Customer Profile: Tommee S

Our good friend & customer Tommee e-mailed us these pics of his PX150 @ the Lawrence Art Tougeau Parade.

Tommee rides his Vespa down a stretch a gravel road on a near daily basis. Yet, he manages to keep the sunny side up & the scooter looking good as new. You may have spotted him on the KU campus where he has been a fixture for years or down on Mass playing saxaphone for grateful evening passer-bys.

Thanks for the pics Tommee!

In search of Vespa!

Here at the shop, we run into Vespa videos all the time. From clips of folks in Germany stunting their scoots to chaps in China racing them, we get a taste of everything. Unfortunately, I sometimes forget that not everyone works at a scooter shop and might miss out on the goods.

Lucky you that I came across this tasty tart! Videos like the following are always nice in the way that they illustrate how historical and rich the heritage of the Vespa brand is. I mean, sure there are plenty of great bikes out there, but only with Vespa can you find so many examples of culture-inspiring uber awesomeness! (yeah, I'm biased towards these things)



If you can't see the video in your browser, click this link for direct access to entertainment.

The video is a youtube quality peice following a British scoot enthusiast as he travels Italy in (as the title of the video suggests) Search of Vespa. Good stuff! The clip is seperated into multiple parts. Check the links for the rest:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Gleaned from modernvepsa

Happy Holidays!

I figured our weblog would be the last place anyone would find themselves today, but just incase-you know: after the presents, the food and fats, the in-laws, and the movies-we have you covered.

So, a very happy holidays to you from us at VESPA KANSAS CITY! May your stomachs stay full and your company inebriated so you may nap at will and in peace.

Ciao!

ONLY TEN DAYS LEFT!

To celebrate Vespa's 60th Birthday, we're giving away a $60 gift card when you purchase a new Vespa. You can also take advantage of our 365-day no payment/deferred interest financing program to buy your Vespa. So you can ride for free for a year and fill up your gas tank on us for the first few months. Not a bad gift! But you must purchase before December 31st to take advantage of it!

Click here for details

Vespa Milestone for the Holidays!

This month, the 100,000th Vespa of the year was produced at Piaggio plant, marking a milestone that hadn't previously been met since 1990. Wow! In doubling the production numbers from 50,000 units in 2004, the folks at Piaggio had a lot of reason to celebrate. In promising to donate on Euro for each Vespa sold during 2006 and '07 to the Italian Multiple Sclerosis foundation, Piaggio isn't the only one having a party this month. Click here for the original post, via 2strokebuzz.com

To put some of this into perspective, lets take a look at the year 1990...

• Seinfeld and The Simpsons were becoming popular sitcoms in many homes.
• Iraqis invaded Kuwait
• The World Wide Web was created(1989-1990)
• The Hubble Space Telescope was launched
• The Berlin Wall became history
• South Africa ended apartheid
• The Russian and former USSR states begin their decline into depression
• Club dance music hits an all time pop high
• Piaggio produces 100,000 Vespa models

To provide insight into the line-up available around that year that was so successful for the Vespa founding fathers and mothers, I did a little research. It seems that beyond the Piaggio Sfera and the Vespa 50 Special being reintroduced to the world, everyone was still riding around on PXs, PKs and T5 pole positions. Quite a different world of scooters nowadays eh?

Blogs from another world: ET34

Obviously we're your favorite blog of all-time! However, that doesn't mean we should be the ONLY blog you read from time to time. That said (or written), I thought maybe it'd be nice for you to check out a weblog of a different flavor. Its still about scoots... but scoots in Japan! Click here for a direct link!

ET34 is a nice read and.. wait, you can't read Japanese? Well, Click Here for the translated version!

New ScooterWorld mag hits our shelves.

We just recieved the new ScooterWorld publication this morning, chock full of scootering goodness!! A few reviews of jackets and scoot-related product throughout, the standout is the review of the Piaggio MP3 on page 20! A very well-written and enlightening read, it describes in detail the functionality of the electronic stability system as well as its road-going mannerisms. All in all (like every other mag that has reviewed it), the author gave it a thumbs up! Come by the shop and pick up your own issue!

Euro-spec MP3 on the streets of America..

ModernVepsa.com member, Jess recently got a day and a half to ride the Piaggio MP3 around the mean streets of San Francisco. He wrote up a review for it and gave the Euro-spec model a thumbs up. Its a long first-hand write-up, so click on the link to read about it.

Main web back in operation!

A well deserved thanks to The-Man for getting our web page back up for your viewing pleasures. Another rebel fist of defiance and thanks goes to The-Man for getting our email back up as well; you can now feel free to send us all the lovely suggestions/hate mail/scootering info that you've been unable to all week. Or, just stop by today and celebrate our "spring weather during the month of December" Saturday with us; I'm typing email replies all day and Christopher is selling parts over the phone.

