A Brooklyn couple chased down a 13-year-old cell phone thief on their Vespa last week. The NY Post, of course, calls them “heroes,” and it’s a great story, but it just reminds us of that time our man Larry almost got jumped by an entire street gang after chasing a couple teenagers down the alley behind the California Clipper on his Lambretta. Your insurance agent won’t be thrilled when you total your bike and end up in the hospital, either. (Password-protect your phone, the information therein can be more valuable than the phone itself, or a Vespa!)
Category: Scooter News
A Vectrix Participates In Zero-Emissions Race Around The World
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme reports the launch of the United Nations Environment Programme ZERO-race. The ZERO-race pits various electric vehicles in an 80-day race across Europe, Asian and North America. Included in the four-vehicle line-up is a Vectrix scooter. While the company may struggle with glimmers of hope, a German team hopes to take one around the world to promote zero-emissions alternatives. Only one of the vehicles has four wheels so it seems that traditional cages are the odd man out in this ‘sprint’. Maybe an electric MP3 could enter next time around. Any Vectrix riders out there supplying their steed with solar go juice?
“Pimp on a motorscooter”
Huggy Bear, Starsky, Hutch, 2 hookers and a Lambretta!
Continue reading ““Pimp on a motorscooter””
“Better than French Beer”
That’s our proposed tagline for Peroni, but 2sbBrandPartners didn’t get the account, so they end up with this: director Gabriele Muccino’s film Senza Tiempo, an Italian film for an Italian beer company about making Italian films for an Italian beer company. Meta! As required by Italian film law, there’s an obligatory Vespa VBB and Fiat 500. (at 1:40). More background (and a better quality video) at Peroni’s site if you can find it through the age verifications and Flash nonsense (don’t get sidetracked by the “Vespa” link that goes nowhere Vespa-related).
I’m so glad I work only nominally in the advertising industry.
Thanks for the link, Bradley J.!
Piaggio MP3 “Light” will come to U.S.
French site scooter-infos.com recently published some early information about the Piaggio MP3 300 Light. With a ever-growing variety of MP3 displacements and versions on the market, including LT, Sport, and Hybrid versions, Piaggio is looking to create a smaller, more city-friendly version for 2011. The new machine is said to be based on the newly-designed 2010 Beverly (the “BV” in the U.S., though the new design didn’t make it here yet). Scooter-infos.com created the photo illustration above based on that description.
Charles from scooter-infos also emailed 2strokebuzz to let us know that Stefano Sterpone, sales director at Piaggio, reiterated Piaggio’s commitment to the U.S. market, and told him the MP3 Light has been designated a “global product” and will be introduced in the U.S. shortly after its introduction in Europe.
Thanks, Charles!, hopefully I translated your information correctly!
UPDATE commenter “Blue Mark” suggested an MP3 Sea-Doo hybrid:
That was just silly, and I wanted to put an end to the nonsense, so I bribed a worker at a taverna in Pontedera for this actual photo:
#22: Bit by the Vintage Bug
Today’s question for Dr. Buzz (the “panel of experts” is still M.I.A.) comes from Katy D. in California. Katy owned a Honda Metropolitan in the past but…
…I always wanted a vintage Vespa but the price was not right. Now I can afford one, but am leery of venturing into unknown territory…
Play the Burger King® “The Twilight Saga:
Eclipse” Game, win a Vespa
Do it. Now. If I was guaranteed a free Vespa, I might eat at Burger King and go see a Twilight movie. “I Love You Man,” “Transformers,” it’s like they know all my favorite movies. I’m looking forward to the “Eat a live scorpion, then see your grandmother naked, win a Vespa” promotion.
Carter Brothers/SYM-USA HQ
destroyed in fire
Steve at the Scooter Scoop worked for SYM-USA for a few days, so we’ll defer to his ex-insider-coverage of the fire at Carter Brothers’ Alabama headquarters. Glad to hear everyone’s allright, but man, that’s bad news for SYM, Carter Brothers, and scootering in general.
Massachusetts Cracks Down on “Limited Use” Scooters
The Massachusetts RMV is targeting scooterists that have registered their “Limited Use” scooters as mopeds. Many states don’t require plates for mopeds, so some dealers and scooterists exploit the confusion to register bona-fide scooters as mopeds to skirt registration fees, insurance requirements, parking restrictions, and licensing requirements. When enforcement officials aren’t clear on the laws, it just makes things worse. It’s up to you to be certain your bike is registered and titled legally and that you meet all requirements to ride safely and legally.
EPA Retracts Certifications
from Four Chinese Manufacturers
The EPA has withdrawn certification for off-road vehicles from four US importers, Hensim USA, Loncin USA, Peace Industry Group, and Seaseng, affecting 200,000 vehicles. All four companies used broker MotorScience Enterprise to handle their emissions testing. Three of the four companies also import scooters, but it appears no scooters were included in the action. The EPA alleges MotorScience provided “tailpipe emissions information was either incomplete or falsified.”
Continue reading “EPA Retracts Certifications
from Four Chinese Manufacturers”
Balloon Vespa
Balloon Artist Jeremy Telford makes a balloon Vespa. Yes, you just spent two minutes and 36 seconds watching a balloon artist, and you liked it. Do you feel dirty?
Here’s the backstory from Glen G. on Modern Buddy. Thanks for sharing, Glen!
Update: here’s Jeremy’s site. Wow.
49ccScoot.com
49ccScoot.com is a newish site focused on GY6 and Minarelli engine tuning and maintenance, with forums, videos, and more. If you’re looking for tips to hop up or fix your Chinese bike, this looks like a good place to visit to get an honest, reasonable answer without the snooty attitude you get from sites like, um, say, 2strokebuzz.
Via Jason Davis on Modern Buddy
What a Deal!
Why not just rent out an elementary school gym and sell recalled toys with lead paint? “OK, kids, whatever you do, DON’T PLAY WITH THESE!” Bastards.
Thanks for the link, POCphil, who’s currently rebooting the American Motor Scooter Association, to try to prevent stuff like this.
Who rides a Honda PCX?
If you speak Russian and dig guys wearing Speedos, you’ll love this
Honda PCX video. It’s sort of the “Vespa Gringo” of Russian-Thai-scooter videos, so you know it was Rye that found it for us.
Admit it, you watched *way* longer than you should have, didn’t you. I wanna hang out with those guys.
Chinese traffic accidents
Yes, that’s dozens of low-speed collisions from Chinese security cameras. Car-on-car. Car-on-scooter. Scooter-on-scooter. Scooter-on bicycyle. All of the above-on-pedestrian, and my favorite, Tuk-tuk-in-reverse-on-multiple-pedestrians.
It’s very tragic, yet a little bit funny (just like Gome) At least everyone seems to be moving pretty slowly and no one is hurt, at least not visibly gored. Try not to picture any of those collisions on American streets with SUVs going twice as fast.