October 28, 2006
Piaggio CEO Rocco Sabelli resigns, to be replaced by Chairman Colannino
MILAN, Italy Piaggio & C. SpA CEO Rocco Sabelli has resigned from the Italian scooter maker, citing personal reasons, and will be replaced by Chairman Roberto Colannino, who engineered the company's successful IPO, Piaggio said Thursday.
The board will vote on the appointment at a Nov. 13 meeting previously scheduled to discuss a management reorganization aimed at consolidating the business on its core European market as well as strategic markets identified for growth, the statement said.
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The International Motorcycle and Scooter Show kicked off yesterday in Spectacular Style
Suzuki and Honda unveiled their brand new models
The International Motorcycle and Scooter Show kicked off yesterday with a host of bike unveilings and highlights including the UK launch of brand new models from Suzuki and Honda, appearances from race stars such as Troy Corser, James Toseland and Ryuichi Kiyonari and the first ever public showing of the Thunderdome Games Arena.
The Show, which runs until 5th November, looks to be the most entertaining yet, with more interactive features than ever and an impressive line-up of famous riders set to appear.
Charley Boorman and Suzi Perry officially opened the show on the Blackhorse Stage, introducing the Minister of State for Transport Dr Stephen Ladyman, who acknowledged the importance of motorcycling as a key mode of transport in the future as well as presenting the MCIA with the Prince Michael Safety Award.
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Win Britney's Vespa
It's been a tough few years for Britney Spears fans. First, she married that K-Fed, who most Brit-fans see as a step down from the carny who runs the Tilt-a-Whirl. As though that weren't enough, there was the baby-dropping, the sad gum-snapping TV confessional, the frequent trips to Taco Bell, and, oh yeah, marrying K-Fed. Now, thankfully, eBay's giving you a chance to let your true blue Britney colors shine proudly.
To start, there's a Vespa scooter with Britney's autograph on it. (Where on earth does our Brit ride a Vespa? Around the house?) The sale of the scooter will benefit the Camp Laurel foundation for children living with AIDS and HIV.
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October 23, 2006
Scooter racing more than child's play
Gary Schmitt purchased a scooter at Toys R Us a couple of years ago and began racing it. He traveled to Finland and, against riders nearly 10 years younger, became a world champion.
Sound preposterous? The Finns thought so, too.
"It surprised the hell out of them. And it surprised me, too," Schmitt said. Schmitt, 54, is 5-9, 168 pounds, and a native of Dayton, Ohio. The graphic designer at Indiana University's School of Medicine has lived in Indianapolis since 1980.
His scooter is not to be confused with a motorized gadget or child's toy. Riders kick from high-tech machines that resemble a racing bicycle with a small rear wheel and no seat or pedals.
What originated in Finland a century ago as kick-sledding -- a winter sport -- was transformed into a summer sport in the 1990s with a scooter designed like the sleds. The International Kicksled and Scooter Association had its first world championship in 2004.
Schmitt won two gold medals in the over-45 masters division, at 1,200 meters and a marathon, on Aug. 4 and 6.
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Scooter riders enjoying 'new freedom'
Bob Wright knows a good idea when he sees one. Two years ago he started Valuride Distributors Inc., a company based on Okanagan Landing Road that sells electric scooters. Wright estimates there are now about 150 of his scooters running around Vernon.
The reason for this success is primarily economical operating costs – it costs just a few cents to charge the batteries – closely followed by environmental aspects, Wright said. “People do like the idea of zero emissions,” said Wright.
Wright’s scooters are classified federally as a power assisted bicycle and that limits them to a 500 watt motor and a top speed of 32 km per hour. They must also have functional pedals, he said.
Because of the classification, these machines don’t require ICBC insurance and can use cycle paths around the city. In the two years he has been selling them, Wright said he has seen big improvements in these Chinese manufactured scooters. “They’re evolving in leaps and bounds . . . I think the future is huge for this product . . . especially as the product is improving but still remains economical.”
The latest scooters can travel around 70 to 80 km on their fully charged lead-acid batteries. They have a full security system which includes a digitally locking rear wheel and steering and an audible alarm. They weigh in at around 170lb. Wright said that initially a large proportion of his customers were older men.
