Scooter Gang Cannot Sit on Mopeds

I saw this article on the Camden New Journal website. The headline says:

Scooter Asbo kids Caught on Facebook
THREE members of a teenaged scooter gang who posted footage of their exploits on Facebook and Myspace were banned from sitting on a moped for two years by a youth court on Monday.

I don't mean to minimize any of the antics that the gang may have done, but I hope that the judge was more savvy in his ruling than than the article hints. If kids were committing crime on a scooters I'm sure they would be happy to agree to stay off of mopeds.

Pink Wall Scooter

Nerd Approved blog posted about this wild wall scooter. It is available from StatueDecor for $637. Dimensions L=54" W=12.75" H=38".

Lady Gaga stage show to feature "four Vespas"

I stumbled upon this post which quotes the guy from The Streets as saying that a Lady GaGa stage show in England had a bullet-proof piano and four Vespas. Anyone seen these scooters?

Scooter shop forced to move by city bureaucracy

If you were at Amerivespa 2009, you may have seen John Bettencourt or stopped by his shop Moto Amore before one of the rides. Our local alt-weekly The Metro ran a story about him having to move his shop due to city bureaucracy. He is now relocating to a nicer building in the next town over which just happens to be down the street from the new Scoot! offices.
Photo from The Metro article.

Blog entry soundtrack: "Triangle Walks" by Fever Ray

Cash for Clunkers lives on!

Albeit in a different way...


Genuine Scooters made their own video of their Cash for Clunkers program:

...participating GENUINE SCOOTER DEALERS, will offer a $300 CASH CREDIT towards any GENUINE SCOOTER PRODUCT in exchange for any "titled" 2 wheeler that can be rolled or driven in to it's dealership.

The program was pioneered by the innovative Mike @ NOHO scooters. Go Mike! Go Genuine!

To find out more about the program, contact your local Genuine dealer, or Mike if you are in the L.A. area!

Calgary Scooter Giveaway

The Canadian Calgary Herald is hosting a contest where entrants can win a new electric scooter. I see such contests all the time, except that in this one entrants must submit a 50 words or less description of why they want to win a scooter. I'd love to see the submissions just to see what folks think about why and how a scooter should be in their lives. I imagine that there will be a strong environmental slant to many of the entries.

If you are an Alberta resident, why not enter?
Contest Rules.

Sacramento Scooter Photo Show

Casey Sachen is a scooterist who used to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, but relocated to Chicago a few years ago. He's back in California for a showing of his scooter-related at The Scoot Shop in Sacramento, CA. If you are in the area on September 19th , stop by. His photos are of scooter rallies and scooterists from all over the US.

My new ride: KYMCO Yager GT 200i

I had to turn over the TMAX to Josh so that he could head to Southern California, but my consolation prize is the new KYMCO Yager. It's much different than the TMAX (what isn't?) but I intend to enjoy the heck out of riding it. We're just closing issue # 52, so look for a Yager review in issue # 53 which should hit right near the holidays.

Mary Smith on Ace of Cakes ♥ scooters

She brought an impressive cake to the PVSC band Camp rally. Now, get to know the Charm City Cakes staffer who rides a vintage Vespa. Catch the show Tuesdays & Thursdays on the Food Network.

Blog entry soundtrack: "Precious" by The Pretenders.

Blog Watch: Soft Film/Vintage Chinese Cinema

Found via Google Alert. This post from the Soft Film: Vintage Chinese Cinema blog has some great photos and a profile of Chinese actress Mai Ling. She looks tiny next to that bike! I love the coy poses and the outfit. I can't read the linked scanned article, but the photos tell their own stories, don't they?

Blog entry soundtrack: "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force
"Rock, rock, planet rock. Don't Stop!"

This is not a scooter

I know that is is called a Scoot Coupe. I know that it has a scooter-like engine. But, I really wish that my mailbox will cease bringing me news about this vehicle. Not interested. Not covering it.

Hey, we're sponsors!

Did you know that Scoot! sponsors scooter rallies? While we aren't flush with dough, we do like to send free subscription gift certificates, collectible back issues and random cool swag that we get from manufacturers.

We're sponsors of the Vesparados' Endless Summer Rally next month. It's a fun rally. I have attended twice, and enjoyed it a lot. Santa Barbara is ideal for scooting. Go if you can!

Live from San Francisco Classic

Raffle is on!









-- Post From My iPhone

Scoot! #51 en route

The next issue of Scoot! will be mailed to subscribers on Monday 8/10. Dealers should get the magazine within a week of that.

Our next issue will include:

• The top 3 winning scooters from the 2009 Put Up or Shut Up Build-off in Las Vegas
• A review of the new Honda SH150i
• A P200 Pipe Shoot-Out
• The Casal Carina: Portugal's First and Last Scooter
• The 50-Buck Challenge: Hot Rod Al Edition
• Product Reviews
• Rally Reports

and more!

If you are a subscriber and haven't received your magazine by August 31st, feel free to email us and we can check it out.

Another chance to win a Vespa...

Campy Italian restaurant chain Buca di Beppo is holding a contest in which you could win a new Vespa and a trip to the Vespa Museum in Italy. All in all there are 4 scooters (S50s) up for grabs.

The contest runs from 7/21/09 through 10/5/09.
Good Luck!

Upcoming Event: San Francisco Classic

One of the first rallies that I attended was Kings Classic in San Francisco. I think it was the one with the flaming die patch. I didn't buy a patch because I thought it was lame to buy one if I didn't have a scooter. I was on the back of my friend Paul's P200 and I had never seen so many scooter in one place; taking over the streets, ignoring traffic signals, populating the air with blue smoke. It was exhilarating.

The Rally Kings are gone, but the event lives on in the form of The San Francisco Classic which takes place this weekend. San Francisco is a great town for riding. I'm so used to scooting around that town, that I hate riding in a car and would rather tow my scooter in a truck and park it on the outskirts so that I can get around. Silly but true.

This is a classic scooter rally for vintage bikes. No one begrudges the new bikes, but it is an old-style rally that should be left as it is, like an interactive museum.

I'm planning on being there on Saturday. I am seriously behind on the next issue, so I can only spare one weekend day.

Win a SYM Fiddle II 50

Last change to enter to win a SYM Fiddle II 50. It's a pretty cool looking scooter. Enter fast as the deadline is August 14th, 2009.

9/2 UPDATE: The winner is Chris Dunning of Oswego, NY. Congratulations!

Blog entry soundtrack: "You Are Nothing" by Olive