Scooter drag racing

I found this on 2strokebuzz.com this morning:

1/32 mile scooter drag racing in Taiwan using Tag Heuer timing equipment. It's a nice little video, check it out!!

Click here for the link.



Note that you may have to stop the music player (left side of page) to view movie within the blog.

Some scooter owners find hurdles at the DMV

The Denver Examiner has an interesting post about Denver's recent reactive action against the huge influx of Chinese-built, sub-quality scooters. Apparently, a lot of these new cheapies have fake or non existant emissions documentation and equipment and thus, aren't SAE registered. Some are sold without proper Origin Statement paperwork, which in itself is illegal. Denver is currently rejecting folks' attempt at registering thier bikes if they don't check out, and other states are probably sure to follow.

If you or someone you know is thinking about buying a no-name scoot, check out this link first!

Ruh Roh!!

It seems that Denver, which has seen it's popularity in scooters rise perhaps earlier than most of the country, is also starting to see a little bit of the negatives before everyone as well. Ever seen a scooter stolen in 11 seconds before??

Check this out.

This video illustrates why sometimes locking your scooter up isn't enough. It does give some helpful hints to combat this, but it doesn't explore anti-theft options too deeply. I would also suggest, depending on your neighborhood or other enviornmental variables, an electronic alarm, or electronic alarm brake lock.

Or a garage...

Scooter.. moving?!?

As reported here in The Seattle Times.com site, some folks in Seattle are suffering from a phenomenon that, if not for this year's boom in scooter sales, probably would never have become a problem. It seems that folks are finding other people moving their parked scooters in order to obtain a better parking space! Check it out here for more!

Updating the blgo

As you can tell, there have been a few tweaks to this cramped site! Now you can see videos on the right at anytime as well as search for scooter-related materials up top. Nothing big, but at least the blog has been updated!

Project: Parts and Accessories

http://www.scooterworks.com

We've been getting a lot of calls lately from customers who have maintenance coming up who tell us that they've ordered this part or that part and would like us to install it. After a few of these phone calls, we began to ask, why and where were the parts ordered from. An astounding number of folks revealed that they were ordering items from Scooterworks.com and used them because they believed that we wouldn't be able to provide them with the products they were in need of.

Well, contrary to popular belief, we also order from Scooterworks, so if you're in need of parts and/or accessories, feel free to order them through us, especially if you're going to have us install or replace them anyway. Makes sense to go ahead and have the parts sent to where they're going to be installed anyway right?

Now you know and knowing is half the battle!

Super busy: ARRRGH!

It's been almost exactly a month since my last post here, and in that time i've sold what feels like a million scooters to both new and old customers as well as folks that live nowhere close to Kansas City. We're out of Vespa LX 150s, Piaggio Fly 150s, MP3 400s and 500s, BV250s and 500s, Vespa S 150s and we only have 1 Fly 50 left and are sitting on our last two GTS 250s and last two Granturismo 200s. We've been out of GTVs for a while, but we did finally get a portifino green GTV that was on order for a customer in Alexandria, VA. He purchased it back in November of 2007 and we don't plan on seeing him until this October!

It's been busy.

Apparently, I'm not the only one that's been knee deep in scooter customers as, allegedly, our friends at Scooter World are sold out and our (not) friends at Reno's Yamaha/Vespa keep trying to do dealer trades (despite us not having anything they want) and I can only imagine how busy Vespa Lawrence has been this month...
I'm also assuming that you riders have been busy as there has been a complete lack of scheduled rides on the forums. If not for the Sunday rides out of Scooter World by the Mad Toto crowd each week, I'd a figured that everyone was really using their scooters this year for commuting only.

Today, I happened to be off, and after wakeboarding, playing with the dog, I found enough time to post up something.

Yay for you.

I would have quickly posted up the different posts from all over the country regarding scooters but, as you can imagine, they've ALL been about the rise of scooters because of the rise of gas.

Boring.

Anyway, I'm making a promise to at least make a stronger effort to post more in the coming weeks, so hopefully you all haven't forgot about the blog.

See you later!

Scooter News

We haven't found the time lately to post anything to the blog because... Well, because we've been uber busy selling scooters! Apparently, we're not the only ones shoulder high in customer orders for more scooters as the last few weeks of scooter news has been about nothing else but on how well scooter sales have been thanks to gasoline.

Imagine that.

Here are a few of the MANY stories:

The scooter: Once a toy, now a top seller.
Cycle sales rev up in contest against fuel prices.
Scooter sales are having a great ride.
Top Gear opens Vespa dealership in Athens.

Donald Rumsfeld buys a Vespa??

Tag this post under, AWESOME!

According to AutoBlogGreen.Com, former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recently purchased the super fuel-saving LX150 as a vehicle of choice! No word as to whether he bought it for himself or as a gift for someone else. Either way, it's kinda funny. You can check out the original post, here.

Thanks to Matt for the heads-up.

Buddy and Bob?

It seems that Piaggio is sponsoring two 70-somethings on a 3400 mile ride down the Lincoln Highway on MP3s! Leaving San Francisco today, you can tune into the action on the Piaggio USA site, here.

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.

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 sales rev up as gas prices soar"

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


"The scooter solution to high gas prices"

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!

Click here for the article.

