Everyone loves scooters. Or at least they love to stare at them and their owners. Breezing through town on my own candy-blue Yamaha Vino, I get asked a hundred questions at every stoplight. Drivers lean out their car windows, scan my hot ride up and down and run down the checklist: How fast does it go? Do you have a motorcycle license? How much did you pay for it? What's the gas mileage? I always answer with a smile, hoping to inspire a new rider: About 45 mph. Yes, a license is required for my motor's size. I bought it used for a fair price. Approximately 80 miles per gallon. People love it -- especially when I've got my girlfriend and our Chihuahua on the back.

Scooters are a viable mode of transportation with a lot of upsides: They're green, affordable and sexy -- or at least cute. Whether you're looking for fun, function or both, there's a scoot for you. And regardless of what kind you get, there's always a whole new group of friends ready to ride. While the motorcycle world is separated between bike brands and styles, the scooter world has its subtler cliques: modern vs. vintage, automatics vs. shifties. There are no real scooter gangs, unless you count the Minneapolis scoot group Heck's Angels. For the most part, people of different rides offer a friendly meep! meep! at each other on the road.

Regardless of what two wheels you put to the pavement, this weekend's Rattle My Bones Scooter Rally is the optimal time of year for scooter fans to come together and revel in their transportation of choice. RMB will celebrate its third year with four days of scooter madness. Last year's big Saturday ride boasted 232 scooters (a caravan of humming motors that stretched for two miles) on a 70-mile adventure around the state. Expect scooter nerds, group rides, a scavenger hunt and lots of scooter jargon.

On the following pages are profiles of six scooter enthusiasts. From the easy rider to the wild child, these two-wheel fans ride rain or shine, and would love to introduce you to their sweet machines.

Stacie Suedkamp

  • Age: 33.
  • Make: Genuine.
  • Model: Stella.
  • Year: 2005.
  • Color: Pink.
  • Day job: Event planner, dating service matchmaker.
  • Her scooter story: Stacie started with a motorcycle back in the day, but soon discovered she wasn't a motorcycle-type gal. She bought her first scooter for her 30th birthday: a limited-edition, shimmering pink Stella. It was love at first sight on the showroom floor. "It was like a movie." Riding around town in her helmet, pigtails and wild accessories, Stacie is often photographed by enthralled strangers. "What would people do with a photo of me?" she wonders. "It's cool, but also kind of weird." She often searches Google for these mysterious pictures, but hasn't found one. Among other things, it seems pretty obvious why this lady likes her two wheels: "OK, yes. Attention is part of it."
  • Helmet? Yes. Always full gear after an accident left her helmet mangled and arms covered in road rash.
  • Can't leave the parking lot without: Her bleached-blond faux pigtails, aka Figtails.
  • Favorite accessory: All things pink.
  • In her glove box: Tire pump and tube. Lipstick. Lavender and aloe hand sanitizer, which guys are always requesting.
  • Route of choice: Takes Hwy. 62 to work and waves at astonished construction workers. "I'm a little morning commute surprise."
  • Favorite Rattle My Bones event: The scavenger hunt.
  • Scooter fantasy: Driving more than 300 miles to Iowa.
  • Her DIY project: Converting a leopard-print sundress into a seat cover.

Kent Aldrich

  • Age: 44.
  • Day job: Letterpress printer.
  • Make: Genuine.
  • Model: Stella.
  • Year: 2003.
  • Color: Sea foam green.
  • Kent's scooter story: Audrey Hepburn's scooter in "Roman Holiday" is the epitome of Kent's type: retro and curvy. In 2003, Kent "accidentally" skipped out on lunch with his wife and came back to the office with a scooter. His other half was obviously excited by the new purchase, so Kent made sure to get a scoot for two: "I couldn't ride without my sweetie," he says. "Now with five rides in the garage, Kent's most recognizable scooter is full of flair: Nearly 40 mirrors adorn the sides of his Stella. The excessive accessories follow the tradition of the British Mods of the 1960s, as depicted in the film "Quadrophenia." "It's fun to go out and make a spectacle," he says. "It's a nice way to go through the world: people smiling at me."
  • His scooter collection: Two '64 Vespas (one restored and one not), a '57 Tessy and a '78 Vespa 50 Special he won at a Kansas City rally.
  • Can't leave the parking lot without: Helmet and goggles. "And a hat for when I show up."
  • Favorite accessory: Burberry shoes to match his Burberry seat cover. Currently shopping for a tie and fall scarf to complete the look.
  • Routes of choice: Parkways and lake drives; places you can see a deer or snapping turtle.
  • Favorite Rattle My Bones event: The Big Ride.
  • Strangest cargo: A railroad employee's 150-pound toolbox barely left room for the driver.
  • Scooter wisdom: "Scooters are goofy as hell -- you shouldn't take yourself too seriously."

