GARDEN CITY SCOOTER RUN: "SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED" - MAY 18-21
May 11, 2012 - Filed under: Rallies
The longest running scooter rally in North America is set for its 28th year this coming May long weekend in Victoria, BC, Canada. The 2012 iteration entitled ‘Shaken, Not Stirred…” features a James Bond theme and goes off May 18 - 21.
The Garden City Scooter Run is put on by the Capital City Scooter Club (CCSC) and it’s a frolicking good time every year. The quality of people and
Check out the full rally itinerary. All scooters - classic or modern - are welcome. Mopeds and other small bikes have been known to sneak in too.
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NEW PIAGGIO BV350 HITS SHOWROOMS
April 19, 2012 - Filed under: Piaggio | 2013 Models
Newest Member of Piaggio’s BV Family Available Now
At the time, Piaggio hinted towards a North American release and confirmed that in March when they announced it as an early release 2013 model. Piaggio expected to have this scooter in dealerships during May, but the intrepid BV350’s have slipped thru the border and are now landing in American showrooms.
The BV350 is the same core scooter as the departing BV300 (and BV250 before that), but Piaggio has made a huge list of great updates. The QUASAR motor has been overhauled with a bump to 330cc (vs. 278cc for the BV300) and the addition of fuel injection and 4-valves.
Power is up to 33.3 HP (vs. 24HP for the 250), which is just 6 ponies shy of the heavier BV500. With the bump to 330cc comes a 10mph top speed boost to 90mph.
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NEW HONDA'S FOR AMERICA - 2013 PCX150 AND METROPOLITAN
April 02, 2012 - Filed under: Honda | 2013 Models
Honda USA Announces All New 2013 Metropolitan and More Powerful PCX150
Top speed should rise from 60mph to about 65mph unless Honda forgot to remove the old 64mph rev limiter. Most likely Honda tweaked the gearing to keep the redline the same RPM but raise the redline speed to around 70mph. American’s still don’t get the idle stop technology that Honda includes in many markets to shut off the engine after 3 seconds and re-start it in an instant when the throttle is twisted.
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STATE OF SCOOTER SCENE 2012 - PART 2: SALES UP 11.8%
March 17, 2012 - Filed under: 2012 Models | Piaggio
Part 2 - Scooter Sales Rise Nicely in 2011
USA Scooter sales had been marching higher most every year from 2002 to 2008, with actual sales increasing from about 70,000 scooters up to around 200,000 in the peak year of 2008.
That all changed with the 2009 recession and subsequent lower fuel prices that combined to trigger a pancaking of the scooter market. 2009 sales were a staggering 59% lower than 2008, which led to a huge clog in showrooms as dealers had stocked up for another year like 2008.
Dusty showroom scooters were in everywhere 2010 except in buyers hands, as sales dropped 9.5% further despite the widely available discounts on surplus scoots. 2009 and 2010 combined sold less scooters than 2008. The motorcycling industry in general was hit hard by the recession, but no other segment suffered as hard as scooters.
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