Schwinn Motor Scooters

It seems that Schwinn went into the business of making and selling GAS scooters since 2006-2007. Most of their lineup consists of 50cc models with only one more powerful 150cc model. I am curious to know what sort of quality these scoots will turn out to be or if they are just cheap Chinese crap with a Schwinn label slapped on them.

Some of their dealer network consists of name brand company stores such as Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki dealers... but not all.

Website: www.schwinnscooters.com

Zero-emission scooter to debut in Japan

TOKYO — A Japanese zero-emission "hybrid" scooter to be released next year runs 10 times as economically as a petrol engine bike and can be assisted by human pedal power, its maker said Thursday.

The Miletto, developed by auto equipment maker PROSTAFF Co. Ltd., will make its debut at 156,900 yen (1,730 dollars) in 12 colours, the company said.

"It normally runs with battery power, but on a steep hill the rider would work the pedals to assist," said Ryo Teranishi, a planning official for the company, which is based in the central Japanese city of Ichinomiya.

"It's a zero-emission vehicle in itself but this hybrid of an electric motor and manpower makes it even more environmentally friendly," he told AFP.

With a single charge, which takes between two and four hours, the Miletto can run 35 kilometres (22 miles) on a flat road without pedalling.

That means it can travel three kilometres on one yen (one cent), roughly 10 times as economical as a conventional scooter, the company said.

The company has no specific plans at the moment to sell the scooter abroad.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.

Scooting in Dreamland

This is an amazing video spanning someone's 21 day adventure in Scotland on a Honda 50cc scooter.

Scooting in Dreamland from Today Adventure on Vimeo.

Lay back and enjoy the wonderful scenery of the Scottish Highlands and Outer Hebrides.

21 days, 6 ferry boats, 5300 kilometers in a 50 cc, 4 stroke, 4 hp scooter, from Portugal to the Scottish Highlands, Outer Hebrides (Harris & Lewis), the Isle of Skye and back to my country - these are the numbers and such was the adventure. I have nearly zero experience in videography and film editing (as it can easily be observed). I traveled solo, with no trip or movie planning, with no backup and I camped wild many nights. The average speed was below 40 kph. I purposedly decided to leave the footage untouched; this means that the images you are watching weren't post-processed in any way.

This was my third trip in this 50 cc scooter and it was by far the most expensive, mainly due to the several ferry crossings. I'm a firm believer that one doesn't need a lot of money or expensive heavy machines to enjoy the best life has to offer.

This won't be my only film about the journey; at least one more will come out one day. There are also a lot of unforgettable moments that were left out of this movie. They simply cannot be captured in images. For the most, I'm thinking about the many interesting people I met along my way.

I'm thankful to a bunch of friends who inspired this and other previous adventures. The Nomad's Club of Portugal and the "Sydoníticos" were certainly the most influential, but there are many others. My warmest thanks to Toni Parente and Teófilo, two friends that always toke care of my little Honda Today like a baby. I had zero problems during the journey.

Scooting the Ozarks Rally

I will be attending the "Scooting the Ozarks" rally coming up September 16-19, 2009 in Eureka Springs, AR. Here is a link to the rally's website:


SCOOTING THE OZARKS RALLY - EUREKA SPRINGS, AR
SEPTEMBER 16-19, 2009

2010 Honda Elite

This apparently old news but I'll post it up here anyway for folks who may not have heard. Honda is rolling out a new model in the US, the 2010 Honda Elite. It is due out August 2009 but the specs aren't shown on Honda's site other than stating the engine is 108cc and fuel injected. Base price is going to be $2,999.

Goldwing Trunk for Helix

While second-hand shopping today with a friend, I came across a "Honda" branded trunk from a motorcycle still attached to the chrome rack. As I figured, it came from an early 80's Goldwing (about 1981-1983 to be exact). It's in rough shape but came complete with two keys for it. It even has a passenger backrest on it! So now, I will be selling the OEM Helix passenger backrest, installing the original cross grab bar in place of it, installing one of the aftermarket Helix luggage racks from ebay and installing this top case. I will have ample weather-protected, lockable storage as well as more storage on top of it since it has an addition rack on top. It even had an odd, old 3 light DOT approved fixture stored inside. I guess they never got around to installing it on their bike.

"Orange Crush" Honda Helix

This is an awesome custom Helix someone did. It aparently was listed on ebay at some point for $5,000 but I don't know when or if it sold. It's strange how the trunk lacks any kind of lock or latch. What's the point of that?

First post

Just testing out the blog...