Scooters sales pick up — especially among women

For those of you who missed this Sunday's KC Star, I've linked out to an insightful article. Don't be mislead by the headline though; it's not as much about scooter sales as it is about the people who ride them.

Read it here

HyS? Confirmed!

We haven't put any new info on the blog for a while now; the shop has been pretty busy with customers and there really hasn't been any new news in the scooter world except for all of the varied media catching up on the existance of either:

• The Piaggio HyS hybrid-scooter prototypes or


• The existance of Vespas and other scooters in general

Well, today, new info about the HyS has finally come out that we think is worthy of sharing with you: The production date!

It seems that product-reviews.net has come across the information somewhow and is claiming that the three-stage hybrid motor will be put into use by the end of 2008. As to when us Yanks will see it is anybody's guess, but with this new rumor, those of us interested in perhaps trading up now have a date on the calender in which to start saving those pennies.

As far how many pennies, stay tuned. As soon as some concrete info is released in regards to that issue, we'll let you know.

Click here for the article.

The Italian Job... In Kansas City!

For all of you British Caper film fans!

Our friends at Baron MINI are throwing a "The Italian Job" theme-party tomorrow at the MINI dealership!! Festivities include a MINI meet, the appearance of a classic Italian MINI, Italian soundtrack, door prizes and a prize for the best Michael Caine impersonation!

It seems that quite a few gas-conscious Vespa owners also drive fuel-efficient MINIs so it only seemed natural to have a few Vespa scoots on hand for the party, one of which is on loan from your favorite scoot shop!

The fun starts at 6PM this Saturday (the 4th), so scoot on down, enjoy the hors d'oeuvres, the fine company, and the tasty machinery! For info about Baron MINI, check here.

More Hybrid Action

Picture, siphoned via TopSpeed.com

Gizmag.com posted a piece today about Piaggio's HyS hybrid system. It's a little easier to follow for those of us who enjoy the quick-read than say, the Piaggio press release regarding the engine.

For those who've missed it, Piaggio has announced the development (officially this time) of the HyS hybrid motor for implementation into the Vespa LX and the Piaggio MP3. The new 3-mode parallel hybrid motor is an electric and a combustion engine rolled into one, controlled by drive-by-wire technology (ala German cars and expensive Japanese sportbikes). By varying the use of electric and propulsion systems which simultaneously power the rear wheel, fuel mileage is expected upwards of 170MPG!

To read more, check here!

UPDATE!!

TopSpeed.com also has an article on this. I guess once again, Piaggio is the company to talk about. I wouldn't be surprised if this topic is on every automotive site before the end of the year!