September 28, 2007
Peugeot’s New C-Tech R-Cup Scooter
Whichever way you look at it, the limited edition C-Tech R-Cup from Peugeot is a seriously cool scooter. On the outside its distinctive red-and-white livery, enhanced by sponsor logos, evokes the amazingly successful history of Peugeot in the World Rally series this decade, with three successive Championships to their name. On the inside its liquid cooled 2-stroke motor provides impressive yet smooth power delivery.
If the Devil is in the detail, then this is one hell of a handsome machine. The 13” alloy wheels are shod with Pirelli tyres and there is a 226mm ‘wavy’ disc at the front, backed up by a 190mm disc at the rear, for stopping power that works every bit as well as it looks.
The speedometer and mirrors have a ‘carbon’ effect finish and the sport saddle is colour coded to match the rear spoiler, while the alloy footplates complement the alloy beam frame below the seat. At the front, twin lenticular headlights emphasise the C-Tech’s sporting pedigree and provide potent illumination.
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September 27, 2007
Piaggio India plant to roll out engines by end-2009
NEW DELHI - Italian scooter maker Piaggio's India unit will begin production at a diesel engine plant being built in Maharashtra by the end of 2009, a senior company official said on Wednesday.
"We are creating the facility with a capacity of 200,000 engines. The progress is on schedule. The investment envisaged is in the region of 60 million euros," Ravi Chopra, managing director of the local unit, told reporters.
It plans to make engines for three-wheelers and four-wheelers at the facility, and Chopra said capacity would be further expanded if there is demand.
He said the plant would meet domestic demand and also supply engines to the firm's Italian parent, best known for its Vespa two-wheeler.
Chopra was speaking at a news conference to launch Piaggio's new line of ape' -- known in Europe as Ape -- passenger and cargo three-wheelers that run on compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas.
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September 26, 2007
Vmoto's own scooters roll off China assembly line
Vmoto Limited ("Vmoto") is pleased to announce that it has completed the first production run of scooters from the recently established scooter assembly facility in China.
The first two containers of the state of the art T17 scooter are to be shipped to clients in France and Spain within the next 2 days, representing a significant milestone in Vmoto's ambitions to become a vertically integrated global scooter company.
The completion of the maiden production run coincided with a visit to the operations by the Company's newly appointed Chairman, Mr Lee Verios.
Managing Director Patrick Davin commented "this milestone event cannot be understated as the platform is now in place for the evolution of Vmoto to become a major global scooter and motorcycle supplier. The Company now has complete manufacturing capability, along with major lines of distribution in over 100 nations. The united view of the Board and Management team to emerge as a pre-imminent global scooter supplier in the wake of the consolidating Chinese industry is already presenting new opportunities which will lead to exponential growth in revenue and profit."
In addition to the current activity from the scooter assembly and engine facilities, construction of the proposed new, purpose built state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is due to commence in the coming months. It is intended that the facility in Nanjing will house both the scooter and engine assembly plants, with the Stage 1 development covering approximately 30% of the 3 hectare land parcel, allowing for significant expansion to support the rapid expected growth, without interruption to ongoing production commitments.
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Suzuki plans rolling out new models next year-end
Mumbai: Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Ltd intends introducing 3-4 models by next year-end. These would cater to the 125cc plus segment in the scooter and motorcycle range, said Atul Gupta, Vice-President - Sales & Marketing.
The company is also evaluating the possibility of introducing high-end motorcycles to cater to the racing enthusiast.
These announcements were made on the sidelines of the company’s first offering in the scooter segment, called Access 125. It is a 125cc gearless scooter that the company launched earlier in metropolitan cities like Delhi and now in Mumbai.
The company has, however, refrained to disclose the price due to delay in delivery of a critical component on time by an ancillary company; it shall be resolved by the month-end and dispatches to dealerships will commence in the first week of next month, said Satya Sheel, Managing Director, Suzuki Motorcycle India.
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September 25, 2007
Good weather boosts scooter sales
The Scooter Bar owner Grant McLeod says warmer and drier weather over the last few weeks has led to more scooter sales.
"We are getting more and more people looking at scooters to get to work and back, to go down the gym or to pop down the shops on," Mr McLeod, who with his partner Leigh Symonds runs the Anglesea St Vmoto dealership, said.
They had sold an average of one scooter a day since the weather improved, compared to about 2 1/2 a week when they first opened in a much wetter May.
"We could not have started at a worse time - in the middle of winter."
Vmoto is a wholly owned Australian brand, based in Perth. Its scooters - the 50cc Milan retro model, the 50cc Monza and the 125cc Monaco - are built in China to Australian design rules.
Vmoto, introduced to New Zealand in 2004, was Australia's top selling motorcycle brand between 2003 and 2005, dropping to second place last year, and reclaiming the top title again this year.
Mr McLeod, 45, who has worked in the motor industry most of his life - including a stint with his father Ian's car dealership in Hamilton - said he was attracted to Vmoto above other brands because it was stylish, reasonably priced and there was nobody else selling them in the Waikato. There are another 10 dealers nationwide.
Mr McLeod said the business, which was selling scooters for between $2450 and $3490, had surpassed all expectations.
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September 24, 2007
Scooter use growing in Oshkosh
David and Katie Karpowitz estimate they've put about 2,300 miles on the pair of his and hers scooters they purchased in June.
As long as the weather's nice, the Karpowitzs hop on their scooters for trips around town, to the grocery store and work. They even used them when they headed out to Omro for the Fourth of July parade.
"It's so much better on the gas mileage," said David Karpowitz, 26, who has been riding scooters since he was 16. "And it's the freedom of the open road, like a motorcycle, but without the motorcycle license."
The Karpowitzs aren't the only ones choosing to ride a scooter, as more people have made the decision to exchange their vehicles for scooters during shorter trips around town.
