It seems like Vespa’s 50th anniversary was just last month! Can you believe the ET-series is already ten years old? Coverage of the Italian festivities, with all the usual cliches, ran today on Times Online: “Cool at any age: The Vespa hits 60” Note: That’s 60 years old, not 60 mph.
Category: Manufacturers
Yamaha wins “copycat” suit
Speaking of Asian copycats (Via the BBS):
Yamaha Motor Company, U.S.A., Cypress, Calif., has obtained a Consent Judgment in its lawsuit against Yamoto Motor Corporation, Union City, Calif. Yamoto has agreed to stop the import and sale of Yamoto products into the United States which Yamaha claimed were copycats of its products.
The lawsuit, filed October 12, 2005 in Los Angeles Federal Court against Yamoto Motor Corporation and Patriot Motorcycles Corporation (Pink Sheets: PMCY), alleged trademark infringement and copyright infringement, among other claims.
Read the full story at Powersports Business
TNG files charges against Schwinn Scooters
As 2strokebuzz noted a couple weeks ago, the new Schwinn Scooters bear more than a casual similarity to the TNG Venice and Milano models, and as promised, we’ve dug a little deeper into the situation and our findings are rather startling. Tom Lynott, president of CMSI, makers of the TNG scooters, had no comment on April 4th, but since then, a source outside CMSI confirmed that CMSI were preparing legal action against Pacific Cycle, the parent company of Schwinn, Mongoose, and GT bicycles. A complaint, which alleges that Pacific Cycle effectively “stole” TNG’s product and business model after a proposed collaboration was abandoned, was submitted to the United States District Court in Seattle on April 6, (two days after our original story), listing six charges against Pacific Cycle: False Designation of Origin, Violation of Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, Common Law Unfair Competition, Intentional Interference with Contract, Intentional Interference with Prospective Economic Relations, and Breach of Contract.
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Return of the 5-speed Vespa transmission
The newest Scooterworks mailer offers a 5-Speed Transmission Upgrade for the Vespa P-series and late-70s largeframes. I remember talk of a five-speed kit that was available in the early nineties, but I haven’t seen one for sale in the last ten years. It’s not my bag to tamper with Piaggio’s genius, but if you’re the type who insists his amplifer “goes to eleven,” order now.
Dave Tooley and the Wildcat Lambretta
Dave Tooley raced Lambrettas in the early seventies for the Rafferty Newman “Wildcat” team in the UK, most notably the 158cc-model that dominated the 160-and-under class. Dave’s site contains great scooter racing photos, memoirs, scans of period magazines and advertisements, and technical info about Les Rafferty’s Wildcat Lambretta race scooters. And unlike most UK scooter sites, there’s not an animated navigation button or mod target to be found. Well-done!
Piaggio Hybrids: more info
The Vespa LX50 HyS and Piaggio X8 125 HyS were designed in response to European Union specifications, as well as a growing number of urban zones that prohibit all emissions.
First it should be noted that the HyS prototypes feature all (if not more) of the conveniences and performance of their gas counterparts (albeit at a cost of helmet space and dry weight), and like US hybrid automobiles, generate electric power through braking and deceleration, which is in turn used to assist the gas motor, especially during acceleraton. This results in an alleged 25% increase in acceleration power, and an alleged 20% reduction in emissions. Not magical numbers, but respectable, and certainly a well-intentioned (or at least EU-mandated) step in the right direction. But there’s more.
