Vespa GTS300 Super - Launched!

Andy test rides the new Vespa 300.

On Tuesday 6 May, Scootering were invited out to Milan to be amongst the first to test ride the latest addition to the Vespa family, the GTS 300.
The new Vespa Super has an engine capacity of 278cc (as revealed exclusively in Scootering magazine a couple of months ago now) and the body has received a subtle makeover, equating to what Piaggio have referred to as the 'sports Vespa'.

To find out more you'll have to get the June 2008 issue of Scootering where we have a full test report, subscribers getting the chance to read the first review of the new Vespa in any UK publication from around 17 May (it should hit the UK high street shops around 22 May).

Andy

Lincs Scooters Stolen

Lincs Lambrettas at Saracens Head near Spalding was broken into on the evening of 25 March 2008. Stolen were three of their own scooters and two customers’ scooters (four Lambrettas and one Vespa), all of which they'd obviously like to get back. They, us and the police would also like to know who is involved with stealing classic scooters too, as they have to sell them on to someone somewhere, whether complete or stripped as parts.

Whichever it is, the buyer risks a conviction for stealing stolen goods.

Anyway, the list of stolen scooters consists of a red/white Lambretta S3 Special (Reg AGS 254D), a green/white Lambretta GP (Reg A375 DUX), red/white Lambretta S3 (frame no 125Li3075859), black/white Lambretta S2 (frame no 125Li758893) and a Vespa 90 (Reg BTN 245K).

If anyone has information regarding these scooters or stolen parts, please contact either the police or Russ and Jez at Lincs Lambrettas on 01406 422115. And remember, lock your scooter tight at night!

Figure It Out

March heralded the release of two-wheeled sales figures for both the UK and Italian markets during 2007, some of which we thought you might find interesting.

All powered two-wheelers (UK)
1: Yamaha YBR 125 – 2272
2: Honda SCV 100 Lead – 2201
3: Suzuki GSXR 100 – 2196
4: Yamaha YZF R1 – 2106
5: Yamaha YZF R6 – 1984

Scooters over 50cc (UK)
1: Honda SCV 100 Lead – 2201
2: Vespa PX125 – 1041
3: Vespa LX 125 – 822
4: Yamaha Cygnus 125 – 733
5: Honda PES 125 – 677

Mopeds (UK)
Baotian BT49 – 1397
Piaggio Zip 50 – 1207
Peugeot Speedfight 50 – 1132
Piaggio NRG 50 – 1109
Vespa LX50 – 914

Scooters 126-350cc (UK)
1: Vespa GTS 250 – 541
2: Honda SH300 – 354
3: Piaggio MP3 250 – 247
4: Yamaha XMax 250 – 115
5: Aprilia Sport City – 96

Total sales 2007 (UK)
Scooters – 43,812 (inc 21,643 mopeds)
Motorcycles – 100,771 (inc 2919 mopeds)

And if you like to quote percentages, then UK scooter sales (over 50cc) for 2007 are up 16.1 per cent on 2006, with scooter sales as a whole up 9.1 per cent, motorcycles as a whole up 8.5 per cent, and the market as a whole up 8.6 per cent year on year.

Scooters over 50cc (Italy)
1: Honda SH150 – 21,856
2: Honda SH300 – 18,650
3: Honda SH125 – 16,035
4: Yamaha Xmax 250 – 11,454
5: Yamaha TMax 500 – 10,537
6: Piaggio Beverly 250 – 10,160
7: Suzuki Burgman 400 – 9356
8: Yamaha XCity 250 – 8198
9: Piaggio Liberty 125 – 7382
10: Kymco People S200 – 6446
11: Yamaha Majesty 400 – 6025
12: Vespa LX125 – 5923
13: Vespa GTS250 – 5481
14: Honda Silverwing 400 – 5176
15: Piaggio Beverly 500 – 4655
16: Kymco People S125 – 4625
17: Suzuki Burgman 200 – 4129
18: Aprilia Scarabeo 150 – 3870
19: Vespa PX150 – 3547
20: Kymco Dink Classic 200 – 3404
21: Aprilia Sport City – 3326

In the overall charts in Italy (over 50cc), the first motorbike to appear is the Honda Hornet at number eight with sales of 8974, as one of only nine motorbikes in all featuring in the Italian Top 30.
Total two-wheeler sales (over 50cc) in Italy for 2007 were 431,035. These are split into 278,751 scooters and 152,284 motorcycles, which are 1.69 per cent and 3.29 per cent respectively down on last year’s sales, the market combined down 2.26 per cent year on year.

