Thanks go to HellForLeather for coming through with the official price list for the 2009 Ducati lineup. It looks like they got their hands on a dealer’s order form with all the prices and availability dates. Well done.
Most of the bikes fall in line with expected prices, but the big question was the Streetfighter and the Streetfighter S: turns out they’ll be $14,005 and $18,995, respectively.
Check out the whole price list and the actual order form where they came from:
Everyone is showing off their plug-in hybrid prototype bikes, but no one has a production model yet. So when Piaggio’s MP3 plug-in Hybrid Scooter gets into show rooms in 2009 (or hopefully at the end of 2008), they’ll be the first ones.
The word is that Piaggio’s plug-in hybrid three-wheeler will get up to 141 mpg and could be on the road by the end of 2008, as in, before 2009. This hybrid version of the MP3 scooter uses a parallel hybrid system similar to the one the Toyota Prius uses, except this one plugs in to a regular old wall socket. Toyota, GM and a few other automakers are try to develop cars that can be charged from a wall socket, but if Piaggio gets this MP3 out on time, they’ll scoop the competition.
Why don’t they ever sell the cool stuff in the US? A hot trend in Tokyo right now is the fully equipped, decked-out lowriders… on two-wheels. There’s a whole niche market of purpose built low and long scooters like the Suzuki Skywave 250 Type S, the Yamaha Grand Majesty, and my new favorite, the Honda Fusion SE Type X.
The streets of Japan are flooded with these scooters, most of them customized with high flake sparkle two-toned paint jobs and lots of chrome and wire wheels. Unfortunately, Japanese automakers don’t think there’s a market for them over here, but I’m not so sure. Most of these scooters have 250cc engines, which is about the same as a smaller motorcycle, and will propel the driver at a reasonable speed. Plus, riding a scooter has it’s own thrill separate and equal to that of riding a motorcycle. You’re sitting upright, your legs are up on the frame, it’s like you’re sitting in a chair going 55 mph, that has a certain appeal.
Check out the pictures of these beauties:
Early Thursday morning, University of Minnesota 52-year-old custodian Ramon Acevedo had just finished his shift when two teenagers approached him outside Smith Hall. According to Acevedo, the teens asked if the moped parked near by was his, and after replying in the affirmative, one of the teens drew a knife on Acevedo, telling him, “This scooter is mine now.” Able to contain his amusement long enough to handle the situation, Acevedo, a former Golden Glove boxer, promptly assumed a fighting stance. “I threw some punches,” Acevedo admits. “I was ready to dance a little bit.” Realizing they might have made a slight miscalculation in choosing their victim, the teenagers immediately abandoned their quarry and fled the scene. “I’m a little old, but I never forgot my stuff,” Acevedo claimed coolly.
Like I said before, I love the look of open face helmets, but I also love my chin. That’s why I stand by my belief in the supremacy of full-face helmets. As far as I’m concerned, a solid white Arai RX-7 Corsair is the end-all be-all of motorcycle helmets. Arai is simple, good looking, and top quality. For ten years running now, Arai has been at the top of J.D. Power and Associates Motorcycle Helmet Satisfaction Study.
But I also recognize that some people like a little variation, they want to show off some of their personality with their helmet. Understandable. So if I couldn’t have a solid white Arai, here are my second choices:
So you’re a city dweller, you don’t need a car, but you’re just far enough from work to make it a pain in the ass to walk or ride a bike. You need a scooter.
Zero Emission Motors just came out with a nice all-electric scooter that fits that niche perfectly. It’s not one of the low-end electric scooters, and it’s not a high level electric like a Vectrix or an Electrocat. It’s right in the middle, capable of normal city speeds and with a range far enough to get you to work and back. It’s called the Volt
Or so I like to imagine. In my mind, I picture a squad of Ruckus riders isolating and encircling a rival scooter rider, mocking him mercilessly as he nervously tries to secure his soy-base purchases to the back of his Vespa. In another scene, I picture a guy at a stoplight on a Ruckus, flexing his henna-tattooed arm, revving his 49cc, single cylinder engine for the girl in the Honda Civic Hybrid next to him.
All joking aside, despite the fact that it would be shamed off the track at any respectable sport bike meet, the Ruckus is actually an impressive ride for its class. It maxes out at 43 mph but since it weighs only 194 lbs, any faster than that and you’d be airborne. With congestion in cities the way it is, flight capability might seem like an attractive option, but with the Ruckus’ petite 49.8″ wheelbase and 28.9″ seat height you don’t really need it, maneuverability isn’t an issue.
So here is a little fun to start your day off right. Rollerman, aka Jean-Yves Blondeau, designed himself a skate lined body suit with 33-wheels strategically placed. When dressed in his roller armor Blondeau, …sorry, Rollerman takes to the streets and sidewalks and parking lots and courtyards for a wheelie good time. The super suit allows Rollerman to glide along most any paved or smooth surface in nearly any human position. On the downhill Rollerman can reach speeds of 60 mph (and that is without the addition of his jet-pack and laserbeam eyes)
Watch the videos below to get a feeling for what Rollerman can do.
A recent article on MSNBC.COMdiscussed the hazards to children of shoes with the wheels in the heel. The most recognized brand of these shoes, Heelys, Inc., have been linked to numerous injuries in young people around the world. Those injuries have ranged from the usual scrapes and bruises to broken bones and head contusions.
To Heelys defense there is a warning sticker on their shoes that proper protection is encouraged, but who heeds those things.
Here are some questions to ponder:
Are Heelys really any more dangerous than a bicycle or skateboard or trampoline? How many years did it take from the invention of the bicycle for helmets to be a standard piece of equipment when riding? What would the impact be of applying those same safety precautions to Heelys? How many pre-teens are willing to be caught heeling through the Mall with a Heeling Helmet and wrist and knee pads?
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As a mode of transportation the use of a Heely is right up there with the Razor Scooter. They are novel ideas that will come and go just as other gimmicks and fashions. In the meantime parents need to educate themselves on what Heelys really are and the inherent hazards associated with them. Then maybe they should contemplate whether they want their child to be one of these Heelers running down innocent shoppers at the Target or Wal-Mart in their home town.
Those enormously popular foot scooters that kids everywhere (and some young adults) are riding come from several suppliers. Razor is one of the companies - some would say the originals. Razor also makes a miniature electric ride scooter called the Pocket Mod.
As Razor is a supplier to retail giant Wal-Mart, part of their task is to tag their products with RFID (radio frequency identification technology) so that Wal-Mart can track their products in their stores, easily determine when stock is low, and make re-ordering easier.