No, we're not boring...

T-shirt "Oh!s"

Two days ago, Christopher recieved our shipment of classic Vespa shirts. As of yesterday, we are sold out of one color, and there are only three left of the other...

For fans of the GTS, we added another Gloss Black/tan seat bike into the showroom last night so we could have one of each color on display. Problem is, the Excalibur Silver GTS is on its way to a happy home and our Dragon Red GTS demo is the last of that color we have period. Thank goodness for warm winters eh?

More shirts are on the way (and probably more GTS') but stay tuned for pics and details regarding these classy threads.

Go speed racer(s)

Scooter racing, while nothing new, is extremely exciting to watch. However, while being in the US of A and trying to catch up to the UK and the rest of the world as far as all things scooters are concerned, its not a surprise that most of us have never witnessed one. If you didn't know about the existence of scoot racing... Well, now you do!!



While the video was sourced via the DML, I found information regarding this particular GP in China from 2strokebuzz:

"...Macau (a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China) plays host to the 53rd annual Macau Grand Prix. The Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, run on the Guia Circuit made up of the streets of Macau, is part of a dieing breed of Real Road Racing. The notoriously dangerous race is favored by racers who normally take part in the celebrated Isle of Mann TT. Also being held is the 4th annual MGPC Scooter cup. The race is open to Macau residents and follows the 40th annual Motorcycle Grand Prix on Saturday November 18th. The race includes 50cc or 70cc two stroke scooters and 125cc 4 stroke scooters, each with their own class. PGO entered a G-Max 125 (aka Genuine Blur) in 2004 and won the 125cc class by placing 14th overall. This years entry list does not show a PGO taking part but there are plenty of Yamahas and a smattering of SYM scooters making up the race grid. 2005 podium residents Kin Fei Lai, Mou Heng Tou and Kin Fai Chan (finishing in that order) return for this years challenge. The Scooter Cup, run on the same circuit, has got to be the coolest scooter race on earth. The Macau Grand Prix Committee website offers live audio of the race. "

Exciting stuff! Doing a search for Scooter Racing usually brings up performance parts and such that are meant to make one's scoot a little faster, a little louder, and little more "racey," but in order to see what real scooter racing is, one should check out a quick summary here. The actual British Scooter Sport Organization site has more dept info and can be found here.

Enjoy and let the speed racer dreams begin! Keep em on the track though!

Note: The above video doesn't always display in all browsers. Click this link for a direct stream.

MP3 action!!!

Holy Shmokes! They're stuntin' them already?!
It seems the French blog, Moto Cardisiac, found a test report given by leather clad racers wanting to push the 250cc three-wheeler to its limits.

The objective?

Knock it over.

The outcome? Not so much. Knee-dragging, GP style and 11 O'clock stoppies weren't enough to send the new favorite toy of Europes bravest to the junkyard. From the pics, it looks as if they seriously brutalized the machine in an effort to see what it could do; and they came away impressed. Check out the link for more pics and the story, translated via Google.

Thanks to 2strokebuzz where I lifted this info from.

Vespas to the rescue

Its the season to give, and in Canada, one man is giving the residents of the war-torn Sierra Leone a bit of holiday cheer. Donating two Vespas to the African region, he's hoping they can help the farmers speed up their tasks and make life a little better. Click here for the story.

Paris on a Vespa, no, not THAT Paris..

Tipped off from a thread on Modernvespa.com, here's a vid of Paris Hilton (Oh, that Paris) hitching a ride on a Vespa and butchering the Italian language. Its is supposed to get one to switch cell phone plans, but it makes me think I should buy someone famous a hamburger. Nonetheless, its a quick clip and its amusing. Check it out!




If you don't know who Ms. Hilton is by the way, I'm not going to get into here, since we're more about scooters, and less about celebritydom.

Customer Highlight: Joe and Ernie T

This is the first post like this here for our our blog, so I apologize for the awkwardness of it, but when Joe and Ernie Tilford decided to share a few pics of their rides with us, we decided a little akwardness would be worth it. For those who don't know, Joe and Ernie are the Son and Father tag-team steel-cage deathmatch champions from Kansas City who, by happenchance, are also really nice guys. You can see them at the shop on occassion, bothering our mechanic, Jason, or our Aftermarket MGR, Christopher for goods and services.




I had asked Joe to share a bit on how he and his pop found themselves fans of the Italian scooter.

