Author: Brooke

SIP Scooter Shop Photos And Hints Of Another New Lambretta

SIP Scootershop has a great collection of photos on flickr from INTERMOT in Germany. Among the photos were several interesting snaps of new offerings. First, one that caught my eye as a novel design for an electric scooter. I’m not sure of the origin. Please, if anyone recognizes it chime in. According the the INTERMOT booth chart the company next to Hyosung-Germany is “SUZHOU HANDE ELECTRIC BICYCLE CO.”. I think it’s just a good use of long, horizontal, flat floorboards and the raised channels space as well as other ergonomically sensible configuration aspects.

But most interesting was the appearance of the Lambretta name in one of the photos. Sadly, no machine. While several entities vie for the Lambretta name and image, the teaser image on the web-site is attractive if even just the tail end. This group is apparently Irish, spreading the claim to yet another nation. Hopefully we’ll have even more to write about this and other new Lambretta efforts soon.

More Bad Luck For British Lambretta Riders

British up-and-coming 125cc Grand Prix racer Danny Kent was riding the Lambretta Reparto Corse machine to one of the team’s best results of the 2010 season when his luck ran out at the Japanese Twin-Ring Motegi Circuit. The young man from Chippenham was progressing well before having a ‘moment’ which forced him to give up a few positions before his crash, suggesting some mechanical malfunction that he tried to ride through. Dorna Sports are quite protective of their video properties but there wasn’t much caught on screen to share. Thus we are forced to substitute our best guess as to what must have happened.

Mr. Kent appeared to walk away mostly unharmed but holding his arm. Best wishes for a quick recovery.

(More to come regarding Lambretta Reparto Corse in the coming days)

It’s Time to GIVI Thanks

About a month back I received a call from Phil Waters from Pride of Cleavland Scooters. He had an offer I ultimately couldn’t refuse. GIVI USA offered an opportunity attend the Indianapolis Motorcycle Grand Prix as guest of the LCR Honda MotoGP team, run by Lucio Checchinello. Phil was generous and thoughtful enough to pass this opportunity along to an enormous fan of MotoGP. An impromptu ten hour road trip later I was rewarded with the VIP treatment in the exclusive Grand Prix paddock and the privileged of watching qualifying practice from the LCR Honda pit garage while rider Randy DePuniet put in his best efforts while recovering from a violent crash only weeks before where he broke his leg. We were hosted by team representatives Elisa Pavan and Oscar Haro who lead us out to spend time right on the pit wall during the closing minutes of qualifying when riders were putting in their last ditch efforts for pole position. Our paddock passes allowed us amazing access to spend time rubbing elbows with the greatest motorcycle racers in the world. Sunday we watched the race from the main grandstands and had a wonderful time before heading back on a non-stop drive back to Minnesota.

I just wanted to give special thanks to POC Phil, Givi USA and the LCR Honda Team (links to their Facebook pages). Without this opportunity my next post regarding the Lambretta Racing Team wouldn’t have been possible! Stay tuned.

(/shamelessplug)

1, 2, 3: Accessorize And Transform

Welcome to my stream of consciousness. First, after thinking about comments by ‘stefan’ in my last post about trends in the scooter world I thought about a blank canvas scooter that could be customized as wanted. Second, I noticed a photo to the right of the 2sb page that had a close up of some leg shield and thought it was a picture of an accessory so I thought of the currently absent from the 2sb advert rotation Gen-U-Bin. This Gen-U-Bin is pretty cool and even if it’s not your cup of tea, it should illustrate the kind of product that could be bolted on to a chassis that can change the look and character. It’s a bit different than a universal top case from the fine folks at GIVI (who I’ll get to in another post). It’s specific to a model to change function. Third, I was reminded of the stuff from SX Appeal that changes the shape and functional attributes of the scooter like the Pack Rest and saddle bags.

My question for the readers is to point to how they or others have transformed their scooter from one thing to another by adding something. Taking off bodywork was around long before the Ruckus, but how will folks add back from the blank canvas? I’m not talking about a fuzzy seat cover, a top case, chrome crash bars or other embellishment. But stuff that has taken a regular scooter and turned into the scooter that the owner really wish had been built for them. When you wanted it all and got it, where did you put it?

Posting links directly to photos of your creations will probably not show up but I’ll try to check often and approve them.

Thoughts On 2-Wheeler Trends?

