Last Saturday, 2 Stroke Buzz racing team stalwart Matt DeVries took to the track for the final track day of the season at Iowa International Raceway in Marshalltown Iowa. The Squadra Corse/Crafty Planet/Brookspeed pilot enjoyed the first outing using modern slick tire technology The experienced scooter racer also took the opportunity to try out the Genuine Scooter Company Buddy 125 provided by Bob at Scooterville Minnesota. Even in standard off the showroom floor form, the Buddy performed admirably after some acclimation to some reduced transmission side clearance.Â
Category: 2sb Archives
Stuff from the old site
Happy Halloween
We haven’t dragged out Sean Stevens’ scooter pumpkin for a few years, so here it is. Sean carved this baby in 2000, back when 2sb was new to the web.
Yamaha R1 v Porsche v Jet
Ok, so it’s Russian and the parameters are sketchy, but it is kind of cool to see which is fastest: a Yamaha R1, a Porsche, or what is purported to be an F-16.
“Wheely-Man”
Bad techno music, shirtless rider, shaky camera work… all the hallmarks of the Gilera Runner wheelie video genre. It’s sort of like porn: no plot, but plenty of hot wheelie action. (Via Moto-Blog.)
News briefs
- Yamaha will present the FC-Aqel hydrogen fuel-cell scooter at the International Electric Automobile show in Yokohama.
- The 22-year old daughter of the Coldstone Creamery founders has been indicted for manslaughter after killing a scooterist in a Mesa, AZ drunk-driving accident this spring. Savannah Sutherland’s blood-alcohol content was .19% when tested by police. She faces up to 21 years in prison.
- This editorial from the Lawrence (KS) Journal-World just might be the most pointless and unresearched scooter story ever. The headline (“Born to be Mild,” yet again!) is just the tip of the iceberg.
- PiaggioUSA has landed the same rehashed press release in at least six newspapers this week, hitting all the “Vespanomics” talking points. Funny that the story was originally appeared in Philadelphia, where the Vespa dealer is closed and allegedly under investigation for fraud. If only the rest of PiaggioUSA was as efficient as their PR team.
- An Australian industry group reports Australian scooter sales are up 54.3% in the first 9 months of 2006 (vs. 2005).
- The University of Iowa joined the list of schools where a “park a scooter anywhere” mentality has become a problem. The Iowa City Council is considering adding more spaces for scooters and mopeds with designated parking permits, which cost $46 for nine months.
Piaggio first half 2006: €64.4 million
Piaggio reported higher sales in the first half of 2006 (over the first half of 2005), and once again named North America as an important growth market for the future.
živeli!
How many things are wrong (read: freaking sweet) in this picture? It’s from the Oldtimer-Grand Prix, held at the Vrsac airport in Serbia.
Na na na na, hey hey hey…
Looks like Becks’ 15 minutes of fame are up. Fortunately, there’s always the Chicago Storm! Note: they’re also holding Dance Team tryouts soon!
Ride to Work Day: July 19th
Wednesday, July 19th is the annual Ride to Work Day. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the event. It’s a nice way to get out and ride while proving that bikers (and their bikes) come in all shapes and sizes.
Tant pis, Zizou
Perhaps Zizou could do with a Jacques Brel CD of his own. In response to his fab display of sportsmanship, it’s reported that FIFA may strip him of the Golden Ball Award. Everyone knows a crotch stomp would have been more acceptable behavior.
Get it before it’s gone
One of my favorite web stores has a nice selection of nifty Ben Sherman merch that’s priced to sell. I had to wait until after Beeb’s birthday because I didn’t want something like the tire snafu to ruin the acquisition of his birthday presents. I got him 4 jumbo treat shirts for just over $100 (shipping included).
Malaguti gets their own MP3
But will it be as user friendly to those with disabilities?
MotoGP.com reports that the racing division of Italian scooter and motorcycle manufacturer Malaguti, Malaguti Corse (they haven’t updated the racing website but they field a 125cc team with Japanse rider Tomoyoshi Koyama who last year had two podiums on a Honda), have developed a sponsorship arrangement with MP3 maker Nortek. I just hope that Malguti won’t go the way of the mainland Chinese scooter mills that have put battery draining alarms and MP3 players in their 2-wheelers. I do hope that some more sponsors of any kind get out and put their euros, pounds sterling or dollars behind a few more current and former 2-stroke riders like Ant West, Chaz Davies and Casey Stoner.
Masterfile giving away scooters
Masterfile, the stock photo warehouse, is giving away six Vinos. All you have to do is register and add some of your favorite photos to a lightbox. It’s still a free scooter, even if it is a Vino.
Air-Powered Scooter?
Keeping the India theme going, the super-reliable-and-in-depth Indian press is reporting on a dude that has wowed his rural neighbors with an air-powered scooter. If the international media doesn’t jump on this story in the next couple days, we can surely blame the oil cartel.
Pardon the nostalgia
The first issue of 2strokebuzz came out just about 11 years ago, and we’ve been online for almost six years. The first year or so of 2strokebuzz.com wasn’t technically a blog, but we started blogging in October, 2001, and most of those posts are still in our archive (though we lost a few in various server crashes, and some dates were lost). So if you’re feeling nostalgic, or you’re just jonesing for more 2sb (it happens!) check the bottom of the sidebar to see what was happening in 2strokebuzz’s past.