Category: Legal & Safe

Vespa exhaust gasket update

Two new developments in the Vespa GT/GTS exhaust gasket recall story:

  • VespaUSA CEO Paolo Timoni vaguely addressed the exhaust problem in a story naming him “Powersports Business’ 2007 Executive of the Year”: “‘We have made some really good improvements in parts availability and our capability to serve dealers,’ he said, ‘although we cannot claim the job has been completed. We’re still working on, for example, the manifold casting.'” While not quite public, (the magazine is targeted at dealers), and not very specific, this was the closest we’ve seen PiaggioUSA come to addressing the problem publicly. (The rest of the story is enlightening, too.)
  • An Australian reader reports that Australian importer Peter Stevens Motorcycles has sent letters to GT/GTS owners advising them to visit their dealer for a free 35-minute service to replace the “exhaust leader pipe.”

Chicago Scooterist Roundtable TOMORROW

Here’s the final info for the Scooterist Roundtable tomorrow, sorry to post it so late. Please come if at all possible, we may not have as big a group as we hoped, but we have a good variety of quality people representing scooterdom, and we’re hoping this meeting will be the starting point for a great relationship with the city.

Pre-meeting

Meet at The Twisted Spoke (Ogden location) at noon to compare notes. If you plan to eat, come a bit earlier, we need to leave at 12:30 sharp to arrive at the meeting at ten to one (Dan Epstein is recording our arrival for his radio piece). This pre-meeting is optional, you’re welcome to proceed directly to the meeting, please for once, don’t run on “scooter time,” (he says, knowing he’ll be the late one).

The Roundtable

Meet a little before 1:00PM at the Chicago Center for Green Technology (45 North Sacramento). Dress respectfully, and try to bring a clean scooter, meeting participants will be welcomed to come out and have a look. There’s a parking lot, we’ll try to park together (orderly!) and lock up appropriately.

We’ll be meeting with our CDOT contact who arranged the meeting, Charles Roesner, and CDOT Deputy Commissioner of Project Development Luann Hamilton. Other CDOT representatives will also be present, as well as people from the Departments of the Environment (the “green” issue) and Revenue (who handle parking enforcement). The meeting will last about two hours. We’ll let the organizers direct the pace and content of the meeting, and there’s not a lot of time, but for reference, I’ve made a “wish list” of topics that we hope to discuss. See you tomorrow!

Vespa exhaust gasket recall?

Greek and German scooterists in the Modern Vespa forum have reported local rumors of a recall program for the Vespa GTS exhaust gasket “problem.” It’s unclear whether an official recall is underway, or if dealers in those countries are responding to concerns regarding “Technical Bulletin No 18/06” (September 18, 2006) and checking previously-serviced pipes. GTS riders have complained of gasket failure resulting in heat damage and potential dangerous situations. While Piaggio insists proper maintenance techniques will prevent failure, Modern Vespa readers have reported multiple failures, even on Vespas where the pipe had never been removed. Many modern Vespa riders have switched to third-party exhausts (apparently with problems of their own), while others are using and recommending aftermarket brass bushings.

Here’s Piaggio Technical Bulletin No 18/06, the offical document that Piaggio sent to Vespa dealers, outlining proper maintenance and replacement of the GTS exhaust gasket.

Orange helmets!

Orange Helmets

If you read Girlbike, you know that Crystal Waters posts about every pink helmet, jacket, and pair of armored chaps she can find. After I threatened to become the “Crystal Waters of Orange” in Girlbike’s comments the other day, she beat me to the punch (line) and sent 2sb a slew of helmets to match the Blur.

Thanks very much, Crystal! Unfortunately, I’m back where I started: The Shoei TZ-R is the only helmet in that bunch I would consider. Orange or not, I’m always mystified that people actually pay extra for helmets that look like Dokken album covers. Shoei helmets fit me well, but I’m not sure that the TZ-R orange will match the bike perfectly. (I’m actually more concerned that I care about my helmet matching my bike.)

