Mercy Me & Audio Adrenaline Scooter Video

On the Mercy Me band blog, they recently posted a fun video of the bands (Mercy Me & Audio Adrenaline) riding scooters on one of their breaks in the midst of touring. It's fun to watch and makes you want to get on your scooter and go. If you are a fan of the bands, pick up our article in issue # 40 (Summer 07).

Scoot! @ Euro Motor Show & Swap 3/29

I'm a little behind on posts as I was in a car accident this past weekend and then promptly came down with a cold. I think I need a vacation...

If you are around the San Jose Bay Area this weekend, stop by the European Motorcycle Show & Swap at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. It's put on by the Ducati Vintage Club, but it open to all European bikes, including scooters and mopeds. With all that has been going on at Scoot! we'll still have a small booth there. I would attend the event anyway, so we might as well throw up our placard, too. If you are there, stop by and say hello!

Vespa Canada ad

Find more videos like this on AdGabber


Not sure if this ad is web-only or runs on broadcast media, but it is kinda cute. However, it does what most Vespa ads do, rely on nostalgia or cuteness rather than the practicality and versatility which I think is most important. Especially when the economy is starting to tank. Scooter sales should be picking up because of gas prices & the economy. I hope that US scooter manufacturers will get it together to launch a concerted campaign push this year.

Reminder: Wear a Helmet

I often see article about scooterists being seriously hurt in crashes. Most of these articles I find through internet searches. I follow the link from the 2-sentence lead to find out if the article cites what type of gear the scooterist was wearing. Here is a recent one from the Arizona Republic:

2 injured in scooter crash

Zach Fowle
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 21, 2008 10:09 AM
A man and a woman suffered serious head injuries Thursday when a car collided with their scooter.

Charles Herin, 49, and Christine Flores, 42, were riding a scooter near 15th Avenue and Highland Road when a driver of a Volkswagen sedan failed to yield and crashed into them Thursday afternoon.

Herin is in serious condition and Flores is in critical condition. Neither was wearing a helmet, police said.

Those type of articles burn me up. Nothing about the reporting; everything about the stupidity of someone who doesn't take the most simple form of protection to heart: wear a helmet.

So, it sounds as if the accident was the car driver's fault. Even if the scooterists were practicing the best driving techniques, they couldn't help it if there was another person who is careless, stupid, clueless or just a terrible driver. Wearing a helmet and protective gear give you a chance. Not wearing a helmet puts you at a disadvantage.

Awed by the outpouring of love

I just checked to see what has been raised by the Scooter Relief fund for Josh and was amazed that it was over $14,000. It is really a very touching thing to see scooterists and others coming to the aid of another scooterists who is in a bad situation. I've heard that his contributions have even come from other countries. Amazing.

I visited Josh on Sunday and brought him cards and letters sent to him. He was very moved by how so many people cared about him and his situation. I imagine it must be boring, painful, frustrating, depressing, and dispiriting to be stuck in a hospital bed for weeks on end. Our friend Giggy went over and built several ramps so that Josh coul dmove around in a wheel chair. Hearing that almost made me cry. I know that Giggy is a kind an caring person, but the amount of effort people are making for Josh is truly touching. They are good tears, of course!



I took this photo when I visited him. He has a hospital-style bed and an upgraded Netflix membership. You can see the leg immobilizer on his right leg. He's got a good attitude, even if they had to cut his long hair to make it easier to care for. He said that even 2 weeks after the accident he still had road grit in his hair as he can't shower. Only sponge baths. So away went the hair.

Josh Update

Josh's wife, Katie sent out an update to his condition. I'll repost it here:

Hello to all!

Many of you have called or written to know how we are doing and what is going on, so I thought I would do another en masse email to cover all of my bases. I apologize for not addressing you all individually, but I sure you can imagine how long that would take! :-)

Josh is doing well, albeit struggling with the physical limitations of his injuries and the mental struggle of not being able to do what he wants, when he wants, and with any sort of self-reliance. He was discharged from Regional Medical last Monday and has settled nicely into my parents living room in South San Jose. Luckily for us, they had just finished a large-scale remodel of the back of their home and so the room was empty of furniture and large enough to accommodate the hospital bed and other accoutrement's required to help rehabilitate him. Delilah, our Olde English Bulldogge, has moved in with him to keep him company and lift his spirits (although she promptly had an allergy attack and now they have to take care of each other!) Our condo in Downtown San Jose was deemed "too small" for this new lifestyle, so I am desperately trying to find a one-story home that we can all move into together to help restore our happy little family unit.

