A scooter collector's dream!

I have to give a shout-out to reader Brian who sent me a link to a cool scooter memorabilia site called Punks on Parkas that has a great scooter toy section containing potos and infromation on mouthwatering vintage scooter toys. Any collector will get a serious case of toy envy when looking at the photos on the site. It also has sections for postcards, magazines/ads, misc. memorabilia and brochures. I've seen items from my collectionin there, but it's only a small percentage of the great stuff contained within. Check it out!

Smart Baby Bibs

Modified Clothing's new baby bbs are very cute. Just what the budding scooterist-to-be needs! This would make a great shower gift for the expectant parents. It's 100% cotton and comes in two colors. Since Modified is brand neutral, the bib comes in a Lambretta and a Vespa version. Perfect for those "mixed" households. :)

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!

Vectrix Scooter Looking for Financing

The manufacturer of the first electric maxi-scooter is looking to expand its capabilities by examining new financial options. According to the UK's Telegraph newspaper, "Vectrix, founded by inventor Andrew MacGowan, has appointed the investment bank to look at the best option for taking the business forward financially." Vectrix scooters are not yet available in the US, but are available in some European countries. For more information on the development of the Vectrix, check out their website.

Win a Kymco Super 9

MotorcycleUSA.com is hosting a contest where registrants can win a Kymco Super 9 scooter. The webiste's "My Garage" is an area that "brings together motorcycle enthusiasts in the world's biggest motorcycle clubhouse. It's a place to post pictures of your bike and share your moto exploits through your own blog." The contest ends August 1st. Enter atMotorcycleUSA's site.

Honda Further Blurs the Line

If space aliens had motorscooters, they might look like the Honda E4-01 concept "motorcycle" which a high tech marriage of scooter and motorcycle.

The concept vehicle debuted at the 2005 Tokyo motorcycle show. But MotorcycleNews.com announced that Honda has applied for patents on the bike, which makes its release seem likely.

The E4-01 has a 900+cc three-cylinder engine which seems all-motorcycle until one finds that it has a CVT transmission. The photos show popular scooter features such as a 2-helmet underseat storage compartment, a very sculptural body that has very organic curves. I love the rear lights, which are reminiscent of vintage-style, sculptural car lights. While the mid section requires more leg lifting than a typical scooters, models like the Suzuki Burgman and Piaggio X9 aren't that much lower. MPN promises to have more news on the bike in the next few days.

If you'd like to see a slideshow of the bike when it debuted, check out the Honda website for more info.

Summer issue in production

Our Summer issue, due out May 15th, is in production. It's going to be a fun issue. We're spotlighting Scooter Art with a range of artists that use scooters as their inspiration or as their canvas. We even have two artfully exectued scooters for our Readers Ride to go along with the theme. We're also focusing on women's scooter clubs. I interviewed folks from several clubs and included some great advice on starting your own all-female club.

Also, this issue features reviews of the Piaggio MP3 and Argo AR150. Josh and Mike had a blast on the MP3 and have lots to say about it!

If you haven't heard (since we haven't really publicized it)we're planning on publishing 5 issues this year, with further plans to go 6 issues next year. Those with current subscriptions will get the additional issue. It's very exciting and will give us a chance to get out more news in a timely manner and to whittle down the time between issues. I often hear from readers that can't get enough and dislike the long gaps between our quarterly issues.

Protect your health care coverage

Bills in the House and Senate were introduced to close a loophole which allowed heath insurance providers to deny coverage to those who were injured during legal recreation activities such as motorcycling and ATV riding. The bills, H.R. 1076(Congress) and S. 616 (Senate)aim to fix the loophole which allows companies to deny coverage to those injured in such activities.

If you are interested in protecting your rights to enjoy legal ecreation, then contact your Congressperson or Senator to let them know how you feel. Not sure who your rep is? Then go to:
Find your Senator
Find your Congressional Representative

I'm Back!

