Showing posts with label vespa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vespa. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Vespa USA Helmet Promo

Vespa USA announced a new promotion: a free helmet promotion (valued at $377) for anyone who purchases a new Piaggio or Vespa scooter from now until April 30. See your local dealer for more info.

Also announced is the “Vespa Helmets are for Everything” Facebook Photo Contest:·        
  • The contest, hosted on http://facebook.com/VespaUSA invites fans to upload a creative photo showing how they use their helmet when not riding.
  • Throughout the duration of the contest, one lucky fan per week will have his/her photo featured on Facebook as a downloadable trading card and will receive a free Vespa helmet and a Vespa bag o’ fun!
 I made trading cards out of local scooterists a long time ago. Such an amount of effort, I abandoned the project, but I'd like to see what Vespa has cooked up for this promotion.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

New Financing Option for Piaggio/Vespa Scooters

From Piaggio USA:

VESPA AND PIAGGIO PARTNER WITH FREEDOMROAD FINANCIAL TO OFFER RETAIL FINANCING
New partnership offers zero down payment, low rates and up to 60 month terms on all new Piaggio and Vespa motor scooters.

November 23, 2010—Piaggio Group Americas and FreedomRoad Financial are pleased to announce an official partnership that will provide retail financing for Piaggio and Vespa scooters in the United States.

“We are looking forward to partnering with a well respected company like FreedomRoad Financial to offer our customers great finance rates so they can more easily afford the Vespa or Piaggio scooter they have been wanting” said Rick Panettieri, Piaggio Group Americas director of product management. “We have been working with Freedom Road Financial for many months now and are expanding the number of brands and models that can be financed with them. We have been pleased with our relationship so far with Moto Guzzi and are looking forward to expanding that to cover the Vespa and Piaggio brands. The longer term loans will provide our customers with good credit the opportunity to have even lower monthly payments.”

FreedomRoad Financial is focused on providing powersports financing nationwide through its network and is known for its commonsense approach to retail lending and high personal service.

“Vespa and Piaggio are iconic brands with economical environmentally friendly products, passionate customers and dealers, and we are thrilled that they have chosen us as their retail financing partner,” stated Tom Collins, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of FreedomRoad Financial, “We look forward to establishing solid relationships with their dealers and being a contributor in helping them grow their sales in this country.”

For more information about Piaggio please visit www.PiaggioUSA.com and for more information about Vespa please visit www.VespaUSA.com.

About The Piaggio Group:
Established in 1884 by Rinaldo Piaggio and based in Pontedera in Pisa, Italy, the Piaggio Group is one of the world’s top manufacturers of two-wheel motor vehicles. With more than 7,000 employees, an annual production of more than 610,000 vehicles in 2009, five R&D centers, seven production facilities in Europe and Asia and operations in more than 50 countries – the Piaggio Group has a consolidated leadership in the European two-wheeler market. The company produces scooters, motorcycles and mopeds in the 50cc to 1,200cc displacement range, marketed under the Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera, Derbi, Aprilia, Scarabeo and Moto Guzzi brands. The Group also manufactures three- and four-wheel light transportation vehicles for the Ape, Porter and Quargo ranges.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Motorsport Scooter Moving Sale

Wonder what kind of deals will be had at this sale?








Join us on Saturday December 11th, as we celebrate a move to our new location by having a monumental rummage sale. This one's so big, we've called it our “Estate Sale.”

Compared to our last garage-sale, this one's going to be filled up with even more badassery, including continental breakfast, great sales, free stuff, and even some haggling! We may even get the coffee maker ready for double-drip-duty to get you guys pumped.

On sale we'll have all kinds of hard-to-find and rare goodies, pretty much whatever the mice have been squirrelling away like ferrets under the warehouse shelves over the last decade! There could be all sorts of awesome stuff in there: beer, fingernails, windshields, even random and rare hardware and rubber bits! Who knows?!

We'll know soon enough and so will you when you see it for sale at our EXTREME ESTATE SALE. Come wake us up on: we'll be sleeping on the asphalt at the shop on December 11th, waiting for our friends to arrive and begin estate sale-ing!