Josh's mother, Lynn, has graciously come down from her home on California's Northern Coastline to take care of Josh while I go back to work. Her generosity and patience in managing his day-to-day needs and requirements has been more of a blessing than I could ever hope for. While she can't stay forever, I am certainly grateful for the weeks that she is putting in to get us "back on our feet". Since I have returned to work, life has seemed to evolve into a constant spin of driving, working, visiting and trying to sleep. Hopefully it will slow to steady pace that we can all keep up with much easier!

While we have somewhat left the woods, we are definitely not out of the forest yet. Josh's injuries turned out to be more severe than we had originally thought and will require additional surgeries in the near future. In total, he had a compound open-leg fracture to his left femur, a compound fracture to his left radius, a dislocation of his left wrist, a dislocation of his left shoulder, a fracture to his left shoulder, and he tore the ACL and PCL in his right knee. His left knee is badly swollen, but doctor's are suggesting an MRI in the next week or so to determine further damage. Surgery on his right knee is scheduled within the end of the month and he has an appt to go in later this week and have 20-something staples removed from his legs. This has drastically increased his recovery time, and we are now looking at 9-12 months before he can walk unaided....

All in all, we are doing well. Not fabulous, but not horrible either. This has definitely been a large transition for us and a test to our marriage, relationship, communication and friendships. We both so appreciate the outpouring of support and concern that has come our way and wanted each of you to know just how much love we have realized in these last 3 weeks. This will probably be my last update for some time; I don't want to crowd your inbox's with our every move! :-) Thank you again to each and every one of you for everything that you've done, emailed, called, etc. It's times like these when you realize the full-extent of your friendships with others!

Another Fab bit 'O Flair....

I've made another Flair button for Facebook. It is one of the actual buttons that you can buy from the Scoot! Magazine webstore. Add it to your profile and represent!

Scooter Accessories

Sometimes a nifty new scooter item an put me in a super mood. I just ordered the wallet shown above and can't wait for it to arrive. I hear about it from ScooterSwag but also found a larger version at
Secret Garden gifts.



and a cosmetic bag, too!


and a coin purse!

The products are made by Espe, a Canadian company.

If you want something that is more flashy, then consider the Betty Boop handbag. You may recall that a large, mid-priced figurine was for sale last year with Betty on a scooter. This is more affordable and practical, but not to my taste.


A wallet also exists...



I haven't seen these in stores, just online at Lune Blue, so I'm not sure if they are available in the USA. So when I say that I don't know where to get them, I really mean it. So, don't email me or post comments asking me where to get them. :)

One final item is another scooter wallet and it's one cool cat!
I found it for $16 at bella & lina. They have other cool things like knitted cupcakes. Check them out!

Now, if only I could find a bunch of cash to stash in those lovely wallets...

Scooter Pillow..bring your wallet!

Found this pillow online. You can get it at Amazon for $39 + $11 shipping. Not sure if I want it that badly, but....



Does it surpise you that Neiman Marcus charges $70 for a pillow? Ugh! Maybe $39 doesn't look so bad!

Custom Flair for Facebook

I just started a Facebook profile and it makes me feel old. One cool thing is that a girl that I work with introduced me to Piece of Flair. You can use it to create your own buttons which go on your profile wall. So, I tried it out and created a scooter pin. Check it out:


So, if you've got a Facebook profile and want to "represent!" then add our Flair. And make your own. Be sure to let me know about any scooter pieces that you create!

I spy wid my little eye....

I found these two items at a a local vintage shop that also has some new stuff. A Red Vespa belt bucks for $18 and some resin bubble pins for $1.99. Guess which one I bought?

Vespa S Model finally launched

Piaggio announced the arrival of the S Model. A new smallframe. We've tested the European version, as the US version was not available, and found it to be a fun little ride, one that brings back the excitement of scootering. I'm digging the sport seat and the decorator kits that are available. It isn't without some faults, but to hear about those (and some more cool things, too) you'll need to check our our next issue which will be on stands in April. Mwah-mwah-waah! Oh, and bring your checkbook, it sells for $4,099.

Lats Chance for Calendar & Skateboard contests!

Just a quick reminder that we're still accepting entries into our 2 contests:
1) win a skateboarding prize pack from Geoff Rowley and Flip skateboards. Check out a photo and my original post.
Send your entries in care of "Scoot Free Skate Hard" to the address below.

