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.
Author: Brooke
UW Engineers Get It Wrong
University of Wisconsin engineering students tackled the problem of why 50cc 4 stroke Vespas are so slow and no fun to ride. Correction, they went after trying to improve the gas mileage by designing some sort of fuel cell system to aid normal gasoline combustion. They claim a ten percent reduction of fuel used. Let me list their mistakes in no particular order of significance.
1) They are trying to improve the fuel efficiency of a 4 stroke 50cc Vespa
2) They aren’t abandoning gasoline all together to go 100% Hindenberg
3) All the dorks pictured are paying no attention to the girl on the scooter. WTF boys?!
All this points to a need to request the University of Wisconsin to stick to stem cells and shortening the lines for beer at hockey games. (I haven’t been in a decade or more, so they may have banned beer sales all together).
Lambretta Maxi-Scooter: The L-Ong 150
The New Cafe Racer Society brings us another gem from the past. The re-revelation is this long and low, two-seat, feet-forward steed that looks far ahead of it’s time. The “Centauro” is stated to be Spanish built and appears to be a nice cruising machine with handlebars not unlike a Lambretta Vega. For me, finding evidence of a proto-maxi-scooter dating back so far is like the first time I realized poor, misguided Apple Computer enthusiasts don’t have any ground on which to stand to shout “first!” after I learned about Xerox PARC inventing the GUI as we know it. Take that Lambrettista! Your brethren invented the Helix
Small Displacement Hybrid Racing Revealed
MotoGPmatters.com (aka KropotinThinks) reported on the efforts of KTM (warning: poor, resource-burdening flash site) to implement a Kinetic Energy Recovery System on their 125 cc Grand Prix machines. Kropotkin cites a report by the Spanish motorcycle website Motosolo describing a system used last fall in the race at Valencia and again during testing this winter at the same circuit. The system uses a capacitor rather than a battery to store energy during braking and can reintroduce approximately 2.5 HP for use when needed. It may be surprising to find efficiency enhancing technology applied to a class of machines that is already known for being relatively more fuel efficient efficient than other forms of transport but that 2.5 HP could really come in handy when tenths of seconds count.
While exciting new hybrid and electric scooters and concept vehicles have been reported here in the past, they have their challenges and barriers to widespread implementation. One of the biggest problems for both all electric plug-ins and hybrids like the Toyota Prius is the cost, weight and disposal of large toxic chemical-laden batteries. The use of a smaller energy storage unit like a capacitor could be a strategy to not store so much energy where one could drive for extended periods of time without combustion, but to assist a motor at specific points in vehicle use. The energy that normally would be wasted as heat during braking could be harnessed to turn near useless engine applications such as a small four-stroke engine that can’t get out of it’s own way in traffic into a useful machine. Where tenths of seconds count in racing, they may be even more important when that cab driver decides his lane position is more important than your life. The increase in efficiency may allow internal combustion engines to be designed smaller and less powerful knowing that some other stored energy could be used on-demand. One could even envision a 25cc four stroke with a capacitive KERS system that could navigate urban traffic and get 150 mpg!
Racer Redding Road Legal On A Piaggio Zip 50
One of the most dramatic events of 2008 British motorsport was the victory by Scott Redding in the 125cc Grand Prix race at Donnington Park. Redding’s win ended an over thirty year drought for Brits in the One-Two-Five class as he set the record for being the youngest Grand Prix winner at about fifteen and a half years of age. MotoGP.com posted a nice report on the Gloucester lad passing his Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) test. Scott can now drive himself around on a scooter. I am fairly sure 50ccs of unbridled 2-stroke fury will make him feel a bit like he’s moving in slow motion compared to his Aprilia RSW125. But maybe he can get some help tuning the bike from his Team BQR mechanics. Mr. Redding is pictured on MotoGP.com while astride a Piaggio Zip 50 scooter. Scott races for Blusens Aprilia. As Aprilia is under the Piaggio umbrella of companies, I hope they set him up nicely with the ‘ped for free.
Vectrix And Soundspeed Scooters Point Shrink Rays At Electric Scooters
This week the Vectrix electric maxi-scooter has proven itself in the CWC and the company has announced a smaller version of the ‘zero-emissions’ (near you) scooter. Autobloggreen says the VX-2 is slightly smaller and likened performance to a 50cc scooter. Top speed is claimed at 30 mph with a range of 45-50 miles. The numbers don’t seem like anything new in the electric scooter world. Old EVT Yamaha Vino clone scooters (warning: sound on page) had similar specifications. The literal lingua franca scooter website, Scooter-Station.com, has a photo posted and reports that the scooter will weigh in at over 400 lbs. Again nothing new in the weighty world of electric scooters.
In more inspiring news, Soundspeed Scooters in Seattle is offering a Lithium polymer battery pack for the EVT 168 (linked above) and 4000e scooters. The Li polymer power plant is supposed to reduce the weight of the scooter by 100 lbs. I’d imagine the battery could also make the proposition of their Electric Vespa conversion system a bit more attractive as well.