Spring Hazards

Crystal’s handy guide to spring riding hazards. Chicago-wise, the potholes, especially on Lake Street, are killing me. Luckily, they’ve already started fixing them. I’ve noticed that either the roads are a lot slicker than they were in the fall, or I’m getting more comfortable pushing the Blur closer to its limits. My least favorite thing about Spring and Fall is the sun always seems to be right on the horizon during commutes. I’m thinking about moving to a city with an east side.

DOT/Slaughterhouse Meeting

There’s a Slaughterhouse planning meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) night at The Globe Pub in Chicago at 8pm. All are welcome. If you’re coming to/interested in the Chicago Scooterist Roundtable, try to come to this meeting. I met with Charles Roesner from the Chicago DOT on Monday and got a lot of insight into what they’re hoping to accomplish, and I’d like to share the good news and talk about it in a group before the meeting on May 4. As I’ve said, this is the best opportunity we’ll ever get to have our voices heard by the city, they’ve asked us for our thoughts on ecology, traffic, parking, and other scooter-related issues, let’s make the most of it.

If you’re on the email list, sorry to not contact you directly, I seem to have misplaced the list. Please spread the word.)

ABATE “Dogkiller” ride April 29

Dave “Dogkiller” White (the founder of Chicago ABATE and cofounder of ABATE of Illinois, Inc.) passed away ten years ago this month. Each year ABATE organizes a “Dogkiller” memorial ride for motorcycle awareness, this year’s ride is April 29. (details). ABATE member Dan Kay tells us he suspects the ride is starting at Alderman “Billy” Banks office in order to present Banks with the “Dogkiller” Award–the Chicago chapter’s highest honor–for his motorcycle advocacy at City Hall, including his support of Motorcycle Awareness Month (May). Banks is Galewood’s alderman, so we should send a contingent of scooterists along to show support for ABATE and Ald. Banks, both important allies.

Chicago rides/events

  • From Dan Epstein: “If the weather doesn’t suck and your luck holds out on Friday the 13th, let’s meet for a shortish ride this Saturday, 14 April. Meet at Atomix, 1957 West Chicago, near Damen, at 9:30 AM.” The weather doesn’t look too promising, but there’s hope.
  • There will be a Slaughterhouse Rally planning meeting at The Globe on Irving Park Ave., this Wednesday (April 18, 2007) at 8pm. If you’re planning to attend the City of Chicago Scooterist Roundtable next month, try to come Wednesday, I’m meeting Charles Roesner earlier next week and I’ll hopefully have more information so we can prepare for the meeting.
  • Hell’s Fairies’ “Spring Roll,” their first ride of ’07, is Sunday, April 29th at 11am. (more info).
  • Scooterist and ChiTown Siren Michelle Booth is organizing a ride around the Siren’s May 6 match, “Quadrophilia.” Save the date and watch for more details, but the current plan is a mods v. rockers ride to the Cobra Lounge (Ashland and Grand) then a “party bus” to the bout (in Calumet City) and back. If you’re interested, email Kathy.

Parking in Chicago: Clear answers

We’ve been talking about scooter parking in Chicago for ages now, here and on the boards, and arguing over laws and interpretations, but Grace just found this (new?) page on the City of Chicago site that clearly spells out a few details in black and white (pixels).City of Chicago Since the URL is six hundred characters long and they’ve already changed the URL twice since I first linked it up, I’m going to post the entire contents here for reference, hopefully it’ll help when people are Googling “Chicago Scooter Parking”

Information About Parking Your Scooter In Chicago

Is My Motor Scooter Required To Display A City Sticker?
Yes. If you live in the city and own a motor bicycle, motor tricycle or moped, you are required by ordinance to purchase and display an annual motorbike tag on your vehicle. The price of a motorbike tag is $45.00 and can be obtained online at www.chicityclerk.com Motorbike tags are also sold in person at any Chicago City Clerk facility or at the Department of Revenue payment facilities. For location information see Payment Locations or call 312-744-PARK.

Is My Scooter Required To Display A Residential Parking Sticker?
No. Only cars, trucks, and similar vehicles are required to purchase and display residential parking stickers.