"Short story about how I got into scoots is that Grandma got a little electric scoot for the grandkids; well me and Paw got to put it together, and of course we had to take it for a sping to make sure nothin' fell off. So I tok it for a spin and decided the little scoot wasn't ad at all, so I priced vintage Vespas-because to me, Vespa was the only scooter I would buy(now it's Vespa and Lambretta-and took a new PX for a test ride. That was all she wrote; I was hooked."




Ernie aquired his now black P200E via craigslist.com. Personally I remember the ad for it: P200E all in parts, not time for restoration. As the first shows, it seriously was all in parts which I belive were all in boxes, the body primered for paint and accompanied with a vintage side-car! "One man's trash..." Mr. Tilford spent the last month and a half and the pictures above are the product of that time spent. That's dedication!

Joseph's GL was actually purchased from our very own Christopher! When asking Chris as to why he sold it, a wrinkle appears on his forehead, and his eyes say he misses it a little. I believe the story was that Chris was going to put a newer 200cc powerplant in place of the antiquated 150cc that it came with in the '60s. Apparently the scooter gods were going to send Chris elsewhere, so it ended up finding a nice home with Joseph & Co.

Joseph has been working on the GL for a month to a month and a half, primarily getting the engine in tip-top condition. Its ready to run now, but seeing that its not the warmest of weather, it hasn't seen much tarmac time. When pressed about what he likes best about his scoot, he writes: "I can wear me kilt whilst riding and I feel comfortable turning a U-turn."

I asked Joe about future plans for the scoots.

"I want to kit my scoot a bit; when I have the money, I want to put a 200 motor in it. I think dad is going to leave his stock :)

"We (me and paw) give credit to Jason and Chris for helping when we had a question concerning scoots that we could not figure out, ie; why won't it start, why is my scoot making that weird noise?"

Thanks to Joe and Ernie for sharing their scoots with us! If you'd like to share, send us an email and some cookies (Vegan-friendly) and we'll see what we can do!

Wha? More?!

Oh yeah, there's always more!

Low and behold more stuff I missed when compiling info on the whateveritsnameis. What you see before you is the EICMA revealed beast that is the MP3 400. Apparently the 125 and 250cc engines weren't enough for the Europe market where the bike is old-hat already. The 400cc engine is the same MASTER engine in the new Beverly 400, is fuel-injected and will see the bike off at speeds north of 98 MPH. Oooh, law-breakin' speed! The bike has a longer wheelbase thanks to the new powerplant and a larger 14" rear wheel.

The crazy windshield on the blue machine may be on the accessories list for ya by the time we get our U.S. bound bikes next year. Although fricken huge, it does look like it would offer amazing wind and weather protection, especially if the only way to get back to the future is to cruise at 88 miles per hour or more.

Rumor mill says we won't see that engine anytime soon on any of our bikes since the EU folks didn't seem to like it in the Beverly 400 so much. Apparently, when you already have a 500cc engine, having a slightly smaller 400cc isn't going get the juices flowing. However, if that engines makes it into a US spec MP3.. Man, I'm drooling on my shirt just thinking about it. No guess when this bike will be built, but I'm pretty positive it will be more than just a concept since pictures abound of the bike using the 125's and 250's tinted accessory windshield.

The vid ripped from youtube.
Pic ripped from Topmoto.it .

More three-wheeled info

It seems todays vid wasn't the only thing I somehow missed previously in regards to the whateveritsnameiswhenreleasedinthestates, Looks like the TRA has been working on a MP3 for research.

"The Piaggio MP3 is a highly innovative scooter-like vehicle with two front wheels that promoters say features “power, performance and ease of use”. The unusual front assembly, with two independent tilting wheels, is reputed to be far more stable than any scooter, providing top performance in total safety.
"The MP3, which is already in production, will now serve as the starting point for the EU-funded SIM project (Safety in motion). The aim of the project, says Piaggio's Marco Pieve, is to equip the MP3 with both active and passive safety devices, including an assisted braking system, electronic suspension, air bags and an intelligent navigation system and management tool that will relay system information to the driver.
"The SIM project is set for launch in autumn 2006 and will focus on new safety configurations previously untested on motorcycle-type vehicles."

Wowee wow. ABS, nav-sat and electronic suspsension? Upon further research, there's no word on when we can see this hot-rod, whether in production form or as a concept, but rest assured, when it does arrive, you'll hear about it here. Eventually.

Can I have one for Christmas?

