Vespaway

Springtime means change is in the air

It has been quiet here of late. I recently started a new job which has occupied my attention for a bit, and Jonathan became a father and moved across country! But another more important reason for the quiet: I have been waiting on some big changes to occur to the Vespa blogging world. Finally the changes have taken place, so I am happy to announce that Crystal Waters of Vespaquest is coming to join me here at Vespaway!

Crystal and I have been chatting about scootering stuff offline since we met a year ago when we both started blogging for Vespa. I am very excited to be able to continue that dialogue here on Vespaway for the benefit of the Vespa blog readers. Crystal & I have a couple of ideas that I think people will really enjoy. I don’t want to talk about them just yet, but I think that combining our talents on a single Vespa blog will yield some interesting results! Look for Crystal’s first post this week.

I want to thank Jonathan for having been such a wonderfully interesting writer & partner here on Vespaway this past year. It goes without saying that without his voice (as well as Justene’s voice on Vespaquest) the vespa blogging experiment would not have been nearly as enjoyable. 

As luck would have it, just as Crystal is coming on board I will be going away for a few days to London. I will return on Wednesday of next week. Until then, have a happy St. Patrick’s day!

Italians make solar powered "scooter"

I guess when you get tired of riding Vespas in Rome, you can unfold one of these neat thing:

  Sun-powered traffic-beater can be packed away like a bag (ANSA) Rome, March 3 - A group of young Italians has come up with a solar-powered scooter you can put under the desk or stairs after it helps you beat inner-city traffic .

Nicknamed 'Sunny', the three-wheeler has a top speed of a nifty 20 kph and sufficient oomph to keep weaving through the logjams for a full working day - with enough power left for a night on the town .

"We've really come a long way since Sunny was launched as a prototype in October," said project leader Domenico Iacurto, who heads a five-man team working in a small town north of Rome, Fabrica di Roma near Viterbo .

"We've upped the power and the operational range as well as improving the design" .

After it has tooled you round town, Sunny can be packed away like a trolley bag, Iacurto says .

"The panels fold up like a book, the front wheel disappears and the saddle retracts into Sunny's body" .

The Italian invention, which weighs a mere 30kg, is one of the stars of a Rome show this weekend on eco-friendly vehicles .

Source

Puzzling evidence of an Art Vespa

Competition was strong but there had to be one: Vespa SA congratulates Brad Schmidt of Gendel Advertising, who will be driving away on his new Vespa LX, which he won for his cutting-edge design in the Art Vespa 2005 competition.

Not going home empty handed are David Nieuwenhuizen from Wasp Advertising (second), Miguel Nunes from Lowe Bull (third), Jeni-Anne Weitz from 24 Carrots (fourth) and Mandie van der Merwe from Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town (fifth) who will be taking home Vespa watches.

Vespa SA and its advertising partner Guerrilla Marketing created an interactive email competition challenging the country's creative minds to design a unique Art Vespa.

Schmidt submitted several designs, but it was his jigsaw-puzzle Art Vespa, that took four hours to complete, that got him first prize.

When asked what motivated him to enter, he says: "With the personality of Vespa and an open brief, it was an amazing opportunity to be really fun and creative."

Article Source

Vespa Places Full Page Open Letter to U.S. Mayors Ad in NY Times

Owning a scooter is a political statement. It is not politics in the way that Republicans or Democrats define them. You are neither hippie nor elitist because you drive a scooter. No, the new breed of scooterist is a true utilitarian. We drive these bikes because they get us from point A to point B fast & because they cost less money to fuel up than cars do. For urban dwellers like myself, scooters are THE most superior, efficient, quickest way to get around the city. No other transportation method can compete with in the urban traffic snarl. In most cases scooter cost less than the bus or the train. And the bus & train don’t drop you off at the front door… but your scooter does!

It is my mission in life to further the political agenda of scootering. All scooters are good (even non Vespas), because every scooter that is sold in America today raises the awareness of others about scootering. Every scooter sold empowers another American to be more independent, and take control over gas prices, tolls, & traffic.

But we are at the precipice of a critical time in scootering history in America. I do not believe there has been any other time in American history when so many scooters have been sold to the American public. The numbers of scooterist are growing in America. But in the urban centers of this country, we have not reached a point at which our voices are being heard. There are enough scooterist around to be unhappy with the lack of parking but not enough to be considered a valued constituent.

All of this will change over time. The next few years will be rough, but as the ranks grow (and they WILL grow), we will be noticed. Actions taken like the one today by Vespa will begin to raise our profile. Like any other movement whose message is right, we need to speak out.

I do not have any images of the ad that Vespa placed in the NY Times yet, but the text of the ad follows below:

February 21, 2006

Open letter to all U.S. mayors concerned with America’s oil consumption

To attain the ambitious goal of breaking America’s “addiction to oil,” the President has recently focused on the need to invest in alternative fuel technologies. However, there is also a behavioral approach that could greatly reduce this nation’s energy consumption, while helping to preserve our environment and reduce traffic congestion.

The use of motor scooters - a daily behavior of millions of people across Europe and Asia - is only marginally embraced in the United States. Everyday in this country, millions of individuals drive their cars in locations and situations where motor scooters would be perfectly appropriate and convenient. Instead, if they were to utilize one of the latest eco-friendly motor scooters available in the market today - those compliant with the most stringent European and American regulations on gas emissions - they would, on average, reduce their fuel consumption by 58%, their emissions of carbon monoxide by 90%, and their emissions of carbon dioxide by 80%.

With the launch of the first Vespa in 1946, our company started a movement that has substantively improved transportation in countries around the world. Consistent with the President’s energy utilization goals, we believe the time has come to expand the range of transportation solutions also in the United States.

We encourage you to broaden the dialogue about energy self-sufficiency to include both technological solutions and behavioral ones, fostering acceptance of alternative transportation, such as scootering. With your support - as well as that of other federal, state and local government leaders - scootering would bring immediate and substantial economic and environmental benefits to Americans and the communities in which they live.

We remain at your disposal should you wish to discuss this opportunity further.
Sincerely,
Paolo Timoni
President and CEO
Piaggio Group Americas

Read up on scooters

A new publication from our friends across the pond:

If you fancy finding our more about scooters, then the sixth book on the subject by afficionado Eric Dregni should be up your street.

  "Everything you need to know: Scooters" is out now and includes such trivia gold as Mitsubushi producing the Silver Pigeon scooter, and Vespa turning down a picture of Raquel Welch in a bikini for the firm's 1965 calendar.

You get information on the history of the scooter, safety and maintenance tips, and even a buying guide for girls. And the book also traces the history of Mod fashion, and the scooter rally and club scene.

Vespa Enthusiasts deliver Lunar New Year Goodies to the Elderly in Singapore

A group of 40 scooter riders were zipping around Singapore this morning to deliver Lunar New Year snacks to the less fortunate.

Spotted on the roads this morning; 40 vintage Vespa scooters cruising in a convoy.

The bikers were going around Singapore to deliver red packets, mandarin oranges and sacks of rice to the old folks' homes.

Aziz Omar said, "I feel great knowing that we can assist the elderly, even the poor for that matter. On Hari Raya, we all got together to do one for the poor. Now for Chinese New Year, we do one for the old and the aged."

Philip Xavier added, "In Singapore we always say multiracial so its nice to get together with all our friends, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Eurasian, others. It's nice to meet one another as a family."

Article link

New Yorker discovers the true pizza of Naples

Check out this New Yorker's adventure in Italy! Vespas and pizza in Naples... perfect together :)

Pizza as we know it was invented at Lombardi's—then a bakery—around 1895, inspired by flatbreads fabricated in Naples since Roman times. Heck, Pompeii boasted a pizzeria. Earlier this year I made a Neapolitan pilgrimage to trace the origins of America's favorite pie. That charming city, where laundry hangs from every window in trash-strewn streets, is as enamored of pizza as we are. In fact, Naples reminded me of Brooklyn; both places you can hardly walk a block without passing a pizzeria. The pizzas are strikingly different, however. Naples's are a foot in diameter, calculated to satisfy only one person. Delivered uncut, the pies must be eaten with silverware, and it's comical to see an Italian boho clad in jeans and torn sweatshirt hop off a Vespa, run into a pizzeria, then daintily scarf her pie with a knife and fork. (read the rest)

"Vespas are funny" writes Wonkette

I am not sure what wonkette was trying to get at when she wrote that Vespas are funny? Is it funny that I save on gas? Is it funny that my commute is shorter? Is it funny that my quality of life is greatly improved? Is it funny that owning a Vespa in a major metropolitan area means mobility unsurpassed by any other means?

I guess she was trying to get a shot in on Harold Ickes, who is a Democratic political gun for hire who rides a Vespa & had an accident. But then, she must not realize that Vespas are independents and cannot be tied to any one political ideology. I know plenty of Republicans that drive Vespas. I guess she missed my blog entry on Republican lobbyist Erick Gustafson who rides a Vespa around DC. I bet Erick Gustafson gets twice the lobbying in a day than any other lobbyist.

And this isn't a rant on saving gas or the environment either. Is it great that a Vespa gets 60-80MPG? Yes! Do I care that it is saving the environment? NO! I am a utilitarian. I want the most efficient way to get from point A to point B. To be efficient it has to be cheap, fast & easy. The Vespa covers all of those bases in an urban environment AND it is stylish to boot.

In fact, I challenge anyone to a race. My Vespa versus their car or train or bus. In short & medium distances in urban environments my Vespa will beat you hands down. Won't that be funny?

Yeah it would :)

 

The Vespa Sound System

I got a ton of emails on this, and I know that I am late in posting it. For the record this is not the first time I have seen this concept. It isn't even the second or third time I have seen it. There are a bunch of home made systems on Vespas out there. I will dig around for some pics of them. Until then, here is the article from engadget:

We're pretty sure that this won't work with the Engadget Harley, and it's certainly not as cool as the Vespa Puter, but for our more refined European audience we present the mobile Stereo System with iPod dock by Scooterworks. The system is actually a do-it-yourself kit for Vespa Stella and P-series models that includes an amp, two 4-inch Alpine speakers, replacement glovebox door with pre-cut holes, and a cradle/connector for hooking up your 'pod or other DAP. We're pretty sure that you could piece together your own scooter-mounted stereo for less than the $300 that this costs, but if you're really trying to save some loot, the not-recommended-by-us, cruising-around-with-headphones-on method still can't be beat.

Scooter Taxis in Paris

My friend Ms aawaters on the NY Scooter Club Forum found this interesting tid bit in the Wall Street Journal today:

This morning's Wall Street Journal reports on the Parisian company Citybird, a taxi service that relies on select Piaggio and Suzuki scooters.

"A quick analysis also indicated that large motorcycles were too big to squeeze through traffic jams and too costly to operate. Instead, they selected top-of-the-line Piaggio and Suzuki motorscooters, which are cushier than the compact and classic Vespa. The models use about half the fuel of a large motorcycle and offer lots of storage space for bags. And the partners figured that for most trips, it wouldn't matter that scooters don't move as fast as motorcycles."

Citybird's target customers are an upscale crowd. The main appeal: guaranteed punctuality and significantly shorter trips. During rush hour, Citybird promises it can slash the travel time between central Paris and the airport from around 90 minutes to 30 minutes.

The NYC Motorcycle Show

The show this year was a bit of a let down as compared to years past. I just felt like there wasn’t much of a wow factor at the show. Admittedly it was fantastic to see a nice big Piaggio presence. The GTS was on display in prime position and it looked great. I am just mesmerized by the digital display on the bike. On top of that the improved shocks, extra 50ccs and fuel injection are all major improvements. I am hoping to test drive one in the next month or two (as I did with the GT). When I get my hands on one, I will certainly be writing about it here.

