The Scooter Scoop!

Stunt Ape featured in Oktapodi

2008-08-18T14:33:00.002-05:00

Here a Vespa Ape (Ah-peh) is featured in this charming and funny video called "Oktapodi" from French artist Julien Bocabeille (who just landed himself a job at Dreamworks SKG). You can see more of Bok's work on his blog (title link).

If you are a fan of good animation, you should check out this cool BBC Intro for the Olympics from the man behind the Gorillaz.

Review: 2008 Yamaha Morphous

2008-08-14T01:41:00.006-05:00

Review - 2008 Yamaha Morphous from thescooterscoop on Vimeo.
Here's the latest companion video to the Motorcycle.com review. I'd like to know what you think about the Morphous. Love it? Hate it? Totally confused by it?

(Here I am showing 'em the goods out in front of the Rock Store)

Alix succeeds in putting peace on the map!

2008-08-13T23:02:00.006-05:00

From the PeaceScooter website:

I’ve done it! What was a dream 14 months ago is now real! We can all rest well knowing that a 22,000 mile Peace sign is on the map. It looks like a four year old scribbled it there, but the stories are wise. I still have so much to tell you!

But, wow, stop and think about it! 22,600 miles later, traveling roads that aren’t fit for a scooter, I’ve done it, carved a huge Peace sign onto the map!

Wow! Alix I'm am awestruck by what you've accomplished. There was a cause for the greater good and you stood by that cause for over a year and nearly the circumference of the entire earth. Helmets off to you my friend.

I didn't understand the connection at first. Scooters and Peace. But after I thought about it I could see some logic... Using less resources could mean less fighting over those resources. Then I saw this video and it finally sank in... "Whatever you do, just do it for peace." - John Lennon

Cheers to you Alix, on a job well done and cheers to our good men and women overseas who are doing their jobs so they can come back home and live in peace with their families.

Definition of "Bat outta hell"

2008-08-11T09:46:00.003-05:00

I was tip-toeing through the TopSpeed.com blog (see title link) and found this video. I think it does a great job of illustrating the following:
Bat out of Hell
Raped Ape
Scalded Dog
Going like the Clappers

He's definitely not riding this road for the scenery.

Road hazard - Going up... Second floor, housewares, linens and appliances

2008-08-08T11:40:00.004-05:00

Ok, this is a tad bit off topic but it's astonishing to watch. I hope everyone had a chance to evacuate. Probably so since the road was already blocked off.

PS> The title is meant to confuse... it's just an optical illusion.

Cute car vs. fast car - and the winner IS?

2008-08-08T08:08:00.000-05:00

Smart Car Vs Lamborghini
Eh, it's close. You'll have to judge who the winner was.
Thanks for that one Tim!

To PIMP or not to pimp, THAT is the question.

2008-08-07T15:09:00.003-05:00

(just one of MANY ways to pimp your scooter.)

You know... I was just wondering. This question is really for the Touring / Maxi scooter owners. If you had the loot and the US had the parts availability, would you consider customizing / tricking out / pimping your Maxi Scooter (250cc+)? Or, would you just stick with something more understated? There are as many outrageous ways as there are tasteful ways to do it... I just want to know if it's something YOU would do.

&amp;lt;a href="http://polls.blogflux.com/poll-28967.html"&amp;gt;Take the poll&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://polls.blogflux.com/"&amp;gt;Free Poll by Blog Flux&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Review - 2008 Yamaha C3

2008-08-06T23:58:00.004-05:00

Here's the lasted video that goes along with the written review for the 2008 Yamaha C3, being hosted over at Motorcycle.com. Read the review over here. I enjoyed it, but I tell you what... I've said it myself and heard from others; we would love to see a that new Zuma 125 engine stuffed into the C3 with a slightly upgraded suspension, seat and front disc. Yamaha? 2010?

Amerivespa 2008 images available!

2008-08-06T11:37:00.002-05:00

(This is one scooter accessory that is purely American)
If you missed out on all the fun that was Amerivespa this year, fear not! The 2StrokeBuzzards (is that offensive? what do you call people from 2strokebuzz?) have a great batch of shots over HERE. If you want to see more there are a couple hundred billion shots over at Scoot.net, as you would expect. Looks like it was quite possibly the worst possible rally to miss this year.
Waaaa!- D`:

Attention Mech pilots! Check out Givi's X.01 Gold 30th Anniversary Helmet

2008-08-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Givi X.01 has always been one of the wickedest helmets in all the land (especially the black one). Well, if you're lucky and you know someone in the UK that can score you one, you can be the proud owner of 1 of a limited 500 piece run of these gold-n-white Mech pilot helmets.

What's really clever about the x.01 is the fact that you can swap out the chin protector. You've got the solid one for the winter and the skeletal one for the summer... OR you can just remove it all together if you prefer the open face style. I'm not sure how well a removable chin piece works... but I know that I won't be finding out. (1) The x.01 will not be available in the USA and (2) I don't plan on jumping off my scooter for the sake of testing (sorry).

