On the porch- 62 degrees @ 9:30pm

Argentinian Meat Fest

GTA: Vice City attraction

Scoot! in Miami this weekend...

Josh & I will be in Miami this weekend, guests of Martin Racing Performance and Daelim scooters. We're going to check out Daelim's new scooters and MRP's parts & operations. We're also looking forward to some nice riding weather. While our weekend is short and packed, we might be able to meet up with any local scooterists on Sunday night.

I've never been to Florida, so it will be a nice treat, especially after the super-cold snap we had over the past 2 weeks in California. Not even my silk thermal underclothes were helpful! Now, I'm looking through my closet wondering what does one wear in Floriday in the middle of January?

The magazine should be at the printers right now. We'll look forward to getting it the first few days of February. Josh and our freelance ad sales person Carrie will be at the Indianapolis Motorcycle Show in mid-February and then off to Vegas, where Mike will be, too. I'm skipping Vegas this year (again!) as I need to get my bearings back and push headlong into the Summer issue.
-april

Scooter Girl Calendars

Wondering how to kep that scootring spirit going while you're stuck at your desk indooors? Two scooter clubs have created calendars that may do just that. The SF Scooter Girls out of San Francisco and Midwest USA's The Debutantes SC both have released calendars that feature pinup-style photos of their members. Previous year's editions of the alendars have been such big hits that both clubs have increased their production for 2007. Order yours, now:

The Debutantes SC

The SF Scooter Girls

Calling all artists with scooter themes...

If you are an artist that uses scooters in his/her art or uses scooters as your canvas, let us know. We're working on an upcoming Scooter Art issue which celebrates how the scooters can motivate creativity with their design or through the freedom they symbolize. Painting, sculpture, video, photography, textile art..we want to see it! In past issues we printed examples of the art as well as artists info. Might be a great way to sell some of your artwork to appreciative scooter fans. Contact me for more information.

Honda's new scooter

Edmunds.com is carrying a story about a new Honda scooter being debuted at the Tokyo Auto Salon show this month. The Forza (which means "force" in Italian) 250cc scooter brings luxury features to the forefront with an inter-communication/music system as well as some pimped-out color combos and cushy upholstery. While this bike may not be available in the US soon, or ever, it's interesting to wonder how the US market would receive it.
Check out the article and pics at
Edmunds.com

It appears that larger displacement scooters will be commonplace and for the price they command, buyers are expecting more luxury features. What features would you like to see scoooter manufacturers incorporate into their bikes? Post your comments, below.

Two-stroke scooters do make a racket!

I saw an Associated Press photo on Yahoo! which had the following caption:
"Indian security personnel inspect a scooter damaged due to a bomb blast in Gauhati, India, Monday, Jan. 8, 2007."

Click here to see the photo

At first, I thought they were checking it to see if the scooter was a bomb. I used to have an aftermarket exhaust on my bike which made it sound as if it would explode. I eventually went back to stock. It seemd odd to have a super-loud scooter that only went 40mph.

Scooter Movies

I've beeen playing with the idea of adding a feature to the Scoot! website that lists films that contain scooters. For a few years, I've kept a spreadsheet on my computer that listed films that I've seen. G'head and call me a scooter nerd...

I've also been amassing any VHS and DVDs that have scooters in them for movie nights. These care TV commercials, TV shows, music videos etc.

Does anyone find this an intersting enterprise? I think it would be a cool resource, but I'mnot sure how many people would actually get a kick out of it.

If you think you'd use such a sthing, let me know. Also, if you know of any unusual films or bits of video, lemme know. An up front qualifier: No Quadrophenia! (Isn't everyone sick of that one already?), no Lambretta Twist or Adidas soccer commercials. I've got those! :) Also, no You Tube links unless you know that they are source materials.

You've got your mission... ;)