Another Vegas shot

Modified's scooter offerings have grown. Look at their impressive table. I bought a little kid shirt for a friend's new baby.

Spring Catalogs Love Scooters

I was flipping through the pages of two catalogs recently and found some scooters. J Crew (which I wish I could afford & fit into) has a Rome theme going and combined it with their wedding line for a scooter wedding shot, complete with a trail of tin cans. Keeping with the Rome theme, they chose the popular P125 Vespa.

Lands End also chose to use a scooter in their recent catalog. It's a yellow Vespa GT. Both catalogs are using scooters to illustrate the sunny, carefree feelings of spring, of which I am all for...even if it is raining and windy outside as I type this. How I long for one of those breezy, sunny days!

Scooter Cutting Board

Check out this cutting board with a scooterist on it. Cute! Found it on Elsewares for $38. If you are truly obsessed with scoots and even want to think about them when making dinner,this is an item for you. Or maybe you are a scooter-riding chef like Jamie Oliver or Rocco DiSpirito who mike like the fusion of both interests. or, maybe you just like it. : )

Vegas Update

This year's High Roller Weekend has been fun. The weather is beautiful, no rain this year. Smaller attendance than in the past, but the quality of bikes is mind-blowing. Several owners have spent lots of time and money tuning their bikes. A last-minute addition of some dyno testing revealed the two bikes put out 32hp! Not to mention noxious fumes....

Since we couldn't bring bikes, we missed out on the rides, which should have been gorgeous with the desert scenery and clear blue skies. It feels much like spring here, except that nights in the desert can be frigid.

We've met folks from Phoenix, LA, Cleveland, Montreal, Boston, Sacramento, Boise and even Wyoming. Apparently all roads lead to Vegas.

Today is a poker run & a hang-out at the Star Trek Experience for some drinks at Quark's bar. The main event which is the raffle, awards and BBQ, happens in the afternoon. I'm eager to see which bikes will take the top prizes.

En route to Vegas...

Scoot! Intern Ashley had these cool magnet logos made for Jon's
Element. We look pro!

April Whitney +Sent from my iPhone

Vegas,Baby!

Who's going to Vegas for the High Roller's Weekend...show of hands! Well, I can't really see your hands, but feel free to post a shout-out here if you are going. We were lucky enough to get a room at the main hotel, which was a miracle since I booked my room a week & a half ago.

This will be my fourth year attending, as I took the past 2 years off. One of the years I was in Indianapolis for the Dealer Expo. Josh does the Dealer Expo and this will be his 4th year in a row. If you are at either of the shows stop by to say hello to one of us!

"Penelope" Puts Ricci & Witherspoon on Vespa

I'm eager to see the new film, Penelope, starring Christina Ricci. There's been lots of media coverage about the fact that Ricci plays a girl born with a pig's nose, but I'm more interested in the scooter that she and Reese Witherspoon ride. For some reason (and this happens a lot) pictures of scooters in films are elusive. But, I did a sneaky screen grab off of the movie's official website for this pic of Witherspoon with the Vespa.

While I doubt I could sit through Fool's Gold, I think this film will be an enjoyable one to watch. Not to mention that there is something oddly appealing about a scruffy James McAvoy. I am such a sucker for accents. Let's hope I never have to work in the UK. People could steal my purse and I'd never know...I'd be too charmed by the accent.

Back to my original post....you can go to the film's official site and see the trailer which has a few shots of the actresses riding. But for the full thing, you'll need to see the film which opens February 29th.

Scoot! # 44 February 2008 Now Available!

Well, actually it has been available for a few weeks, but I have slacked on posting about it, which is silly since I am so excited about this issue. We've got some great content in the issue:
* Scoot Free Skate Hard: Three professional skaters who are household names in the skateboarding industry spoke with me about their appreciation for scooter. The cover shot was taken by Dan Bergeron who went toSkatelab in Simi Valley and got this shot of a grom pulling a sweet maneuver over Todd Huber's Vespa Rally. Todd is partial owner of Skatelab and also a member of the Westside scooter club.

*Cool contests: Readers can enter to win a cool skateboarding prize pack donated by Geoff Rowley and Flip Skateboards. Other Readers can win one of 10 calendars from ScootRS.

* Scooter Reviews: We ride the Vectrix, Yamaha Majesty and Genuine Rattler

* I Married a Scooterist: ladies and gents, the duly betrothed...get some hints from Josh's wife Katie on how to incorporate scooters into your ceremony.

