Deliver mail in Spain, get a free P series!

MalagaPostalBike
Originally uploaded by Dave Scrimshaw.

This picture of a Postal Scooter in Malaga Spain was shared by Dave Scrimshaw. He says:

"I'd go back to work for Canada Post if they adopted these scooters and provided me one."

Well, wouldn't we all? I'd have to slap it kit on mine though. Wouldn't want the people to get slow mail, right?

DenverPost.com - Scooter Nation (Recognizing Amerivespa)

(Amy Wells of Tampa, Fla., takes in the sights and sounds of the Amerivespa Scooter Rally, one of two national scooter rallies in Denver this weekend. (Post / RJ Sangosti) This is our first view into Amerivespa going on this weekend. I can't wait for the report from 2StrokeBuzz!

Here's a nice feel-good article on why scooters rock. (Click the title link to get the whole story)

DenverPost.com - Scooter Nation: "They're inexpensive. Great for the environment. They save big on fuel consumption. But the real reason for the recent vrooooom in scooter sales isn't so much reducing greenhouse gas:

Scooters are a gas.

Motorized bicyclists, as most scooter drivers are legally known, will never be mistaken for hog drivers. But for a growing fleet of wannabes, harnessing 50ccs of pure power is satisfying enough. And they are rapidly turning America into the Scooter Nation.

There are an estimated 10,000 scooters on Denver-area roads, a number propelled of late by $3-a-gallon gasoline. But Denver, host to two national scooter rallies this weekend, has averaged seventh of 210 U.S. metro-area markets in scooter sales for three years motoring - remarkable given the region's cold-weather months.

Cathy Reinking of Denver rides a Malaguti 50cc and has since decided, 'I will never go back to having a car.'

Reinking, 46, switched for financial reasons. She has no more car payments and reduced insurance, fuel and maintenance costs.

'But I love my scooter now for so much more than practical reasons,' she said. 'It's just fun. It gives me a sense of freedom, and I love the style elements. Not to mention that I hate this war in Iraq, and I love that I'm not contributing to our need for more foreign oil.'"

Vespa dirt trials

This photo from our gute Freunde at www.vespafreunde-bissendorf.de showing what the Germans do when it get's warm outside. They go trail riding. Not on the Husqvarna or Yamaha you'd imagine with their fancy suspensions and light plastic fairings. NoOOOo. They roll VESPAS on the track (they would probably go on Heinkel's if they wern't so darn big). There's lots of shots from the 2004 run here. There seems to be no limit to what you can do on a two wheeled Italian. I've seen 'em on the snow, on the beach, I'm sure someone's used one to power a boat... I just couldn't find any pictures.

Thanks to David for reminding me of this post on the advrider forum.

How to beat a buyers market, give away a pair of Vespas!

We've already heard of condos and townhouses coming with a free Vespa. Now home sellers are getting into the game. Check out this NBC report snippet.

nbc4.com - News - Va. Couples Use Creative Incentives To Attract Home Buyers: "Her real estate agent, Ron Cathell, said it's all because of a dramatic shift from a seller's market to a buyer's market. A year ago, houses were on the market an average of 15 days. That number is up to 49.

'If this had been a year ago, this house obviously would have been gone by now,' he said. 'It's absolutely a gorgeous home. It's in a beautiful neighborhood.'

But the Heckathorns have struck on an idea they hope will shake up the market a bit. They have put out an ad saying they will throw in two Vespa scooters with the house.

The Heckathorns got their idea from the Garrigans of Woodbridge. They're offering a Toyota Corolla to whoever buys their house. They, too, were stunned when their home saw little traffic after it was listed in March."

WTF?! Scooter of the month - The 4 wheeled rail scooter

Yeah... I don't know either, but I had to put it here. I have a feeling this oddity had a very short production run. At least you can tell people you've seen a 4-wheeled rail scooter.