Sorry for the big hiatus. Our website was not able to be updated since February and our webmaster was on a sailing boat off the coast of Italy. Considering that I am kinda dumb when it comes to maintaining a server, I'm glad he's back and able to help.

So much has been happening that I am not sure where to start. Well, the next issue will be out in May. We're in the layout phase right now. We're featuring Scooter Art and All-Girl Scooter Clubs. We've also got some great custom scooters that embody their owners' artistic abilities. Look for reviews of the Piaggio MP3 and the Argo AR150-18. I'm pleased that we're introducing two new recurring sections: Budget Bling, which gives you the scoop on customizing your scooter inexpensively; and Josh's Tattoo Corner which will feature scooter-themed tattoos. If you've got any ideas on future columns for these sections, let me know.

Upcoming features include an article on creating more scooter parking in your town; a "Totally 80s" feature reminiscing about the scooter resurgence in the 1980s; Scooter collections: individuals with mind-blowing scooter collections that inspire envy. If you want to contribute to any of these stories, let me know.

Another cool development is that we've got a new t-shirt in the works, designed by one of our contributors to this next issue. We're hammering out the printing particulars, but let me just say that the shirt is super-cute! It's a fitting replacement for the blue ringer shirt with the scooter couple on it.

There's more to say, but I'll save that for another post. It's good to be back!

Gymboree Scooter Collection

Thanks to Nicky and Susan for tipping me off to the new Gymboree "When in Rome" collection. It is clothing for newborn to 24 month old kids that has cute scooters on them. If I had a baby, I'd be in trouble. The whole line appears to be on sale at their website. If you don't have a Gymboree near you, logon now and get that credit card ready...I'll have a full report on the items in the next Scooter Collector column.

B-day card @ target

No tattoo today...

On the porch- 62 degrees @ 9:30pm

Argentinian Meat Fest

GTA: Vice City attraction

Scoot! in Miami this weekend...

Josh & I will be in Miami this weekend, guests of Martin Racing Performance and Daelim scooters. We're going to check out Daelim's new scooters and MRP's parts & operations. We're also looking forward to some nice riding weather. While our weekend is short and packed, we might be able to meet up with any local scooterists on Sunday night.

I've never been to Florida, so it will be a nice treat, especially after the super-cold snap we had over the past 2 weeks in California. Not even my silk thermal underclothes were helpful! Now, I'm looking through my closet wondering what does one wear in Floriday in the middle of January?

The magazine should be at the printers right now. We'll look forward to getting it the first few days of February. Josh and our freelance ad sales person Carrie will be at the Indianapolis Motorcycle Show in mid-February and then off to Vegas, where Mike will be, too. I'm skipping Vegas this year (again!) as I need to get my bearings back and push headlong into the Summer issue.
-april

Scooter Girl Calendars

Wondering how to kep that scootring spirit going while you're stuck at your desk indooors? Two scooter clubs have created calendars that may do just that. The SF Scooter Girls out of San Francisco and Midwest USA's The Debutantes SC both have released calendars that feature pinup-style photos of their members. Previous year's editions of the alendars have been such big hits that both clubs have increased their production for 2007. Order yours, now:

The Debutantes SC

The SF Scooter Girls

Calling all artists with scooter themes...

If you are an artist that uses scooters in his/her art or uses scooters as your canvas, let us know. We're working on an upcoming Scooter Art issue which celebrates how the scooters can motivate creativity with their design or through the freedom they symbolize. Painting, sculpture, video, photography, textile art..we want to see it! In past issues we printed examples of the art as well as artists info. Might be a great way to sell some of your artwork to appreciative scooter fans. Contact me for more information.

Honda's new scooter

Edmunds.com is carrying a story about a new Honda scooter being debuted at the Tokyo Auto Salon show this month. The Forza (which means "force" in Italian) 250cc scooter brings luxury features to the forefront with an inter-communication/music system as well as some pimped-out color combos and cushy upholstery. While this bike may not be available in the US soon, or ever, it's interesting to wonder how the US market would receive it.
Check out the article and pics at
Edmunds.com

It appears that larger displacement scooters will be commonplace and for the price they command, buyers are expecting more luxury features. What features would you like to see scoooter manufacturers incorporate into their bikes? Post your comments, below.