It seems the Brits up at Fifth Gear took a Piaggio MP3 to London to battle traffic and set lap times. A very interesting clip that makes the MP3 look mad fun.. BUT, I have to say:

In no way, shape, or form do we condone lane-splitting (the act of driving through stopped or slowly moving traffic) for it is not only dangerous, but not legal in Kansas, Missouri, or this country of which you live. (Exception being California) The specs and options seen on the machine may not reflect what we will recieve as standard or optioned equipment once the bike arrives in our showroom next year. Pricing given is in British Pounds, and MPG estimates have not been given for the U.S. spec bike yet.

I think that covers everything :)

Oh, almost forgot! For those folks looking for a little more insight as to what you may be getting next year (you know who you are!)... Size wise, the "as of yet un-named three-wheeled scooter for the US market" is narrower than a Piaggio X-9 by 5 inches, shorter in length by almost half an inch, lighter, but has the same seat height. Even though the engine output in CCs is half of what the X-9 is, the performance is nearly the same (??). I can't wait till we get our first batch!!! If you want one for yourself, you probably want to call and put a deposit on one, just to be safe. Its going to be first come first served unless you're partially paid for one, so there! :)

Special delivery

Apparently, you can't pay people to stay home sometimes. Bernard dropped off a few of his vintage scoots to be worked on today... In the snow! He's a special guy, if you couldn't tell by the Volkswagen pickup that happens to match his ski jacket. The bikes he dropped in our laps are amazing! You should sneak in and take a look at them while they're here!

It runs in the family

Here's a snapshot Viravone's ma & pa sent her from Laos.

In time for the holidays!

I came into the shop this morning to find these gifts hanging off our clothes tree, err, rack. The very Classic Piaggio wing logo blazes across the chest of three colors: purple, red, and sky blue. I'll leave it to Rev-up to post more about these nice beauties. Expect more pics and stuff, or just come by the shop and pick up a few for this gift-taking.. err, giving season!

Weblog optimization

If you haven't visited the blog in a while, you may be surprised by the amount of visible changes. Thanks to Rev-up on getting the blog updated. However, in the fight to make the blog more usable, we made it slower as far as the loading times were concerned. I made a change yesterday that should fix this problem. If you feel its still too slow or have any other concerns, let us know.

Price increases?

Found on ModernVespa.com, it seems an estimated price list on the Vintage Series Vespas is available. Its not anything I have been able to confirm yet, but since we're in the Midwest, I'm sure it'll be a number of days before we here any news. More interesting though is the word that all prices on next years bikes go up a bit, so if you've been on the fence about doing the do, go ahead and do it now.

"The prices in the U.S. are as follows: GT60 $7299 GTV $6799 LXV $5199 Also, if you're considering buying a Vespa soon, there will be a slight price increase in January on the standard models. It won't affect the vintage models listed above. The LX 150 is increased [$100] The GT 200 is increased from [$100]. The GTS 250 is increased from [$200]... Buy before year end and beat the price increase."

Thanks again to Vespa Pomona for this information. Also worth noting is that the prices quoted by Pomona are before freight, setup, and processing charges.

GT60 available in the US?

According to Vespa Pomona, they're already expecting an order of GT60s for arrival next month in their showroom! If the West coast is already receiving the first of their vintage series Vespas, our can't be far behind. I'm not going to disclose as to how many we ordered (because I don't know), but I do know we weren't allowed to order too many (they're limited editions afterall), so if you want one... Or two, give us a ring or stop by and drop your name on the list.

Get it while it's hot!!

Actually, it may be too late for that.

If you've been putting off riding during the month of November because you were afraid you may get caught in some sort of random snow storm on your way home... Well, that may happen this week. In fact, it may happen as soon as tomorrow. Not to say you shouldn't ride, but the always changing mr Weather.com says we can expect rain, lots of cold temps, and possibly an litte sleet tomorrow night. The fickle mr Weather.com also said that same thing for THIS afternoon a few days ago, but he does have a reputation of flaking out to uphold...

Check the weather report for yourself here.

Dress accordingly :)

EICMA goodies

Looks like Piaggio recently launched a site devoted to the new vehicles being shown at this year's EICMA in Milan (Nov 14-19, 2006). The page has information on the Vespa S concept (dubbed LXS), MP3 400, Carnaby, and a slew of other models, concept and not-so concept.

Check it out and start daydreaming.

The new 50 Spesh

A more revealing pick of the up & coming LX Sport. We're uncertain when we'll get this stateside if we'll get it at all; it's not even on the market in Europe yet. Notice the sporty slopeback seat & trimmed fairings. Looks like there may be a performance shock hiding in there also. The headset & tail-light are modeled after the original Vespa 50 Special . Our boy Sooty's drooling over it.

New issue of Scoot just in

Scoot #38 featuring the latest stateside scooter news/reviews, scooter products & rally reports.

& speaking of Viravone getting busy w a Chicco...