The Kneeslider > Chinese Restrict Vehicle Exports

The Kneeslider > Chinese Restrict Vehicle Exports: "Beginning next year, the Chinese are going to restrict the number of vehicle makers allowed to export. It seems they've been getting a bad reputation around the world for dumping low quality vehicles in foreign markets. And, wouldn't you know it, motorcycles are what got their attention in the first place:

The motorcycle industry provides the clearest example of the danger of taking a laissez-faire approach to auto exports. Uncontrolled exports of low-quality, low-price motorcycles led to anti-dumping charges in many markets and damaged the reputation of China-made products

If the Chinese are serious about exporting, concentrating on quality is a good move and will benefit them in the long run. This issue will continue to get more attention as Chinese auto and motorcycle exports increase. Almost any company manufacturing products of any sort, needs to look at the Chinese export machine and think about how they will be dealing with it as the quality of Chinese products begins to improve. Interesting."

Time to start working more

Here's an interesting graph I found out in the ether. It shows you how many minutes your average worker has to toil to get a single gallon of gas. Back in 1998, in the time it took you to brew a pot of coffee (because you know people NEVER start up a new pot after they finish off the last) you'd have a gallon of gas. Today? More than twice that!

That's pretty bad... but, let's see. For a scooter that's... three, times 11... um... 33 minutes of work to fill up yer tank! For a Hummer? that's fifty one, times 11... NINE AND A HALF HOURS! More than a DAY'S work to fill your tank!

Fhybrid next gen hybrid... Hydrogen + Li-ion = Futurey Goodness

This one has been making the rounds today. Thank to my boy Mark (UCF!) who found this on Engadget who got it from livescience.com courtesy of Fernando (Seen this on 2StrokeBuzz too).

Here's what the wacky guys at Engadget had to say:

Engadget: "Not the first kind of hybrid when you think of a hybrid these days, the Fhybrid scoots from points A to B with a little bit of this (hydrogen) and a little bit of that (Li-ion cells). Oh sure, they could have just made it easy and gone with the reliable old NiMH batts, but where's the fun in that? Crijn Bouman, who designed the Fhybrid at the Delft University of Technology, claims it'll hit up to 40mph and has a range of 124 miles. In other words, plenty far enough to get a mouth full of bugs."

ABC News 4 Charleston - Consumers Beat Gas Prices With Motorcycles, Scooters

ABC News 4 Charleston - Consumers Beat Gas Prices With Motorcycles, Scooters: "Rising violence in the middle east is causing crude oil prices to hit record highs.

As the price of gas soars,it's causing some drivers to look to alternate transportation means.

Some are ditching the car or sport utility vehicle and beating pump prices with scooters and motorcyles.

Scooter and motorcycle dealers may be the only ones benefiting from the high gas prices.

Mark Wysong sells scooters, moped's and motorcycles at Cyclone Motorsports. They are zooming out of his North Charleston business.

He sells a record 10 to 15 scooters a week on average and says business is up 25 percent thanks in part to the rise is gas prices.
"

Anyone Recognize this scooter?

Originally uploaded by aliusblanditia.

Sweet lookin', but I can't read the badge.

***UPDATE 7/26/06***
flashgordonmd also shot this scooter and lists it as a 1951 FM T 150 scooter (125 cc). So there you have it.

You can get even MORE info on this and other weird & wonderful scoots on this site. You have to go just to
see the Lowther... ugh.

Here's what Scooters Of All Ages say about the T 150:
Constructed mainly out of aluminium this scooter had an old and new look about it. its 125 cc two stroke engine gave a top speed of about 45mph. This Italian scooter was constructed in Milan in1951.

Quick! Vespa or Honda?

Honda Giorno Close Up
Originally uploaded by Patch_Adams.

If you guessed HONDA, you're right! Patch_Adams captured this shot in Japan. He said it's the only one he's seen there. Maybe it's more popular in Thailand. VERY Vespa inspired (if not completely ripped off), except its got a plastic instead of metal body.