With gas prices hovering around $3 a gallon for the past year, the gas mileage a scooter gets is a major selling point, said Gary Witzke of Witzke Auto Sales.
A scooter with a 49.5 cc engine will average between 75 and 80 miles per gallon with a top speed of 35 miles per hour. Scooters with a 150 cc engine get about 60 miles per gallon, and reach speeds over 60 miles per hour, Witzke said.
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Vectrix launches first mass-market electric maxi scooter
A storied name in automotive entrepreneurship is again hitting the marketplace, this time as one of the first to supply a mass-produced electric vehicle.
Jeff Qvale, son of famed San Francisco import car dealer Kjell Qvale, is selling the Vectrix electric scooter, a green two-wheeler that’s been 10 years and $90 million in the making.
The scooter, developed by a group whose past efforts include America’s Cup yachts and the F-22 Raptor fighter jet, brings parts in from around the world with assembly in Poland. Qvale has 50 of the $12,000 scooters on the ground in his Bay Area dealership.
Numbers worth thinking about: It has a top speed of 62 mph; at a constant 25 mph it has a 40-50 mile range. It weighs 460 lbs. A plug-in charge from any three-pronged outlet takes two-and-a-half hours to complete; its nickel-metal-hydride battery can also receive a 220-volt charge. “It truly is one bike for the world,” Qvale says.
With regenerative Brembo brakes, an Alcoa aluminum frame and a brushless DC motor designed and built by Parker Hannifin out of Italy, the Vectrix electric scooter might just be a world bike. Qvale says the company is just now getting its sales and marketing system in place; the firm developing the Vectrix wanted to make sure everything was right with it before launch.
That seems to have taken place. The firm has a capability of building 50 per day and between the U.S. and European sales is aiming for 1000 per month.
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The Powascooter is an electric ride
In the months following the July 7 terror attacks on London's public transport system, the city began to resemble a city preparing not for the Olympics but for Wacky Races. The stream of cyclists puffing their way through the capital were joined by an odd procession of rollerbladers, skaters and dizzy scooter virgins. As one seasoned biker friend put it: "the bomb-dodgers have arrived."
I found my dodge that August at a car-boot sale. A classic 1982 Vespa that couldn't help but divide opinion - strangely enough, after everyone came to the same conclusion.
"It's, um ... pink."
Two years was enough. But the Vespa is well named - once you're stung by the wasp, you'll never forget it.
So it was, after a few months fending off withdrawal symptoms, that I volunteered to test drive the Powascooter PS168, a bike that aims to become the Vespa of the 21st century - with an altogether softer sting in the tail. For the PS is an electric scooter.
The concept is simple. Charge the bike for four hours on a standard mains point, via its portable adapter, and you've put 30-40km "in the tank." Each 50km will add just the equivalent of a few cents to your electricity bill, which gives you 1,000km of emissions - free motoring for just a few bucks. And with no internal combustion engine, you can bank on fewer pit stops and running repairs.
There are already 30,000 Powascooters on Britain's roads - and they're up and running on national grids from Iceland to Australia. But the chances are you've never noticed one. Because this is an almost silent bike. Turn the ignition key, twist the throttle and you're away. There's no clunking kick-start, no throaty misfiring on chilly mornings. If the 1500w motor emits anything, it's the slight whoosh of a milk float. Out on the road, this can make for an almost eerie experience. Pull away from a junction and watch the heads on the pavement turn. No noise, they're thinking. How is it moving? While the tranquility heightens your awareness of the surrounding traffic, the smoothness is, at times, so soporific I almost dozed off.
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Ride Vintage, Wear Retro
THE temperature out there was 31 deg C. It was a humid night. But 19-year-old student Rizad Noor, decked out in a long-sleeved shirt and a knitted vest, was hanging around outside The Cathay.
Click to see larger image
His friend, IT analyst Hanafi Md Noor, 26, even had a knitted scarf wrapped around his neck. National serviceman Kunio Suto, 21, was also dressed in a two-piece suit and a green trench coat with a furry collar.
Their outfits drew curious stares from passers-by. But instead of being embarrassed, their faces glowed with pride as they stood beside their Vespa scooters.
The occasion?
It was a Vespa outing organised by AJ Scooter Club for this interview.
More than 20 Vespa owners zipped into the meeting area outside The Cathay in their vintage scooters. They said it is usually what they do when they go for outings on the Vespa.
They dig into their wardrobes for the most retro-looking outfits and some even borrow clothes from their friends.
'It is to complete the vintage look,' Mr Hanafi said.
Some of them even went to the extent of not having an In-vehicle Unit (IU) on their scooters as they did not want the modern accessory to ruin the retro look.
Property agent Denise Ho, 27, reached The Cathay after 8pm - to avoid the ERP gantries. Her Vespa did not have an IU.
Her white scooter is also fitted with a rubber horn that squeaks when you squeeze it.
'Doesn't this remind you of the karung guni man?' she said, referring to the rag-and-bone men who frequent HDB estates to collect old newspapers and appliances, tooting their handheld horns.
The extent these Vespa fans go to to retain the retro look of their scooter is telling. Musician Wilson Wong does the same.
He said: 'I will use only original accessories for the scooter, and the IU is not part of it!'.
Like Miss Ho, he would make detours and avoid the ERP gantries whenever he rides his scooter.
When it comes to parking, they would try to park their scooters in places which do not use the automated cash payment system.
They spent between $3,000 to $5,000 for their second-hand Vespas and sourced for them in online forums and motorbike workshops.
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September 19, 2007
Classic Vespas rev up trends in HCM City
Once the epitome of ‘50s Roman jazz-age cool, the Vespa experienced something of a fall from grace between the 1970s-1990s. No longer considered hip, most were reduced to the scrap heap or left long forgotten in storage bins or family garages.
