Honda Forza, stock and custom
The Japanese have a knack for building some out-there vehicles, and these scooters are no exception. Modified to the point of being unrecognizable, they’re definitely an acquired taste; then again, so are scooters in general, especially if you’re a bike guy. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, props to the builders for the amount of work spent creating these rides.
Photo: Geoff Robinson Photography
Colin Furze is a genius, and his name shall henceforth be muttered with the hallowed tones generally reserved for Steve McQueen, Carrol Shelby, Q or your favorite porn star. Why? Because Furze, tired of tailgating motorists, invented a button-activated flamethrower for his scooter. It sprays flame up to 15 feet, plenty good enough to get the attention of even the most idiotic drivers. Not cool enough? His flamethrower is adjustable for angle, to get the perfect pitch for your opponent’s windshield.
Video after the jump.
Vectrix, the first out of the gate in an electric two-wheeler market that is finally starting to take off, has perhaps raced off a little too enthusiastically, because now they’re bankrupt and in liquidation. Their zero-emissions electric scooter, the eponymous Vectrix, was a large scooter (a “maxi” in the strange scooter subculture lingo) assembled in Poland. It had pretty decent range (65 miles, claimed) and performance (0-60 in 7 seconds), but it was generally expensive and lacked the panache of, say, the Mission Electric motorcycle. Read More…
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a big fan of not dying in violent accidents. So I’m very keen on any kind of new techno-gadgetry that can keep my soft organic bits intact in the unfortunate event of a high speed impact. Things like air-bag jackets, and high end helmets are very useful for my particular fetish of avoiding horrible and painful death.
But there’s high end, and there’s “high end”, right? The Lazer SuperSkin helmet supposedly takes the protection to another level. I’m already sold by the fact that they spelled Lazer with a Z instead of with the traditional S. It shows they defy convention. Also, the video has a British doctor and slow motion test films. Check it:
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Ducati Monster by Peg Pérego
Effective February 10, 2009, any and all children’s motorcycles and ATVs are now illegal in the land of the free and the home of the frightened. Thanks to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, off-road motorcycles and ATVs intended for anyone 12 years old and under are now illegal, because their batteries contain lead and apparently, children love to eat motorcycle batteries.
This law shuts the door on a multi-million dollar industry that was one of the few actually thriving in this recessionary environment. The law says not even used bikes can be sold… or given away to anyone 12 or under. This means a 20% drop in the already troubled motor vehicle industry and it’s related parts sales businesses. Ironically, the under 12 market was the only part of that business actually doing well.
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The Scrambler was one of the most popular Ducati’s of all time. From 1961 to 1974, you could have gone to a Ducati dealer and picked up a relatively inexpensive, high quality Ducati bike almost purpose built for the city commuter. Think of it like a Ducati version of the Honda CB250 Nighthawk. It had that timeless aesthetic, it was extremely comfortable, and it had just enough power to zip you around at a reasonable speed. It was Ducati’s version of a “people’s bike”.
But then, 1974 rolls around and POOF, the Scrambler disappears from the Ducati lineup, never to return. I have no idea what they were thinking, I’m sure they had a good reason at the time, but since then, Ducati has only built relatively large engined bikes. The displacement of thier bikes seems to have grown every year since then. Right now, the cheapest Ducati you can buy is the fairly bulky, almost $10k, Monster 696, a fine bike in it’s own right, but not the sort of thing you go zipping around the city on as your daily commuter; not like the Scrambler was.
Read on and check out some pictures of the Ducati Scrambler:
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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:
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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.
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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:
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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. Read More…