It's cool and all, but check out the transparent version!
http://wapurl.co.uk/?GLD58BH

Classic fever is starting to set in.

I've been really pondering lately. Thinking about selling Uhura, my trusty Honda Helix (CN250) and move into a classic Italian. I've even flirted with the idea of (gasp!) buying a Viet restoration proving that my funding is even lower than my standards.

Jon is doing a pretty good job of talking me out of it though. If you've considered going with the Indonesian import I suggest you sit back with a cup a tea and read Jon's journal at Vespatude. I sat and read as his enthusiasm gradually fizzled over the course of a year. Poor guy. See another article here.

I've even been toying with the idea of building a Lambretta chopper. I know, I know... Sacreligious. But sooooooo fun!

This photo of two monks on a Vespa is from the mkelpie gallery which can be found here. Click to see more great shots of Vietnam.

Nigel Cox Lambretta Museum and MORE video collection

If you do a search for "in search of lambretta" on YouTube, you'll find a six part video series on the Lammy, including an interview with the legendary Nigel Cox, who you might recall, was looking to sell the museum back in May. Makes for some good watching if you're bored.

If you're too lazy to do the search yourself, here's the links... but I'm NOT going to click them for you!

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Video 5
Video 6
Video 7
Video 8

***UPDATE***
Turns out these are from a retail video available in the UK here.

Rallys make the world smaller. Japan's Big Rumbling

Proof that, though we may be miles apart we are still bound by two wheels. Aki sends us this view into the Japan's 2004 Big Rumbling. Complete with gymkhana, camping, food, impromptu scooter repairs, pyro and nudity.

Featuring "Lucky Star" from the Chocomates. Site mostly under construction.

As long as we're putting scooters to work... The Fire Scooter!

This entry comes from Aki, a Vespa rider in Japan. He wanted to show us what happens when you put a Yamaha Majesty C to work fighting fires. In this shot you can kinda make out the hose and nozzle, but I suggest clicking the title link to see it in action. I can't help but wonder... where is the water coming from?

Arigato Aki!

Another photo here.

Cycle Connections - Story of the Airborne Scooter

(I always wanted to paint up a scooter to look "military issue". Looks like some people actually own military issue scooters!)

Here's a small piece from a post by Bart over at CycleConnections. I suggest clicking on the title link to read the whole story on how Scooters were used in WWII.

Cycle Connections - Online Motorcycle Magazine: "A couple of military scooter models were quickly introduced - the United States Cushman with a channel iron frame and the United Kingdom Welbike. The Cushman civilian version pre-dated the war, and the Welbike was redesigned after the war and sold for civilian use as the popular Brockhouse Corgi. Even though they were cheap to buy, they were unpopular with the paratroopers, as the scooters were very unreliable, quite slow, and had a history of failing to start or breaking down within yards of the airborne unit’s drop zone. The paratroopers saw the motor scooters as a novelty gimmick and not worth the effort to unpack, once they hit the ground. However, if you have ever hit the ground using a parachute from WWII, I’m surprised they even started, let alone ran!"

Army Scooter. For sale???

army scooter
Originally uploaded by jet200nyc.

Check this photo out from jet200nyc. This is a shot from a flea market, but I'm not sure if it was actually for sale, or if someone was using it to get around the market. I've asked jet... we'll see if there's a response.

Can you image a find like this? Sweeeet.

Help Zac from StellaSpeed Atlanta

BuzzBomb says:

As everyone knows, Zac's accident has left him in a coma with a baby less than 2 weeks old, and a wife who is still recovering, out of work...and now trying to figure out how to be a parent, while also trying to cope with her husband's injuries.

I know Yvette and Zac would probably say "no thankyou, we'll manage somehow" if I asked if they needed help - but I know from experience that after these medical issues come up, the financial issues aren't far behind.