The two developments leave a shopper for a small electric scooter with two general choices. Neither choice is an inexpensive option with the Lithium version of the EVT 168 coming in at around 4200.00 and the Vectrix VX-2 at around 5200.00. But it will come down to choosing a novel chassis design with a heavy curb weight or a slightly more svelte scooter with dated, less inspiring design approach.
S-No Excuses For Winter Scooter Retirement
Motoblog.it reports on the work at Riminimoto aimed at extending the use of scooters into the winter months. I’m not referring to Seattle San Diego winter. I mean the kind with snow. Riminimoto takes the simple if not original approach by replacing the front wheel with a ski and studs on the rear tire. The example scooter is the MBK Booster (aka Yamaha Zuma). Other examples show the use of the Honda Ruckus and the Honda EZ-Cub. All are likely candidates due to their faux-off road image that has endowed them with the engine configuration or tire profile that is amenable to the use of knobbie tires to accept ice screws. It doesn’t hurt that they are sufficiently masculine in appearance for hardy outdoor types to use.
Continue reading “S-No Excuses For Winter Scooter Retirement”
Man’s Labyrinth: Who Needs It?
Have no fear those sans inner ear! High and low tech solutions are here to save the day. The New Cafe Racer Society shares a self balancing scooter and Tokyo Times (via Gizmodo) brings us a way to not spill one’s noodles. I assume that the former will soon make it’s way into a BMW production model motorcycle and the later will work just as well when trying to carry a pint of beer.
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.
Good Ol’ Norwegian Hosts
From Deadlicious via The New Cafe Racer Society, we are reminded of the good manners possessed by our Scandihoovian brethren. I wonder if some tourism savvy municipality could resurrect such a program in the USA. It would create much needed jobs for out of work scooterists. In these hard times, there may not be enough graphic design jobs to go around.
Continental Avoids Complete Take-Over
Continental, the company that makes some of the better scooter tires available has been the target of a take-over by another German automotive component giant, the Schaeffler Group. The BBC reports that Conti had resisted the move but has now agreed to allow Schaeffler, also the makers of FAG bearings, to take an all but majority stake in the company. The question remains whether the new structure will continue to keep scooters rolling smoothly in the future. Signs suggest the relationship will not call for Continental to be parted out like a GS with a rusted frame and no air box, so lets hope that we’ll still be able to get good Continental Zippy 1s, 3s and Twists (not to be confused with the film) for years to come. (Maybe I could send a letter to Schaffler suggesting they stop the white wall nonsense.)
Indian Scooter Maker Bought By Indian Tractor Maker
The Central Chronical reports that Kinetic Motors has been purchased by automotive giant, Mahindra & Mahindra. More commonly known for their utility vehicles, M & M thinks that scooters and small displacement motorcycles are the way to go and there’s a still plenty of untapped market in India. In the last few years, Kinetic has been linked with a possible new entry into the U.S. market under yet another incarnation of the Italjet marque. The new company will be name Mahindra Kinetic Scooters & Motorcycles Limitied. Following the 2strokebuzz lead, M & M have their own football club. Will we see even more rugged, tractor-like, scooters on the market? Or just an Indian premier football league team moped?
Former scooter racer Scott Smallwood still riding 2-strokes at breakneck speed
Roadracingworld.com reports that former scooter racing ace Scott Smallwood crashed at Virginia International Raceway and fractured several vertebrae. Apparently he’s doing ok (as he was healthy enough to write to RRW) and wrote that he was, “quite lucky to be alive and not paralyzed”. Smallwood was racing his 125 machine in a U.S. Grand Prix Racers Union event on June 22nd when he was apparently on a hot lap before crashing and ending up into a tire wall. Get well soon, Scott.
Ripped from yesteryears’ headlines…
Modernmechanix has a nice set of photos from a 1939 Popular Mechanics piece on scooters. It mentions a scooter company in Chicago, parking on sidewalks, over 100 mpg and scooters surviving a fad stage. Some think the ‘scooter boom’ is coming to a close. But I’d suggest just widening ones view. Was there a boom? Is the current buying frenzy just a crest in the sine wave that would look like a steady line from the right perspective? Thanks to The New Cafe Racer Society for the link.
New Yamaha Zuma 125 for 2009
There has been some speculation about a new 125 Zuma model from Yamaha. But now it’s official as a Yamaha shows the impressive offering in place in it’s 2009 scooter line up along with the T-Max. The specs/features list a 4 valve, fuel injected 125 four stroke and the photos reveal a very impressive look. It’s priced at 2999.00 and should give the Genuine Buddy 125 a run for it’s money. My only problem with the new offering is what appears to be a lack of a kick-start. Don’t fret 50cc 2 stroke scooter lovers, the 50cc Zuma will still be available for all your Ipone and Motul burning needs. The scooter that started off known as the BW back in 1990 has come a long way.