Rally!!!!

Arrived at work this morning to find this in my inbox:

"There will be a Scooter Rally in Eureka Springs, Arkansas on September 17 - 20, 2008.
For more info: ScootingtheOzarks.com

Chet Johnson was kind enough to do the right thing and send the Rally info on early enough that if anyone wants to go, they'd have PLENTY of time to prepare for it. The rally itself is being held in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a mecca of golden roads for anyone on two wheels. Not sure what I'm talking about? Well, where the West Coast guys get to cruise the PCH and the East Coasters get the Dragon, we get Northwestern Arkansas!

Check out the site for more forums and more info.

Vespa for your kitchen.. and bath.. and closets.. Licensing FTW!!

Apparently, 2008 will be the year of the Vespa! It seems that Piaggio is pushing to cross promote and advertise everyone's favorite scooter by widening the brand's recognition. A quote from the article posted in Brandweek last Monday:

""The equities of Vespa—Italian design, highly stylish, modern, colorful, free-spirited and environmentally sensitive—should translate well to a number of product categories," said Michael Stone, Beanstalk president and CEO. Stone said the company is focusing on apparel, accessories and kitchen appliances like possibly an espresso maker first. Products are expected to hit stores in late 2008 and will target mid-tier and higher-end retailers."

Interesting!

For years now, there have been a number of items I'd have loved to see with the Vespa twist applied to it. Howzabout you? If there's anything you like to see, let me know and later I'll post a big list on the blog. Who knows? Maybe someone at Piaggio might take a look-see...

For more on the licensing details, click here.

The Gap limited edition LX 50

It's called the crazy stripe...

And it is indeed that: crazy!

The Gap and Vespa have combined forces to create this limited edition LX50. It will be on display for all to see in New York, Chicago, San Fran, Las Vegas and of course, Los Angeles. No exact word on the number of bikes being produced but the real crazy part is the price: $6000!

You can check out more on this phenom, here.

The Hybrid is GO!

Motorcycle-USA.com posted an article on Wednesday about the Piaggio HyS scooters at the recent Tokyo Motorcycle Show. Sure, we have previously posted about the HyS scooters and the system operations, but it seems that Motorcycle-USA.com has reconfirmed that production is slated for production in 2008!! With the MP3 400 and MP3 500 joining the 250, by this time next year, there will be an MP3 in every flavor!

Read more by clicking here

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween out there to you loyal readers and your families! Have fun tonight and stay safe! I hope we see some of you scootering candy tossers out tonight!



as for the picture, I was trying to find a scooter + halloween themed image, but couldn't find anything. this is the best I could come up with :D

Better late than never

Obviously, it's going to take some time for the rest of the U.S. to catch up to the existence of scootering as a viable alternate to driving a coffin.., er car. Take San Antonio's MySA.com for example. The writer of a scootering article posted this past Saturday discovers the many benefits of scootering that we already know. Nonetheless, it's still a pretty nice write-up, especially for the MP3.

Over the summer, there have been many articles like the one written for MySA.com as more and more cities are being introduced to Vespas, Kymcos, Suzukis and the like. I'm positive this latest one won't be the last, but it's still nice to see the scooter community expanding.

Check out the MySA.com post for a taste of how other parts of the country feel about scootering.

Vespa S confirmed

After this tasty prototype was unveiled at last years EICMA show, we're finally going to get to see the Vespa S for ourselves early next year as an 2008 production model! The Vespa S is pretty much a minimalist version of the Vespa LX. With a shelf instead of a glovebox, rectangular head and tail lights, a fender crest and an optional single-rider "sport seat," the S is definitely different enough to be considered a seperate model from the LX. Two brand new colors are introduced to go along with new machine: Shiny Black and Optic White with the immortal Dragon Red rounding out the three-color line-up.

Also, a first for modern automatic Vespas, the S will have a number of sticker kits available for the machine upon its introduction. Above is the "Floral Kit" with the "S stripe" shown below.

New Location Update: Part Two

As promised, here are some pics of our new setup for Vespa KC @ VanWall!

It's still a work in progress but it's starting to look good. Even though they are surrounded by ATVs and Victory cruisers, the scoots are definitely giving off a character of their own. If you get a chance, come by and check us out!

