Autobloggreen noticed that Yamaha has added MPG estimates to its website. They claim 124mpg for the Zuma, 110 for the Vino, 115 for the C3, all of which are 50cc models (the Zuma is a 2-stroke). Even their Barcaloungers pull over 50mpg, with the Morphous at 56 and the Majesty at 51. All those numbers seem pretty unrealistic in the real-world, and likely to spark even more exaggerated claims from other makers.
Month: April 2008
Media frenzy finds Chelsea
After a rush of scooter stories in North Carolina and Minnesota, the evil biased liberal media finally wrote a fair and balanced article, including another of our favorite dealers, Chelsea at Scoot Richmond. The gratuitous Roman Holiday reference was vindicated with the quoted 60mpg mileage figure, which is actually kind of on the low side. (Remember that time that Chelsea posed topless for 2sb? You knew I was going to bring that up.)
Archive: Slaughterhouse 4 soccer
Thats Norm and me and I’m embarassed to admit I can’t remember the other dude’s name right now, “playing soccer” at Lane Tech High School after Slaughterhouse 4 (1998), as originally seen on our original website in 2000. Rally Soccer was sort of a tradition back then, with the various options and rules outlined here.
Bajaj activates their CAPS LOCK key
The Bajaj empire consists of financial services, consumer electronics, and insurance companies along with their motorcycles, scooters, and industrial vehicles (and soon, their consumer automobile). It’s time for a new logo, though the story doesn’t bother showing us what it looks like. It sounds like the all-caps “BAJAJ” text (used under the “flying B” in the Bajaj Auto logo) will be used within logos for Bajaj Electricals, Bajaj Allianz Insurance, and Bajaj’s other holdings and financial services companies. Yes. I just linked to a Bajaj toaster. It’s not as silly as KTM’s toaster.
India to break the 150cc barrier
Indian manufacturers, who have all but abandoned the scooter market over the past couple years to produce 100c motorcycles, are developing new scooters with bigger displacements to compete with their own motorcycles that killed off the scooter market in the first place. And Kinetic expects to launch the full Italjet-derived line “in the coming months.” Sure they are.
Save the Planet, ride an LML
If you’ve gotta write an Earth-Day column about something, why not write it about a thirty-year-old-design 2-stroke engine saving the planet?
Celebrity crash of the week: Jason Segal
This time it’s Jason Segal, of “Forgetting Sara Marshall” and “Freaks and Geeks.” Segal was rear-ended while he was standing up to stretch, leaving him standing safely as his Vespa was knocked out from under him. He says, “The guy thought I was crazy because I just started laughing hysterically. It was amazing.”
Operation Vectrix
Vectrix has been lending out 100 electric scooters in European cities (more than they’ve sold to date, by some accounts) to celebrate the third anniversary of the Kyoto treaty. Riders can reserve a bike to test for a limited period, and are then offered incentives to purchase (EU “green” credits and discounts make the bike much more accessible in Europe, Vectrix is lobbying for a similar program in the U.S.). The program started in Rome, is currently running in Bologna, and will visit Milan, Turin, Madrid, and Paris in coming months. Vectrix has also started taking pre-orders for its three-wheeled electric scooter based on the Piaggio MP3 system.
Malaguti: “Draw your own conclusions”
Baron Motors’ BBS announcement-of-sorts is actually more of a caption contest than an announcement. (BTW, that’s one “t” in Malaguti). I suppose the gist is that CFmoto is building Malaguti-branded bikes and selling them here via Baron. (See also: PSF/QJ/Benelli, LS/?/Italjet.) Also, just for fun, read the Wikipedia Malaguti page and guess who probably wrote it. (Thanks, Matty.)
Connecticut includes scooters in rider courses
Connecticut rider training classes now welcome scooters, which is great, but this hothead is upset about it. He’s worried someone passing the test on a scooter could someday ride a geared motorcycle without proper training. Sure, that’s possible, but every state I know of has always allowed people to take the motorcycle test on an automatic scooter, not to mention the fact that many (if not the majority of) Americans have automobile drivers’ licenses without ever having driven a manual transmission car. A scooter and a motorcycle have a lot more similarities than they do differences, and any training riders can get is great.
Cackalacka News bits: 4/3/08
A bunch of stories to block out election coverage:
- AutoWeek reviews the Vectrix, which will replace gas-powered bikes at the Boston Marathon, which seems like a long-overdue idea.
- A florida girl was trapped under her scooter for three hours.
- British scooterists strut their stuff in Hastings, North Wales, North Allerton, and Rotherham.
- A Miami scooter dealer epitomizes Vespa USA’s marketing shift from “Show off that bling!” to “Save the planet!”
- More “Save Gas” stories from North Cackalacka, another from North Cackalacka, and, wait! another one from North Cackalacka! Way to come up with original story ideas, N.C. media. I guess you had to get that out of the way before the primary.
Why do you scoot?
Sometimes the simplest forum questions get great answers.
GPS horror!
As if mobile phones, ipods, and conservative talk radio aren’t distracting drivers enough, GPS navigation systems can actually tell a distracted driver to go ahead and run right into you (w/gory photos!). On the other side of the coin, more and more scooterists are using cell phones, iPods, and GPS navigation systems as they ride, which scares me even more.
MP3 ticketed for using MC spot
The Brighton and Hove City Council had to redefine “three wheeler” to allow the Piaggio MP3 to use motorcycle parking. As the current glut of proposed three-wheeled minicars and motorcycles hits the road, many other municipalities will likely have to follow suit.
Electrics, Hybrids And New ‘Refueling’ Station To Be Showcased At INTERMOT ’08
Roadracingworld.com reports that there will be a special section focusing on ‘alternative-drive’ motorcycles and scooters at the 2008 INTERMOT in Cologne, Germany. Electric-, hybrid- and alternative fossil fuel-driven vehicles will be on display as well as a station for refueling from the sun. The German solar energy company, Solon AG, will run a recharging station at the Innovation Centre. Addressing the issue of logistics of alternative energy sources for personal transportation is a key aspect to any change in the state of personal transportation around the world. Gasoline is just too darn convenient with it’s completely developed delivery infrastructure.