Pooter and CT

  • Age: 37 (Pooter); 30-something (CT).
  • Make: Genuine.
  • Model: Stella Fireball (#33 and #75/150).
  • Year: 2005.
  • Day job: Marketing and advertising (CT); Burlington Northern Railroad (Pooter).
  • Their scooter story: Robert (Pooter) Fitzgerald and Chris (CT) Thomas prove that motorcycle guys and scooter enthusiasts are not mutually exclusive. Their monthly podcast, "Two Wheels and a Motor," is packed with wild stories, ride tips and excessive rambling about all things scooter and cycle. CT is an organizer of the Bearded Lady Motorcycle Freak Show at the 331 Club, and Pooter is putting together this year's Rattle My Bones scooter obstacle course. Sport bikes are CT's first love and Pooter is big into motocross; for them, the scooter is just another bike to own and another set of rules to break. From wheelies to super-dangerous speeds, these guys are out for the thrill, and both of these bad-ass riders have garages packed with two-wheeled fun. "Same shit everyday gets boring," Pooter smirks. "I like chicken, but fuck, man."
  • Helmets? No.
  • Strangest cargo: Pooter has carried five bundles of wood on the back. CT once had a Russian tortoise in his glove box.
  • Number of times CT's Stella has "blown up": 4.
  • CT's scooter's nickname: Junk, or the Autorickshaw. "I love riding it, but I don't love it."
  • Pooter's thoughts on the scooter image: "Fuck all them images, man."
  • Fastest speed on scooter: Both have gone over 80 mph and hope to breach 100.
  • Route of choice: "Kick-ass two-lane parkways" and "spontaneously planned routes" to all the Pizza Lucé and Grumpy's locations.
  • More ridiculous Pooter facts: Once jumped his scooter 28 feet. Rode to Duluth in February in 9 degree weather for six hours. Hit a Mini Cooper and dented the Stella's fender.

Santiago and Lynn Toman

Him

  • Age: 60-something.
  • Day job: Photographer.
  • Make: Vespa.
  • Model: VBB.
  • Year: 1961.
  • Color: Sea foam.

Her

  • Age: 53.
  • Day job: Graphic designer.
  • Make: Genuine.
  • Model: Buddy.
  • Year: 2006.
  • Color: Pink.
  • Their scooter story: Five years ago, Santiago decided to switch his main mode of transportation from car to scooter. Lynn's first reaction was, "No way in hell -- I'm not going to ride it." Opinions quickly changed, and today she owns two, accompanying her husband on 100-mile trips around the state to wineries, scenic outlooks and romantic dinners. Besides their adorable pastel models, the Tomans ride bigger, more powerful 250cc Kymco scooters, which are basically automatic motorcycles. "If the weather turns bad and we're on the big scooter, we can just hop on the highway," Santiago says. "And they've got more comfort for the bottom. On a longer distance, you want the cush," adds Lynn.
  • Number of scooters in the garage: Five.
  • Helmets: Yes. "I'm protecting everything I got left," Santiago says.
  • Can't leave the parking lot without: Rain gear. Extra keys in each other's scoots. Dried fruit. A thermal bag in case they pick up their favorite sausage in northeast Minneapolis.
  • Favorite accessory: Lynn prefers all things pink, for fashion and visibility reasons.
  • Favorite RMB event: The Big Ride. Santiago is a rally volunteer.
  • Scooter wisdom: "Everyone should take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course."
  • Lowest temperature Santiago will ride in: 22 degrees.
  • Why Santiago loves scooters: "They get you everywhere you need to go and you have a big stupid grin when you get there."