Blog was messed up...

It appears that many of the blog posts I posted over the past 6 weeks or so didn't make it onto my blog. Sorry! I haven't abandoned the blog, we've just had some technical errors which I think had something to go with migrating it to appear on our site. Most of my old pics disappeared. Ugh! I'll look into ironing it out over the next few weeks.

I am hard at work on the Spring 07 issue which features our Buyer's Guide. It is a TON of work, but I hope that it will all be worth it in the end. Mike will be in layout stages next week.

After all this time in front of the computer and OFF my scooter, I'm looking forward to a weekend away. Josh & I are planning a business trip one weekend in January to Miami to checkout some scooter stuff for the Summer issue. If you live in Miami, let us know maybe we can get together!

I'm also working on some pieces for upcoming issues:
Totally 80s: we're looking for people who were scooterists in the 80s who can send us photos of their old scooters, fashions and the like. With the advent of so many new scooters and scooterists, we'd like to pay hommage to the distinct style of US scootering in the 80s. If you want to contribute or have any ideas, let me know.

Scooter Art: Are you an artist that uses scooters in your art? We want to put together another scooter art issue. Contact me if you are interested or have a tip on a scooter artist. Also great opportunity for those who do custom murals and such on scooters.

Well, back to editing the Spring issue....
-april

Scooter Desktop Wallpaper

I love Pixel Girl Presents, a great place to get icons and desktops for your computer. I have several on my computer which make it more homey, since I spend so many hours a day in front of it. :) This one has lots going on, but you'll see a fenderlight Vespa near the center. Check out the other desktops the site has and visit the corresponding artists for more inspiration.

See it here Link to desktop

Scoot!'s in the mail

Sorry for the big gap in posts. I've been buried in bureaucratic business at the magazine including sending out a postcard to clean up our database and in getting the magazine sent out to subscribers. We dropped it at the post office on Tuesday, so subscribers should expect to see it within 10 days.

We're trying out a new printer. They are located in Southern California and are now running our magazine on a web press instead of the sheet fed process we were using. Let me know if you notice a difference! I can tell the difference in certain aspects, but we're picky that way. :)

I am honored to be this issue's cover girl! I tested the Suzuki Burgman 400 in August and we got some excellent photos from a fancy professional photography team that Suzuki hired. Cool action shots. I had a great time riding the Burgman in the beautiful wine country above San Francisco. If you're curious about riding a big scooter, read the article. You might find the Burgman is for you.

Some other things to check out in this current issue: a guide to group riding, a guide to buying tires, an article on installing air-glide suspension, review of the TGB Laser, lots of rally reports and more.

Just as I've sent off this current issue, I've got to get down to business on the next issue. Deadline for content for the Spring issue is December 12th. If you want to submit a photo of you on your scooter for "Show Us Your Scoots" or make changes to classified ads etc.. do so by Dec. 12th.

Scooterist Favorite: Beachkrieg

A snap of a recent Beachkrieg show. Surf music by scooterists who pose as WWI submarine castaways. It doesn't make sense, but they do a great surf version of "Blue Monday".

Part of the Gymhkhana

Don't ask...

Lori & I went to the store to get some Mike's Hard Lemonade and came back to find the tail end of a gymkhana which utilized oddly assembled balloons. Not sure what hapened, but the ladies did provide beer, so we just popped a can and sat to socialize.

AGSR Ride Stop

On the Saturday ride, we rode all over and saw the cool triangle gas station which has been turned into an art museum or visitors center. We didn't stop there. When I tried to snap a photo, a white truck pulled in front of it. Argh!

AGSR Ride Stop

Snack stop on our ride

We took aride through some Palm Springs neighborhoods with great Palm Springs mid-century architecture. We stopped at a hotel called the Bungalows which has a few rooms that people can rent. Relaxing with a view of the mountains in the background.

Jackknifed truck

Polly Pocket scoot

Pitstop in Coalinga

We're on the road...

Get your scooter ornaments early!

Ornaments @ Cost Plus

I hate that there Christmas items are for sale before Halloween, but I love that I found these 2 inexpensive scooter ornaments. The small one is made of paper and was $1.99. The larger is a Santa on a glitterrific 3-wheel scoot for $6.99. Get them before all your scooterists friends buy them all out.

April going to AGSR

I've missed all the past All-Girl Scooter Rallies, but this year, I'm heading to Palm Springs with my housemate Lori for the event. We're ready to bond with our scootering sisters and get a last bit of summer weather before fall completely takes over. The itinerary looks fun and we're looking forward to riding around a different town. Want more info about the AGSR?
View the website. There is also a Yahoo! Group where all the discussion and info get's passed around.

Sale on Kauffman Scooter Fabric

First, let me say: I love Reprodepot!

Next. let me tell you that they are having a sale on their Mod Scooter Girls stock of fabric. I paid about $9 per yard for my blue version. You can get the grey/black version here for under $7 a yard!
Buy it here!

I made a quillow (quilt that folds into a pillow) with mine. What will you make with yours?

Ben Sherman Cufflinks

Here are some cool cufflinks for the scooter fanatic.

Check it out

Nice to see something in the Ben Sherman line that actually pertains to vintage style in more than just the name. Oh, I'm being catty. Ben Sherman does have a few cool vintage items, especially their men's hats. Very Cool. But most of the time it's something with mid-range manufacture and high price and only a cool name.

These cufflinks retail for $50, which is a little steep, but you know you'll wear them to every scooter event night show, soul all-nighter and scooter wedding for the next few years!

Love our watertower

As I left the Scoot! office tonight at 10pm, I looked up and saw the moon's beams wrapping around the watertower that looms over our building. It's only 1/10th as pretty in the pic as it was in person.

New Scoot! Staffer, pt 2

Post name suggestions on this blog for our newest staff member.

New Member of Scoot! Staff

About 2 months ago, Josh & I started noticing small black pellets in the corners of the office. Turns out they were mouse scat. I bought a humane trap so we could nab them. Lightly salted Kettle chips did the trick and they were banished to a field. We then realized that we had an opening for a Rodent Engineer at the office and hired this little lady. She had yet to be named, but I think our readers may have some apropos suggestions for a scooter-themed name for our newest staff member. If you have a suggestion, leave a comment on this blog.

Stephen meets Jello

I want my friend Stephen to do reviews of punk music for the magazine. He sent me this pic of him & Jello Biafra in San Francisco. I think he may be qualified.

Old Cold Phone Pic

I found this picture on my phone. Josh & I went to Indianapolis for the Cycle World motorcycle show in February. Our window froze on the inside and I scratched "Scoot!" in the ice. Josh left the hotel room with wet hair and it froze on the way to the car. Our shoes left ice tracks on the carpet of the car which were still intact when we came out of the convention 8 hrs later. Does it surprise you that it was 2-degrees F that day?

Great Indian Road Trip

Ever since my college Indian Art class, I've wanted to go to India. In my imagination I had envisioned exploring temples and stupas, trying local foods and exploring new towns. What I had never considered was a scootering trip across the huge country. That is exactly what a handful of men from India are doing right now. It's called the Great Indian Road Trip and you can find out about it at the official website.