Fast forward to the present day and the humble little scooter is undergoing a global revival. In Viet Nam where the Vespa never truly died off, because people couldn’t afford to replace them, retro scooters from the 50’s-70’s are more popular than ever.
Viet Nam’s streets are jam-packed full of your run of the mill models, the Honda’s Dylan, @, SH, Suzuki’s Hayate and Yamaha’s Nouvo that all clamour for attention in some of the world’s most bizarre urban waves of traffic. But it is the chic old models that have been custom painted and fitted that are turning heads in HCM City.
However, it’s not all easy trails with the old Italians and French, they are up to 50 years old and require some pampering from time to time. They are generally less convenient than the newer models and are prone to problems such as difficult start-ups, frequent breakdowns and stalled engines. Enthusiasts say its all part of the charm and the little acts of maintenance love they dote upon them make the relationship that much more special.
Nguyen Quoc Ky, general director of HCM City-based Viettravel, one of the country’s largest and most successful tourism companies, rides his US$4,000 Mobylette to his office on Pasteur Road every day.
Ky owns a collection of French-made motorbikes, including six Mobylettes and four Velosolexes and said although there is very little commercial value in being a collector there is a great deal of cultural value in restoring something from the past that would of otherwise be trashed.
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The ungeared scooter market is back in gear
The ungeared scooter market is back in gear. Enthused by the growth in this segment, companies like Yamaha and Suzuki are driving out new products. The top 3 bike makers are also revving up their scooter pipeline.
Declining sales and sliding margins are compelling two-wheeler makers like Bajaj Auto, Hero Honda and TVS Motors to look at the ungeared scooter market. Sample this, motorcycles posted negative growth of almost 15% in the April to august quarter but Scooters however, grew by 19% during the same period. Surprisingly, the youngest player HMSI is the market leader with 59 per cent market share with TVS coming in second. This growth has led players like Suzuki, Yamaha to add scooters to their India product line.
"Fortunately automatic Scooter market has not gone down, with 125 cc scooters we are making a new segment and see growth,” says Atul Gupta, VP - Sales & Marketing, Suzuki Motorcycles India
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A Fun Ride with Rechargeable Pocket Mod Scooter
If you look at the picture of Pocket Mod Miniature Euro-Style Electric Scooter from Razor I’m sure you’ll think its just one collectible toy… that’s what I thought too but I was wrong because this is a real scooter!
You can ride on it; use it for cruising some places nearby your place. It’s a real deal and quite convenient to use if you like to explore the countryside since its engine can speed up to 15 miles per hour. You have to note however that this is not intended to be used in busy streets or anywhere where there’s traffic. Pocket Mod is also quite comfortable to ride in because it is built with 12-inch pneumatic tires and rear suspension system. Control is yours with the twist-grip throttle acceleration and hand rear brake.
There’s even a bigger difference in the way this scooter is operated because unlike the regular scooters you see on the streets this runs on a rechargeable battery. Its single charge can take up to 8 hours and with this charge you can drive around for 45 straight minutes. Is this a good thing or what?
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Scooter fan goes for record
A scooter rider from the Spilsby area led a world record attempt to have the most scooters in a parade at the Isle of Wight Scooter Rally.
Magazine editor Mau Spencer, of Toynton All Saints, was accompanied by other local riders from the county in the attempt.
He said they are awaiting the results from the Guinness World Records team, but 1,132 scooters took part which is more than double the current record.
Mr Spencer and other local riders then rode to Skegness as part of a 4,000 mile journey around the UK to raise money for charity.
The team took it in turns to ride a 51-year-old Lambretta Model D 150cc scooter into the town, which arrived last week.
Mr Spencer said: "The Lambretta will continue the journey around the UK coastline, handing over to different scooterists in each county, and will eventually end up back where it started in Lands End."
The trip was arranged to raise money for the Robert Sebbage Appeal. Robert, 14, suffers from a rare disease called Neuropathic Bowel Disease.
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September 18, 2007
Campus police make time on scooters
In pursuit of a suspicious person who had managed to dodge University of Louisville police officers on the Belknap campus a few weeks ago, Lt. John Schafer used one of the department's newest tools.
Hopping on a Segway, Schafer caught up with the fleeing suspect near the Speed Museum parking garage, and kept up with him as he ran toward Davidson and Strickler halls.
"I kept asking him if he was tired yet," Schafer said. "He finally ran into a building and we caught him. He was kind of tuckered out by the time it was over, but I was just fine.
"I could have kept going on the Segway if he wanted to run some more."
The Segway is a self-balancing, two-wheel electric scooter that is often used by tour guides. But it also is increasingly used as a law-enforcement tool, according to the company's Web site.
U of L police purchased three Segways a little over a year ago in an effort to improve their ability to get around the sprawling campus, said Maj. Kenneth Brown, assistant chief.
"It offered us a unique opportunity in patrolling but also with interacting with students and staff on campus," Brown said. "They're great as far as fuel efficiency goes, as well."
The university police have two police models that cost the department about $4,300 each, and one non-police model that was about $3,500, Brown said.
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Suzuki Motorcycle launches 125cc 'Access' scooter
New Delhi -- Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd today forayed into the scooter segment with the launch of a 125 cc 'Access 125' that gives a mileage of 65 km per litre under test conditions.
The scooter, available in five colours as red, blue, black, grey and silver, will hit the stores by the first week of next month. However, the company did not reveal the price.
''The changing market require more meaningful product across all categories which identifies with the need of a powerful product suitable for the new India,'' company Managing Director Satya Sheel told reporters here.
The Access 125 is being produced from the company's Gurgaon plant and will hit the stores by the first week of October.
The scooter is has a four-stroke engine with automatic transmission and a rust free body.