Other recent scooter-related posts:

New Zeland Times compares bugs to scooters.

Great Falls tribune discovers fuel efficient scooters.

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

A semi-correct history of gas scooters...

Vespa Get Smart sweepstakes

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!

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.

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.

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...

Reminder: Scooter Breakfast TEAM-UP!!

Just a reminder folks: The scooter breakfast is live in tasty! Oh yes, in less than a week, you too dear reader can enjoy a variety of homestyle breakfast entrees and then scoot amongst friends old and new on a relaxing ride through town.

Are you up to the challenge?

Are you prepared for the feast?

Are you tired of the questions and ready for the link to the wheres and whens of the meet-up?!

Follow the link for the details, and we'll see you on Sunday (provided it's dry!). If you have any questions, email me and let me know!

EXCELSIOR!!

More Scooters for Everyone

The title-link is to an recent post on NBC17.com about rising scooter sales in Raliegh, North Carolina, but I, just getting back from vacation, have something similar to post.

While out in Colorado last week, we spent the weekend in Denver, and man, oh man, did we see a lot of scooters.

As anyone whose had the (mis)fortune of driving in Denver will tell you, the traffic there is definitely worse than what we have out here. People drive harder, faster and with more determination, making KC drivers seem lazy and slow as a result. That said, there were scooters everywhere! And the surprising part to me, most of them were 50 cc bikes! It was awesome. Everywhere we went we saw a lot (and I'm not talking about just a handful) of scoots. It was simply uncanny! Kansas city, we need to catch up! Here, it may not be rare to see a motorcycle or two at any given time, but out there, I saw way more scoots than I saw motorcycles.

We paid a visit to Denver's Vespa store, Erico Motorsports and was blown away by their showroom. Friendly staff, a great selection, and innovative ideas (they rent Vespas!) have made a big impact in helping Denver do what they seem to be doing a pretty good job of: finding cheaper and more enviornmentally friendly ways to live life, day to day. They already have a light-rail system (that works amazingly well, by the way; way cheaper than a cab), Toyota Prius hybrid-fuel taxi cabs, metro busses that run off of soy-oils, and an obvious love of scooters.

If you can't tell, I'm a little jealous of Denver's attitude. :)

Singapore bike expo report

I may be in Colorado doing my snow thing for the week, but that doesn't mean I'm not at work :) The above image is via http://rinaz.net.

The blog, Marina's Bloggarific has an excellent report on the Singapore bike show, "Bike Asia." The show features plenty of scooters (including your favorites) and is worth checking out!

Click here for the sexeh!

Vespa's keep up with traffic... ORLY?

Posted this morning on Vancouver's Straight.com an article titled, "Vespa's punchy new scooter keeps up with traffic" caught my attention and then immediately left me feeling slightly offended.

As of late, I've been getting sent a lot of articles and posts about publications just now, almost eight years after the re-debut, discovering the Vespas, Piaggios and scooters in general. In the defense of these recent articles, I'd say that it's arguable that media folks are extremely busy-types. They have deadlines to meet, writing about things they don't know anything, nor care about. Eventually, one of these folks will write a story that we're familiar with, and we're either left applauding the facts or, more likely than not, left feeling empty. The post on Straight.com was, presumably, destined to fit in the latter catagory.

Assuming soley from the title that the author would simply not do enough research to sound educated on the subject generally, I read the post and for whatever reason, found it humourous that:

1. I was right and...


2. The post was obviously written as filler: no real substance

That said, I'm still found myself feeling a bit offended after reading statements such as, "...Vespas are kind of like Harley-Davidsons..." and, "Instrumentation is virtually nonexistent—a speedometer and fuel gauge with some idiot lights, and that’s about it. But for the majority of those interested in this kind of ride, that’s more than enough."

That last quote really did me in; not only did it prove that the author doesn't care about the subject matter of which he/she wrote about, it also highlights the fact that he or she doesn't care about the audience who is interested in said subject matter. In my humble opinion, if you can't write for your audience, why are you even writing? If you're not sure as to why I'm worked up over such a mundance peice of writing, I'd explain it as asking you to think about how this small and unremarkably written post may not change minds one way or another for folks who own and ride a scoot, but for those who may still be considering adding a scooter into their stable of vehicles, the tone alone could deter them from finding out for themselves how wonderful the world of small motorcycling can be.

That's why I'm ragging on this post so much.

As partially mentioned before, I would normally just skip over something like this as I don't neccessarily consider it worth a read (I am biased afterall!) but I'd like to know what you think of the post. You can check it out here.

Scooter Breakfast is GO!!!

Okay Ladies and Gents! The Scooter Breakfast is on!

Mark your calenders:

Sunday, May 4th

Lucky Brewgrille -Vespa KC

SCOOTER BREAKFAST

10:00 AM till stomachs are full!

Lucky Brewgrille,

5401 Johnson DR

Mission, KS 66205

Come early and meet local riders!

Stay after the eats and ride with them too!

For those not in the know, Lucky Brewgrille in Mission is giving us their entire downstairs portion of their resturaunt to do whatever we want! So, I'm inviting you (and please invite whomever!) to a Meet n' Greet n' Eat breakfast. There will be scooter parking, so leave the car at home, and if you're a little road shy, this is a perfect opportunity to work out the kinks and get the confidence levels a boost!