Zac had been wearing full gear, armored jacket, gloves, pants, boots, and he had the best helmet he could get. If not for that he wouldn't have even made it until the paramedics showed up. Why not be a good scooter samaritan and send them a donation. Just log in to PayPal, click on the Send Money tab, and use zacsfund@yahoo.com as the PayPal address/account.

Reminder

Grump
Originally uploaded by ONE/MILLION.

Don't forget to ride to work this morning!

Reminder

Hip Scooter Girls
Originally uploaded by wasta.

If you ride to work... Bring a friend

Reminder

Securité Spatiale
Originally uploaded by smiling_da_vinci.

And don't forget your briefcase!

Reminder

Originally uploaded by Pupipanu.

...and don't forget to give yourself a little extra time to get to work!

日本! 私達はあなたの助けを必要とする!

日本および読書にこのポストあれば、私達はあなたの助けを追求する。 大きい日本のスクーターのフォーラムの私達の通勤者の調査にリンクを掲示しなさい。 私は1つを見つけることができないがどの位まで人々が働くために取り替える従って私達が他の国とそれを比較してもいいか尋ねることを望む。 ありがとう!

From a Google Translation of this message:
If you are in Japan and reading this post, we seek your help. Please post a link to our commuter survey on a large Japanese Scooter Forum. I cannot find one, but would like to ask how far people commute to work so we can compare it to other countries. Thank you!

Commuter Poll - How many miles?

Hey folks! THIS Wednesday is National "Ride to Work Day", so if you own a Ruckus be sure to factor that into the equation. Wouldn't want you to get fired for coming in 2 hours late. Hehe... I kid, I kid. You might just be :45 minutes late.

Anyway, the whole "ride to work" thing brings up an interesting point. For how many of you is a daily scooter ride to work feasible? No, not if you had a Burgman 650 instead of a MadAss 50... On your favorite scooter in your garage? Could you do it on your 150cc Vespa? your 200cc Lambretta? How about your 70cc kitted Dragster? And if you DO commute to work on a scooter, how is it working out for ya?

I'll tell you the reason I ask after this poll closes next week. For right now, let us know what your daily commute looks like. We (you and I) can look at the map to see how it ranges for people in North America, Europe, Asia, etc. It'll be fun. Give it a shot!

After you cast your vote you can read up on the whole "Ride to Work" phenomenon by clicking the title link. They're on their 15th year anniversary, so get out there and make it a good one! Even if you have to leave an hour early. *wink*

Anyone recognize this scooter model?

IMG_5348.JPG
Originally uploaded by annniemal.

annniemal posted some photos of her friend on this little Italian styled metal body. If you look at the collection of photos you'll see that the passenger seat says "Honda" on the back.

A conversation with the photographer led me to conclude this with either a Honda or SYM Dakota from 1986, neither of which ring a bell with me. It IS cute though.

Any suggestions?

Mod American frontiersman?

IMG_9499
Originally uploaded by whipartist.

whipartist, who shot this photo, says:

"As I was driving back to the office, I passed this guy on a scooter and got his permission to take a picture."

Quite a character, eh? With the tasseled pants and assorted animal trappings he sorta made me think of what would happen if an old American frontiersman was a Mod.

Thanks whipartist!

Your Very Own Personal Tank - Popular Science

You may remember this 1-track oddity from a previous post. I didn't know they were pitching this as a snowmobile replacement... Anyway, take a gander of the popular science piece:

Your Very Own Personal Tank - Popular Science: "You may not have room in your garage (or budget) for a dirt bike and a snowmobile and a four-wheeler. But what if one vehicle could take the place of all three? That’s the idea behind the Hyanide, a wild concept vehicle created by German designers Oliver Keller and Tillman Schlootz for the 2006 Michelin Challenge Design. This year’s competition showcased vehicles made especially for California’s diverse and often rugged topography... The Hyanide currently exists only as a one-fifth-scale model, and Schlootz and Keller have no plans to bring a production version to market. Keep your fingers crossed, though—Hyanide’s unique drivetrain impressed a lot of automotive-industry heavy hitters at the Challenge Design. Maybe one of them has an overcrowded garage."

