Friday, May 30, 2008

Scooter shortages?

According to a recent post on 2Strokebuzz.com, scooter's are becoming more and more difficult to come by.

A quote from the post for those who are in the market for scooters:
"What does that mean? In short, if you’re looking for a bike for this summer, and you see the bike you want, in the color that you want, buy it now. If you don’t see it, get an order in, with a deposit. Don’t expect discounts. Bigger/more established dealers seem to have prepared and are likely to have a better selection, but even so, bikes are selling fast. Newer/smaller dealers are finding it hard to get any product at all. Sunny spring saturdays are always insane at scooter dealers, and it’s even worse now, if you’re shopping seriously, take a drizzly weekday off work and show up early with cash if you want a salesperson’s undivided attention."

I have to agree with most of that statement, especially about coming in on a Saturday. I apologize to any and all who come to shop and end up leaving frustrated with only a "I'll get to you as soon as I can." Saturdays have been insane. I've had to refuse test rides because they take up so much time that other folks can't get helped and even pencil sales for the weekdays instead of closing them during the weekend because of the shop being so busy. It's a lovely problem to have... Unless you're a customer.


Anyway, for more info on the scoot shortage, Check out the post here.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Toys for your toys


Patrick Ma, toy designer, has come out with two toys as a part of the I.W.G. Combat Mod Squad set last year that are, and have been, on my "must have" list. The problem is that they're limited editions, and pretty much sold out now everywhere. That said, I thought I'd share my lust with you and wish you good luck in aquiring these bad boys.


The toys, a part of the Rocketworld line-up, feature Septimus and Takahara, a rhino and bear on vintage scoots, toting.. uh, walking sticks? To learn more and start your addiction on Vinyl toys, check out Vinyl Pulse.com

Scooter Art

While looking for these cool limited edition MOD toys (I should add, expensive cool limited edition), I came across this Scooter-art.com site that has custom kitsch graphics for your scoot, helmet and other stuff. They have a few designs, but lots of different colorways. You should check it out; you know your scoot has been feeling a tad naked since you got it anyway!

More articles about Vespa - Gas pumps = happy times


More and more posts are showing up on the web about scooters being a great alternative to fuel thirsty trucks. I don't see this trend slowing down before the end of summer, but here are some links for the curious:


"Scooter riders laughing all the way to the pump"
"Scooter sales soar as gas prices rise"


"The scooter solution to high gas prices"

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Fuel efficient?


A recent article posted in the Auto section of the Wall Street Journal's web page this weekend, explains the rising popularity of scooters in metro areas.

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An educated guess could have told you it was gasoline, but the article is really good. I suggest you take a look and read on how scooters have changed some folks' lives for the better!




Other recent scooter-related posts:




Vespa to be seen in this summer's Get Smart film starring Steve Carell.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Vespa Romance? Of course!

I just recieved a really nice link to a video about the new Vespa S touring around the busy streets of Manhattan, via the Wall Street Journal.

Click here for the link!

Thanks goes out to Dick for the link!

Monday, May 12, 2008

RALLY WEEKEND!!


The 4th Tornado R'Alley (scooter rally) is this weekend folks!


Experience the mayhem, the challenge, the comraderie and of course, the scooters!
From May 16th to the 17th, you have three days of scooter riding, events, food and beer. It's still not too late to register and recieve a rally kit and raffle tickets. Yours truly has donated a his and hers Corazzo rally jacket, tool kit, t-shirts and stickers. Register and you may just win something!
You can check out more by going to the Mad Toto scooter club website.
Picture via the mad toto website.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Fox Business : Vespas FTW!

A video interview with Vespa/Piaggio North America CEO Paoli Timoni and a New York scooterist, Liza Miller has been posted on Fox's Business site.

You can check it out, here.

WARNING: It is a Fox news website. If I have to explain that, you may be offended by the interviewer.

Vespanomics... For real!

It seems that with the rise of gas prices, more and more folks are looking for viable alternatives to using their fossil-fuel hungry vehicles for commuting to and fro.

Motorcycle-usa.com has started a two month test to see how much saving there actually is in using a scooter and the pros and cons that come with it. It's an ongoing test, but you can stay glued to it by checking the site or our blog (I'll be keeping tabs as well.) To see the first entry, check it out here.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Vespa News from .. EVERYWHERE!

It's been a busy week here at Vespa KC and I've found little time to update thee blog, however, there has been plenty of news.

Lots and lots and lots and lots.

And of course, there was Sunday's scooter breakfast which was super-amazing, but I'll post about that later. For now, check these links to catch up on what is happening in the world of Vespatisi.

Forbes.com: Piaggio first quarter sales sink due to dollar falling and varying exchange rates...
Worcester Telegram: Scooter gains fans...
Walletpop.com: $4 gas is scooter buying time...
Chronicle Herald Metro: New options in transportation...
Scoot Lancaster: Gas makes folks look at at changing habits...
My Moto Motorcycle Blog: Scooter buyer's guide from a non-scoot rider's perpsective...