2) ScootRS 200 Calendar. Win a cool desktop calendar. There are still plenty of months left in 2008! Send entries in care of "Calendar Contest".

Mailing address is
Scoot! Magazine
P.O. Box 9605
San Jose, CA 95157
Entries are due by March 15.


Good luck!

Message from Josh

Got home from the scooterist meeting tonight & found this message from Josh:

I'm indeed out of the hospital. I'm at the in-laws in south San Jose
the door is open for visits.

You all know I'm pretty f*cked up. but I don't have many needs right
now I'll keep you posted on additional needs. I'd say same standards
apply visitors till 9pm

thank to everyone for their support and visits.
in short I'm not going to be mobile for 2-3 months and wont walk for 6.
everything is well on its way to being resolved but I just wanted you
guys to know where I was and that I'm OK (relatively)

just to ensure my safety I've only give the address to VCLG members
and April, so if you want to come pay a visit contact one of them and
we will tell you were you can find me. I heard there was a lot of
trash on the boards and I want to avoid any issues.

Let's hope he has a speedy an complete recovery...

Josh out of hospital!

Spoke to Josh today and he is recuperating at his in-law's house.
Thanks to everyone who called, visited and sent greetings. Will update
with more info later.
April Whitney + Sent from my iPhone

PEEPS film contest

This is such a cute idea! The contest is hosted with Urban Outfitters, so I expect some creative entries. I hope some of our scooter-folks will step-up with some scooter-themed video. Maybe "Roman Holiday" with PEEPS as characters?

Checkout the PEEPS on Film Contest

Scoot! Keeps a Rolling, albeit slower pace

Just an update to how things are going at Scoot!.
Fisrt, Josh is still in the hospital. We hope that he will be released on Tuesday or Wednesday. He is having a better time with mobility and was able to get out of his bed with help and sit in a wheelchair for some time today. The hospital will not discharge him until he get in & out of his bed with only 1 person to assist him. He will recuperate at his in-law's home as their house is better suited to mobility issues. Thanks again to everyone who has expressed their well-wishes. It means a lot to Josh and our crew!

The magazine is moving along, although 1/3 of our team has been knocked out of the action. Our next issue is at the printers and we're trying to take over for Josh as far as running the office goes. Currently, we are only processing orders on Sundays and mailing on Mondays. I would suggests against selecting expedited shipping during this time as we cannot ship on that type of schedule.

The content deadline for the next issue is Mar. 15, so get in your contributions, soon. Rally reports, and Show Us Your Scoots contributions can be sent to me.

Well, I'm off to process orders & clean out the cat box. Ah, the fancy life of a magazine editor!

Josh Update

I spoke with Josh today & heard that they fixed his dislocated
shoulder (relocated it?) and discovered a fracture at that time. His MRI
confirmed that his right knee is messed up. An ACL injury, I believe.
So, these developments will only add to his recovery time.

must...get...some....sleep z z z zzzzzzZZZZZZZ

Further update on Josh's condition

I just got this email from Josh's wife, Katie:

Josh is having surgery tomorrow for a dislocated left shoulder and his
MRI today confirms that he ripped his ACL & ECL in his right knee.
Surgery for that injury will be in 3 weeks. This will drastically
increase his recovery period and we will now be looking at close to 9
months before he is walking. Still, can't believe he made it out
alive...

He had been complaining about lots of pain and no wonder...a dislocated shoulder for 2 days...ugh!and both legs with problems. I can only imagine how long it will add to his recovery.

I also heard from another scooterist who was airlifted from an accident that the cost was $26,000. I hope that the motorist has some excellent coverage. Keep it going, folks...

TGB Laser versus Lexus...guess who loses?

If you guessed the Laser, give yourself a pat on the back. This photo from Rich who stayed around long enough to see the scooter get pulled up the steep embankment that it had launched down.

Josh Accident Update

I'm sitting here at 12:30am and it seems as if Josh's accident on Sunday was a week ago. The whole ordeal of that day was really exhausting and I'm just beginning to feel it. Of course, it's nothing compared to the pain and shock that Josh must be feeling.

I spoke to three friends who went separately to see him today. Of course he is in pain, but I'd guess that he appreciates the concern the folks are showing for him. Although I imagine he needs his rest. I heard that a loud, stinky homeless man was in the spot next to him. Maybe I should bring him some ear plugs.

