Chicago Tiki ride Sunday

Darren’s taking advantage of Sunday’s expected 40° heat wave and clear skies:

The weather forecast calls for slightly warmer temps and little to no precipitation until early next week, so let’s take advantage of it! The streets should be clear, and you know your scooter is asking to be ridden.

Meet at Orbit Room (Wellington/California) at 1:30pm Sunday 1/17, ride leaves at 2pm. Get there earlier if you want to eat. We will head up to Paradise Pup (1724 S River Rd, Des Plaines; #24 in Chicago Magazine’s 30 Best Burgers), planning to get there around 3pm. from Paradise Pup we will head down to Hala Kahiki (2834 River Rd, River Grove), planning to get there at 4-4:30pm.

Please join us for any or all of it. All bikes welcome! Or just meet us for food and/or drinks; you know January is the best time for tiki drinks, anyway. Hope to see you there!

I’ll try to make it, Hala Kahiki’s near my ‘hood and I haven’t been there in ages.

VVV: Wyclef Jean:
“Another One Bites the Dust”

It’s been a while, but Vespa Vthursday VIdeo is back. Today we appropriately honor one of Haiti’s greatest exports, Wyclef Jean, with an entirely inappropriate song, given the circumstances. In 1998, Jean covered Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” with help from Fugees bandmate Pras, Free and Canibus. The song was produced for the Small Soldiers soundtrack, but thankfully they ignored the film and brought in uberdirector Michel Gondry. It goes a little something like this…

Artist: Wyclef Jean feat. Pras Michel, Canibus, and Free
Song: “Another One Bites the Dust”
Album: Small Soldiers film soundtrack (1998)
Scooter(s): Vespa P-series
Scooter content: 5 seconds
Jump to the good parts: 1:33 to 1:38

The original Queen 45 was in constant rotation on my Fisher-Price record player and at #1 on the Q102 top ten for weeks, until “I Love Rock and Roll” came out and changed everything, forever. I’m sticking to that story even though I just checked Wikipedia and the songs came out 20 months apart. It was Cincinnati, time means nothing there, as the XYLs will tell you.

This version, like many cover versions, seems entirely unnecessary, but it’s not bad. The song’s not Wyclef’s best work, but it’s allright. The video’s not Gondry’s best work, and certainly not his most original concept, but it’s suitably weird, fun, and full of Gondry-style camera tricks, gimmicks, and visual puns. And best of all, it’s got nothing to do with the film it’s promoting, preventing the typical “Who’s Johnny”-type debacle.

As far as scooter content, not too great, but they can’t all be, right? After the remote-control olive-green Vespa P-series is introduced for a few seconds at 1:33, I expected it to come back and save the day later, but oh well, it’s still a pretty good video, and the vintage Mini makes up for it.

So yeah, Haiti. This is what passes for a tribute on 2strokebuzz. I’ll go donate some money now.

Genuine Blur 220EFI and 4T Stella for 2010

Genuine Scooter company has confirmed the Blur is back, they’ll be importing their version of the PGO G-Max 220 EFI for 2010. MSRP is expected to be $3899. As a fan and owner of the original Blur and one of a few Americans to have ridden the 220 EFI, I’d say this is great news . As expected, the new 4-stroke Stella is also officially set for 2010 availability. Both should be on display at DealerExpo in February, but hopefully we’ll get a peek before then.

Note: That’s the Taiwan model pictured, we’re hearing the Blur will be available in Gunmetal and White.

Italjet refuses to die

Once upon a time — more than a decade ago — an Italian motorcycle company with a history of offbeat scooters decided to make a big push into the booming European scooter market. The designs, notably the Swatch/Vespa-hybrid Velocifero and the ahead-of-its-time Dragster captured the public imagination worldwide. Since Italjet were Italian, they inevitably botched it all up, closed up shop, licensed their models to Kinetic in India, then annually announced the rebirth of the Dragster (vaporware!) at EICMA while slapping “Italjet” stickers on cheapo Chinese bikes for the European market. One model briefly made it to the U.S. during this period, a cheap Chinese knockoff of their own late-90s Torpedo. Meanwhile, Kinetic chunked out one uninspired model, the ex-Italjet Millenium, as the “Blaze” for the Indian market, and teased the world with an occasional Velocifero press release.

But all that’s about to change! I’m going to bring Italjet back MYSELF!

Dear Sir,

Seasons Greetings for 2010.
We “Autoprima” situated in india city of Pune(near Mumbai) where this is Automotive industrial hub and the manufacturing company for Italian ITALJET scooters.
We are export dealer of KINETIC -ITALJET and having “italjet millenium 125 C.C. scooters 4 stroke and 100 C.C. 2 stroke in our stalk as well inventry of Parts . You may forward this to the perspective buyers of ITALJET scooters.We will apreciate if you contact us for further business oportunity.
Thanking you ,
Yours truly,

Prakash Kulkarni,
AutoPrima
Pune . India
Cell :00919823263107
E-mail: autoprima@hathway.com
emitest04@hotmail.com

Yes, I want a scooter so bland and outdated that it’s named after a point in time, ten years ago. I’m dialing as soon as I can find a replacement battery for my Nokia 101. Italjet is back, the end.