But more recently they have been attracting men and women of all ages and, in particular, younger people in the 16 – 19 year age group. “It’s an economical way to get to school or part time jobs,” said Wright.
Sixty-eight year old Vernon resident Ron Downing, who also owns a car, said he really loves his scooter. “It’s a lot of fun for short distances around town and it saves gas,” he said. Downing said that he keeps upgrading and this is his fourth scooter. “They seem to be getting better all the time,” he added.
Gerry Vesterfelt, 70 years old and also from Vernon, doesn’t have a car and said his scooter has given him, “a whole new freedom.” He uses it for getting around town and said he doesn’t have to worry about the buses anymore.
It has enough space to carry his groceries and Vesterfelt said this is his third scooter. He said has found them very reliable. Prices start at $1099 for the 2007 models.
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Things you learn driving a scooter around Dallas
The One That's Not About Music
Through circumstances that are entirely my own fault, I've been without four-wheeled transportation since late May. Fortunately, we had a scooter that I'd gotten April for Christmas during fatter times.
Driving a scooter in Dallas over five months, here's what I've learned.
1. Dallas roads suck. I don't mean in a "everybody bitches about roads" kinda way or a "here's some comparative data from the state" kinda way. I mean in a "I drive a two wheeled vehicle over loosely stitched concrete that looks like it got hit by a major earthquake five years ago" kinda way. First mayoral candidate to personally hit East Dallas with a pick, shovel and some gravel gets my vote.
2. There is WAY more pot smoking going on in this city than I ever would have thought. When a car rolls by you with its windows up and no one apparently smoking at the moment and still smells like Tommy Chong's moustache, you know there's some major ganja in play. I estimate that at least 1% of all Dallas drivers are blowing doobage on the road.
3. There are also far more equestrian centers inside the city proper than one would expect. They may not have signs, but believe me, I know where they are.
Link.
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Schwinn scooter raffles to benefit Amazon Heart
In honor of both Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the historical similarities between Harley and Schwinn, the Ventura and Simi Harley-Davidson dealerships are selling tickets through Oct. 28 to raffle off one Schwinn "Hope" model from each location.
All ticket-sale proceeds will benefit Amazon Heart. Additionally, Schwinn Motor Scooter company donates 10 percent of the purchase price of all Hope models to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Harley general manager Paul Pecoraro said the two shops hope to raise as much as $10,000 during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Each location on Oct. 28 will raffle off one pink-and-white, four-stroke, gas-powered Schwinn Hope scooter. Known for its bicycles, Schwinn in 2005 introduced its first models of motor scooters.
Raffle tickets are $10 each, with 500 tickets available at each store, 1326 Del Norte Road in Camarillo, and 6190 Condor Drive in Moorpark. For more information, contact Micki Waldrop at 981-9904.
The raffle follows a visit by the Amazon Heart Thunder at Ventura Harley-Davidson on Sept. 24. Ventura Harley-Davidson opened early that morning to provide breakfast and items to help a dozen riders trek from Los Angeles to San Francisco to raise awareness and provide an adventure for breast cancer survivors.
Amazon Heart was founded in 2004 by two young breast cancer survivors to meet the needs of women living with breast cancer through a unique approach to peer support — life-changing adventures that help women come to terms with their experiences and move on to live life fully. Funds raised by the ride will support the peer support programs of Amazon Heart and the Young Survival Coalition of the United States.
For more information, visit http://www.amazonheartthunder.org.
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Older riders and cheapskates push scooter sales
PHILADELPHIA - Ask Alicia Karr why, at age 56, she bought her first motor scooter, and her answer is succinct: "Al Gore and Europe."
On a trip to Italy last fall, Karr, an artist, fell in love with Scooter Culture: the men in business suits, the women in long skirts. Gore's movie on the perils of carbon emissions, "An Inconvenient Truth, sealed the deal.
And so in August, Karr purchased a Vespa LX 250 in "aurora blue" - metallic sky blue. "The artist in me fell in love with that."
Her intention was to use the Vespa for short trips and errands, instead of driving her SUV, thereby saving gas and fossil fuel while making a small contribution to the welfare of Planet Earth. (Ten days after she picked up her scooter, a tree fell on her Lexus SUV, totaling it.)
