Vespa meeting in Haiger - Riding a Vespa for your heart's desire

Rusty Helmets Vespa meeting in Haiger - 250 scooters for a good cause

On September 7, 2025, Haiger experienced a special event: our first Vespa meeting on the market square exceeded all expectations. Over 400 visitors and 250 Vespas, from ultra-modern models to 60-year-old classics, transformed the town into a little piece of Italy. It was a day full of joy, community and solidarity - and all for a good cause.

The Rusty Helmets , together with the town of Haiger, had invited people to the event, and the square was already full early in the morning. The joint ride, accompanied by the police and the Red Cross, took almost 180 scooter riders over 35 kilometers through the Dilltal valley, the Roßbachtal valley and several districts before heading back to the market square. Numerous spectators were already waiting there to give the convoy an enthusiastic welcome.

Vespa connects - across cities and countries

The diversity of the participants was impressive. Otto and Regina from Lörrach had the longest journey, traveling a total of over 1,000 kilometers to be there. Many clubs from the region and beyond - from Frankfurt, Rüsselsheim, Hagen, Bonn to Oberhausen, from Gießen to Pörtschach, Austria - supported our meeting.

Doing good together - for heart's desires

The motto of the meeting was "Riding a Vespa for heart's desires". Our aim was to collect donations for seriously ill children - and the result exceeded all expectations. It was clear early on that the original target of 5,000 euros would be significantly exceeded. In the end, we were able to pass on 14,550 euros to Herzenswünsche e.V. . The words of Nina Pedder from the association were particularly moving: "You didn't just donate money, you gave hope to seriously ill children."

Such a result was only possible thanks to the support of many. Our thanks go to the town of Haiger, which provided excellent support, numerous sponsors, the Vespa clubs and all the riders, visitors and helpers. I would particularly like to highlight the clubs that collected donations in advance - such as the Vespa Club Pörtschach from Austria, the moped club Riders25forever, the Roller Clan, the Vespa Club Bergisch Gladbach and the Vespa Club Gießen. The Rittal Foundation and many private donors also contributed generously.

Italian lifestyle on the market square

In addition to the big ride and the sight of hundreds of Vespas, the day offered an Italian lifestyle: the legendary Rusty Helmets mortadella baguettes, the music of Massimo D'Amico and a performance by the children's choir of the Mittelpunkt elementary school in Haiger. The children presented the song "Vespa, Herzensangelegenheit", which was written especially for the event. There was also a raffle with prizes worth over 2,000 euros and plenty of opportunities to talk about the cult Vespa brand.

Scooter community that gives hope

For me personally, it was overwhelming to see how many people we reached with this project. Riding a Vespa is more than just a hobby - it connects people, brings joy and creates memories. The fact that we were able to give children hope together fills me with great gratitude

. The success of this meeting gives us courage for the future. We as "Rusty Helmets" are ready for a sequel - even bigger and possibly linked to our 5th anniversary celebration in 2026, with even more clubs and hopefully again with a strong sign of community and humanity

. The goodies from Scooter Center that we distributed to our participants were also very well received. Thank you very much for this great support.

Report: Paolo Santamaria, Rusty Helmets
Photos: Carla Spahn, Marco Sachse, Thorsten Ohlwein, Paolo Santamaria, Ralf Triesch