Aprilia is now part of Piaggio so there more scooters than just the LX, GT & GTS on display in the booth. Check out the pic of the 500cc Scarabeo that was one display. Now that is A LOT of scooter.

Aside from Piaggio & company, even though other vendors had scooters on display they were usually pushed towards the back and sales folks just did not have any interest in answering questions about them. I think that’s a pretty sad state of affairs when scootering seems to be taking off in urban America.

But some vendors were making an attempt to reach the scooter community. The folks at Yourbikeyourshirt.com were very quick to point out that amongst the many designs they embroider on their shirts, Vespas were included.

The people from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course given at Farleigh Dickenson University were there as well. I have spoken about the MSF before, and FDU happens to be where I took my course. I think the safety course is a must for all new riders. When I took the course I learned on a motorcycle. However the guys at the booth were very eager to mention to me that they are trying to reach the scooter community and will be running a once a month course customized for scooterists! So please contact them or your local MSF folks and enroll in a course soon. It will save your life! Keep up the good work MSF!

Screen Actors Guild Awards Presenters get Vespa Treat!

I have heard that Hollywood party bags can be pretty good when attending events, but imagine getting a Vespa! Granted it appears to only be a 3 months loaner.. but still it's sweet, way to go marketing folks at Vespa :)

Presenters at the upcoming Screen Actors Guild Awards will get the chance to speed off on a trendy Vespa motorcycle as part of the backstage gift bag.

Vespa bosses are giving the stars a free three-month lease option on the scooters in the hope that SAG Awards guests will enjoy the ride so much, they'll buy a bike.

Story

Orlando Museum of Art: 120 years of motorcycles

What's the subject of Florida's hottest art exhibition? Manets? Monets? Mummies?

Try motorcycles. A fleet of more than 70 streamlined, sensuous, and seductive motorcycles rolling into the Orlando Museum of Art Jan. 22 through July 23 in an exhibit that explores the motorcycle as both cultural icon and design achievement.

If the exhibition sounds familiar, think back to 1998 when Art of the Motorcycle was one of most popular presentations ever displayed at New York's Guggenheim Museum. The exhibit later set attendance records in Las Vegas and Memphis.

Now, in its exclusive Florida showing, the most expertly designed motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds will challenge conventional assumptions about art and popular culture.

And it'll look darned cool while doing it.

Read the rest here 

Shout Out: Vespa Club Los Gatos!

Hello Vespa Club Los Gatos! Scooter rides on the first Sunday of the month. Meet: 10 a.m. in front of Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Co., 101 W Main St., Los Gatos. Leave: 11 a.m. Ride determined at meet. Visit them online.

If you know of other scooter clubs or events around the country, send me an email.

Year End Riding Stats Part 3

Here are some more year end stats to inspire you all for the coming year. Tricia B writes:

Months ridden : 12
Miles ridden : Probably 2000. For the first 4 months I didn't ride often. Practicing and waiting to get into the MSF class. Now my primary mode of transportation. (An ET4 and a Yamaha Riva)   
$ saved on parking alone:  None because I didn't park a car before, but I have probably saved $2000 in cab fare.
Tickets: 2.
Drops : None.
Maintaince : $500 (for 2 scooters both bought used needing new tires etc.)
Price for used ET4 $3100. Price for used Riva $650
Cost per week to fill up $4.00 plus or minus

More Year End Riding Stats

Joe G writes:

Months ridden : 12
Miles ridden :    on scooters only, probably around 3,000, 1K on the ET2 and 2K on the X9 (since Sep-2005).
$ saved on parking alone: $4500 based on a parking a car in a $375/mo. space... fairly typical for my neighborhood.
Tickets: 3.
Drops : None.
Maintaince : $120.00 of shop maintenance, about $50 of self-installed parts.
Price for New Piaggio X9: $... not cheap. But I didn't pay list either, by a long shot.
Cost per week to fill up $8.00 plus or minus for the X9, $4.00/wk for the ET2.

And Arthur B, PhD writes:

I bought the Vespa GT in September, 2005 I have 1600 miles on it.
I ride to work and back mostly.
This month in KC has not been a good riding month.
It costs about $2.50 to fill per week.
It is a great machine and a great way to move from A to B.

NYCTransit Strike Day 3: An End in Sight

According to a press conference held today, it looks as if the strike may be coming to an end. As early as this evening trains may be running again. Amidst all of this, the press missed out on the obvious story: Scooters. The most I could find written about scooters was this press release on the autochannel entitled "Motor Scooters Help New Yorkers Get Around Transit Strike". Nothing else was written scooters, which just astounds me. Perhaps scooterists are not a big enough population yet for the news to take notice of? I know the city of New York does not treat scooterists and other 2 wheeled motor vehicles very well. But this will change over time, the scooter movement is only just getting started. Everyone should think of scooters as I do: their own personal political agenda. Not a political agenda of environmentalism, because that is not why I ride. A political agenda of practicality. Scooters truly are the superior urban vehicle. There is no other form of transportation that is cheaper and quicker in any urban environment.

The MTA did not win this strike, and neither did the transit workers. The scooterists won this strike. And we will keep on winning whenever New York City is paralyzed with strikes, or blackouts, or gridlock, or other major events that disrupt the ability of people to move about.

NYC Transit Strike Day 2

I caught this photo on the news wires yesterday. Scooterists fighting with cabs is a normal occurrence in NYC every day, but I guess when they are the ONLY two types of vehicles allowed on the road in Manhattan (except for cars with at least 4 people) it becomes a newsworthy pic to snap. A lot of scooterists on the various discussion boards out there have made note of the lack of news coverage on scooterists making it in. Yet we have all seen and continue to see scooterists riding around Manhattan unfettered! One comment on the news was overheard yesterday by a fellow scooterist:
"I saw someone on one of those scooters coming across the Brooklyn Bridge." - NBC4 News at 9:25

The New York Scooter Club Holiday Party

The New York Scooter Club threw one heck of a Holiday party last night. In a very short time we have seen a tremendous number of people join the community of New York City areas scooterists. We had over 70 people attend last night's event and I have a feeling that next year it will be much, much bigger. If you are in the New York City area and have not visited the club yet, you should definately do so! If you are visiting from out of town anytime also feel free to contact the club!

Here is a picture of the New York Scooter Club organizers. They are truly a great bunch of people who have all come together to create something special in NYC. Click to enlarge, from left to right they are: Joe, Herb, Theo, Allison, Me, David, Jonathan & Johnny

For MANY more pictures of the event, check out the pics on my blog as well as the pics on the club blog.

It's A Wrap!

As your recall, I wrote about this wrapping contest that involved an LX as it's grand prize. I suggested that perhaps the potential winner ought to wrap the Vespa itself to win it. That is, in fact, what happened! Check it out.

Doug Alves, a gift-wrapping guru from Fresno, Calif., was crowned "America's Most Gifted Wrapper" for 2005 in a national gift-wrapping contest sponsored by the maker of Scotch brand Tape.

Amid throngs of holiday revelers at Rockefeller Center today, Alves used breathtaking speed, flair and style to out-wrap seven other gift-wrapping experts in the ninth annual Scotch Brand Most Gifted Wrapper Contest, earning the ultimate holiday prize: $10,000 and the new Vespa LX Scooter he wrapped during the competition. With bows, ribbons and Scotch brand Tape in hand, Alves and his worthy competitors wrapped gifts of silver, gold and diamonds - a silver Sharp Aquos LCD TV, gold saxophone and brand new Vespa scooter accompanied by a diamond-encrusted helmet

Scooting in Rome with GPS

What a fantastic read this article in the NY Times is about a reporter who decides to go to Rome and see it the way Romans do:  on a scooter.  Of course he wanted to add an American twist: GPS. This article is well worth a full read beyond what I quote here.

TO mark my 40th birthday, I did something I am told has never been done in the history of Italy: I bought a Global Positioning System navigator and mounted it on my scooter, with the intention of actually finding my way around the streets of Rome.

This is exactly the ridiculous sort of thing Italians expect foreigners to get up to. We seem to think there are sure answers in life, especially electronic ones. We have the idea that Rome is supposed to be navigated efficiently. Our sense of form and function is tragically off.

"It's like putting a seatbelt on a motorino!" Gianluca Nicoletti, a popular radio personality, told me, using the common word here for scooter. "It's like having a spare tire on a motorino!"

"The motorino is a vehicle outside the rules," he added. "You can go up sidewalks, in pedestrian zones, down one-way streets. What do you need G.P.S. for?"

I had tried to explain this very need to the scooter repairman, who had to fix everything I broke on my scooter trying to install G.P.S. - which locks onto navigational satellite signals, plots a route and even tells you in a little robotic voice where to go - in the first place.

"I know it looks stupid to you," I said. "But for a stranger, it is really useful." I don't know if it was my bad Italian, or the thing itself, but he made no vocal acknowledgment, which in my experience is rare here. His face was blank, too.

Have you ever gift wrapped a Vespa?

No? Me neither. I would just slap a bow on it and call it a day. But not these people. They wrap anything. Although they haven't wrapped a Vespa yet, they are in a gift wrapping contest with a Vespa as the top prize. The contest is known for it's unusually difficult items to wrap, and it would be no surprise if the Vespa prize was required wrapping to win.

Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to the Christmas season.

CNN Money says LX makes a great xmas gift

CNN money listed the LX150 as suggested Christmas gift #2 here at this link. While it is true, the LX is an awesome bike, buying someone a Vespa for Christmas is like buying them a puppy. Please make sure they are ready for such an edeavor before purchasing. For instance, perhaps you might like to purchase a motorcycle safety foundation course with the bike, so that the new owner can be properly trained.

Buying a house/condo? Get a scooter free! PART 2

Just as I have already mentioned, it seems this whole buy a home get a scooter free idea is catching on, especially in Urban areas. This time it has spread to Scotland:

THEY are synonymous with Italian style and more commonly seen whizzing around the congested streets of Rome.

But a fleet of Vespas could soon be hitting the road in Edinburgh after a property developer offered a free scooter with every home.

Edinburgh-based Bett and Bryant says Jamie Oliver's transport of choice is the perfect answer to beating the Capital's rush-hour traffic.

Every new resident of the upmarket Strada development in Pilton Drive will be given a Vespa if they buy one of the £230,000 flats before December 16.

Buying a house/condo? Get a scooter free!

Is this a new trend? Two articles, one on buying a condo in NYC and the other about buying a house in India both offering scooters as incentives. The condo in NYC is offering shiney new LXs.

Check out the NYC condo article

Check out the India house article

I’m that “300-pound linebacker on the seat.”

I came across an article in which a large framed football player talks about his prefered method of transportation (the scooter) and how he has taken some flak for it:

You see, my alternative campus transportation of choice is one of those cute little motorized scooters they speak of — I’m that “300-pound linebacker on the seat.”

Anyway, I’ll admit that I might look like a “grand spectacle” to those I pass on my scooter. And while they may be smiling and laughing, they aren’t laughing at me, they’re laughing with me, because it’s just plain fun to have the wind in your face while you’re jetting around campus at roughly the same speed or slower than the average biker without going through the chore of pedaling.

So why do I ride a scooter? Do I think I’m a badass football player because I have something others don’t? No. Do I feel like Harry and Lloyd in “Dumb and Dumber” on their way to Aspen? Sometimes. Am I just too plain lazy to bike? Probably. But after waking up at 5:15 a.m. in the dead of winter every day of the week and going through three hours of running and lifting weights only to finish and realize that most of campus hasn’t even thought of waking up yet, it’s kind of nice to not have to use any more than steering muscles.

