The key to maintaining National Security? Cutting back consumption.

(Click the "story" link below for the original NPR piece or else I'll spray you with patchouli!)

Today on NPR's All Things Considered there was a story on importance of energy conservation. The story can be summed up with a quote from Ashton Carter, the new undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, who says:

"As you look out over the scenarios and the sources of conflict and the sources of threat to the United States, you see one after another that is driven by energy or in which energy is an important consideration."

So, there you have it. Aston is basically saying the USA is like a Lion in the Bugs Bunny cartoons. Keep feeding us and we are pretty docile, but threaten our supplies and suddenly your oil rich country looks like a pork chop with legs. The short term solution is to put this Country on an energy diet. Our military is already eatin' their greens.

The little scoot that could - Scooter sales still on top

(scooters are also attracting attention, even in today's sucky economy)

Here's a recent piece from Motorcycle Product News that notes that while the powersports segment it takin' it in the shorts, scooters are still a relatively attractive seller.  Check out the first couple of paragraphs or click on the title link to read the whole story.

If you'd talked to anyone selling scooters one year ago, they should have been ecstatic. New unit sales of scooters were up nearly 80 percent in 2008 compared to 2007, with $4-per-gallon pump prices driving cost-conscious consumers to two-wheels in droves.

The MIC just released first quarter sales results for 2009, and results across the board aren't exactly stellar, especially in the scooter segment: New unit sales across all segments of powersports were down 31.7 percent for the first three months of 2009, while scooters were down 36.7 percent, from 8,402 units in the year-ago quarter to 5,322 in 2009.

While those numbers might make you rethink taking on a scooter line in this precarious market, I'm still of the opinion that as the market begins to recover, scooters are going to represent a growing piece of the pie.

One important thing to remember is that the MIC figures only take into consideration the sales of a few major OEMs. While the Italian and Japanese OEMs do account for a great number of the scooters sold in the U.S., one need only stroll the aisles of Dealer Expo to see the great number of import brands from other Asian nations that aren't being tallied by the MIC. These units in general sell at much lower price points than the units from the major OEMs, and many brands have begun to rival the big boys when it comes to quality.

Scooter System upgrades gallery - Now SUPER sweet

(Before the Speeder Bike there was the Sprinter Scoot)

Just noticed our French friends over at Scooter System have upgraded their custom photo gallery with some really well done photography work.  Click on the title link to see an example.  Be careful though, if you start looking now your day will quickly slip away.  

A little news bit on scooter sales

Hollywood Holt gets flattery from a scooter crew

You remember "Throw a kit", right?  How could you NOT?  Well TheBuhayProject has put together a version they describe like this:

A parody of Throw a kit by Hollywood holt but instead of mopeds, this one's for the scooters.  It's about Honda Sprees and when it comes to fixing them, just clean the carb... and RIDE lol!  Written by Myself and Vincent, along with help from members of www.hondaspree.net thanks guys! visit the site for scooter help and a good time =P

enjoy

if you really want to download the song, or just listen to it without the video, heres the link www.myspace.com/thebuhayproject

Thanks to Tim L. for scooping us on this one.  Now he's got something for the headset when it's rollin' on his custom Spree!

June 13, Minneapolis - BE THERE!

I've never been to Minneapolis, but this looks like a good excuse.  Check out what Sean sent me:

Los Vesparados combines the cult following of scooters with a line up of local and international artists working in different styles and mediums to celebrate the spirit of the scooter. Join us Saturday June 13, 2009 at the Northrup King Building in Northeast Minneapolis in what is to hopefully become the first of many annual scooter art shows.

Features include:

+ Over 25 local and international artists will show a variety of art—from painting and print editions to metal and jewelry.
+ An impromptu scooter exhibition in the parking lot (ride your scooter here and be part of the show!)
+ DJ spinning mod tunes
+ Raffle to win a buddy scooter
+ Projections of scooter movies and commercials throughout the venue

Confirmed Artists:

Adam Turman | Aleksandra Stancevic | Andre Knaebel | Andrea Horne | Angel Bomb | Brian Sago | Chank Diesel | Charles Youel | Dan Marshall | Emmy Lingscheit | Ethan Arnold | Greg Meyers | James Provost | Karin Jacobson | Kristen Arden | Maisa Ferreira | Mark Pilon | Mike Elko | Nate Christopherson | Nate Johannes | Nate Ronniger | Nick Shale | Sara Jorde | Scott Shore | Sean Tubridy | Steve Tenebrini | Annie Wang | Keiko Yagishita

The co-hosts Sean Tubridy of Blue Over Blue and Todd Thyberg of Angel Bomb Design are avid scooter enthusiasts and active fixtures in the Minneapolis art scene. Both are excited to present Los Vesparados 2009.

So, tell the Swine flu to "STEP OFF!" and book your tickets to see this thing.  If you love art and you love scooters, chances are you'll love this show.  Oh, and you might wanna bring your checkbook too.  Thanks Sean for the scoop!