Japanese waste no time in pimping new VOX

Of course it was only a matter of time before the Vox (or as it will be called here the "C Cubed"), got a visit from Japan's pimp-fairy. We found a shop that will sell you the parts to make your C^3 look less like a Harley Topper and more like a head-scratching eyesore. I mean, there's a couple of nice parts in there, like the meter visor.. but nothing to make it go fast.

This is one case where I "just say no" to pimping. Without the built in violin case, it's just not the same. If you wanna see more custom C^3 gear click on the title link. (Caution, common side effects are nausea, vomiting, headache and diarrhea).

They DO have some cool stuff for the Ruckus and Big Ruckus (Zoomer and PS 250). But, you have to check out the aluminum tail fin for the little Ruckus. Rice-a-roni!

Chinese scooters not getting the cold shoulder on custom parts

(Velocity 150 seen here with its slow OEM pipe)

Like 'em or not, the Chinese clone scooters are big sellers. I'm sure you recognize the one above. Well, if you made custom performance parts you would be dumb to over look this fact. So MPR, Martin Performance Racing, has developed the "MRP Turbo Kit Dual Exhaust for the GY6 B". Simply replacing the OEM pipe with this baby give's your chinese Velocity 150 a flying sidekick in the tail end with a whopping 10MPH boost.

Unfortunately this particular pipe won't fit the Matrix or Vento due to differences in the bracket and swing arm.

If you are looking at joining the Attack of the Clones, you may want to invest $399 (MSRP) on this custom pipe. It'll likely will be the best piece of equipment on the whole scooter.

(MPR's new hotness, the elven +10 Pipe of Arse-hauling)

New jet helmet from Torx "Morris"

While snoopin' around Scooter-Infos.com, I ran into this news. French helmet maker Torx is introducing a super-fine jet helmet called "Morris". Here's the translated specs:

- Cap polycarbonate
- Approximately 1500 gr.
-3 possible configurations: écran/visière or screen or visor
- Delivered with 2 mask pivots
- ScotchGuard Interior analleric
- Entirely dismountable and washable
- fast Loop
- adjustable Screen by eccentric on pivot without plate
-2 higher ventilations/2 extractors
- Covers nape of the neck and thickness of leather cheek
- Size XS-XL
- Colour: White carbon, Silver, black, Black Carbon

I don't know anything about the comfort on a Torx helmet, but this baby is STYLISH if not a bit over the top. Kinda looks like a G-Force helmet; in a cool Mark kinda way... not in a corny Keyop kinda way.

Piaggio gives us the MP-3's North American arrival date!

Business Week has a GREAT article on how Piaggio is doing so well with their IPO and that the next item on their checklist is "strengthen market share in India, China and North America." I recommend the read... but buried in there somewhere is this little piece about the birth of the 3 wheeled scooter:

Veni, Vidi, Vespa: "THREE WHEELS GOOD. The growth of the scooter market also has a downside: As ridership grows, so do safety concerns. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), fatalities on two-wheel vehicles were up 18% to just over 4,000 deaths last year. Though motorcycle and scooter fatalities make up less than 10% of all vehicle-crash deaths, 2005 was the seventh consecutive year that fatalities had risen. Although Umesh Shankar, a mathematical statistician with the NHTSA's Center for Statistics and Analysis that puts the fatality numbers together, suggests those fatalities mostly involve larger vehicles, it's still an issue for the scooter company.

Piaggio's safety answer? A head-turning new scooter intended to allay concerns. The MP-3, which goes on sale in Europe this month, has two small wheels in front and one in back. The striking design, which will be available here in January, 2007, improves balance and makes cornering sharper and more nimble. 'People are concerned about balancing of the vehicles, being able to brake, having stability in turns, et cetera,' Timoni says. 'And so, addressing some of these concerns, the MP-3 was born.'"