Read the rest here

My Journey to See Bill Clinton

Did I mention I shook Bill Clinton’s hand on Wednesday? It was quite an event but the journey there makes for a great scooter story! Here it is:

It’s 3pm on a Wednesday. You are sitting in a downtown Manhattan office and a friend of yours calls to say that he has gotten you 2 tickets to see Bill Clinton speak tonight in Jersey City. The event starts at 7:30 but you must be there by 5:30/6PM to go through security checks. To complicate matters more, you must pick up the tickets in Bayonne and get changed before going. To complicate matters even more, you want to take your friend with you who also works in downtown Manhattan and also must get home (to Jersey City) to change before going. What do you do?

Well, if you own a car and drive in, you are screwed. Traffic leaving the Holland Tunnel starts at 3pm, and peaks between 4-6PM. You can’t even leave until 4pm otherwise your boss will have a fit.

If you took a train in your are screwed. Even though both you and your friend can take the same line to get to your houses, it will still take about an hour to get there, and then you will have to switch off to a car to make the trip back into Jersey City and there is sure to be lots of traffic even locally that time of day.

So how is it possible to leave Soho at 4PM, pick up your friend in the West Village, drop him off in Jersey City, get to downtown Bayonne, pick up tickets, go to uptown Bayonne, get changed, go back to Jersey City to pick up your friend and then get across town to where the event is being held and make it by 6PM? To be sure, the distance is not great, only about 16 miles in total; but we are talking about the busiest time of day in one of the heaviest trafficked regions in America. IT could take a car 2 hours just to get through the Holland Tunnel at 4pm on a weekday. There is only one way to do all of this in 2 hours or less my friends and it is called a scooter. (click on the map to see destination points)

Here is my timeline:

4PM leave work and go hop on scooter, which is parked on the corner of Thompson & Broome. I make an illegal right on red as I am in a hurry (in NJ it is legal, in NY is illegal). Just as I am doing so an undercover cop hits his horn. Before I can even turn around I see THIS GUY

from Law and Order to my left. Then I turn around behind me to see the undercover cop in the sedan get on the mic and say “you gotta wait like everyone else does”. It’s all too surreal for me, are they cops or are they actors? Light changes I go, after all I am a man on a mission.

4:05PM arrive at W. Houston & Washington and pick up Andrew.

4:10PM hit the Holland Tunnel traffic which is heavy. I skip past the long line on Varick and duck right in to the tunnel traffic at Broome.

4:25PM drop Andrew off at his place at Communipaw & Monitor in Jersey City

4:45PM get tickets at 18^th & Broadway in Bayonne

5PM get to my house at 53^rd & Kennedy Blvd in Bayonne, get changed into suit and get back on bike

5:25PM leave my house

5:45PM arrive at Andrews place at Communipaw & Monitor in Jersey City I wait about 5 minutes for him to come down, he hops on and we go.

6PM we arrive at Lincoln Park in Jersey City at the South West Gate. The place we are going is called Casino-in-the-Park and is in the middle of the park. The cop directs us to the North East Gate. The cop THERE tells us to go back where we came, which I am not having any part of, instead he says to try the East Gate at West Side Avenue & Belmont.

6:10PM We arrive at the East gate, which is obviously where the main entrance was. Security is HEAVY and parking is nonexistent. A good amount of people got there early and filled the event parking lot. Cops are directing everyone in front of us towards the park perimeter and side streets for parking unless they are a VIP. We pull us and the cop just looks at me and say “You can fit that thing anywhere, just go on through”. We get stopped at 3 or 4 more check points as we approach the restaurant. At one check point a JCPD Sergeant is just in love with the bike and stops us to chit chat before sending us through right to the front door. We parked right next to the place, walked in and got a primo position in front of the stage. Check out the pics here.

Pimp Your Ride?

There are so many ways to pimp your scooter... but it just always seemed like there was one thing missing... until now. Check this out. That's right, you can now buy spinners for your Vespa! No way? WAY!

If you aren't sick of getting stares of envy already, this is the ultimate product for your Vespa.

Imagine the reaction when you pull up to a light and you stop, but your chrome spinning wheels just keep on spinnin'

Show up the fools in the tricked out SUV's with the spinning rims (who, by the way, are getting around 12mpg) that you can pimp it just as hard and still save a penny or two on gas. 

The ladies are sure to come a runnin' when they see that not only do you have sick style, but you're quite the economical guru as well (If you're a girl the last claim may not apply; but lets face it, if you're a girl on a Vespa, that alone is enough for the guys to come a runnin' {Spinners couldn't hurt though})

Pics From Last Night's New York Scooter Club Meeting

As I mentioned, last night as the very first New York Scooter Club meeting. We had over 60 people attend and 43 bikes were counted in front of the place! It was a great success that myself and all of the other club organizers are really happy about. If you are in NYC and you have not done so yet, please visit the Club Website and then come out to one of our events! (we have a lot of them!)

Check out the great pics from last night's party taken by fellow club organizer Jonathan.

Free Scooter Parking to a City Near You One Day... Soon? (please?)

I was so excited about this story that I wrote about it on my personal blog and have posted it to the Gotham Forum as well. It seems that MAYBE, just maybe, the guiding forces of the City of Toronto have heard this plea. I received an email from Scott at GreenThinkers.org, who wrote in a blog entry today:

The city council of Toronto is meeting today to discuss and ultimately decide whether they should allow motorcycles and scooters to park for free.

One reason to allow free parking for these vehicles is to curb the problem of stolen parking receipts from motorcycles.

On the environment-friendly side, motorcycles and scooters create less pollution than their much bigger automobile friends. Therefore, the thinking is that if you allow free parking you will encourage people to use this type of vehicles rather than cars.

So why am I so excited about this even if it is happening in Canada? Because this may be one of the first major steps in the way that urban culture is changed in North America. From time to time I have spoken about my blogging as being part of a political movement. My political movement is to have scooters invade the American Urban landscape within 5 years. I think this can happen, but a number of forces need to come into play. This is one of them. All that is needed is for one major city on this continent to institute a policy that is friendly and inviting to scooters. This will encourage adoption by non scooterists and will add to the pressure on other cities (such as New York City) to adopt similar rules.

The New York Scooter Club

I am very proud to say that I have been working hard behind the scenes with a number of other scooterists in the New York City area to put together the New York Scooter Club. This is the first club of its kind in NYC; one that is open membership to all who attend. The club has a weekly Wednesday Night Ride which meets at the Brass Monkey in the meat packing district of Manhattan. Because this Wednesday is the kick off for the club, the Brass Monkey has graciously providing free food for all who attend in addition to their discounted drink prices. The people who have helped organize this as well as the folks who have been meeting on Wednesday are a lot of fun. This is an event you cannot miss if you own a scooter and live in the NYC area!

BusinessWeek: "Scooters: Love Those Boomers (who love scooters)

BusinessWeek must have scooters on their mind a lot. Perhaps one or more of their editors or writers own one? After all, it was only 2 short months ago that I wrote about them proclaiming scooters as the perfect second car. Now the bring us this lovely piece on baby boomers and how they have taken to scooters much more readily than folks in Piaggio expected.

When Vespa Motor Scooters came puttering back into the U.S. market in 2000 after a 15-year absence, managers at the Italian company figured their biggest customers would be twentysomethings looking for a cheap way to get around. But execs at parent company Piaggio noticed something odd as they scootered back and forth to their Manhattan offices: The most enthusiastic sidewalk gawkers were often aging baby boomers who remembered the candy-colored bikes from their youth. It turns out that boomers have lost none of their affection for Vespa. Better yet, now they can afford to buy top-of-the-line models with all the trimmings. Much to the company's surprise, consumers age 50 and older now buy a quarter of the scooters Vespa sells in the U.S. Managers figure that as they do a better job of marketing to the group, that portion could grow to as much as a third. Those aging consumers may in many ways be the perfect customer for an indulgence like a scooter. "The boomers are particularly attractive because they tend to have free time," says Paolo Timoni, CEO of Piaggio USA. "They're less likely to be raising young children, and their careers are established and stable.

You can read the full article here.

Own a piece of Piaggio?

Piaggio (the parent company of Vespa) is talking about going public. From their brief press release:

COLANINNO: PIAGGIO TO GO PUBLIC POSSIBLY BEFORE AUG 2006

(AGI) - Venice, Oct.12 - Piaggio is working to go public, possibly by the end of 2006, said Piaggio president Roberto Colaninno today in Venice. "It's a complex process, which requires some time, at least 4-5 months. We hope to be ready by Aug 2006". Regarding the taking over of Ducati, a long-time rumour, Colaninno denies: "we are focusing on other strategies. We must solve our problems before expanding". (AGI) -
121837 OTT 05

An open Letter to Gordy Holt Re: your hack job of an “article”

Dearest Gordy,

Can I call you Gor? I hope so. Because I think we need to have a heart to heart; A “coming to Jesus” if you will about your “article”. Perhaps it’s because I am used to reading actual news articles with real facts, real points and real conclusions that I am so dismayed. These basic elements seem to be missing from your piece entitled “Two-wheelers costly to insure and very dangerous to drive” which has so many errors and misleading statements I am not even sure where to begin. I am forced to wonder: was it your purposeful aim to mislead and scare the public?

But I digress! Let me proceed to deconstruct your work and refute its statements directly:

With its Italian flair and great gas mileage, that two-wheeled "wasp" of a motor scooter called the Vespa is enjoying a surge of popularity in the Northwest.
But insuring one, or any motorized two-wheeler, could cost you a bundle, and riding one could cost you an arm or a leg -- or worse.

According to statistics available from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, death on a motorcycle is about 26 times more likely than sitting behind the wheel of a passenger car.

You start out innocently enough Gor, but for some reason switch from Vespas to motorcycles in one breath. This gives the impression that scooters are as dangerous all motorcycles, which is not exactly the case. Let me be clear: a scooter is a motorcycle (I openly concede this and endorse the idea). But if you were going to write an article about motorcycle safety then write one about motorcycles safety, don’t give us one line about a Vespa and then launch into all motorcycles. You see Gor, because of its size and engine displacement, scooters are not as dangerous as ALL motorcycles. How do I know this? Well I have actually read more than just the Washington State Traffic Safety commission’s basic statistics. I have taken the time to review the last major study commissioned specifically for motorcycle safety known as the “Hurt” Study (named for the researcher). This is an invaluable resource to those interested in motorized two wheeled safety in the United States. Had you an actual interest in the topic you would have realized that you would be remiss to write an article about 2 wheeled safety without it.

To quote the Hurt Study:
- Large displacement motorcycles are... associated with higher injury severity when involved in accidents.
- Injury severity increases with speed, alcohol involvement and motorcycle size.

So now you can easily see that you are just being silly by starting with Vespas but then speaking of ALL motorcycles. This is misleading at best, and misinformation at worst, causing un-needed alarm to the general public. But let’s read on…

Moreover, Washington does not require motorcycle drivers to carry liability insurance, as auto and truck drivers have been required to do since 1989.

Well shame on Washington State, perhaps you ought to be writing an article on THAT issue instead? Or has actual investigative journalism died?

But for those who want it anyway -- to protect themselves, their families and their homes -- rates vary widely, based on a driver's age, sex and driving and credit records, warns Karl Newman, president of the Washington Insurance Council, a trade association in Seattle. The cost also will depend on how much coverage is desired.

Doug Harwood, property and casualty manager for the brokerage firm R.L. Evans Co. Inc. in Seattle, said he recently quoted "a Vespa rate for a mid-20s guy at over $800 a year, and he said, "Forget it!' "

Well, if you are going to choose someone in his 20’s, of course it will cost $800 a year. Why? Well, let’s consult Dr. Hurt’s study again, shall we?:

- Motorcycle riders between the ages of 16 and 24 are significantly overrepresented in accidents; motorcycle riders between the ages of 30 and 50 are significantly underrepresented.