Their route will take them over 12,000 miles. You can check out the map on their site as well as read their various blog entries. A Kinetic Blaze 165cc scooter is on the trip and made it to the "Highest Motorable Road in the World" Leh-Khardungla Road which is said to be 18,430 Ft. There are motorcycles on the trip, but you know us at Scoot! are pulling for the scooters. :)

I am still waiting for news from Kinetic about when they plan to have their bikes in the states. They are remaking the Italjet Dragster and the Velocifero, so I know that many people in the US & UK are interested in hearing more.

NSR: But still cool

Art Car fest

There is an annual Art Car Fest that takes place in Berkeley and San Jose. This was one of the entries. Kinda cool- kinda scary.

The crew awaiting melted cheese & bread,,,

Pizza!

John of Moto Amore goes to this authentic Italian pizza place & invited us along. A good reason for a night ride.

Thursday night scoot to pizza...

Jason's scoot @ night ride

We stopped for gas & I took a pic of his baddazz ruckus.

Cannonball Run in Full Swing

if you didn't already know it, the Cannonball Run is on with 30 riders attempting the cross-country ride from Oregon to New Jersey. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Silicon Valley has 4 participants on the ride. Go South Bay! Scoot! is sponsoring all the riders (we couldn't play favorites!) by giving them each a gas card. Anyone who attempts that ride deserves some assistance!

While it's hard to get info on all the riders, there are a few places where you can get updates:

site for our 4 local Cannonballers.

Heather Knight's Blog. Heather is from the Portland area and she & I have corresponded about scooter parking. She's a cool gal and I wish her luck.

Modern Vespa Forum. Homeboy Rich is on a People 250 that he charmed KYMCO into letting him ride. He's using the Modern Vespa Forum to post his updates.

Thanks to Dennis for turning me onto Owen Medd's Cannonball Blog. Owen is from the Rover SC and is doing a good job of keeping us apprised of the ride.

The Good Ol' Scooter BBS has some info being posted. While Robert isn't on the ride, he's posting updates that he gets. Look around the site for other updates from Robert Volz who is on the ride.

Of course, you can always check the actual Cannonball site for updates although the info is basic at this point.

If you hear of any other sites, please let me know so I can post it. Those of us who wish they could have gone are eager to hear what's happening.

On an unrelated note, tomorrow is the deadline for content submissions for the Winter issue of Scoot!. Contact me if you have anything you'd like to contribute.

Pics from a BBQ for Cannonballers

Cannonball Sendoff

San Jose's Vespa Club Los Gatos has 4 scooterists participating in the Cannonball Run which begins next week in Oregon. Scoot! is sponsoring the event by providing each of the 30 riders with a gas card. They're going to need it as they ride scooters across country for over 3,000 miles to New Jersey. This is the second year of this event and we're proud to have 4 locals involved. Tom "Bagel" Donohue will be writing a report for the magazine.

You can follow the progress of the riders on the

Cannonball Run Website which has some public forums.

Mike Bobadilla's Tricked-Out ET4

Cannonball Run Sendoff

Mike is one of the 4 local Cannonballeers. he has some cool modifications to his bike to make it more comfortable and useful during his 3,000 mile trek. Read about it in the Winter issue of Scoot! Magazine which comes out in November.

Shindig Happens This Weekend

The Scoot! crew will be in San Jose enjoying Josh Rogers' "September Shindig" rally. It is year 9 and Josh is only a week away from his wedding. Madcap fun will ensue! Josh is also one of us three publishers of Scoot!, but long before we took the helm, he single-handedly put on this rally. It is lots of fun and is unique to the big "stand around and chat about scooters" rallies. It is smaller and more intimate with irreverent games, a bit of off-color humor and some long rides. If you are in the Bay Area this weekend, make an effort to catch it.

James Cornell Comes Home

You may have seen my previous posts about local scooterist/motorcyclist James Cornell who was seriously injured in the Isle of Man race. This week he came back to the states and is continuing his recuperation in San Francisco. Two local news organizations have covered his return:

NBC11 TV

SF Chronicle Newspaper.

If you are interested in finding out more information or donating towards the mountain of medical bills that James will face
Visit the James Cornell Fund website.

Suzuki Burgman Test cont.

Stop on our ride.

Almost to the end of our test ride. We stopped at a wine tasting place to buy but not taste wine. I'm not really a wine drinker so I chatted outside while some bought wine inside. Incidentally, that night at dinner I did have a glass of red wine which the waiter secretly kept filling up while I was looking the other way.I must have had 3 glasses that night inadvertantly! On the bus ride home I was starting to doze, so I was glad to crash into bed. After a 7-hour scooter tour of the beautiful area north of San Francisco I was pleasantly exhausted. A full review of the Burgman will run in our Winter issue.

Suzuki Burgmann Test snap

Suzuki Burgman launch

Our tour started at Fisherman's Wharf and we stopped for some pics at the famous area under the Golden Gate Bridge. I've always been reticent to ride over the Golden Gate because it is so windy and I think some drivers are looking at the views instead of paying attention to the road. Not sure my 61 Vespa 150 would be up for it. :) But the Burgman was a great ride. Lots of power- it didn't even notice the wind. I wish I had some pics of us riding over it- nearly 2 dozen Suzuki Burgmans. Some people asked, "Are you some scooter gang or something?"

Indoors at SF Classic Day Show

Live from SF Classic!

I mostly manned the Scoot! booth, so I snapped a pic of my view of the show. I didn't win the fancy scooter. Matter of fact I haven't won anything at a rally for over 2 years. I guess I used up all my luck the time I won a scooter at Vespa Club Los Gatos' rally.

Wha'appen?

I got to meet & hang out with Dave Wakeling's reformed English Beat when they played in San Jose last week. Bosco and I chatted with Dave and Lynval Golding of the Specials who has joined them for the tour. The band played English Beat and Specials tunes and had the crowd bouncing. Read more about our interview in the Winter issue.

For now the Fall issue just arrived from the printers. You can get an advance copy at this weekend's San Francisco Classic rally. Subscriber issues will be shipped early next week. Shops should also begin to see them next week.

Bratz know what is cool...

Bratz Kidz scoot $3O

Found it at at Target. Installed the battteries and got it to chase the cats around the house a bit.

Scoot! to Review Suzuki Burgman 400

Suzuki is making the Burgman 400 available to a pool of journalists in August. I'll be traveling to San Francisco and riding to Napa with a group to give the Burgman a spin. I'm looking forward to the long ride. As you may recall, Scoot! did an ambitious review of maxi-scooters in our Winter 2004 issue.

In that issue we rode from The Los Angeles area to our homes in San Jose/San Francsico and back and then back again and then back again! We rode over 8,000 miles on 11 different bikes. At that time, only the Burgman 650 was available. Now, I'll get a chance to review the 400. It's a big bike, but I think I can handle it! :) The review should run in the Winter isssue which comes out in November. As for the Fall issue, it is at the printers and should be ready to ship next week.

Join us on MySpace!

I know I posted this earlier, but just wanted to remind everyone that they can find Scoot! Magazine at
Scoot!'s MySpace Profile.

We'll be using the bulletin area to make announcements, and we hope to keep in touch with those we meet on the road. So, add us as your friend!