More and more Americans, tired of sharing their paychecks with Exxon and dealing with ricocheting oil prices, are adopting scooters as economical "second cars," or as a practical vehicle to tool around the city.
"It costs me, like, $4 to fill up with gas," said Jennica Tucker, 21, who bought her Vespa LX 150 in July to commute to classes at Temple University. "And that lasts for two weeks."
When William Nickle was commuting from Elkton, Md., to his job in Wilmington, Del., in his Dodge Ram pickup, he was spending at least $85 a week on gas, his wife estimated. Now that he's making the 40-mile round trip on his Suzuki Burgman scooter, which gets about 60 mpg, he's spending only $15 to $20.
"It's made a big difference in the family budget," said Barbara Nickle.
Scooter makers have not been shy about pointing this out. One Vespa ad proclaims: "Gas Price Is the One High You Won't Experience."
The message must be registering. Sales of scooters made by Piaggio, which includes the Vespa and Aprilia brands, have been growing at a 15 to 20 percent annual clip for five years, said Kevin Andrews, brand manager for Piaggio and Vespa scooters for Piaggio Group Americas. This year, they'll likely surge 30 percent more.
"Scooters are the fastest-growing segment in the two-wheel industry," said Mike Mount, a spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Council. In 2005, 113,000 scooters were sold in the United States, nearly a tenth of total motorcycle sales.
Scooters differ from motorcycles in several ways. They have smaller wheels, step-through frames, foot platforms and leg shields. While motorcyclists straddle the engine, on scooters the motor is low, close to the rear wheel and usually encased. Scooter motors are typically smaller and less powerful, with displacement commonly ranging from 49 to 250 cubic centimeters.
In 1997, when Eric Osner opened Crossroad Powersports, a motorcycle dealership in Upper Darby, Pa., he didn't sell a single scooter. In the last two years, scooter sales (he offers Vespa, Piaggio, Aprilia and Honda models) have gone "through the roof."
"It's a phenomenon," Osner said. "People respect scooters now."
Designed by an Italian aeronautical engineer, the first scooter was built in 1946 (which means the jaunty vehicles celebrate their 60th birthday this year). When Enrico Piaggio, head of the company that made it, saw the prototype, he exclaimed, "`Sembra una vespa!" ("It looks like a wasp!")
Today's scooters don't guzzle gas, they sip; depending on engine size, scooters can travel from 40 to more than 100 miles on a gallon of gas.
Link.
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Peugeot to make scooters in China
Peugeot Motocycles has said it is planning to set up a joint venture in China to relocate part of its scooter production in Asia. Peugeot said it plans to team up with Jinan Qingqi Motorcycles Co., or Quigqi, a unit of diversified conglomerate CSGC.
Financial details weren't disclosed. Peugeot said that since the scooter models that it will continue to manufacture in France are selling well, it won't need to cut permanent jobs here.
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Honda Vietnam launches new scooter
Honda Vietnam yesterday launched its latest scooter model called Click onto the market and announced a 20% increase in motorcycle production capacity to one million units a year to meet increasing demands.
Click is fitted with a newly designed built-in radiator and automatic 4-stroke 108cc engine. It is made to ensure a perfect balance of driving and fuel efficiency, the company said.
The company said the emission levels of different gases including HC and CO2 are within the Euro 2 standard, which is claimed to be environmentally friendly.
The scooter is also fitted with a combined braking system, the first time a CBS system is introduced in Vietnam, which helps ensure safety for riders. CBS is Honda’s innovative and the advanced system to enhance the braking control.
The scooter will hit the street from October 8, and comes in white, black and red colors at VND25.5 million (VAT included) a unit.
Hiroaki Funami, general director of Honda Vietnam, said: “I believe this new stylish motorcycle shall be highly appreciated by those who are looking forward to new lifestyle.”
Honda’s sales this year may amount to 800,000 units for the domestic market, or an increase of 30% compared to last year.
At the launching ceremony, Funami said that to meet the increasing demand of customers at home and abroad, Honda Vietnam will increase its production from 820,000 units this year to 1 million units in 2007.
The increase in production capacity will be carried out at the exiting motorcycle manufacturing plant in Vinh Phuc Province.