Two-stroke scooters do make a racket!

I saw an Associated Press photo on Yahoo! which had the following caption:
"Indian security personnel inspect a scooter damaged due to a bomb blast in Gauhati, India, Monday, Jan. 8, 2007."

Click here to see the photo

At first, I thought they were checking it to see if the scooter was a bomb. I used to have an aftermarket exhaust on my bike which made it sound as if it would explode. I eventually went back to stock. It seemd odd to have a super-loud scooter that only went 40mph.

Scooter Movies

I've beeen playing with the idea of adding a feature to the Scoot! website that lists films that contain scooters. For a few years, I've kept a spreadsheet on my computer that listed films that I've seen. G'head and call me a scooter nerd...

I've also been amassing any VHS and DVDs that have scooters in them for movie nights. These care TV commercials, TV shows, music videos etc.

Does anyone find this an intersting enterprise? I think it would be a cool resource, but I'mnot sure how many people would actually get a kick out of it.

If you think you'd use such a sthing, let me know. Also, if you know of any unusual films or bits of video, lemme know. An up front qualifier: No Quadrophenia! (Isn't everyone sick of that one already?), no Lambretta Twist or Adidas soccer commercials. I've got those! :) Also, no You Tube links unless you know that they are source materials.

You've got your mission... ;)

Blog was messed up...

It appears that many of the blog posts I posted over the past 6 weeks or so didn't make it onto my blog. Sorry! I haven't abandoned the blog, we've just had some technical errors which I think had something to go with migrating it to appear on our site. Most of my old pics disappeared. Ugh! I'll look into ironing it out over the next few weeks.

I am hard at work on the Spring 07 issue which features our Buyer's Guide. It is a TON of work, but I hope that it will all be worth it in the end. Mike will be in layout stages next week.

After all this time in front of the computer and OFF my scooter, I'm looking forward to a weekend away. Josh & I are planning a business trip one weekend in January to Miami to checkout some scooter stuff for the Summer issue. If you live in Miami, let us know maybe we can get together!

I'm also working on some pieces for upcoming issues:
Totally 80s: we're looking for people who were scooterists in the 80s who can send us photos of their old scooters, fashions and the like. With the advent of so many new scooters and scooterists, we'd like to pay hommage to the distinct style of US scootering in the 80s. If you want to contribute or have any ideas, let me know.

Scooter Art: Are you an artist that uses scooters in your art? We want to put together another scooter art issue. Contact me if you are interested or have a tip on a scooter artist. Also great opportunity for those who do custom murals and such on scooters.

Well, back to editing the Spring issue....
-april

Scooter Desktop Wallpaper

I love Pixel Girl Presents, a great place to get icons and desktops for your computer. I have several on my computer which make it more homey, since I spend so many hours a day in front of it. :) This one has lots going on, but you'll see a fenderlight Vespa near the center. Check out the other desktops the site has and visit the corresponding artists for more inspiration.

See it here Link to desktop

Scoot!'s in the mail

Sorry for the big gap in posts. I've been buried in bureaucratic business at the magazine including sending out a postcard to clean up our database and in getting the magazine sent out to subscribers. We dropped it at the post office on Tuesday, so subscribers should expect to see it within 10 days.

We're trying out a new printer. They are located in Southern California and are now running our magazine on a web press instead of the sheet fed process we were using. Let me know if you notice a difference! I can tell the difference in certain aspects, but we're picky that way. :)

I am honored to be this issue's cover girl! I tested the Suzuki Burgman 400 in August and we got some excellent photos from a fancy professional photography team that Suzuki hired. Cool action shots. I had a great time riding the Burgman in the beautiful wine country above San Francisco. If you're curious about riding a big scooter, read the article. You might find the Burgman is for you.