New Merch Sneak Peek...

We received our new shirts from Modified Printing in Portland, OR. The artwork is from Mark Atmos Pilon who created a cute little couple scootin' along. The back has the Scoot! logo so you can represent! It's not yet available, since Josh & Miike are selling them at Amerivespa this weekend in Denver. When they get back, we'll post the shirts to the Scoot! webstore and you can order them. We have both men & women's sizes. As with all new-fangled women's T's the girlie shirts are form-fittting.

MTV Italy Pimps Some Rides

I wish that MTV USA would "Pimp" some scooters! The Italians have and you can download small video snippets from iTunes. Like all "Pimp.." vehicles, they are over the top, but who doesn't want one scooter which blows everyone away?

Download free videos from iTunes.

"Das Freakout"

WWI German Surf Band, Beach Kreig performs at Scoot to the Moon rally in Half Moon Bay, CA. July 22. And no, the picture isn't fuzzy because of my drinking, it's just my little picture phone.

Ride to Work on Wednesday

Don't forget, this Wednesday is Ride to Work Day. Drop me a line and let me know if you are a first-time participant and how it went. I'll be putting through the streets of San Jose that day spreading the word with my cool Scoot! License Plate Frame:

Cick the picture to see how you can get one for yourself and friends.

Delia's Get's MOD-ernized

The new Delia's catalog features a vintage Lambretta in keeping with their mod theme. See their splash photo of teens & the scooter. The catalog has a few photos of the scooter,but this one is best. They also use a Mini Cooper. Some of the clothes may fit in with the mod lifestyle. I'm just hoping that the bad 80's clothing will soon go away. And what about all these flared & bell-bottom style pants. Ugh! "Where have all the straight-legs gone? Long time pa-assing..."

Racing fun

Fuzzy phone pic of mini-motorcycle races at DeAnza college. While these races aren't for scooters exclusively, it's a great place for those who own vehicles that aren't street-legal to get out an tear it up. Jason from Battlescooter.com was able to race a 50cc scooter in some of the races. There were also go-peds, go-carts, mini-bikes and such.

Jason of Battlescooter.com and friend at the mini-motorcycle races. They raced against mopeds on stock 50cc scooters that were totally stripped. They didn't even have seats! The day also had gokart, go-ped and other bikes racing.

New Polly Pocket scoots

Found at Target for less than $10. The scooters are similar to the previous Polly Pocket ice cream scooter but I think they are a slightly different design.

"Are we in trouble...?"

Outside Rev. Horton Heat show

Lori & I parked in a red zone between 2 cars which is a dead space of sorts. When we came out we thought we'd have some explaining to do, but it turned out that the police merely pulled over to arrest a lady who was drunk in public. You might be able to make out some frisking going on in the back of the pic. We rode away with no hassles. Hooray! As an aside, The Reverend was great and Jimbo (his stand-up bass player) was on fire that night. J-I-M-B-O!

Say Kanichewah to a Japanese scooter shirt

OK, so my phonetic spelling is likely wrong, but I took four years of French instead of Japanese. I found this cool shirt on the Internet and haven't actually ordered one, so I can't say anything about the actual product or the website, but it was too cool to pass up. It is supposed to have the Japanese word for "Scooter" on it. A good way to combine the vintage scooter with a Japanese sensibility. I've emailed the site to get more info before I put it in my printed column, but you get the scoop first. Find any cool items that are worthy of a mention in the blog or column? Email me below.

Aggrolites

L.A.'s "dirty reggae" band the Aggrolites perform in San Jose. A good show. Rolling Stone gave their new album a great review. Catch them if they come to your area. Visit their website.

A 700cc scooter? What's next?

I saw a news item about KYMCO beginning work on a 700cc scooter. Read it here
While it is only 50cc bigger than the Suzuki Burgman, it brings to mind the questions, "How big can a scooter get?" and "When does a scooter become a motorcycle?" The first question is hard to answer. The Scoot! team has long been wondering when a 1,000cc bike will be available and which manufacturer will make it. It remains to be seen.

The answer to the second question seems a bit easier, but actually isn't. In our next issue we'll review a CPI "scooter" which is more like an automatic motorcycle. I can see that line between scooter and motorcycle blurring. Especially so when many of the bikes we review are loosing their flat center mats to big humps that make it more difficult to carry a 12-pack between your feet on the way home from the store. :)

In other news, we're expecting to get some new Scoot! merchandise this week from Modified Printing. Some more track jackets and some cool white/blue ringer shirts with a cute scooting illustration by artist Mark Atmos Pilon. Mike has begun the layout process and we are doing our best to get the issue available for Amerivespa In Denver next month, which willl be 2 weeks early! Wish us luck!

Piaggio Makes Parking a Priority

Readers of my blog will find that the need for scooter parking is nothing new, but Piaggio is putting some muscle behind the call with their announcement of their Vespetition. Read it here.

In the US there are several "obstacles" to getting people to purchase scooters. While some can be addressed easily ( riding in poor weather, carrying capacity) some can't (long-distance commute for many Americans). One issue that is somewhere in the middle is parking. While most cities are car-centric, with a persistence and hard work scooterists can get the safe parking they need in order to make scootering more practical. Cities such as New York, San Francisco, Portland and even our own campaign in my home town of San Jose are making the effort to make scooter parking readily available.

The Piaggio petition has some interesting points that are not addressed in our campaign such as requesting that there be sidewalk parking along with bicycles and creating a scalable fee structure for scooters. I'm not sure how well cities will go for the sidewalk aspect, but the reduced fees are a real possibility.

Scoot! will be publishing an article on the campaign for more scooter parking. If you are mounting a campaign in your area, let me know about it so we can follow it!

James Cornell Fund

Last month Bay Area motorcyclist/scooterist James Cornell was gravely injured during his practice run at the Isle of Man. He has been in a medically induced coma and his family and friends are all waiting for him to regain consciousness.

Although you may not know James, you may have seen him in the Men's' Riding Gear feature we did in the Summer '06 issue. James works at Helimot European Accessories, a company that manufactures leather riding suits and gear. He is a vocal supporter of all riders wearing protective gear and he gave his time and expertise to help us put together our important gear article.

The Isle of Man race is notoriously dangerous. This year, several racers were critically injured. Two were killed. James and his racing partner were very aware of the dangers of the sport but love it and were proud to represent their club and the US in the race.

If you are interested in finding out more information or donating towards the mountain of medical bills that James will face
Visit the James Cornell Fund website.

Ride to Work- July 19

If you didn't know it, we're one month away from Ride to Work Day- a great time to take advantage of what two-wheel commuting can mean. I am lucky enough to work about 5 miles from my house, so my 10-15 minute commute is easy on city streets. While some may have a bit farther to go, I encourage all of you riders to do it. Even if you think it might be a stretch, give it a try. It may involve planning out an alternate route to avoid freeways. Maybe it means leaving a little earlier.Think of the gas you'lll save. Remember how fun riding can be, especially when you're leaving all the cars in the dust! To get more info on Ride to Work Day, Check out the Site.