* Ask Hot Rod Al: takes on performance mods in baby steps for vintage Vespas and Lambrettas.

The issue is available now, but hasn't been updated on the website. You can get it at your local scooter shop, bookstore. Subscribers should have it by now, or the end of February, depending upon if your postal carrier reads your magazines first.

Singing & scooting...

Today, it is very windy and overcast in San Jose. The dark rain clouds that dumped rain upon us over that past few days have receded and it's just a gloomy day. On days like this I sometimes lookout the window an try to image what it will be like in a few months. Clear blue skies, dry, hot air and sunlight that causes me to shade my eyes or don big sunglasses. When the weather seems likely to get me down, I try to remember those days--look out at the view from my house and actually try to recreate in my mind one of those spring or summer days.

One of these moment got me thinking about what rides I'll want to go on as soon as the weather turns. And that got me thinking about one of my favorite *secret* pastimes: singing while I ride.

I am a terrible singer. I know lots of people say that in mock humility, but I really do suck at singing. I've been to karaoke and got up to sing-- not because it brings me pleasure, but mostly be a good sport and not be a party-pooper. But, I've discovered that it really is best for all involved if I just stay seated and clap politely for those who do a mediocre to fabulous job. Once, I was singing karaoke at a friend's house--a pretty ego-safe location-- and when I got a few lines into the song, a few people poked their heads in from the kitchen to see who was beating a cat or trying to dull drill bits. That was my last karaoke effort.

So, singing and scooting is a great combo for me. I love to just sing out loud to songs that I love. Doing it in the car is too risky, unless you wear a bluetooth earpiece and make it look like you are talking on the phone.

But, on a great ride, when the temperature is mild and the air is clean, the roads are inviting and my scooter is dialed in, I really just feel like singing. And since I have the wherewithal to wear a full-face helmet, no one is the wiser about my *secret*.

What do I sing? I'm partial to "25 Miles" by Edwin Starr. Can be very appropriate, especially on a long ride, although it is usually my butt rather than my feet that is "hurting mighty bad." Sometimes, the day can be so beautiful that other songs come to mind. Perhaps, "Astral Weeks" by Van Morrison for a sweet summer morning ride through the grassy hills around San Jose. During the summer, when the air is filled with the smell of BBQ grills, my appetite gets going and I think of "Bar-B-Que" by Wendy Rene that you can get on that Rhino Boxed set.

What songs do you sing when you're riding? Comment on your suggestions for cool scootin-n-singing songs.

Make Your Own Scooter Wallpaper

Years ago, I lived with a scooterist friend who has a large poster made of a very famous black & white photo of a man racing a Vespa around a track. It looked like a huge photocopy, with the grainy pixels noticeable. While I don't recall he exact dimensions, it was two long sheets of paper that when put together were something like 3 x 5 ft. It was impressive and gave us a cool scooter house advantage.

Now, with technology making custom printing more accessible, the dream of having a cool, but well-done custom wall treatment is simple. Check out Wall Collection, a Danish company that can create custom wallpaper for you using your own artwork.

Checkout some examples of what they have done:


and



While prices aren't listed on their site, they do charge $60 for shipping to the US. May be a cool ay to turn your basement or spare bedroom into a scooter shrine.

New Storage Cabinet

On New Year's eve, Jon and I went to Ikea in search of a new display cabinet for my scooter collectibles. While there was a huge cabinet that would have looked great, the $300+ price tag was a bit much just to store my scooter toys. So, I ended up settling on the smaller Biby cabinet. It came in white or red, and while I was leaning towards Red, Jon convinced me that the white would look more industrial, almost like old dentist's furniture. So we got it and put it into Jon's new Honda Element. Once home he and our friend Christian put it together while I cooked out new year's eve gluten-free feast.

While our GF pot pies cooked, I stocked the cabinet and tried to divide my collectibles between the two cabinets. After about an hour I had my new cabinet stocked. The old cabinet (also an Ikea product, which is no longer produced) still had lots of stuff in it, all in disarray, but I was tuckered out and still had to serve dinner.

After dinner we celebrated the new year with some Dom Perignon and a roaring fire in the fireplace. I still haven't finished tidying up my old cabinet, but I'll post a photo of it anyway. : )

Wanna share photos of your collectibles? Send me an email!

