Free Extended Warranties

Piaggio is once again extending the Free Extended Warranty offer for all new 2007, 2008 and 2009 Vespa and Piaggio scooters purchased in the now. The offer originally started and ended in November, then was extended into the chilly month of December. Now, it's January's turn to share in the goodness.



This promotion isn't listed on the VespaUSA.com site as of yet, but believe me, it's valid! Call the shop or buy a scooter for more details!

GTV 250 review: 4 out of 5 stars

In Feburary's Motor Cyclist magazine, there's a (very funny) review of a Vespa GTV 250 (see page 44). Michelle Sylvester, the author, apparently bought the scooter after years of riding as a pillion on other's bikes, and despite the horrors of getting pooped on by random birds, loves it.

Check out the Feburary Issue, on stands now.

New Vespa USA site!

Looks like the USA arm of Vespa and Piaggio finally recieved the web-overhaul that the UK and Italy sites recieved last year!

It's pretty nice. It's attractive, has a rolling ticker of Vespa News, has a community link and you no longer have to click five times to find a price!

Welcome to the modern! Click here to experience the site yourself!

New scooters

To go with the news of the free extended warranty, we just recieved six new scooters! They're still crated, so sorry.. No pictures.

The potential holiday presents are:

• piaggio fly 150 in excalibur grey
• piaggio fly 150 in optic white
• vespa gts 250 in cortina grey
• vespa gts 250 in midnight blue
• vespa lx150 in cortina grey
• vespa lx 150 in dragon red

Get 'em while they're hot!

Vespa Warranty Extension

Great news for you folks out there who are on the fence about buying a new Vespa scooter before the year's end!

Piaggio is offering a free extended warranty through the month of December. And folks, that's regardless of whatever scooter you purchase. Be it an LX50, a Fly or even an MP3 500, you're covered for three years! Nice stuff!

I'd give you a link to follow, but it really is as simple as it sounds. So, help yourself, help the economy and take advantage of the special! Buy more stuff!

Vespa scooters, adidas, and pop

Sometimes when you're doing something, such as watching TV or a movie, and you see a scooter - even if for a brief second - you get this super warm feeling of "awesome" inside.

Well, the new ADIDAS originals commercial has a good two seconds of "awesome" in it. It's an ad for the new clothing line that is more casual-retro centered versus it's sport wear catalogues. The commercial also features a ton of pop and hip hop stars/legends in it such as Russel Simmons, DMC, N.E.R.D, Katy Perry, Estelle and of course, athletes like David Beckham and more.

You've may have seen the commercial before, but if you're out and about on the net to share it with friends, it's the 60-second version that you want if you're looking for Vespa scooter goodness! You can follow a direct YouTube link by clicking here. And for those who are inquiring about the music, it's the Pilooski edit of Frankie Valli's "Beggin". That video is here.

This, of course, isn't the first commercial by ADIDAS to feature scooters...

HyS on Engadget

Browsing through one of my favorite blogs today, Engadget, to find that Piaggio had made an "official" claim to the upcoming hybrid HyS engine MPG estimates...

You ready?

141MPG.

Yeah... I said the same dang thing.

For more of the same info that's already been posted here (the actual MPG being the exception), follow the link for the story.

Vespa... Sidecar?

Sorry for the teaser title folks, but given that the info in regards to that title is pretty much teaser stuff, you'll have to forgive me for the following is all I'm working with:

BEHOLD!

Teaser pic for the teaser post about a prototype Vespa sidecar that Piaggio unvieled this week at the EICMA. Amongst other things in the works for next year, Piaggio used the opportunity to show some neat design work with this "prototype" of an actual Piaggio side-car. If I remember correctly, the last Piaggio sidecar to grace a Vespa was way back in the mid seventies, so this is actually kind of neat. Really neat actually.

The EICMA show goes on till the 9th, so expect more cool stuff. If you want to follow it daily, check out the official website, or keep checking back here for more Piaggio and Vespa related goodness!

New stuff for the Blog!

Looking at the blog's traffic, it seems that there are a lot of you who read on the regular, but you have no idea when new info is going to appear. Well, this morning, I took a couple of steps to make it a little easier to find out when the new deliciousness appears on your fav KC scooter blog!

Take a look at the sidebar to the left and you'll see a couple of new things:

• A reader's block
• A blog subscription block

The reader's block isn't anything like writer's block. No, instead, this handy tool will allow you to set yourself as a "reader" and then see who else also reads the blog! Nice stuff. It'll also help me fine tune this web-based machine to my reader's interests since I won't be running blind anymore.

The subscription block is just that: Want to be updated when the new stuff appears, just subscribe. Really easy!

All Hallows Even!!

It's Halloween once again, and for once, it's not raining!! It was so nice this morning that I was outside grilling breakfast in just a t-shirt and socks! Superb!

Get out there and enjoy the roads today, but remember to ride safe. If you want a little inspiration to safe riding, check out Brittany Morrow's latest effort: Rockthegear.org . If you're not familiar with with Ms. Morrow, she survived a 522 foot slide across the asphalt in nothing more than a t-shirt, capri pants, and sneakers. She did have a helmet thankfully, but her body was scarred forever! If you want a halloween fright, look up her pics, they're vivid! Her newest initiative is based apon ATGATT or All The Gear, All The Time. The Rockthegear web site offers lots of information and testimonials for those looking for a reason to wear protective clothing when they ride.

It's a great site and it has a small but active forum too! It's not bike-specific, so don't feel intimidated to go ahead and check it out!

Winter Service!

Hey folks, this year we're offering a winter service program for scooter folks, just like you and regardless if you bought from us or not or the make and model of your scoot*. Those who participated last year will remember the free pickup and delivery options and we're continuing that on to this year as well!

