No Dragsters, No Rollercraft, Few Surprises

Last Friday Steve Guzman from The Scooter Scoop and Italjet USA announced some sad news. They have decided to “…re-evaluate our requirements for the current season,”. Their press release quoted on The Scooter Scoop cited the lack of the new Italjet products, such as the Dragster and Rollercraft. Steve went on to explain some issues with the development of the new lines. Apparently Italjet just didn’t have the capabilities to build or find partners to build the new bikes.  Unfortunately, this resulted in Steve leaving the company effective May, 30th.  Interestingly, the Amarcord was cited, originally shown as a prototype back in September, 2001 (yes, almost 7 years ago), as one of the scooter designs that didn’t get off the ground but Italjet has already diluted the name and put it on a Mainland China-made bike of dubious appeal.

This sad news goes beyond a good guy like Steve Guzman having to find a new job. It demonstrates again how difficult it will be for any non-fully established firm to ever create something new. It would be great to see an upstart make a great new design from scratch and bring it to the masses. But that scenario is probably not likely in the current environment. We very sincerely wish the best of luck to Steve and Italjet USA. That stated, to the latter I suggest no more ‘coming soon’ news until trucks leave your warehouse on their way to dealers.

Yamaha Capitalizes On Racing Efforts With Scooters

As in years past, Yamaha is the official supplier of scooters to the MotoGP paddock.  The scooter that will be transporting MotoGP staff and VIPs around the pits is the Yamaha Jog RR MotoGP edition. The Fiat Yamaha Racing team also has made the Yamaha Giggle, known in the US as the C3 and in Japan as the Vox, as their official team scooter.  Not to waste an opportunity for branding, Valentino Rossi has a Yamaha Aerox replica for the ultimate fan to show off who he or she pulls for on race day.  Not to be outdone, MotoGP rookie sensation Jorge Lorenzo has a Jog RR race replica of his own.  The only thing that outnumbers the Yamaha MotoGP-scooter tie-ins in this post is the number of hyperlinks I’ve inserted.

Yes, I Am A Geek: Yamaha Vino Gadget Overload

What ever your choice of epithet for those who embrace some sort of technical esotericism, get ready to shout it right..about…now!

But in all seriousness, this Yamaha Vino 50 crammed with all kinds of electronic gizmo goodness is pretty cool.  I think it could be done much more cleanly with better physical integration, but that’s what the fellows at MP3car.com get to do when they get it all tightly installed in their cars with much more real estate to work with.

via Gizmodo

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.

Agility Knock-Offs Continue

As reported on 2SB earlier, cloning the Kymco Agility seems to be the latest craze.  Peirspeed, the importers of the Sachs MadAss and TGB products, have their own Agility clone like the Italjet IT.50.  Their Model is called the RM50.  In the early days of mainland China clones the Kymco Cobra was the scooter of choice to be copied and sold by fly-by-night importers.  It is slightly disturbing to see the same tactics practiced in regard to the Agility this time around by distributors claiming to be more reputable and in it for the long haul.  Does this reflect the changing marketplace where clones are now OK and intellectual property is fairly meaningless?  Or is it an indicator that these companies are really no different than the shipping container importers/dumpers of the past?

Gas + Bikes = A Lot of Hot Air?

There is an abundance of talk about gasoline prices hitting 4.00 per gallon this summer.  Scooter businesses don’t seem to mind a bit.  The higher the price of a gallon of gas, the more people seem to walk through scooter shop doors.  The LA Times reports general motorcycle businesses are starting to catch on to that idea as well.  The article discusses how the stated fuel efficiency is not as accurate for two-wheelers as it is for automobiles.  The fact that fuel use on a scooter varies greatly due to rider weight and how aggressive they are with the throttle is widely accepted and should be made clear by retailers.  Another thought-provoking report by Business Week expresses how it seems that supply and demand may not have a whole lot to do with the rising prices at the pump.  This week congress is making an attempt to get to the bottom of it all.  Good luck with that, Mr./Mdm. Senator.  Most scooter owners don’t drive a scooter as their sole mode of transportation so gas prices going up will affect them significantly for their automobiles, not to mention higher costs for everything else that is ever shipped or involves gasoline in it’s production (read: food).  But, overall, do you readers feel immune to or insulated from the rising cost of fuel due to your scooter use or even enriched by your scooter related business during this time of three to four dollar per gallon gasoline?  Sound off!

