BMW “Concept C” to U.S.

Hell for Leather reports they were told firsthand that the widely-hyped BMW Concept C scooter will enter production with a planned 2012 U.S. market debut. (2SB suspected this might be the case when we, apropos of nothing, started getting BMW PR emails last week.)

Guido Ebert followed up on Facebook:

…some media outlets have been wondering whether it’ll come with ABS and LED headlamps. Answer: Yes. The company likely to build the scoot already offers ABS and LED lights on its own scooters.

That sure sounds like Kymco to us. Kymco’s a fine company that builds great scooters, but will Americans pay BMW prices for Taiwanese scooters with a roundel?

Mod Photo Mystery

Also via Scooterism: Help Sandra find the photo of her brother Raymond Kelley used in countless books, ads, and such. I don’t have my copy of Richard Barnes’ Mods handy, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the original source. Sandra refers to a book “Mods” in the story, but I think that’s a newer book that features the NME cover. As neat as it would be to see Sandra reunited with a good print, it’d be even better to see the original photographer pick up royalties from the frequent and probably unauthorized reproduction of his work over the years, and hopefully get a chance to exhibit or publish more prints from that period!

Piaggio adds a wheel to the MP3

With Mini, Smart, and now Volkswagen all (tentatively) targeting the scooter market, isn’t it time for Piaggio to build a car? Indeed it is. Piaggio’s Indian-market NT3 is based on the Ape platform and Piaggio expects it to be available in India in late 2012, and eventually in Europe and Asia. Props to Piaggio for not calling it “Il Nuovo Vespa 400” even though pretty much everyone else is.

Thanks for the link, Scooterism! You all follow Eric on Twitter, right?

I’m Scooterist, Moto&Go, and the Copa del Rey

Just as we left for Paris, Dawson from Hell’s Fairies came back from Barcelona and told us about a great scooter t-shirts shop there, I´m Scooterist. Then a couple days later, Moto&Go in Madrid emailed to offer their rental services. If you do ever rent a scooter in Madrid, look out for Real’s bus, it’s a menace. Coming soon: Barça will crush Real in the Champions’ League, and I’ll eventually post a bazillion scooter photos from Paris.

SYM Distributor Update

On April 13th, Lance Powersports published an open letter to SYM owners explaining the current SYM situation. An Eastern-U.S. distributor has still not been named, but Lance’s new sister company, Alliance Powersports, will handle left-coast distribution and has taken over SYM parts and warranty service nationwide. SYM owners should contact their dealer for parts and service, dealers should contact Alliance for parts/warranty support. Lance/Alliance National Sales Manager Mike Hickman also tells us that Alliance can supply new bikes to Eastern dealers until an Eastern distributor is named. The full letter and Hickman’s contact info follows.
Continue reading “SYM Distributor Update”

Bieber SEO Scooter Can of Corn
UPDATE: OMG VIDEO!

I have never used the word “Bieber” on this site, so here’s my shot at tripling my Google ranking: Justin Bieber on a scooter in Israel. He appears to be wearing clamdiggers (are those actually hip again? I guess they are now) but actual shoes and socks and a full-face. Good kid. Thanks for the link, Bradford, who just happened to be surfing some hispanic preeteen girl’s Justin Bieber Blogspot.

UPDATE: VIDEO! OMG!

“Scooter Commuter,” 1962

It is absolutely mandatory that you watch the Rank Organisation’s “Scooter Commuter” film from 1962. A lot of the pitch is still true today, but more than anything, it’s just heartwarming to see such well-shot footage of vintage Vespas and Lambrettas (and Corgis, and Bonds, and more) in action back when a silk scarf was all the head protection you needed. It’s like watching Quadrophenia without the baggage and overwrought bass noodling.

Amerivespa NOLA Promo Video

Amerivespa 2011 is June 16-19 in New Orleans, and the New Orleans Scooter Cooperative seems almost TOO eager to host this year. They’ve created this great promo video (that I can’t embed, and you might not be able to see, because it’s on Facebook). if that doesn’t make you want to head down to NOLA and party, I don’t know what will.

Vintage Carousel Ride Scooter

Philadephia-based online vintage-resale boutique Three Potato Four is currently offering a vintage carnival-ride scooter for $1250. Most of us rarely pay that much for a actual, running vintage scooter but, you have to admit this thing is a neat find. They’re calling it a “Vespa” and it has a few Vespa-like features, but scooter nerds will recognize most of the features as more Lambretta-esque.

Thanks to Vina for the link.

Pinasco Slider Clutch Innovation

This morning, the email inbox of many vintage Vespa aficionados contained a message from the Italian aftermarket scooter company Pinasco. The email describes something akin to reinventing the wheel but a bit more intriguing. The new offering from Andrea Pinasco is a replacement for the brass bushing found in the clutch of Largeframe Vespas (#30 in this diagram). The ersatzenbushing isn’t just another sleeve but rather a caged roller bearing. The company claims it will reduce problems in gear changes and fit worn clutches. One wonders if it will fit a non-worn clutch. Anyone have one of those? I’d be interested to see what gear changes are like with this bearing in conjunction with a a multi-spring clutch. It’s uncertain if this fits all models. If anyone knows if the same bushing is used in all of these clutches chime in.