To go further with this, and to be MORE accurate in the interest of disclosing information to your faithful readers you might have mentioned what the young gentleman’s quote would be had he bought a 1000cc Ducati motorcycle. I am no insurance agent, but as I understand it he would pay in the neighborhood of $3000 or more. Why? Because bigger, faster bikes are more unsafe.

Of course, had he quoted me for my Vespa, a married male aged 32, I would have a rate half that $800. (which I do) While we are at it, what else would lower my risk? Bueller… Bueller? Riiight… a motorcycle safety training course. How odd of you not to have mentioned that. But again, why be complete when trying to disperse information to the general public? When I went to get my motorcycle license, I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course . This has made me a safer driver. Back to the article (we still quoting Doug Harwood):

"But here's how it penciled out," he said. "Just $120 was for liability, but $300 was for the uninsured motorist part, which means that the company I quoted was betting 3-1 that someone will take him out before he hit anyone -- and that most likely they would be writing their check to his family because, hit or get hit while riding one of these things, you'd be dead. At the very least, your brain would be scrambled."

What an idiotic and irresponsible statement by Mr. Harwood. What would this lead someone to believe who knows nothing of insurance? That uninsured motorist coverage only kicks in when you are dead or your “brain is scrambled”. And obviously, he must think that as soon as you are hit by a car only one thing or the other must occur? Well, Gor, I was hit by a car, my brain was not scrambled, I did not die, and my uninsured motorist coverage kicked in. The reason for uninsured coverage is so that, if someone hits you and THEY are uninsured you still get coverage. In my case, the person who hit me fled the scene and was never caught. But why, you ask, am I still alive and still thinking despite Mr. Harwood’s assurances otherwise? Because:

- I was driving slowly, which according to the Hurt study lowered my change of severe injury

- I was wearing a helmet, which according to the Hurt study at lower speeds mitigates the chance of head injury.
- I was wearing a proper safety jacket which eliminated any upper body injuries

In conclusion, I cannot school you on reporting; I am no newspaper man. But I think, if nothing else, both fact checking and depth should be required in an article such as this. If you have no interest in such things, then I implore you, do not write about it. You do just as much harm as those who would say (or make it seem) as if there are NO risks to scooters.

Yours Truly,

   Neil Barton

Ink: Scooters Sales & High Gas Prices

Are gas prices high? Sure!

Are newspapers writing about that? Yep!

Have they noticed scooters (even if they get some of those nitpicky facts wrong?) Heck yeah!

Instead of blogging about each one of these articles separately every time a new one pops up, I will dole them out in batches for your consumption pleasure. If nothing else, this shows me that scooters are on the radar of the American Press (to some degree) and therefore will grow and slowly pop up on the radar of the American People.

 

Scooter Sales Rise with high Gas Prices (Jackson Hole Star Tribube)

 

Scooter Sales on the Rise (Fox affiliate)

 

The Scooter Appeal (CBS news)

 

Consumer Watch: Scooters save gas (WHAS Louisville, Kentucky)

 

Gasoline prices send motorcycle sales up (Morning News, South Carolina)

 

Scooters All The Rage (KUTV Salt Lake City, UT)

 

What goes 90 miles for under 5 bucks? A scooter (TownOnline Massachusetts)

 

Finding a new way to get around (San Bernardino Sun, CA)

 

Gas prices fuel cycle sales (Muskogee Phoenix, Oklahoma)

 

60mpg scooters (WCPO news, Cincinnati, OH)

He says a woman in a big SUV couldn't believe how little he paid for gas!

"I watched her put 60 dollars into her Navigator...I said I'll be riding all week for 6 dollars."

Things I've Carried on my Vespa

Perhaps I will make this a running series, as I am always swearing to people that you can carry a lot more stuff on a Vespa than you think you can. I have been framing out a room in my basement so I took off 2 days from work. My wife uses our Nissan Sentra for her daily commute so I am left with my Vespa for any supplies that I might need. Well, sure enough I made 3 runs to the Hardware store already yesterday & today. I picked up a tube of Liquid Nails, a 2 foot Level, and the biggest item, a 40lb bag of Top 'N Bond. The nice guy at Resnick's Hardware who carried the bag of cement out asked "where's your car?" and justI pointed at my ET4 and pulled down the spring loaded luggage rack. I bugee'd the bag in place and zoom zoom off I went!

As if I needed another reason to ride a Vespa...

As if I needed another reason to ride a Vespa...  (which I don't), I have been following the subway warnings in NYC. I can remember thinking during 9/11 that there must be a better way to get around as I was stuck in the city for hours with so many other scared commuters, our destiny's taken out of our own hands as we sat stranded on an island that had now become a target, waiting to get on a boat out. Two years later (2003) when a blackout happened in NYC I remember having the same helpless feeling. I think everyone standing on the long lines waiting for a ferry shared them with me, but by then the thought was solidifying in my head. In a few short month's time after that I was on my scooter. I rode it straight through the winter. Days like today just reinforce the confidence in my decision to use my scooter as my commute vehicle.

Matthew Lesko, the Question Mark Guy, Drives a Question Mark Vespa

Do you know who Matt Lesko is? If not then you probably never sat home during the day for a few weeks with nothing to do other than watch daytime TV. Matt Lesko is an assault to the senses. He is a loud brash man who has question marks all over his clothes and talks in that loud salesman-y voice really quickly. You may have seen him hocking his "get money from the government for free" books. In an interview he tells of how he drives a Vespa that has question marks all over it.

I usually ride around on a Vespa -- with question marks on it. Question marks are my anti-theft device. Link

Just Plain Bad Advice

President George W. Bush asked Americans on Monday not to drive if they don't have to, and he said the government is prepared again to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ease pain at the pump. (read more here)

Umm… OR Mr. Bush could have told people just to not drive their big huge gas guzzling SUV’s that they got tax breaks on from the Fed. The United States government needs to recognize and provide incentives for vehicles that get over 50mpg instead of vehicles that get less than 18! Ugh, this sort of thing makes me mad. The only bright side to this is that this advice is just plain lousy and will not stop gas prices from rising. As urbanites see gas prices going up they will do what Business Week suggested and get a scooter as their second vehicle. That is exactly what we do in my family, one car (Nissan Sentra that’s good on gas) and one Vespa. Ideally I want to upgrade our Sentra to a hybrid to get about 50 or 60mpg and upgrade my Vespa ET4 that currently gets 60mpg to a Vespa GT that gets 80.

My GT Review & My Final Week With the GT

*sigh* This will be my final week with the loaner GT that the Vespa folks have lent me. I have truly enjoyed my time on it. I feel very lucky to have gotten such an in depth test on a vehicle that I have long thought about. There is no doubt in my mind now that I was meant to have a GT. It is by the purest of accidents that I bought my ET4 mere months before the GT came out. I have been kicking myself ever since, but at the same time rationalizing “well how much better can it really be?” The answer: It is a LOT better.

Now let me say for the record that I am not paid to blog here, nor was I paid to review this vehicle. Also let me say that my review by no means is an endorsement for you and your scootering lifestyle. I ride every day all year round, I use my scooter as my main commute vehicle. This puts me in a different category than someone who might own a Vespa for pure recreation, or someone who may use it for short trips to the store. Frankly there are a lot of reasons to own a scooter and mine is just one of them. So don’t take my review as a recommendation for you until you review your entire circumstance.

Also, even though I was able to compare my ET4 to the GT I was not able to compare a modified ET to a GT. This means I did not test against an ET4 that had the 190cc Malossi kit installed; neither did I test against an ET4 with improved shocks. It is important to mention both of those things because the speed and comfortable rode of the GT are two of the first things I noticed as better than the ET4 when I first rode. But even if you take those things into consideration on an ET4 I don’t think you gain the smoothness that the GT has, or the responsiveness in engine performance. Additionally even with improved shocks you would not have the bigger wheel base that a GT has, so I don’t see how you could match the comfortable ride.

One of the other things I wanted to test on the GT was taking passengers. The very first night I had the bike I took my wife for a ride. She immediately remarked how much more comfortable the GT was over the ET. The foot pegs were placed in just that perfect position, her legs weren’t cramped and the slight elevation of the seat made it easier for her to fit behind me. I took others for rides as well. My friend Chris who is as tall as I am (about 5’11”) did not feel as comfortable as my wife did. In fact, it seemed to him that the foot pegs were designed for shorter people. He even went so far as to suggest that he might have been more comfortable on the ET4. My cousin Paulie, who is NOT a small individual went for a ride as well. I wanted to see how the bike would handle with over 200lbs of extra passenger weight. I had taken him for rides on the ET4 but told him I just couldn’t do that anymore because realistically he exceeded the weight limit that should have been on that bike. The GT handled well with him on it, even with that extra weight I still had much more cushion between me and the road than I would on my ET4.

As far as negatives, they were relatively few and were not anything I did not hear before. I have heard that it would be harder to maneuver and this is true, it is harder. Not a TON harder, you just find that you can’t fit through AS SMALL a space, you can turn AS SHARP as you previously could. But after 2 weeks of riding, I forgot about those limitations. One thing I did not forget about was the weight of the bike. Perhaps because I am still recovering from a surgery I had 4 months ago on my left knee, but it was a bit harder to walk the bike or put it up on the kickstand. When I rode the bike I don’t think I felt much weight difference from the ET4 except in positive ways. Meaning, at red lights it was not harder to put my feet down hold the bike up etc.

Taking all things into consideration I am truly sad that this week is my last week on the GT. I do love my ET4, but I think it is time for a change. I am not sure how I will do it yet, but over the winter I will most likely purchase a GT and then sell my ET4 (I cannot afford to keep both bikes). When it happens I will, of course, blog all about it.

The Liev Schreiber & My GT Connection

So according to the folks at Piaggio, the GT scoot that I currently have on loan was previously used by actor Liev Schreiber. How cool is that? Well, what is even more cool is that he didn't just use it for fun, he says it really helped him get from point A to point B:

Liev Schreiber says he never would have survived the grueling schedule of editing "Everything is Illuminated" while starring in Broadway's "Glengarry Glen Ross" without a little help from his Vespa. "It was really stupid on my part to do both at the same time," Schreiber admitted at the movie premiere on the lower East Side Tuesday. "I tried taxis and car services and they didn't work."

Mailcall: GT Handling verses ET?

Charles L writes:

Great vespa blog that you and Jonathan have created! Keep up the great work.

Very insightful, your recent blog about your experience with the NEW vespa GT.

Curious in your next installment if you can shed light on how the vespa handles. (e.g cornering, etc).

With the extra weight and larger size, curious if the GT isn't as agile as the ET.

Thanks and have a Great Fall!

Funny you should ask that, as I did have a chance yesterday to experience some of the limitations of the GT. I was trying to get past some fairly heavy traffic, so I had to maneuver around and between some cars that were just not moving. I could not corner or turn as tightly as I can on an ET, twice in fact I almost hit a bumper trying to turn in tight spots. Secondly, this was the FIRST time I really felt the weight difference of the bike, not that it is huge or un-manageable, but I definitely felt a bit more effort was required to walk when turning.

Scooting to Get The Votes Out

Who says Republicans can't be fun?

Knocking on as many doors as possible in an electoral district can be tiring work for aspiring politicians.
So Michael Meunier, a Republican challenging Del. Vivian Watts (D) in the 39th District, decided to make things a bit easier for himself and his campaign aides.
He bought three bright red motorized scooters, all emblazoned with the American flag.
"We were going door-to-door, but we we're getting sweaty because it's so hot," Meunier said, a first-time candidate. "We're determined to knock on every door in the district."
The scooters cost the campaign between $220 and $350 a piece, Meunier said.
Meunier and his two campaign aides typically ride on their scooters through the district in a pack. In each neighborhood, the two aides usually fan out ahead of the candidate and see if anyone wants to talk to him.
"It's going great," he said. "I wasn't sure there would actually be any impact from going door-to-door, but it's been tremendous."
Watts, who has represented the district since 1996, said she has no immediate plans to purchase motorized scooters to assist her door-knocking efforts.
"I always spend my money wisely," she joked. "We're out there in the heat advisories knocking on doors. You can't wimp out."
Three candidates are running in the Nov. 8 election for the 39th District: Watts, Meunier and Richard Herron, an independent green.

