10 % off Personalized Scooter Stationery

My friends at Rock Scissor Paperare in the final day of their personalized stationery sale. Last time they had this sale, I ordered some of their scooter stationery for myself. It would make a great gift for a fellow scooterist and may encourage them to take up the long lost art of letter-writing. I am also pleased to see their other styles which bring to mind gifts for a lot of other non-scooterists who are on my list.

The Sale Ends Today (11/27) so buy now! Don't forget to use COUPON code: thanks07 to save 10%.

Vectrix Superbike? 125mph!

I'm not sure how they are doing it, but Vectrix unveiled an electric "superbike" in Milan this month. While the bike won't be racing any modern four-strokes on the track, it does exceed the expectations of electric vehicles by leaps. Checkout the report by Gizmag who said that Vectrix's three-wheel scooter went almost unnoticed when placed next to the superbike.

Where's my magazine?

I'm wondering the same thing myself!

We've been having printing issues which have not made the staff happy. Due to some confusion with our printer, the current issue which was supposed to be in stores on Nov 15, is now on its way to the Scoot! offices. It's safe to say it is over 3 weeks late. We switched printers 3 issues ago and it seems that with each subsequent issue, a new miscommunication or misunderstanding has cropped up.

At this point I can only say, please be patient. We aim to have these printing issues ironed out by the next issue and will be back on our regular schedule. I am currently working on getting the April issue edited and ready for printing. There's no problems with Scoot!, we're not going out of business or anything like that. We're just learning how to manage a new vendor relationship. Ahem.

Scooterists in Need

You may have read abut Scooter-Relief.org in past issues of Scoot!, but I wanted to let you know about the organization and encourage you to do whatever you can to help. According to the website:

In September of 2005, as the sheer magnitude of the Hurricane Katrina disaster became apparent to the world, the Jedi Knights Scooter Club and other scooterists realized we had to do something to help our friends in from New Orleans.

We quickly formed Scooter-Relief.org to coordinate relief donations for scooterists from New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast.

Since September of 2005 we raised thousands of dollars with the help of the national scooter community, clubs, individuals and shops. We have distributed these funds in an equitable fashion to all Katrina survivors who have applied for funds.

Scooter-Relief has also responded to the needs of other scooterists--victims of accidents and some facing serious illness.

The group has helped out several scooterists, some who have experienced terrible accidents, others who are facing serious diseases, while others have been the victims of natural disasters. Whatever the case, it's hard to ask for help, but sometimes it is often unavoidable. Scooter-Relief.org harnesses the global nature of our community and allows scooterists to help other scooterists.

I just personally donated some of my money for the two needy scooterists for which the website is raising funds. I hope you will consider doing so, also. On the site, you can find a description of the situation of the scooterists in need and imagine how you'd cope with a similar situation.

Gap & Vespa Release Joint Scooter

Vespa USA and clothing chain, The Gap, have announced a new special edition scooter. The "Crazy Stripe" scooter will be available for the holiday season. According to the press release:

This 2007 Limited Edition Vespa LX 50 in the "Crazy Stripe" (which looks more like "Pride Parade" to me) design represents a new spin on the classic Vespa scooter and continues to incorporate the core values of Vespa -- eco-friendly engineering, passion, individualism, and integrity -- in a stylish mode of transportation.

Beginning November 8, details on how to purchase this unique gift will be available exclusively online at The Gap. The 2007 Limited Edition Vespa LX 50 retails for $5,999 and will be available while supplies last or by special order until December 23, 2007.

Holiday shoppers in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Las Vegas will have the opportunity to check out the 2007 Limited Edition Vespa LX 50 on display in select Gap stores from November 15 to December 3, 2007. Customers interested in purchasing this special Vespa LX 50 can visit http://www.gap.com/vespa for purchasing details. To find a local Vespa USA dealer and for complete Vespa LX 50 information, visit http://www.vespausa.com/.

