climbed steadily through the morning, but that did little to deter riders, and both the museum courtyard and the main bike park soon filled with machinery.
The variety was the real strength of the day. Restored classics sat alongside street-ridden workhorses, modern automatics and full customs, giving visitors plenty to inspect without the event feeling tied to one brand or scene. Lambrettas and Vespas naturally featured in large numbers, but the open invitation ensured that less familiar machines were equally welcome.
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The Vespa Club of Britain’s Southern Region supported the event and set up its own stand in the courtyard, while Dearden Motorcycles of Hythe brought along a selection of current Vespa models. Their display gave visitors the chance to compare the latest factory offerings with the older and heavily modified scooters parked only a few feet away.
Awards were presented at 12.30pm, with trophies covering Best Vespa in Show, Best Automatic Vespa, Best Geared Vespa, Best Non-Vespa and Furthest Travelled. The final category went to a rider who had covered 196 miles with two friends on the Saturday, ready to attend the Sunday gathering. That was a serious journey in any weather, never mind during one of the hotter weekends of the summer.
The museum setting added plenty to the occasion. Visitors could move between the scooter display, the club and dealer stands, and one of the country’s best-known motorcycle collections, while the relaxed timetable allowed everyone to spend as much time talking as looking. There was no formal ride-out or complicated programme to follow; the scooters and the people who arrived on them were the attraction.
By early afternoon, the event had achieved exactly what a good summer scooter gathering should. It brought together old and new machinery, created room for clubs and traders, and gave owners a reason to put some miles on their scooters. The bright weather helped, but the quality and variety of the turnout made the day memorable in its own right.
Photos: Chris Mabey (www.youtube.com/@classic-motorcycles