Having a sporty design with central locking system, the scooter has a unique shutter mechanism for a single control point for the entire machine to avoid theft.
Suzuki said it now plans to exist across all segments of the two wheeler industry and the production of the scooter is a step in that direction. Elaborating further, company Vice President (Sales and Marketing) Atul Gupta said, ''The motorcycle sales are going down, but this segment of scooter has been stagnant.'' The mid-size scooter industry sells around 40,000 units a month. ''We are eyeing a target sales of 5,000 units per month,'' he added.
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Vectrix scooter sales significantly below forecast
LONDON -- Vectrix Corp said it expects to book sales significantly below market forecast by year-end due to quality issues in MAXI scooter production ramp-up and reworking of previously shipped bikes.
However, the company said its experience from dealing with these quality issues has enabled it to continuously improve its production processes.
The company also said it expects demand of its MAXI scooter in the US to grow at both an earlier and faster rate than its previous expectation.
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September 17, 2007
Falls off Vespa, charged with drunk driving
A London man is facing a drunk-driving charge after falling off his scooter in the middle of the afternoon, police said.
It was 2:30 p.m. Wednesday when police were called to Hamilton Road near Sackville Street after reports a man had fallen off his Vespa scooter while pulling out of a parking lot.
The same man is already facing a drunk-driving charge for an incident that occurred on a Tuesday last November at 9:30 a.m.
On Wednesday, the man was taken to hospital for injuries and arrested there.
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For true scooter cred, you need an old Vespa
When you pass a motor scooter on the street, you probably respond in one of two ways: “Wow, I’ll bet that guy is getting great mileage,” or, “Jeez, what a dork.”
But when two scooter riders pass each other on the street, they’re likely to respond in one of two entirely different ways: “Neat, a vintage Vespa,” or “Humph, plastic.”
The scooter universe, it seems, is divided into two separate worlds. And it’s expanding, a development that people in one of those worlds view with mixed emotions.
Inhabiting the Old World are those who ride vintage versions of the Vespa, the Italian brand whose name means scooter the way Kleenex means facial tissue.
Buzzing along in the New World are those who ride modern, plastic-bodied scooters generally made in China, Taiwan and other parts of Asia. And woe to anyone who calls one of those a Vespa in front of someone who owns a real Vespa.
The scooter explosion has been helped along by rising gas prices. It’s not uncommon for modern scooters to get 60 to 100 miles per gallon and reach speeds of 60 mph or higher.
Their increasing popularity can be seen in the fact that there are now no fewer than three shops in town that specialize in scooter sales.
You might think all this would be a welcome sign of societal acceptance to the scooter pioneers, such as members of the Columbus Cutters scooter club, who will hold their 10th annual Scoot-a-Que rally this weekend. But think again.
A spirited debate played out on the Cutters website earlier this summer over whether plastic scooters are a little less equal than their older Italian kin.
Kat Moya, a tattoo artist and scooter owner, set off the ruckus by posting a message stating her concern about the club’s changing—perhaps diluted—identity.
“It’s been hard to stay focused on who we are amidst the ever-growing population of scooter riders,” Moya wrote. “The Columbus Cutters scooter club is composed of members that have shown great involvement with our events, lend a hand and share a love for vintage scooters.”
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Gilera shoe-horns an 840cc engine into its latest scooter
An 840cc, 90-degree fuel injected V-twin, performance chassis, 200kmh top speed and braided brake lines… on a CVT, step-thru scooter?
After sending heads spinning with its Nexus 500, a scooter that handles like a sportsbike in the twisties, Gilera have completely dumbfounded us with their GP 800 hyperscooter. Striking some sort of bizarre balance between a super-grunty commuter and a genuine sports-tourer, this bespectacled bad-boy is the new and undisputed king of the scooter segment.
Gilera have fired a definitive salvo in the maxi-scooter capacity war we wrote of last year with the release of their anticipated GP 800. Although it’s missing the electronic transmission we expected, the whopping 840cc v-twin engine remains, making it the biggest, baddest and fastest scooter on the market; a 16 year-old bully kicking over the third-graders’ sand castles.
Gilera are creating a whole new class with the GP 800 – let’s call it the hyperscooter class. It’s designed to maintain the practicality and ease of use of a step-thru city scooter, while giving the rider the genuine chance to take it touring or thrashing in the twisties. Looks-wise it's as though a Burgmann has mated with a Hayabusa. It's still definately a scooter though, which will help its popularity among non-bikers - even if this is offset by a very hefty 245kg dry weight.
The chassis specification shows that the GP 800 will be unlike anything that’s come before it – everything’s designed to be a match for the 75-odd horses the engine will pump out; twin-disc front brakes on braided hoses will pull the 16” front wheel up from the scoot’s top speed of over 200kmh and fat 41mm forks take care of the front-end suspension. A horizontally-mounted monoshock provides the rear suspension, and the rigid tubular steel double-cradle frame should contribute to the motorcycle-like handling and tipped-in stability Gilera are touting.
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Accused beer robber tries to flee police on a Razr Scooter
PANORAMA CITY - A reputed member of a Van Nuys tagging crew called Notorious Criminals tried to flee police on a Razr Scooter the other day after he and an accomplice allegedly held up a man for his beer, police said.
Jose Murillo, 18, of Van Nuys, hopped on his metal scooter Monday night after allegedly using a knife and handcuffs to stick up and detain a 22-year-old man while he and his partner in crime, David Flores, 19, of Sun Valley, took two 24-ounce Icehouse beers and went through his pockets in the 14600 block of Roscoe Boulevard, police said.
A witness called the cops, and when they arrived they saw the two suspects try to hide behind a wall. When cops got closer, Murillo took off on a scooter but didn't get very far, said Los Angeles Police Detective Marc Martinez.