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=55457&paper=72&cat=104

Student may have found culprits of scooter attack online

You just can't make this stuff up:

The Associated Press - ATHENS, Ga.

An online confession of sorts may have helped crack the case of a damaged motor scooter.

After finding his yellow scooter marred by scratches and wire damage last week, University of Georgia student Stuart Bern discovered an online group whose name bragged of the kicking.

The group, on the Web site facebook.com, was called "I Kicked/Pushed over the Yellow Moped at Towne Club" and boasted 10 members, including Bern's former roommate.

Bern wrote a letter to each of the club members and requested they pay for the repairs, which will cost more than $200. Bern has threatened to press charges if the students don't pay up by Sunday.

Two sources on this story, the second source is slightly longer:

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=64965

http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/09/4320f6930a271

Step right up…

On Wednesday night my loaner GT was the center of attention at a weekly gathering of fellow scooter enthusiasts here in Manhattan. There was about 15 of us and I think about 7 people took it for a spin around the block. It’s funny, but in our riding together we had never done much switching of scooters to see how our rides compare. I think it was because I have been riding an ET4 for 2 years so I really had something to compare the GT to. Most of the folks there were driving ETs or similar 150cc models.

Most folks had the same feedback I have had about it here; that it is smoother & more powerful. Everyone definitely had a lot of fun with it! I should have taken some pictures, but I suck and did not bring my camera.

My GT Review, After 24 Hours of Riding

It was uncomfortable this morning when I went to my garage to get on the loaner GT instead of my ET4. My ET just started at me, with a contemptuous look in its headlight. It already knows that I have fallen for the GT. Of course I told myself I wasn’t going to do this. I told myself I was not going to get on the blog today, after having picked up the loaner GT and absolutely gush over it. I told myself I was going to analyze the pros and cons of the GT verses my beloved ET4. The same ET4 that has carried me faithfully for almost 2 years and 7500 miles back and forth every day to work, in winter and in summer, in rain or in shine. How do you tell someone you love that you found someone new? Worse even, how can I deal with the fact that I will only have this fantastic new love for only 2 weeks?

But what can I do other than to be honest? Here are some things that immediately made me smile (as compared to my ET4 experience):

Smooth as Puddin’: Oh Sweet Lord do I LOVE the extra cushion the GT gives me! Bumps what bumps? Pot holes? Why bother steering around them? It’s not that I don’t feel the road, because I do, it’s that my bones aren’t rattled by it.

Accelerate? Don’t mind if I do: That extra oomphf that the GT has is so nice, with a subtle flick of the wrist I am pulling away from traffic with ease.

Wanna go for a ride?: After having ridden on the back of the ET4 for 2 years my wife was amazed at the comfort and room that the GT provides for passengers.

Glove-ly Goodness: A water tight glove compartment?! You don’t say!! Centralized fuse box in said compartment?! You double don’t say!!

Silenzio!: This bike just seems more quiet than my ET4. In part I think this is because the idle is so perfectly tuned, but also it is because the engine has a lower quality to it, more of a growl than what the ET4 has.

Have I found some things that I am not crazy about, for instance:

- I cannot fit my helmet between the seat and the front of the bike to hang it off the handle that is there.

The storage under seat, while longer than the ET4, is not as deep and seems unnecessarily curved. It is designed that way so that it can accommodate 2 half shell helmets, but to be honest I don’t wear a half shell (and neither should you, full helmets are much better) and would benefit much more if the storage were a bit more wide. Maybe someone will produce a better storage compartment to replace this?

I am sure there are other detractors that I will discover over time, and at the end of these 2 weeks I will come out with a pros and cons list. But right now, the pros win.

Inside the workings of PiaggioUSA

Yesterday, I went to the Piaggio offices here in NYC to pick up a Vespa GT loaner to test drive for 2 weeks. I invite you to take a look into the exciting inner workings of the company.

	Here is a picture of Piaggio deciding to give me a GT for 2 weeks. Be sure to click on the pic so you can read what they are saying!
	Here are some general “action shots” of people doing Various Things of Some Importance.
	Here is a pic of me about to make off with the GT. My first comments on the bike will follow shortly.

Trying on a GT for Size

As mentioned in my bio, I drive my beloved Vespa ET4 every day as my primary commute vehicle. I have recently been considering switching to a Vespa GT, not so much for the extra power (the GT is 50cc more powerful than an ET4 or LX150), but for the comfortable ride it has to offer. I have test driven one once before and it definitely has a different feel, from the way the handlebars feel to the way it handles on the road.

The wonderful folks at Vespa are going to give me a chance to further weigh my options this week. They are loaning me a Vespa GT for 2 weeks, so that I may take it on my daily commute through the Holland tunnel from NJ to NY every day. I am very excited; this will either seal my decision towards purchasing a new GT, OR allow me to feel okay staying at the 150cc level. Even if I do stay at the 150cc level I will then consider either looking into an LX or making certain modifications to my existing ET. I hope my Et's feeling aren't hurt by being left in the garage for 2 weeks!

New College Students Choosing Scooters on Campus

Aside from the article that I quote below, I have also heard from others on message boards and through word of mouth that a lot more scooters have popped up on college campuses. Kudos to the University of Wisconsin for expanding their scooter parking, however this expansion comes at the cost of tougher enforcement.

Scooter drivers at UW-Madison will find new, designated parking areas in the heart of campus when the academic year begins, and parking outside of those areas could result in $40 fines, officials say.

The new parking system was created in response to the proliferation of the motorized two-wheelers and the need for scooters to coexist safely with pedestrians on a bustling campus.

"When we had 10 or 100 mopeds on campus, it was fine to have no real rules," says Rob Kennedy, senior transportation planner. "But now we have 1,000 scooter drivers on campus and, at any one time, 600 are parked on campus."

In an effort to reduce the number of pedestrian-scooter conflicts on campus sidewalks and to improve safety, officials are creating 665 marked moped parking spaces scattered in about 25 areas. Previously, there were about 100 marked scooter parking spaces on campus.

Check out the rest of the article here.

Meet The La Dolce Vitas

Here is a great piece on scooter culture in Idaho, where an all girls scoot club named the La Dolce Vitas has formed:

HAILEY - Traffic stopped and a small crowd gathered on

Pine Street

in Hailey to check out a row of wheeled vehicles outside DiVine wine shop.

After some jockeying, their riders, all women, went into formation, every single pair of legs hidden by the distinctive front of their machines. Ten scooters: two red, one silver, four black, one white and two light green, sparkled in the summer sun.

This was the first gathering of a group of Vespa motor scooter owners who named themselves La Dolce Vitas in honor of their Italian machines and the sweetness they've brought to life. As long as the weather holds, they'll be meeting 10 a.m. Sundays at the Hailey Coffee Shop to ride together.

The rest of the article.

New Jersey says no to 50cc scoots

I may work in New York City, go to school there, hang out with my friends there, and indeed belong to a NYC based scooter club, but NONE of that changes the fact that I am born and bred a Jersey boy. I grew up in Bayonne, NJ only 6 miles from Manhattan, and I still live there today. So it burns my britches when I read that NJ decided to disallow the registration and use of 50cc bikes. This was done in an attempt to stop the use of pocket bikes that kids are buying and using dangerously in the streets. However it was obviously done in haste, with improper knowledge of what defines a pocket bike verses what defines a "limited use motorcycle" as NY state calls 50cc bikes.

Read about it here.

US scooter sales are UP

This from motorcyclenews.com:

Total scooter sales last year rose to 86,000, more than double the number sold in 2000, and many dealers are reporting even bigger growth this year.   Some firms are reporting as much as a 300 per cent rise in scooter sales from their stores in the last year alone, saying that at least 50 percent of owners are buying them as their primary transport to avoid high fuel costs and parking restrictions.

And then there was this from Yahoo Biz (by way of fellow Vespa rider Jonathan P):

NADAguides.com, a leading vehicle information website, today announced that during the past three months, more people researched scooter and motorcycle pricing and specifications at its website than at any other time during its five-year history. Experts for the company cite high gas prices as a leading cause for the boost in its online motorcycle traffic, saying car, truck and SUV owners are realizing they can dramatically reduce their monthly gas budgets by owning a motorized two-wheel vehicle as an alternate means of travel.

Following are the top three most researched scooters at NADAguides.com during that same time period.

     1.  Honda Silverwing
     2.  Suzuki Burgman
     3.  Vespa ET4

Sims says that the number of scooter pricing reports provided by NADAguides.com increased 22% from July to August, the biggest increase the website has experienced for its scooter pricing information since its inception.

George Clooney turns down Vespa

Oh pretty boy Clooney, you have let me down this day when you turned down a free Vespa. In fact, George didn't just turn it down, it was purchased and he gave it back! *sigh* Okay, sure this gift was probably from some crazed fan who is nuttier than a fruit loop, but I mean, come on! A free Vespa is a free Vespa! You could have given it to someone needy, like me for instance?

Call me, Clooney, let's do lunch!

Newsy link

BusinessWeek: "Scooters: The Perfect Second Car"

  These babies are scoring because of their mileage and maneuverability

High gas prices and traffic: They're the banes of a driver's existence. With neither about to improve anytime soon, there may be a small solution to these big problems. Scooters are an increasingly popular way to zip to errands, make parking a snap, and cut down on fuel costs.

Smaller and easier to use than their motorcycle cousins, scooters have long been popular in cities in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. But lately, the economics of scootering has helped them gain fans here in the U.S.

With a final bill that won't exceed most credit-card limits, a scooter makes a great substitute for a station car or an ideal spare vehicle for errands. That's why sales are soaring in urban hot spots such as Miami and New York as well as in the suburbs.

All scooters share a basic ease of operation that makes it easy even for non-motorcyclists to get on and go. Start with the motor, where automatic "twist-and-go" transmissions are the rule. With no clutch to fuss about, you simply twist the throttle to take off. The brakes work just like a bicycle's, with a lever for each hand. Thanks to the positioning of the engine -- directly in front of the rear wheel -- scooters share a "step-through" design so you can sit upright, with your feet in front of you.
 

Read the rest here.

The Vespa… Scooting With Style Down Under

It looks like people down under are taking notice of the Vespa in this Epoch Times article.

The classic coupling of Italian flair and efficient function is making Vespa scooters increasingly attractive to city dwellers in Australia.

Riders have embraced the Vespa as offering something beyond the affordability and smooth operation that scooters provide and have fallen in love with their iconic rides.

Enthusiasts of the classic Vespas point out the 1950s and 60s styling, the almost exclusive use of metal bodywork, manual shifting mechanisms and kick-starters as characteristics that give their vehicles a unique riding experience.

The scooters also feature the ability to be tailored to suit the owner’s individuality in ways that motorbikes cannot.

With extra bodywork for custom paint designs and a whole range of accessories available they lend themselves to more personal expression.

Although being highly economical, scooters do trade by their looks and it is important for their riders to feel they are on a stylish, well designed, classic machine.

August 20th Boston Strangler Gathering Coverage

From this article at Boston.com comes coverage of the August 20^th gathering. There is a lot of talk about the vintage scoots there as well as some mention of newer bikes that folks use for commuting.

Scooter enthusiasts from as far away as Nova Scotia will be riding along the Emerald Necklace this afternoon. They'll start in Kenmore Square at noon, then cruise around Jamaica Pond and through Franklin Park. The tour of Boston's parklands is the pinnacle of New England's biggest scooter rally, which started Wednesday and runs through tomorrow.

