The critical words used when Italjet products are discussed have their origin in the frustration felt when their excellent concepts often fail in the execution of delivering the legendary products we hope for. The Velocifero, Dragster and Formula models made it far when reaching for iconic status but fell short in the end due to poor product support and the ultimate demise of the company’s incarnation at the time. Some exciting designs have yet to make it from prototype to production. Examples include the Scooop, Rollercraft and Amarcord. While the Scooop may have been outdone by the Piaggio MP3 in arriving first and the Rollercraft may yet arrive, the motorcycle-with-a-scooter-engine work of art known as the Amarcord seems to have died and it’s name lifted onto a Chinese scooter. Reported by Cyberscooter.it from the EICMA in 2007, the scooter with the Amarcord name appeared as one of Italjet’s new offerings. The scooter doesn’t look all that horrible it is slightly reminiscent of the Velocifero’s retro design with some tell-tale accents of mainland-China construction. Also note the yellow Rollercraft model in the background. What moves me to feel sad and mourn the loss of the of a great design is that the name transfer of the Amarcord label from an incredibly eye-catching and novel design to an homogenized standard scooter signals the death of an idea that’s time is ripe and appears to be lost on most (but not all) manufacturers. R.I.P. Amarcord concept.
Category: 2sb News
Archive: Amy Hong, 1996
Amy Hong, Niagara Rally, 1996
Another Niagara ’96 photo, this is Amy Hong, another scooter friend from the old days who’s fallen off the face of the earth. At the time, she was a student at Loyola and owned a beautiful metallic-green Vespa Rally 180, which we picked up from the painters (after a three-hour wait) on our way to our first out-of-town rally. After that episode, trailer rental problems, a flat tire, car trouble, getting lost, etc., it only took us about 22 hours each way. It was worth it.
Blog Review: The New Cafe Racer Society
Back when people rode new bikes that looked like what people today call a cafe-racer, did they refer to themselves as cafe-racers with pride and machismo? Or was that a jibe that would come from others poking fun at groups of wannabe Grand Prix heroes? I don’t know. But I came across a blog called The New Cafe Racer Society that has some great material. It has many stories about vintage and modern motorcycles and culture as well as an ample amount of digital ink devoted to scooters. It’s good to be reminded that there are people out there with great passion for motorbikes for the sake of art, technology, performance, style and down right sensibility. I have yet to see a comment listed in the posts so I fear it may not be getting the exposure it deserves. Take a spin on over and check it out. It’s now on my daily list of sites to check with new content nearly every day. Alternatively, you could just keep tabs on it over here at 2SB for when I re-post some of the more sweet morsels I find there.
Surprise!
Welcome to the new 2strokebuzz! There are still a couple quirks we need to work out, but for the most part, things are up and running and looking more or less like we’d hoped. Enjoy the changes and drop us a comment if you see anything goofy or have any suggestions! Thanks for reading 2sb for 12 years, here’s to 12 more!
Archive: Ian and Rob, 1996
Ian Whalley and Rob Stuhr, Niagara Rally, 1996
Ian and Rob, the Tundra Schmucks, had already been running the Niagara Rally for a few years when I met them in 1996. Niagara is one of the longest-running rallies in North America, and this year will be the last one Ian will be handling. Sure, it’s the same every year, muddy, cold, and predictable, with a side trip to hand out loonies to Polish strippers at Mints, but that’s the way we like to kick off the North American Rally Season. (Nevermind that every year a few more rallies pop up before Victoria Day Weekend.)
Pardon our mess
We just upgraded our WordPress (from 2.0.3 to 2.3.2, it’d been a while!) and had a little panic attack when the site went blank, luckily it was just a couple out-of-date plug-ins, and it appears everything’s working fine now. If you notice anything strange or out-of-place, please let us know (comment here or email us) so we can fix it. Archive categories are also being rearranged, which is leading up to a few bigger, more noticeable changes coming soon. We might have a few short outages late at night over the next few weeks, if it’s a planned outage, you’ll see a “check back soon” message. Thanks for your patience.
Archive: Alfredo, 1996
Alfredo Mar, Niagara Rally, 1996
I did an interview the other day with Karen for the awesome Kickstart magazine, and it got me thinking about how long i’ve been doing this (12+ years!), and all the great people I’ve met through 2strokebuzz and scootering. I started digging through some old shoeboxes tonight and thought it might be fun to start posting some photos and stories from the old days.
There’s no better person to start with than Alfredo Mar. When I bought my first scooter in 1995, Alf was the first person I met on Usenet, and a few days later, the first scooterist I met in person. I remember seeing him in front of Arturo’s Tacos on his mirrored-out P200 in pressed slacks and a tennis sweater with a weird laurel where the alligator should be, and feeling entirely inadequate with my rusty Primavera, dirty jeans and biker jacket, but within seconds of talking to him, I knew we’d be friends. We’re still best friends, and our daughters are, too. This photo is from Niagara 1996, our first major road trip. (Check out Rich Easton lying down in the background.) Alf bought that burgundy P200 from Vespa of Chicago when he went away to college, but it’s been in my garage so long (I’ve moved with it twice!) I think I might have common-law ownership.