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Riding in Style Aboard Scooters
Nancy Ciliax has learned to expect attention when she’s out on the road. Nothing lewd, just many people curious about her bright pink scooter.
“I often get people driving up to me, and everyone always wants to know how much gas my scooter uses,” said Ciliax, a project coordinator at the School of Medicine.
A year ago, Ciliax was looking for a way to get to campus that was more convenient than walking or riding a shuttle. But, wary of the carbon emissions she would produce by driving, she bought a scooter to make her commute.
Ciliax also said she’s found other benefits to riding a scooter.
“Scooters are very easy to drive because they are automatic and require no shifting,” she said.
Other faculty, students and staff members at Emory have also turned to scooters as an alternative means of getting to campus. Steve Sher, the owner of Scooter Steve on North Decatur Road, has witnessed an increase in customers from Emory.
“Most of the people who have been buying scooters are employees and professors,” he said. “Most of the customers can’t afford the high cost of parking on the school’s campus.”
According to Sher, there are many advantages to driving a scooter. He said they’re fun to drive and fuel efficient. The most common model has a 50-cubic centimeter engine, gets 80 miles to the gallon and can reach 65 miles per hour.
Kris Mayrhofer, a graduate student in comparative literature, said she rides her scooter not just to Emory but also on shopping trips and to the movies.
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Woman Stabs Scooter Thief
MELBOURNE, Fla. -- A man trying to swipe a scooter in Brevard County tangled with the wrong woman on Monday.
A 50-year-old woman stabbed a thief who attempted to steal a gas powered scooter, dragging it across the driveway, WESH 2 News reported.
"I'm proud of her. You have a right to protect your property," husband C.W Heusinkveld said.
Heusinkveld knew all along his wife was tough. When the thief tried to drag away their scooter, she picked up a heavy, forked weeding tool. She thrust it into his back so hard he fell over, and she fell on top of him
"She's probably tougher than I am. I don’t want to mess with her, and I'm married to her," Heusinkveld said.
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September 11, 2007
Fuel cell-powered scooter designed to fight pollution
An Industrial Design Engineering graduate from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands has designed and built a working prototype of a scooter, which can be powered by hydrogen.
Crijn Bouman designed the Fhybrid scooter for the purpose of fighting pollution in inner cities.
The scooter has an electric in-wheel motor that is powered by a lithium-ion battery. The battery is charged by a compact fuel cell system. It derives additional power when the scooter brakes.
Depending on the amount of traffic, the regenerative braking system reduces the hydrogen consumption by 10 to 20 per cent.
The Fhybrid has a top speed of 65 kilometres an hour, accelerates faster than regular scooters and can travel approximately 200 km on a full tank of hydrogen.
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‘If I ever see that thief again, I’ll run him over with my scooter’
THE thief who snatched Marjorie Kershaw’s handbag had better watch out.
The Marsh pensioner wants to run him down with her mobility scooter if she sees him again!
Mrs Kershaw, 86, had her bag stolen from the footwell of her scooter when she was just yards from her front door
The furious pensioner has branded the thief a low life and says she wished she had tackled him when he swiped her favourite handbag at 2.20pm on Thursday.
“I wish in a way that I had turned my machine around and knocked him down. I may have been prosecuted, but it might have been worth it. He’s a rotten thing. I could wring his neck.”
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The Vectrix electric scooter is unlike anything else on the road
With interest in alternative- energy vehicles reaching an unprecedented fever pitch, Vectrix couldn't have timed its arrival more perfectly. Its new Vectrix Maxi Scooter, which has been in the works for more than 10 years, was approved for sale in California recently and is now officially on the market.
Cue excited screams here.
In San Francisco, where I had the chance to ride the Vectrix for a day, people were so giddy to see this scooter in action that they practically clapped when I rode by.
For the most part, I agree: The Vectrix is worthy of applause.
At first glance, it looks like your average, all-angles maxi scooter, but take a closer look: There's no tailpipe. Turn it on, and it's virtually silent. That's because the Vectrix is powered by a 125-volt pack of nickel metal hydride batteries that charge with a three-pronged power chord coiled under the seat.
The Vectrix is electric, so it doesn't have an exact corollary in the gas-powered scooter world. Its weight (462 pounds) and profile (large) are similar to a 400 cc machine, but its freeway-legal maximum speed (62 mph) is similar to that of a 150 cc.
Where it's truly unparalleled, however, is acceleration.
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More Scooters Zipping Through Windy City Streets
CHICAGO -- Scooter fever has hit the Windy City, and riders of all different ages and backgrounds have zoomed into a craze that's catching on fast.
If the scene on Damen Avenue one recent evening was any indication, scooter popularity is really taking off, NBC5's Natalie Martinez reported.
Enthusiasts were on a weekend-long scooter rally held annually in Chicago. About 100 scooter riders strong, the rally is growing.
"Oh my God, I love the scooter," rider Melvin Howard said. "I wish I would have bought one sooner."
Those sentiments have Scooterworks USA manager Ken Rudoy smiling, too. He said business has picked up exponentially, and most of his customers are women looking for something less threatening than a motorcycle, but more manageable than a car. "I'm finding a lot of ladies are buying them as their main mode of transportation," Rudoy said, adding that many women who buy 50 cc scooters use them for shopping and running errands.
"I can't get them off of them," he said.
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Choosing the right scooter
When considering whether a scooter is a good investment, dealer Richard Meltz says, you should first answer a few basic questions, such as: Where do you want to ride? What do you plan to carry? And how much money are you willing to spend?
Meltz, who runs Centaur Cycles and Scooters in Santa Fe and New Urban Transport in Albuquerque, said he frequently deals with customers who have little or no experience with motorcycles or scooters.
“We try to get the right bike for the right person,” he said.