San Jose Parking Update

Last week, Josh and I met with Bill (who put the SJ downtown parking petition online) and went to the City Council. Bill had already primed the Dept. of Transportation that we'd be there and the Director of the department was on hand to meet with us. Each of us addressed the council during the open forum section. Open forum speakers go in order of when their cards are received. We were sandwiched between 2 lunatics who ranted, which made us either look good in comparison, or else lumped us in with the weirdoes. Regardless, I think that the council was receptive.
Afterwards we meet with the director and he assured us that the ban on motorcycles in the city-managed parking garages was on its way to being reversed. In fact you can now park in the Coty Hall underground garage. He said they were fine-tuning the garage gate sensors and that all the garages would be within compliance shortly. Also, he said the new garage across from City Hall would have specific motorcycle parking spaces in it.

While I was pleased about that, I did tell him how important designated on-street parking for motorcycles is, especially for scooters who are smaller and more apt to be moved by motorists looking for parking, or backed into by oblivious drivers. I told him that I would like to present him with suggestions on places where we think motorcycle parking could be places without removing car spots.

So, I'm asking our fellow scooter/motorcycle riders to keep an eye out and send me an email with locations that you think could be turned into motorcycle parking. The red spot on Devine across from Germania by Trials is a given, but let's see what else we can come up with. How about So. 1st street? How about near the blank club? I want to go out & take photos and annotate a map to present to the DOT.

Thanks & happy scooting,

Scooter Charm Bracelet

Saw this online while shopping for a birthday present for my boyfriend. Not exactly his type of thing, but maybe you want to spend $89 on a special scooterist? Check it out at: eLuxury.com.

Piaggio IPO

Looks like the relaxed Italians are making for a less timely IPO by Piaggio. This article in the UK's "The Business Online" has a story on it.

See It Here.

Watertower @ Scoot! Office

The Scoot! office is located in an old cannery from the 30s. It still has its large watertower and a tall smoke stack from its past life. Now it hosts small industrial businesses downstairs and a bunch of kooky artists upstairs. Guess which floor we're on???

I took this photo with my phone as I left the office after our editorial meeting.

We even have our own building "drunk," a semi-homeless guy named Phil who used to be a punk rock star but now stops by to chat and watches over my scooter when it's parked outside.

It's an entertaining place to be!

Italjet Coming Back to the US?

A news report on Indian website Rediff.com statse that ihe Italjet Velocifero is poised for a comback with Kinetic of India at the helm.

Read the news article here

I have heard of several people who bought Italjets and have been unable to get parts because the original Italian company went under. UK scooterists still write into "Scootering" magazine about it.

While the Kinetic scooters aren't much on beauty, what is interesting is that if they make parts for the Italjet bikes that can work on the older bikes, it would really help out all of those Dragster and Velocifero owners out there. Additionally, the Dragster was a popular scooter,so it's rebirth may be welcome to those who love to tune and race.

What I did find funny was the suggestion that they could sell 10,000 Blaze scooters per month. However, the Chairman was quoted as saying that the bikes cost between $500-600, so maybe he is hoping to low-ball the competition. I hope that is for manufacturing, because I'm not too sure I would trust a bike that only cost that little at retail. I'll believe it when I see it.

ISO: Baron 150-VLA & Cushman Trailster owners

We're reviewing the Baron 150 VLA and I'd like to hear the opinions of fellow owners to see what they think of their scooter. If you've got one and want to forward along some honest comments that will help our readers, please send them to me.

We're also looking for Cushman Trailster owners. We'd like to do a historical article on the scooter & need bikes to photograph as well as original promo materials.

If you can help with either of these queries email me from my profile which you can access at the right of the blog.

Buffalo News Checks Out Scooters

I was quoted in an article about scooters in the Buffalo, NY area. Like many other news agencies, The Buffalo News is seeing a growing trend in scooter sales.

Read the article.

Know a scooter graduate?

Papyrus stores are now selling a card for graduates. The front has a graduate in gown riding a vintage Vespa with his/her cap blowing off. No head is visible, so you can give it to whomever you choose. The inner greeting says, "You're headed for a bright and happy future!" I picked this up at Papyrus for $2.95. Get yours now before they're gone.

You can find a Papyrus store at the company's website

Low and Fast

Moike's sidecar moto

Our friend Moike from the Santa Cruz Vampires SMC brought his cool sidecar rig. He actually rides it on the street. It was a big attraction at the Moto Amore/Scoot! BBQ.

Mobile Snap

Friday night scooterists BBQ at Moto Amore scooter shop in San Jose. An ongoing event that Scoot! will co-sponsor.

30% of Americans would consider scooting...

Yesterday, Piaggio USA issued a press release on a survey that they comissioned. The results were that "30% of U.S. consumers would be extremely or somewhat likely to consider using a motor scooter for their everyday transportation needs."

While I am a huge scooter fanatic, even I am surprised by the results. Maybe it's because after 10 years of hearing "Get a real motorcycle" called from cars and pedestrians I have a biased view of what Americans are inclined to think. Maybe there can be a survey to explain the poularity of Hummers and Escalades. I'm still lost on that one. :)

According to the press release,"The survey found other strong factors motivating consumer's willingness to consider utilizing a scooter, including environmental concerns and overall cost savings. The survey found that 33% of Americans would be likely to use a scooter to reduce emission harmful to the environment, 35% would be likely to use a scooter to save $25.00 a week on gasoline." This is also welcome news. I did an interview with the Buffalo New York News about scooters and I told the reporter to look at the many other factors besides gas; cheap insurance, easy parking, lesser impact on the environment etc. If you want to lessen the impact on your wallet, try a scooter!

Wearing a helmet?

I know that helmets are not required in all states, but I am saddened by a Las Vegas TV news piece and accompanying video that went with it. A man & his 4-year old grandchild were in a scooter accident. The grandfather was killed while the child was hospitalized. Both were not wearing helmets. Furthermore, the grandchild was sitting in front of the grandfather when the scooter went out of control and hit a fire hydrant.

Read & view the TV news report here.

These reports are real bummers for those of us who love scootering. While I encourage people to take up scootering as a fun hobby and mode of transportation, I am amazed by how careless some can be. Especiallly those who put so much thought into saving money on their scooters through bargain shopping but give helmets no consideration at all. I would wear a full-face helmet whether or not my state required it, just as I wear a seatbelt in the car.

As a child, I split my lip when a softball hit my face during a game. I can only imagine what would happen to my head if I fell over at 30mph. In 1991, when I did have a crash at about 25-30mph I had no head injury thanks to my helmet. Photos of it were published in the Fall '05 issue of Scoot! A scrape started about where my right cheek would be and continued up to the top of the helmet. The visor was so scratched you would not be able to see through it. That's hard plastic, so imagine what would have happened to the soft flesh of my face...Bleaagth! I landed with most of my weight on my shoulder which had layers of skin scraped off. I now have a pale scar on that shoulder. My freckles were scraped off and they are slowly but surely coming back 4 years later.

I've heard all of the excuses before. How helmets compromise some riders' sense of freedom, how they miss the wind in thier hair, how they won't let the government cramp their style. But I wonder, if you could survey all the helmetless people that died of head trauma in motorcycle crashes last year and ask them one question, "If you could go back and do that ride again, would you wear a helmet?" What do you think their answer would be?