With the capacity increase, Honda Vietnam’s motorcycle manufacturing plant will be expanded by around 14,000 square meters to the total of over 40,000 square meters.
The plant expansion and capacity increase will be completed early next year, he added.
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October 2, 2006
Scooter-themed Pin-Up Art Show at Cafe Racer
Seattle cartoonist confederation "Friends of the Nib" will host a benefit art show at Cafe Racer Saturday night (6-8pm), and according to an email we received from one Max Woodring, "100% of all proceeds from art sales will go to Jason Gooder, who was recently injured in a fall."
Seattlest has no clue who this "Jason Gooder" person is (perhaps a secret alias Max Woodring exploits for profit?), or if the fall in question took place on a Vespa (hence the theme of the show?), but the talent on display - Jim Woodring, Bruce Brickford, Ellen Forney, David Lasky et al - are unlikely to disappoint, and they inexplicably price their masterpieces to sell. Go snag this stuff before the artists wake up and realize how seriously underpriced it all is.
Cafe Racer Espresso, Seattle Coffee House 5828 Roosevelt Way NE
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With Scooter Sales Up, Driver Safety Is A Concern
ARVADA, Colo. -- With higher gas prices, more people have turned to driving scooters in Denver and they are more popular than ever across the nation.
At Erico Motorsports, sales of scooter are up 35 percent.
"There are the gas saving features, and it's a fun way to commute to and from work," Beth Maxim of Erico Motorsports said. "The vehicle itself costs less than a car would be to purchase."
But even the experts admit not all scooters are created equally. Some can be dangerous if not driven in the right environment.
Police said a scooter driver involved in a deadly hit and run accident on Sheridan Boulevard was driving a model that had a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour. The posted speed limit on Sheridan is 45 mph.
The vehicle was legally allowed to be driven on Sheridan, even though it may not be able to keep up with traffic.
"If you find yourself in a trouble situation where you need to speed up quickly, you're going to have less of an ability to do that with a smaller engine," Maxim said.
Maxim said the size of the scooter the victim on Sheridan was driving is safe for side streets, but drivers need a larger engine on busier roads, even if it is legal to drive there.
Link.
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Jackie Chan stymied by scooter on 'Rush Hour 3' film set in Paris
HONG KONG - Jackie Chan's acrobatic stunts have made him one of the world's most recognizable movie stars, but the actor revealed that mastering a Segway two-wheeled scooter can be tricky.
Chan, preparing to kick off filming for the third instalment of the "Rush Hour" action comedy series with co-star Chris Tucker in Paris, wrote in a diary entry on his website Sunday that he shipped the scooter to Paris to conveniently get around the film set.
"Everybody thinks it's easy to drive a vehicle like this. Like riding a bicycle, one has to learn how to properly drive a Segway. Even when a person thinks they understand how to ride it, they may go too fast and get hurt," Chan wrote.
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October 1, 2006
Alert: Here comes the Autorickshaws!
India’s inspiring imports to the West are no more restricted to beauty queens, Bollywood, bindis, bangles and brocades.Even something as unstylish and quotidian as an autorickshaw has started to make a style statement.
Check out Florida’s Ronald Flynn’s latest passion for instance. Every time the debonair 73-year old makes his weekly trip to the grocery store, he invites looks that are a mix of amusement and amazement. And it’s all because the retired flight control despatcher for Federal Express makes those short drives in a bright red coloured autorickshaw that he drives himself. Incidentally, this Barefoot Bay resident also owns a Chevy and Cadillac.
A few thousand miles away, newsmaker and columnist Emma Parker-Bowles recently did a test run in Brighton, UK, on their tuktuks for her column in one of Britain’s leading tabloids. You guessed it. The tuktuks happen to be none other than our humble autorickshaws imported from Pune and taken to UK for commercial use by politician-cum-businessman Dominic Ponniah in July.
The response to what we thought were modest machines have been far more flattering than what they have ever received in the country of their origin. Parker Bowles termed the polka dotted version of the vehicle she traveled in as the “coolest thing to drive in the summers”.
“I love driving the autorickshaw around even if people react with a ‘What the hell is that?’ I realise that in India it’s used for business but I have great fun with it,” says the man who had gone looking for a scooter online but then decided on the autorickshaw when he chanced upon it on the net.