Louisville, Kentucky is a scooterist town...

A recent article in the Courrier-Journal
talks about the scooter scene in Louisville, Kentucky. One of the accompanying photos featured an issue of Scoot!. Sweet!

Swap Meet: February 24th

Need parts for your project? Building your ride for Cannonball?

It's that time of year again!

Scoot! Magazine & Vespa Club Los Gatos present
SCOOT! MAGAZINE SWAP MEET

When : Sunday Feb. 24th 2008
Time : 9:00A to 3:00P
Where : Scoot! Magazine Headquarters
190 Martha Street, San Jose CA
Phone: 888-337-2668

* The cost for entry is free!
* All scooter types and riders are welcomed!
* Food and drink will be available for lunch!
* Bring the schwag you don't need!
* Arrive early to get the schwag you DO need!

For more details, visit www.vespaclublosgatos.com
Questions? E-mail us at vespaclublosgatos@yahoo.com

Scooter in Fool's Gold

The new Matthew McConaughey Kate Hudson film Fool's Gold has the leads riding a scooter off a cliff into the water. The film is about treasure hunting ex-spouses and promises to be an action/adventure/romantic comedy. Can't imagine it will be that great, but I may rent it for the scooter footage.Opens February 8th. If anyone sees it & wants to pass on a mini-review, lemme know.

Thanks to Josh for the tip!

Scoot! in New Countries

We just found out from our new distributor that Scoot! is now being sold in some new countries. Although I won't get a breakdown of which shops are carrying it, I do know that we're in the following countries:
Austria
Finland
Australia
Taiwan
New Zealand
Singapore

I'll see if I can find out where. This is super exciting news as people from all over are often asking us for distribution in their area.

Got a better collection?

Rolf's toys Pt. 2

If you think that you've got a better collection than Rolf? Send me your pictures and prove it! : )

Rolf's toys Pt. 1

Weebles Wobble but do they Scoot?

Apparently they do! Jon said he heard that there was a scooter out there for the Weebles. We didn't see it at Toys R Us, but I did find it on the Hasbro site. $9.99 for the set.

Get yourWeebles Weeschool Playset.

Japanese Scooter Delights

Jason from Battlescooter just got back from Japan and brought me 2 cool toys. I love getting scooter stuff that I couldn't get here. I just hop he didn't get walloped by the exchange rate.



The first item is a Lambretta which is listed as a 1953, but Jon thinks it is actually an earlier model. It is very detailed and quite precious. I'm leaving it in it's packaging. The Yen price tag is cool.



The second item is a commercial scooter rickshaw-like thing. Neither of us read Japanese, but Jason suspects that it is a model of a scooter that was in a movie. The graphics on the packaging look like kitchy 60s-style movie poster stuff.

Groovy Girls ride-on scooter

Groovy Girls $149

Took this photo with my cell phone. I need a new camera phone, methinks!

Calling all scooter collectors!

I'm working on an upcoming article series focusing on people that collect certain scooter collectibles or who make items that are scooter collectibles. If you are an exceptional collector or specialize in a particular type of collectible (i.s. owners manuals, chocolate molds, stamps etc...) then I would love to speak with you.

My deadline is coming up, so email me asap. If I can include you in the issue, then I'll need some high-resolution photos of some of your collectibles and of you, too.

Also, if you collect scooter memorabilia and other stuff and have an impressive display of your collections, I'd love to see them. If I get enough good quality photos, then I can do a photo spread in the magazine. Sweet!

Lucky Jeans Scooter Shirt

Thanks to Michelle H from Erico Motor Sports for sending me the link to his cute scooter shirt from Lucky Brand. The shirt is cotton and sells for $38.
Buy the shirt from Lucky.

Here's a detail of the scooter, which has a Lucky emblem instead of a Vespa badge.

Scoot! Contributor's Deadline 1/15

If you are thinking about contributing to the next issue of Scoot!, your deadline is January 15th.

How can you contribute? Send us a good photo of yourself with your scooter for our Show Us Your Scoots section. If you've got an exceptionally custom or unique scooter, submit a Reader's Ride by filling-out the questionnaire and submitting several high-quality photos of the bike. Send us a report on a rally you participated in.

For more information on how to contribute, check out our contribution guidelines on our website.

Show Us Your Scoot: Blog-style!