Vespas in Taiwan

... or how to waste one's precious daylight saving hours on a lazy Sunday. I can't say what's exactly happening but it looks like more fun than Viravone on a Chicco ;)

Scooter Shop Soul Saturdays Sensation Special!!!

For those who are thinking of walking into the shop today, we're cruizin' to the tunes of Motown, Verve, and if we're lucky, maybe a little Sun. What that means to you is that whilst it may seem we're all busy working on print ads, databases, and our West Coast swing, we are still here to help you. The kicker is, if we are practicing our swing steps, you may become a guinea pig for a song or two. Think of it as exercise, a break from the weekend chores, or simply dues paid to the club that gives you so much fun.

Bring your dancing shoes!

Format changes

Rev-Up and I* decided that the current format of the blog needed a little tweaking. So, in order to make the blog a little easier to read, we took the post cap off and now you can read the ENTIRE WEBLOG IN ITS TYPEFACED GLORY!!!

Just take a look: You can now scroll down and read all the posts from the most current to the not-most current. Good stuff. We are working on some other things as well and, as it seems, are breaking things instead of fixing them, so some of the page may look funny at times, but I promise, we'll get it all worked out for you readers of the good word soon!



*Actually it was Rev-Up's idea. I just wanted to sound important!!

2007 Piaggio Preview

From 2Stroke Buzz:
Recently "in Rome, Piaggio brass presented their new 2007 vehicles to Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and other government dignitaries, in advance of the official unveiling at the Milan Salone della Moto in two weeks. The lineup featured ... the 60th-anniversary Vespa GTV, and two never-seen-before scooters. The press release still sheds no light on the Vespa S, but I’m sticking to my theory that it’s an LX50-based tribute to the Vespa 50 Special (Note the square headlight, front fender, and horncast cover). I guess Europeans are sentimental about the 50 Special (what with the Lunapop song and all)..."

More photos at motorbox

More info at Scooter Scoop

Thanks 2SB

Don'tcha wish your girlfriend...

As mentioned in an earlier post, we have one of the special Vintage Red Vespa GTS bikes in stock and on the showroom. The story behind the VR is that each dealership that recieved a bike, recieved exactly ONE. No more. The color was used on the earlier P200 bikes from the 70s. It's not as firey as the Rossi Red that we've all come to know, but a bit more laid back and matured.

We've had a lot of customers looking at the bike, and the picture doesn' t do it justice; it's a real charmer. Our Vespa Mechanicca, Jason, loves it. If you're interested, I'd come in before Jason gets smart and stops taking pictures on it and buys it for himself.

I just ran 'cross this production pic from Pontedera

Rev ;)

For those of you who don't recognize (SCOTTY!) I've searched out piccies of the original P series red whence "Vintage Red" is derived:

This one's from our friends at University Scooters in Texas.

Rev ;)

Everybody loves the sunshine

Two days of 70 degree weather...

IN NOVEMBER!!

Can't ask for a better excuse to ride than that, eh? Surprisingly, we've been seeing a lot of traffic at the shop. With the new Vespa and Nolan helmets and a limited color GTS in the shop, we've been generating a lot of buzz.

Get it? Vespa? Buzz?

Anyway, stop on in to see the schwag!

Road Runner

The December '06 issue of Road Runner Motorcycle Cruising and Touring (gasp! Also known as just Road Runner) magazine has some preeeety good reading in it. The mag, if you've never snuck a glance or two, deals with great roads, great bikes, and the adventures that are had when you combine the two. Although it has motorcycling in the title, there are plenty of scoots throughout most issues (and why not? They are the original urban tourers, eh?) This December issue even features a decked out Piaggio BV500 burning through the curves of Lexington, Virginia. It should be available at your favorite bookstore right about now.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Whatever you decide to do tonight, be safe and have fun!

Our newest helmet arrivals

Introducing Vespa Soft Touch & Copter helmets

Handmade in Italy

The Vespa Soft Touch helmet is a classic, light jet helmet. It is handmade, accented with textured leather, sewn directly on the shell with a special patented system. The transparent peak is a new and exclusive design. “Soft touch” refers to the name of the painting process, which provides a smooth and matte finish.

Available in four color combinations (matte color plus leather detail): black/black, dark gray/black, silver/red, light blue/light blue.

The Vespa Copter pays tribute to Piaggio's aeronautical history with an eye catching, stylish helmet. Utilizing the same stitch & paint technology as the Soft Touch line, the copter features a flip down visor. Available in two different shell dimensions for small sizes (up to M) and large sizes in order to ensure the best safety standards as well as the best comfort for the rider.

Available in four colors: white/navy, silver/black, silver/red, black/black.

