(Unfortunately... Scooters cannot yet fly)

I'll be gone to Jacksonville, FL for the next week. Sorry that I won't be able to keep you abreast of the latest in Scooter news 'till I get back to Austin. In the meantime... Get away from your computer for a little while and do something outdoors... like... I don't know... Ride your scooter!

Take Care and Ride Safe!

Gazettes.com - Club Celebrates Scooter Way of Life

scooter club: "It takes a big person to ride a small Vespa scooter — or is that actually the problem?

Long after the sleek Italian motor scooters and their ilk where all the rage during the British Mod movement of the 1960s, it seemed uncool for a full-size person to sputter around on a vehicle that, to the untrained ear, sounds like a lawnmower and, to the untrained eye, looks like a toy.

Dave Medrano, 37, a Long Beach native and founding member of the Hard Pack Scooter Club, has been riding for more than 20 years. Most of that time, people have found his passion laughable.

“We are in a Harley world,” he said. “You were kind of a wimp if you rode a scooter.”"

Scooter Press Pre-Launch Issue

Rubber Magazine - Scooter Press Pre-Launch Issue: "Rubber Magazine and cabeculture are proud to announce 'Scooter Press', the new online publication for scooter culture in the USA. Scooter Press is currently online with its extended pre-launch zero issue and can be found at www.ScooterPress.com."

Check it out... It's kinda hard on the eyes, but I'm sure it will evolve.

Video: Austin on a scooter

Video: Austin on a scooter

Check out this little piece from our local Austin Statesman... It features footage of our own Scooter Socrates - RC Beal. Fun stuff.

Inside Bikes News - Yamaha XMAX

Inside Bikes News: "Following on the development of the ground breaking TMAX scooter, the elegant new XMAX delivers impressive performance and handling whilst retaining some serious commuting features.

The 250cc four-stroke, liquid cooled, automatic engine offers good acceleration which should leave the 4-wheeled city-traffic standing! But, with a super efficient motor and a 12.5 litre tank, expect a great fuel range.

With a long wheelbase, sports-type alloy chassis, 15/14 inch wheels and wide tyres, the XMAX boasts out-of-its-segment handling. Its agility is matched by large diameter discs (267mm and 240 mm). A seat height of just 785mm offers city confidence and a fully car-style dash protects the rider from the elements."

Choosing style over speed

Choosing style over speed: "Other scooter owners identify with the tougher image displayed by disaffected British teenagers as they rode around emulating Sting in 1979's 'Quadrophenia.' Nicole Kidman also rides one in the recently released 'The Interpreter.' In real life, Gwyneth Paltrow has one, as do Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert De Niro.

'It's not a question of speed, it's a question of style,' said Anna Giordano, 37, of New Rochelle, who owns 35 vintage scooters and admires their clean lines, bright colors and self-contained design.

Besides the romance, there are practical reasons to ride scooters. With gas prices hovering around $2.50 per gallon, it can't hurt that scooters can go 100 miles on a single gallon and be bought new for $2,000 to $6,000."

TimesDispatch.com | Scoot over, Land Rover

"Scooters are hot in Richmond and getting hotter. People from all walks of life have embraced the hip, European-flavored transport as an affordable, reliable and fun way to get around. Plenty of people trade four wheels for two and never look back.

Gina Fuller, 30, jumped at the chance to buy a 1972 Vespa when her car died four years ago."

"I've been in love ever since," said Fuller. "I'll keep riding until I fall off."


TimesDispatch.com | Scoot over, Land Rover

Hydrogen Scooters for 2006 Winter Olympics

(The original post is gone, but the link below will give you more details)

"Hydrogen scooters will be part of the fleet of vehicles used for transport in Turin during the 2006 Winter Games. The scooters will be produced by Hysylab. The first two scooters are ready and were presented to the Piedmont authorities in Piazza Castello."

Hydrogen Scooters for 2006 Winter Olympics

THE SOCIETY OF SCOOTERS: More metro Detroiters join clubs dedicated to riding mod vintage Vespas

THE SOCIETY OF SCOOTERS: More metro Detroiters join clubs dedicated to riding mod vintage Vespas: "It started with the putter of one modest motor. Then came the coughs of about two dozen scooters parked on the sidewalk along 12 Mile Road, launching a cacophony of raw rumbles, punched by the occasional backfiring engine. The scooters' chorus quickly grew louder than the cars that whooshed past them.

So goes a new Berkley ritual and a growing gearhead fascination.

Colorful and curvy, retro scooters are puttering past subdivisions and zipping through downtowns. They're catching stares, bringing together long-time scooterists and converting some to a mode of transportation that has become a lifestyle for many riders in the region.

'It almost feels like you're the most popular kid showing up to a party,' said Eric Mazurak, 27, of Royal Oak, about the honks and cheers he gets when he rides one of his restored scooters.

Mazurak has also heard some people shout: 'Get a real bike!' But he said that comes being 6-foot-5 and riding a scooter. Mazurak's scooters range from about 5 horsepower and a top speed of 45 m.p.h. to about 15 horsepower and 80 m.p.h."

Petersen Motors to hold free clinic about scooters, mopeds

The Capital Journal - Pierre, SD newspaper since 1881: "It might be the cost of gas or even the convenience of a small vehicle, but the sight of scooters and mopeds is becoming a more a familiar sight on Pierre’s streets.

That’s why Petersen Motors wants to close Fort Street the evening of May 31 to present a free clinic about the vehicles.
"

Long rides no deterrent to Scooter Club members

The Villages Daily Sun: "A ride to Cedar Key - or even St. Augustine - for lunch is never out of the question for members of The Villages Scooter Club.

