Where's My $!@* Issue?...Answers!

Sorry for the lack of communication about Scoot!. We've been in the midst of a website re-design, a club launch and a round of -all-hands-on-deck collection calls to get enough money to get the February issue (#60) out of the printer's warehouse.

The February issue has finally shipped. Depending upon the USPS, the issue should be to subscribers within the next three weeks. If you do not receive your issue within that time, use our website CONTACT form and select Membership/Order Inquiry to send us a message with your complete name & address so we can check the account and/or send a new issue out.

The delay in getting the issue out is due to one thing: money. We have several advertisers who have either gone out of business, or their business is so depleated that they aren't paying invoices. This has left us in the lurch with tens of thousands of dollars of unpaid invoices. Without the funds to pay for the February issue, it sat in the printer's warehouse since early February.

We finally collected on enough invoices to pay for the magazine and its shipping.

What you'll find in the February issue #60:

• Review: KYMCO Downtown 300i
• National Scooter Racing Preview
• Fun with Dynamometers Pt. 2
• The Yak Hack: Kayak Sidehack
• A Guide to Successful Rally Sponsorships
• Reader's Rides: Tracy's Triumph Tigress, Tony G's Maico Mobil
• Product Reviews...and a bunch more

 

Shortly, I will be sending out an update as to the status of the magazine for the rest of 2011.
Happy scooting,
-april

The December 2010 is now available. This issue contains:

• Parlez-Vous Le Scoot?: a scooterist's dream holiday in France
• Test Ride: Honda PCX 125
• Finding Parts for Chinese Scooters
• Cannonball Run 2010: a 50cc perspective of the cross-country rally
• Fun with Dynamometers: Buddy 125 vs Buddy 150
• Product Reviews: clothing, safety gear, helmets, music
• Rally Reviews: Salt Lake City, Detroit, Rochester NY, San Diego, Denver, Albuquerque
• Reader's Rides: '72 Lambretta GP200; '07 Yamaha Vino, '80 Vespa P200
• Regular features: Scooter Collector, rally calendar, classified, Show Us Your Scoots, and the Unlovables comic strip

NEW: Scoot! # 57 is now available

The August 2010 issue features:

• 125cc Scooter Throwdown: Compare five popular 125cc models against each other
• Reader's Rides: Red Bull Lammy, Root Beer Vespa, Deathproof Lambretta
• Product Reviews: clothing, safety gear, helmets, books
• Maxi-Scooter Security: tips for saving money and heartache
• Rally Reviews: Amerivespa, New Orleans, California, Arizona, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Florida
• Regular features: Scooter Collector, rally calendar, classified, Show Us Your Scoots, and the Unlovables comic strip

Scoot! Magazine issue # 56 shipping now!

The colors on this image are a little off, it is a bit more muted, but you get the idea. The next issue of Scoot! just arrived at the warehouse and is shipping, now. Shops should get their copies by June 4th, bookstores should have theirs by June 11th and subscribers should have theirs by the end of the month, depending upon how remote they are.

What's in this issue:

Scooter Art: including a cover by Parker Jacobs (of Yo! Gabba Gabba, Paul Frank Industries) a super-cool pull-out centerfold, and contributions of artists from all over the world.
New Scoot Reviews: Genuine Stella 4T, Sachs MadAss 125, La Vita 150EFi
Reader's Rides: Hank NoRush's Green Dragon and Josh Ellman's Orange Bike
Product Reviews: clothing, safety gear, helmets, books
Tips: for tying down your scooter
Regular features: Scooter Collector, rally calendar, classified, Show Us Your Scoots, and the Unlovables comic strip.

Scoot# 54 is en route

The first issue of 2010 (February) is available for order and en route to subscribers and retailers.We had a larger than expected order from our distributor, so this issue may sell out.

If you are a subscriber who has not received your issue by February 1st, let us know by using the CONTACT link above and selecting "Subscription/Order Inquiry."

Highlights of this issue include:

• Reviews: The SYM Citycom 300i & Yamaha Zuma 125
• Taiwan scootering
• Project Vespa Pt. 2
• Scooter racing in the Northwest
• Meet the folks behind S.I.P.
• Italian Scooter rallies
• Comic: The Unlovables
• Get ready for the Cannonball Run 2010!

Next issue, #55, will be available in April. Content deadline for that issue is January 19th, 2010.

Scoot! Magazine #52 Shipping Next Week

Scooter shops should get the magazine by Dec.11. Subscribers should have theirs by Christmas as long as the post office isn't buried under gifts.
In this issue:

• The Ninja Rabbit: totally cool custom!
• Project Ruckus Begins
• Review: The California Scooter Company's "Classic"; KYMCO Yager
• Scooter Collector: tons of gift ideas
• Terri Campbell's cross-country journey
• Four Readers Rides
• Rally Reports
• A slew of Product Revews
• and more!

Sneak Peek: Issue #52 ships next week!

Here is a sneak peek at the next issue of Scoot! which should be shipping out from the printers on Monday. In this issue we have:

• Scooter reviews: SYM Symba, Yamaha TMAX, Honda Elite 110
• Scootin' in Maui
• On the Road with punk rock scooterists: Rise Against
• Polini Cup Scooter Racing
• Reader's Rides
• Product Reviews
• Amerivespa 2009 report
• Rally in Puerto Rico

Subscribers should have their issues by the 3rd week of October. Shops and bookstores should have their issues by the first week of October.

I'm already working on the December issue! If you have any suggestions on topics we should cover, let me know.

AMA Fighting Proposed Tariffs Against Euro Motos

Not sure why the Bush Administration is doing anything a month before it is booted out of office. Can't they just stand in the center of the room with hands on noses so they don't mess anything else up? This might give the Chinese another advantage in the scooter price wars....

Here is a news item from the American Motorcycle Association on it:

AMA fights possible 100 percent tariffs on certain European motorcycles

The AMA announced today (12/5) that it has written to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative opposing a plan that could double the cost of some European motorcycles imported into the United States.

The plan being considered by U.S. trade officials would impose a 100 percent import duty on more than 100 European goods -- including two engine displacement categories of motorcycles, 51cc to 250cc, and 251cc to 500cc.

The federal measure is designed as retaliation to the 27-member European Union's continuing import ban on American beef treated with growth hormones. EU officials haven't lifted that 20-year-old ban, despite a World Trade Organization (WTO) order to end it.

If U.S. officials impose the retaliatory tariff, it would double the price of a host of under-500cc on- and off-highway machines from brands such as Aprilia, Beta, BMW, Fantic, Gas Gas, Husaberg, Husqvarna, KTM, Montesa, Piaggio, Scorpa, Sherco, TM and Vespa.

"There is no logical link between European motorcycles and the dispute over beef," said Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations, in his comments submitted to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. "Imposing these stiff tariffs on motorcycles would do nothing to resolve the trade dispute, but would punish American buyers of European motorcycles."

The AMA's comments make a strong argument that motorcycles have no business being used as a lever in a dispute over beef.

Read more about it here.

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.