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Kinetic to launch 6 scooter models in 3 years
Kinetic Motor Company Ltd is all set to launch six new Indo-Italian scooter models in the country and abroad in the next three years, Mr Ajinkya Firodia, Vice-President (Sales and Marketing), said on Friday.
After launching the Rs 51,000 new model "Blaze", the first of the seven models that Kinetic acquired from the Italian major, Italjet Moto, last year, he told Business Line here that the remaining six models of the Italiano series, designed by Mr Leopoldo Tartarini, will be launched in a phased manner in the next three years or so.
A family scooter, Euro, the second model after the 165-cc Blaze, is being launched in the next two to three months, he added.
Mr Firodia pointed out that the company is expanding its market in the Far East and the South-East Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia.
As part of its strategy to recapture the scooter market, the company has also appointed about 50 new dealers across India.
Kinetic has two manufacturing units at Pithampur near Indore and Ahmednagar near Pune.
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Scooter dream squashed: Vino too small for Toronto highways
Weight limit easily exceeded by rider
I'm too buff for my scooter.
Or perhaps I'm too fat.
Regardless, my dream of zipping around Toronto on a fun and economical scooter has been delayed.
Okay, it's not much of a dream, but after a summer of high gasoline prices and guzzling gas in my not-so-economical 1998 burgundy Chevy Malibu, I thought a scooter would be a perfect option to get to work, to the tennis club, to the gym, and to my girlfriend's place in Mississauga.
I took a liking to scooters during a May trip to Cuba. What a fun way to, well, scoot into town and see the sights.
So this summer, when I saw a sign for a scooter for sale, I made one of those rash, impulsive purchases. The scooter was won in a contest but the winner didn't want it. The 2005 Yamaha Vino Classic looked sporty in blue and had zero kilometres.
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2007 Suzuki Burgman 400 Review
Don't give it short shrift: This scooter can tour
FROM the looks I got, you'd think I was riding a unicorn. Not that my bug-splattered two-wheeler was all that, aesthetically. I was riding a scooter, breezing along at a brisk 80 mph on the sort of in-the-sticks stretch of highway with two sorts of signs: the ones that give the speed limit and the ones that say "Next gas 36 miles."
Think you can't tour on a scooter? Suzuki's Burgman 400 has been proving it's possible since 2003, when the manufacturer first brought its Burgman maxi-scooters to the U.S. Now, for its '07 model, Suzuki has upped the ante, with power, handling and emissions improvements that show it isn't just possible to scoot this four-stroke single across town or country, it's a kick.
Engine-wise, Meister Burgman has morphed from a 385 cc single overhead cam to a double with a longer piston stroke, an upgrade that jolts this mid-range maxi-scooter up a notch, allowing the Burgman 400 to finally live up to its name. And greenies will breathe a little easier knowing that the Burgman's new oval section exhaust system not only meets the current California Air Resources Board emissions standards but also the significantly stricter European requirements, known as Euro 3.
That still doesn't make the Burgman less polluting than the average U.S. passenger car or SUV, but it's an impressive feat for two wheels, achieved through the combined use of fuel injection, a new exhaust catalyzer that breaks down emissions from the pipe and a closed-loop oxygen sensor that controls evaporatives from the fuel line and tank. A new Idle Speed Control system also does its part to ease the burden on the environment, adapting to riding conditions and adjusting the idle to its most fuel-efficient speed.
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Drunken scooter road test
An electrician who sped through a school zone while drunk on his motor scooter has been handed a suspended prison sentence.
Martin Michael Schuts, 45, appeared in the Brisbane Magistrate's Court yesterday when he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding, driving unlicensed, unregistered, uninsured and with a licence plate belonging to another vehicle.
Police were patrolling outside the Petrie Terrace State School at Milton shortly before 8am on August 7 when they clocked Schuts travelling at 58km/h in a 40km/h school zone.
They soon smelled liquor on the 45-year-old's breath, which translated into a blood-alcohol reading of 0.178 per cent.
The court also heard Schuts had just finished serving a three-year disqualification for drink-driving, which expired on July 1.
Defence counsel Michael Forrest said his client had kept his scooter "in mothballs" during his three-year disqualification, but that he had jumped the gun in wanting to get back on the road.
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