New location update

A little FYI for those not in the know, Vespa Kansas City, as previously posted, has moved! We're now located inside of VanWall (on the Eastern frontage road of I-35) at 800 N Rogers Rd in Olathe.

It is farther South, but only by 15 minutes. There are also plenty of ways to get here without taking the road most travelled, you know, if you're looking to scoot here for gear and supplies! When I get the chance, I'll post up some pics of the current setup as well as news about the 2008 models that I have the pleasure of looking at before they come in. Stay tuned!

Farewell Ride Out

Destination: Parkville
12:30 meet at Vespa Kansas City
1:15 leave for The Sweet Guy in Parkville, MO
3:30 Ride back to Vespa KC

The ride will be about an hour each way but, if you're not up for the ride, the doors will be open at Vespa KC for donuts, coffee & conversation. Hope to see a few of you there.

Seasons change...

We've enjoyed our run as Kansas City's sole Vespa boutique. Since opening our flagship store nearly five years ago, we've met the most diverse, nicest people that our metropolitan has to offfer & got on two-wheels. We can never fully express our gratitude for the opportunity to serve our customers.

Vespa Kansas City will be integrating in to the VanWall store in Olathe Kansas. VKC has been a member of the VanWall Group for the last two years. Since that acquisition, we have seen exponential improvement in the level of service we have been able to provide. At the Olathe location we plan to continue the personal service we pride ourselves on. We will be closing the doors at 9555 Nall Avenue @ 6pm on Saturday, October 20th.

We hope to see a few of you before then. Stop in for conversation, a discount on parts, or the Sunday ride.

Fall is here, wear proper gear

As the title says, it is getting colder outside and what that means to us scooter riders is that we have to dress accordingly. Whereas during the summer, one could get away with a t-shirt all day long, nowadays it is best to lenghten the sleeves and probably wear a jacket.

Here are some tips to help keep you comfortable during the autumn season:

• Because fall air can go from nice to frigid in seconds, layer your clothing for the best warmth.
• A full face helmet will not only give you the best in crash protection, it will keep your face and head warm.
• Your hands are extemely vulnerable to frigid air; buy gauntlet style gloves to keep your fingers toasty and to keep air from entering your sleeves and robbing you of warmth.

In addition to dressing to stay comfortable and thus, becoming a safer rider, keep in mind that with the changing of seasons comes some additonal hazards. Some advice:

• Be aware of traction. Cooler weather reduces available traction by making tire rubber harder. Braking and cornering are also affected by this change, so be cautious.
• Fallen leaves can be particularly dangerous. Wet and frost covered leaves can take away traction so avoid any large patches if possible.
• Motorcycles and scooters can be lost in vehicle drivers’ blind spots in the best driving conditions. But when vehicle windows are fogged or frosted, drivers are even more likely to miss seeing you on your motorcycle or scooter. You need to stay alert and drive defensively in the autumn.

Autumn arguably the best season for riding, but it does bring along a unique set of challenges. To stay safe, ride defensively and keep warm and comfortable to help with focus.

Ciao!

Rally this weekend!!!

Sorry about the late notice, but tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday are rally days! Grab your friends and scootin' family and go have some fun (weather permitting)!

It all starts Friday at the Mercy Seat Tattoo parlor for meets and eats.

More info can be found here.

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!

600 mile ride.. On Vespas!

From the Barre Montepelier Times Argus comes word that Crystal Waters of girlbike fame (not the singer) and three others are planning a 600 mile memorial-ride in August. The trip starts off in Central, MD and ends in Central, VT.

Dubbed, The Last Mile Ride, Waters and crew are raising money for the Gifford Memorial Hospital in Randolph MD.

Crystal Waters is known for her site, Girl Bike, which is definitely a fun place to waste time. For more info on the ride itself, check here.

Piaggio HyS is a go!!

It's no secret that Piaggio Co. has been working on some new revolutionary stuff. Heck, the MP3 is pretty revolutionary in terms of motorcycling practicality and their 850cc V-twin motor for the Gilera marques is the first of its type in a scooter. Piaggio is always ahead of the curve. That said, it should come as no suprise that the fabled HyS motor is actually being tested for production!

