Category: Manufacturers

Is Taiwan a U.S. Protectorate?

I’ve decided to skip DealerExpo this year, but it’s almost worth going to ask Carter Bros. about their “Made in the U.S.A.” SYM scooters. (Or so reads their ad in the current Dealernews).

Again, I really like most of SYM’s lineup of scooters, I’ve had the opportunity to test-ride the Symba, the CityCom300i and the Wolf motorcycle (boldly renamed the “Classic 150” for the U.S.) and I loved all three of them and wouldn’t hesitate a second in recommending them all. But I can tell you with all certainty that none of them are “Made in the U.S.A.”

Carter’s website is more honest, reading “Carter karts, buggies, side by sides and minibikes are proudly MADE IN THE USA!,” though I’d argue potential dealers could easily misconstrue “Minibikes” as including the SYM lineup.

MBK Booster X

We thought it was strange that Scooter-Station’s trial of the new MBK Booster X ignored the startling resemblance to the Yamaha VOX (the “C3” to Americans), until we looked it up and saw that MBK (formerly Motobecane) is actually affiliated with Yamaha. You learn something every day. Anyway, the point is, we’ve always loved the C3, despite its puny size and top speed of eight miles per hour, and it looks even better with MBK’s colors and graphics.

CARB approves Stella 150 4T

newstella2

Modern Buddy moderator Eric Almedral has posted the California Air Resources Board approval certificate for the Genuine Stella 150 4T, and confirms that it’ll be available in the U.S. in 2010. My bet is that it’ll be here sooner than later, and probably the Stella and it’s claimed 130MPG will be one of the few bright spots for the scooter industry at DealerExpo in a few weeks.

When we test-rode the bike last year, we didn’t really talk about its importance to the scooter industry and scene. Continue reading “CARB approves Stella 150 4T”

Lambretta in MotoGP 125, WTF?

The provisional 2010 MotoGP 125cc Rider list was released today with two riders, Italians Luis Salom and Marco Ravaioli, representing team “Lambretta Reparto Corse” (“Lambretta Racing Department”) Surely, this is a joke, right? One can name a team whatever one likes, but both have “Lambretta” listed as their bike for the season. Both riders were abandoned by Chinese manufacturer Loncin, I can imagine one of the several entities posing as “Lambretta” these days sponsoring a 125cc GP team, but surely they will not be riding anything resembling a Lambretta, modern or vintage, on the track?

Thanks for the tip, Cy.

Knuckledragger Dean on American Pickers

Rumor has it Dean from the Knuckledraggers SC (Quad Cities IL/IA) appears in the second episode of the new History Channel show American Pickers, featuring a Vespa Ape. The episode, “Super Scooter,” should eventually be available for streaming here.

UPDATE: it’s up now on History.com. Thanks again, Scrambler.

Via Scrambler17 on ChiScooterList, thanks!

Taffspeed Closing

Venerable Welsh parts supplier/tuner Taffspeed Ltd. will close at the end of the month after 27 years of service to the worldwide scooter community. Ian Frankland is scheduled for heart bypass surgery, and his former employees will continue running the shop (and dyno) as “Welsh Scooter Parts.” The Taffspeed name will live on in Frankland’s “Taffspeed Special Products” which will still be available from the new shop.

Thanks for the tip, Matt, and best of luck to Ian and the new shop!

Piaggio Drops Marketing VP, Sales Staff

Confirming rumors from last week, Dealernews reports that Piaggio USA has cut a few management positions, including vice president of sales/marketing and three sales directors. President/CEO Paolo Timoni looks into his crystal ball and speaks:

We don’t expect 2010 sales to go back to 2008 numbers.”

Thanks, Nostradamus! We’ve long mocked PiaggioUSA’s top-heavy management, expensive infrastructure, Harley-style marketing, and ridiculous sales goals, so maybe this is just the change they needed. PiaggioUSA does seem to slowly learn from their mistakes, so hopefully this is just a step towards a more sustainable model for long-term U.S. success, rather than the first step towards abandoning the U.S. market–yet again–when things look grim.