It's an annual event hosted by the Boston Stranglers, a group that's been scooting around the city since the 1990s...

Take Wallace V. French III. He uses his 2002 Vespa to commute from his East Boston home to his job at the O'Neill Federal Building on Causeway Street. It takes him 15 minutes.
 

Previously he owned a 1966 Vespa. He bought it while living in Italy, where ''everyone has a scooter." In that country, you must be 18 to drive a car but only 15 to drive a Vespa. Unfortunately his vintage ride didn't survive for long. ''It blew up on me, and I didn't want to deal with it," said French, 35. So he bought a modern model and had it shipped over from Italy.

What if You Had to Pay $6 a Gallon for Gas?

Ever wonder why there are so many scooters in Europe, and not as many here in the US? Because they pay $6 a gallon for gas. Some economists predict that the United States could be at that rate next year. I hope this is true, as it will change the landscape of our cities and infuse them all with scooters at number never before seen. Read the full MSNBC article here about high gas prices in Europe.

LONDON— Even as American drivers complain about "gas pains," they can count their blessings that they don't live in Europe, where motorists pay more than twice as much at the petrol pumps.

Yet, the panic that has gripped the United States is almost absent here and gas prices are not the number one issue on drivers’ minds…

Still, drivers here are making changes to the way they get around. Sales of hybrid cars have gone up 330 percent since 2002, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers, and more and more scooters seem to appear on London streets. Armando, a north London resident, bought a Vespa scooter one month ago and says he is now getting double the life out of the gas he buys.

"Scooter Girl" Saves Gas on Paper Route

In the Kafka AP article I posted here he mentions Jessica Meuchel, 23, who uses a scooter to deliver daily newspapers in Pierre, S.D. He also decided to cover her in depth in a separate AP article that ran in local papers:

Jessica Meuchel cautiously edges her small scooter onto the street after dropping off a half dozen copies of the Pierre Capital Journal at a large office building best reached from an alley.

It is one of many stops she makes on this warm day, delivering 147 papers on a route that not only winds through the capital city but also extends to an upscale housing district across the Missouri River bridge that ties Pierre to Fort Pierre.

Meuchel chuckles when she tells a reporter that some customers in Fort Pierre call her "scooter girl.""It's my nickname. They don't know my real name, so they call me scooter girl. It's kind of cute," she said.

Short version here.

Long version here.

She also showed up here.

Gasoline pushing $3 gallon? Why worry?

So asks Joe Kafka of the AP who writes an article that has shown up in no less than 94 publications according to Google news. Here is the Google news search so you can pick which one you want to read. From the article:

Gasoline pushing $3 gallon? Why worry? Buy a motor scooter like thousands of other Americans and stretch that single gallon of gas a week or more.

"As people start driving them, they start finding more reasons to use them," said Doug Day, owner of Scooter Centrale and Vespa Hartford in Plainville, Conn.

"They're practical, easy to park and get great gas mileage. I put $5 worth of gas into mine when it's totally empty, compared to $50 in my SUV."

As gasoline prices soar, the popularity of peppy, fuel-sipping motor scooters _ most easily get 50 miles per gallon and some of the smaller ones get up to 80 mpg _ is soaring. Sales, estimated at 86,000 last year in the U.S. have doubled from 2000, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council...

MIC spokesman Mike Mount said the market gained momentum when upscale Italian scooter maker Piaggio re-entered the U.S. market with the legendary Vespa scooter in 2001. Motorcycle makers such as Honda and Yamaha also began offering new lines of scooters in recent years.

Canadian coverage

It looks like some of my Canadian coverage has left an impression on our friends in the North. Nick Frühling of British Columbia writes:

Just to let you know, in continuing with your coverage of Canadian news outlets publishing stuff about scooters and such, a Vespa Granturismo made it to the front page of one of the main newspapers in Vancouver, Canada.

The Province, sister publication to the Vancouver Sun, has an article on cutting the gas tax during these times of record high prices.  You can see the picture and read the article here.  Love the blog, by the way.

Saturday August 20 in Dallas: Scooter Exhibit Lecture

SCOOTER EXHIBIT LECTURE
Performance Space, 4th floor
Saturday, August 20, 2 - 4 p.m.
Local collector Steve Davis talks about this month's exhibit of classic motorized scooters from around the world and beyond.

Press release mentions which vintage models are on display, how long the show runs, etc.

Gas Prices Hit All Time High

High gas prices are good. High gas prices are very good. Have you bought your scooter yet? No? You definately should. Or you can wait it out, some experts say that the gas prices might break a little come September. But for right now it makes me smile when I pass by overly large inefficient vehicles on my vespa ET4.

NEW YORK (CNN) - Gas prices surged 20 cents over the past three weeks to an all-time high of $2.50 per gallon of self-serve regular, a national survey said Sunday.  The price surge "does smash the all-time record high for the third time this year," Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the Lundberg Survey, said.

"Crude oil has caused this jump at the pump," she said of the survey, taken Aug. 12 at about 7,000 gas stations in every state. "And even at the current record-breaking pump prices, gasoline demand, while not galloping, is still growing."

However, should the crude oil supply remain undisrupted, then, "The gasoline price surge itself will probably be ending soon, if it has not already," Lundberg said, citing an expected decrease in gasoline demand after August.

Read the CCN money article here.

Advertising done scooter-style

A Washington DC based pr/ad firm uses either Vespa ET2's or Et4's for advertising in town. Basically, because everyone likes to oogle at shiny Vespas, they drive em around town with ads on them/park them places. The writer of the article clearly was confused about which kind of Vespa was being used, as evidenced by this quote:

The four Vespa E24 scooters zipping through Northwest were towing - on custom-designed matching trailers - five-foot images advertising Abbott Laboratories' two new diabetes medications.

Ahh... the good ole E24's, a wonderful Vespa model indeed... if it existed. Other than that, the article makes for a decent read:

Blake Wirht, co-founder of Los Angeles-based Scooter Media, said his company is the first mobile U.S. advertising company to use scooters, which are less cumbersome and more versatile than trucks towing full-size billboards. The scooters also allow quicker stops in smaller places and can target a more specific audience.

And the scooters are, well, cute, Wirht said. "We managed to be cute and cool," said the former marketing and public relations manager for NetZero. "We gets smiles from kids, older people and the hipsters."

You can read the full article here

Adventure? Excitement? A Jedi craves not these things.

A Jedi may not crave these things, but Fumynori Saito does. He quit his job as a corporate real estate agent at Japan’s prestigious Sumitomo Corp and went on an incredible journey from the very bottom tip of South America to the Tip of North Americaon a 90cc scooter!!!! He made the journey of over 17,400 miles from the southern tip of Argentina to Deadhorse, Alaska, including several detours, in a little over six months. My tip to Saito: next time bring a Vespa GT with you, it would have made the trip a lot more pleasant. Below are a few highlights of his incredible journey taken from an article you can find here.

There are times when a GT would have come in handy:

“Patagonia was so windy, my motorbike didn’t have much power. I had to drive with my head down at 40 km/h, and I was at full throttle,” Saito said of his first day, often switching between English and Japanese. “My bike had a top speed of about 65-or-70 km if the conditions were perfect, but if there was wind or hills, it was much, much less.”

North of Santiago, Nori entered mountainous terrain, the Andes, and began to realize the limitations of his tiny scooter.“My bike wasn’t able to go very fast with the height of the mountains. I was at full throttle and was going about 10 km/h and my engine stalled a few times.

He had some lovely accommodations along the way:

“I received a very strange reception when I entered Peru on March 14,” Nori continued.The children, it seemed, were not as interested in strangers as the kids in Chile, and Nori was welcomed with a flurry of rocks. He also found “one of the dirtiest, smelliest” rural hotels that he had ever seen, and some of the nicest soldiers he’d ever met.“It (the room) made me think of Alcatraz as beautiful.”

Are you offering me a bribe?!? Okay then, I will take it:

Central America posed the hardest part of his journey. He had trouble finding his scooter as the shipping company kept giving him the run-around. He also had to bribe border officials in Nicaragua to gain access to Honduras and saw a person killed right outside the Mexican border in Guatemala. “It was the first time that I’ve ever seen anybody die. Right before the border, I saw a bus speed and run over a person. It scared me; it really scared me,” Nori said with a serious look.

Oh yeah, he coulda used a bigger bike here too, he could ALSO use a better strategy for raising money:

After crossing into the United States on June 4, Nori said he entered onto what he described as his “hell road” – the Interstate. “It was very scary, there were four lanes and cars were going 130 kilometres an hour. I thought about changing to a bigger bike but I didn’t have enough money so I decided to go to Las Vegas to try to get some money. “I had no luck (in Vegas) and I spent a lot of money.”

Vespa Scoots into Harleytown (Milwaukee)

I really enjoy reading stories about Vespa making inroads in the middle of the country. This means that the scooter rush that we are experiencing on the coasts in cities such as New York and San Fran is not a passing fad, but a real movement towards change. In my view this is a movement long overdue and speaks to the changing landscape of American cities. I truly believe that there is no better vehicle for urban transport than the scooter.

Immortalized by Audrey Hepburn in the 1953 romantic comedy "Roman Holiday," the famous Italian scooter Vespa is no longer a toy for the rich or must-have for the mod-obsessed. The style and finesse of the Vespa is catching on in this city, which has long been ruled by the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, said Joe Reina, co-owner of Reina International Auto and Vespa. High gas prices have been one of the biggest factors in the boom. Vespa posted a 62% increase in U.S. sales last year, and Reina said a similar increase can be seen locally. The growing popularity of the scooters led Reina in May to open a second location in downtown Milwaukee at 715 N. Milwaukee St. Reina is selling about 25 to 35 scooters a month…

Read the rest here.

My Scooter Theft Adventure by Nuclia Waste

There are many types of folks who ride scooters, all of us individuals in our own right. But Nuclia Waste is one of those riders that just grabs your attention. Is it because she is a drag queen on a scooter.. maybe.. but there is so much more to her. She is a star in her own right, as is her vespa Et4 painted green with orange flames. This is why it made me sad to read that it was stolen and trashed. I include here her story in her own words.  (You can also read local news coverage here)

My Vespa Scooter Theft Adventure
OR Why You Should Never Ever Steal A Scooter From A Drag Queen....

By Nuclia Waste

It was a dark and stormy night. Well, not really. Actually, it was a beautiful bright and sunny day in Colorado. Mr. Waste and I had decided to go camping over the July 4th weekend in the beauitful Colorado Rocky Mountains, so we left our house in Denver about noon on Saturday. Later that evening, a friend of mine, Michele, spotted my fluorescent green Vespa scooter with the hot pink flames (the one made famous in the April issue of Forbes magazine) zooming down Colfax Avenue. She immediately recognizes the scooter, but the person driving it does not have big green hair and three boobs.

Michele sends an email telling me about what she has witnessed, but of course I am still frolicking in the wilderness with the gay motorcycle club, The Rocky Mountaineers. So, upon our return on home on Sunday morning about 10:30 am, we discover our garage door wide open and the my famous green Vespa scooter gone! I immediately called the Denver police and filled out a stolen vehicle report with the officer who arrived. While we are standing there, a neighbor comes up and tells us that he saw three suspicious youths walking through our alleys on Saturday afternoon.

Knowing the police probably are not going to make a stolen scooter a priority, even if it does belong to Nuclia Waste, I decided it might not be a bad idea to go look for it myself.