Edward Moniz of Titusville, FL sent us a photo of himself with his '66 Vespa SS that he restored himself and rides daily.

Nice bike, Edward!

If you've got a bike you want included in the magazine's Show Us Your Scoots section, send us an image at the highest resolution possible (at least 300 dpi) to my email address (see previous post). We really enjoy seeing & sharing our reader's scooters.


Blog entry soundtrack: "Jump into the Fire" by Harry Nilsson

Stolen Scooters in Austin

Just got an email from Adrien in Austin about stolen scooters. Keep an eye out, Texans!

My name is Adrian. I'm from Austin, Texas. On the day of Sunday December 16th 2007 my 1978 P125X was stolen from my apartment complex parking lot. A number of scooters were stolen on the same day in this area as well as some others around town in the past week.

Keep an eye out for people trying to sell stolen scooters. If you have any information, contact Austin PD.

More Scooter Parking in Sarasota, FL

The Bradenton Herald recently posted an article about the city of Sarasota, Florida adding 21 new motorcycle parking spots to their downtown. Florida is a mecca for scooters due to the warm weather and the lack of a helmet law, so it seems natural that they would incorporate two-wheeled vehicle parking into their plans. The city was smart about it and placed the spots in "dead zones" that are too small for cars to park in.

If you are yearning for more motorcycle parking in your area, check out the article I wrote in our August issue (#41) about how my home town (San Jose) and other US cities have gone about getting more motorcycle parking. You can check out San Jose's updated parking map to see what progress we made.

Scooters and Primates

Saw this photo online and thought that it was proof that primates are smart... they like scooters, or at least they'll feign interest for food.

Pick it Up

Thanks to my favorite scooter spotters, the Rix family, that sent me this link to a spot from the super-cool kids show Yo! Gabba Gabba! This show has been all th rage as of late, and I can see why it is a hit with both kids and parents. Check out this fun ska song that urges kids to "pick it up!"

You Gabba Gabba video. Spot the scooter for extra points...

NYPD Goes Electric

An Associated Press story about NYPD police testing Vectrix scooters is blanketing the Web. Lots of press outlets are picking up the story because it shows that the US's most high-profile city is taking economic and environmentally-friendly transportation seriously. The NYPD has a track record of working with scooters. Some may recall their fleet of Lambrettas in the waaay back. As the article points out, they department has over 400 gas-powered scooters right now. So kudos to them for looking to be environmentally conscious while still incorporating scooters. Read the story in the Boston Globe.

Bajaj Longs for Scooter Successes

In a recent article in the Hindustan Times it is said that Indian motorcycle manufacturer, Bajaj, is considering producing scooters once again. The company had decided to put their efforts into motorcycles, but found that the still strong 100cc market was falling to Honda and others. They are losing market share, and may yearn for their scooter business which earned them an 80% market share. Does this mean that the Chetak or Legend will return? Who knows as Bajaj is keeping it secret.

Iraqis Tackle City Traffic with Scooters

I'm on my way out to a Christmas dinner, but here is a NY Times story on how Iraqis are turning to scooters to address traffic and finance concerns. I love the skepticism about the Chinese bikes. Proof that we're very much alike.
happy holidays, folks!
New York Times article here...

Scooter Goodies

It's hard to keep a good scooter collectible away from me. But, this year, my boyfriend did. He presented me with this glass Santa on a scooter that he picked up at Walmart. It's cute, especially Santa's rosy cheeks.
If you read my column you may recall my post from November 10th where I said that a friend said he got an ornament from Walmart. We rushed over there & found nothing. Then, it was reported that the ornament was actually at hallmark. Chalk it up to an honest mistake...Well, my boyfriend kept going back & when he found this one at Walmart, he knew he had me. Since I had already scoured he place, I wouldn't be going back. His present was safe. So, no you know. Head over there for their after-Christmas sale and snap up the rest of them.





While I was out doing some last-minute shopping, yesterday, we stopped at Mai Do, a Japanese stationery store and Jon spotted this set of jelly stickers. I should really rent him out, he's like a scooter collectible bloodhound! There are only 3 scooters in the whole collection, but you may be able to use the other stickers elsewhere, especially the cute rocketship, minis or doulble-decker buses. The set was $3.30.