He recommends people first decide how fast they want to go because the size of a scooter engine determines its performance and top speed. Most of the scooters on the market today have automatic transmissions, which means they don’t have clutches or gear shifters.
His best-selling models are in the 125cc to 150cc range, although the smallest size of scooter, 50cc, is also popular. The smaller engines top out at 40 miles per hour, with the next size up reaching about 60 mph and allowing the rider more acceleration power.
Still, those scooters are best suited for roads with low speed limits.
“There is only one safe speed to ride on two wheels, and that’s the speed traffic is going. If you are faster or slower, you are putting yourself at risk,” Meltz said.
If riders want to use the scooters for highway driving, as well as local errands, he recommends models that are at least 250cc. Kymco, a Taiwan manufacturer, also makes a “Maxi Scooter” that is 500cc, or has the power of a medium-sized motorcycle.
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Scooter revolution
Gripping the throttle with his right hand, André Jones keeps his left thumb positioned over the horn of his scooter as he zips along Santa Fe streets.
His two-wheeled Kymco People winging through the intersection is one of the most efficient modes of transportation around. Jones spends $10 a month on gas, compared to sport-utility vehicle drivers who pay $50 or more to fill their tanks.
This summer, the scootering population of Santa Fe has made a visible increase, a shift that can be attributed to high fuel prices, a rising social consciousness about gasoline use and easy availability from a local scooter dealer.
Richard Meltz, owner of Centaur Cycles and Scooters, says it’s about time Santa Fe had an awakening of just how economical and fun the vehicles can be. He and his wife, Meg, operate both the business here and Albuquerque’s New Urban Transport store partly as a political statement, he said in a recent interview.
“The need to feed America’s crazy appetite for fuel is what gets us into foreign wars we don’t belong in. The answer is right here,” says Meltz, gesturing to a room full of shiny scooters of all sizes, many that average at least 80 miles to the gallon.
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Scooter Segways into new generation
The maker of the Segway scooter on Monday unveiled the second generation of its self-balancing electric one-person vehicle.
The redesigned scooter allows the rider to steer by leaning to the right or left, rather than by turning the handlebars. It also features a wireless electric key and alarm system.
The scooters feature two side-by-side wheels, and are ridden in a standing position, with the rider grasping handlebars. A gyroscope provides balance, making it fairly easy to remain in the upright position.
Officials at Bedford, New Hampshire,-based Segway Inc. said they have sold tens of thousands of the scooters since they were unveiled with great fanfare in 2002.
The scooters have been adopted by some police and security services in the United States and abroad, but remain an uncommon site on American streets.
Dave Howells, an information desk manager at Boston's Museum of Science, sometimes rides one at work as he mingles with visitors, but said he didn't believe the scooter -- priced at $5,000 to $6,000 depending on configuration -- would be practical for day-to-day use.
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Piaggio to invest 25-30 million in Vietnam Vespa plant
MILAN - Piaggio said its board has approved 25-30 mln usd investment in a plant in Vietnam to produce Vespa scooter models, with start-up seen within two years.
During a conference call, company officials said the plant will have a capacity of 100,000 units a year, when running on a three-shift system.
'Why Vietnam? We are already there with a sales organisation and an office in Hanoi. Vietnam GDP is growing at more than 8 pct per year,' an official said.
Piaggio already exports 8,000 Vespa models from Italy to Vietnam but faces 100 pct import duties, which hikes the retail price of the models, they said.
On the production side, the Vietnam plant will draw on strong technology and production skills already established in the Chinese market, they said.
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Piaggio's sees Gilera brand sales rise
MILAN - Piaggio SpA's brand Gilera expects to reach 41,000 units this year, against 35,000 in both 2005 and 2006, and is aiming for 50,000 a year, said managing director Daniele Bandiera.
Speaking at the launch of Gilera's GP800 'hyperscooter', he said this latest model has cost 16 mln eur to develop and is part of Piaggio (other-otc: PIAGF.PK - news - people )'s effort to relaunch the 100-year Gilera brand.
'We expect more than 40,000 units this year and the aim is to get to 50,000 as soon as possible,' he said, without a date for the higher target.
Bandiera declined to discuss Gilera profitability ahead of first half results Friday, while company officials said the GP800 will share components and the latest engine with other models.
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September 7, 2007
BMW to Launch Motorcycle Rider Training Program
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. -- Motorcycle enthusiasts will be able to take advantage of official BMW Motorrad rider training for the first time ever in the U.S. with the launch of the new BMW Motorcycle Rider Training program at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina, it was announced today by Arturo Pineiro, Vice President, BMW Motorrad USA.
Led by professional instructors utilizing BMW motorcycles exclusively, the new program will offer on- and off-road courses year-round designed to increase safety and confidence in an environment that maximizes the riders' potential. Classes will begin Friday, September 7, and are available to BMW owners and non-owners.
"Since 1999 the BMW Performance Driving School has successfully proven that drivers are ready to take their skills to the next level, and we are pleased to now offer this new experience for motorcycle enthusiasts," said Pineiro. "Riders will acquire the practical and technical skills to make every ride safer and more enjoyable wherever their next destination may be."
