NEW DELHI: There was a time when brand names reminded customers about either their owners /inventors or the product itself. Not any more. In case of scooters and motorcycles for instance, brand names refer to moods rather than the product. Consider the following. Passion, Pulsar, Heat, Pleasure, Discover, and Glamour. Don’t blame your conscience if many of these names sound politically incorrect to you. That’s what the two-wheeler marketers intend these to be.
Above is a snippet from an article on how India comes up with their scooter names. They base them on moods not styles. Take the above examples – Passion, Pulsar, Heat, Pleasure, Discover, and Glamour. Sounds like a bunch of horny riders in South Asia. But… what kind of mood do you have to be in to ride a Unicorn? And, what do you do if your in a pissy mood? Is there a Bajaj Pissy? How about the Honda Foul? I guess it would be a good reason for them to import the Sachs Mad Ass.
Now I just have to wait and see if the India market ever gets a Suzuki Stoked or Yamaha Yippadeedoodaa.
21. March 2006 at 6:13 pm
Adly Citybird – what, like “pigeon”?
Beta Ark – and what does a 50cc scooter have in common with a boat big enough for two of every animal?
MBK Doodo – did this name even make sense in France?
Honda Lead – pronounced like “steed”, it’s a pretty good name. Pronounced like “sled”, it’s awful!
Kymco YUP – Yes, or young urban professional? Either way, what were they thinking?
CPI Popcorn – DO NOT overheat this scooter!
Italjet Torpedo – and does it blow up when you arrive at your destination?
Peugeot Speedfight Furious – somebody’s been playing too many video games!
Kangda ZS125T-3 – this name says to me “the extent of our imagination is building copies of Hondas from 20 years ago”.
SYM Fiddle – oh, I bet there’s a trouble free scooter!
TGB Delivery Scooter – I suppose “Conestoga” was taken
Yamaha Versity – really, who wants to add Versity to their garage?
Some really good names:
Aprilia Scarabeo – Italian for scarab beetle
Piaggio Zip Cat – original and fun
SYM Shark – aliterative and sporty
Piaggio Vespa – Italian for wasp: the classic scooter name
Honda Today – a name that will never be outdated
Gilera Nexus – descriptive and fun to say
21. March 2006 at 6:18 pm
Haha! Good one!
One of my faves in the car world is the Aspire. What? Does it ASPIRE to be a real car?
Someone should make a scooter called the flea. I imagine it would look a lot like the Monkey. Small and agile.
22. March 2006 at 12:08 am
Honda Griffon is kinda like ‘griffin’ – a mythical animal typically having the head, forepart, and wings of an eagle and the body, hind legs, and tail of a lion
I WANT THE GRIFFON
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22. March 2006 at 4:07 pm
If you like scooters, check out my blog at http://www.scooterplace.blogspot.com
My scooters are mostly antiques that were made before you were born. I have two from the 1940′s.
You might also be interested in http://www.cushmanclubofamerica.com
Howard
22. March 2006 at 6:00 pm
NEW Scarabeo 500 (not GT) – “…impressive power, plus extremely light weight gives the Scarabeo 500 one of the best power to weight ratios on the market.”
http://scooterpress.rubbermag.com/0602/scara500.html
Looks like 39-hp and slightly over 400-lbs (compare SWing-600 at 49-hp and 500-lbs). I like that ABS/linked brakes are standard. I wonder how stable at highway speeds it is.
22. March 2006 at 6:47 pm
Steve,
I’ve been surfing the net all morning looking at scooter stuff and I keep landing back on this site. I posted a link to my blog just a little while ago. You will find pictures of my scooter collection there. I presently have: six Cushmans, two Vespas, one Benelli, and assorted Hondas. Frankly, I think you need a Cushman or some other antique scoot. If nothing else, it might give you a new appreciation for the modern stuff.
Howard