Secret Vespa GTS Brain Box Codes Revealed

When owners of Piaggio scooters with computerized engine control systems bring their steeds in for service the attendant hooks up a ‘code reader’ to help diagnose any issues. These codes give advice on how to proceed with repairs. Now, for the first time, the secret codes are revealed. Formerly only known to those with a secret set of instructions, these codes can now be interpreted by all. Continue reading “Secret Vespa GTS Brain Box Codes Revealed”

Self Inflating Tires: Shorcut To Safety or Green Innovation?

Imagine it’s springtime and you haven’t done anything to your scooter all winter (I know, it’s a far fetched idea).  It kicks over on the first few tries.  It’s a beautiful day and you want to go for a ride and burn off some of that Stabil tainted gasoline.  It’s time for a safety check.  Brakes work, at least one mirror still attached, license tabs only a month or so expired, it’s time to hit the road.  But within one block you realize that your trusty scoot handles like you are driving through mud.  It soon becomes obvious that you skipped the tire pressure check.  The Self Inflating Tire, SIT for short, by Coda Development aims to make that last snag a thing of the past.  Their system claims to be able to keep the tire pressure up after a short drive using a peristaltic pump system integrated with the tire or wheel.  Check out their video for an explanation.  It’s worth the time if you like to see computer generated machines in action.  This seems to be in the early stages of development and will likely appear on high-end automobiles first, but I imagine it will be only a matter of time before new scooters come with this technology.  Speaking of that, it won’t work on the old split rims of your classic ride.  Besides keeping you up on two wheels rather than skidding across the road, properly inflated tires can help save the planet.  From Jalopnik, via Gizmodo.

Chilean MadAss Anatomic Advertisment Art

The Sachs MadAss has gotten a bit of a bump in interest lately with the new importer, Peirspeed, showing off the new 125cc MadAss at the Indianapolis dealers showThe New Cafe Racer Society has reported on some artwork done for the Chilean MadAss importer Apumanque.  I’m not sure if they are importing the real deal or a clone (or if it matters).  But their artwork for their advertisements is very eye catching.

German Custom Scooter Shows (March ’08)

This past weekend Scooter-Attack hosted a custom scooter show in Saarbruecken, Germany. If you missed out on seeing the show you can catch up with a few Youtube videos. Some wild stuff was shown off and even if bling isn’t your bag, you’ve got to be impressed with the level of professionalism in the event. Another custom show is in a few weeks and hosted by Scooter-Center in Cologne.

Quadricycles: Another Case Where Four Is Two Too Many?

The Geneva Motor Show has brought out a few new rides that further blur the lines between car and motorcycle. The Yamaha Tesseract made distinct impression when the concept ‘bike’ showed up in 2007. Four-wheel ATVs have been around for a while and distinguish themselves from cars by having the pilot centrally located, straddling the engine in a ‘horse-riding’ position while steering with a handlebars rather than a wheel. As on-road vehicles these have only started to catch on outside of the USA. The NHTSA would define these vehicles as automobiles and require them to pass the same safety standards as any other automobile, including requirements for restraints, airbags and collision tests. These requirements wouldn’t make any sense on something more akin to a motorcycle than an SUV, but one can appreciate where rules are rules and as defined it is an automobile with four wheels in contact with the ground at all times. Regardless of U.S. marketability, the world marches on. Enter the Lumeneo Smera and the Sbarro Pendolauto. The Smera is a proposed cabin-enclosed electric vehicle that has four wheels but tilts similar to the idea behind the Piaggio MP3 and the Sidam Xnovo. The Sbarro Pendolauto is a much more sporty quad concept with the rider in the open air in a very low position that shouts corner-speed. The saying ‘four is two too many’ regarding the four-stroke engine is often recognized by fans of two-stroke powered motorcycles and the same could be echoed in regard to these four-wheelers. So, why a pseudo-cage when a bike is so much fun? Obviously the stability of four corners would be an asset as well as the additional grip offered by two additional wheels. The drawbacks would include the increased size and weight of the extra wheels. Size is a big deal to many scooter and small displacement fans that are frequent readers of 2SB, where we typically get excited about smaller being better. But the quadricycle concept does retain several aspects of the motorcycle that many people enjoy such as nimble handling, better fuel efficiency, the open air rush, leaning into turns and a smaller footprint when it comes to traffic and parking. The quadricycle concept for personal transportation is intriguing. If the NHTSA would redefine the motorcycle as a vehicle where the rider is centrally located and any passenger would be required to sit in-line with the pilot (or if the quad was given a class unto itself) we could possibly see things like this on the road in the USA. Surely the auto industry would have something to say about it. But maybe it could be an asset to them if they were to join in by scooping up one of the several fine ATV makers in the US like Polaris or Articcat and kick start their entry into the field. BRP is already on the case and half way there.