For statistics on motorcycle crashes & head injury, take a look at the National Highway Traffics Safety Administration's site

Want your scooter in Scoot!?

I'm working on gathering scooters for our next issue's "Reader's Rides" which spotlights a well-done custom scooter. If you've got a scooter that draws "ooohs" and "aahs" from the crowd, we'd love to see it. Scoot! wants new and old scooters, vintage and modern twist-n-gos, the only requirement being that it reflects its owner and is done well. Stock scoots usually won't do (although it's not out of the question, especially with unusual vintage bikes). We want to see the owner's personality reflected in his/her scooter.

If you've got a bike you think should be seen in North America and the world, let us know. Here are some tips to help you get your bike in:

1) Submit lots of good photos: include details and keep in mind what's in the background. Look through your viewer for dead plants, garbage, stray body parts ans such tat detract from the bike. Do not submit night photos. Take your time to do a good job or get someone who is a good photographer to help you.

2) We accept prints or digital images. Digital images should be a minimum of 300dpi/ppi at actual size. The larger the file size the better. If we receive great photos, we're 3/4 of the way there!

3) Complete our questionnaire: you can download it from our site [www.scootquarterly.com]. Without the questionnaire we won't run a Reader's Ride.

4) Make sure to include a photo of you: Headshot or one of you on the bike. We want to know who you are so we can congratulate you whe we see you next!

If you have any questions, feel free to email me!

Rachel Ray & Peter Moore

Saw this in the store, today. Rachel Ray knows that scooting, especially on a vintage Vespa GS typifies the free-n-easy feeling of summer. Oddly enough, it is raining in San Jose, today. I hope my BBQ and ride tomorrow isn't ruined by the weather. I've got a rack of ribs & some drumsticks for the BBQ. Better cleanout the oven just in case...

On another note, you may recall the interview or Peter Moore & the review we ran of his book, "Vroom with a View" last year. Peter is in the US making appearances to promote the US printing. He's making a stop at THE book publishing event, the American Booksellers Association convention (I've been to it before and it is FUN) as well as smaller talks throughout the country. Here are his stops (which include some cool scooter shops, too):

Sunday May 21, 2 pm
Vespa DC, Washington DC
Ride/Talk and BBQ!

Monday May 22, 7 pm
McNally Robinson, New York
Talk

Saturday May 27, 1 pm
Vespa New Orleans
Talk

Tuesday May 30, 6.30 pm
Scooter Originali, Orange New Jersey

Wednesday May 31, 7.00 pm
Scomo, Richmond VA

Thursday June 1, 6.30 pm
Erico Motorsports, Denver Colorado

San Jose Motorcycle Petition ONLINE

Just an FYI for anyone in the San Jose, CA area:

Motorcycle rider, Bill B. has created an online petition to get more motorcycle parking in downtown San Jose. At this time there are over 550 people signed on. If that doesn't work, then we'll take to the streets and have a park-in! I'm actually relishing the thought! If you are interested,

View and/or sign the petition here.

Bravo to Bill for getting it going online! I hope we can accomplish this big, yet totally reasonable goal! :)

Are you working on a similar cause in your town? We'll be covering it in an upcoming issue of Scoot! and we'd love to share as many different stories as possible.

Dealernews article

If you're a scooter dealer and have the May 2006 Dealernews magazine, you probably have seen their scooter insert. I was interviewed by Senior Editor, Dennis Johnson. I told him that while I was at the Indianapolis Motorcycle Show I spoke to dealers about how a shop's longevity relies on creating a community of scooterists. I spoke about this briefly in my 2/10 blog entry, but went into it more in depth with Dennis. He used some of my quotes in the article that appears in Dealernews.

While some shops grow out of a thriving community, I am seeing many new shops open that are not owned or helmed by scooterists. While there isn't anything wrong with that, it just means that these shops will need to create a community so that it keeps revolving business going. This is especially true when you get "newbie" scooterists who are buying scooters purely for economic or practical reasons. These scooter owners are usually alone, putting around the town on their own. But, if a shop intoduces them to other sccooterists and hosts scooter-centric events, it can invigorate their appreciation for scooting!

The Dealernews article also talks about catering to the unique needs of scooterists by stocking items that they actually want to carry. I mentioned that most scooter riders don't want to get off their scooters looking like they were going to race. Unortunately, the article makes it sound as if I said that scooterists wouldn't wear Joe Rocket or Alpinestars gear. However,I didn't mention those companies as such and I think that both companies have some clothing that is totally right-on for scooter riders. I wish scoooter riders bought clothing that was made for riding instead of repurposing street clothing for riding. BTW- in our current issue, you can find a nice example of those clothes as we have a men's riding gear spread.

At any rate, I'm glad to get some press for Scoot! to dealers who may not be aware of us. Additionally, if you are a dealer who wants to chat about what I'm talking about feel free to give me a jingle at our San Jose office: 408.294.4292.

Oh, I also forgot to mention: HOW ABOUT THIS WEATHER? AWESOME!

NoHo Scooters on NPR

Congratulations to our friends at NoHo Scoooters for the NPR piece on scooters which exclusively used their shop. NPR is a great catch and says a lot about how scooters are making inroads to the nation's psyche.

Hear it here.

The piece talks abot the affordability and fuel-effficiency but mentions that you can only haul a few bags off groceries. I've been able to haul 2 people and 4 bags of groceries on my P200 with rear rack. It got me to thinking, why not ask readers to send in photos of their scooters packed with a safe bounty of items on it. In Asia, they haul a kid a wife, a bundle of bananas and a pig, why can't we do something similar? If you've got a good photo of your scooter loaded up with stuff, send it to me.

Mag is in the mail

We dropped off the magazine at the post office today. If you are a subscriber, I'd love to know how long it takes for you to received the issue. We've really tried to improve the way we ship the magazine over the past few issues and I think we have the speediest service, yet. Some areas take longer than others depending upon the Area Distribution Center (ADC) that is nearest you, but all magazines should be received before Memorial Day.

Mag & Rally on same weekend

We just received the Summer issue from the printer. We should have subscriber's issues in the mail on Tuesday and shops should be getting their copies by the end of the week. Book stores should receive them the week after. When the magazine comes in, it is a flurry of activity. The mailing process for subscribers is complicated and takes all my concentration and brain power. I'll be spending a little time at the Vespa Club Los Gatos "Classico Moto Italia" rally this weekend, but much of the rest of the weekend means stuffing, labeling, fillng out forms and carrying lots of boxes and sacks. I'll post photos of the rally but spare you the photos of the mailing process! :)

If you aren't out on a ride now, go do it. The weather is great and the hills are alive with the smell of two-stroke!

Dynotesting

Photo of Josh dyno testing his Vespa GT200 to see what all the additional whatzits we've had installed have done for it. To be seen in a future issue of Scoot!. Thanks to local motorcycle/scooter shop Moto Italiano in San Jose for letting us use their dyno and staff for our testing!

Is Baron King?

We are in the midst of our Baron scooter test. I picked it up in November, be honest, hardly rode it as it was raining in my area like it was a rain forest. It sat for about 2 months and when the weather got decent, the Baron wouldn't start. We've had our mechanic change the carb and do some clean-up and it seems to be working fine, now. The speedo said 50mph on my way home today.