Available here... January 2007 you say? Innnnteresting. All I know is this...

Piaggio, your people probably do not read TheScooterScoop... but IF they did, I would say: "Please don't make the mistake of starting out the USA with the 125cc version. A scooter of this size and weight will be expected to do at least 80MPH on the highways. If you bring the MP-3 here topping out at 65MPH, your sales will be disappointing at best. Even the 250cc version topping out at 77MPH will be a bit of a tough sell."

Now... if there were a kit to bring the 250cc's 77MPH up to 85MPH... I'd consider it. But, why not just drop the X8's 400cc motor in there and be done with it?

There was also speculation on a Hybrid Vespa... But nothing concrete. My guess? Probably not 'till 2008.

Oh, and check out this on-the-scene shot from the SUPER French site Scooter-Infos.com
Looks like the MP3 is about half a car at this point. That wind screen is HUGE!

And the winner is...

(Rodney, seen here in front of PtownScooters thinking... "HELL YES! I WON SOMETHING!")

Looks like the Rally in Portland for 2006 was another SMOKIN' success! Especially for Rodney Butler of Eugene, OR. Rodney was the lucky winner of the 2006 Sachs MadAss donated by Tomberlin and Ptown Scooters. I bet for Christmas he'll want that 70cc kit due out soon (hint to his friends and family).

Click on the title link to see more of the schweet photos posted on Scoot.net. They've got nekkid shots... Hulk fist fight shots... Spork shots... Mechanical Bull shots... Dude standing on the crapper shots... Girl Slip & Slide wrastlin' shots... Plumbers crack shots...

Portland is definitely a scooter town that I hold in high regard. Lots of great people, and some great scoot shops with people who are passionate about scooting... And when I look at the pictures and think about the fact that I couldn't be there... I say "$#!+". (like this guy does :27 seconds into the video).

For your viewing pleasure

Lone Vespa
Originally uploaded by moriza.

The last of today's "striking" series. Just some photos that caught my eye. Thanks moriza!

For your viewing pleasure

colors
Originally uploaded by Stox.

Another striking image. This one of the mocha and lime Lambretta. Cheers Stox!

Some images for your viewing pleasure

Zest
Originally uploaded by stumblintrucker.

A striking image of Soho London courtesy of Stumblintrucker.

Grand Forks Herald - GAS PRICES: Pump practicality

Grand Forks Herald | 06/06/2006 | GAS PRICES: Pump practicality: "San Antonio Express-News

SAN ANTONIO - Scooters are in, gas guzzlers are out.

Scooters range 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 come in a variety of styles and colors.

But they all have 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.

And with gas prices soaring these days, scooter operators have the last laugh: Their machines average up to 85 miles per gallon, and a fill-up costs about $5. Compared with the average big SUV, which costs at least $50 to fill up, that's quite a selling point, the scooter operators say.

'I've had my Vespa since last year, and I ride it everywhere, even to work,' said Albert Uresti, 34.

He said his scooter, a high-performance 200cc model from legendary Italian scooter maker Piaggio, gets at least 50 mpg. 'It would do even better than that if I went slower, but I like to drive fast,' he said."

Scooter upgrade time! Hook up your Vino and Metro

(Because your Metro could use all the help it can get ; )


(Sweet! Finally a new pipe for the Vino 125.)

Speaking of Vino's (from our last post), check out these new pipes from MRP (Martin Racing Performance) for the Yamaha Vino 125 and the Honda Metropolitan 50.

The Metro pipe runs about $250 (MSRP) and will give your Met a well needed 5MPH kick in the pants. The Vino pipe comes in at just under $300 (MSRP) and will "kick it up a notch" to a (BAM!) +8 MPH top speed.

