In the past year, the U.S. Marine Corps has lost more personnel to motorcycles than they’ve lost in Iraq. Top officers will meet Monday to discuss the problem. 25 Marines were killed in the past 12 months (24 of them on sportbikes). The USMC offers mandatory training for motorcycling Marines, and sportbike-riding Marines are already required to take an additional class.
Month: October 2008
History and community
This story about the Falkirk (Scotland) Scooter Club pretty much nails what’s great about scootering, Falkirk has a 50-year tradition of scootering, and the current club respects that while looking forward and welcoming all.
Trailer Bearing maintenance
Continue reading “Trailer Bearing maintenance”
Taiwan Looks to World Market
For weekend reading: Taiwan news/PR site CENS issues their traditional Pre-EICMA “state-of-the-Taiwanese-Scooter-Industry” report.
Tears for Fears were ex-Mods… literally
DID YOU KNOW: Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears started out in a Bath, England Mod Band called Graduate? You learn something every day. This discovery was inspired by the new “Literal Video” for “Head Over Heels,” which I was hoping was the Go-Go’s, but TFF will do:
It’s great, but not as totally essential and perfectly awesome as the first “Literal Video:”
Finally, a Greek scooter.
Motoblog.it reports that Greece-based scooter concern Nipponia is hoping to make a splash at EICMA with a new line of scooters designed by the designer of the Toyota Yaris and Lexus SC430. I’m not creating a “Nipponia” category in the archives just yet.
The “T-Max Killer?”
Honda is promising to unveil a mind-blowing Silverwing replacement at EICMA that will knock the socks off potential T-Max buyers. Scooter Station thinks it’s based on this concept from a couple years back. I can guarantee it won’t be that crazy-looking, but they’ve piqued my interest. Also: aren’t high-powered touring scooters supposed to have comfy seats and passenger/storage space? I can see a market for big-displacement sports scooters, but it’s not replacing the Silverwing market.
“Scooter Art” Flickr pool
A must-see Vintage Scooter Art & Graphics set on Flickr. Quite a collection! (Thanks, Bob!)
20 visibility tips
The Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center’s visibility tips. Great info here. I’m taking #2 to the extreme with my new helmet. (Thanks for the link, hcstrider!)
Jeremy Clarkson on scooters
British journalist, Top Gear host, and well-known motorcycle-hater Jeremy Clarkson got a lot of stick last week when he was sighted riding a Vespa. The experience left him shaken, and his review of the bike is hilarious, insightful, and a must-read for anyone considering the jump from cars to scooters. (Thanks, Ben!)
An excerpt, that will hopefully convince you to read the whole thing:
However, many people are making the switch because they imagine that having a small motorcycle will be cheap. It isn’t. Sure, the 125cc Vespa I tried can be bought for £3,499, but then you will need a helmet (£300), a jacket (£500), some Freddie Mercury trousers (£100), shoes (£130), a pair of Kevlar gloves (£90), a coffin (£1,000), a headstone (£750), a cremation (£380) and flowers in the church (£200).
Corazzo “Under-Hoody”
With colder weather on the way, Eazy wrote up a good review of the Corazzo Under-Hoody. On paper, it just sounds like an overpriced sweatshirt, but it’s a very good idea and very well-implemented, and Eazy does it justice. I know I’ve been promising a review of the Corazzo Shop Jacket for months now, and it will come, but in short, I love it.
PGO confirms RCV engine program
CENS Taiwan Economic news reports (in great depth) that PGO has been working with british rotary-valve experts RCV Engine Ltd. for two years. Suddenly the rotary-powered Genuine rumors don’t sound so crazy. (Thanks to Rikko on Modern Buddy for the link.)
Decemberists’ Halloween scooter?
The Decemberists are playing in Wheaton? On Halloween night? And there’s a scooter on the poster? Did Carson Ellis actually paint that? What’s up with her website? Is a liberal alt-whine anachronism-gimmick oboe band playing to creationists at a christian college in a dry suburb on halloween night funny, cool, or sad? I can’t tell anymore, but if anyone can steal me one of those posters, please do. (Photo via Mike Marusin, thanks!)
It’s almost a car
Auto Week is doing a long-term test of the Piaggio MP3 500 (aka Gilera Fuoco). 2sb’s first long-term test is starting soon, stay tuned!
More HyMotion3
More info and pictures of Peugeot’s HyMotion3 hybrid reverse-trike with a roof from Gizmag.