TheScooterScoop

(Shouts to Mysterious Mimir for the eye catching SMART shot)

CNNMoney.com managed to put together one of the most level headed reviews (from a practicality standpoint) of the SMART. Well, it started out nice… they didn’t really say anything that most hadn’t already figured out; it’s cute, easy to park, etc. , etc. and then they gave it the smack-down and said it handled like a 3-cylindered turd. Not exactly in those words, but they weren’t that far off. I’m still one to say that “car handling is all a matter of opinion”. A scooterist reviewing it from a scooter point of view might say it handles like a great little 999cc, 4-stroke, 4-wheeled, two-passenger, roofed scooter where someone reviewing it like a car (against the likes of Mercedes or BMW) might say it handles like an over priced, under featured, urban city hipster-mobile that runs on turtle turds… (did I just use that word twice in one post? Hrm… I’m outta practice). I still like the SMART, but also welcome more competition.

So again… If you’re considering dropping a hefty wad ($14,000) on a 2-wheeler and you’re not looking for a vehicle to boost your masculinity, you might consider a 4-wheeler like the SMART. It’s about as practical as a touring bike and will draw more eyes than an exhibitionist at Disney World.

And as for safety, it can’t be any less safe than THIS:

Click on the title link to read the whole story according to the stodgy old CNN dude. Hehe, I kid. Though I do wonder about his approval of the H3. Thanks to Scotty B for the scoopage!

Found a good reason to go see the new movie Fool’s Gold, 1:45 into the trailer above you’ll see the stars of the film, Mat McConaughey and Kate Hudson, riding through the jungle on an old Vespa. Actually, after I watched that trailer I thought the movie actually looks kinda fun even without a jungle night ride. I might have to add it to my list of things to do next week.

Thanks to Fritz and also to April over at JustScoot! for the scoop! Chalk that up to yet ANOTHER film credit for the old wasp. Forty-three films and not ONE Oscar… We’re not even going to get into the whole Emmy shut-out.

No, it’s not a scooter. I try very hard to make this a site dedicated to motor scooters, microcars, mopeds and oddities… but given my relationship with Italjet, I wanted to give you an idea on how they are making strides to get back in the game.

I found this video preview of the Italjet Grifon 650 on the MCN site (title link). This will be the first that I’ve seen of the Grifon in motion. Now for the follow up question, “will we see the Grifon 650 in the USA?”. The answer to that is, “not in 2008″. No, unfortunately the weakened state of our dollar makes it difficult to import some products, like the Grifon.

There are lots of rumblings about how 2008 will be a difficult year for “powersports”, which is a word used to describe a broad range of equipment like dirt bikes, quad runners, utility vehicles, v-twin, metric twin, dune buggies, golf carts, sport bikes, mopeds and scooters. I believe it will actually be MORE difficult for some than others and I have a feeling that SCOOTERS and MOPEDS will be fortunate to not feel the same impact.

It’s the “recreational powersport” vehicles that will really feel the pinch. Sure scooters and mopeds are often someone’s “neighborhood romper”, but many Americans may begin considering them for their daily commuter once they see the savings this summer. Gas is expected to break $3.50 a gallon; a $52 fill up for your average car would be a $7 fill up for your average scooter. That makes scooters and mopeds a smart consideration for many, unlike Jetskis and Waverunners… unless you can boat to work, then they would be a completely AWESOME choice.

PS> At the beginning of the video he says “New owners have bought the name.”, what he should have said was Leopoldo Tartarini’s son, Mossimo, took over the name. Italjet has always been Leopoldo, Alessandro and Mossimo as far as I know.

Thanks to Chris D for bringing this one up. The scooter part is after the bubbly bath part. Reminds me of the good old Loony Toons. I almost like this one as much as the Overkill scene.

The video quality makes it hardly watchable, but it’s definitely a conversation piece. You can NEVER say your scooter sucks again after you watch this… it could always be worse.

I’m a big fan of Icon gear. As a proper Icon fanatic I’ve got an Icon jacket, gloves, pants, reflective vest and 2 Icon helmets… pretty much the whole setup except boots and my summer helmet (see Momo), so anytime you see me riding, you’ll see SOMETHING Icon. I like the fact that they have a selection of more understated gear. That’s not to say they don’t also have some outlandish/bad ass type stuff in their closet, but if you’re looking for something that is less kneedragger / power ranger / macho man, then they may have something for you. Now, let me tell you a little story.

When I was a kid living in Hawaii, we used a pidgin word “Safe”, and we used it a lot… as in “Wow bra, you so safe!” which in standard American english means “Gosh dude, you are so stupid”. So, to the island kids “Safe” equated to “Stupid”. Why? I have no idea. Strangely enough, non-island kids also seem to equate “Safe” with “Stupid” too. They don’t wanna wear helmets, jackets or gloves, why? Because it’s dorky? Stupid? Ok tough guy, I might have just the solution for you. Say you want to ride and be protected BUT you want to look REALLY casual, like “Hey! I don’t give a $#!+ about nothin’. I just jumped on my scooter and hit the road.” Observe the photo below.

Would you be willing to hit the pavement at 40 mph in this outfit? What would happen? You might loose some meat off your arms, perhaps shatter a kneecap or burn a hole through your jeans and then your ass? Not at all!

Because, under this mild mannered attire I’m sportin’ a complete set of Icon Field Armor! It’s low profile enough to fit under your everyday clothes (well, no… I don’t actually wear a shirt and tie everyday, it just adds to the superman look I was going for here).

So what is Icon Field Armor? It’s light weight, low profile, form fitting, impact absorbing, adjustable ride armor for your torso and limbs (see slide show above).

Here’s whats included in the slide show:
The Vest (MSRP $100) – At the very minimum, if you want to protect yourself while wearing your favorite sweatshirt, hoodie, argyle sweater or shop jacket, you need to cover your spine. The impact absorbing, articulated plastic will do a fine job at it. There are a few Velcro adjustments to help the vest fit comfortably snug and yet it still allow for a full range of motion AND as jmi3 says “it’s a lot cheaper than a skin graft”. The vest gets lots of praises from the kneedraggers site.

The Shorts (MSRP $115) – Composed of stretchable aramid (Kevlar), a heat and abrasion resistant synthetic fiber, these shorts don’t have much in the way of padding, but will save your nalga hide should you find yourself skating down the pavement on your posterior. The breathable mesh crotch helps to prevent a drop in your zygote count. I need to sell my XL’s and try on a Large though. These seem a little baggy on me. Cool and comfortable, but baggy. They do, however, fit very comfortably under my jeans.

The Elbows (MSRP $55) – Low profile, impact absorbing/distributing protection for your forearms and elbows. Each one is marked “left” or “right”, to take out the guess-work. Will not reduce your range of motion, so you still move naturally with them on under your hoodie. Makes a good companion piece for the Vest.

The Knees (MSRP $65) – Some people have complained about the fit if you have large calves. Apparently, I don’t because they fit me fine. If you have a nice pair of jeans you like to wear, but you’d like to keep your knees and shins intact in an accident, these low profile babies are the way to go. You won’t even notice them after a half hour on the road and spectators won’t know you’ve got them on!

So, for about $335 (MSRP) you could be properly protected from shoulders to shins and no one would even know it. Pretty cool, eh? I’ll will say this though, when you’re not moving, the whole get-up can get a bit warm… but if you wanna look casual but feel safe on a long ride, I can’t think of a better way to go. Click on the title link to see them at the Icon website.

Here’s an example (minus the gloves, which I left in my glove box).