Some other things to check out in this current issue: a guide to group riding, a guide to buying tires, an article on installing air-glide suspension, review of the TGB Laser, lots of rally reports and more.

Just as I've sent off this current issue, I've got to get down to business on the next issue. Deadline for content for the Spring issue is December 12th. If you want to submit a photo of you on your scooter for "Show Us Your Scoots" or make changes to classified ads etc.. do so by Dec. 12th.

Scooterist Favorite: Beachkrieg

A snap of a recent Beachkrieg show. Surf music by scooterists who pose as WWI submarine castaways. It doesn't make sense, but they do a great surf version of "Blue Monday".

Part of the Gymhkhana

Don't ask...

Lori & I went to the store to get some Mike's Hard Lemonade and came back to find the tail end of a gymkhana which utilized oddly assembled balloons. Not sure what hapened, but the ladies did provide beer, so we just popped a can and sat to socialize.

AGSR Ride Stop

On the Saturday ride, we rode all over and saw the cool triangle gas station which has been turned into an art museum or visitors center. We didn't stop there. When I tried to snap a photo, a white truck pulled in front of it. Argh!

AGSR Ride Stop

Snack stop on our ride

We took aride through some Palm Springs neighborhoods with great Palm Springs mid-century architecture. We stopped at a hotel called the Bungalows which has a few rooms that people can rent. Relaxing with a view of the mountains in the background.

Jackknifed truck

Polly Pocket scoot

Pitstop in Coalinga

We're on the road...

Get your scooter ornaments early!

Ornaments @ Cost Plus

I hate that there Christmas items are for sale before Halloween, but I love that I found these 2 inexpensive scooter ornaments. The small one is made of paper and was $1.99. The larger is a Santa on a glitterrific 3-wheel scoot for $6.99. Get them before all your scooterists friends buy them all out.

April going to AGSR

I've missed all the past All-Girl Scooter Rallies, but this year, I'm heading to Palm Springs with my housemate Lori for the event. We're ready to bond with our scootering sisters and get a last bit of summer weather before fall completely takes over. The itinerary looks fun and we're looking forward to riding around a different town. Want more info about the AGSR?
View the website. There is also a Yahoo! Group where all the discussion and info get's passed around.

Sale on Kauffman Scooter Fabric

First, let me say: I love Reprodepot!

Next. let me tell you that they are having a sale on their Mod Scooter Girls stock of fabric. I paid about $9 per yard for my blue version. You can get the grey/black version here for under $7 a yard!
Buy it here!

I made a quillow (quilt that folds into a pillow) with mine. What will you make with yours?

Ben Sherman Cufflinks

Here are some cool cufflinks for the scooter fanatic.

Check it out

Nice to see something in the Ben Sherman line that actually pertains to vintage style in more than just the name. Oh, I'm being catty. Ben Sherman does have a few cool vintage items, especially their men's hats. Very Cool. But most of the time it's something with mid-range manufacture and high price and only a cool name.

These cufflinks retail for $50, which is a little steep, but you know you'll wear them to every scooter event night show, soul all-nighter and scooter wedding for the next few years!

Love our watertower

As I left the Scoot! office tonight at 10pm, I looked up and saw the moon's beams wrapping around the watertower that looms over our building. It's only 1/10th as pretty in the pic as it was in person.

New Scoot! Staffer, pt 2

Post name suggestions on this blog for our newest staff member.

New Member of Scoot! Staff

About 2 months ago, Josh & I started noticing small black pellets in the corners of the office. Turns out they were mouse scat. I bought a humane trap so we could nab them. Lightly salted Kettle chips did the trick and they were banished to a field. We then realized that we had an opening for a Rodent Engineer at the office and hired this little lady. She had yet to be named, but I think our readers may have some apropos suggestions for a scooter-themed name for our newest staff member. If you have a suggestion, leave a comment on this blog.