You can see much more on the x.01 series by visiting webBikeWorld.com

Honda Super Cub - 50th Anniversary Edition

2008-08-05T23:16:00.002-05:00

Supercublogger in Tokyo has gotten the scoop on the brand new 50th Anniversary Edition of the Super Cub and Little Cub. From this photo you can see she's got a black-n-gold badge. For the most part it seems Supercublogger likes this new Cub and is probably snickering at those of us who will likely NEVER see one in person. For more photos, click HERE to visit the Supercublog site.

On another note, we have seen a 50th Anniversary Edition of the Frisbee and might even see a 50th Anniversary Edition of the Hula Hoop! So take THAT Japan.

(I think she's cheating.) Riethausen/AP

Review: 2008 Yamaha Majesty

2008-07-31T04:09:00.006-05:00

We're still servin' 'em up! Here's the latest in our short, little review series. You can click on the title link to read the write up at Motorcycle.com.

You may have noticed the brevity of these reviews. They are meant more to convey the essence of the scooter than offer an all out dissection of it. It's not really a substitute for doing your own research to gather the long-term owner satisfaction data... more of an attempt to give you the bike's first impressions. After you read/watch the review you should have a pretty good idea if this scooter is going to make your "short list" or not.

Anyway, hope you're enjoying the weather in your area. It's been cookin' here in Austin. I took my scoot out (at 4pm) two days ago and I felt the hot breeze blow over me as the heat rose up from the black pavement and rained down on me from the above. I have been testing a new jacket (report to come) and I can see the value in mesh jackets. I haven't used one personally, so I'll have to do some research to see what other mesh jacket owners have to say about them. Do you have one? What's your opinion on them?

PS> There's a funny little typo on the motorcycle.com review right now. I said I like my scooters to look "scooterly", meaning small, like you'd expect to see when someone says "scooter". For some reason it came out "cooterly" on their site... which... um.. would be an interesting look for a scooter, I suppose. They should have the typo fixed by tomorrow afternoon.

The bird and the wasp in NYC

2008-07-29T09:47:00.005-05:00

(Julia Allison, and her DOT certified tiara, sit atop this cute little Vespa ET)

If you read Wired magazine, then you may recognize the little princess who is perched on this Vespa in NYC. It's none other than Julia Allison from NonSociety. She submitted this photo because she knows what scooter geeks we are (and she loves some geeks).

She didn't send any details on the scooter, but I'd be willing to bet it's a 50cc ET2 with a lovely matching top case. The 50cc scooter is such a hit in New York because of the LMB (Limited use Motorcycle, Class B) classification, meaning you don't need a title or to have it inspected.

We're not sure where Jules is right now but fortunately she was part of our tag and release program. We have attached a tiny JPS (Julia Positioning System) to her tiara, so if you are in the area and want to say "Hi!", these were her last coordinates.

Thanks for the scoop Julia!

Review: Aprilia Scarabeo 200

2008-07-28T08:00:00.004-05:00

The latest review for motorcycle.com of the 2008 Aprilia Scarabeo 200. Please click the title link if you prefer to read the review (if you're a "book IS better than the movie" kinda person).

Review: Vespa GTV 250ie

2008-07-25T14:15:00.008-05:00

Alrighty folks, we've got our next Motorcycle.com review up. You can watch the video here and read the details on their site HERE. Sorry to send you somewhere else, but I'm trying to help 'em get a little bit of traffic over there. ;)

DN-01 captured in the wild

2008-07-22T11:32:00.006-05:00

Our Korean compadres, Furange custom factory, have captured a shot of the Honda DN-01 in the wild. I hear it's been available for 4 months now, but I haven't seen a whole lot of photos of one on the streets. If you've ever wondered what a DN-01 would look like with extra storage, check out this custom job Furange is doing for someone. It's ok, but something about it is not quite right.

In case you wanted to know what they sound like, watch this:

Though this DN-01 aftermarket pipe sounds even better.

***UPDATE 7/30/08***
Hell for Leather says Honda has recently been dipping their DN-01 "toe" in the American market "waters" to see what we think. Click here to read their scoop.

Moreped

2008-07-20T13:09:00.003-05:00

From the Villa.Fi flickr collection (see title link) comes this shot of a moped, the likes of which I've never seen. Three wheels, full front fairing, windshield with wiper, roof. Looks like it could have actually been a production model. Here's another shot (-) it's blurrier (+) but you can see more detail.

Oh... and I can't really see any pedals, so it may not be an actual moPED... more of a cub I suppose.

Moped says: Go ahead punk... Try ta ride me

2008-07-19T11:13:00.002-05:00

King Jude shares this photo of one MEAN moped. Check out this custom Tomos. You don't even want to hit a curb on this baby. Click the title link to see more of this pool side beastie.

Can you ride a scooter year-round in Alaska?

2008-07-18T11:53:00.005-05:00

(I sure hope so, because their gas prices SUCK! Image Source)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Think you're feeling pain at the gas pump? Consider the residents of Lime Village, Alaska, an isolated Denaina Athabascan Indian community where gasoline prices have hit $8.55 a gallon.

The price is severely curtailing movement around the interior Alaska village, where four-wheelers are sitting idle, said Ursula Graham, administrator for the Lime Village Traditional Council.