In my best Angela "Murder She Wrote" Lansbury, I deduced:

1. If these kids were on foot, they might live nearby.
2. Being kids, they might have stolen it for kicks and a joy ride.
3. Being kids, they probably are not too bright and don't realize this is the most famous scooter in the city of Denver, and maybe the country. That custom green paint job can be seen for miles away.
4. With it being a beautiful day on Sunday, they might be riding it right now.

So I venture out to look for the darn thing. My friend Tai Beldock, who owns EricoMotorsports/Vespa Denver where I bought the scooter, calls and offers to help get my Vespa GT200 scooter out of their shop which was there for an oil change. (Thank goodness for that, or they might have stolen both! Note to others: Always have a second scooter stashed away somewhere for backup.)

So now you've got one pissed drag queen with some very fast wheels riding around Denver looking for some very hot wheels. You know there's gonna be trouble in Vehicle Theft Land!

Within one hour, I find my scooter being ridden by two kids not very far from my house. The scooter is still green but now I'm very red. I block them in with my scooter and tell them, "Get off that bike, park it, turn off the engine. You are riding a stolen bike and I am calling the police.'

Now the kid driving the bike is 16 and his 10 year old brother is riding on the back. The little brother takes off but the older kid just stands there with me. I call 911 for the police and we wait around for the while. The whole time I am thinking this kid is going to bolt at any minute. But he does not. (I was REALLY right about the not too bright part.)

So we wait for the police and I chat the kid up. He says he got the scooter "from a friend" and he thought it might be stolen. Of course, I am not believing any of this. He also tells me he just got out of jail a few days ago. Lovely. Then he asks if he can use my cell phone to call his mother.

"OK. Hmmm, let's see. You probably stole my scooter. You've trashed, wrecked and defaced the bike beyond recognition. And now you want to use the minutes on my cell phone. I think the answer is ......NO!!!!"

The police finally arrive. The kid has no ID and gives a name that apparently is not real. So they put him in handcuffs and tell him he is not under arrest, but they need to detain him in order to sort out his real information.

After verifying the VIN number on the scooter and confirming it is mine and matches the stolen vehicle report I filed just hours ago, the police do arrest the kid and haul him off the jail.

Tai Beldock and her husband John arrive on the scene for some moral support. Her husband thinks the bike will have to be totaled. Most likely the frame is bent. Not as bent as my attitude, I can tell you. The poor scooter, trashed, crashed and bashed, is hauled off to the impound lot for fingerprinting.

A few days later the detective working on the case informs me the kid is being charged with a Class 5 Felony, Theft By Receiving. Since he admitted to me that he thought the bike might be stolen and he was driving it, that right there is a crime in Denver. And since the scooter is a licensed motorized vehicle, it is treated just like any auto theft case.

I am afraid the Nuclia scooter had to be put down. Sniff, sniff. I never loved anything so much before that vibrated between my legs. The scooter was totaled. Luckily, my auto insurance came through with enough money for me to make plans for the Nuclia 2 Scooter. It will be bigger, faster and greener. Vespa comes out with the new GTS 250cc scooter in the spring and the green paint is ready to go when the first one drives off the boat.

So my stolen scooter story does have a happy ending. And a moral too.

Moral of the Story: Never, ever steal from a drag queen. She will hunt you down and make you pay. And she'll look fabulous the whole time she'd doing it.

Event: Twin Cities Skooter Du 6, Aug 12-14

Don't miss THE scooter event of the Twin cities. I got this email from John in MN, and I have to say, I really dig their logo:

If you are interested in promoting a little scooter culture, we have a rally coming up in mid-August that could use a little help. Thanks.

http://www.mirocat.com/2005/08/skooter-du-6-ten-days-and-counting.html

Vespa US Campaign:"Make Your Reality a Dream"

Here comes the press release! Find it here and here. To quote:

Taking its cue from Italian cinema posters, a series of ads that reflect both the convenience and practicality of using a Vespa, and the innate sense of fun and freedom that riding a Vespa delivers. Four scenarios all emphasize everyday activities that become anything but ordinary when riding a Vespa. Entitled to the dentist, the commute, to the in- laws, and out of milk each layout resembles a film poster replete with laurels exclaiming "sexiest ride in town" "superior head turning ability" and "astonishing pedestrian envy" among others. A fifth layout, the 24-hour joyride, is an invitation to test drive that dealers will use.

Here are the images Vespa is using for the campaign (click to enlarge, I need to get better quality ones but these will do for now):

Scooter War3z!!!!

This is fantastic, I have to quote the game makers themselves directly here:

It's mayhem with scooters! Scooter War3z delivers a surprising combination of high-speed racing, crash'em up action and death defying ragdoll stunts. Discover the dark but alive world of Scooter War3z, taking place in a free-roaming city featuring several interconnected neighborhoods, where it's all about winning.

It is mayhem indeed. Does this means Scooters are making it culturally, now that we have our own urban war game? You be the judge.

Read about it here, Download the demo it here

Video:Local St Louis TV Station Does Fluff Piece on Scooters

From the news page:

There are retro-styled models, and sleek new designs. Italian-made, and ultra-convenient. No cost to park, and up to 100 miles to the gallon. Is it any wonder scooters are one of the fastest growing forms of personal transportation? Story by Chris Balish.

Watch the newsreel here.

Vespa Marketing Gnomes Invade Framingham, MA Newspaper?

I think the Vespa marketing gnomes are at it again. They scored a 2 for 1 this time in the Metro West Daily News which comes to us from Framingham, MA. The first of two articles reviews the Granturismo 200 and I do have to agree with the author’s opening comments:

What's the point of taking a drive in your car on a nice day? Unless you are driving at an intolerably slow pace, the car windows will likely be up and the air conditioning and radio will be humming. There is nothing sensory about the experience. But if you replace the car with a speedy little scooter, we're talking about a whole new ballgame. I recently raced up and down Rte. 20 atop a sexy white Vespa Granturismo 200 with my guide Amine Nasr, a 24-year-old dental student and Vespa enthusiast.

The second article also talks about Vespas as well as other scooters in general, (there are other kinds of scooters?!?!?). Of course saying "Vespa" pretty much defines scooter for me, but you can read that artile here.

Biz news: Piaggio USA Appoints New Prez

Here comes the press release:

NEW YORK, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Piaggio USA, manufacturer of the world-famous Vespa® scooter and pioneer of the two-wheel vehicle, announced today the appointment of Paolo Timoni as the new president and CEO of Piaggio USA, Inc.

Mr. Timoni, who previously served as senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Piaggio Group worldwide, has relocated to the U.S. and will be responsible for leading all U.S. brand operations, as well as developing North and South American expansion opportunities.

Mr. Timoni's appointment represents Piaggio Group's focus on aligning senior leadership with strong growth opportunities around the globe. Since returning to the U.S. market in 2001, Piaggio and its dealer network have made great headway in increasing brand awareness, building excitement about scootering, and driving sales. Recent acquisitions by Piaggio Group of Aprilia and Moto Guzzi have also opened substantial opportunities in the large and well-established U.S. motorcycle market.

Italy Puts the Brakes on Scooter Rebels

From the Times Online:

ITALIAN police may soon be given the power to confiscate scooters from riders travelling without a helmet or carrying too many passengers. A parliamentary bill expected to pass into law this autumn would enable police to take immediate action against anyone riding illegally. It marks a small revolution for the 10m Italians who use a scooter daily. For many, the obligation to wear a helmet not only violates their personal freedom but also cramps their style.

Interesting information about accidents in Italy:

The crackdown will not be easy to enforce. According to a survey by the Italian Automobile Club, 13% of scooter owners do not wear helmets and 15% carry more riders than they should. Although most teenagers have scooters designed for one rider, 50% admit that they often travel in pairs, keeping a lookout for police.

My favorite quote from the article:

In Naples it is common to see an entire family — father, mother and toddlers — riding a single scooter. Neapolitan police hand out 125,000 fines a year to offenders who fail to use a helmet or carry too many passengers, 10 times as many fines as in Milan or Rome. In law-abiding Florence, however, 99.7% of riders wear a helmet.

Read it in full here.

It's Not a Moped!!

One of my pet peeves is that sometimes people call scooters mo-peds. But scooters are not mo-peds and mo-peds are not scooters. You see, a m-oped is a pedal assisted vehicle aka a motorized bike. Hence the term mo-ped, motorized pedal. If you saw the movie Spiderman 2 you would have seen Peter Parker riding one of them (as pictured, left). So when I come across an article by a Wisconsin paper (The Sheboygan Press) which talks about scooters, but calls them mo-peds it makes my blood boil. They clearly SHOW a picture of a SCOOTER in the article, and it is obvious they are talking about SCOOTERS, but they continue to use the term mo-ped. They obviously do a disservice to their readers. They also fail to mention the wide array of scooters that do exists, because they are stuck in a mo-ped mentality. I can’t even bear to quote the article, read it at your own peril here.

Toronto Sun Discovers Vespas, So Excited Writes Two Article in One Day!

Oh you marketing gnomes, I know you are working overtime in Toronto this week. First the Toronto Sun takes us on a historical tour of the Vespa, in "Vespas Then and Now", and then it delves into the style and technical details of the new Vespa LX in the article "The Wheels of Romance, Vespa Goes Back to the Future". Gnomes aside, the first article is a fine summary of the history of the Vespa, and if you do not know the story then it is worth the read. The second article is a great summary of all that the new LX has to offer, which makes it a great read as well if you are not already up on the new model.

London residents continue to turn toward scooters

I came across two more articles about Londoners making the switch to scooters as well as other alternative means of transportation. I have had more than a few people here in New York ask me about scoots as well now that random searches have been instituted on NYC subways and the PATH (from NJ).

From the first article: Londoners are taking to bikes and scooters in increasing numbers after a second wave of terror attacks, choosing to brave traffic in the capital instead of riding Underground trains and buses.

And this from the second article: People are saying, 'I've had enough of this. I don't want to go on the tube again,' " said Alex Melville, manager of Metropolis Motorcycles in central London. He said he's sold 49 Vespas and motorcycles this month, double what he'd expect for all of July.

Idaho Notices Scooter as Gas Prices Rise

From this Idaho Falls article:

If you still feel the need to get around without having to pedal your way around, you can hop on a scooter. These things don't go too fast, but they get great gas mileage.

"They get 80 miles to the gallon, almost religiously," says Rob Turnblom, salesman at Bott Yamaha.

Turnblom rides his own scooter and he says getting around on it is very easy.

"They're fun, easy, and ride very well around a city setting," he says.

When it comes to the high gas prices, this is really the way to go.

"The guys at the gas station don't like it because you only use a buck," Turnblom says.

Mail Call

I appreciate the direct emails I have gotten from many who read the website. Please feel free to continue to email, I will answer all to the best of my ability. Here are two highlights:

Liz P from ReadingPA writes: I purchased my first ever scooter three years ago, a TNG Milano 125cc.  Having had NO experience whatsoever, I had no basis of comparison.  I was a child of the '60s and coveted a Honda 90 in the worst way.  My dad said no.  Now no one tells me no anymore, so I bought this scooter and fell in love….I have decided to sell it and buy a Vespa GT. I've joined the Vespa club and look forward to becoming an official Vesparado.  I am leaning towards the GT, but might consider an ET4.  Any suggestions? I have put about 2500 miles on my scooter in 2 1/2 years.

My response to Liz: GT or ET4? Well, realistically if you don’t have to buy right this moment, then I would add the LX150 into that equation. The LX150 replaces the ET4, it’s the same engine size but it has some updates. The GT is bigger, more powerful but also more comfortable. If you are going to do any highway driving (as I have) then the GT is definitely the way to go. For example I will be switching to a GT this year as I have put over 7000 miles on my ET in the past 2 years. So which one should you go for? Well it’s up to you and what your feel comfortable with as well as what your riding style is. They are all hardy enough bikes to do daily riding.