Here's a detail of one of the scooters:

Paint Your Own Ceramic Scooter

Scoot! reader, Bret Urick sent me this ceramic scooter that he painted. His sister has a paint-your-own pottery shop and he found this there. He said she got it from a supplier's catalog, which was under the "Bambino Collection." If you have access to one of those pottery places, maybe they can order one for you. It would make a fun scooter club activity to have each member paint one. Also cool for those 'lil scooterists in training that you know.

One thing you may notice: the engine on the wrong side. It's amazing how often I see this in the world. People really want that engine on the other side!

Scooter Shirt for Babies

Found this cute scooter shirt online at Polka Dots. It's on sale for $19.95 and only comes in 12 months, so get it before it's gone.

Scoot! Holiday Lights Ride

The local San Jose scooter crew has been holding a holiday lights ride for years. I used to host it at my house. Scooterists would meet there and I'd treat them to snacks and hot cocoa. Then, we'd get on our scooters and brave the cold to ride around and checkout the holiday lights. Once I moved out of that neighborhood, the scooterists across the street took it over, then a local shop, until this year when Scoot! sponsored it with San Jose Vespa.

We met at San Jose Vespa for some snacks and scooter talk. We held a raffle with proceeds o benefit ScooterRelief.org. Then we jumped on our scooters and Josh guided us through the surrounding neighborhood. We ended up at a local Starbucks where Scoot! bought the hot drinks. Norbert, Eddie and I decorated our scooters with battery-operated lights. I used the Braketext to broadcast "Happy Holidays from Scoot! Magazine." A man in a car stopped me to ask where I got the Braketext, and wondered if they made it or cars. Dunnno. At any rate, you can see the video that I posted on YouTube. Thankfully iMovie is easy to use.


Interested in a fun event to do in the winter? Try a holiday lights ride in your area!

Scoot Richmond Gives 110%

Scoot Richmond is doing a Christmas promotion where customers who purchase gift cards will receive a card for 110% of payment. Thus, you can pay $100 an receive a $110 card. The sale goes through Friday, Dec. 21. Find out more about the Last Minute Gift Card.

While you and your gift recipient may not live in the Richmond, VA area the Scoot Richmond team does brisk mail order business.

Rachael Ray Scooter for Charity

Piaggio is partnering with Rachael Ray to raise money for her "Yum-O" charity. The scooter appeared on the December 11th Rachael Ray show and will be on auction until January 11.

According to the charity's website, "Yum-o! is a nonprofit organization that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships."

You can bid on the scooter at the Charity Folks' site.

Cute flash homepage

I've been researching parenting & children's sites/blogs for something totally unrelated to 1) my personal life and 2) scooters, but I found this website: Enfant Terrible that has a great flash home page that has a goofy guy riding a scooter. I think I've seen him at several rallies! ha-ha! Check it out!

When you click on a link, the scooter guy appears at the top of the page. So cute! The clothes are simple (and pricey) but the flash is fun.

Scooter Christmas Cards

Whenever I'm in the local mall, I stop by Papyrus, a chain stationery store just to see if they have any scooter-themed cards. This past weekend, I found 2 great cards. The first is of a silhouette of a girl on a fenderlight Vespa with packages on the rear rack. It is cute and retro-flavored. The drawback is that it says, "For You, Sister" on the front and "Special wished of holiday joy to my terrific sis." Those of you who have read my blog before probably remember my previous rants about greeting cards where the card company comes up with greeting for us. I'd rather just have a cool graphic and write the greeting myself. This card could go to many people if it were blank, but since I don't have a sister, this will sit in my collectibles box. $2.95



The second card is, fortunately, blank. It has a colorized and glittered scooter on the front and nothing inside. Perfect for you to write your own, heartfelt and personal greeting, like "Merry Christmas, Steve." Just Kidding! The scooter looks as if it were sculpted or maybe made of tin, like a small toy. This is part of Papyrus' fancy-smancy line, so the card is a whopping $4.95. So, maybe that's what makes it hard to decide where to send it. It's not affordable to send a whole stack of them out. Forget the presents!


Papyrus has reently launched their online store,but it doesn't have these cards. Use the site to find the nearest location and grab them while you can.