Like most new vehicles, it's nice to have something new to putt around on, but I do notice a huge difference between pricier models such as Vespa, Aprilia, Honda and the like. Our windshield cracked, the right rear turn signal fell off and we've got a few stress cracks. When we were unloading it, the bottom caught on our ramp and cracked the plastic undercarriage. While I don't expect it to be as keen as a $6k scooter, I do wonder who is buying inexpensive plastic scooters and what they want out of them. I doubt that this will be a collectible scooter, and I think it would be generous to think that someone could get 5 years out of it without replacing lots of parts. Yet, maybe for most of the buyers of these scooters, the short-termness is OK. Not everyone looks to own the same vehicle dozens of years later. (One of my Vespas is 9 years older than I am!).

Keeping that in mind, we'll write our fair and review of the bike. No scooter that I have ridden is without merit. Some are definitely better than others, but scooter riders vary in their expectations, and I need to do away with any preconceptions when reviewing such bikes.
Honestly, before I got involved with Scoot!, I wouldn't have guessed that I would be riding all these different scooters, let alone actually *liking* some of them. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

Mike & josh have both seen the proofs of the Summer issue and we expect to have it delivered on Friday (Cinco de Mayo!). That weekend is the Classico Moto Italia rally, but we'll likely have to work through one of the days stuffing magazines.

The deadline for submissions for the Fall issue (can you believe it?) is June 14. If you want to submit rally reports, Show Us Your Scoots photo or anything else, send it in by that date.

An unrelated note: I just bought a PS2 (I know the PS3 is coming out, but this was only $139 brand new), and I am obsessed with "Getting Up" and all the butt-kicking and graffiti-ing. The soundtrack is awesome! Maybe the best part of the game. I'm looking to get some of those games with scooters on them, although real life scootering is much more fun!

25% off sale on cool scooter stationery!

The Scoot! website sells cards from the ladies at Rock Scissor Paper in Southern California. They had a line of cute scooter stuff. While they have sold out of most of their items, they still have a few pieces that may interest you. AND they are having a 25% off sale today through 4/26, so order now! I just ordered some personalized stationery. They also have small gift enclosure cards which are about the same size as the small cards that accompany flowers, except that these fold. So, get thee to your browser and order some stationery before they sell out. After the sale, you can check back with Scoot! as we always sell their products at a discount, just not THAT good. :)

On other news, the Summer issue is at the printer. We expect proofs this week and delivery next week. Some exciting news about this next issue is that we'll have it at every Barnes & Noble bookseller in the US. We're doing a promotion with our distributor where we're on the endcap to test our sales. This means primo placement at every store. Previously, we were in the rack with everyone else and only at certain stores. Very frustrating for those looking for the magazine. If you purchase the magazine at newsstands or have been looking for a place to purchase it, try Barnes & Noble in Mid- to late-May. I think we lose the endcap in June. If enough people buy the magazine, we might be able to get it at all B&Ns in the future.

I just heard that Wallnecks is doing an issue which will focus on scooters. I'll post some more info on it this week.

Happy scooting!,
-april

The best laid plans...

I just got back from Santa Barbara, Ca last night. I took a trip there to visit my Grandmother on her 90th birthday. Not only was it a trip to visit my awesome Grandma, I was also looking to figure in some magazine business.

If you've never visited Santa Barbara, you should plan to. It is called the "American Riviera" because it resembles the European Riviera in it's topography, climate and flora. The city is old, one of the stops of the Spanish missionaries who built a Mission there, and remarkably, it had a very visionary mandate to keep the city looking like a small Spanish town. The architecture is likely very controlled, which is probably a bane to those who want to be original and modern. But for those of us who appreciate the local flavor, Santa Barbara is a beautiful place. While it is a big city, they have refrained from tall buildings, almost all new commercial construction still reflects the white or terracotta stucco and tile roof look that has been here for over 300 years. They city is on a small bay and faces a channel of islands off the coast.

So, you're probably wondering what this has to do with a scootering blog, right? Well, Santa Barbara is also a great city for riding. I try not to miss the annual "Endless Summer" rally as it let's me combine a visit to Grandma with some fun and beautiful scootering routes. You can ride along the coast and stop to browse the weekend arts fair that lines the beach sidewalk. The hills offer fun curvy roads and beautiful scenery. Downtown has lots of quaint, independent eateries and shops if you want to cruise the long outdoor State Street Mall. There is also a lively arts scene with plays and musical events happening all the time. While Santa Barbara is a wealthy area (I could never afford to live there) it also has a large college student population, so you can find inexpensive places to get a drink and some food while still wearing beach bum clothes.

Unortunately, this trip was mired with rain. Lots of it. I had scheduled to borrow a bike from Bobby at Moto Paradiso (the local Vespa shop) and was set to take a cruise around the city with Janel Holiday (one of the brains behind the All Girl Scooter Rally). I thought it would be a slam-dunk, easy article for the magazine, but then it rained. And rained. So my one day of scootering paradise was turned into mall shopping and mani/pedi relaxation. Sometimes you can get all the plans in place, but a little thing like weather can throw it all off. I hope to get back there when the weather improves and write my article. In the meantime, if you have a chance to get there with scooter in tow, do it. The "Endless SUmmer" rally usually takes place in September, so mark your calendar.

Kalaisha Watrous Update

Just Scoot!

Just a quick update: The PayPal address that you can send your donations to:
killerfund@gmail.com

Portland Scooterist Needs Our Help

Last year we printed a photo of a woman who had been in a scootering accident as an illustration of how important it is to wear protctive gear when riding. This week, the same woman was in another accident which was much more serious and now leaves her in intensive care. Her injuries are numerous and severe and her friends in Portland are appealing to the scootering community to assist her in the long and expensive revocery period that awaits her. They have set up a bank account and are in the proces of settting up a PayPal account. Here is an excerpt from an email that has been sent out:

She has multiple injuries, including a broken left leg, shattered right knee cap, broken left arm, dislocated right elbow
and several facial fractures. She had undergone a 7 hour surgery on one leg and will have another surgery on her leg tommorrow. The facial reconstructive surguries can not begin until swelling has subsided. Details of the injury can be viewed from this link: http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=84395

Recovery from an accident of this severity will be long, painful, and expensive. We have set up a donation fund through US Bank. Donations can be made at any branch, anywhere in the country in any amount. Just go to a US Bank branch starting *Friday, March 24th* and say you would like to make a donation to the:

*Kalaisha Watrous Donation Fund*

If you can help by donating to Kalaisha's fund please do so. I will post updates on the PayPal account info as soon as I get it. The scootering community is a close one and we all know that an accident such as this could happen to any of us out on the road.

UPDATE 3/25: the PayPal email account to contribute to Kalaisha's recovery fund is: killerfund@gmail.com.

Summer Already?