Jet200.com, Lambretta Spares From A Lambretta Enthusiast
Mark Houghton has opened a new online outlet for Lambretta parts called Jet200 Performance. A quick scan of his online catalog shows he’s selling some tasty-looking bits for improving on the Lambretta experience as well as some work-a-day spares. Lambretta Club USA members qualify for monthly specials. Mark is a nice guy from the Seattle area and has long had a passion for the scooter from Milan. He’s the kind of guy that spares no expense on doing things right so hopefully his customers will be as happy as I’m sure he is with his new venture.
Agility Is The New Black (or Cobra)
The Kymco Cobra was once the favored clone style second only to the Yamaha Vino. While doing some ‘research’ on what the new offering from Italjet America (a.k.a. LS Motorsports) will look like and I found an Italian site, Motorino.it, showing some photos of the ‘new’ it.50 scooter.
It looks sharp in yellow but it struck a chord of familiarity when I looked at the photos for a few seconds. I compared it to the Kymco Agility and it appears to be nearly identical. Differences appear to include the fender and headlight, but are minor compared to the similarities. The it.50 seat is like the Agility 125 rather than the jump-seat style on the 50cc of the Kymco model. The it.50 does not appear on the Italjet site but has been tipped to be a possible new model shown at the dealer show in Indianapolis in a few weeks.
The Agility is made in mainland China and the price is reflective of that. I wonder how many new Agility clones we’ll see in the coming few years. It’s not a bad choice for something to clone, regardless of what one feels about the state of intellectual property in developing economies.
Lil 32!
Big congrats to Chris “32” Davis and Sara Lachenman, Sullivan James Davis was born at 7:30am Friday, January 18, just in time for Raleigh/Durham’s FYBO rally. Good timing. “No number yet,” says 32, “We figure Curley can can give him a number later on.”
Vespa Attack 3
Speaking of the PI, our friend Jordan Cinco has just returned from the Philippines where he helped organize the third annual Vespa Attack rally. Congratulations to 2sb jersey winner Clifford Certeza (above), president of the Euroscoot SC, who is now also the president and sole member of the the Merciless Tigers’ Pacific Rim supporters club. As always, the stories and rally photos are incredible, and 2sb was proud to be a sponsor, but we would have much rather been a participant. Maybe next year.
Check out photos from the 2sb Gallery, Who Rides a Vespa, Jordan’s Flickr, Vexel9’s flickr, kap42no’s flickr, Vespinoy, and the Sexy Times Crew.
Motogiro d’California
Motogiro d’Italia is a motorcycle touring rally made famous in the 1950s and revived in 2001. The event, showcasing classic Italian machines, is venturing outside Italy for the first, of what I would imagine will be annual, Motogiro America. The oil leaking event will be held in and around Monterey, CA preceding the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix in July 2008. Webbikeworld.com reports that the routes will include a lap around the racetrack at Laguna Seca as well as scenic rides around the picturesque Monterey Bay area. There is a range of entry classes including a “Vespa Class.” Hopefully other vintage Italian scooters will be allowed as it would seem very fitting to have some of the beautiful Lambretta D race machines participating (I’m talking to you, Alex). It sounds like a dream week for any Italian Iron enthusiast.
Is It Time For An American Scooter Confederation?
The Australian website, mcnews.com.au, reports on an association of scooter importers that will represent manufacturers and dealers in an effort to “assist riders to avoid potential pitfalls”. This seems aimed directly at upstart importers of lower quality scooters brought in by the container load for fly-by-night organizations. The Australian Scooter Federation boasts membership from many top flight manufacturers including the marques of the Piaggio group, Honda, Yamaha and Kymco. The article states that the ASF members will conform to a ‘code of conduct’ to ensure high quality and dealer support. Is it time for such an organization in the U.S.A? I think so. I recall a little sticker on the gas tank of many an Allstate scooter that suggested there once was. Discuss.
2SB/MT jerseys: free shipping for Christmas
JERSEYS ARE NOW SOLD OUT, thanks for your support!
Haven’t heard much from the team lately, though Scooter Dave caught Jim M. wearing his out on the town one night. Last I heard, they’d finished 4th in their indoor league and started a new season, in the spring they plan to hook up with an outdoor league (and hopefully I can catch a match during the WKRP rally.)
Shoulda used a ssssaddlebag
Note to self: When taking a rattlesnake for a ride down the highway, refrain from attaching it to the bike with twine. Bungees or ssssaddlebag preferred.