Already looking towards Spring and the 2009 models...

With an eye towards the latest and greatest, I decided to take a look around the internet at scooters to come, and see if there are any standouts for 2009.

My first pick for next year is stylish and similar in look to my Vino, The Aprilia Mojito 150. I tend to lean towards the retro or classic styling and the Mojito 150 seems to build on the lines the Vino has been sporting. Geez they even named it after an alcoholic drink.

At the moment The Aprilia Website does not list a price, nor do any local dealers have this scoot on their site yet. But I think its one to watch for '09.
The high-tech and environmentally friendly MOJITO is the ideal solution to all your urban mobility needs.

The beautifully finished MOJITO is easy and fun to ride, and designed to please all. With its distinctive, reassuring styling, the MOJITO is particularly appreciated by lady riders.

The MOJITO 150 is powered by a sporty yet reliable Aprilia engine. Years of experience in racing have enabled Aprilia to develop an air cooled engine that delivers excellent performance (especially in terms of acceleration) and power that is far smoother and more progressive than the competition.

A 12” front wheel and large section rear tyre guarantee great road holding. The long, broad and extremely comfortable seat is only 755 mm high for perfect control under all riding conditions.
MOJITO colour schemes are all original, lively and cheerful without being gaudy. Micalised paintwork ensures a classy, elegant finish.

The first bio fuel scooter?

Don't forget to stay green

I try to keep this blog focused on our two wheeled fun, and not so much on the serious world around us. Riding is a joy, an escape from the world. When you ride all you see is the beautiful world around you, and all you hear is the wind in your ears. There is no real world when you ride, there is just you and the road. I write all this as a preface to the fact that I am going to get serious in this entry. I don't like to, but every now and then my anger at the process needs to be expressed, and this time it happens to relate to the scooter life.

Over the past 3-4 years we have seen gas prices sky rocket to record levels culminating at $4-$5 a gallon this summer. These prices got to a point of absurdity and the people got angry. Why they got to this point is not up for debate in the entry, I frankly don't care why, and Republican Bill will blame Democrat Jim and visa versa and they'll blame each other and those they elected while the true villans will get away scott free as the peasants squabble amongst themselves. That is the nature of our political system, but thats a whole other rant.

So we were being gouged for gas and the people were angry. Some of those angry people sought out ways to offset their financial burden from petrol. There were small personal steps like scooters, motorcycles, and hybrids, but there were larger steps too. They say necessity is the mother of invention and so it was that real steps were taken to move towards alternative power sources. Real companies, real money, and real investors were put forth to develop wind, solar, bio fuels, nuclear, geothermal, clean coal etc etc etc. It has even become a big part of this year's Presidential Campaigns, but don't hold your breath because each of those idiots since Nixon has promised energy independence from the middle east, and here we are 40 years later.

The need was there, the reason was there, the people were there, the money was there, full steam ahead and away from oil! And then it happened. I'm sure you noticed it. The gas station you drive by on your way to work everyday, well look at that?!?! ... its prices are coming down!?!? Penny by penny, day by day, gas prices are coming down. Suddenly and miraculously the suppliers realized oops we had way more supply than we thought we did, we can lower the price now.

Reader stop, stop now, fight the urge to tell me that this is supply and demand and the market naturally correcting itself. If you feel this way please go get a rolled up a newspaper, stand in front of a mirror and repeat "no no" as you strike yourself with it until these idiot thoughts leave your head.

This IS market manipulation at its best! There are natural market forces at work here but they are the result of OPEC's need for self preservation. Lets think as if we were them. Oh the world is angry with us about our prices, the world is seeking ways to free themselves from our product. So much so they are starting to put serious and concerted efforts behind these tree-hugging ideas. What actions can we take to quell this anger and stop these efforts? We can play a little game of dominos ... gas prices go down, more dollars in wallet, anger goes down, people become comfortable and complacent as their budget is eased, complacent people don't make waves, without waves there is no force to push for alternative energy, investors sense the slowing of enthusiasm and pull their money, and finally our endeavors into alternative powers sources and fuels get moved to the back burner until the next crisis. Think I am wrong? Think this isn't happening today as we speak? Go read a newspaper. Many alternative energy projects are loosing their funding as we speak, because we have been sated by cheaper gas.

In the end all I want to say to you is this: Don't forget why we did and do the things we do to remove ourselves from oil. Don't forget what $4 a gallon gas feels like. Don't forget how important it is to explore these alternative energy sources. And most importantly, no matter which useless politician gets to be president, don't let them forget what they promised you to get there.

The Scooter World's Answer to the Zip Car

Cuter scooter defined by electricity, portability

David Chandler, MIT News Office
November 27, 2007

It's energy efficient, it's clean, compact and simple, and, above all, it's very cool.