Swedish Army Huskies

We try to only talk about motorcycles when it’s absolutely necessary, but with Cold Weather Challenge fever heating up and a few threads going about the snowmobilification of scooters, Mad Man Maddox posits an alternate scheme based on Sweden’s late-seventies military Husqvarna. Even motorcycle-haters can love a 250 automatic, but it’s the ‘winter package’ that will send gonzo CWC would-bes on an errand to the welding supply shop. These Huskies feature spring-mounted outrigger skis! On roads, they pop up out of the way and you put your feet on the pegs. On snow, you rest your feet on the skis, which automatically adjust themselves for cornering and snow height. Brilliant! If that doesn’t sound like fun, check out this video:

Yesterday I demanded Brooke procure some video of Bob and Colin racing ski-scooters across Lake Minnetonka with “Take Me With U” playing in the background. But scratch that, now I demand footage of you psychotic Minnesotans tearing up Michele Bachmann’s front yard on dual-ski outriggers. Get on it!

Oh, if 2SB only had Top Gear’s budget.

The Pacific Gears Up For 2010 Scooter Racing

Scooter racing efforts begin to churn for a second successive season in the land of Sasquatch, kind bud and perpetual rain. The organization formerly known as the Pacific North West Scooter Racing Association has begun anew as the Pacific Scooter Racing Association. The name change must be in deference to our Canadian brothers and sisters that are rightfully proud southerners. As a reminder to get going on preparing for post winter scootering, the PSRA has launched a new website to let the world know about their endeavors. So get that race bike prepped and find an old set of leathers. Visit the site and click on the photo in the ‘Forum’ tab (it may not be obvious) to get in touch with other racers in the area.

Sarkozy Disses Mitterand’s “Moped”

As Brooke pointed out a while back, French Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand (François nephew) regularly commutes via scooter. Last weekend, Mitterand injured his harm sliding on black ice (honorary CWC runner-up!) and France’s president Nicolas Sarkozy publicly chastized Mitterand at the first cabinet meeting of the year:

“I told you before the holidays that a minister is not just anybody,” the President said to Mitterrand in front of Cabinet colleagues. “A minister does not go around on a moped.”

That’s bad form, especially from a man who was (in 2007) criticized for overreacting to the theft of his son’s scooter (thanks again, Brooke) by requesting DNA testing to find the thief. Apparently his son’s ride was a more worthy model than Mitterand’s humble French-made MBK 125cc scooter.

MBK is a direct descendant of the legendary Motobecane Mobylette, as good a symbol of France as anything, and certainly less embarrassing than a Citröen limousine.

For shame, Nic! Humility and efficiency should be rewarded, always.

Cold Weather Challenge 2009-10

    CWC Leaderboard

  1. Colin Doyle: -13°F, 17.7 mi, 01/09/10, Collegeville, Minnesota, Honda Ruckus
    “…#6 x 3/4″ self-tapping screws in the treads of both front and rear tires..”
  2. Alan Van Tol: 0°F, 17.05 mi, 01/14/10
    Bridgton, ME, Yamaha Vino 125
  3. Luigi G.: 2.5° F, 10.1 mi, 01/30/10
    Dover, MA, 1970 Vespa GTr
  4. Ryan Bastianelli: 5°F, 10.2 mi, 12/16/09
    Chicago, IL, Piaggio BV250
  5. Jen Stich: 7°F, 10.3 mi, 1/30/10
    Westerly, RI/Pawcatuck, CT, 1963 Vespa 150 VBB

CWC09LEADERS:

  1. Colin Doyle: -13°F, 17.7 mi, 01/09/10, Collegeville, Minnesota, Honda Ruckus
    “…#6 x 3/4″ self-tapping screws in the treads of both front and rear tires..”
  2. Alan Van Tol: 0°F, 17.05 mi, 01/14/10
    Bridgton, ME, Yamaha Vino 125
  3. Luigi G.: 2.5° F, 10.1 mi, 01/30/10
    Dover, MA, 1970 Vespa GTr
  4. Ryan Bastianelli: 5°F, 10.2 mi, 12/16/09
    Chicago, IL, Piaggio BV250
  5. Jen Stich: 7°F, 10.3 mi, 1/30/10
    Westerly, RI/Pawcatuck, CT, 1963 Vespa 150 VBB

More details from each rider in the comments!

Continue reading “Cold Weather Challenge 2009-10”

#19: The Fastest 50cc Scooter

Today’s question for Dr. Buzz and his panel of experts comes from Charlie M. in Florida:

I am interested in purchasing a 50 cc scooter. In Florida I will not need to get a license. I plan on using it within a five-mile radius. I would like to know the fastest stock (new or used) 50cc scooter. (I’d prefer some storage space if possible, but that’s not a priority.)

Continue reading “#19: The Fastest 50cc Scooter”