Hallmark Santa Ornament

Each year as we enter November, I begin a little game. Luckily, my boyfriend Jon nd housemate Lori love to play, too. It's "find the scooter ornament." Some years, our prospects are lean, while others are brimming with finds. We're usually tipped off by rumors and chat from other scooterists, but we often have a plan of stores to scour, websites to check out and catalogs to flip through.

This year, Lori heard from another scooterist that Walmart had a Santa ornament. I had already hit Walmart and thought it seemed doubtful. After some web searches, Lori discovered that it was actually "Hallmark" not "Walmart" and off she went to buy out the last 2 "Santa's Scooter" ornaments left in the local store. Score one for Lori. Note: The Halmark site is a bear and you won't find the ornament on the site, so check your local stores for it. I also haven't been able to confirm of 3rd party retailers such as Long's Drugs have this ornament. I'll be checking that out, too.

The ornament has a pull-string at the back of the scooter which plays a version of "Here Comes Santa Claus" with scooter engine sound effects. Cute! Santa's hand waves while the song plays. Double-cute!The ornament retails for $20.

Although I should really be working on my feature article for the next issue, I am going to go out and hit the stores looking for something Lori or Jon haven't found. If you've got any tips to share with me or the blog readers, post a comment!

Tough Luck for Mickey Rourke

As we've all heard, Mickey Rourke was arrested for DUI this week while making an illegal U-turn on his Vespa. While drunk driving is a serious issue, I am more intrigued by some of the headlines and tones taken by the journalists that are covering the story. Apparently a DUI is not surprising, but the fact that a "tough guy" like Rourke rides a scooter is! Check out what Josh Hart from The National Ledger had to say about it:

How easy is it to make fun of Mickey Rourke now? While DUIs are no laughing matter it is hard to fathom getting one on a blue Vespa scooter in Florida but somehow the tough guy actor did just that. Is this the same brute from the film "Sin City?" Is this the rugged guy that couldn't handle a gun from Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man?" Ah - so removed from Hollywood.

Isn't there a joke - "What do fat chicks and a moped have in common?" (Punch line - They are both fun to ride but you wouldn't want your friends to see you on one). Here come the e-mails - hey I didn't write it, some guy that is now on strike likely did

It's just another indication of some American's shallow minds to tie someone's virility and "toughness" to their vehicle. I am a fan of Rourke's work. I know nothing about his personal life, so I can't say anything about him as a person. But i can say that he must not think that his Vespa speaks badly of his manliness. It's probably a smart vehicle for him to have, especially on Miami Beach where the traffic *sucks* and scooters are a much better form of transport. And....you can't beat the weather!

Maybe we should embark on a campaign to debunk this myth....

Just Gottta Scoot Interview

This past Friday, I was interviewed by David Harrington of Just Gotta Scoot, an audio podcast that you can get for free from iTunes. We chatted about Scoot! and its history as well as some topic close to my heart such as scooter safety, classic versus vintage and more. If you have a 1/2 hour to listen, download it at: Just Gotta Scoot

New Charuca Desktop

Charuca, the Spanish artist who appeared in our Scooter Art issue and contributed an illustration for a Scoot! T-shirt, has a new desktop that you can download from Pixel Girl Presents. While it doesn't have a scooter, it does have a couple of mini-cars, which always seem to find a following in the scooter world.

You can find out more about Charuca's retro-inspired artwork at her site, Mondo Trendy. I also recommend that you periodically check out Pixel Girl Presents for fun icons (Mac or PC) and more engaging desktop wallpapers. She even has a section for iPhone wallpapers.

You can also own a piece of Charuca's art when you buy the t-shirt at the
Scoot!Magazine web store.

Alloy Scooter Sweats

Thanks to Jon who told me about a pair of cool sweatpants offered by teen clothing catalog, Alloy.

The Reversible Sweatpant (item#163923) is white with a repeating black line drawing of a girl with a Series III Lambretta. It reverses to a plain background with a singe large image of the girl & scooter. The sweats range in sizes (S-XXXL)and price ($26.50 - $29.50).

Ladies, be sure to bookmark Alloy.com and check it periodically for scooter stuff.Every once in a while, they offer scooter products or use scooters in their catalogs.