The Vespa helmets feature shells made of a thermoplastic material (polycarbonate). Inside is high-quality hypoallergic Terinda fabric (Dupont patented). The helmet has the classic steel side ring to hook it on the vehicle.

Oh yeah

I was thinking I should apologize to you avid readers for not writing this morning, but then again, why should I apologize for it being FREAKIN' AWESOME outside?!

Thats right ladies and gentleman, if you're not already in the know, we get an entire weekend of great riding weather. Rumor has it that we may see some temps in the 70s tomorrow. The way the weather has been the last few weeks, 70 degrees may feel like 90, so that'll be interesting. A word of caution, however: Watch out for other drivers when the temps change like they are doing this weekend. Kansas Citians seem to forget their on-road ettiquette whenever the temps change, thus more accidents and silly fender benders caused by people driving with their eyes closed or singing Kelly Clarkson songs with the windows rolled down.

See you on the road!

How Google can keep you dry.

Obviously, its a little wet today in KC, but not as wet as I thought it was going to be.

If you're like me, you probably woke up (reluctantly) and looked out the window to see dark skies and rain. I saw this and immediately though, "darn, I have to take the car to work now." Most unfortunate. However, when I walked out to the garage, I noticed that it really was only a slight drizzle, and no where near what I figure is to be too cold to jump on the scoot.

Long story short, I almost suckered myself into driving the car to work. The Weather Channel.com says its supposed to be in the mid 50s all day today, and seriously, I'm quite used to the "colder" weather of fall, and whereas a month ago I would have frozen to death, nowadays 40 degrees or warmer is like summer-heat on the bike. So, for those who did ride, call your non-riding friends who might have suckered themselves out of a enjoyable trip to work and... Give em grief :)

I think, because of KC's history of being really weather-awkward, I will start posting the next day's riding weather forecast. So, if you're at work, and want to have an idea if you can ride the next day and plan accordingly, at least you'll know what to expect. Of course, if I start doing this, I don't want to be blamed as the guy who keeps getting the weather wrong; I have no dreams of being a meteorologist.

Also, if you want to check the weather yourself, but happen to be away from a PC or TV, you can use your cellphone. Google SMS is a genius way to find info on anything via TXT Messaging! Its been around for a little bit, but nowadays its really, really easy to use! Just type in weather and then your zipcode. Send the txt msg to GOOGL or 46645 and wait a few seconds. For instance, right now, GOOGL SMS says:

Weather:
Overland Park, KS
56F, Overcast
Wind: E 5mph
Hum:97%
Th:43-56F, Chance
of Rain
F:38-56F, Chance of
Rain
Sa:41-63F, Mostly
Sunny


An entire 3-day forcast in the palm of your hand. Check out that site for more info, such as how to find the closest Chinese food joint or movie times. Its GENIUS!

11:18AM
Edit: Upon reading this post later, it occured to me that it looks like an advert for the Google SMS. This wasn't and advert, I just happen to really like using the SMS for stuff so I thought I'd share. Comes in handy when you're on the bike and in the middle of no where. Anyway, stay dry!
-Keef

Rain and Movies

Moto ame.
Or..
Piu pioggia.

Whether in Japanese or Italian, 'more rain' is not the type of weather that us riders enjoy. Especially when it's cold outside.

The wet doesn't stop the die-hards from donning their rain gear and riding anyway, and for those of you out there be careful and ride with some distance between the cagers, err.. cars. For the rest of us this Saturday, we're left with other options to keep us light and carefree. Movies anyone?

If you're going to out and see a movie, Chris and Vera give Infamous two thumbs up. Personally, I was a big fan of Capote, but I do plan on hitting the cinema sometime soon and giving it a taste. The other flick on my must see list is The Prestige. If you'd like to share a movie review, send and email my way.

If you're going to stay home and watch a movie, my favorites on a rainy day include Bullit, Faster, and Long Way Round. All are motorhead flicks, but the latter two are documentaries. Steve Mcqueen and the sinister blank-grilled mustang in Bullit should need no introduction, but if you're looking for one, just go out and buy it. Its an exciting classic! Another classic great, the original Italian Job , ranks up there along with Bullit as one of my favorite classic car films. Very funny, very well shot, and very much worth its price in popcorn and black tea.

Of course, I couldn't write about movies and not mention Quadrophenia. I haven't seen this scooter Mod-inspiring flick but Christopher owns a copy. He says its the "best thing since body augmentation," so go out there and find it!


Enjoy your day, dry or wet!
-Keef

Paperbound shwag

UPS was nice to us today.. Unless you're a firm believer in printing on post-consumer waste paper only. One step at a time I guess.