The HyS is a HYBRID motor system, not much unlike whats found in the Toyota Prius or Ford Escape Hybrid. It's meant to use less fuel and of course shrink a scooter's already small carbon footprint. It seems that, although miniscule in comparison to cars, some towns still ban scooter use due to emissions. The HyS is a solution to that problem and a step in the right direction towards helping solve the big issue: global warming and pollution.

There have already been a few different prototypes throughout the year as Piaggio has been working on this for a while, but the latest news sounds as if the big blue company has finally figured it out. You can check out the press release and learn more here!

Pittsburg PA's Vespa Renaissance

The Pittsburg, PA blog, Pop City, is a nice site about the town, it's communites, culture, and urban development. This week, Margie Romero's post, "The Return of Vespa" may be a little late as far as returns go (7 years late, but who's counting?), but it's well written and covers a lot of ground. From the 60 history and heritage that we're all very familiar with to the profiles of local dealers and owners, as well as a vintage resto shop, you can get a good sense of Pittsburg's scooter scene and how it's taking off in a town that sounds a lot like ours. Check the link and read for yourself!

Doh!

Homer promotes helmet safety & plasti-scoots :)

Nice things come to those who Vespa in NY

An article in the NY Times (7.13.2007) reveals a nice campaign that Piaggio is undertaking in the streets of NYC.

"On Wednesday, an American importer of Vespa, the Italian maker of probably the best-known brand of motor scooter, said it had paid for almost two months’ worth of parking at 48 spaces in lots and garages in Chinatown, TriBeCa, Midtown and the theater district.
Anyone with a Vespa can leave it in one of those spaces for hours. (But not overnight; the lots don’t allow overnight parking.)
The promotion, done in conjunction with Edison ParkFast garages, ends Sept. 30."


The idea is to see if scooterists would use the parking spaces. They claim that 6 to 7 scoots can fit in the same space a car occupies and at $10 an hour for a car, garages and space lots could charge $2 and hour for scoots and make a larger profit. If garages decide to designate space for scoots, then it could obviously drive up sales of Vespas and bring the city closer to the Mayor's goal of loosening up it's congested streets, shrink the city's carbon footprint, and create a plethora of happier roadgoers.

For more info so you can inform your NY Vespa friends, check the link, here.

Ride Announcement!!

Looks like the VCKC crew is having themselves a ride this month! On the 22nd of July, the crew is getting together at the Roasterie coffee shop in Brookside at 1:00pm and leaving shortly afterwards to ride through the scenery-packed Briarcliffe area.

If you've never been on a group ride, it's a great way to get a handle on your skills and become comfortable riding someplace other than around the block in your neighborhood! With more experienced riders on hand to offer advice to lesser experienced scooteristas, it's a safe and enjoyable learning experience!

More info can be found on the Vespa Club of Kansas City's forum, here. If you haven't joined the forum yet, you should definitely do so, and keep from missing the action!

More Vespa'd movies to come

The summer blockbuster that is Transformers isn't the only new movie to feature a Vespa. More is to come with these up-coming films and tv shows:

Lakeview Terrace - with Samuel L. Jackson and Aston Kutcher
Liberty Mutual - TV commercial
"Ghost Whisperer" - TV series on CBS
"My Boys" - TV series on CBS
"Dr. Doolittle" - first epidsode of Canadian series
Get Smart - with Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway
Synecdoche - with Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Make sure you get your drive belts serviced!

We recently had a bike come into the shop that was in need of a new drive belt. Normally, a belt will wear out after extended use, but this case was a little different. Not only did it wear out, when it finally broke, it disentegrated and then wrapped itself around all the internals on the clutch side of the case!!

Check out these scary photos!

In the above pic, you can see what is left of the rubber belt. Trust me, its not supposed to look like that. In the pic above that, you can see the remants of what the belt USED to look like, sitting at the bottom of the engine casing. Wows!

This belt failure may have been a fluke, but either way its smart to keep your bike happy by getting it serviced when you are supposed to! It's the best way to keep the above from happening to you when you least expect it!