All of these factors could be significant in getting people to adopt a lightweight, electrically powered scooter designed by William J. Mitchell, the Alexander W. Dreyfoos Professor of Architecture and Media Arts and Sciences, and several of his students in MIT's Smart Cities Group, in collaboration with SYM, a major scooter manufacturer in Taiwan, and ITRI, Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute. A prototype of the new design was a hit at the Milan Auto Show, where it was unveiled earlier this month.

Motor scooters are a very popular form of transportation in Asian and European cities, Mitchell said, because they provide convenient, inexpensive transportation. But conventional scooters, using inefficient two-stroke gas engines, are also a source of local air pollution. The new design "was all about providing a clean, green, silent electric scooter that would provide, even better, the same kind of urban mobility," he said.

As an added bonus, the simplicity of the electric design, which eliminates the powertrain by putting motors directly inside each of the two wheels, made it possible to design the scooter so that it could be folded up to about half its size, making it even easier to store in crowded urban environments.

"In very dense urban areas where scooter parking is a big issue, the small size is a big advantage. It makes it possible to park it in narrow streets and alleys," Mitchell said. When folded, it can also be easily wheeled along like a trolley suitcase, and is no larger, making it easy to take along on trains or even indoors.

The simplified design could bring down production costs significantly, he said. "A typical gas scooter has about 1,000 parts, but ours only has 150."

Mitchell and his team envision the scooters being provided in racks at convenience stores, train stations and other convenient city locations as one-way rentals. Users would swipe a credit card to remove a scooter from the rack (in which its batteries would be kept fully charged up), unfold it for the trip and then fold it up again to deposit at another rack at the destination.

The viability of the one-way-rental business model has been demonstrated in Paris, Mitchell said, where a company has recently begun a similar service with 1,000 bicycles.

The design of the scooter is also important in getting the new concept adopted. "People want to look cool," Mitchell said, and the folding scooter was highly praised at the Milan show, where vehicle design is especially prized.

The team now plans to further develop the prototype to come up with two different production models. One will be a refinement of the folding scooter introduced in Milan, and the other will be an even simpler model, without the folding capability, to be produced for regions where low cost is most important and space restrictions are not as crucial.

The whole design project was accomplished in eight months, "from a blank sheet to a built concept," Mitchell said. The multigenerational, cross-disciplinary team included a core group of four graduate students along with several others who made contributions, and a group of MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program students. One key to their ability to accomplish the innovative design, he said, was that "they don't know what's 'impossible,' so they just go out and do it."

My first cold weather ride

Well I did it this morning! I got up, I looked at the cold darkness, I went outside, and put the key in the scooter and let it warm up. No turning back now, it was time to leave.

I put on jeans, and a very heavy fleece pull over, and my UA gloves and took off. Within a mile of leaving the house the cold, 30 some degree/40mph wind had cut through everything I was wearing. Within just 5-10 minutes the uncomfortable cold feeling began to turn to pain. Any part of me that was catching the wind simply hurt especially my fingers. And of course this was the morning I was catching all green lights (usually a good thing) but now I was getting no breaks, no chances to stop and rub my hands together.

By the end of the ride I half expected to remove my gloves and find frostbite. I know this sounds a little extreme and I am a pretty tolerant person when it comes to pain, but even for me this hurt, and was no fun at all!

I guess this calls for (as my coworkers smugly kept telling me all morning) a trip to the bike shop this weekend from some more adequate cold weather gear. I am thinking some more serious winter leather gloves, a jacket, and maybe a full face. Oh well, its a small price to pay for being able to keep scooting. If theres an upside to suffering this morning it is that I get to enjoy a sunny 60 degree ride on the way home!

What the Hell am I looking at ???

Is this what happens when a scooter and a go-cart mate?

Well the ScootCoupe is the 2004 invention of Panther Motors, and is primarily designed to be a full rental vehicle for people in vacation areas. And while its called a scooter because of it's three wheeled set up and steering, I still think its a pretty big stretch to call this thing a scooter!

But all the power to them, and if this strikes your fancy and have the expendable income by all means check them out HERE. But I will laugh at you when a cop pulls you over thinking you just hijacked an amusement part.

Not quite a car, not quite a scooter ...

and that is how Peugeot is selling this new kind of vehicle the HYmotion3.

Their concept occupies "a half-way house between the world of the scooter and the car." ... and I don't disagree with that statement, however I don't think its a positive one.

This thing looks like a smart car cut down the middle, it looks like a scooter in a hamster ball, its the bastard son of both that inherited all the bad traits, and has few innovations to show from its merging of two worlds. Its a car without the shelter and storage, and its a scooter with claustrophobia. Sorry Peugeot, car drivers want the luxuries of a car, and scooter drivers want the wind in their hair, this thing is just an exercise in sci-fi fantasy, and has little practicality as the evolution of car and scoot.

Two new models to look for from Our Favorite American Scooter Company

SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! ...

