Ryetronics Ryan stopped by yesterday to show me his copy of Moto Champ Magazine, which he picked up at Mitsuwa. (They never have it when I go there, dangit). The “Mini Bike in America” section features a story about ScooterBBS admin “SE” and his shop Big Ass Motors. (click on picture for larger image), and the cover features a Japanese hoochie girl posing with the Yamaha VOX. Being completely unable to read Japanese, I can’t tell you anything about Big Ass Motors, or if the VOX pictured was the prototype or if it’s actually in production, but I can tell you they have a lot of cool bikes in Japan we’ll never see here.
Category: Lifestyle
Riders vs. Cagers: Is this the real battle?
Another insightful and eloquent essay from Scooter in the Sticks about the nature of traffic angst.
Galewood 2K6:
Swine o’ the Times
“I give you Chicago. It is not London and Harvard. It is not Paris and buttermilk. It is American in every chitling and sparerib. It is alive from snout to tail.�
– H. L. Mencken.
I shouldn’t even have to post this, if you read 2strokebuzz, you know about Galewood. It’s all about scooters and bacon. It’s our neighborhood. It’s our rally. It’s our birthdays. It’s this weekend. Same deal as usual (though this year we’re adding a Bouncy Castle and a three-wheel ATV.) You know the drill. This will be the last Galewood Rally, so don’t miss it. Read on if you need more info. All are welcome.
Continue reading “Galewood 2K6:
Swine o’ the Times”
Los Gatos, CA motorcyclist nearly killed by booby-trap
Further proof that you can never be too careful on a motorcycle or scooter. Horrible. (Thanks for the warning, Max)
Houston Scooter Battalion postcards
ADR of the Houston Scooter Battalion is targeting all the new scooters on the streets of Houston with his HSB postcards. A great idea, we used to do that back in the day, and met a few good friends that way, but back then it was rare to see an unfamiliar scooter on the streets of Chicago. Maybe it’s time to print up some new 2sb cards and spread the gospel.
Amerivespa opens pre-registration
Pre-registration is open for Amerivespa 2006, July 27-30 in Denver. 2sb will be there, will you? (UPDATE 4pm: We just booked our room, they only have single (king) smoking rooms left, even if you don’t register now, book your room ASAP)
“Scooterists seem to make horrible business people”
This is the most perfect BBS thread of all time, featuring rants, groundless accusations, real-world experience, hilarious jokes, Stafford-baiting, personal attacks, and best of all, good insight from various perspectives– you can live the entire ScooterBBS experience in one thread.
Scooter “Scrubs” on YouTube
Here’s the “scooter rally” bit from “Scrubs”, posted last night on YouTube by “bazookamsb,” I assume there’s more, I’ll keep an eye out for it. (forgot to watch/Tivo last night). (Becky points out in comments that that was all of it. Short and sweet.)
My Burgman
Juventus and Italy football star Alessandro del Piero stars as “Mr. Burgman” in Suzuki’s rather nifty “My Burgman” site for the Italian market. We marvel at the lengths Suzuki will take (del Piero is arguably Italy’s biggest sports star) to make a dent in the Italian scooter market, compared to the complete lack of a US marketing campaign for the Burgman. (From Motoblog)
Scooter Rally “Scrubs” airs tonight
According to girlbike.com, the episode of “Scrubs” airing tonight (5/16/06) will feature the “Scooter Rally” footage cut from an earlier episode.
Vespa Chicago closing?
2strokebuzz sources report that local Piaggio/Vespa dealer Vespa Chicago will soon close their Vespa Boutique on Diversey and their showroom in Maywood (within the Volkswagen dealership of parent company West Suburban Auto Group). The new Vespa dealer for Chicagoland is rumored to be Motoplex USA, a motorcycle/powersports dealership with showrooms in Worth and Joliet, IL, and an upscale Chicago showroom on Wells Street called “Old Town Motocycle Shoppe.”
As Motoplex did not immediately reply to our confirmation request, this information is still hearsay, but such a move seems absolutely consistent with recent changes in Piaggio’s strategy. West Suburban seemed unlikely to add Piaggio brands Moto Guzzi and Aprilia, while Motoplex is already an Aprilia dealer. Old Town Motocycle Shoppe has a prime upscale retail location and employees with motorcycle experience, and Motoplex’ other two dealers may be more accesible to suburban and even rural customers. According to one of our sources, Vespa Chicago’s general manager Dan Kay will move to Motoplex along with Vespa/Piaggio. It is unclear whether Piaggio or West Suburban Auto Group terminated the relationship, why it was terminated, or exactly when the transition will take place. Vespa Chicago opened in 2000, they’ve been Chicago’s sole dealer since Vespa’s return to the United States in 1999.
Tip for scooterists:
How to guarantee a public beatdown
A suspectedly-drunk man on a scooter was detained by onlookers and arrested in Herzogenrath, Germany on Friday, after crashing three times within a two-hour span:
[…] The 22-year-old man first crashed the scooter as he took a
corner […], losing his helmet in the process, police in nearby Aachen said. Unfazed, the man remounted and plowed straight into the back of a parked car. He flew head over heels through the back
window, landing inside […] “Then he crawled out of the vehicle again, and sped off,” an Aachen police spokesman said. […] Onlookers tried to stop the man, but he fled. Two hours later, bystanders were shocked as the scooter crashed leaving a gas station, this time with the man as passenger.
Please don’t ride drunk.
Kymco giving away Amerivespa trips
Amerivespa 2006 is, happily, shaping up to be quite the pan-scooter event. Starting life as the national Vespa rally combined with Denver’s legendary Mile High Mayhem rally, it also now encompasses this year’s Lambretta Jamboree and Stellabration. Main sponsor Kymco is giving away vacation packages to the Rally to ten lucky winners.
Rossi wheelies scooter, avant Pays-Bas
Video of MotoGP heartthrob/champion Valentino Rossi wheelie-ing his custom Yamaha BW (Zuma), helmetless, before last Junes’ GP race in Assen, Belgium. Rossi, needless to say, won that week. I guess if anyone is allowed to wheelie helmetless, it’s Valentino Rossi. Thanks for the link, Brooke!
Kalaisha speaks out, inspires “Critical Gas”
Her jaw finally unwired, Kalaisha Watrous speaks about her accident to the Portland Mercury’s “Blogtown.” Her message: “this could have happened to anybody.” Watrous’ ordeal has sparked a weekly Portland motorcycle and scooter awareness ride, Critical Gas, and a hometown benefit is taking place tonight (Friday 5/12/06). For more information about the accident and how to help, visit kalaisha.org. Thanks Darn McCabe