On The Web – Page 3 – 2strokebuzz

Powersports Mail-Order Mega-Warehouse Condescends To Scooterists UPDATED

While perusing the local craigslist today I came across a post (which I dutifully tagged as spam) announcing the new scooter oriented online shop by traditional powersports mail-order powerhouse Dennis Kirk. Their new site is called dkscooters.com and offers accessories and gear for the scooter owner. For many years the Rush City, MN based retailer has had excellent catalogs aimed at several powersports divisions from off-road to metric cruisers. Now in the digital age they’ve made a separate website to group the items that would be more likely purchased by scooterists. They have covers, locks, jackets and even one token brand of 2 stroke oil. But when looking in the top category on their left-hand menu, helmets, I found it lacking. Not that they didn’t have my preferred brand or that they didn’t have a Valentino Rossi replica lid, but that of the 163 options there wasn’t a full-face helmet to be found. Do scooterists not deserve the same protection offered to other power-two-wheel enthusiasts? Do they really think that scooters are so harmless that no one needs the protection available to a cruiser pilot? Or is this completely sensible and the only question is why the website isn’t entirely pink with bunnies around the border?

Write this post off as a narrow minded rant if you’d like. Dennis Kirk will probably have no problem with the free advertisement (normally I’m a big fan and until now shopped their at least once a year). And it could be said that you shouldn’t even buy a helmet online without trying it on first, and you should buy it from the local shop where you tried it on. The behavior of embracing and marginalizing scooters at the same time just seems a bit insulting.

UPDATE: Dealer News reports on the news of the DK online store for scooters. The article gets some interesting comments from a few of the prime movers in the scooter commerce arena. LINK

Worldwide Super Cub Special Site

Honda’s Worldwide Super Cub Special Site. (I think that’s Renae’s foot at the beginning.) Slow and clunky, just like the Cub itself, but also amazingly cute and useful. And in English! As excited as everyone is about the Symba and the Flyscooters Scout, It sure would be nice to see the real thing back in America. (Thanks, Rye!)

Scootcrash.com

Brad (aka “Orangeguy”) from the Quad Cities started a new grim but useful website a few weeks ago to catalog scooter injuries and fatalities found via Google News. I see these stories every day while I’m scouring for scooter news, and it’s disturbing how many you come across even after you filter out (as Brad does) duplicate reports and pushscooter/senior mobility scooter stories. It’s sad that many of the fatalities and critical injuries are suffered by unlicensed and untrained riders (often preteen children) and/or people riding on public roads on non DOT-EPA-appoved scooters, often with no helmet.

Depending on where you live, you are expected to comply with laws when you ride, and you’re also given choices about safety precautions beyond mere compliance with the law. How you decide to ride is up to you, and there are certainly enough stories on Scootcrash.com involving well-protected and experienced rider. But experience and education always lead to better decisions and reactions. There are a lot of more positive and proactive ways to collect experience and education, but anytime you’re feeling like you have all the experience and education you need, Scootcrash.com is a good place to prove that you’re wrong.

I can’t imagine Brad will continue to do this site for long, it’s a time-consuming and depressing (but worthwhile) task.

Scooter (back in) the Sticks

Last spring I posted that Steve Williams of Scooter in the Sticks had decided to stop publishing his blog. Back then I pulled the site from my RSS feed and hadn’t checked it for months. Today I was surprised to find Steve’s retirement was apparently short-lived, and he’s been posting regularly to the site for months. It’s embarassing how long it took me to notice, but I’m happy to see him back, and happy we have lots of his new posts to read through.

Magnet-Adorned LED Caltrop May Come In Handy

light Tell me this baby wouldn’t come in handy when trying to work on a Vespa smallframe carburetor. You could be right. But I’m imagining being caught on the side of the road in the rain and tossing this little bugger down the hole and heading in after it. A must for the metal-bodied aficionado? Or is holding a mini-maglite between your teeth more comfortable for you? Note to Striker: Send me one and I’ll write another post reviewing it.

“Vespa Girl” from Paper Replika

If you liked our 2SB Articulated Toy and/or the postcard Vespa model that Scooterworks sells, this paper model of a a Vespa 150 and a girl to ride it will blow your mind. And the best part is that they’re free downloads. Truly, truly awesome.

Become A Fan of 2SB, If You’re In To That Kind of Thing.

This 2strokebuzz.com contributing author was highly resistant to social networking sites. It wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine how Facebook could degenerate into the next myspace with horrible backgrounds and unavoidable embedded music. But a networking site that allowed 2SB to have it’s own fan site can’t be all that bad. If you are a fan of the ‘blog’ and are on Facebook, show your affection and Bryan will probably be touched, or possibly disgusted (Your guess is as good as mine.). If you’re not ‘on Facebook’, you’re not missing all that much except the possibility of finding that one girl from high school that you always wished you had asked out on a date.