2strokebuzz

Honda UNI-CUB

illnoise — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:41:07 +0000

This thing is probably our future. Looks like it’d fit right in on The Axiom.

Coming this Fall to 2SBTV

illnoise — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:50:37 +0000

If no one’s going to give Phil Waters a reality show, we’re going to have to settle for this.

François Hollande, Scooterist No More

illnoise — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:54:01 +0000

Scooter-Infos reports new French President François Hollande (who is incidentally about a mile and a half away from me at the moment) has been forced to leave his scooter behind for the sake of security. We all know the only thing more dangerous than BMW-riding assassins in black leather is moms in minivans pulling out of the Starbucks drive-thru on their way to soccer practice.

Amerivespa 2012 Schedule

illnoise — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:54:04 +0000

The Amerivespa team has recently updated the schedule. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so excited about a rally, I am really, REALLY, looking forward to seeing y’all there. Also, looks like we’ll be sharing a mersh table with Piston Ported. (Thanks, Peter!) Remember: it’s just about mandatory to pre-register, to be sure you get all the swag and a seat for the dinner.

The 2strokebuzz Guide to Football

illnoise — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:29:08 +0000

The old 2strokebuzz Guide to Rally Soccer, just because it’s hard to find, and I needed it for a Facebook comment.

Scooterists Wanted at AMA Vintage Days

illnoise — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:07:38 +0000

POC Phil has extolled the virtue of the AMA’s Vintage Motorcycle Days in Lexington, OH, as long as I can remember, he always comes back with some great bikes and great stories. This year, he asked us to let everyone know that the AMA is basically begging scooter shops and scooterists to participate this year, with a new Mods vs. Rockers event, and even free admission/vending for selected scooter shops. Here’s Phil’s spiel:

It’s not your average Mods Vs. Rockers – Here’s why:

The largest vintage motorcycle swap meet in the country. Last year I bought a Lambretta Li150 Special for $250…It’s not uncommon to find $400 Honda CB350′s with Titles!

Vintage Motorcycle Racing all weekend long. Watch guys on 1920′s Harleys and Indians slug it out on machines none of us are qualified to ride.

Infield Events like the Wall Of Death http://www.facebook.com/Wall.of.Death.ThrillShow If you haven’t seen it, you should…’nuff said.

Vintage Motorcross and Trials

They’re giving us a 40′ x 120′ tent for Vendors (FREE VENDING!!! Get in touch with Phil for more details)

Friday night Punk Rock Karaoke and DJ, Live Bands on Saturday.

Did I mention the LARGEST vintage motorcycle swap meet in the country?

This is a camping rally, there are proper toilets and showers. If you don’t want to bring your own food there are plenty of Vendors on location.

Downtown Lexington is a beautiful 10 minute ride from the racetrack/campground.

Oh, and did I mention they’re giving us a LAP OF THE TRACK!?!?!?!?

Bonfire, Camping, Riding Scoots around checking out cool old bikes and scrounging for that diamond in the rough, it’s a MUST DO!

How to Register: Don’t call me, don’t email me (unless you want to be a vendor) simply go here. As you can see they’ve set the pricing structure up so there’s a definite advantage to being an AMA Member.

Lastly – if you are an expert on Mod and you’re thinking about attending (I use the term “expert” loosely) get in touch with me – AMA is asking for a 40 minute seminar on “what is Mod?”.

“What Goes Through A Biker’s Head”

illnoise — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:46:19 +0000

Everyone and his mom is linking to a pretty dumb Jalopnik “story” about a confrontation between a motorcyclist and a car. I hate to even link it again, I generally enjoy Jalopnik, and this story has its funny moments, but it’s totally off the mark and irresponsible as a commentary on safe riding, and I hate to think any of my riding friends actually emphasize with this wound-up, entitled jagbag.

We all know the single best bit of advice for scooterists or motorcyclists is “Ride like nobody sees you,” but riding with gritted teeth and a chip on your shoulder, and actually thinking that everyone’s out to get you, is foolhardy. We all rant about dumb ‘cagers’ are in fits of rage, but of the hundreds of people I’ve met who ride motorcycles and scooters, I can count the ones that don’t own a car on one hand, and I’ve seen plenty of scooterists and motorcyclists behind the wheel fiddling with their iphones and frying bacon in the passenger seat, too. I do it myself, and if you say you’re never been distracted while driving, you’re lying. For that matter, I see motorcyclists on the phone, listening to headphones, and fidgeting with GPSes, too.

When you’re riding, don’t feel entitled, don’t get angry, don’t engage homicidal drivers… drama happens on the road, whether you’re in a car or a motorcycle or a scooter or a bicycle. You can die. You can kill others. Just go with the flow, don’t think you’re entitled to special treatment because you’re on two wheels, treat others as you’d like to be treated, and for the most part everything will be OK. If you’re really a good rider, you’ll use your skills, your clear head, and your education to avoid bad situations rather than seeking them out and escalating them like a hothead looking for a fight at a bar.

