Two days away from work! A bit of a rare thing for me, but Cat Power was playing Seattle May 1st - a Monday night - and I couldn't stay away.

But back to the subject of scooters (ask me about the concert if you're interested)...my wife and I found ourselves with most of the following day to browse and dine in nearby Ballard. With much to do and see in this artsy, growing neighborhood, we  almost missed what has to be one of the best scooter shops in Seattle: Sound Speed Scooters.

I'd already heard good things about Joe and his new shop from my brother Rob of the Bombastics in the Tri-Cities. Rob met Joe last year at the Garden City Rally in Victoria B.C., and according to Rob, two things impressed him: 1) Joe helped diagnose Rob's GTR engine woes (a too-short plug wire), and 2) Joe's own P200 ride was by Rob's account, "scary fast."

Since that time, Joe has opened a nice shop stocked with quite a few scooter-style Fred Perry clothing items, lots of specialty parts, a few restored/consignment bikes, and perhaps most valuable, great service and tons of scooter-specific, real-world mechanical experience. For instance, ask about jetting anything non-stock elsewhere, and you'll get few or no answers. Ask Joe, and it's pretty likely he's dealt directly with that particular carb, kit and pipe. That's exactly what I did - and got not only some good advice on what particular jets to buy, but got the jets as well, since Joe had them in stock.

Other interesting tidbits about Sound Speed:

• Joe's bike (the one my brother rode) IS scary fast - Joe says it'll pull a reliable 90 miles per hour! Not much to look at, but it's a bike that has obviously been put together by someone who knows what they're doing, and has access to unusual and/or specialty parts, like Joe's "up and over" pipe that runs directly over the top of the engine for clearance and better flow.
• Joe has a side job with JL Engineering - one of the best 2-stroke exhaust system manufacturers out there. Impressive!
• The day of my visit, Sound Speed had at least one drool-worthy bike - a (I'm guessing 1958) Lambretta Ld 125, beautifully restored. I'm also guessing the price tag will keep it at Joe's for awhile...$7,500!