With regard to scooter sales in particular, Honda boast 68,537 sales in 2007 with Piaggio (not including Gilera, Derbi or Aprilia) close behind with sales of 65,437.

Oh, and for those who don’t know (but still care!), the best selling scooters of the manufacturers in the Italian hit parade such as the Honda SH, Piaggio Beverly and Liberty, Kymco People and Aprilia Scarabeo are all ‘big-wheeled’ scooters – what we’d probably refer to unkindly in the UK as ‘pizza delivery bikes’. Different horses for different courses…

Yorkshire Charity

For 2008 the Yorkshire Scooter Alliance (YSA) have designated the Help for Heroes as the beneficiary of money raised at their events this year.

This charity supports and helps to rehabilitate injured servicemen and women, offering practical and much needed support to individuals and families alike.

For a start the YSA are donating £1 per member and £2 per non member attending their Invasion #5 rally on 11-13 July. In addition, each rideout patch sold from their four Sunday rides will generate a further 50p each for the cause, and they also add that many of the scooterists signed up for the second YSA Coast to Coast on 15-17 August have taken the option to download sponsor forms in aid of H4H. For more information visit www.yorkshirealliance.co.uk and www.helpforheroes.org.uk

European Scooter Challenge 2008

After amazing progress over the past years, the fifth ESC season is heading towards the starting grid.

Around 200 registered racers are expected in the five racing classes and there’s also a fun and ladies class. Newly created is a standardised smallframe class, where specific Polini engine components only are allowed, the aim being that everybody can build up a pretty cheap racer using basic ‘bolt on’ parts, or as they say in Germany, ‘plug and play’.

In 2008 there will be five events in Germany and Austria. The first is the Stoneheads SC Run & Race on the 23-25 May in Liedolsheim (South West Germany near the French border), then 4-6 July by Kurvenlage in Deggendorf (South East Bavaria near the Austrian border), then 18-20 May by Destiny Race Days in Emsbühren (North Germany near the Dutch border).

The rising international interest for ESC is documented by the 2008 Pre-Season Practice Event in France and the growing numbers of French, Italian, British and American racers. For more information about the events, the rules and registration visit www.eurochallenge.de

Medway Aces SC Charity Scooter Raffle

Cerebal Palsey raffle winner Malcolm Carrington, 67, a retired marine engineer from Kent, being presented with his prize by Medway Aces chairman Lee Bunstone.

Keith Crust of MTS Tanker Services, the Cerebal Palsey Centre and the Medway Aces SC would like to thank all those who worked hard to make this happen, all those who bought tickets and all who braved the weather and turned up for the draw. The money collected to date is close to £6500 so well done to all.

Paul Weller's New Album Details

Weller's new album, 22 Dreams, has just arrived at Scootering for review, and after the first play we can happily say we like it and we think you will too!

There's 21 tracks on two CDs, and more details can be found on the official news release found around here. A single will be released on 26 May 2008, with the album out on 2 June 2008. It features appearances by Steve Cradock (naturally) as well as guests Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer from Oasis and Graham Coxon, and rumours (unconfirmed) suggest they may also be a four-disc vinyl release at some stage too.

• Below is the text from the Paul Weller news release. Click on the above image for the original.

 

Vespa Super this summer - First pictures online!

As announced in Scootering this month (April 2008 issue) and on the Scootering website, later this year a larger capacity variant of the popular Vespa GTS 250 will be launched by Piaggio.

The Vespa GTS 300 ie (which also currently boasts the working title of 'Super'), is thought to have a 278cc version of the 4-stroke, fuel injected, liquid cooled engine currently found in the Vespa GTS 250.

The seat hand horn cover have been redesigned, the rear rack replaced with a grab rail,. and slots cut into the side panel, presumably for cosmetic reasons.


Again, as stated in April's Scootering magazine, our source at
Piaggio has confirmed that this new version of the Vespa GTS family is likely to be launched in the summer of 2008, which could mean anytime from June to September of course, and that will just be the Italian date!

When it travels to the UK and beyond is not yet known. Also posted here are some images we found on the internet, thought to have been taken at a recent dealer conference in Italy - by a mobile phone camera it would appear!

A new Vespa and Piaggio news

First up, there have been rumours circulating the internet of a new member about to join the Vespa GT family. Following some investigation it would seem that the Vespa Super will be a GTS range scooter that’s been treated to a similar makeover in the way that the LX was to create the Vespa S. Expect a restyled horncover, dashboard and seat, the absence of a rear carrier, and two-tone white or black finish (matt and gloss).

