Jalopnik: scooters

Vespas Against the Blues

Peter Orosz — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:45:00 EDT

It’s Monday. At the office? Cheer up with a cute music video which features anthropomorphic Vespa scooters singing in Italian.

Image Credit: Vespa

New Study Reports 39% Of Moped Accidents Caused By Intoxicated Drivers

Andrew Stoy — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT

A new study presented to the American College of Surgeons found that 39% of moped drivers sustaining accident injuries had a blood-alcohol level greater than .05 mg/dL — more than one-and-a-half times the number of intoxicated car or motorcycle drivers. So what's the deal? Mopeds (in this case, we presume they're referring to scooters as well) with engines of 50cc or less displacement can be driven without a driver's license in many states. Thus, they become the vehicle of choice for alcoholics who have had their licenses suspended but still, you know, have to get home from the bar. Clarkson? We're looking at you.

According to Dr. Ashley Christmas of the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC:

Upon questioning, we learned that many of these individuals had previously had their drivers' licenses revoked. These patients were very in tune to the fact that a moped was defined as a motorized vehicle with an engine less than 50 cubic centimeters, so they knew they could still drive this vehicle without a license. We suspect that many moped operators are repeat offenders, whose licenses were previously revoked.

Have we stumbled upon a solution for one of society's great ills? Get a DUI, get sentenced to driving only scooters. We'd much rather be T-boned by a drunk driving 100 pounds of plastic at 30 MPH than an Expedition. They'd have to be Sprees, of course. [PRNewswire, Sub. Req.; Photo Credit: Geekologie.com

Riding the Vespa S

Ray Wert — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:17:43 EDT

Getting through a traffic jam on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is a game of inches. So even though I'm a fan of almost anything with a motor and two wheels, I was a bit skeptical about venturing onto the city streets aboard the Vespa S.

What's Up With The Japanese Scooter Tuner Crowd?

Travis Hudson — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:20:00 EDT

Japan rightly sits near the top of the world's strange automotive trend setters. What is cool in the United States now is so two years ago for our pals over in the land of the rising sun, so it pains us to speculate that overly gaudy tuner scooters will be the next big trend over here. Hell, people are already installing media centers in them. Our Japanese-savvy friends over at Pink Tentacle have rounded up some of the more unusual looking tuner-scooters from Japan and we're more confused than titillated. A low rider scooter? That's just asking for trouble. [Pink Tentacle]

Shoprider Flagship: Now That's Personal Transportation

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:30:00 EST

We're not quite sure what to make of this. Seems like a scooter with car aspirations, but what to call it? A scootermobile? Autooter? In any case, this thing is the Shoprider Flagship so named as it is the flagship of the lineup. Complete with a fully enclosed shell, large automotive style windows, windshield wipers (or is that breeze shield in this case?) with washer squirts, and headlights. If we were mean, this is the place where we'd make a joke about portly people and indoor NASCAR races at the local Walmart, but we aren't so we won't do that.

As an added bonus, you can buy your Flagship through Amazon.com — you never have to walk anywhere again! Our favorite line of the whole pitch comes right at the end - "Trade in the Rolls-Royce for your FLAGSHIP today" - now that's some ambitious cross marketing. [Shoprider.com]