We have a few new brochures available for ya: Pirelli Tires, Vespa Limited Collection, and the latest Scooter World issue. If you want any of of these fine printed, and free, items, stop by the shop.

-Keef

Scooter Theives... Not really

Heh, this is funny stuff!

Apparently some smart guy thought it would be wise to try and steal a scooter from a police station. A station that has a locked gate that can only be opened via remote control. And has cameras throughout. Read it, its great!


via DML

Chicago parks to make out

Make out with changes in the law that is.

Looks like Chicagoland residents have had enough. The CHIscooterlist YahooGroup planned a scooter 'park-in' to bring attention to the lack of parking for scooters and the issue it creates. According to them, it is illegal to park more than one vehicle in any given space. So what was the plan?

To park exactly one scoot in every consecutive space and shoot photos to illustrate the antiquated law. Hopefully the right people see the emotion behind this and get some paperwork shuffled in the right direction. If Chicago decides to move on something like this, that would be great for us Kansas City cousins down the road!


Gleaned from 2strokebuzz.com

Win Zach Braff's Vespa and help J.LO find a cure

Not really. Unless you're in Canada.

MTV Canada is auctioning off a bunch of swag for HIV/AIDS research.

"MTV is auctioning off all kinds of sweet swag, exclusive trips and celebrity memorabilia to raise money to fund its Staying Alive Foundation, which funds HIV/AIDs research.
Trips include the chance to hope a jet to Copenhagen to take in the MTV Europe Music Awards, a trip to New York to be in the TRL audience, a visit to the Laguna Beach set and a trip to the World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler. If autographed garb is more your bag, you can bid on a signed Beastie Boys skateboard deck, a guitar signed by Carmon Elektra castoff Dave Navarro or an autographed John Mayer poster and CD catalogue. There is also a prize pack that includes a set of Vespa scooters signed by some 60 celebrities, including Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez, Morgan Freeman and Zach Braff during the Toronto International Film Festival.
Currently 40 million people around the world have HIV and AIDS, and an estimated 90 per cent of those infected don’t know they have the disease. Every six seconds, someone becomes infected with the deadly illness. Visit http://www.mtvauctions.ca/ to bid on an item or make a donation." Gleaned from Dose.Ca

Unfortunately, this is more for the Canadian bacon folks vs us American cheese folks. Oh well. If you still want to bid for a good cause, click here. The Vespa is signed by J.Lo Zach Braff, Christian Bale, Lance Bass, James Blunt, Emilio Estevez, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Jeff Goldblum, and a LOT of others. The auction itself gives a nice summary of the Vespa scooter, and its definitely worth a read.



One thing I learned from reading the above is.. well, I'll just cut and paste:
"Driving a Vespa in and around the city is an ideal way of beating traffic congestion as well. The City of Toronto passed a by-law last year allowing for scooters and motorcycles to park for free on city streets where they are Green P ticket machines. Other cities are expected to follow, but the by-law underscores the fact that Toronto, is indeed trying to promote scootering as a way of getting around town. Moreover, Vespa's are incredibly fuel efficient. While it varies from model to model, you can fill a Vespa up at the pump for approximately $8.00 and that will take you approximately 220/KM. "

Free parking eh? I should call my congressman. Toronto's initiative to help out their motorcyclists and scooterists sounds a lot like the Vespatition for parking that started this summer. Which, by the way, if you haven't done it yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!


-Keef

Oh, this weather

I'm trying not to keep writing about the weather, but its so Kansas City right now, it's crazy!


Obviously yesterday was a nice riding day, but today requires a return to the baclava and gloves. However, days like this do make you appreciate the warmer days eh? And, understandably, everyone can't be like Christopher or Jason and ride regardless of the climate. So.. Based upon the possibility that we may see more days like today versus sunny days like yesterday, we at the store have been brainstorming a little about what we can do to keep everyone riding, even when you're not riding.

One of those ideas is a Vespa Riders Bowling Night. As is stands a few of us go bowling every Monday night and have a great time. So much fun, in fact, that we thought about starting a team and doing competitive sport-league bowling.

Then I realized that we're kinda lazy.

However, as I marinate on the idea a little more, things will get worked out and I'll post details here on the blog about what when and where. If you're already a part of our email list, you'll get inside info too!


And, as always, if you guys have any suggestions for the blog or even the store, let me know!

-Keith

Weekend happies

Wow, the weather this weekend is gonna rock!! If you're at home reading this, stop, go out, and enjoy yourself.

If you can't ride, at least enjoy this video. It'll make you almost as happy as riding in the sunshine!


-Keef

For those who think thier scoots are hard to maneuver

Just in!

