From Motoblog.it: Designer Paolo Corcagnani’s Piaggio CT (“Carving Tool”) Concept. Feel free to translate/speculate.
Category: Scooter News
New Ape, VespaS and Hybrids from Piaggio
Piaggio made three big announcements yesterday, each with large implications on the scooter market:
Ape Calessino
This was the surprise, of course, an absolutely retro and luxurious new Ape dubbed the “Calessino.” Appointed with whitewalls, chrome, leather, and tropical wood, with a 422cc 4-stroke 4-speed diesel engine the Ape Calessino is being released in an edition of only 999. It’s safe to assume no one reading this crappy excuse for a scooter blog will ever see one in person outside Monte Carlo, let alone own one, but it re-establishes the dream that someday Piaggio may just surprise us with a loving reproduction of the GS160 with a modern geared engine.
Hybrid Piaggio MP3, X8, and Vespa LX
The only surprise here is that the HyS hybrid engine (more info here and here) is still in the prototype stage. These appear to be more or less the same machines tested in Milan last April, apparently the “news” is that the MP3 has newly been outfitted with the HyS as well. Without getting into details again, the technology is promising: an electrical-assisted gas engine that can be switched to zero-emissions electric power only. We love the idea, now please make them available to consumers!
Vespa S 50 and 125
The Vespa S was announced last fall among several other models. It seemed to have been buried in Piaggio’s priorities at the time, though it got a fantastic reception from the press. Now with the top-priority Piaggio MP3 entrenched in scooterdom worldwide, Vespa is releasing the S in 50cc and 125cc versions. The design is a tribute to the smallframe Vespa, notably the square-headlight Vespa S, and it’s nearly entirely successful visually, no other modern Vespa comes so close to emulating the details, lines and style of the vintage models we all love. The only conceivable complaint (at least on paper) is the displacement, but we’d argue that the owner of such a lovely scooter deserves to be cursed with the speed of its ancestors. Bravo, Piaggio, bring it to America ASAP. While previous press photos showed the S only in white, it will be available in “Dragon red, Shiny black and Montebianco white.” Piaggio will also offer several optional graphics kits (“Flowers,” “Europe,” “Sport”) and Jet-style matched helmets.
All photos courtesy of Piaggio
More press photos: Ape Calessino gallery, HyS Gallery, Vespa S Gallery.
POC is still POC, but bigger
Speaking of ScILFs who run scooter shops, POC Phil has opened a new Pride of Cleveland Scooters showroom and service facility in a neato (and huge) former ski shop in Lakewood, OH. The spacious first floor is already full of scooters, and the second floor will soon become a “scooter museum” featuring Phil’s collection of scooters and emphemera. POC’s Ohio City shop will remain open (for the time being, at least). Here are a few photos of the shop before the move, and a recent Lakewood Observer story (click to download PDF) about the new shop. Congrats, Phil and Merritt, you’ll be running a national chain of scooter shops before you’re finished.
Look out for Donny Osmond’s milkshake.
Donny Osmond’s dreams come true. Yes, it’s second-rate fake Jackass with Jimmy Kimmel, but stick it out until the end.
Vespa vs Ducati
I’ll ruin the ending and tell you the Vespa doesn’t win, but it puts up a hell of a fight and comes damn close.
Vespa Racing in Italy
Some nicely-shot footage of Vintage Vespa racing in Italy. (The Vespas are vintage, not the footage). (Thanks, Phil “Pickupthe” Pace.)
Decepticons?
More PR about the Vespa/”Transformers” promo tie-ins. “Scheduled for theatrical release July 3rd, “Transformers” is already generating buzz as a hot summer blockbuster.” It is? I thought the buzz was that “Transformers” was yet another expensive plotless Michael Bay nostalgia vehicle that, if the producers are lucky, will be popular with a handful of repressed action-figure collectors. His future projects include a remake of “THE BIRDS” (seriously!) and like six sequels of movies based on video games. Please, make him stop.
Free gas in Denver
From Girlbike: Denver Vespa dealer Erico Motorsports is giving away gas to all scooterists this Saturday as part of a radio promotion. If that doesn’t sell a few scooters, I have no idea what will.
When someone wants his fanny pack squirrel back
You’d better listen, or else.
Woke up this morning…
I’m really freaking sick of hearing about the Sopranos (even NPR wouldn’t shut up about it this morning). I didn’t watch it and I don’t care what happened, but I noticed this got a lot of hits this morning, so I’m relinking it out of civic duty. Also, remember when James Gandowhatever crashed a Vespa last May? And it was national news for a week? It always amazes me what passes for news, that every media outlet has basically decided to cover American Idol, the Sopranos and P– H– (I won’t say her name) 24/7, when we have this evil lying fascist regime screwing over our country. Oh, by the way, the Lake Erie Loop didn’t go quite as planned, details at 11.
