Globetrotting Vespa rider/author Giorgio Bettinelli died Monday in China, his current home. Bettinelli was famous for books about his continent-spanning Vespa journeys.
Month: September 2008
MotoGP photos, and a stolen Blur
Continue reading “MotoGP photos, and a stolen Blur”
Speed Vest
Neato, and it works up to 70mph. I love the Nixie-Tube look. It’s designed for bicyclists, but the concept works even better for scooterists, where motorists may be less likely to pass a rider already going over the speed limit.
BMW New Isetta
Speaking of zero-emissions, rumors are spreading that a new, electric BMW Isetta will be available in 2010. (The photos are all photoshop renderings, but it gives you something to think about.)
Zero-emissions Lambretta
Another non-scooter-related consumer product–bicycles, this time–will get a Lambretta sticker. It’s unclear if Fisher licensed the name from Lambretta Clothing, Scooters India Limited, or someone else, but if they ever market the bikes outside the U.K., it’s a safe bet they’ll face some trademark issues.
More Info. Looks like they licensed the name from Lambretta clothing, it’ll be interesting to see how licensees selling scooters in other markets feel about a “global-market” Lambretta-branded bicycle.
Scooter Brothers!
That’s pretty much how I play GTA, too. Totally righteous. Via POCphil.
MotoGP coverage coming tonight.
Slaughterhouse 14 Gallery
Finally uploaded my Slaughterhouse photos. Let’s try out this new gallery system:
Continue reading “Slaughterhouse 14 Gallery”
Zinesters Talking (Portland)
Karen Giezyng, who started the Oregon Scooter Club’s great ‘zine Kickstart has just released her new ‘zine Bumpstart. More about the new zine soon, but in the meantime, we wanted to give a heads up that she’ll be reading and telling stories from her recent trip to Italy at Zinesters Talking, next Tuesday (September 16, 2008) 6:30–7:45 p.m., in the U.S. Bank Room at Portland’s Central Library.
R.I.P. Jez Bird
80s mod revivalist and Lambrettas lead singer Jez Bird died August 27.
Fall…in…to…the…Gap
Justin shows off his underwear: Scooter boxers from The Gap. Nice!
The “Master Yoda” riding position
The Master Yoda Riding Position, via Midlife Rider’s easier-to-read summary, via Greencountry on Modern Buddy. Good stuff.
“Why Italy’s troubles are worst”
A weirdly-translated screed echoing my feelings about Alitalia, Piaggio, and Italian industry in general: “Never a period of Italian history resembled so closely the decadence of Roman Empyre.” It’s not much different in the U.S., of course. Socialism’s just great, if capitalists can cash in on it later.
Chinese Nuclear Mopeds
NoZone magazine’s 100 Year Forecast is pretty right-on, funny, and well-designed.
Christmas, already?
it’s never too early for Polish glass Lambretta christmas tree ornaments. Purty. $24 from “Surly Table.” [Thanks, Grace.]
Speaking of jumps…
Let me walk you through my run [Thanks to the Hell’s Fairies for the video]:
- Ramp: It’s a testament to the Blur’s awesomeness that a 255-lb idiot can jump that high without breaking anything.
- Flag Joust: I knew I’d never pull that off, so I didn’t even try, in the interest of time.
- Beercan Slalom: I practiced this seven hundred times when no one was around and had it down. Under pressure, not so good.
- The Gauntlet: The plan: having screwed up royally, I decided to ignore the boards and ride directly into the crowd, as fast as possible, in the hope of scaring everyone so much they forgot to throw their sponges. The reality: I was closer to them, so they were able to hit me head-on, with more force.
- Follow-up: So it turns out the Blur has a lot of sponge-friendly nooks and crannies, so I was able to loop around and throw all the sponges back at everybody. Later, I took the Eisenhower expressway home and flipped my visor down at 65mph and it was so spotted up with soap spots that I couldn’t see. That was fun.
BTW, Jordan and Rawc are more or less OK, thankfully. Aside from that, it was a great rally, more photos and commentary soon. Thanks, everyone.