Our friend Chudu is a scooterist and an ER nurse who works at the same hospital. It was great to have him on duty when Josh was there. It made it much easier to deal with everything knowing that someone we knew could keep us abreast of everything.

I thought that when I got home from the hospital last night I would email Gregory at ScooterRelief.org to request a fund be opened for Josh. But when I logged on I discovered that it had already been done. Thanks to whomever initiated it. But I must say I was totally floored by how quickly people have come to Josh's aid and given their own money to help. As I said before, he was transported in an ambulance *and* a helicopter, so I can only imagine what that i going to cost over and above the physical therapy and rehabilitation he will need. I really am touched by the generosity of our scooter friends. I have donated my own money in the past to the fund, but never thought that maybe one of my own friends would be in need. Thank you! For those who have asked how else they can help, you are welcome to send a card or greeting to our office:
Scoot! Magazine
re: Josh Rogers Accident
P.O. Box 9605
San Jose, CA 95157
Those who have inquired about donating funds can also send them to that address, but be sure to indicate that it is for Josh's accident fund. You don't want us calling you to see if you wanted to book an advertisement. :)

For the foreseeable future, it will be harder to run the Scoot! office without Josh around. We have a great crew of interns from San Jose State who help out in the office, but they can't do everything that Josh did. So, if you need to call in or email us, please be gentle with our office crew. They are eager to help, but don't have all of the answers. We'll do our best to make sure orders get processed as quickly as possible and that inquiries are answered to the best of our ability.

Finally, our friend and fellow member of Josh's scooter club, Lisa took a photo of the car that hit Josh. You have to see it to believe it. It looks bad, but when you consider that he was it while riding a TGB Laser scooter which weighs less than 300lbs, it really sinks in how hard he was hit. Josh weighs over 250 lbs. and was going up a steep hill on a 150cc scooter. Oh, and yes, that is his scooter skirt sticking out from under the hood. Notice where the car came to rest; completely in the next lane. The man in jeans & a green jacket is Bob who is leaning over Josh. A few of us stood over him trying to shield his eyes from the sun.

I'll keep you posted as things develop.

Yesterday, Josh Rogers (Scoot!'s co-publisher) was involved in a serious accident while on Vespa Club Los Gatos' monthly ride. I posted this to several boards to let scooterists know about his status.
****
I just got back from the hospital. Josh is out of surgery and will
likely stay at the hospital for a few days. He is doing well for
someone who took on a Lexus head-on and we're lucky that he didn't
sustain more damage.

What he did sustain was a broken femur that pierced his skin, a
seriously dislocated wrist and numerous lacerations, some deep.
The doctors told his wife Katie that the femur break was very clean and went back together well. They expect him to be able to put weight on it
within a week. Imagine that. However, he will likely have to undergo
therapy to walk. It could take 3-6 months to get back to normal.

The good news is that the police gave us the impression that the Lexus
driver was totally at fault. While those on the ride who saw the
accident knew that already, it's good to get that echoed by the
police. Hopefully the driver was well-insured. For those who have not
heard- on a curvy uphill area of Hwy 9, a driver crossed the line and
hit Josh head-on. The car came to a stop just before the shoulder
facing the wrong way in the wrong lane.

Josh is at the Regional Medical center at McKee & Jackson. Visiting
hours are until 9pm, but I forgot to see when they begin.

Josh will need help in the coming months. Some may just be mental
support, some may be financial support. A helicopter flight to the
hospital can't be cheap. So, I hope that we can lend both spiritual
and financial support when we can. Perhaps we can do a fundraiser of some sort to help out.

I'm sure that Josh is thankful for all of the care and assistance that
everyone gave today. It was very inspiring to me to see how so many
people; including the scooterists, drivers who stopped with first aid
kits, motorcyclists who directed traffic and the emergency services
personnel all came together with the one goal to help another in
distress.

I'll post information as I find out more.

-april

PS you can help by donating to his ScooterRelief.org fund.

Samuel looks cute in doggie helmet

When we got these helmets to test for the magazine, we found that dogs with ears that stuck up or protruded just wouldn't work. I needed to find a round, smooth head with flopping ears. Enter my mom's dog, Samuel.

He's a very distinguished smooth-coated dachshund with a calm demeanor. He can sit very still when anticipating a cold cut or some other tasty treat, which my mom was dangling in front of him when I took this photo. She also set a Motorscooter Samantha controller next to him for added effect. It matches his collar.
I think its adorable.

Battlescooter may still have some available if you want one for your dog.