Stephen meets Jello

I want my friend Stephen to do reviews of punk music for the magazine. He sent me this pic of him & Jello Biafra in San Francisco. I think he may be qualified.

Old Cold Phone Pic

I found this picture on my phone. Josh & I went to Indianapolis for the Cycle World motorcycle show in February. Our window froze on the inside and I scratched "Scoot!" in the ice. Josh left the hotel room with wet hair and it froze on the way to the car. Our shoes left ice tracks on the carpet of the car which were still intact when we came out of the convention 8 hrs later. Does it surprise you that it was 2-degrees F that day?

Great Indian Road Trip

Ever since my college Indian Art class, I've wanted to go to India. In my imagination I had envisioned exploring temples and stupas, trying local foods and exploring new towns. What I had never considered was a scootering trip across the huge country. That is exactly what a handful of men from India are doing right now. It's called the Great Indian Road Trip and you can find out about it at the official website.

Their route will take them over 12,000 miles. You can check out the map on their site as well as read their various blog entries. A Kinetic Blaze 165cc scooter is on the trip and made it to the "Highest Motorable Road in the World" Leh-Khardungla Road which is said to be 18,430 Ft. There are motorcycles on the trip, but you know us at Scoot! are pulling for the scooters. :)

I am still waiting for news from Kinetic about when they plan to have their bikes in the states. They are remaking the Italjet Dragster and the Velocifero, so I know that many people in the US & UK are interested in hearing more.

NSR: But still cool

Art Car fest

There is an annual Art Car Fest that takes place in Berkeley and San Jose. This was one of the entries. Kinda cool- kinda scary.

The crew awaiting melted cheese & bread,,,

Pizza!

John of Moto Amore goes to this authentic Italian pizza place & invited us along. A good reason for a night ride.

Thursday night scoot to pizza...

Jason's scoot @ night ride

We stopped for gas & I took a pic of his baddazz ruckus.

Cannonball Run in Full Swing

if you didn't already know it, the Cannonball Run is on with 30 riders attempting the cross-country ride from Oregon to New Jersey. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Silicon Valley has 4 participants on the ride. Go South Bay! Scoot! is sponsoring all the riders (we couldn't play favorites!) by giving them each a gas card. Anyone who attempts that ride deserves some assistance!

While it's hard to get info on all the riders, there are a few places where you can get updates:

site for our 4 local Cannonballers.

Heather Knight's Blog. Heather is from the Portland area and she & I have corresponded about scooter parking. She's a cool gal and I wish her luck.

Modern Vespa Forum. Homeboy Rich is on a People 250 that he charmed KYMCO into letting him ride. He's using the Modern Vespa Forum to post his updates.

Thanks to Dennis for turning me onto Owen Medd's Cannonball Blog. Owen is from the Rover SC and is doing a good job of keeping us apprised of the ride.

The Good Ol' Scooter BBS has some info being posted. While Robert isn't on the ride, he's posting updates that he gets. Look around the site for other updates from Robert Volz who is on the ride.

Of course, you can always check the actual Cannonball site for updates although the info is basic at this point.

If you hear of any other sites, please let me know so I can post it. Those of us who wish they could have gone are eager to hear what's happening.

On an unrelated note, tomorrow is the deadline for content submissions for the Winter issue of Scoot!. Contact me if you have anything you'd like to contribute.

Pics from a BBQ for Cannonballers

Cannonball Sendoff

San Jose's Vespa Club Los Gatos has 4 scooterists participating in the Cannonball Run which begins next week in Oregon. Scoot! is sponsoring the event by providing each of the 30 riders with a gas card. They're going to need it as they ride scooters across country for over 3,000 miles to New Jersey. This is the second year of this event and we're proud to have 4 locals involved. Tom "Bagel" Donohue will be writing a report for the magazine.

You can follow the progress of the riders on the

Cannonball Run Website which has some public forums.

