Genuine’s new “cruiser” due in 2010

Everyone’s been talking about Genuine’s retro-styled touring scooter for months, but Genuine (amazingly) has kept images and details under wraps. So I was surprised as hell when, after an already-surprising Blur 220 ride, Genuine president Philip McCaleb and designer Eric Carl offered me a peek at a series of computer renderings last Monday.

Of course, I’m sworn to secrecy about the details, but I can reveal a few things:

-It is retro-styled, and pretty great-looking. I’d heard it described as a modernized Fuji Rabbit, and there’s some truth to that description, but it’s much more than that. I noticed styling cues from vintage Vespas, Lambrettas, Fujis, Zündapps, Heinkels, and even a little bit of Genuine Buddy and modern Vespa. I’m not a fan of compromise between old and new, but this bike pulls it off subtly, without the superficial retro plastic-chrome clutter of most “retro” scooters.

-It will feature a PGO-made modern automatic engine in a modern steel tube frame with plastic bodywork. Genuine’s still not sure whether it’ll be a 270 or 300cc engine.

-The rendering I saw was two-tone blue, similar to (but not exactly) the colors of the Buddy St. Tropez.

-It’s just now being prototyped in Taiwan, so it’s still a long road to dealer showrooms, but it’s clearly a priority for Genuine, who hope to make it available for 2010.

So there’s more meat to chew on. If the engine and frame engineering is as solid as the body, it’s a sure winner.

2 thoughts on “Genuine’s new “cruiser” due in 2010”

  1. If they threw in a heavy dash of Suzuki Gemma I could see it being great!

  2. Stuff White People Like Dot Com. Yes, this thing will sell well, and will sell like crazy if the price of gas spikes again…

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