Is My Scooter Excused From Parking Restrictions In The City of Chicago?
No. Scooters are required to abide by the same parking laws as other vehicles [emphasis ours]. Some confusion has resulted from the reliance of some scooter owners on a provision in the Illinois Vehicle Code that likens the operation of a scooter to the operation of a bike. Because bikes can park on the sidewalk, some think that scooters should be able to park on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, the provision does not apply to parking (as parking a scooter does not equate to “operating” a scooter) or to other provisions of the Illinois Vehicle Code “which by their nature…have no application to [scooters].”

Whether or not you like these rules, there they are, clear as day, so hopefully that will put some arguments to rest. Ignorance of the law is no longer an excuse. Don’t forget the scooter roundtable coming up in May, where we’ll have our best chance ever to get involved and talk to the city.

UPDATE: The city link now links to PDFs of a City of Chicago motorcycle/scooter brochure AND a list of “motorcycle-friendly” parking facilities.

ANOTHER UPDATE: The city’s site architecture utterly blows, and they keep changing the (several-thousand-character-long) URLS, try these:

FAQ with Scooter PDF and Parking Garage PDF
Scooter PDF and “Share the Road” PDF links
Parking meter info

Chicago unveils motorcycle parking plan

The Chicago Sun-Times reported today that the city of Chicago has solved motorcycle parking issues forever with an amazingly in-depth and carefully developed two-tier plan:

  1. Electronic meter receipts will have… wait for it… ADHESIVE ON THE BACK so they can be affixed to headlights.
  2. Motorcycles are encouraged to park PERPENDICULAR to the road.

Pathetic. The first point addresses one tiny fraction of the concern motorcyclists have about meter receipts, the main complaint being that a driver (or Chicago’s notorious wind) could simply snatch a receipt from a motorcycle headlamp and place it in his own car (the wind, technically, does not own a car, but if she did…).

The second point is even funnier, as it is presented in this quote:

“It [creates] more spaces for all motorists. Why take up a whole space if you can park it perpendicular?” City Revenue Director Bea Reyna-Hickey said.

Why, indeed, Bea? Any motorcyclist, anywhere in the world would naturally park perpendicular to the curb, but IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ILLEGAL IN CHICAGO. Assumedly, the law is (finally!) being changed, and that’s fantastic news, but don’t insult motorcyclists by suggesting that the idea had never occurred to us, or that the motivation for change was altruistic. Electronic meters make it possible to collect six full-price parking fares revenue when six motorcycles park in one parking space. Thanks for the favor!(And thanks to Team Wysocki for the link to the story)

As we’ve mentioned, the Chicago Department of Transportation and the Chicago Department of Environment are hosting a Chicago Scooterist Roundtable at the Chicago Center for Green Technology (445 North Sacramento Boulevard) on Friday, May 4, 2007 from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. We encourage every scooterist in Chicago to take the afternoon off work and join us, email 2strokebuzz to find out how you can get involved in our planning for the meeting.

Motorcycle Rider Program classes announced

The University of Illinois Motorcycle Rider Program is now accepting applications for their 2007 classes. As usual, applications are taken only by mail or in person, and the classes fill up amazingly fast. If you’re in Chicago, you may want to Fed-Ex your applications or drive them to Champaign in person. (Thanks for the reminder, Larry)

You can’t take the class on a scooter, but motorcycles are provided and the skills you’ll learn are crucial to scooter riding. Mike Maddox and 2sb are trying to organize a special scooter-only session in the Chicago area, we can’t promise anything but we’ll keep you posted and we recommend signing up for the regular course, whether or not you take the scooter course later.

SunL Sucks?

Phil’s review of the SunL microcar got a few laughs over on the SunL Sucks bulletin board. It’s funny that many Chinese brands’ hate sites and bad reviews have higher Google rankings than the brands’ official site. As we always say, if you:

  • have no problem buying a scooter you can’t see first-hand, and sit on, and test-ride before buying,
  • have no problem risking your life on a motor vehicle that costs less than you spend on coffee in a year,
  • have no interest in after-sale support, maintenance, or parts availability, and
  • trust a Chinese company and a fly-by-night importer to keep your best interests in mind,

then by all means, buy a Chinese scooter on the internet. Also be sure not to do any research beforehand, and ride helmetless, in flip-flops. You also don’t need a license, plates or insurance and you can park and even ride on the sidewalk. Have fun.