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