A customer sent an email asking about how to combat the sudden 'heaviness' that occurs when making a low speed turn.

To answer that question, I must ask another question: "What in the stars are you talking about?!?" I'm not sure of this sudden heaviness, but I have had many a conversation with scooterists and motorcyclists about low speed manuevers. Most of the time it seems to be a confidence thing, ie: not sure you can get your bike to make that u-turn in that itsy bitsy little space.

I must say, if these chaps can do it... You can do it!

-Keef

New Vespa UK site

Wow, lookie at that!!

Seems the UK folks have been working out this weekend. The new site sure is pretty and even has a little history lesson involved. You should definitely check it out!

Link

Its not so warm outside?

C-c-c-coldddddd?

Yeah, I think so.

Being next door to Sushi Gin, I get the opportunity to practice my knowledge of Japanese language every so often. I'll run into Gohan-san, thow out a "ohio gozaimasu" and he'll just wave as he walks into work. If I'm lucky, I get to say "konbanwa" as they leave for the evening and spark up a rather poorly spoken conversation. However, sometimes, I get a response in english, not because they're tired of my poor speaking skills, but because it creates emphasis and a feeling of "!"

Today, that feeling of "!" was , "Summer is gone already!!"

Being outside in just a t-shirt, shivering, I just nodded my head. Its getting colder folks, thus we gotta dress warmer, since the riding season is far from over! That said, I thought I'd share a few tips with you on how to keep your wits about you as you ride during the cool fall season.

• Thermal Layer or Fleece underwear. It keeps you toasty and creates a pocket of warm air between your skin and the enviornment.
• A windblocker or windbreaker. Weather underneath your jacket or outside of your clothing, it'll keep the cold air from robbing you of your warmth.
• Gauntlet style gloves. Sure, your summer gloves may work sorta-ok, but gauntlet style gloves keep not only your fingers from numbing out, but keep your wrists warm and protect your arms from air that would otherwise sneak in underneath your sleeves.
• Full face helmet. It'll keep you warmer than the 3/4 or shorty your using for summer riding, and when coupled with a bandana or balaclava, it'll keep the cold of your neck and chin as well.
• Windshields. May be dorky to some, but man do they work during the fall and winter months! Big enough to deflect the cold away from your chest, but small enough to look over, these optional treats can really extend your riding season!
• Chemical heat. Those heat-packs are nice portable and disposable ways to keep yourself cush and feeling oh-so-lux while riding to work. Some of them can generate heat up to 150 degrees, so you should keep them off your skin and place them in a vest/jacket pocket or if your gloves have heat pack zippers, in there.
• Hydration. The colder you are, the harder it is to realize that you may be dehydrated, but you can still sweat out there. Caffiene and alcohol won't help, but sweet-tasting drinks will charge up the body with good carbs to help with warmth.

If you folks out there have any other tips to add, send me an email and I'll be sure to let everyone else know. Till then..

Stay warm and keep riding!

-Keef

Weekend Madness

or.. How I defined the difference between the terms Moped and Scooter at First Fridays.
For those who weren't able to swing by this last weekend, the event at First Fridays was a great time. With two DJs at Habitat, tasty cookies at Pidgeon, penguin shaped olive cheese tasties at "Surface Deep" (Patrick Adams photo gallery exhibit), and a parking lot full of scoots.... What a blast!
Here are some pics from the weekend.

Special thanks to Habitat, Darling Room, Pidgeon and Aptrick Photo.

First Friday Ride

First Friday Ride to

60 Years of Performance and Style

an event at the crossroads, in connection with

Patrick Adams Photography opening "Surface Deep".

Your Itinerary for the evening:

• The riders will meet at Latte' Land on State Line and Somerset @ 4:30pm
• Leave full of caffiene and cookies @ 5pm*
• Arrive at the Crossroads around 6pm.

The show should last until 10pm, plenty of time to take in all the flavors of First Fridays. While there is no official ride back to Overland Park afterwards, it can be arranged if needed.

*Expect to travel though city traffic. Wear bright clothing and if you are unexperienced, and have extra requirements, let one of us know.

Hope to see you on Friday!

-Keef

New womens riding jackets!

We just received our first batch of womens "Josie" fitted riding jackets. These textile jackets come replete with:

• Reflective Phoslite strips for increased rider visibility at night (notice photo above)
• Light weight shoulder, elbow & back armor
• Zip-out satin quilted vest type liners (full zip-out liners are available for year round riding)
• Water resistant outer shell
• Adjustable waist straps for a perfect fit
• Ram air venting system

The jackets are available in sizes 2-18 & in the following colors to match your scooter:

Lt. Blue

Grey

White

& Black