(This is not the position you normally like to see your scooter in, but it’s ok ’cause this is actual CAKE!)
Wholly SMOKES! Where has the time gone? Yep, shur’nuf… April 9th marks our three year anniversary. The Scooter Scoop has been working to deliver “the scoop” for longer than the lifespan of the front-right shock absorber on your TNG Baja 150. Sorry, I guess that one was a bit obscure. Anyway…
What’s left? What can Steve do now that he’s actually working for Italjet? You know, we’re still working that out, but since some of my scooter manufacturer/distributer contacts will, understandably, no longer give me “the scoop” it’s a bit tough. I mean, sometimes I’d hear things that I couldn’t actually “print”… Off-the-record sorta stuff that would at least give me a good mental picture of where things are going (not Honda though. Jon is like a stone cold machine.)
Now then, what you CAN expect in the coming year is:
-At least ONE more TheScooterScoop.tv episode. I’d like to do more and I might, but I make no promises. On an economic level, they don’t make sense at this juncture (did I just bust-out a Bush senior-ism? Damn). Perhaps when an ad structure is worked out with people like YouTube it will generate enough revenue to cover the cost of making the darned things. Yes, they are fun to make, but now I’ve brought on professional audio, cameras and editing. I can only barter so many scooter rides around the block. The last video we did was the Smart Car test ride and it has almost 30,000 views (no, the pros didn’t work on that one, but you’ll see their effect on this next video).
-More scooter lifestyle coverage. We’ll look at customs, tuning, upgrades, DIY projects. We’ll talk about events and oddities. We really wanna highlight individuals and groups who are making an impact on the scooter world and taking things above the ordinary. Not a WHOLE lot of difference, maybe less of my personal opinion on scooter models available in the US market (…must…resist… temp..tation!)
-And, as it comes, more Scoops. I may have to rely on you more for that now.
-Even MORE “celebration of wheeled oddities”.
-Some surprises. I can’t say what right now, but when it’s done you WILL know.
So, thanks for coming back to pay us a visit! I’ve got some stories on the burner now that I hope to serve-up tonight in between tucking the kids in and ukulele practice. I will tell you this though. My prediction is that in 2008 you will hear MORE rumblings about scooters than you’ve EVER heard before in the USA. Will scooter companies who once ignored the US be able to react quickly enough? Bryan over at 2SB actually predicts the opposite! A scooter market crash? Interesting… Let’s see how this plays out shall we?
A TOAST! TO YOU, THE SCOOTER ENTHUSIAST *clink*
***UPDATE 4.9.08***
Thanks to Bryan for clarifying his prediction in the comments.
9. April 2008 at 6:42 pm
Technically, I predicted the U.S. “crash” will come in mid-to-late 2009. I think this summer will be a good one for scooterists and shop owners, but the market is just so saturated with so many similar products that it’s going to start weeding out some manufacturers out of the US soon. The stronger and braver manufacturers/importers will last a few more years, and the Chinese opportunists will still be around, but they’ll start to abandon it as people stop buying their bikes and move on to the next trend.
Also, the economy and consumer confidence will rise once my man Barack gets elected, and gas prices will either fall, or people will just deal with it.
If you were a skateboarder back in the day, we’re looking at 1988 in the skateboard industry. There will always be skateboards and skateboarders and skateboard manufacturers, but the days of three skate shops withing skating distance, and skateboards for sale at the grocery store, are numbered, and a few big companies that have overextended themselves in the wrong directions will fall. Yes, I’m looking at you, PowellPiaggioPeraltaUSA.
9. April 2008 at 7:22 pm
Well I’d like to make a prediction, Gas prices will never get better in the long run and the scooter market will continue to grow, The only real changes will be the consumers, They will get more sophisticated. In general scootering will continue to shift from being seen as cheap transportation to more of a lifestyle choice in the general public view.
9. April 2008 at 7:23 pm
Skateboarding will never have the potential for social impact that scooters have by the way.
9. April 2008 at 7:28 pm
Although, THESE are pretty cool.
http://www.exkate.com/
I could see a suit riding to work from the bus stop on one of these.
9. April 2008 at 8:25 pm
Casey said:
“n general scootering will continue to shift from being seen as cheap transportation to more of a lifestyle choice in the general public view.”
See, I think that’s the problem. The “Lifestyle” scooterists are a minority, and aren’t going anywhere. This “boom” will create a glut of lifestyle scooterists and some of those will stick around when the fad ends, but the people who bought in to save gas money are not in it for the long haul, and that market, which is the bulk of the current market, will dry up as fashion and the economy change.