Thanks to Jalopnik and Gizmodo for the links.

Obiboi Re-Invents The Honda EZ-Cub

Motorcycle and scooter designer Oberdan Bezzi has turned to applying the aesthetics of classic motorcycles to modern creations.  Some of his latest drawings posted on his blog, Scooter Design, include an enduro inspired series of scooters that draw from the Honda EZ-Cub in form and Honda z50 part info.  The scooters definitely have an off-road look with knobbie tires, a crash guard on the bottom and motocross style number plates.  The paint schemes are modeled after KTM and Penton dirt bikes of the 1970s.  These drawings follow on his most recent motorcycle designs transferring the look of 70s off road bikes to modern bikes.   What I like most about his designs is that he superimposes a rider on his creations.  I believe that many motorcycle and scooter designers forget to do this anytime before they hit the sales floor.

Sidam Xnovo: Another Mullet Scooter

The mullet hairstyle has been described as, ‘business in the front, party in the rear’. Similar descriptions could fit three-wheel motorcycles like the Piaggio MP3 and Can-Am Spyder. But as the hot trend seems to be two wheels in the front and one in the rear, the opposite configuration has it’s assets as well. The New Cafe Racer Society reports (linking from thebikergene.com) on the Sidam Xnovo, a three wheel scooter with two hoops in the back like the old Honda Gyro and other still made today. What sets it apart seems to be the lean capability similar to the MP3 design. Thebikergene.com has a nice gallery of naked photos showing off drawings of the mechanicals. The advantage that the rear configuration would seem to have would be additional traction. I’ve thought that the trike approach would be more useful in low grip scenarios like in snow or loose surfaces, where the MP3 style design would have no improvement in this area over a traditional scoot. Just putting an ATV style swingarm and wheels on a scooter may sound like a great idea for tearing up the snow and mud, but then one is left with a four-wheel handling feel because it can’t lean the same way a motorcycle does. This independent tilting design could increase traction, retain the power two wheeler feel and still increase stability. While I’m no big fan of the maxi scooter design, I can appreciate the technical effort a great deal. The crazy frenchman behind heavymotor.com took a couple of MBK Spirit (similar to the pre-2002 Yamaha Zuma in the USA) motors to a similar effect and it looks like a hell of a lot of fun. So you can decide for yourself which end is business and which is party when looking over the new range of mullet scooters.

New Name For TGB US Importer With New Models

The Taiwanese scooter manufacturer TGB (Taiwan Golden Bee) has had a company called Cobra Sales as their importer for the last several years.  The TGB product has been fairly good, if on the budget side of quality ROC scooters.  The company is now appearing as Peirspeed and their website shows off thier expanded powersports line.  The line-up includes uninspiring formulaic choppers as headliners but has a few new surprises.  The Sachs MadAss has gotten a long-awaited displacement upgrade to 125cc.  This change makes a lot more sense than powering the heavy and overly tall-in-the-saddle motorcycle with the anaemic 50cc 4 stroke Honda Cub clone motor.  While the poor ergonomics have remained, as well as the 50cc option, new MadAss owners will now surely have a higher level of enjoyment with the extra power at the throttle of the nicely spartan and original machine.  Another pleasant surprise from Sachs, noted on the Peirspeed website, is a trellis-framed supermoto called the X-Road.  It’s a simple but good looking small displacement option that appears very nice as-is but really will scream for engine modifications or outright motor transplants (something two-stroke I’d like the think).  Hopefully the new incarnation of Cobra Sales will be able to maintain their adequate level of dealer and parts support with their rapidly expanding line.  I can not think of many examples of success following rapid expansion of a powersports line, but maybe they can be the first.  Personally I’d like to see new importers stick to keeping it simple until they’ve established a relatively impeccable reputation.