As powersports industry struggles from snowmobiles to scooters, there will be changes for producers and consumers. Some folks may make less money on each sale and there may be fewer options for people looking to purchase a new ride. But transcending the current problems and powered by the fact that as long as there’s a desire to buy a product there will be someone selling, the question arises as to what the next trend in the market will be. Manufacturers and customizers want to get out in front of the trend to maximize their share of the market and claim ‘FIRST’ with a bit more authority than the rest of the herd that shifts directions and takes the landscape like locusts on a fresh field. The Kneeslider’s Paul Crowe offers some interesting thoughts on the motorcycle market in relation to ‘customs’ and what the next trend may or may not be. As for scooters there have been a few trends like ‘sport’ scooters that take after a full fairing sportbike and just cut out the tank and make room for a step-through area or ‘retro’ scooters that create few sharp edges in their plastic skin, often reminiscent of the classic Vespa. Both kinds, in my opinion, often leave out the thoughtful design but that’s a top for another day. Are there other trends to be embraced in scooters? Why do we need new ones? Wouldn’t making one right for once be a good idea?

A Vectrix Participates In Zero-Emissions Race Around The World

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme reports the launch of the United Nations Environment Programme ZERO-race. The ZERO-race pits various electric vehicles in an 80-day race across Europe, Asian and North America. Included in the four-vehicle line-up is a Vectrix scooter. While the company may struggle with glimmers of hope, a German team hopes to take one around the world to promote zero-emissions alternatives. Only one of the vehicles has four wheels so it seems that traditional cages are the odd man out in this ‘sprint’. Maybe an electric MP3 could enter next time around. Any Vectrix riders out there supplying their steed with solar go juice?

Pinasco Gears Up For New Stella

Pinasco sent out an email announcement last week describing their new exhaust for the 4-stroke LML Star (AKA, the Genuine Stella 4-stroke. It is described as made from special INOX steel. That must make it fast. The dyno charts included in the email showed an increase in power from about 7.5 to 8 HP, but increasing the RPM range by about 1000 RPM or more. The best part is that it looks pretty cool. I think that’s what’s most important. So when the Stella breaks through the red tape to put smiles on the faces of Californians and other fans of two superfluous strokes, Pinasco should have something with which to void your warranty.

Happy Days Are Here Again?

The Euro has now dropped to it”s lowest point in trade to the USD in over four years. French Prime Minister Francois Fillon calls it, “good news”. Besides currency parity being a stabilizing factor for either currency, it means ordering scooter parts from outside the US is now as affordable as it was in 2006 (though not quite the bargain it was back when the Euro first launched). Steve from The Scooter Scoop is asking for input on North American made scooter items. But if you were waiting to order those trick bits from SIP, Scooter-Center or Scooter-Attack, now may be as good of a time as any. Sure, your local shop and domestic mail order places like Motorsport, Scooters Originali, Jet200 or Scooterworks will offer you the best support for your purchase. But there’s just some stuff they don’t stock. It’s probably good news for them as well. Ordering parts from the Euro zone for less should improve their bottom lines. So, is anyone planning a big order to stock up on the newest Doppler internal rotor ignitions for Piaggio 50cc two stroke motors? Any shops now digging deep in the reserve accounts to stock up on items from European suppliers? Shops and private individuals, tell us how world economic flux affects your scooter part buying plans. Or do you think the Euro will plateau at real 1:1 parity in the near future?

Eat Your Heart Out Motocompo

Volkswagen has trotted out a new electric bike to compliment one’s sense of how far one can drive past the “Empty” marking on the gas gauge. Honda had a similar concept back in the 1980s, to go along with their compact cars, called the Motocompo. The VW options seems like a nice design with single sided front suspension, as airplane designers intended. (Someone, please, tell me his wikipedia entry has some errors.)

Soundspeed Scooters Outfits Electric Lambretta For Upcoming Tom Hanks Film

I was recently made aware of the handiwork of Jeb from Soundspeed Scooters that will be featured in an upcoming Hollywood film. April from Scoot! Magazine posted a story about a new film starring Hanks and Julia Roberts that features Hanks riding scooters during a midlife crisis. Further intelligence from the horses mouth revealed the handy electric conversion kit to change a classic Lambretta to a zero-emissions-near-you vehicle that will be used in the movie. The Lambretta in the photo was used as a template and the kit was shipped off to the local shop that outfitted a different Lambretta. Maybe you could talk Jeb into making another kit for your Innocenti that hasn’t seen the road in a while or to use while you build up that MB Race-Tour 200 engine.