Rocketworld Toys and Desktop

If you saw our scooter art issue from last year (issue #40), you may recall a submission from Patrick York Ma that was of a bear riding a scooter. Since then, Patrick has transformed his artwork into limited edition vinyl toys. The toys are called the Combat Mod Squad Titus (Bear) and Combat Mod Squad
Affonso (Rhino) and are limited to 500 pieces per character. According to Patrick, the toys are “part homage to my love of vintage Vespas, part wildlife conservation, and part pop-culture.” A portion of all the toys sales from Rocket World goes to helping non-profit wildlife conservation groups. The toys sell for $64.99, but you’d better get them before they are gone. See more of Patrick’s designs at www.rocketworld.org where you can also download the free desktop art (shown below)Download the desktop at Rocketworld.org

10 % off Personalized Scooter Stationery

My friends at Rock Scissor Paperare in the final day of their personalized stationery sale. Last time they had this sale, I ordered some of their scooter stationery for myself. It would make a great gift for a fellow scooterist and may encourage them to take up the long lost art of letter-writing. I am also pleased to see their other styles which bring to mind gifts for a lot of other non-scooterists who are on my list.

The Sale Ends Today (11/27) so buy now! Don't forget to use COUPON code: thanks07 to save 10%.

Vectrix Superbike? 125mph!

I'm not sure how they are doing it, but Vectrix unveiled an electric "superbike" in Milan this month. While the bike won't be racing any modern four-strokes on the track, it does exceed the expectations of electric vehicles by leaps. Checkout the report by Gizmag who said that Vectrix's three-wheel scooter went almost unnoticed when placed next to the superbike.

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.

Scooterists in Need

You may have read abut Scooter-Relief.org in past issues of Scoot!, but I wanted to let you know about the organization and encourage you to do whatever you can to help. According to the website:

In September of 2005, as the sheer magnitude of the Hurricane Katrina disaster became apparent to the world, the Jedi Knights Scooter Club and other scooterists realized we had to do something to help our friends in from New Orleans.

We quickly formed Scooter-Relief.org to coordinate relief donations for scooterists from New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast.

Since September of 2005 we raised thousands of dollars with the help of the national scooter community, clubs, individuals and shops. We have distributed these funds in an equitable fashion to all Katrina survivors who have applied for funds.

Scooter-Relief has also responded to the needs of other scooterists--victims of accidents and some facing serious illness.

The group has helped out several scooterists, some who have experienced terrible accidents, others who are facing serious diseases, while others have been the victims of natural disasters. Whatever the case, it's hard to ask for help, but sometimes it is often unavoidable. Scooter-Relief.org harnesses the global nature of our community and allows scooterists to help other scooterists.

I just personally donated some of my money for the two needy scooterists for which the website is raising funds. I hope you will consider doing so, also. On the site, you can find a description of the situation of the scooterists in need and imagine how you'd cope with a similar situation.

Gap & Vespa Release Joint Scooter

Vespa USA and clothing chain, The Gap, have announced a new special edition scooter. The "Crazy Stripe" scooter will be available for the holiday season. According to the press release:

This 2007 Limited Edition Vespa LX 50 in the "Crazy Stripe" (which looks more like "Pride Parade" to me) design represents a new spin on the classic Vespa scooter and continues to incorporate the core values of Vespa -- eco-friendly engineering, passion, individualism, and integrity -- in a stylish mode of transportation.

Beginning November 8, details on how to purchase this unique gift will be available exclusively online at The Gap. The 2007 Limited Edition Vespa LX 50 retails for $5,999 and will be available while supplies last or by special order until December 23, 2007.

Holiday shoppers in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Las Vegas will have the opportunity to check out the 2007 Limited Edition Vespa LX 50 on display in select Gap stores from November 15 to December 3, 2007. Customers interested in purchasing this special Vespa LX 50 can visit http://www.gap.com/vespa for purchasing details. To find a local Vespa USA dealer and for complete Vespa LX 50 information, visit http://www.vespausa.com/.

Hallmark Santa Ornament

Each year as we enter November, I begin a little game. Luckily, my boyfriend Jon nd housemate Lori love to play, too. It's "find the scooter ornament." Some years, our prospects are lean, while others are brimming with finds. We're usually tipped off by rumors and chat from other scooterists, but we often have a plan of stores to scour, websites to check out and catalogs to flip through.