Most exiting will be the fitment of a 300cc engine (or something bigger than a 250cc that has been badged as a 300 at least). This will apparently be an evolution of the current Quasar engine but whether this has been a change of stroke or a redesign of the motor we don’t know yet. What we do expect is for it to be launched in Europe around May and hopefully the UK by the summer. A prototype was shown to some European dealers in March of this year and with 300cc scooters doing well in Italy at the moment (the Honda SH300 being a best seller), it does make sense.

Other rumours include talk of new Leader injection engines and that the Gilera Runner range may received a bigger engine and possible redesign too, making it once again a desirable, sporty model of scooter – something that a few think the Runner has lost a little of in recent years.

2008 will also see a new four-stroke 50cc engine from Piaggio, the ‘Navy’ versions of the LXV anf GTV Vespas (characterised by a metallic finish in midnight blue and a new seat colours) and the expectance of the hybrid version of the Piaggio MP3 some time this summer.

As reported previously in Scootering, Piaggio are building a new plant in Vietnam and as the legal dust eventually settles after the split with LML, they also have plans to re-enter the Indian two-wheel market. Doing very well out there in the commercial three-wheeled market, it’s good to learn that despite current trends, Piaggio still think there’s a future in scooters in India.

Finally, the new Piaggio X7 appears to have slipped into the country, almost unnoticed. Available with a 125 or a 250cc engine this new ‘urban commuter’ retails at £2599 and £2999 respectively. There’s also a range of Piaggio accessories designed to fit the X7s including a 44-litre top case, a larger screen, leg covers and a model-specific electronic alarm that plugs directly into existing connectors on the X7’s wiring loom. For more information visit your local dealer or www.piaggio.com

BSSO Scooter Racing 2008

This is the calendar for the forthcoming year of scooter racing in the UK. A venue of note is Donington, which already has a packed grid as competitors are keen to race on this fabled circuit. There’s a number of first time entrants in the 2008 season so keep an eye on Scootering magazine because as always we’ll be bringing you reports from both the trackside and the paddock. For more information about scooter racing visit www.scooterracing.org.uk or email info@scooterracing.org.uk

23 March – Mallory Park
27 April – Donington Park
10/11 May – Three Sisters
31 May – Oulton Park ( Full Circuit)
22 June – Mallory Park
9-10 August – Ty Croes.
30-31 August – Lydden Hill
27-28 September – Cadwell Park

French racing

The weekend of 18-20 April 2008 sees some scooter racing in the north-east of France to which you are all cordially invited. The Scootentole Challenge will be open to scooters with a gearbox (Vespa, Lambretta, Zundapp, etc) of 50cc to 299cc. There will be five different classes with special sessions for all who want a more relaxing ride (ie those with older scoots). The circuit is located in Mirecourt (Vosges) between Epinal and Nancy and French, Belgium and German racers will be present. Each rider must wear a minimum of appropriate safety clothing and there’s camping, bar, food as well as music on Saturday evening. Fees will be about €50 for the weekend (inc breakfast) and for further info (as well as to clarify details) please visit www.scootentole.org or call KTy 0043 676 8205 6225 (English speaking).

Electric force

In a move to reduce its carbon footprint, Strathclyde Police is introducing the first ever electric scooter to be used for active duty by a police force within the United Kingdom. The Vectrix electric maxi-scooter will be used by officers policing at Glasgow Airport – mainly for patrol and parking duties. The bad news is that you ain’t going to hear them coming, that the Vectrix’s acceleration is fantastic and the top speed is more than 60mph. The good news is that the batteries have a limited range, so as long as there’s no backup and your tank is full of fuel, you may just be able to get away!

STOLEN SCOOTER - X38 VPU

This scooter was stolen from a lock up in a back garden on Good Friday over a 5ft fence.

The registration number is X38 VPU, chassis number is 151530, engine number is 48023.

Anyone who has any information about this scooter should call Wol on telephone number 0780 9695923.

STOLEN SCOOTERS IN LINCOLNSHIRE

Lincs Lambrettas at Saracens Head Spalding was broken into on the evening of 25th March.
Stolen were 3 of their own scooters and 2 customers scooters (4 lambrettas and 1 Vespa) Please see list of stolen scooters below. If any one has any info please contact Russ or Jez at Lincs Lambrettas on 01406 422115
Lambretta ser3 Special Red/white Reg AGS254D
Lambretta GP Green/White Reg A375DUX
Lambretta ser3 Red/White frame No 125Li 3075859
Lambretta ser2 Black/White frame No 125Li758893 Vespa 90 Reg No BTN245K

Please help if you have any info, unfortunately there is still scum about!