"Nobody's going on joy rides, that's for sure," Graham said.

Click the title link to read the whole report.

Boston struggles with scooter parking solution

2008-07-18T10:19:00.006-05:00

(Little Suzy Phillips, age 6, offers a proposal to solve Boston's parking issue. flickr/DanCox)

“We understand the green issue, and we don’t want to prohibit that. But want to make sure it’s done in a safe way,” says BTD spokesman Jim Mansfield. He may not have a solution, but he knows one thing, "they do not belong on the sidewalk."

*Behind the scenes at a Boston Transportation Department conference*
Wow! How to solve this dilemma!? Let's see here... Less people are driving cars, um kay. City congestion is down a bit, all right. Scooter riders are looking for easy access parking, I see. Didn't Piaggio Vespa have a little thing they were doing with scooter parking? Was that successful? (yes). Hrm, I have NO idea.

Come on Boston! You got a bunch of bright guys/gals there in the city. Isn't Boston where schools like MIT, Cambridge and Harvard are located? You've got The Boston Theological Institute, why don't you ask for some divine intervention here!?

Of course, I'm not there in the thick of it, so I'm not sure what sort of "act of congress" it would take to get some regular car parking spots converted into scooter spots, but I hope they figure it out soon. Big cities all across the nation are going to have to figure out a way to cope with this in the next couple of years (unless GM invents they flying, solar powered SUV first).

Thanks to Tim for the scoop! Click the title link to read the whole story.

(I know a consultant that can offer Boston some proven brainstorming techniques!)

Review: The Aprilia SportCity 250ie

2008-07-15T13:58:00.007-05:00

Well, the first of our scooter reviews for Motorcycle.com is up. The video is just a summary. If you'd like to read the whole enchilada click on the title link or just click here.
Note: For some reason when YouTube encoded it my audio got kinda messed up (breathy and plosive). Oh well... now I'm gonna try this Veoh version of the video.

New HAY powered car! Exhaust is still a problem

2008-07-15T12:29:00.004-05:00

Now if there were some way to get more than 1 horse power out of her. Anyone have some tuning ideas for this baby? Would you believe it's from Dubai? Click on the title link to see MUCH more of this contraption.

Bush lifts oil drilling ban. Hummers happy, baby seals sad.

2008-07-15T10:49:00.005-05:00

(w00t! Hummers are happy to be back out on the road! Flickr/Sam Felder)

In a brave last minute move to temporarily save us oil addicts from "the shakes" before he has to roll, G-Dub has lifted his Dad's 1990 ban on offshore drilling. All he needs now is the US Congress to "get off their lazy asses and lift the Congressional ban on drilling" (paraphrased of course). "The Prez" went on to declare that "now Americans are paying at the pump".

The only bad thing, according to White House officials, is that the drilling would "have no immediate impact on prices at the pump". It would take years for production to start and who KNOWS what kind of effect it would have of the cute and fuzzy critters of Alaska.

Ahhhhh, it's just so EASY to just stay with the program. Just drill and serve! But, I suppose if you're into finding newer, better, cleaner energy sources (a lot of work if you ask me), then you could go through the trouble of clicking on the "Write Your Representative" site and sweat over your keyboard, writing a letter to your Congressperson. Ugh... who wants to do all THAT?

(Cute, fuzzy, baby seals are sad... Are there baby seals near the Outer Continental Shelf? I dunno. Maybe they're sad because they can't get 3G iPhone service out that way. Image Source)

This cute little Choi Nori

2008-07-13T22:27:00.003-05:00

Here's an image from the Clipper Monsoon flickr collection of a girl in Kyoto, Japan on her Suzuki Choi Nori. According to this site, Choi Nori basically translates into "A little trip"... something like that. Click the link to read more than you've ever wanted to know about the little Choi Nori or click on the title link to see Clipper Monsoon's photo collection.

Scooter buyers clamoring for the last of the available models

2008-07-13T22:13:00.002-05:00

("Dude! Did they say they have any Buddy's left?" - "No! They just sold out of Keeways and they are down to Tank or Rocketta, I can't tell which.")

Well, this is something that nearly no one could have predicted just a few months ago. Can you believe that there were distributors with HUNDREDS of 2007 models left over in their warehouses back in April? Today, some of these distributors have to wait until September or October before their 2009's start rolling in. "It's madness" I say! Here's what NBC11 in San Jose had to say about it:

Biafore said the bikes are so popular, some people are willing to take whatever is available. He remembers one weekend last month he called a "feeding frenzy." Half a dozen people were on the showroom floor asking for bikes.

"It was to a point where it didn’t matter what the bike was, the size or what the capability was,” he said. "They knew they wanted a scooter. They knew it was hot. They knew if they didn’t buy it right then it would go away."

Biafore said the manufacturer Piaggio has done a good job supplying Vespas during the recent spike in demand, but that it is still a struggle to get bikes. The dealership started slapping signs on its Vespas that said "available" or "sold."

“I feel like I’m so lucky,” Anna says of buying her Vespa when she did. “Not only did I get the color I wanted, the seat I wanted, I got the style I wanted. And I would imagine that prices might go up.”