Vespa Motorsport is located at 4225 30th St., San Diego,CA 92104-1234

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Sofia Vergara on a Vespa

I haven't seen this new issue of SELF magazine, but saw it posted on HollywoodLife.comSelf styled a la dolce vita look and posted a video.  Check out the scooter in the video and the finished product below. Talk about a photoshop job!

You may recognize Vergara as Ed O'Neill's wife on the TV show, Modern Family.


This photo may not be in the magazine.


update: saw this in the store today & this photo was not in it. Too bad for the person who did all the bike photoshopping!

Monday, September 06, 2010

Win a Vespa LX 50 or Smell Great Trying...

Still haven't won a Vespa LX 50? I'm surprised since it seems to be the go-to model for contests, lately. This newest contest is with Crabtree & Evelyn, which wants to celebrate its new Iris fragrance with a purple scooter giveaway. Enter now. Contest ends at 11:59:59 PM EST on September 30, 2010.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Vespa + Adidas Bag & Men's Shirt

As you likely already know, Adidas and Vespa have combined forces to create some Vespa-themed items. Some have the spirit (and logo) of Vespa, but come actually feature an image of a scooter on them.



Men's Vespa Shoulder Bag $50


Dimension: 28 x 32 x 13/10 cm.


Men's Vespa Polo $45





Vespa Tee $30




Find more in this line HERE

Monday, August 23, 2010

High Utility Vespa Ape

Thanks to Douglas W. who forwarded me the link to Design Boom's post on Cornelius Comann's concept "Bufalino" one-person camper that transforms a Vespa Ape.



While this is just a rendered version, wouldn't it be cool to actually have one of these? A cool way to go to local rallies!



Blog entry soundtrack: "Diablo Rojo" by  Rodrigo y Gabriela 

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Vespa of Los Angeles' LA Times Spotlight

Earlier this week, the LA Times featured Vespa of Los Angeles.

The 4,000-square-foot space, designed to emphasize the Vespa lifestyle, looks more like a fashion boutique than a vehicle dealership. Its exposed drywall ceiling and concrete flooring were chosen for their "industrial, urban feel," Miyakawa says. The three large photos of edgy models and bright Vespas lining one wall were taken by Miyakawa, who worked as a fashion photographer before opening the scooter store. At the front, large display windows allow the shiny Vespas within to catch the eyes of passersby, if there are any. Central Avenue runs through the heart of the industrial district and is mainly a route for car, not foot, traffic. But the location hasn't harmed business. Vespa Los Angeles has sold 106 scooters since opening day, earning it the rank of No. 2 in sales for the Southwest and No. 11 in the nation. It aims to sell 225 scooters a year. By comparison, the San Francisco Vespa store sells 480 scooters a year. There are 34 Vespa stores in California, a testament to the brand's burgeoning popularity.
Read more online.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

NY Times: Embarassing or Cool?

Saw this great NY Times blogpost on the idea of moms being "embarrassing."

Anyone who was ever a teenager probably had some bouts of infinite parental embarrassment followed by copious eye-rolling and looking at one's feet. I recall once when my dad came in the front door after work calling me by my nickname, "Apple Weenie" to my horror and the amusement of my school friends who were in the house. [to clarify, I actually nicknamed myself since as a toddler I could only pronounce my name that way.] My mom also bought my school clothes at KMart for quite some time, which was a real source of humiliation at my beach-side school in a surfer town. Why couldn't I wear OP and Flojos?!?

So, it was fun to read this story of a mom who could care less what was "cool" and chose to drive her kids to school in the sidecar of a Vespa. Little did she know how damn cool she actually was!

Nowadays, I could care less if my dad called me Apple Weenie in front of the President, or if my mom bought me something cool at KMart. That's one of the great things about growing up.