Well not really Sunday, but I am just reminded of those cheezy TV commercials that appear when ever some traveling motor show comes to town. And to the point of the post, one of them is.

This January, the 28th Annual Cycle World International Motorcycle Show comes to DC. Great, Fabulous, why do we scooter owners care??? Well do to the rise in popularity of our step-through motorcycles, scooter vendors will not just be sprinkled into the mix, they will have their own pavilion called appropriately The Scooter Pavilion!

--Scooter sales have skyrocketed during the past couple years as more and more people climb aboard motorized two-wheelers to escape rising gas prices. The Scooter Pavilion is an area dedicated specifically to scooter fans and the machines they love. New model releases from top brands, including Aprilia, CF Moto, Genuine, KYMCO, Piaggio, Suzuki, Vectrix, Vespa and Yamaha, are showcased in the pavilion alongside scooter accessories and information about the latest in high mileage transportation options. From larger commuter models to small displacement scooters, the Scooter Pavilion is the place to touch, sit on and experience several options to suit your scootering lifestyle. --

HERE is the Washington DC Stop Info Page

Who's a Chicken?!?!?

OK so last week we returned from our honeymoon, and it was back to business as usual. About the middle of the week I began to notice the faint but real signs of that first cold of the season, and sure enough by this past weekend I was a full blown mess. Which has led to my decision for the comfort of my nice warm truck for the past three morning commutes.

Each morning this week I have gotten up and looked outside at the dark coldness, gone through my morning routine of waking myself up and shaking off the cold symptoms with the usual array of cold products, and then having to make a decision about what to drive to work. I think to myself its probably not good for the recovery process to go out zipping along in the 35-40 degree weather at 40mph, and so each morning I have opted for the easy, heated, hot coffee toting, comfort of the truck.

And perhaps karmicly I am passed by at least one fellow scoot bundled up in their winter jacket zipping off to work and putting me to shame. I have to say there is a definite level of guilt sneaking up on me when I ask myself: am I trucking because of my cold, or using it as an excuse to stay out of the cold? I love my scooter, I love riding, but each morning this week when I stare out at the dark coldness waiting for me and a decision has to be made my love of scooting has not been able to over power my love of windows and a heater, and I am left to wonder... When my cold leaves, will my bravery return?

Ah, a man who I can relate to ...

Hey, lady in the blue van.

Yeah, you, the middle-aged gal with the messy brown hair and the scowl who kept honking behind me as we traveled north on Downing Street, between 11th and 13th avenues, on a recent Wednesday morning, around 9:15-ish.

I've got news for you:

I'm not a bike.

I'm more like a motorcycle (whose driver wouldn't have pulled over to let you pass either).

I can zip along at a pretty good clip if need be. But for my safety and yours, I abide by the rules of the road — just as you should — and try to keep to the speed limit.

Unlike you.

I also get 60 to 80 miles per gallon, unlike your fuel-guzzling monstrosity, which probably gets 18 mpg in the city, tops. (Not that I'm bragging or anything.)

So, please try to share the road with me and keep your hostility in check, will ya? Scooter riders like me are here to stay. In fact, you'll likely be seeing a lot more of us as the economy tanks.

And we're happy to share the road with you. Your disapproval, however, won't reduce our numbers. (Frankly, flipping me off as you roar past on the right, going 45 in a 30 mph zone, is kinda scary. Your vehicle outweighs mine by a ton or two.)

Have some respect and common decency. Cars and scooters have been co-existing for decades now in Europe. Consider it a cosmopolitan thing to do.

With Colorado's temperate climate, it's a sure bet that you'll be seeing more of us on the roads.

Get used to it.

~ I just enjoy the guy's point of view, but here's the full article if you like.

the power of the scooter

I'm not sure if anyone else has had this experience, but I wanted to make note of a new power my scooter has developed....

It can bring up the sun! Seriously, I get up in the morning and it's dark. I turn my scooter on, and let it idle for a few minutes now that it's colder, soon there after the sky gets a little brighter. I start my ride to work, and it gets brighter... the further I go the higher the sun gets... and when I finally park at work, the sun is up!

We're Back! Mr. Grauel now has a Mrs. Grauel

After and incredible two weeks away from real life, one for our wedding in Bethany Beach and the second for our honeymoon in Jamaica, I return with a wife, a tan, and a ton of great memories!

I meant to begin posting at the beginning of this week, but the re-adjustment to real life, catching up at work, and other post-wedding duties have left me with little time or energy. I do want to make note of a thoughtful scooter related gift my mother-in-law gave me at out rehearsal dinner. In addition to a beautiful watch which I wear everyday now, and a ring to match my brother-in-law's (the other pongratz outsider), I received a novelty European Union Deutchland Scooter License Plate (it may help to know my inlaws live in Germany). I just wanted to make note of it and say it was very thoughtful and I appreciate it very much!