This year, Lori heard from another scooterist that Walmart had a Santa ornament. I had already hit Walmart and thought it seemed doubtful. After some web searches, Lori discovered that it was actually "Hallmark" not "Walmart" and off she went to buy out the last 2 "Santa's Scooter" ornaments left in the local store. Score one for Lori. Note: The Halmark site is a bear and you won't find the ornament on the site, so check your local stores for it. I also haven't been able to confirm of 3rd party retailers such as Long's Drugs have this ornament. I'll be checking that out, too.

The ornament has a pull-string at the back of the scooter which plays a version of "Here Comes Santa Claus" with scooter engine sound effects. Cute! Santa's hand waves while the song plays. Double-cute!The ornament retails for $20.

Although I should really be working on my feature article for the next issue, I am going to go out and hit the stores looking for something Lori or Jon haven't found. If you've got any tips to share with me or the blog readers, post a comment!

Tough Luck for Mickey Rourke

As we've all heard, Mickey Rourke was arrested for DUI this week while making an illegal U-turn on his Vespa. While drunk driving is a serious issue, I am more intrigued by some of the headlines and tones taken by the journalists that are covering the story. Apparently a DUI is not surprising, but the fact that a "tough guy" like Rourke rides a scooter is! Check out what Josh Hart from The National Ledger had to say about it:

How easy is it to make fun of Mickey Rourke now? While DUIs are no laughing matter it is hard to fathom getting one on a blue Vespa scooter in Florida but somehow the tough guy actor did just that. Is this the same brute from the film "Sin City?" Is this the rugged guy that couldn't handle a gun from Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man?" Ah - so removed from Hollywood.

Isn't there a joke - "What do fat chicks and a moped have in common?" (Punch line - They are both fun to ride but you wouldn't want your friends to see you on one). Here come the e-mails - hey I didn't write it, some guy that is now on strike likely did

It's just another indication of some American's shallow minds to tie someone's virility and "toughness" to their vehicle. I am a fan of Rourke's work. I know nothing about his personal life, so I can't say anything about him as a person. But i can say that he must not think that his Vespa speaks badly of his manliness. It's probably a smart vehicle for him to have, especially on Miami Beach where the traffic *sucks* and scooters are a much better form of transport. And....you can't beat the weather!

Maybe we should embark on a campaign to debunk this myth....

Just Gottta Scoot Interview

This past Friday, I was interviewed by David Harrington of Just Gotta Scoot, an audio podcast that you can get for free from iTunes. We chatted about Scoot! and its history as well as some topic close to my heart such as scooter safety, classic versus vintage and more. If you have a 1/2 hour to listen, download it at: Just Gotta Scoot

New Charuca Desktop

Charuca, the Spanish artist who appeared in our Scooter Art issue and contributed an illustration for a Scoot! T-shirt, has a new desktop that you can download from Pixel Girl Presents. While it doesn't have a scooter, it does have a couple of mini-cars, which always seem to find a following in the scooter world.

You can find out more about Charuca's retro-inspired artwork at her site, Mondo Trendy. I also recommend that you periodically check out Pixel Girl Presents for fun icons (Mac or PC) and more engaging desktop wallpapers. She even has a section for iPhone wallpapers.

You can also own a piece of Charuca's art when you buy the t-shirt at the
Scoot!Magazine web store.

Alloy Scooter Sweats

Thanks to Jon who told me about a pair of cool sweatpants offered by teen clothing catalog, Alloy.

The Reversible Sweatpant (item#163923) is white with a repeating black line drawing of a girl with a Series III Lambretta. It reverses to a plain background with a singe large image of the girl & scooter. The sweats range in sizes (S-XXXL)and price ($26.50 - $29.50).

Ladies, be sure to bookmark Alloy.com and check it periodically for scooter stuff.Every once in a while, they offer scooter products or use scooters in their catalogs.

Vespa Patches

Sourpuss Clothing carries a few cool Vespa ad-themed patches. This one with three sexy ladies on scooters is a rendition of the famous poster which had the infamous tag line, "The Gay Companions."


This lucky couple is happy to be riding scooters sand helmets but with well-coiffed hair.

You may recognize this cheery Vespa family from ads, too.



Sourpuss has these UK-made patches for just $5. Get them quick before they sell out.

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?

Girlie ET Stationery

Well, it isn't the cheapest stationery around, but if you want some personalized notecards with a pink/purple Vespa ET on it, then you are in luck. FineStationery.com has this watercolor-style card that seems to be on hearty stock. You can get it as a two different styles of folding card (50 for $130) or a gift enclosure (50 for $105).