That’s been the cycle with scootering in the U.S. It’s an underground fad, it grows, the economy creates a boom on the heels of the fad, then the economy gets better, the market dries up, and a new subculture develops from the ashes of the boom and it starts over again., It’s happened 3-4 times now, dating back to before Vespas, even.
Scootering (or motorcycling, even) as a legitimate and accepted form of transportation in the US has just never caught on, and that’s partially because the importers and manufacturers focus on short-term growth (the “selling points” of the day) rather than focusing on long-term acceptance of scooters by mainstream America. Honda almost pulled it off in the late sixties with motorcycles, and again in the mid-80s with scooters, but it’s going to take a revolution in design and continued marketing to mainstream america over decades to develop the kind of market we see in Europe, where many people buy scooters instead of cars, and the infrastrucutre is built around two-wheeled vehicles.
I think manufactures might have just given up, and I guess I don’t blame them, because it’s not an easy task.
Personally, while I like many modern scooters and I’ve met tons of cool “new” scooterists, I kinda miss the salad days of scootering, so I’m not complaining. I look forward to the near future when I’ll be able to buy up low-mileage GT250s for $1800, just as I bought $850 vintage Vespas ten years ago.
9. April 2008 at 8:46 pm
As in “lifestyle” choice I wasn’t really referring to subculture but more of a “I don’t need a honking SUV to get groceries” choice. I think also referring to scootering’s popularity as a “fad” is not giving it enough credit as well. But maybe you didn’t mean for it to sound off-putting?
10. April 2008 at 1:25 am
My TN’G Baja front-right shock absorber has lasted over 3.5 years.
…Just kidding. It blew out within 4 months. What a piece of junk I have.
10. April 2008 at 1:54 am
Steve, congrats on a terrific scooter site and your 3 year anniversary. Yours is a treasure trove of incite and fun related to all things scooter and neat wheels related and I love to see what you come up with so routinely. I know it must take a bunch of work and it is appreciated.
I can’t wait to see what good stuff you have for us in this upcoming year.
10. April 2008 at 2:38 am
Congrats, Steve!
Keep it up; even as you go off to greener pastures. You’ve inspired us all to incorporate scooters as a part of our daily lives.
Bravo!
–Lorenzo
10. April 2008 at 5:53 am
Congrats Steve. Three years outs you in the veteran squad….
10. April 2008 at 1:19 pm
Congrats on the milestone, Steve. And I remember when you were just some guy on a big white Helix…
10. April 2008 at 1:57 pm
Being new to the scooter scene I will say that your blog has been a great source of information and inspiration. Thanks for the great work and I look forward to what you have planned.
10. April 2008 at 2:26 pm
“Gas prices will never get better in the long run and the scooter market will continue to grow…”
I disagree a bit, only because of the pressure of exchange rates. When the exchange rates on the US dollar normalize, oil and gas will go down in price. But I’m sure the equilibrium will still be well above the post-Katrina pricing.
But more importantly, exchange rate normalization will make selling powersports equipment (scooters, that is) a more profitable operation for the big companies, and that will free up cash for marketing & certifying new models. So I expect a scooter renaissance.
25. April 2008 at 3:09 am
I guess the TNG Baja front right fork comment was obscure. I searched all over for other references.
But I am having the same problem. Can someone point me to a fix? Or a web location to get replacement parts?
I figured it was just a blow seal (cue joke), I didn’t realize it was a little “epidemic.”
Unfortunately the closest dealer is a fair bit more than a scooter ride away.
13. May 2008 at 3:37 pm
I’ve been getting quite a few emails from TnG Baja owners asking for more info on that “right front shock” issue. Like this one:
Hi,
I saw your recent blog post mentioning the obscure TNG Baja
right fork leak. I’ve got the problem too. I googled around and it certainly is obscure! The only other references I could find to it
were in comments on your post.
Do you have any suggestions to fix it, or links to sites that describe
how?
I thought it was just a blown seal, but I guess not. I could not see
anything on the scoot that might have caused it.
Any help appreciated – my dealer is pretty far away.
Paul
Well Paul, it is a blown seal. Is there a way to fix it? Well, you could replace the front fork ($50) because TnG doesn’t sell just the innards. The problem with that fix is it’s just temporary. The shock cannot handle the torque placed on it when the brake caliper grabs hold of the disc. TNG would have been better off to make it dual discs to negate the torque… though that would have probably broken the price point they were going for.
I’ll talk to the master mechanic, John, over at Urban Moto Shop here in Austin and see if he has suggestions. I’m afraid he’ll say, stock up on front forks. I’ll get back to you on that.
10. July 2008 at 5:53 pm
Hey Steve, did you ever get a chance to inquire with your mechanic about that Baja 150 front fork leak issue? I’ve had my scooter for about six weeks now and just started seeing signs that the seal is getting blown out.