Mad Bastard Scooter Rally: Make Scooters Great Again

Sure, we like to point fingers at scooters and mildly laugh at their temperate demeanor but think about it: who hates scooters? People hate sportbikes and Harleys, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anybody who wakes up at night to hate scooters. They’re like the little brother you don’t really want to be seen with, but who’s cool enough to hang out with once in a while. Deep down inside, with varying degrees, we all think scooters can be kinda cool. So if I tell you that there’s such a thing as a scooter rally, it probably earns scooters a little more street cred. Let me tell you about the Mad Bastard Scooter Rally.

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Those of you who have stumbled upon my bio by taking a wrong turn on the site might already know this, but I’m a North-dwelling citizen, fairing from the land of hockey, maple syrup, and Justin Trudeau. It turns out that us Canadians, like you Americans, really love bikes, and while we’re usually limited by the length of our 4 day-long summers, we make the most out of our short riding season. Incidentally, we get to enjoy a variety of really awesome motorcycle-related events including the Friday The 13th Rally in Port Dover and the Fundy Adventure Rally in New Brunswick, only to name a few.

One of these events is the Mad Bastard Scooter Rally, created in 2004 by the very tongue-in-cheek and very British late editor of Canada Moto Guide, Rob Harris. Why the mad and why the bastard? Because the rally is a 300-mile-long run out and about southern Ontario on scooters (and scooters only—no small displacement bikes, only step-throughs).

The scooting participants have 24 hours to complete the route and fulfill tasks along the way to earn Mad points. So yeah, you need to be (a little or a lot) mad to sign up. Costumes and decked out rides are strongly encouraged—because why take yourself seriously anyway? Ergo, the “bastard”. There are 4 scooter classes, from the basic 50cc to the 200cc and over—the most powerful rigs are expected to complete the route faster, in 16 hours instead of 24. Riders are encouraged to travel in pairs but teams are more than welcome and rewarded with the Team Prize.

2019 will mark the event’s last edition—maybe this will encourage a few mad helmetters out there to give it a go! We like visitors up here, so for those of you looking for your next great road trip, consider coming over to Ontario next June from the 21 through the 23. All you need is a scooter, a helmet (mandatory this side of the border), and your passport. 

Source: Mad Bastard Scooter Rally