Blog Entry Soundtrack:

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Win a Vespa LX 50

Vespa is helping to promote the Twilight Saga film, Eclipse and the fast food chain, Burger King with a contest in which some entrants can win one of 5 Vespa LX 50s:

The BURGER KING® “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” Game consists of two parts, an Instant-Win Game and a Collect-to-Win Game.

The Game will begin on or about June 21, 2010, and is scheduled to end on July 18, 2010.

From June 21 thru July 18, 2010, customers will be able to visit participating BURGER KING® restaurants to play the “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” game.  Game pieces can be found on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse specially marked BURGER KING® cold drink cups and FRYPOD® containers.  Customers play by scratching one of the two crests to reveal either a 'Winner!' or 'Sorry, Play Again' message.  Every game piece has a prize under one of the two scratch off crests!  And new this year is the Collect-to-Win Game.  Customers can collect Game Pieces to complete a winning series to win great prizes.

 No Purchase Necessary.  Visit participating BURGER KING® restaurants or www.bkeclipse.com for more details.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  Game ends 7/18/10 or when Game Piece supplies are exhausted.  See Official Rules posted in participating restaurants & at www.bkeclipse.com  for eligibility requirements, prize restrictions/descriptions, odds and complete details.  Must claim food prizes in participating restaurants by 8/31/10.  Limit one claim per person per future visit.  All prize claims subject to verification.  See restaurants for Travel, Cash and Merchandise prize claim envelopes. Travel, Cash & Merchandise prize claims must be received by 8/31/10.  Void where prohibited.  Prizes shown for illustrative purposes only.

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Olympian Jenny Thompson Fights off Scooter-Jackers

This week, in Brookline, MA Olympic swimmer Jenny Thompson fended off attackers that tried to steal her Vespa. See the story on the WBZ website. Two men got out of their car, approached her and one punched her in the face in an attempt to wrestle her scooter from her. She fought back and screamed until nearby folks came out of their homes and scared the attackers away.
Hear her account on this video.
Be strong, Jenny, and ride again!

Apparently,  there is a rash of scooter-thefts going on in that area.

Another reason to wear a full-face helmet: scooter-jackers!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Win a Vespa S model

JetBlue is holding One Thing That Is Green a contest which is encouraging people to incorporate more eco-friendly practices in their lives. The 1-week program is giving away a Vespa S 50 model a week. The Grand Prize is a consultation with Deepak Chopra. Maybe if you win, you can go on a scooter ride with Chopra. That always makes me feel better! The contest has been going since April, so get your entry in now, before it ends on 6/25.

Blog entry soundtrack: Follow The Leaders (2005 Digital Remaster) by Killing Joke

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Farewell, John Gerber

Members of the Vespa Club of America are likely familiar with John Gerber, who may have been the penultimate "scooter tourer" as he had traveled all over the world by Vespa (several of them) throughout his life. Josh alerted me to the sad news that John recently passed away.

Oddly enough, last month I conducted my first interview with John for what was to be a look at some of his more extensive trips. I hadn't yet scheduled the second interview, and now I never will. We were also planning to identify which of his photos (from his extensive collection) we would use in the article.  It was going to take a few interviews as John had tabulated that he had ridden over 412, 000 miles since 1964 and visited all the continents except for the poles an Africa.

He had some incredible stories.

Blog entry soundtrack: "Light My Fire" by Erma Franklin

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Sneak Peek: Issue #56 reviews La Vita

Check out the new La Vita next to a VBB. Review in issue # 56 of Scoot! Magazine.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Fuel-Injected Vespas Announced

Press Release from Piaggio/Vespa USA:

NEW YORK, April 1, 2010 – Italian manufacturer Piaggio, recognized for ground-breaking technology and legendary style, has equipped its 2011 Vespa S 150, LX 150 and LXV 150 models with new 150cc electronic fuel-injected engines that are even more miserly at the gas pump than the previous generation.  Consuming 15 percent less fuel than its predecessor, the new powerplant wrings up to 85 miles out of each gallon of gas, all the while delivering an endless supply of fun and riding thrills.  In addition, the new engine design also provides stronger, smoother acceleration in stop-and-go traffic, an especially important performance trait for metro commuters.

