July 2008

Apparently, it’s not illegal to move someone else’s scooter to free up a parking space in Seattle.The Seattle Times is reporting that the city may vote to impose a fine for anyone who gets caught.

I guess I’ve always assumed that a scooter was a motor vehicle like any other and never thought of moving someone else’s car… Now, I know how I feel when someone looks at my scooter funny. I’d never thought about what I would do to the unfortunate soul who layed hands on the rusty beast. I remember years ago a scene in front of a bar when a close friend of mine found a stranger sitting on his motorcycle… Not a pretty sight. Pay the $38.00.

From TopSpeed.com

The fact that motorcycles and scooters are getting more popular thanks to enormous hikes in fuel prices is no surprise to anyone, least to gasoline companies. French oil company, Total, has taken note and has started looking towards these motorcycles as a real “market”.

Total have recently opened a gas pump designed for motorcycles in the Paris suburbs (L’Isle Adam) . Cars aren’t welcome (and will not fit), and the pump has all sorts of stuff designed for bikers.

Read more at TopSpeed.com

Divine Caroline has posted an interesting top ten list that includes both the advantages and disadvanges of our beloved scooters…  Sadly, the list makes the the disadvantages sound worse than they actually are…

Scooters are ‘wimpy’? You’ve obviously never experienced the beauty of a fully restored Lambretta SX200 in all of it’s power and glory… Maybe they’re talking about modern scooters.

The title alone should tell the average scooterist that the author may not have done their homework. The Herald of Rock Hill South Carolina is warning it’s readers to “Beware of Scooters”…

Some great quotes throughout the article only confirm my original supposition:

“Scooters may look like a kid-toy version of a Harley…”

What? Where? Which scooter make or model are you referring to? I can’t think of one that looks anthing like a Harley…

“But these vehicles are more than just a glorified moped. The Vespa GTS 250, for example, can reach speeds of 76 mph.”

Umm… Yes.

Here’s the deal. A scooter is not a toy. Yes, there are some scooters out there geared toward younger or smaller riders, but these machines are just as dangerous as any other motorized vehicle on the road today. There is a reason that there are motorcycle and scooter laws in every state. There is a reason that licenses are required to ride a scooter larger than 50cc’s in almost every state. There are safety courses available to teach new riders all about the pros and cons of owning, riding, and enjoying scooters.

Luckily, someone beat me to the punch on commenting on this article. I’m not sure I could have voiced my opinions in such a non-condescending tone. Please, Staff Writer Person, go back to writing those common sense manuals and stay away from glorified mopeds.

From The Chatanoogan

More than 450 scooter riders from across the country and beyond will be taking to the streets this Thursday through Sunday for Vespa Club of America’s Amerivespa 2008. Amerivespa is the country’s largest scooter rally; it travels to a new city each year.

This year VCOA teamed with Hill City United Scooter Club to organize and host this event. After a year of planning and with support of local and national sponsors, organizers expect this to be an event that brings quite a bit of attention to Chattanooga.

“I have visited Chattanooga several times in the past few years, and through those trips I knew this was a city I wanted to bring Amerivespa to,” said J.D. Merryweather, president of Vespa Club of America. “We have an amazing schedule planned, and I encourage anyone interested in riding a scooter, no matter what brand it is, to join us this weekend.”

Full Story HERE

I just came across a nice online photo reference of Vintage Vespa models at VespaClub.com. It’s a complete model history from the Paperino Prototype (1946) to the most recent version of the PX200E (2001). The list is complete with model numbers in case you want to know exactly what scooter you have.