Tanks A Lot (Vespa Long Range tanks)

In the February & March issues of Scootering we have been looking at fitting a long range fuel tank into Vespa PX EFL scooter.

Iggy has since found out that he accidentally got one digit of the telephone contact number wrong (although why we weren't told after Part 1 was published is a mystery!), so if you are interested in these tanks try your luck with 'Big Dave' on 07887 683106, and we apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.

André Baldet Passes Away

André Baldet's grandaughter contacted us with the sad news that her grandfather passed away peacefully at home on 7 March at the age of 84. French born André gained a reputation in the UK and indeed his adopted home of Nothampton as a successful Vespa dealer in the 1950s and 60s.
To promote both his business and the Vespa scooter he undertook numerous PR stunts including riding solo up Mount Snowdon, riding a Vespa and sidecar around Europe and travelling to Paris by Vespa for £10, as well as competing at events like the Isle of Man Scooter Week and of course creating the Arc En Ciel dealer special Vespas. He continued selling Vespas until the 80s when he retired and moved back to France, returning to the UK during the 1990s and being interviewed by Scootering Magazine in 2003.

One year later he remarried his first wife, Didi, tying the knot in the same Northampton church with the same priest as they had the first time. Scootering Magazine would like offer it’s deeperst sympathy to André’s family. He is survived by his wife Didi and his 6 children, 13 Grandchildren and 10 Great Grandchildren. "A un de ces jours notre bien aime." (Sacha Wilson, Granddaughter)

Euro Lambretta 2008

This year’s annual gathering of Lambretta fans is hosted by the Lambretta Club of Sweden and takes place from 13-15 June in the south of their country. As per usual, applications and purchase of tickets must be made in advance via your local Lambretta Club so that the organisers can arrange accommodation, entertainment, ferries etc, and if you haven’t done yet and need a little more convincing, get on the internet and visit www.lambrettaclub.se

Paul Weller UK Tour Announced

Paul Weller has announced a new UK tour for the spring which precedes his eagerly-awaited new studio album, '22 Dreams'.

The new dates are Paul's first tour in the UK since December 2006 and provides the perfect opportunity for everyone to hear tracks from the new album before anyone else. Also expect the vaults to be well and truly raided as Weller turns out three decades of his hits, past and present.

'22 Dreams' will be released in June.

Tickets for Paul Weller's UK tour go on sale Saturday 16th February

May 2008
Mon 5th Halifax - Victoria Theatre
Tue 6th Stoke - Victoria Hall
Thu 8th Blackpool - Empress Ballroom
Fri 9th Middlesbrough - Town Hall
Sun 11th Doncaster - Dome
Mon 12th Derby - Assembly Rooms
Wed 14th Motherwell - Concert Hall
Thu 15th Dundee - Caird Hall
Sat 17th Bournemouth - Opera House
Sun 18th Bristol - Colston Hall
Mon 19th Leicester - De Montfort Hall
Wed 21st London - Hammersmith Apollo

TICKETS: £30.00 (£35.00 London) maximum 6 tickets per household

24 Hr Tour Hotline: 0870 735 5000

ONLINE: www.bookingsdirect.com

For more information: www.paulweller.com

Isle Of Wight Ferry Fares Petition

We've been sent an email from Andy Gilliam regarding the ferry fares to the IoW, which I know can be a bone of contention for rally goers come the August Bank Holiday... He tells us, "There has been comment of late regarding Isle of Wight ferry costs; well the Island's MP is campaigning for an investigation by the Office of Fair trading into fares and has a petition online at www.islandmp.org where anyone who supports his request for an investigation can show their support.
" This petition IS NOT JUST FOR ISLANDERS to sign so if any one feels that ferry fares are not competitive why not sign and show your support."
Thanks Andy, please keep us posted of any developments.

Llandudno - Rally campsite confirmed

UPDATE:
VFM have just contacted us (31 Jan) to confirm that they have secured a campsite for the Llandudno scooter rally in May. Llandudno FC is the place, it's a 5 minute walk and should alleviate the concerns of anyone worried about getting accommodation in the town as well as providing a cheaper alternative for those of us that enjoy a weekend in a tent! For more details see next month's Scootering or www.vfmscoot.com

Llandudno Rally Accommodation

Following on from rumours circulating the net regarding accommodation at bank holiday rally in May, we spoke to VFM about the 'Victorian Weekend' that will be taking place in town on the same date. They told us, "We are aware of the Victorian weekend but so far people are still managing to get digs, although you may have to phone around a bit, which is to be expected for a popular seaside resort like Llandudno. We have clashed with this event before, although I think it has grown dramatically since a decade or so ago. Don't forget, there is always the caravan or holiday apartment option as well with plenty of caravan sites in the area.