Mike Bobadilla's Tricked-Out ET4

Cannonball Run Sendoff

Mike is one of the 4 local Cannonballeers. he has some cool modifications to his bike to make it more comfortable and useful during his 3,000 mile trek. Read about it in the Winter issue of Scoot! Magazine which comes out in November.

Shindig Happens This Weekend

The Scoot! crew will be in San Jose enjoying Josh Rogers' "September Shindig" rally. It is year 9 and Josh is only a week away from his wedding. Madcap fun will ensue! Josh is also one of us three publishers of Scoot!, but long before we took the helm, he single-handedly put on this rally. It is lots of fun and is unique to the big "stand around and chat about scooters" rallies. It is smaller and more intimate with irreverent games, a bit of off-color humor and some long rides. If you are in the Bay Area this weekend, make an effort to catch it.

James Cornell Comes Home

You may have seen my previous posts about local scooterist/motorcyclist James Cornell who was seriously injured in the Isle of Man race. This week he came back to the states and is continuing his recuperation in San Francisco. Two local news organizations have covered his return:

NBC11 TV

SF Chronicle Newspaper.

If you are interested in finding out more information or donating towards the mountain of medical bills that James will face
Visit the James Cornell Fund website.

Suzuki Burgman Test cont.

Stop on our ride.

Almost to the end of our test ride. We stopped at a wine tasting place to buy but not taste wine. I'm not really a wine drinker so I chatted outside while some bought wine inside. Incidentally, that night at dinner I did have a glass of red wine which the waiter secretly kept filling up while I was looking the other way.I must have had 3 glasses that night inadvertantly! On the bus ride home I was starting to doze, so I was glad to crash into bed. After a 7-hour scooter tour of the beautiful area north of San Francisco I was pleasantly exhausted. A full review of the Burgman will run in our Winter issue.

Suzuki Burgmann Test snap

Suzuki Burgman launch

Our tour started at Fisherman's Wharf and we stopped for some pics at the famous area under the Golden Gate Bridge. I've always been reticent to ride over the Golden Gate because it is so windy and I think some drivers are looking at the views instead of paying attention to the road. Not sure my 61 Vespa 150 would be up for it. :) But the Burgman was a great ride. Lots of power- it didn't even notice the wind. I wish I had some pics of us riding over it- nearly 2 dozen Suzuki Burgmans. Some people asked, "Are you some scooter gang or something?"

Indoors at SF Classic Day Show

Live from SF Classic!

I mostly manned the Scoot! booth, so I snapped a pic of my view of the show. I didn't win the fancy scooter. Matter of fact I haven't won anything at a rally for over 2 years. I guess I used up all my luck the time I won a scooter at Vespa Club Los Gatos' rally.

Wha'appen?

I got to meet & hang out with Dave Wakeling's reformed English Beat when they played in San Jose last week. Bosco and I chatted with Dave and Lynval Golding of the Specials who has joined them for the tour. The band played English Beat and Specials tunes and had the crowd bouncing. Read more about our interview in the Winter issue.

For now the Fall issue just arrived from the printers. You can get an advance copy at this weekend's San Francisco Classic rally. Subscriber issues will be shipped early next week. Shops should also begin to see them next week.

Bratz know what is cool...

Bratz Kidz scoot $3O

Found it at at Target. Installed the battteries and got it to chase the cats around the house a bit.

Scoot! to Review Suzuki Burgman 400

Suzuki is making the Burgman 400 available to a pool of journalists in August. I'll be traveling to San Francisco and riding to Napa with a group to give the Burgman a spin. I'm looking forward to the long ride. As you may recall, Scoot! did an ambitious review of maxi-scooters in our Winter 2004 issue.

In that issue we rode from The Los Angeles area to our homes in San Jose/San Francsico and back and then back again and then back again! We rode over 8,000 miles on 11 different bikes. At that time, only the Burgman 650 was available. Now, I'll get a chance to review the 400. It's a big bike, but I think I can handle it! :) The review should run in the Winter isssue which comes out in November. As for the Fall issue, it is at the printers and should be ready to ship next week.