The BMW Motorcycle Riding Program will offer a range of classes that will include time in the classroom and on the course with various models of BMW motorcycles, including the BMW R 1200 GS, F 650 GS, G 650 X challenge, G 650 X country or a student's own BMW motorcycle. The following programs will be available at launch:
-- On-Road School: This one-day class lets students ride on the BMW
Performance Driving School course for exercises including braking
techniques, steering, accident avoidance, a slalom course, cornering
styles, road hazard maneuvering and low-speed maneuvering. The on-road
course also involves some dual-sport drills, which will help riders
handle inevitable occurrences such as gravel or unpaved road;
-- Off-Road School: This one-day course is patterned after the curriculum
at the BMW Enduro Park in Hechlingen, Germany, and is designed for the
rider who is new to off-road riding or may already have experience but
would like more training. Students experience the BMW Performance
Center's off-road course with surfaces including dirt, gravel and
grass, and focus on exercises such as riding position, braking, slalom,
stopping on a hill, recovery from a hill, hill climb and descent and
riding ruts and logs. In addition, riders will do "Enduro-laps," which
are lead-follow laps in which students follow instructors through a
series of wooded trails or exercises in order to practice techniques
they have learned;
-- On- and Off-Road School: This two-day program combines the experiences
and skills learned at each of the one-day schools for a comprehensive
training program. The first day is spent with the on-road curriculum
while day two focuses on off-road training exercises.
Costs range from $480 per day -- for participants using their own BMW motorcycle -- up to $650 per day for participants renting a BMW motorcycle. BMW Performance Motorcycle Riding Program courses are recommended for those with intermediate riding experience, and all participants are required to wear full protective gear, including helmet, gloves, riding jacket, riding pants and boots that protect the ankles.
BMW Performance Center
The BMW Performance Center, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, comprises the BMW Performance Driving School -- a 134-acre, state-of-the-art driving facility equipped with closed courses, water walls, a skid pad and an off-road course; a multi-purpose conference center; customer delivery center; and a service, paint and body facility. The 64,000 square-foot complex opened in 1999 and offers multiple BMW Performance Driving School courses year-round from BMW-certified Driving Instructors for teenagers up to experienced driving enthusiasts. Programs are open to BMW owners and non-owners alike.
For more information: http://www.bmwusa.com/bmwexperience/PerformanceCenter/.
Source: BMW of North America, LLC , via Car Buyer's Notebook.
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September 5, 2007
Scootering to work
Jordan Friedlander, 35, commuted from Lakewood to Denver every day for years. On a scooter. Sometimes Friedlander would travel on Interstate 25. On a scooter.
Now he lives in northwest Denver and uses either his scooter or his bike to get to work downtown.
Friedlander long ago decided to stop using a car to get to work. And he's happier for it.
"You can go through lots of areas you can't go to with a motorcycle," he says. "Like being able to park
wherever you want to park. You can drive it briefly on the sidewalk if you need to, and you don't get looks.
"There's the whole gas issue. My wife's minivan gets 12 miles to the gallon; I get 65. It's a lot more maneuverable, more like a bicycle than a car. There is no such thing as a closed road with a scooter."
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Scooter service for drunks
A new business which provides a 'scooter service' for motorists who are too drunk to drive is to be launched in Plymouth next month.
The Scooter Chauffeur Ltd vehicle retrieval firm is starting up to help reduce drink driving on the city's roads.
Two former Plymouth Royal Marines are preparing to launch the firm in a bid to get people who drive to a pub - and then have too much to drink - out of the driving seat and back home safely.
The idea is that the driver calls Scooter Chauffeur and asks for a lift. The company then sends out a rider to the 'client'.
The scooter is then folded up in the client's car and the rider drives him or her home before returning back to the office.
Tony Finn, company director, said: "We use small specially designed scooters to attend a client's vehicle, fold the scooter up into sealed bags and drive the client home in their vehicle.
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September 4, 2007
Vento Motorcycles Announces Renewed Focus on Customer Service, Product Reliability and Innovation
Vento Has Gone Back to the Drawing Board and Emerged with Original Engine Designs, a New Customer Service Philosophy and Commitment to Producing Quality Products
SAN DIEGO-- Vento Motorcycles, USA, a manufacturer of distinctive motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, and off-road bikes for motorcyclists and power sports enthusiasts around the world, has revamped its design, manufacturing and business processes with a focus on vastly improving the design, quality and reliability of its product families, and enhance the level of customer service provided to its dealers.
Vento realized that the only way to build a consistently high level of quality and reliability into their broad line of motorcycles, scooters and ATVs was to manage every aspect of product development from design to assembly. Vento’s U.S.-based design team now oversees the research, design and development of all new Vento products, including a number of new engine designs currently being developed specifically for Vento with the help of a top-tier Australian engine design firm.
Once the engine designs are finalized, Vento commissions the manufacturing of the engine components and brings everything together at the company’s Laredo, Texas, assembly plant where a robust Quality Assurance program enables Vento to manage and closely control the entire assembly process. To ensure the quality of its products, Vento uses high-quality components from world-class vendors including: Mikuni, Bosch, Marzocchi, Maxxis, and Brembo.
Vento, which has increased its limited power train warranty from one to three years, also recognized that improving the quality and reliability of its products was only part of the solution to providing a differentiated experience for its customers. To improve its customer service program, Vento has implemented a Total Quality Management approach, embracing processes that focusing on setting, achieving and exceeding quality standards to deliver products and services that exceed customer needs.
The company’s new customer support team ensures prompt online- and phone-based customer assistance to provide product support for parts, warranties and technical issues, and a team of customer service representatives and field engineers has been dedicated specifically to cater to Vento’s dealers’ needs for training, troubleshooting and general support. Vento’s dealer kits provide customers with ease of ordering for parts and service warranties.
In addition to establishing the customer service department, Vento is focusing on improving relations and support for its dealer partners. The company has divided the U.S. into eight regions and created an in-house sales team with dedicated sales coordinators for each region. The focus on customer service for dealers includes a policy to answer all phone calls during business hours, eliminating the need for dealers to leave voicemail messages and await answers.
“In late 2006, we realized that in order to provide the best Vento experience for our dealers and end users around the world, we would need to take a serious look at the way we manage all of our processes from design to delivery and beyond,” stated Isaac Calderon, President of Vento. “After an exhaustive review of our internal processes, we identified some key areas where we could affect changes that would make a significant improvement to both our products and the support that we provide to our customers. By designing our own engines and building them in our own assembly plant, we are now able to maintain full control over every stage of the design and manufacturing process to ensure that we deliver the best product possible. With our enhanced customer support program, we are making Vento’s products even more attractive for dealers to sell and consumers to ride.”