Joe C from Long Islan, NY writes: I just purchased a 2005 Vespa Grandturismo in vintage green. I am having the time of my life just commuting to work. I am an Oral Surgeon and my colleagues are fascinated by the sight of me riding it. They have nick named my Vespa a Hardly Davidson. What I want to know is how I can contact other owners , I live on Long Island,New York. Enclosed is a photo of the bike.

My response to Joe: I would suggest that you definitely join the New York Scooters Yahoo group (a definite must for anyone in the NYC area) . The yahoo group is affiliated with the famous “Sunday Ride” which has been meeting at Ave A and First Street in NYC every Sunday at 1pm for years now. You can also visit iscootny so see some of the Sunday riders. Additionally I would visit the Gotham Rally forum. This forum grew out of the yahoo group, but is associated with the yearly Gotham Scooter Rally which is a must attend for any NY scooterist and happens every year in late April.

A Sad Day for a Fine Boston Scooter Club

The Boston Stranglers, a great scooter club in a great city, recently lost a member very unexpectedly and are asking for support. Billy Toth passed away on July 11th of unknown causes. The club writes:

Billy was a good friend, and in the short time that he spent with us, he left a huge impression. He will be missed by a loyal group of friends and his girlfriend, Erin. As Billy had recently begun a new career, he had little money saved. We are working with Billy's family to raise money for a proper funeral. Over the next few days, we ask for the scooter community's help by donating money towards these expenses. We have set up a Paypal account for scooterists who are able to make donations. Donations will be kept confidential, and will be greatly appreciated.

The need is immediate, so please go to this link to make a donation.

Scooters, Blogs & the London Bombing

Here are a few interesting things about both scooters as well as blogs connected to the recent London bombings:

On blogs: Read the BBC article on the blogs that have written about the bombing, and their very interesting take on things, for example, one of my favorites:

"They did their worst, and they managed to disrupt our transport network and get fatalities in the low double figures. That happens on a fairly regular basis anyway, you twits. What's your next trick - a fiendish weather control device which makes it rain on a bank holiday weekend?" --Barry Sarll

On scooters: Check out my orginal comments here wondering aloud whether the scooter came in handy in London, and talking about my personal experience with 9/11 being a catalyst for me to get a scooter. I then linked to this Motorcycle News Article which was looking for the following:

MCN would like to hear from anybody who found themselves and their motorcycle or scooter being brought into the emergency plan to help with the emergency procedure. Please contact Tom Rayner at MCN's Newsdesk by email on tom.rayner@emap.com

Finally, on scooters: Read this Times Online article entitled "After the attacks, Londoners embraced my scooter shuttle". Here is a quote:

For almost 10 years a trusty Vespa has allowed me to avoid the sweaty, dusty and unreliable Northern Line. In fact, I was reminded yesterday that it was an almost deliberate decision after the IRA attacks of the late 1980s and early 1990s which led me to get a scooter to regain a measure of control over my movement around London.

* Thanx to Crystal Waters for forwarding the London Times article to Vespaway. I think we will be hearing much more from her soon!

Another Candian News Story, Worth a Read Especially for New Scooterists

I know I have been posting a lot of Canadian stories after saying that I usually only post about US scooter things. In order to dispel rumors: I am not Canadian, lets get that out of the way. Not that there is anything wrong with that. A person's national preferences are their own private matter and should be treated as such. It's just that all of my clever 'bots that search the internet news sites keep pulling up these interesting stories from Canada. And this story is no exception:

Can a devoted automobile enthusiast trade his four wheels for two this summer? The second in a continuing series.

I say bravo to the National Post for doing something more than a fluff piece on scootering. I mean, it’s great to read a few stories on “hey people are finally noticing scooters/aren’t they neat”, but to actually write about the daily life of a scooterist is fantastic. This gives newcomers an idea of what to expect. I do have a few issues with the way the author goes about making the switchover.

#1: He did not take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course or any other similar safety course before riding. This is a BAD thing. Also he did not have to take a road test in Canada which is rather disturbing. I am pretty sure that in all 50 states you need to take a road test before getting your license, and the BEST way to pass that road test AND become a better driver is to take the MSF course.

#2: He is riding a clutch bike as opposed to a twist & go. I am not sure the age of the bike either, as this story did not list make/model. My advice to all new riders is to get the twist & go, they are easier to ride, and smoother for a new rider, plus almost all new bikes are T&G now. The difference: when you get on a T&G, you simply use a throttle for acceleration, and brakes to stop. With the clutch bikes you are using a throttle, clutch, shifting up and down, and using brakes. This can be daunting for a new user. Also, new T&Gs are reliable, whereas older “classic” bikes (which often look wonderful & I greatly admire) are NOT good bikes to make a daily commute with, as they tend not to be reliable.

#3: (Not a complaint) Kudos for writing about parking being an issue. It is an issue, and cities need to accommodate scooters. I firmly believe that we will change the landscape of the American cities in the next 5 years. The cities need to take notice and begin to accommodate. For instance, where I live it is mandatory to have a parking sticker in a window to park on the street. What do you do if you have no window? The city has not bothered to make accommodations. Also, I have encountered at least one traffic light that is activated only when a car pulls up to it, otherwise it never changes. What is a scooter rider supposed to do in that case?

Anyway, I can write a lot on this subject, having only converted to riding a Vespa ET4 2 years ago. I have put 7000 miles on my bike in that time, and have learned the ins and outs very quickly.

Read the National Post story here. Congrats to Canada for taking such notice of scooters in the past month.

If You Ever Have Too Much Time On Your Hands...

...maybe you will consider doing this:

Creative Director Todd Coats decided that we needed to rev up one of our conference rooms – the one we use for brainstorming and internal meetings. So together we came up with the idea of filling the wall with Post-it notes in a multicolored mosaic of none other than… Elvis. Memorial Day was looming, and I had nothing better to do than spend it with the King.

Read all about it, with more pics, here. Thanks to FARK for this one.

Vancouver, CA Reviews the Vespa GT

Our friends in the North seem to be taking more and more interest in the mysterios scooter. Although they are no sure how to drive it in the snow (hint: you can't) they none the less are pleased as punch to notice them. Here is a fluff piece on the Vespa GT from The Province, a paper in Vancouver.

It seems scooters are everywhere these days, especially in downtown Vancouver and throughout the city core. The three-person team of Daniel Probert with Mark and Kevin Riley runs Vespa Vancouver and they happily offered up some clues to the apparent surge in popularity.

Click here for the full story.

What is Scooter Anyway?

In my effort to report on all things scooter, I find myself wondering what type of animal Scooter from the Muppets was. I mean, was he like some sort of bird, or something more imaginary like gonzo? Luckily for me (and you) I have found a cutting edge news article that attempts to answer these hard hitting questions.

What exactly was Scooter on "The Muppets"? This question excited a surprising amount of debate among a few people we consulted with. Some argued that Scooter was some sort of a bespeckled bird, like a rooster, others wondered if he was some sort of made-up animal (like Gonzo), and a few got him mixed up with Beaker. We turned to the Internet, and found several FAQs about The Muppets that list Scooter as a (drum roll) ...

I wont tell you the answer, why ruin it for you? Instead please feel free to read about it here.

The Mad Bastard Rally: circle Lake Ontario in 24hrs on a Scooter

Normally I just post on scooter happening’s in the US, but I just could not resist writing about those crazy canucks and their 800km in 24hr rally around Lake Ontario. While I am not sure exactly what a “km” is, and I am too lazy to google for conversion, I am almost fairly sure that their “hours” are equivalent to our “hours”, and doing 800 of anything roughly equal to a mile in 24 hours is nutty, just nutty. Go Canada

This was serious business. This was a rally for scooters only, clockwise around Ontario, through Toronto and over to Kingston, across the international border and back through Rochester and Niagara Falls

More than 800 km and a strict 24-hour time limit. No wonder it was called the Mad Bastard Rally.

Click here for story

Scooter Pizza anyone?

I live in Bayonne,NJ. We have a LOT of pizzerias in this 3 mile long town. A lot of VERY GOOD pizzerias. This town is just blessed with wonderful Italian food in general. But I digress... anyway I used to tell my local favorite pizza shop owner that I would deliver pies for him on my beloved Vespa ET4. He laughed and never believed me. Well eat this mr. local pizza owner, this comes to us by way of the Winnipeg Sun:

It's a gimmick and a gas saver.

Expect to see a shiny red scooter zip up to your door when you order a piping hot pie from Doughboys Pizzeria.

It's what shop owner Charlie Mazza is calling a first for Winnipeg.

"Friends told me they saw scooters delivering pizza in Mexico. That's where I got the idea," said the two-year owner of the Pembina Highway shop. "I thought it would work here. If you don't work hard and you're not aggressive you won't make it. There's a lot of competition out there."

click her for the story

Vespa Club of Seattle Hosting Insanity Rally 18

Over 4th of July weekend, the Vespa Club of Seattle will host Seattle Scooter Insanity Rally 18, "a world-class motor scooter eve." To quote the official site:

New and vintage motor scooters and enthusiasts will gather from across the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. The rally, one of the longest running in the PNW in it’s 18th year, is the region's largest, drawing not only scooter enthusiasts, but Seattle residents and summertime tourists for scenic rides, concerts, parties and scooter shows. Expect over 150 participants and motor scooters of all makes and models at events and venues through out the weekend. All scooterists and enthusiasts are welcome!

Click here for more information

Loveland, CO loves scooters

Every summer I always come across the "scooter fluff" pieces from various newspapers as scooters get more and more popular. They usually talk about the local scooter community and who does what with their scoots. Well as scootering has begun to take off in America especially this year, lots of these fluff pieces have popped up in smaller local papers as well, like this one in Loveland, CO:

click here for story

Gnomes "were born free and they should be allowed to live free"

I love gnomes. Really I do. I have a collection of them in my garage, as the new garden hasnt quite gotten underway yet in my new house. I think as an artistic endeavor I will take pictures of my gnomes on my Vespa this summer. That is why I enjoyed reading the link to this article recently posted on FARK:

More garden gnomes have appeared at a business outside of Buffalo. This time, they brought with them what seems to be a Gnome Manifesto.

Amherst, NY -- It appears the strange case of garden gnomes at an Amherst business has just gotten a little weirder.

Last week, a business owner discovered 30 gnomes strategically placed on the roof of his copy shop.

On Monday, workers at the business discovered two more gnomes on their doorstep. At first they thought the little guys were just looking for a new home, but then they found an ominous note.

The note said that gnomes were born free and they should be allowed to live free.

Color Lab's Mike Losi says they have gotten letters from as far away as Alaska from people trying to find out if they have their kidnapped gnomes.

This all makes me feel a tad bit sad that perhaps I am in fact keeping my gnomes against their little gnomey wills. But I am sure any urge to escape will be supressed by my 2 pet dalamations (aka guard dogs to the gnomes). That's it little guys, keeep smiling. Honest engine I will post some gnome on Vespa pics.

Upcoming Event: 3rd Annual Wine Country Ride & BBQ

The "3rd Annual Wine Country Ride & BBQ" will happen Sunday July 10th. I love the wine country & I love scooters, but I am stuck in the NYC area so I will have to miss out on this one! Here are the details gotten via ScooterPress:

Temecula California - Sunday July 10, 2005
Meet @ Starbucks Temecula's Tower Plaza 9:30 am....(I-15 at Rancho California Road, Temecula CA.) We will ride en masse through the meandering vineyards of Temecula's Wine Country, stop at our favorite local winery for some free tasting and ambiance, and continue on through the avocado orchards of Fallbrook. We will end our trip back in Temecula with a free BBQ and raffle!  Come join the fun on your Vespa, Lambretta, or asian step-thru scooters!
Contact mattgordon1@earthlink.net for more info., and see you in Temecula !