Top Gear Goes 2-Wheels

U.K motor-enthusiast show Top Gear which became avaiable on BBC America this year ran a special episode which had the three hosts trying to make a 1,000-mile trip from bottom to top of Vietnam. The hosts were given a meager amount of money-- just enough to get motorcycles or scooters and were off. This is a typical type of set-up for the show-- to have them select their own vehicles on a budget and then test them in a humorous and mildly silly way. BUT since these guys are car-nuts, the addition of motorcycles is a new (if not ego-testing) development.
Richard chose a Russian Minsk, James chose a Honda CB50, and Jeremy (the tallest of the lot) chose a Vietnamese "restored" Vespa.

Anyone who has heard about Vietnam's roads, traffic and the notoriously bad Vespa restorations may have an inkling on how it turns out. But Top Gear always has something up its sleeve....enjoy the show!

Top Gear airs on Mondays at 8pm (ET/PT) and 7pm (CT). Check it out!



Note: This episode is from the recent season, yet I believe that BBC America shows older seasons. Oh, and if you are an American with a big head, bring your own helmet to Vietnam!

Piaggio to Open Vietnamese Plant

According to reports all over the Internet, Piaggio is set to build a manufacturing plant near Hanoi. The $25-30M investment is a strategic move in order to avoid the costs of transport, duty and other fees on imported scooters. According to the Thanh Nien News Vespas cost around four times that of most motorcycles.

The factory will have a capacity of producing 100,000 models a year, but is said to have a goal of 50,000 annually by its fifth year. With numbers such as that, I wonder how much of Piaggio's manufacturing may be transferred there? According to a press release in 2006, Piaggio reported production numbers for their plant in Pontadera, "production volumes in 2004 were just over 50,000, approximately 87,000 in 2005, and more than 100,000 in 2006." With numbers such as that, the Vietnamese plant could produce enough for multiple countries. The Vietnamese scooters will likely be distributed throughout surrounding Asian countries, but the nagging question remains: Is Italian production of Piaggio doomed?

Vietnamese Scooter Rally

I came accross this news item about a Vietnmese scooter rally happening at the end of the month. The Thanh Nien News says that it is the first such festival in Vietnam. I like their idea of decorating the scooters in flowers. What a beautiful parade that would make! I'm sending out my feelers to see if anyone in the area can submit a report. Although I'd love to jet off to Vietnam, I'll have to stay here. :)

Also, it would be great to see what the actual Vietnamese ride. Maybe they keep the good stuff for themselves and send the cobbled ones to other countries.

A news article that might shed some light on that appears on VietNamNet which says that Vietnamese may have to pay up to $600 (gasp!) for a vintage scooter. Maybe all the people that are so desperate for a vintage scooter, that they will ship one from Vietnam should take a trip there and pick out their own $600 scooter and ship it back. What an idea for a tourist service! =patent pending!= Just kidding!