When scooter news breaks, we put it under a tarp in the garage.
As I’ve mentioned a few times, I’ve decided not to go to Dealer Expo this year. Part of the decision was simply practical and personal: I’m (sorry) not a fan of Indianapolis, the weather’s likely to be terrible, I waited too long to sort out accommodations, I have an infant son, and it’s just not a good time to spend money on hotels, food, and booze.
Continue reading “Skipping Dealer Expo”
At 2strokebuzz, we pride ourselves on our many ‘scoops,’ stories we covered before the professional powersports media and other blogs. But we still get plenty of our news through the usual channels, and over the past couple years, one professional powersports journalist has really impressed us by often going beyond the usual re-hashed press releases and digging up some interesting stories. In just the past couple days, Guido Ebert of Powersports Daily has:
Ebert, like any modern journalist, rehashes his fair share of press releases and does favors for friends, but we’re all surely guilty of that, right? If you’re looking for more in-depth and professional motorcycle industry information than 2strokebuzz can provide, you should be reading blog.guidoebert.com or following him on Facebook or Twitter.
A double-win for PiaggioUSA’s marketing department AND the Des Moines Register‘s copy desk.
Thanks, Eric.
We’ve posted about this Italio-Greco-Japanese marque in the past, looks like they’re poised to introduce their distinctive “Vorrei” 125 and 150 in Europe.
2SB wants to get excited about e-Bikes, but we generally find them to be slow, expensive, and ugly. This one is at least only two of the three! e-MO+ is a great name, too.
Suzuki’s Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter is being tested in a small town in Leicestershire this month with plans for London tests later in the year.
Vectrix has been rescued from bankruptcy by Hong-Kong-based GP Batteries. “New Vectrix” is already shipping bikes and parts and plans to exhibit at Dealer Expo this weekend in Indianapolis.
Thanks, Eric!
Late last summer I attended the Los Vesparados art show in Minneapolis. I took some pictures and made some notes of my favorite works. I never posted about it on 2SB. This is a recurring theme in my service as a Bedell Media International correspondent.
I was walking through a local Barnes and Noble the other day, searching for what I came to learn was last weeks issue of The Economist, when I spied what looked to be a papercraft Vespa set upon an upturned polka dot Chinese takeout box on the cover of periodical. The cover art turned out to be a painting by artist Nate Ronniger. Mr. Ronniger’s work had been listed as shown at the aforementioned art show. So The Southern Review, a literary journal published out of LSU, helped my scooter art odyssey come full circle to remind me that I should finish writing a few posts that I’ve had in the works for months.
Check out Mr. Ronniger’s artwork. I can’t quite believe they are not photos. Also, if anyone knows about The Southern Review, feel free to chime in.
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”
The Amerivespa 2010 website is up. It’s earlier than usual this year, May 27-31, in San Antonio, TX. , One new feature I’m kind of excited about is a scooter art show that will include great Amerivespa artwork from this year’s designer Robert Tatum, plus Shag, Shepard Fairey, R. Black, Glen Reid and some poseur named Bryan. Rally registration is open now, as usual, it is CRITICAL to pre-register if you want to participate in all events and get a fully-packed goodie bag.
The Vegas Rally is February 25-28, and returns to Fremont Street, which should be goodtimes. The Inciters are playing the Saturday Allnighter, with the usual load of great DJs. Pregistration closes February 12
Yep, that pretty much nails it.
Last month, a dealer sent us an “end of the year sale” email that he received — unsolicited — from a Chinese scooter importer.
2strokebuzz policy is to maintain a certain level of privacy regarding wholesale prices. Dealer markup on most scooters is pretty modest, and keeping that number a secret is only fair.
In this case, though, I think it’s only fair to consumers to show how low dealer prices have dropped on Chinese scooters. So we’ll list the prices, but not the importer. The importer in question is not a top brand, but they’re a brand that’s been around a while and advertises in scooter and dealer magazines, so they’re not a bottom-feeding internet outfit, either.
Here’s a sample of their DEALER prices on 2009 models:
150 Scooter: $400
150 “Deluxe” Scooter: $450
150cc ATV: $500
250cc Motorcycle: $900
Turns out, a few weeks later, the importer filed for bankruptcy, which is hardly surprising. But even if these prices are below their cost, what does that say about the quality of the scooters? Would you ride a 150cc scooter that cost $500 to build? Think about all the cost of all the individual components of the scooter, the labor to assemble it, and the shipping costs to deliver it across the country. Think about the cost of running a business, warehousing the scooters, supplying parts and service. And even if the importer is taking a bath on these bikes, the manufacturer in China surely made a couple hundred bucks in profit, selling it to the importer. Do you want to ride a 150cc scooter that cost $300 or less to make?
Do you want to pay $900 or $1200 for the opportunity? Dealers sell these bikes because they can mark them up 100% over dealer cost, and they still look like a bargain compared to the (quality) competition. So the importer is making more per scooter, the dealer is making more per scooter, and customer gets a particularly crappy scooter, without even getting the good deal that the dealer got. These sales hurt quality dealers and importers, who put a higher percentage of the customer cost into manufacturing and quality assurance.
In most middle-school shop classes, you’ll make golf-tee games or a footstool. In Tom Boissonnault’s “Technology” class at Eastchester Middle School, you’ll restore a Vespa. Best of all, it’s actually cheaper than Vietnamese child labor!
Note: This story is three months old, I was sort of busy in late October. Thanks, Victor. Luckily, I never clean out my inbox.
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!
I used to put “Scooter Graveyard” on forms I was filling out to see how much junk mail I’d get, and I got a fair bit of mail addressed thus. But this guy… Man. Then again, I imagine that’s probably what Mike Frankovich’s backyard looks like. More photos here, if you’re into the Facebook thing. Thanks for sharing, Jen!