Now, MRP also makes some top end kits if you really wanna light a fire under your seat. It's great (and surprising) to see a company in the USA working to create performance kits for scooters. Normally you'd have to hunt down Italian parts then pay the massive "US Dollar getting its arse kicked by the Euro" price. I'll be keeping tabs on Martin Racing to see what they have in store for us in the near future.

The dealers can be found here OR ask your local dealer to order the MRP parts for you.

Vino "BLUE SKY" Version

Tomorrow Yamaha will introduce to Japanese audiences the limited edition Vino "Blue Sky" Version. What's the big diff? Well, there's the chrome headlight body, grey seat and footboard, different grips and a new color.

Only 2000 to be made. Are we getting them here? Don't hold your breath.

They SHOULD bring us the Gear C though (seen below).

Learning to Ride

Learning to Ride
Originally uploaded by jeffb.

I just thought this was a good photo.

A scooter in Havana

scooter and sidecar
Originally uploaded by snapawayoungman.

You've seen the cars that are in Cuba. It's like a time machine. Well, same goes for their scooters apparently. Check out this mustard-n-ketchup Czeta with sidecar.

When I see a Czeta, I don't know whether to shutter in disgust or give it a big hug. Gloriously ugly.

Thanks to snapawayyoungman for sharing!

Peugeot brings more "Compressor" with the Satelis 125

(Sexy, no? Click on the title link to get the Italian review that has been masticated by Google Language Tools... and see more purdy pictures.)

You know Peugeot, the French scooter company with the hot supercharger technology? It's back in the slightly more refined Satelis. Although most of the changes are to the aesthetics, it's still more revolutionary than anything else we have here in the USA... but I know the American reader is saying... Slap that supercharger on a 500cc engine and we'll talk. WHICH, by the way, seems to be what Yamaha is doing with their new T-Max R 500 (which we will never see here).
via MotoBlog.it Gratzi!

Fatboy Slim keeps wheels of steel... drops wheels of scooter

Good old Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) is breaking the rules of rockers... Aren't they usually trying to KILL themselves? Not Norm... Since his son Woody was born he decided to stop riding. He says:

"I'm not going to ride my scooter any more because if I got knocked off it and killed, it wouldn't just be me that got hurt, I'd be leaving someone without a father."

Come on Norm! Your kids would be FINE! With all the loot they'd inherit, they could afford a house-load of fathers. But, you know what? Mark my words! You'll be back. One day, you'll be touring Italy and the smell of blue smoke will tantalize your nostrils... and you know... wear some gear and stuff. You'll be alright. I wonder what he rode anyway.

Thanks to the 2StrokeBuzz for fillin' us in!

Sweet! A mint condition1945 Vespa MP-6

MP6 (1945)
Originally uploaded by bredlo.

As it was shot back in 1945. Nice shot bredlo! Thanks for sharing!

Scoot 2 Go mentions TheScooterScoop

How I let this get by me, I'm not sure... This goes WAY back... a half year ago.
We get a big shout out from Rob at Scoot 2 Go.

Rob, from Australia, runs an excellent Scooter Podcast over at Podcast Pickle. Unfortunately, just a couple of weeks ago Rob announced that he is just too damned busy to keep it rolling lately.

Why don't you go check out the nine episodes he has posted and give him a little pat on the back in the comments area. Maybe he'll come out of retirement and produce some more pieces!

Some scooter eye-wash

Blooming Vespa
Originally uploaded by Jéjé.

Wouldn't want to end the day with a non-scooter topic, so here's a photo from Jeje, of a Vespa frolicking in the flowers. Weeee!

Breaking the rules here...

I know, I know... This is the SCOOTER scoop. We report on SCOOTERS! But, for this post, I'm going to break all the rules. First let's take a car... The SMART. I've always held a special place in my heart for the SMART. NOW, let's take a motorcycle... say... the GSX-R 1000. Put THAT engine in the Smart and what do you get? The DEVIL SMART.

If THIS thing was coming to America, I'm sure it would sell a few, OR you could just buy a regular SMART and slap the kit on yourself!
See another video here.