Well, not quite, but my deadiline for content for the Summer isssue is this week. It has been cold & rainy as of late, with snow on the mountains surrounding my town. That may not be a big deal to those of you around the country, but we're just a few dozen feet above sea level. There was actually sleet at the beaches nearby! Needless to say, this scooter gal is finding it hard to get the gumption up to ride when the days are dark & wet, and the nights a so very cold. That being said, I am now working on the *Summer* issue of the magazine & it is hard to releate. :)

The Summer issue of Scoot! features a men's riding gear spread, which will be a great inspiration for guys to get on some cool looking clothing that actually protects them. We're also reviewing bikes from CPI, Baron and Vento. My Scooter Collector column will have some cool kid's clothing. We're still looking for submissions for the Show Us Your Scoots section. If you aren't familiar it is a place for readers o submit photos of themselves with their bikes: a quick snapshot to show the other reader who you are & what you ride. I think it's fun to see people on their everyday bikes, in cool locations or whatever. Our Reader's Rides section is for in-depth, custom scooters, but the Show Us Your Scoots is the "everyman's" place to show off our pride & joys. :)

I am also working on a campaign to get more scooter/motorcycle parking in my town. I'm dismayed that the city does not allow motorcycle parking in city-owned parking garages. Also, there is a scant amount of motorcycle-only parking spots downtown. This means that motorcycles/scooters need to park in metered spaces & compete with cars. Do you live in a town with a similar situation? I'd love to hear what you are interested in doing about it. I hope to write about our results in a future issue.

Piaggio Takes it Public...

We've all been saying it for as long as we can remember, but Piaggio is now taking some big steps that should have been part of every scooter manufacturer's plan all along: getting in America's face (politely, of course) about the fuel economy of scooters. Piaggio has taken out a full-page ad in the NY Times with an open letter to US Mayors. I'll include it here:

"Open letter to all U.S. mayors concerned with America's oil consumption

To attain the ambitious goal of breaking America's "addiction to oil," the President has recently focused on the need to invest in alternative fuel technologies. However, there is also a behavioral approach that could greatly reduce this nation's energy consumption, while helping to preserve our environment and reduce traffic congestion.

The use of motor scooters - a daily behavior of millions of people across Europe and Asia - is only marginally embraced in the United States. Everyday in this country, millions of individuals drive their cars in locations and situations where motor scooters would be perfectly appropriate and convenient. Instead, if they were to utilize one of the latest eco-friendly motor scooters available in the market today - those compliant with the most stringent European and American regulations on gas emissions - they would, on average, reduce their fuel consumption by 58%, their emissions of carbon monoxide by 90%, and their emissions of carbon dioxide by 80%.

With the launch of the first Vespa in 1946, our company started a movement that has substantively improved transportation in countries around the world. Consistent with the President's energy utilization goals, we believe the time has come to expand the range of transportation solutions also in the United States.

We encourage you to broaden the dialogue about energy self-sufficiency to include both technological solutions and behavioral ones, fostering acceptance of alternative transportation, such as scootering. With your support - as well as that of other federal, state and local government leaders - scootering would bring immediate and substantial economic and environmental benefits to Americans and the communities in which they live.

We remain at your disposal should you wish to discuss this opportunity further.

Sincerely,
Paolo Timoni
President and CEO
Piaggio Group Americas"

The idea that scooters are a fun, easy-caring way to move through life is a valid one, but us American's have sometimes simple triggers in our brains, thus at the Indy Dealer show, guys were lining up to get signed posters from girls in tight fitting clothes who were essentially nobodies with pretty faces and slim figures. Thus, saying "scooters will save you money on the gas that you were cursing last year" will hit home.

When Piaggio first came back to the US, I was expecting some TV advertisements. I had the perfect one visulized in my brain:

A gas station attendant leans against a gas pump while a nondescript soccermom or regular joe guy pumps gas into his/her SUV. The pump make that old style click sound which indicated how much gas he is getting. A smartly and appropriately dressed scooterist pulls in to the pump near the SUV and jumps off, uses ATM card, and fills his/her tank. Meanwhile SUV person is still pumping away. The scooterists gets back on the scooter and waves to the attendant and says, "see you next week!" leaving the attendant and the SUV as they were when the commercial started.

The overwhelming message of my commercial idea is stated simply: save time and money and be the envy of the road. I think those ads would make some serious inroads in getting America to wake up to the realities of our gas addiction. They could also back it up with abother commercial containing real testimonials from riders who see the benefits of scootering. Small print ads showing people having fun only go so far. The scootering industry needs to pound the message into the american mind (with a potpourri scented velvet hammer of course!) if they exepect to make soem serious inroads into the transportation market. They are trying, and Piaggio's current step (which includes a similar letter sent to George Dubbya) will benefit the whole industry.

On a a side note, I did spend the whole president's day weekend (and then some) at the Indy Dealer show, but I'll blog that throughout the upcoming week. Stay tuned!

The Scoot! is Out There...

Whew! We have just got the new issue to the post office & what a chore it was! Unless you've dealt with the post office and their periodical mailing permit requirements, you have no idea what hell it can be for a small publication such as ours. We just moved into a new office in the same building so that we could have more room for the hours of sorting, tagging, stuffing and sacking that is needed to get subscriber mail out.

All this rigmorale is necessary because we get much better shipping rates from the post office by doing it. AND it ships much faster then regular bulk mail, which was taking up to 5 weeks to get to certain parts of the country. By going with this method were were able to reduce the subscription price by nearly $8, which is something I think our subscribers appreciate! :)

But for now, I'm going to lick my wounds, band-aid my paper cuts, ice my sore shoulder and pack my suitcase for tomorrow's flight to Indianapolis for the Dealer Expo. Hope to see some of you there! OH... and if you're going to Las Vegas for the High Roller weekend, say HI to Mike who is the sole Scoot! representative. Look for the tallest guy wearing a new Scoot! Hoodie or Track Jacket!
-april

The New Lambretta...

When I heard that CMSI was looking to create a new scooter under the Lambretta name I thought, "They've got to be kidding!" It seemed like one crazy idea. Out of all the scooter communities, I find that Lambretta owners can be the most loyal, picky, sometimes snobby, and truly committed to maintaining the integrity of their scooters. I say that not to be catty, but to illustrate what an uphill battle a company encounters when attempting to create a new version of said scooter. Compound that by the fact that the Lambretta name is owned by another company, and you've got to wonder about the planning behind it.

Well, on the International Scooter BBS, Phil Waters from Pride of Cleveland has posted some news which I thought would originally get the board all fired up. See it here But I was surprised that not many comments were logged. Maybe this is because the whole Lambretta scooter thing has been circling around since 2003 and scooterists may be tired of it. Maybe its because most scooter bbs people log on from work! :)

Regardless, the announcement that there will be another brand name for the forthcoming (?) Lambretta-style scooter probably makes scooter fans feel as if the project is even less likely to happen. Although it seems to me that this should have been done from the beginning. Sure, Lambretta fans would have bitched..."Hey, they've stolen the Lambretta look!" but at least the project wouldn't have been hampered by the name ownership. I am no trademark lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, but I doubt that the man who owns the Lambretta name also owns the rights to the design elements of the Innocenti Lambrettta scooter. Even so, the realities of changing technology since Lambretta closed its doors decades ago makes it impossible to make a bike like they used to. Thus, a new Piaggio engine, liquid cooling, emissions controls, etc. The bike would need to be changed & updated to work in today's world. And that is where that overpaid & sneaky trademark lawyer comes in. :)

At Scoot!, we've been stonewalled for news about the Lambretta project. CMSI wouldn't give us news, said they weren't ready and then Scootering (bless their hearts) would get coverage of the new English developments. Even as "news" was coming, I felt that most of it (prototypes with blatantly repurposed parts that would never be DOT compliant) was too unreliable to count as real news. My gut feeling is that we weren't seeing something that was going to be a reality. Now, I don't mean that this project would never come to fruition,but what we were seeing seemed too unfinished and up in the air to dedicate our limited space to, especially when I was sure that much of it might be changed by the time our issue hit the stands.