Green Isn’t a Trend – It’s a Commitment
While fuel price peaks and valleys have introduced thousands of consumers to the benefits of scooter ownership, choosing to swap some driving miles for riding miles isn’t just a trend when gas costs spike.  For environmentally conscious consumers, it’s a lifelong commitment.  The addition of the new 150cc injected engine family within the popular mid-range category adds even more reasons for consumers devoted to reducing fuel consumption, carbon emissions and congestion to make the switch to two wheels.

The electronic fuel injection system on the new 150cc injected engine ensures the air and fuel mixture in the combustion chamber is optimized at all times and allows the single cylinder unit to pick up more smoothly and progressively from lower engine speeds.  As a result, riders enjoy strong and smooth power delivery, especially in the relentless stop-start conditions of urban riding.  The benefits of the new engines can also be appreciated on longer journeys where extended stretches of roadway come into play.  And, owners who want a fast getaway will notice improved cold-starts, thanks to fuel injection.

Strong, clean and well-mannered at any speed, the 150cc i.e. equipped Vespa models are capable of zooming up to 60 mph. The unique, steel unibody Vespa frame provides greater rigidity and a more stable ride, while the superior trailing link suspension is designed to better handle potholes and other hazardous conditions. The front-disc braking system allows riders to safely make sudden stops on a dime, which is great for cities where traffic rules the road.

 “Vespas are one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to contribute toward a cleaner, greener transportation landscape, and our new fuel-injected 150cc engine range makes it even simpler,” said Paolo Timoni, CEO of Piaggio USA. “Mid-scooters like the Vespa S 150 i.e., LX 150 i.e. and LXV 150 i.e. are tailor-made for confident urban commuting, and a 15 percent increase in fuel-efficiency is yet another great reason to add a scooter  to your garage this Spring.”
Vespa has been and continues to be synonymous with fuel-efficiency and performance in North America and Europe. The new 150cc i.e. family upgrades the most popular models into a powerful league of their own, without compromising the long list of premium features.  The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for Vespa 150 i.e. models starts at $4,399 for the 2011 Vespa S 150 i.e. For more information, visit www.vespausa.com.

Friday, March 19, 2010

While I was in Vegas...

I really was working, really! I sold subscriptions and shirts and answered questions and stuff. I also got away from the Scoot! booth long enough to actually talk scooter with scooter people. One of whom was the very nice and generous-with-his time Hank Norush who took the Build-Off credo to heart with his amazing custom Vespa. He took some time from his windy, Saturday and shared how his bike came together.

Sorry for the wind noise, but it became quite blustery out there just as some rain drops began to fall...

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Upcoming Rally: Rides of March; 3/26-28, SLO







Upcoming  rally for those in California. Rides of March is in San Luis Obispo, which is about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, on the coast.

ITINERARY:
Friday Night: March 26th, 2010 
6:30pm: Meet at Madonna Inn .
7:30pm: 1 Hour ride leaves for McCarthy's Irish Pub. (NOTE: Has moved next to Foster's Freeze)

Saturday: March 27th, 2010 
9:30am: Meet at Sunshine Donuts on South Street and South Higuera
11:00am: Ride leaves for long ride of South San Luis Obispo County.
2:00pm: Arrive at Ramona Garden Park
Famous Strange Brew Scooter Crew Tri-tip BBQ
Raffle of restored Vespa Smallframe, etc.

Saturday Night:
 7:30pm: Meet at Foster's Freeze on Nipomo and Marsh
8:30pm: Ride leaves for ride around SLO
9:00pm: Arrive at Frog & Peach English Pub for Live show.
Scooterists overrun Downtown SLO till????

 Sunday Morning: March 28th, 2010 
10:30am: Meet at McCarthy's Irish Pub. (NOTE: Has moved next to Foster's Freeze).
11:30am: Ride leaves for South County
1:00pm: Arrive at Bulletproof Scooters in Grover Beach for BBQ by PushStart MSC and Goodbyes