According to ride leader John Roffi, long trips are indeed a possibility on scooters.

'It depends on the engine size of the bike,' Roffi said.

And during this period of elevated gasoline prices, riding a fuel-efficient scooter is a way to keep some money in an owner's pocket. Roffi said 3 gallons fills his scooter's gas tank and lasts for approximately 150 miles.
"

[YAMAHA] TOKYO MOTOR SHOW 2003 - DIVIDE

[YAMAHA] TOKYO MOTOR SHOW 2003 - DIVIDE

Snippit:
t is only fitting that a unique vehicle like the EV should also have a unique design. The Divide uses CF die-cast technology to create a new art form. This electronic commuter is based on the Passol power unit with its motor-in-wheel design. With the push of a button the machine folds up and locks.

Yamaha Financials in PDF format

It's a little dry, but you can at least get an idea of how Yamaha sales are doing in the USA. Might give you some insight on whether or not we can expect to see the Yamaha Maxam here.


For a LIIIIITLE more excitement, check out this video of the Yamaha Maxam in action.

Vespa celebrates 60 years; Lambretta plans return - MSNBC.com

(La dolce vita, all over again)

A great little article from MSNBC with all kinds of history and cool tid-bits.

Snippit:
"In the 1979 mod melodrama “Quadrophenia,” Phil Daniels' Jimmy Cooper may have coveted Sting’s Vespa, but he and his pals all rode Lambrettas. The sleeker, more angular styling and removable body panels drew many loyal fans throughout the years. Since the Innocenti company’s demise, a cult following has developed around the bikes. Specialty shops and organizations were established to help owners keep their vintage Lambrettas running."

(Click below to read the whole story)
La dolce vita, all over again - U.S. Business - MSNBC.com

Piaggio USA Launches the New Vespa(R) LX Scooter to U.S. Market

(The LX in all it's seckzyness)

Shipping now and due to arrive at authorized Piaggio USA and Vespa dealers across the country by early summer, the LX has a starting MSRP of $3,199. The LX will also come will a full new line of accessories.

"The LX is a marriage of the classic and contemporary elements of Vespa's history and exemplifies our tradition of elegance and performance," said Paolo Timoni, CEO of Piaggio USA. "Sixty years of product evolution, superior functionality and a passion for design are realized in a scooter that epitomizes Vespa's iconic status and cutting-edge technology."

(Click the link below for the whole story)
Piaggio USA Launches the New Vespa(R) LX Scooter to U.S. Market

You don't know what you got 'till it's gone.

(please! come back C1! Come Baaaaack!)

Idn't it sweet? A concept vehicle become reality. Read this little piece here:
"After selling 10,614 in 2001, the C1 only sold 2,000 in 2002 and ceased production in October 2002. Not available in the USA, the C1 never took off in the UK as BMW had hoped, partly because the Government refused BMW's argument to let riders use it without wearing a helmet. Several other European countries accepted the company's claims that, with the twin seatbelts, it was impossible for the rider's head to hit the ground in an accident."

Wouldn't it be cool if they came back? Someone talk to BMW for me and see if you can do some persuading. Thanks.

Read more here.

Mamma Mia! Scooter ban in Italia!?

(Scoot boot boogy in Italy)

Here's a snippit:
"NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) - If you can't beat them, ban their getaway vehicles.

So goes the logic of the latest attempt to curb crime in the southern Italian city of Naples -- a scooter ban to aid police chasing common crooks who famously rob pedestrians and speed away through the historic center's narrow alleyways.

"Our goal is to give tourists and citizens more security," said Nicola Oddati, Naples' counselor on traffic."
(Read more below)

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com

San Antonio Scooter Spring Fling

Here's a snippit:

Scooters are in, gas guzzlers are out.

That was the theme last Sunday morning as more than 50 scooters and their drivers arrived at The Motorcycle Shop on Austin Highway for the shop's fourth annual "Spring Fling" scooter ride.

The scooters ranged from 50cc models that cost $2,000 or less and go only to 50 mph to 400cc or bigger models that can pass just about everything else on the freeway. They came in a variety of styles and colors.

But they all had one thing in common: drivers who for one reason or another choose scooters over cars or even other motorcycles when it comes time to have some fun on the road.

(Read more by clicking the link below)
MySA.com: Business

Piaggio USA, Inc. Selects CooperKatz & Company to Support Vespa(R), Piaggio(R) Brands' Creative PR, Interactive and Event Marketing Plan

Piaggio USA, Inc. Selects CooperKatz & Company to Support Vespa(R), Piaggio(R) Brands' Creative PR, Interactive and Event Marketing Plan

You're about too see a whole lot more press on Scooters in near future. Vespa Piaggio are hiring an ad agency to do-them-up-right.

U.S. vehicle sales show SUVs losing appeal

U.S. vehicle sales show SUVs losing appeal

Hrm.. caught this line:
"The latest automobile sales figures from the United States show that Americans are increasingly wary of gasoline-guzzling sport utility vehicles."

Could it be the end of the road for the personal schoolbus size vehicles?

F1 News - Red Bull trio collect Supermoto machines.

F1 News - Red Bull trio collect Supermoto machines.

Had to roll my eyes when I read this quote:
"While many drivers use bicycles or tiny scooters to move around the race circuit, Klien, Coulthard and Liuzzi will rely on far more masculine 'real bikes' provided by KTM."