Join us on MySpace!

I know I posted this earlier, but just wanted to remind everyone that they can find Scoot! Magazine at
Scoot!'s MySpace Profile.

We'll be using the bulletin area to make announcements, and we hope to keep in touch with those we meet on the road. So, add us as your friend!

New Merch Sneak Peek...

We received our new shirts from Modified Printing in Portland, OR. The artwork is from Mark Atmos Pilon who created a cute little couple scootin' along. The back has the Scoot! logo so you can represent! It's not yet available, since Josh & Miike are selling them at Amerivespa this weekend in Denver. When they get back, we'll post the shirts to the Scoot! webstore and you can order them. We have both men & women's sizes. As with all new-fangled women's T's the girlie shirts are form-fittting.

MTV Italy Pimps Some Rides

I wish that MTV USA would "Pimp" some scooters! The Italians have and you can download small video snippets from iTunes. Like all "Pimp.." vehicles, they are over the top, but who doesn't want one scooter which blows everyone away?

Download free videos from iTunes.

"Das Freakout"

WWI German Surf Band, Beach Kreig performs at Scoot to the Moon rally in Half Moon Bay, CA. July 22. And no, the picture isn't fuzzy because of my drinking, it's just my little picture phone.

Ride to Work on Wednesday

Don't forget, this Wednesday is Ride to Work Day. Drop me a line and let me know if you are a first-time participant and how it went. I'll be putting through the streets of San Jose that day spreading the word with my cool Scoot! License Plate Frame:

Cick the picture to see how you can get one for yourself and friends.

Delia's Get's MOD-ernized

The new Delia's catalog features a vintage Lambretta in keeping with their mod theme. See their splash photo of teens & the scooter. The catalog has a few photos of the scooter,but this one is best. They also use a Mini Cooper. Some of the clothes may fit in with the mod lifestyle. I'm just hoping that the bad 80's clothing will soon go away. And what about all these flared & bell-bottom style pants. Ugh! "Where have all the straight-legs gone? Long time pa-assing..."

Racing fun

Fuzzy phone pic of mini-motorcycle races at DeAnza college. While these races aren't for scooters exclusively, it's a great place for those who own vehicles that aren't street-legal to get out an tear it up. Jason from Battlescooter.com was able to race a 50cc scooter in some of the races. There were also go-peds, go-carts, mini-bikes and such.

Jason of Battlescooter.com and friend at the mini-motorcycle races. They raced against mopeds on stock 50cc scooters that were totally stripped. They didn't even have seats! The day also had gokart, go-ped and other bikes racing.

New Polly Pocket scoots

Found at Target for less than $10. The scooters are similar to the previous Polly Pocket ice cream scooter but I think they are a slightly different design.

"Are we in trouble...?"

Outside Rev. Horton Heat show

Lori & I parked in a red zone between 2 cars which is a dead space of sorts. When we came out we thought we'd have some explaining to do, but it turned out that the police merely pulled over to arrest a lady who was drunk in public. You might be able to make out some frisking going on in the back of the pic. We rode away with no hassles. Hooray! As an aside, The Reverend was great and Jimbo (his stand-up bass player) was on fire that night. J-I-M-B-O!

Say Kanichewah to a Japanese scooter shirt

OK, so my phonetic spelling is likely wrong, but I took four years of French instead of Japanese. I found this cool shirt on the Internet and haven't actually ordered one, so I can't say anything about the actual product or the website, but it was too cool to pass up. It is supposed to have the Japanese word for "Scooter" on it. A good way to combine the vintage scooter with a Japanese sensibility. I've emailed the site to get more info before I put it in my printed column, but you get the scoop first. Find any cool items that are worthy of a mention in the blog or column? Email me below.

Aggrolites

L.A.'s "dirty reggae" band the Aggrolites perform in San Jose. A good show. Rolling Stone gave their new album a great review. Catch them if they come to your area. Visit their website.