Skills, He Has Them

And you thought you were talented?

Smart Tossing?

In Amsterdam there appears to have been a rash of vandalism incidents in which Smart cars are being pushed into nearby canals.

DutchAmsterdam.nl is reporting that several Smart and Canta cars have totally destroyed by late night troublemakers looking for a thrill.



Let's hope this boneheaded behavior doesn't spread.

City of Austin rolls out free parking for scooters!

On July 17th., the City of of Austin passed a new scooter and motorcycle ordinance that has me VERY excited.  Austin City Connection had a little something to say about it and it goes like this:

"Recent City Council action on the new parking ordinance included an incentive to reduce carbon emissions of motorists in the urban core.  Now two-wheeled vehicles, including motorcycles, mopeds and scooters will be allowed to park for free for up to 12 hours per day in parking areas at all City of Austin meters and pay stations".

Now parking has never been easier for those working in Austin, especially downtown. I hope this trend catches on in other cities as well. :)

I do have one problem however... It might be a bit premature to say we are "reducing carbon emissions" with this ordinance.  There are many factors that may make this a truth or untruth.  Your old, 1969 Kawasaki Mach III motorcycle is going to produce more carbon emissions than a Chevy Volt buzzing around downtown, but your 2009 Yamaha T-Max with its electronic fuel injection and catalyzed muffler is going to burn cleaner than most of the 4 wheeled vehicles downtown.  I would have said "this ordinance was to reduce congestion".  The idea is to get people used to riding smaller vehicles downtown.  A lightweight vehicle with a smaller footprint is also easier to power with alternative fuels, so as people get used to riding smaller they are also opening the market up for more opportunities in the electric car sector.  If you reward people for riding 2-wheelers to get them out of Expeditions, the move to a tiny electric car would seem like an upgrade... or at least that seems logical to me.

Shout out to Fred Brown for the scoop!  Although... I'm a bit chagrined that my inside girl (madtolive) didn't hook us up with the supa-fresh, as-it-was-happening scoop.  Wassup Jaz?  You don't call, you don't write, you don't even give us the scoop no more!  :P~

Boston is about to get some parking problems

(image courtesy of the badparking blog)

The Boston Globe - Scooter law revving up worry
By - Peter DeMarco
On July 31, a new state law will kick in that could require license plates for hundreds, if not thousands, of scooter owners whose bikes are smaller and sleeker than motorcycles, yet slightly faster than old-fashioned mopeds. Because of their diminutive size, such scooters - including Mayen’s top three Vespa sellers - usually pass for mopeds and enjoy the enormous perk of free sidewalk parking. But no longer.

With mandatory license plates, such scooters will be kicked off Boston sidewalks, because city rules require any plated vehicle to be parked in the street. And that’s likely to spell parking nightmares for scores of Boston-area scooter owners, who will now have to battle with cars and trucks for precious on-street spaces and metered spots.

So, sidewalk scooter parking has been a-ok in Bostom, MA.  Do you live in a city that allows sidewalk scooter parking?  If so, how does it fare for pedestrians?  Does it cause significant sidewalk congestion or safety concerns?  We don't have that option here in Austin, believe me I've got the ticket to prove it.

Thanks to @btrandolph and @jeffcutler for the twitter scoop!

The 2010 SH150i gets the once-over

Adam Waheed got his hands on the new Honda SH150i and presents his findings on Motorcycle-USA.
It's stirred up an impressive amount of feedback on their site.  Why dontcha give it a read and let us know what YOU think... Though I bet I already know some of the comments.  My guesses?
What took so long?  Where's the 300?  And Why so much?

Here's some responses:
"Who the heck knows"... "Who the heck knows"... and "Sure a but pricy, but only a hundred bucks more than the Vespa LX150".  Anyone see one in person in the USA yet?

***UPDATE 7/6/2009***
Our old friends at Motorcycle.com also gave her the "who's yer daddy" just nine days ago.  You can see Alfonse Palaima's take by going to Motorcycle.com (ALSO with lots of frenzied feedback).

Happy 4th of July from The Scooter Scoop!

Here's wishing you a safe, happy and scootin' Independence Day!

What's so good about a small, lightweight bike?

Raffaele De Rosa's Amazing Knee-Riding Save - Watch more Funny Videos
You can't do THIS on a big bike... Raffaele De Rosa is on a 250cc 2-stroker that weighs in at about 220lbs. Way to handle it De Rosa!