For those who have no idea what you're reading about, the Vespa of Kansas City Winter Service + Preventative Maintenance Program is the scooter version of what VanWall (our owners) do for their lawn and green equipment customers. The short explanation is that we get your scooter tuned up and prepared for the winter months. This is especially nice for those who can't ride during the cold season; by the time the warmer temperatures arrive in Spring, you won't have to worry about stale gasoline or a dead battery keeping you from going out and doing what you like to do best: ride your scoot!

Folks on our email list will get a newsletter and those customers who have shopped with us in the past - provided we have a current mailing address - will get a postcard in the mail. If you want to sign up to take advantage of the... Uh, lets call it the VKCWSPMP, just give us a call, ask for Keith or Mike and we'll get you in the books! The deadline for sign up is December 15th! Any questions, call Vespa Kansas City or email me.

Leno and Clarkson on scooters!

Tonight Show host Jay Leno was the guest speaker at this year's Piaggio Dealer's Meeting (end of September), so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the Piaggio MP3 showed up on his website. Click here to check it out!

Another famous (or not so much depending on how much of a car nut you are) car enthusiast, Jeremy Clarkson (see above pic) was also talking about scooters recently. I will obviously post the link to his article regarding his being recently sighted on a Vespa GTV Navy (blue version we don't get here in the USA) after saying he hates motorcycles, but be fowarned: If you've never read a Clarkson article or watched him on TopGear... Well, he doesn't mince words. An example:

"I also liked the idea of a Vespa because most bikes are Japanese. This means they are extremely reliable so you cannot avoid a fatal crash by simply breaking down. This is entirely possible on a Vespa because it is made in Italy."

Yeah, it's kinda tongue-in-cheek, so don't take the rest of it too seriously but expect him to bash on scooters and motorcycling in general. Either way, it's a fun little read.

Check it out, here.

The newness for 2009

Chances are that if you've been on the forums and blogs, you already know of the new new coming out for 2009. If you've been like me, nose to the grind (or however that saying goes), then I'll fill you in!

Last weekend was the Piaggio Dealer's Meeting. This annual get together is how the dealer's find out what's new for the upcoming year. This time around there weren't many additions, but a good number of significant changes:

• Gallio Lime (Yellow) is out for '09 and Capri Blue (glossy powder blue) is in.



• Vespa S 150 is being joined by a Vespa S 50 which has a 4-valve engine! Awesome!



• Grantursimo 200 is gone, replaced by a new GTS machine, the GTS Super. It has new looks and a 300cc fuel-injected engine. Woot!



• The BV family finally gets what Europe has had for a while, the Touring redesign, making the BV 250 and 500 the BV 250 Tourer and BV 500 Tourer.



• The Fly series gets color swaps, adding Optic White in for the 150 and 50 instead of the Dragon Red.



• The MP3 250 and 400 get a facelift and a couple new accessories including a new backrest that doesn't require a topcase! Nifty!



• Sienna White is the new.. uh. White.

So, that's it for the most part. If you're interested in ordering anything special, right now is the time to let us know as we're setting up our 2009 order as I type this. I'll give you readers a week or so before turning it in, so act fast if you'd like to have your choice of color.

Miracolo Italiano

Berlin-based designer, Damian Ortega is currently displaying a show in Turin named Miracolo Italiano. It's based upon a previous work of art that also involves a deconstructed automotive icon, named Cosmic Thing. That body of work involved a VW Bug whereas Ortega's current piece involves three Vespas.


"This takes his Volkswagen project–called Cosmic Thing–to a new level. Where his Bug was a single installation, the Vespa is seen in three stages of completion, allowing the viewer to walk backwards and forwards, creating and dismantling the icon. Icon-deconstruction is a fun process for Ortega; the Volkswagen was one of Mexico’s “most potent symbols of Westernization and mass production”, and the latter applies, within Italy, to Piaggio’s Vespa as well."

For more pics and info, follow the link.

Undies

Apparently, The Gap has something that you never knew you wanted, but as soon as you see it, you will...

Ta Da! Scooter boxers, just in time for fall weather riding! $10 and they're yours!

Check it out, here.

Photo Op!

This Saturday, yours truly took a couple of scoots out to a photo shoot to be featured in Urban Times magazine. A couple of pouty-faced models in a dark, graffiti-plastered alleyway on a yellow GTS 250ie and a white GTV 250 is pretty much how it went down and after an hour, we were done and all packed up. As soon as the pics come up, I'll let y'all know!

Cannonball 2008

Every once in a while, a bunch of crazies get together to either generate $$$ for charity, prove to themselves that they can do the impossible, or just be crazy. In three days, beginning on September 11th, a number of folks will be doing just that.

The Scooter Cannonball happens once a year (or two) and is a 3000 mile rally testing endurance, will power, and scooter reliability! This year, rally goers will be starting from San Fransisco, CA and ending their journey in Ocean City, MD. Coast-to-Coast, baby!

Pistol Pete, a contestant in this year's rally emailed me to let everyone know that the Cannonball is coming through our area this year with a stop in Fort Scott, KS! He plans on being out there on day six and hopes to run into some local scooterists! Here's the info:

101 State Street
Fort Scott, KS
66701

He also has a blog and Flickr link setup as well.
http://cannonball08.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scooterpics/sets/
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=petairvespa

Portland's Scooter Mecca

Another video today, this time sent to me via Matt V. Enjoy a taste of Portland's two-stroke scooter scene. The video comes from the area NBC affiliate KING5.com, and although its a "news" video, it's actually a very nicely done piece and very fun!

Check it out by following this link.

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!