TheScooterScoop

WOW! You’ve seen the photos, now you can see it in action! Unfortunately the video is in French and my French is not good at all. The only thing I could understand was, “Scooters look like Space Invaders.” and “Yuki is hot.” Um, ok… I didn’t hear that last part, but I understood it.

I do know one thing, when it comes to customs the Japanese do NOT know subtlety. Which makes them good Mods too.

Anyone want to send me to Tokyo to cover all this in English?

Here’s a series of videos that take “Scooter Tuning” to a whole different level. If you’ve got a twist & go with some under seat storage then you’ve got room for a stereo system… no place to store your helmet, but it’s give and take. I realize this isn’t gonna impress everybody, but I think it’s kinda cool and you might get some messaging action from the vibrations. Here’s a challenge for the MAKE crew. Build an engine synthesizer that can be triggered to generate engine noise to match the throttle position. Now hook that up to a tiny scooter and have your stereo blasting some crazy engine sounds like a big-twin or Dodge Viper engine. That would be kinda fun. Anyway, on to the videos! (PS> I’ve been trying to upgrade the YouTube videos to “HD” format here at The Scoop. Sometimes it works pretty good… all thanks to the &fmt=18 hack. Doesn’t work everywhere, but it does help some.

Originally uploaded by Taaplari

Wowzers! Taaplari stumbled across some $#!+ right there! Part moped, part mud bog racer. Looks like something I might have drawn back in 1982 and that being the case makes this beast TOTALLY awesome. Thanks for sharing the luv Taaplari!

I think as a kid he rode this thing:

(Thanks to Vaughan P. for this image)

Home-brew Schwinn Stingray chopper moped
Originally uploaded by jiminyshiznit

Found terrorizing the streets of Portland. This is one wicked ped!
Thanks to jiminyshiznit for sharing! Click the image to check out some more closeup shots. I hear “Born to be Wild” in my head every time I look at this thing.

I could have SWORN that this scooter was posted here once before, but I couldn’t find it. It wasn’t a shot from this angle mind you, but the same twin 50cc (75cc?) Vespa. Check out that KUR-AZY flywheel setup. It’s entirely nuts. I applaud you crazy-nuts man. Click on the title link to see more custom madness from the “Mille e Una Vespa” site.

This was hot off the press (when I intended to post it 2 days ago). They are saying just what everyone expected… Gas will break some records this year, and not in a good way like, “Lowest gas prices ever.” No, according to this Reuters article, you’re gonna love riding your scooter even more this Summer. I really do feel bad for workers who have to fill up the 40 gallon tank on their trucks. That’s gotta hurt! On to the article:

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. average retail gasoline prices have reached a new high of almost $3.20 per gallon and will likely jump another 20 to 30 cents in the next month, worsening the pain of consumers struggling to make ends meet in an economic downturn.

Gasoline prices are rising sharply as refiners, who have kept prices down in order to compete for sales, become more willing to pass on their higher costs of crude oil, according to an industry analyst on Sunday.

The national average for self-serve regular unleaded gas was nearly $3.20 a gallon on March 7, up about 9.44 cents per gallon in the past two weeks, according to the nationwide Lundberg survey of about 7,000 gas stations. The price has risen 64 cents per gallon in the past 12 months.

“The price increase was entirely due to the higher costs of crude oil,” said survey editor Trilby Lundberg.

Although the latest price represents a nominal all-time high, when adjusted for inflation it is a smidgen below the record of $3.18 per gallon reached on May 18, 2007, Lundberg said.

Lundberg said things will likely get worse, with prices at the pump rising 20 to 30 cents per gallon in the next month as refiners begin passing on to customers more of their higher costs for crude oil.

“Should prices indeed rise 20 to 30 cents, they would vastly exceed previous prices on an inflation-adjusted basis,” Lundberg said.

Refiners since last spring have deliberately refrained from passing on their higher costs for crude oil, in order to compete for sales, she said.

“But refiner profit margins have become so slim that they will now raise prices to recover their lost margins,” said Lundberg.

Hold on tight, this year is gonna be a rocky one. Will Americans even notice? Prices will likely hit $4 a gallon this summer and then when they drop to $3.50 a gallon in the Fall we’ll say “Whew, I’m glad gas has gotten cheap again.” As of today, the highest price for a gallon of gas in the USA is on the west coast with prices just under that $3.50 mark in Portland and Seattle and actually hitting $3.60 in California, $3.65 in Hawaii and $3.76 in Alaska. Click on the title link to read the whole story.

PS> I don’t know who Wyoming and New Jersey are sleeping with, but they’ve still got sub $3/gal gas over there.