Hyosung prepares for stretchy-pants onslaught
PowerSports Business reports that South Korean manufacturer Hyosung has changed their name to S&T Motors and appointed a new CEO after the S&T Corporation bought a majority of Hyosung stock. Meanwhile, the company has unveiled some new scooters in England, appointed a new president to Hyosung Motors America, and expanded their Spandex production capabilities by 15,000 tons. When the ’80s return, Hyosung will be ready. Hopefully the corporate shakeup wil postively impact Hyosung’s somewhat-promising future in America.
Chinese Scooter Owners Club
“Well, somebody had to do it!” is the perfect motto for the Chinese Scooter Owners Club. We’re glad someone did, the archive of Chinese manuals and tech tips is a welcome addition to the web. We’ll all be begging these guys for advice sooner or later.
News bits, June 3, 2007
Some news from the last few weeks, See if you can spot the Bob Balaban reference!
- Despite a high-profile drunk-scootering case involving a local radio personality, Sydney, Australia’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore has vowed to turn the city into “the Rome of the Pacific.” Scooter and motorcycle-specific spaces have doubled to 700 in the last two years, with hundreds more slated to be added soon. (Aside from designated parking, similarities to Chicago abound, including meter confusion and strongly-established support for bicycles.) Perhaps part of Moore’s plan to Rome-ize Sydney will involve particulate cocaine in the atmosphere?
- Budapest, Hungary’s government has teamed up with local scooter dealers to promote scootering in the Józsefváros district. The area hopes to reduce overcrowding and pollution with discounts and free accessories for scooter buyers.
- The Observer reviews the Piaggio MP3: “That’s a big iPod! Where are your headphones mate?”
- In another UK review, Metro.co.uk calls the MP3 “the transsexual of scooters”. (Note: The MP3 prefers to be called the “executive transvestite” of scooters.)
- Davison, Michigan Rite-Aid manager Don Dunklee has covered more than 1,100 miles commuting on an EVT4000 electric scooter that he converted to solar power. Two wing-like solar panels fold out to charge the scooter when parked, and fold in when riding.
- Resort-area cable TV network Plum recommends a Vespa to get around Aspen, where gas prices are expected to reach $6 over the summer and scooter parking is free citywide.
- Scooters are neat-o, and growing in popularity, and save money on gas, and Audrey Hepburn and latte and so on. Boilerplate stories from South Bend, IN, Columbus OH, Austin TX, Salt Lake City, UT, Seattle, WA, and Des Moines, IA
- Vespa Milwaukee cites gas prices as the impetus for a recent 25-percent increase in sales, though their Chicago-area pickup and delivery service probably hasn’t hurt sales from Chicago riders fed up with the local dealers.
- Sales in Miami are also up, to a fault: Scooter backlash is underway, and the scooter market has gone downscale (”I had a woman in here last week; she wanted to finance a $600 used bike”), Lane-splitting, slow, helmet-less scooterists are frustrating Hummer and Escalade drivers on Biscayne Boulevard.
- Any High Rollers Rally-goer will tell you that a scooter is a great way to get around Las Vegas, but renting mobility scooters from hotels is pretty lazy.
Swearing, drink-driving and smoking in public
A stereotyped-but-funny quote from a Times real estate story last week:
Ask the average Briton what he considers the most socially unacceptable forms of behaviour and he will probably answer: swearing, drink-driving and smoking in public. Ask the average Italian man driving home from the bar on his Vespa why neither he nor the eight-year-old on the handlebars are wearing a helmet, and he’ll tell you to mind your own business before stubbing out his Kent Light on your shorts.
Stellas soon?
My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with the girl who saw LML making scooters at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it’s pretty serious.
OK, it’s not quite that convoluted, but we just heard that LML’s plant is officially back up and running, making Euro-market Stars and N.Z.-market Belladonnas (sisters of the U.S.-market Stella), and that LML brass have been in the US to talk to Genuine recently, so things are looking good that we’ll see more Stellas soon (new engines may be here as soon as July). A photo on LML’s Japanese site labeled “May, 2007” shows an assembly line loaded with scooters (anyone out there read Japanese?). Being put behind the Stars and Belladonnas is probably good news for Stella fans, LML can hopefully get up to speed on the Kiwi bikes and be at full strength for the U.S.-market.