Other than that at least the town will be fun to visit with all that's going on that weekend, unlike certain other UK holiday resorts!"

Into The Sunset

While Into The Sunset is one of the most popular features in Scootering at the moment, it does rely on you, the reader, to send us your anecdotes to share with others. As you may have gathered by now, this is leading up to a request for more stories please (it’s missing this month due to lack of pages by the way).

Judging by the number of you that praise Sunset in person when we meet you at rallies and events, and then recall your own experiences to us, there’s plenty of tales left to tell, so please get typing or writing and send them in.

All we ask is that you follow these simple guidelines: it must be a true story involving you and a journey of some sort on a scooter, and that it be between 1000 and 1200 words. You can either post your story to us at the usual address on page 3, or email it to gthomas@mortons.co.uk

Cerebral Palsey Scooter Raffle

Medway Aces SC in association with Keith Crust of MTS Cleansing Services have for raffle a fully restored Italian Lambretta TV 175 Series 3 scooter with all proceeds going to the Cerebral Palsey (Reg charity) Centre at Cliffe Woods in Kent. The draw is to take place at the centre on Saturday 22 March 2008. Tickets are £1 each, for which you are requested to send SAE with a cheque or postal order made out to Alan Gomme to c/o Medway Scooters, Church Path, North Street, Strood, Kent ME2 4SG. Please also include your name and telephone number for entry onto ticket stubs. More details on the scooter or the raffle can be obtained by calling 07776 402358 or from any club member.

STOLEN 1959 LAMBRETTA SCOOTER - SSJ 123

A vintage model 1959 Lambretta scooter - SSJ 123 - has been stolen in south Yorkshire. The scooter is orange and white and has the following distinctive features:

- a black and white chequered pattern on the rear mud guard
- chrome fender front mud guard with a St. Christopher motif
- chrome lion on the front mud guard
- a Yorkshire rose under the seat

Anyone who has any information about this Lambretta scooter should report it to:

South Yorkshire Police on telephone number:
0114 296 4121

SCOOTER DEALERS BEWARE – CREDIT CARD SCAM IN OPERATION

We’ve been contacted today (22/11/07) by scooter dealers regarding attempted scams on their businesses, suggesting that that there are currently thieves targeting the scooter scene.
It starts with a man telephoning the dealer and ordering parts, spares, accessories, gifts or memorabilia. This order so far has been up to the sum of £200.

He then passes the phone over to his girlfriend or wife, as she will be paying the bill with ‘her’ credit or debit card. This card will eventually prove to be either stolen or cloned.

She gives you the card details, possibly including a home address (which will match that of the card holder) then ask that the goods be delivered to either a separate private address (one so far was in Southall, Middlesex) or even a hotel (which it turned out they had also scammed with a dodgy card)!

She may even ask that the goods be sent by next day delivery, even to arrive before midday, because her husband/ boyfriend is going away, possibly on business.

We therefore advise all dealers and businesses to be extra vigilant as we approach the festive season, especially when sending goods out to an address that is not that of the card holder.

If you are at all suspicious, do as the dealers that tipped us off did and contact the card company BEFORE you send out the goods.
And if you do discover someone is attempting to con you, let the police know as soon as possible. We don’t want these people in our scene.

2008 National Scooter Rallies

Here is a list of the national Scooter Rallies for 2008 as agreed at the BSRA (British Scooter Riders Association) meeting at Bridlington on 27 October 2007.
The BSRA consists of various organisations from around the UK who each individually put on scooter rallies and generally work to promote scootering. During their annual meetings they try to arrange a year of events that are spread all around the UK on dates that don’t clash. They probably drink lots of tea and nibble posh biscuits and tiffin too, but as I’ve not been able to attend for the last few years I’ll just have to guess about that!

May Bank Holiday, 2-5 May, Llandudno
Whitsun Bank Holiday, 23-26 May, Kelso
13-15 June, Whitby
27-29 June, Cleethorpes
18-20 July, Exmouth
August Bank Holiday, 22-25 August, Isle of Wight
19-21 Sept, Woolacombe
24-26 Oct, Bridlington

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