Well, what do you think about all of this? I'd love to hear what readers think. Do vintage scooterists care about a new scooter "in the spirit of" Lambreta? Do new scooterists (the fastest growing segment of scootering) even care? If you were CMSI what would you do?

Still Waiting...

Well, our printer called us Friday to say we would receive the shipment of the Spring issue. Josh waited around well until after their 3pm delivery deadline & no mag. Hrumph!

Apparently the magazine will now be delivered on Monday, which is kind of a bummer as we could have used all weekend to pack & ship the magazine. Ah well! It's not the first time one of us has hung around the office waiting for the delivery, and it probably won't be the last. SInce we all work other day jobs, these deliveries are inconvenient since we rarely get more than a few hours notice and there is no real delivery window. As much as I want to go to 6 issues a year, I can honestly say that the delivery & packing of the magazine makes me dread doing it more frequently! :) BUT that doesn't stop me from trying to get us on track for 6 issues.

Next weekend, we'll be in Indianapolis for the motorcycle dealer show. If any of you are there, please stop by our corner of the KYMCO boooth to say hi! We've got some great new promotional options for dealers, which I think will make Scoot! an integral part of any dealer's comprehensive scooter sales/service plan.

In our upcoming issue we advise scooter buyers to build good relationships with local shops in order to keep them in business and serving the consumer's needs, but I also think that shops need to put the capital "S" in Service and show customers how mush they appreciate their business. One cool idea I heard of the dealer hosting an occasional "customer appreciation" events such as a wine/cheese tasting or a barbecue. Invite past customers to come & meet other scooterists and feel part of a larger group. I think the customers will love it & it will go a long way towards firming the dealer/customer relationship. Also, it will generate excitement that is contagioius. Perhaps that customer brings along a friend and that experience earns the dealer a new customer. Maybe you end up selling a bunch of lifestyle products during the event. Or, maybe the customers meet other scooterists who invite them to rides and get them on their scooters more. Whatever the reason, dealer events such as that can go along way in garnering loyal and long-term customers.

Enough of my preaching. It's almost 70-degrees here in San Jose. I should go for a ride!

Scoot! Swap Meet 2/26 8am-4pm

Last year we held a scooter swap meet @ our warehouse which was mildy successful considering we barely promoted it. This year, we're partnering with Vespa Club Los Gatos (who is really doing all the work!) and hosting it again at our warehouse. It's a great opportunity to bring out your old scooter parts, vintage clothes, and scooter-related lifestyle items to sell. A good place to get some deals. I'll be selling some spare parts and some cool scooter crafts that I made.

Our warehouse is located at 190 Martha Street, San Josed, CA 95112. The event will be held in the parkinglot/courtyard. I suggest that buyers park on the street & come in. Vendors can bring in their vehicles and pull up a piece of pavement. No tables/chairs will be provided to bring your own. Also, the coourtyard can get warm, so consider a tent or cover.

Scoot!'s new ofice willbe open for visitors. A great time to stock up on back issues!

See you @ the swap!

Scoot! Spring issue @ printers

Just viewed the Spring issue proofs & sent them off to the printers. We anticipate getting the issue back in about a week. We'll need to turn it around & ship it quickly because Josh & I will be in Indianapolis for the Intl. Motorcycle show the weekend of the 18th. Mike will be in Vegas for the big High Roller's Weekend rally the same weekend. Scoot! is out & about with the public!

This new issue features our Buyer's Guide, highlighting the new scooters available in the US. We review the Piaggio BV 500 and the TnG Baja. This issue was challenging as there are 99 new bikes in the Guide! We had to cut some content because the guide was large. The situation renews my interest in going to 6 issues a year. However, we'll need to grow our revenue more before we can do that: it will require us to quit our day jobs and re-structure our advertising program which is a lot of work. I am hopefull that 2006 will position us for that in 2007.

Other highlights of the Spring issue include our results for our "Rust or Restore" contest, which asked readers to submit photos of their project bikes which needed help; a beautiful Lambretta LD Reader's Ride; a great Scooter Collector column, tips on how to buy a new scooter; several rally reports; Mike's report on his trip to Taiwan for a tour of the KYMCO factory; and loads more.

The good thing about the Spring issue being stuffed to the gills, is that I'll have ready-to-go content for the Summer issue! We'll have a men's riding fashion spread; an article debunking scooter misconceptions; more bike reviews. I'm working hard on the issue as we speak.

As far as scooters go, bothof mine are throwing tantrums. The P200 electrical system is kaput. The VBB now has a flivkering headlight and idles very high. I think that my neglect over the winter is causing them to act out! :) Well, winter is for projects isn't it? Time to get back into the cold garage I suspect.

New Office!

Scoot! has just finished a move into a new office. It's really just across the hall from our other office, but we're really happy about it! We've gone from a 325 square foot concrete room where our windows were all blocked by stock, to a 500 quare foot office with 4 windows and pergo floors! Boy do we feel like a princess at the ball! We've about to invite MTV over to showcase the "crib," but maybe we should wait until we get our phone line hooked up?

The Spring issue is at the printer adn we should have proofs available on Wednesday. Looking forward to seeing them as this issue is jammed packed with photos of new scoots. Since we'rean 80 page magazine, we ran out of space and had to remove a bunch of content. So, in the Summer issue we'll have to move a men's riding gear photo spread and a few reader's rides. I'd love to take Scoot! to bi-monthly, but we'll need to build more ad revenue and subscribers so I can quit my day job and devota all my time to the mag. Encourage your friends to subscribe so I can make the move! :)

Over President's Day weekend, Josh & I will be in Indianapolis for the Motorcycle Dealer Expo. We'll be meeting scooter dealers and spreading the word about Scoot! KYMCO has been kind enough to give us some booth space again this year. They are awesome! If you're there look us up!

New Year, New Blog, New, New, New

Wow! being as busy as I am, it just occurred to me that it is a new year. I know, it seems ridiculous, but since the magazine is put togther so far in advance I'm living in Summer 06 now, not January 06. So, I am actually accepting it and realizing that I got a lot of stuff to do.

One of my long-nagging goals has been to start a blog. Since Scoot! is a quarterly magazine (for now) it makes it hard to be timely with news, so I am starting this blog to make more timely news available. Also, to do a little gossiping, share some cool stuff and just keep in touch with Scoot!'s readers & friends. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions (other than random spam and lewd jokes!) and look forward to creating a kick-butt blog. For now, back to proofreading the Spring issue!