You can read more about the film in April’s post and links in the comment section of their blog. It sounds like a familiar tale. I’m fairly certain scooter fans will discuss the film on several levels from now until well after release. The question I’m most interested in is what 4-stroke engine recording will they use in the film to represent the running Lambretta?

New Lambretta Oddly Like Old Lambretta

The 2010 Motorcycle Grand Prix season kicked off this afternoon at high noon CST (20:00 local time in Qatar). In Grand Prix racing the competition begins with the lights in front of the riders going from red to off. There were 25 riders lined up for the start of the race. When the lights flicked off, 24 125cc motorcycles pushed off from their starting position to begin the race. Toward the back of the field, history repeats itself. As the case with many scooter rides with your pals, there was a Lambretta that couldn’t quite get started and was being frantically pushed to one side pleading for assistance. Just like any large group ride where the front can’t see the back, the rest moved on and the lonely rider was left behind. All the hard work of the team and rider had gone for not. Poor Louis Salom, a former Red Bull Rookie league front runner, had been left in the lurch by a mechanical problem. Lets just hope that by the next round in Japan they sort out their mechanical gremlins and are rewarded with better luck for their efforts.

(Note: A Piaggio product won the race)

Sweet SS50 Firefox Theme Available

The other day when my Firefox browser automatically updated I was given the option to select a ‘persona‘ for the browser. I did some searching using terms of my areas of interest and found this neat Super Sport 50 theme by someone going by the name 214_PC. It’s pretty much just a nice clean white background with the SS50 logo. Searching for ‘vespa’ comes up with a few other hits, but I thought this was the coolest.

Southern Redemption

Late last summer I attended the Los Vesparados art show in Minneapolis. I took some pictures and made some notes of my favorite works. I never posted about it on 2SB. This is a recurring theme in my service as a Bedell Media International correspondent.

I was walking through a local Barnes and Noble the other day, searching for what I came to learn was last weeks issue of The Economist, when I spied what looked to be a papercraft Vespa set upon an upturned polka dot Chinese takeout box on the cover of periodical. The cover art turned out to be a painting by artist Nate Ronniger. Mr. Ronniger’s work had been listed as shown at the aforementioned art show. So The Southern Review, a literary journal published out of LSU, helped my scooter art odyssey come full circle to remind me that I should finish writing a few posts that I’ve had in the works for months.

Check out Mr. Ronniger’s artwork. I can’t quite believe they are not photos. Also, if anyone knows about The Southern Review, feel free to chime in.

The Pacific Gears Up For 2010 Scooter Racing

Scooter racing efforts begin to churn for a second successive season in the land of Sasquatch, kind bud and perpetual rain. The organization formerly known as the Pacific North West Scooter Racing Association has begun anew as the Pacific Scooter Racing Association. The name change must be in deference to our Canadian brothers and sisters that are rightfully proud southerners. As a reminder to get going on preparing for post winter scootering, the PSRA has launched a new website to let the world know about their endeavors. So get that race bike prepped and find an old set of leathers. Visit the site and click on the photo in the ‘Forum’ tab (it may not be obvious) to get in touch with other racers in the area.

Shocking Stuff For Vintage Vespa Pothole Pilots

Sent in from former CWC Champion Matt DeVries is news about a possible great improvement in holding up the front end of your classic Vespa. Anyone who has stopped suddenly on a Sprint or steered a 150 Super over a curb, through a pot hole or any other abrupt change in road structure knows how really, really bad the front suspension is on an old Vespa. Solutions of stiffer spring and just new dampeners can help. But it seems as though aftermarket part manufacturer, BGM has come up with a nice solution for stompers of the single sided swingarm. Jet200.com has them at prices that make ordering in the USA much more sensible. Jet200 states that these new dampeners will fit “…Rally, Sprint, GT, GTR, TS, GS 150, Super, GL and so on.”. Lets hope they live up to the looks. Any testimonials please post below. (Note: hopefully I’ll get some more posts up here soon regarding the old Vespa parts available. This could be a long winter and folks should get their wrenches in gear for being ready to roll in the Spring rather than just dusting off the numbers to your favorite scooter parts vendor sometime in mid-May.)

UPDATE: Mark from Jet200.com mentioned on the ISBBS that these will not work with 8″ wheels.