About Vento Motorcycles U.S.A
Vento Motorcycles U.S.A., which is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, is headquartered in San Diego with assembly & quality control facilities in Laredo, Texas. Vento is dedicated to supplying motorcycling and power sports enthusiasts with distinctively designed motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and off-road bikes. Vento, which currently has over 350 distributors in the United States, sells its products worldwide in more than 30 countries. For more information on the entire Vento Motorcycles product lineup, please visit the company web site at www.vento.com
via Car Buyer's Notebook.
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September 2, 2007
Scootin' around town
How does getting more than 100 miles per gallon sound to you during these days of sky-rocketing gas prices? It sounded pretty good to the DesLauriers family in Morris.
The couple own two motorized scooters and ride them all over town.
“I just think they’re great,” said Trudy DesLauriers. “They’re fun, and they save gas. The one I ride has a big compartment under the seat to store things in. They’re very dependable, too.”
The DesLauriers are not alone. Sales of motorized scooters in the area have escalated over the past two years. The sporty, economical vehicles get anywhere from 80 to 110 mpg — saving money, greenhouse gases and wear-and-tear expenses on cars.
DesLauriers rides to the grocery store, the doctor’s office and, on a nice day, even to White Oak Elementary School, where she teaches fifth grade. She’ll take pleasure rides in the countryside around Morris sometimes, too, just for fun.
“They’re easy to ride,” she said. “You don’t need lessons or anything.”
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No roar, no smoke -- Vectrix scooter is all electric
As the only owner of a Vectrix electric scooter in the state of Washington, Dave Denhart is in a world of his own. He whirs rather than roars down the street, emission-free, never needing a fill-up.
Vectrix Corp. hopes to see more urban commuters like him take to its high- performance, battery-powered scooters. The Green Car Co. of Kirkland, one of only six dealers in the country, had around 70 people test ride the Vectrix at an event a few weeks ago. The scooter has a suggested price of $11,000, excluding taxes, delivery fees, etc.
What else is different about this baby? It has no clutch, no engine and can go from zero to 30 mph in 3.1 seconds. Designed in the U.S. and made in Poland, it's faster than other electric two-wheelers -- reaching up to 62 mph.
Denhart, who commutes to Microsoft from his home east of Redmond, still owns a car and a "dormant" motorcycle. But he said riding the Vectrix makes an impact.
"Electric is a good way to start to get us away from the dependence on oil," he said.
And it's enjoyable, too.
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Gas prices fuel scooter trend
Max Hartz is getting accustomed to the ridicule he usually gets from friends when they see his new scooter for the first time.
"They laugh and say, ‘Dude, that’s a scooter,’ " he said.
But Hartz, 18, said they stop laughing after he tells them that his motorized bike gets more than 80 miles per gallon, can reach speeds of 30 mph and requires no license plates, registration, operator’s license or insurance to ride.
"After you buy it, you’re done," Hartz said. "You drive it like a bike."
Hartz operates a lawn-care service and attends classes at the local campus of Moberly Area Community College. He uses his Taiwan-made scooter - a Beamer Matrix distributed by Eton of America of Spartanburg, S.C. - to run errands, bid on lawn-care work and go to school.
Hartz’s scooter, which cost $2,199, has a 2-cycle, 49-cc engine, weighs about 180 pounds and features front disc brakes, an electric kick start and an automatic transmission.
"I use it for all kinds of little bitty things," he said. "It’s a secondary vehicle. It’s definitely not a primary vehicle. You can’t drive it on the highway."
With rising gas prices a fact of life and surveys showing that Americans worry about increasing fuel prices as much as they do about terrorism and health-care costs, it’s not surprising that one transportation solution is a scooter.
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Scooters popular for economic reasons and fun
Riding on a scooter gives Ruth Lichtwardt a sense of freedom that she would take over a car trip any day.
“It’s the closest thing to flying you can do on the ground,” the 48-year-old Lawrence resident said.
She has driven scooters since 1983.
Currently, she has a Honda Metropolitan that she uses to get up the hills to the Kansas University Union bookstore where she works, to her home near Lawrence Memorial Hospital and downtown.
Lichtwardt doesn’t take any chances on the road, but that wasn’t always the case. When she started driving scooters, she never wore a helmet.
“When I had my previous scooter, I didn’t use to (wear a helmet) at first and I had a couple of minor accidents like flipping on sand,” she said. “It made me realize how vulnerable one’s head is, so I got a motorcycle-grade helmet.”
Now, you could call her a model scooter driver. She wears a helmet, drives defensively and has a motorcycle license, which isn’t required for driving a scooter or other motorized vehicles with an engine capacity less than 130 cubic centimeters, but is recommended for learning the rules of driving on two wheels.
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Japanese scooter prices rising on tougher emission rules
TOKYO — Scooter prices are rising in Japan due to tougher emission regulations that were introduced by the government. Subject to the new regulations are small motorcycles with engines no larger than 250 cc.
Honda Motor Co on Friday launched a remodeled version of its best-selling Today motor scooter featuring a new exhaust emission control system, with the price raised by 33,810 yen from existing models to 134,400 yen. Honda will also increase prices in October for three models of its long-seller Super Cub that meet the new regulations.
Honda officials said that the company made efforts to reduce production costs, but it failed to offset all of them.
The company plans to increase prices for coming new models. It is also considering halting production of old models that may not clear the new regulations.
The motorcycle market in Japan fell below 1,000,000 units in 1999, shrinking to 700,000 units in 2006.
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