If revenge and hate are what goes through your head in a near-accident, that’s maybe natural, but if you like riding and want to stay alive long enough to keep doing it, what SHOULD be going through your mind is a series of fast choices to ensure your self-preservation. Luckily, you can make other good choices well ahead of the crisis moment by choosing an appropriate bike, maintaining it well, learning to use it properly and comfortably, and wearing appropriate riding gear.

We’ve all been involved in near-misses and come up against aggressive drivers and it’s not easy. Whenever it happens, I often become so wound up that afterwards, I almost cause another accident. So think clearly, escape the situation safely, then pull over and calm the hell down, so you can share your story with friends later, rather than having a forensics crew piece it together.

(Illustration by the mighty Jason Bell, repurposed from his great comic in 2sb #3.)

I would PV125 4 U

illnoise — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:44:22 +0000

This one goes out to our friends in Minneapolis.

Via Stefan/ScootRally.com, seemingly the ‘new BBS.’

Resistance Is Futile: Endurance Racing In Spain

Brooke — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:11:44 +0000

This weekend is the annual international endurance classic scooter race in Aragon, Spain known as Vespa The Resistance. It looks like a top notch group of people that organize a fun weekend. Several scooter shops send teams and someday I hope to see an American entry! Check them out on Facebook, Twitter or Youtube.

Taking It To New Heights

matty — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:42:33 +0000

So you were following the Cannonball and got to thinking that, though fun, it wouldn’t be enough of a challenge for you. Well here is your chance to climb the Himalayas with no GPS, no support truck, and no rules! The Wobbly Wheels Rally sounds pretty incredible for the incredibly crazy. Looking forward to hearing more about this event.

Coast to Coast and Anything Goes!

matty — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:19:48 +0000

Well probably not anything, since each rider has to start and finish each day at a designated location and I have a feeling that neither Dom Deluise or Sammy Davis Jr. are participating this year. The 2012 Cannonball kicked off on Sunday at Vespa Savannah and will take 50 riders from the East to the West Coast in 7 days. This year a new handicap system was implemented that was intended to even the playing field between vintage and modern scoots, but in turn created a loophole for someone with a 1946 Salsbury body and Ninja 250 motorcycle engine to blow away the competition. Also new this year is a neat way to follow the riders through the Follow Ride website that shows each riders approximate location throughout the day. The race will end at Motorsport Scooters in San Diego on Sunday. Good luck to all, especially to the guy on a 1983 Honda Passport.

Stoked About Scooter Stoke

illnoise — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:23:20 +0000

Speaking of great scooter images, as we were a couple days ago, if you’re Facebook-inclined, definitely check out Scooter Stoke, they’ve been posting a couple simply amazing scooter pictures or scans every day. I don’t know who they are or where they come from, or where they’re finding this great stuff, but I hope they don’t stop. If they’re reading this and would like a 2strokebuzz contributor login, it’s all theirs.

BikeExif interviews Miguel Galluzzi

illnoise — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:24:47 +0000

If you love photography and motorcycles, you already love BikeExif, today they’ve posted an interview with Miguel Galluzzi, designer of the Ducati Monster and head of Piaggio’s new Advanced Design Center in Pasadena, CA. Perhaps we’ll find insight into the future of the Vespa?

(Thanks Eric/Scooterism!)

New Tools Save Nuts, Destroy Lucrative Used Nut Market

Brooke — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:25:06 +0000

I have been hoarding good condition used castellated nuts that retain the rear hub bearing on Vespas. I figured they won’t be made forever and every year many are destroyed forever with a hammer and a large screwdriver. This cache was part of my retirement strategy. Now Scooters Originali is offering a handsome tool that may dash my hopes of indoor plumbing throughout my golden years. At 59.99 it’s not cheap. But if you work on Vespa engines on a regular basis or know that you could be the star of your local club for having one to loan it’s not a bad price at all.

I now have two questions:

1) Are these nuts reverse threaded?
2) Will this increase or decrease the value of my stash of 6204 bearings?

A nod to Pistol Pete from Piston Ported for the nudge to spread the word.

Vintage Scooter Racing Photos Flickr On Blogs

Brooke — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:51:04 +0000

Often blogs will just be a cyclical affair of reposting items and it seems a bit tired. But that’s really the nature of a weblog isn’t it? Sometimes there’s a real news scoop, an interesting editorial or just some eye candy. This is an example of the later to check out. Flickr user Panoramicpete has a very nice collection of scooter racing photos from days gone by. Da Nguyen from The Scooterist, a site that I’ll have to be sure to revisit, shared a few photos and one was in turn posted by the Ride The Machine blog. I expect that another page may now share the image set after seeing this. Or should we just stop wasting keystrokes and take up Tumblr?