WTF?! Oddity of the Month... Itso Omega

If the Undertaker rode on two wheels, this would be what it would look like. Itso Kotavuopio of Tampere, Finland pulled out all the stops on this custom bike. I know... It's not a scooter, but it definitely qualifies as a two-wheeled oddity. I'd post the details here, but why don't you click on the title link to read the biker.net write up. Lots of juicy details and a couple of gratuitous girly shots to be found.




(Again, hats off to Motoblog.it for the scoop here)

This one's for you Jim! A Cannonball Run essential... Biker-P

Imagine you like to ride... NO, you REALLY like to ride... for hours on end. You don't wanna eat, you don't wanna drink, you want to RIDE.

Well, if you're a guy, Biker-P let's you ride forever... or at least until you gotta poop fill your tank. Pretty much a cap and a tube that slides down your pants leg. This works a bit better for motorcycles as you'd have to stick your leg out from behind the leg shields to not wet your floorboard.

I can see the value in it, but I'll stick with hittin' my local Micky D's when the urge arises.
(Thanks to motoblog.it for the scoop!)

Scooting around: Gas prices boost popularity of European trend

Another nice little "scooters are getting popular in America" article. Here's a snippet.

Scooting around: Gas prices boost popularity of European trend: "The number of scooters on the road has gone up along with gas prices in recent years, and local dealers say they're seeing an increase in sales.

Scooters, after all, can get up to 80 miles a gallon — and their drivers don't even need air conditioners to beat the summer heat.

While the moped-like vehicles haven't yet received much attention here in the United States, their huge popularity in Europe may finally be spreading to America.

"It's hard to say why it's taken so long, since the fuel prices in Europe have been a lot higher than what we're paying here for a long time," said Mike Mount, spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Council. "In the last several years we've had Vespa return to the U.S. market ... In 2003 Suzuki entered with Burgman ... and Honda and Yamaha have been offering customers what they're asking for."

It ends with:
"I think that the market is healthy," he said. "The more people see scooters on the road, the more they'll think about them."

True indeed.

Viet Nam News - Ultimate Small body Vespa... 7mm

(Not even a half an inch in length, but soooOOooo cute!)

Viet Nam News: "Out of his 300 works, Nam likes the Vespa motorcycle the most. Nam tried to remember all of the Vespa’s parts. Then he found the necessary material and finished it after three months. The Vespa is only 7mm in length, but it still has four wheels and a Vespa logo.

Nam has just finished a bicycle and cyclo with a number plate.

Eye strain

To make his dream come true, Nam has been facing many challenges.

In making small models, Nam uses his eyes and hands. He doesn’t use any modern equipment, choosing instead just a small knife, scissors and tweezers.

A doctor has warned him to protect his eyes. Nam works many hours continuously and often focuses on one point so intensely that his eyes get easily exhausted. But he uses a magnifier only to assess his products after they are finished. The difficulty is that his magnifier is not professional-strength.

'When I work, I must pay close attention,' Nam said, 'I often work in the morning under the light of sun.

'I do not dare to start a second Vespa motor scooter. After I finished the Vespa motorbike, especially the logo, I saw black and my hands were trembling.'"

Seattle scooter panarama

Just a tiny post. Check out this nice turn out on a sunny Seattle Sunday afternoon. Caution... takes a while to load. There's a lot of scooters in there.

Buy one condo, get a side serving of Vespa FREE!

Two projects break ground - The Denver Business Journal:: "...a condominium development named Blueprint, is going up at the southeast corner of Colfax Avenue and Madison Street (in Colorado). The project will include ground-floor retail, a car service for residents and a dog-walking service.

Blueprint is scheduled to open next summer. The project will have 39 condos of between 1,300 and 1,700 square feet. The units will sell from the $100s to $400s. As an added incentive, developer Place LLC will give a Vespa to every buyer.
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