Denver CBS Channel 4’s coverage of Amerivespa. I’d concur, I saw more scooters around Denver than in any other American city I’ve visited, and the local turnout for the rally was astounding.
Category: Lifestyle
Qatar two-fiffy roundup.
Four 250cc scooters and the Yamaha Morphous compared for posterity, from Qatar’s Peninsula newspaper. (Note: Turns out this was not from Qatar, but a poorly-credited wire story by Susan Carpenter of the Los Angeles Times, it also ran in the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette with a good photo and better proofreading.)
The Trautwein-Roller: MP3 in 1984?
Check out Marcus Kabst’s fantastic history of the Trautwein-Roller: Is this proof that Piaggio’s groundbreaking MP3 three-wheeler is actually based on a design tested and patented 22 years ago? Here’s a very rough — and condensed — translation:
“Are scooters steered with two front wheels conceivable? If you subscribe to the ideas of inventor Wolfgang Trautwein, vehicles of this kind may soon appear on the streetscape. […] Dr. Wolfgang Trautwein, 53, engineer from Meersburg at the Bodensee, received two original Vespa scooters in the middle of 1984 from Piaggio from Genova, in order to build prototypes. [This concept was] suggested by [Trautwein,] using the Vespa platform, exactly three decades after the first Motorcycle was equipped with a double-front chassis. Under their hoods, the Vespa tricycles hide the newest variant of the Trautwein front axle for motorcycles, a parallelogram axle […] Thus, the scooter effectively avoids wheel-flutter. […] The suspension is arranged so that the wheels do not only turn when rolling, but also tilt. The floorboards of the Vespa are firmly connected to the lower parallelogram, and follow its movements. […] Trautwein stresses that this changed style of driving comes relatively easily to the driver. And according to Trautwein’s statements, the chassis offers some safety advantages: Decreased hazard of front end slip on wet pavement, rails, etc. Safer braking, and improved cornering. Better handling. […] Space for a trunk over the front axle. […] Also, the comfort is quite convincing.”
So if the translation is marginally close, it appears Piaggio assisted in the development of, but did not produce, an MP3-like version of the Vespa PK 125 and a PX 200 more than two decades ago. They even filed patents for the design. Judging by the photos, at least one working prototype of each version was made. The PX200 model sported hydraulic disc brakes — twelve years before they became standard on the PX200. Amazing. (Thanks for another great link, POCphil. Note that there’s also some great info on Marcus’ page about other three-wheelers and similar concept scooters.)
POCphil on the CF Moto V5
Our good friend Phil Waters of Pride of Cleveland Scooters (POC) sent us his impressions of a CF Moto/Baron V5, a 250cc automatic motorcycle, that came into his shop for service:
“First it’s a candy, then it’s a gum!”
This doesn’t seem to work as well with automatic motorcycles. What Honda did so well with the Hondamatic 30 years ago is being re-introduced by the Chinese, in a typically Chinese fashion.
The CF Moto V5 is currently being distributed by Big Jim’s Wholesale, who has recently taken on the more scooter-friendly name of TwinCityScooters.com.
We’ve been considering bringing them in as a line here at POC and talked to their reps at Indy. Their bikes had intrigued me, but I was skeptical about the quality.
Continue reading “POCphil on the CF Moto V5”
Off-road in Bissendorf
Dirt-track scooter trials in Bissendorf Germany at the Scooter Scoop. Maybe POC Phil was onto something that time he broke his leg?
Back from Denver
I’m back from Amerivespa with a head full of stories and a camera full of photos. Here are the front-page story and feature story from the Sunday Denver Post, which was somehow printed and on our hotel room doorstep at least five hours before we went to bed “Saturday” night.
Horse Power with HASC
Heck’s Angels Scooter Club (Warning: MySpace page) has organized a ride next weekend to Arlington Park for some horse racing (and presumably betting). The ride is Saturday, August 5th, and leaves Dunlay’s in Logan Square at 10:30am. The first race is at 1:00pm.
(Note: The ride to Pierogifest in Whiting, IN scheduled for this weekend has been canceled.)
Farewell, P.J.!
Our friend P.J. Chmiel, the man responsible for Genuine Scooter Co. and Scooterworks’ fantastic graphic design for the past few years, is hitting the road for the next few months to see America on his custom Stella “Ramblin’ Man” (above). This Saturday (7-29-2006) 9:30-on, wish Peej good luck at Sally’s Lounge (3759 N. Western, at Grace).
ScooterSafe
London authorities have organized ScooterSafe London, a great program where police meet with riders and observe their riding, offering tips and recommendations. New and experienced riders are welcome. It’d be great to see U.S. municipalities taking a pro-active approach to safety rather than relying on reactionary legislation. Of course, the “bad guys” won’t participate (a recent Chicago Sun-Times story quoted police saying only 15% of motorcycle speeders are caught in Chicago), but new riders and responsible citizens deserve a chance to learn good habits.
Vespa: 60 Years
So it seems like the 50th anniversary was just yesterday, but you’ve finally grown bored with “Cult of Vespa” and “Vespa: Style in Motion,” and just in time, Piaggio comes out with another glossy, expensive rehash of their history: Vespa: 60 Years. Haven’t seen it in person yet, but Vespa’s books are always handsome.
Big Ben loses more respect
FOX Sports reports that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not get involved in any safety advocacy campaigns, instead, he will make excuses (“my helmet was in the basement!”) whine about how hard it is to “live life under a microscope” and let people “make their own decisions.” My decision is to abandon my 30+ years of Pittsburgh Steelers fandom because their quarterback is no better than your average gun-toting, date-raping NFL felon.
Be a pocket mod
It looks like even the Razor scooter has been given a retro styled makeover.
Named the “Pocket Mod Bistro”, quite how much it is “Reminiscent of the classic Vespa” and how it “radiates Euro-spy chic” we’re not sure…
Child Riding Belts
I’ve ridden up and down the alley a couple times with Milena precariously set upon the floorboards of my Vespa, but I look forward to the day I can take her for a real ride. While toddlers riding as passengers on motorcycles is a way of life in many countries, it’s a bit frowned upon in the U.S. Now, thanks to the Child Riding Belt (Invented, obviously, in Canada, and clearly labeled as “not a safety device”) I’ll be able to tote her around as soon as I can find a helmet that fits. Or maybe not. Thanks for the link, Mad Man Maddox.
Piaggio X9 tour for pet charity
Steve Basford of Tenerife, Canary Islands, is touring 6,500 kms through Europe on a Piaggio X9 125, for a charity promoting veterinary care. How do all these people get so much time off work to ride scooters for weeks on end for charity? Best of luck, Steve.
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.