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Piaggio Hybrids: Vespa LX50 HyS and Piaggio X8 HyS
Our report yesterday of “two prototypes” of Piaggio hybrids should have read “Prototypes of two hybrid models:” the Vespa LX50 HyS and PiaggioX8 125 HyS:
Vespa LX50 HyS photos
Piaggio X8 125 HyS photos
VESPA LX50 HyS |
X8 125 4-stroke HyS |
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| Combustion Engine Single cylinder Piaggio Hi-Per 50cc, 4 stroke, 2 valve | Combustion Engine Single cylinder Piaggio Leader 125cc, 4 stroke, 4 valve |
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| Electric Motor Functions as an electric motor as well as a generator, power 1 kW |
Electric Motor Functions as an electric motor as well as a generator, power 2.5 kW |
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| Distance range Up to 20 km (at 25 km/h) |
Distance range Up to 20 km (at 35 km/h) |
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| Batteries 2 standard 12V, 26Ah batteries for a total of 24V, 26Ah |
Batteries 3 standard 12V, 26Ah batteries for a total of 36V, 26Ah |
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| Battery charger Included in the electronics, allows the traction battery to be charged while running or by plugging into a 220V socket |
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| Engine control Drive-by-wire: the electronics interpret and manage rider’s demands based on the state of the system |
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| Acceleration Acceleration time reduced by approx. 10% |
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| Energy recovery System recovers battery power during deceleration and braking |
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| Consumption and costs Reduction of at least 20%. Using electrical recharge, consumption and running costs are half those of a traditional vehicle |
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Piaggio HyS Hybrid to be tested in Milan
The emotional rollercoaster for “green” scooter fans has reached a new high as life imitates April Fools Prank: Today, Piaggio SpA president Roberto Colaninno and Milan mayor Gabriele Albertini announced that two prototypes of the Piaggio HyS gas-electric hybrid-powered scooter will be tested by the City of Milan. This is the first we’ve heard of the HyS, a web search finds nothing but this undated, unsourced news clipping (PDF, in Italian).
Piaggio activity in Persian Gulf region?
Harley invades China, ignores Harley riders.
Today, Harley opened their first dealership in China (per-capita income: US$1,200). From the BusinessWeek story:
A handful of Hogs have been on Chinese highways for the better part of a decade, piloted by the likes of Qin Huan. He is a longtime Harley owner, and founder of the Beijing Chrome Horse Motor Club. His group today provides service for Harleys, but Foley says the club won’t be an authorized repair shop.
That treatment has angered Qin, who thinks the company is being narrow-minded when it comes to loyal customers. “I believe Harley is more about culture than business,” he says. “Without the culture it stands for, Harley loses its meaning.”
Sound familiar to any US scooter shops that were around in 1998? (Thanks, Lu$ for the link, and Brooke for the analysis.)
Bajaj announces LPG/CNG-powered scooters, fights Chinese imitators
On the heels of the hybrid Vespa prank comes news regarding a real “green” scooter: Bajaj Auto announced today plans are underway to bring a liquid-propane/compressed-natural-gas-powered scooter to the market next year. Bajaj rival Kinetic plans to release two electric scooter models in 2007 (presumably after they get those Dragster 180s on line). Bajaj might look for design inspiration from China’s Chongqing Union Auto Co., who are already selling Bajaj-branded CNG-powered three-wheelers, without permission. Bajaj has promised to challenge Gaongqing, but trademark infringement justice is hard to come by in China.
Lunabase
Proof that the Lambretta Luna is the next big thing for scooter collectors: Lunabase is a well-designed, up-to-date, comprehensive British site celebrating the underappreciated Lambretta Luna range–Lui, Vega, and Cometa–designed by Bertone in the seventies. The site features technical info, brochures, a mailing list, and even an owners club. You’ll be coveting a Luna in no time.
Honda UK’s “My First License”
In another example of how the British motorcycle industry kicks the American motorcycle industry’s ass, Honda UK is offering “license classes”? for 5-11-year olds at local bike shows. The licenses aren’t valid, of course, but the program delivers a message about safety and responsibility to british kids (along with Honda’s sales message) at an age when their American counterparts are riding dirt bikes without helmets on their uncle’s farm.
RetroThing Hybrid Vespa GTS prank
2sb may not be the brightest or most knowlegeable scooter blog out there, but we like to think that with our Google News subscriptions and unhealthy amount of scooter site surfing, we more or less have our finger on the pulse of scootering. So imagine my surprise when i noticed out of the corner of my eye a tiny blurb in the corner of Finkbuilt (of all places) that Vespa had announced a hybrid Diesel/Electric GTS for 2007. The link took me to the Vespa GTS site in italian, on which I couldn’t make out anything about a hybrid model. I excitedly drooled all over my keyboard looking for info, but sadly eventually figured out it was a cruel April Fools’ joke from RetroThing that many other blogs had picked up. Reading the actual story, it’s clear it’s a joke (3-stroke!?) but that link sure had me going for a while.
Vespa giveaway under the Wigshpere
Metro Pulse, “Knoxville’s Weekly Voice,” is giving away a Vespa LX, which begs the question… “Knoxville has a pulse?”