Ah, the Kymco People. This poor CraigsList seller doesn’t seem to be able to attract a buyer in a sea of Vespa love. And that’s a shame, because the People is a well regarded, reliable, and well reviewed scooter.

Go ahead and put this Borough Park seller out of their misery and pick up a very nice commuter in the process at a bargain price: just $1300. At an MSRP of $2,799 that’s a heck of a saving on a bike with only 1200 miles on the clock.

Tis’ the season for scooter bargains as owners decide to sell rather than store for the Winter. Check out the poster’s CraigsList page here to get in touch or check out the LA Time’s take on why the People is a great scooter here.

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We’ll agree with the seller on this one – you don’t see many 50 Specials around NYC. Normally we’re reticent to post about 50cc bikes for sale in the Big Apple because we’re big advocates for at least 125cc to pull you out of trouble on the city’s mean streets.

That said, 50 Specials are beautiful bikes and this one has a little extra pep under the hood in the form of a 75cc re-bore.

The Special, in particular it’s trapezoidal headlamp is the scoot that provided the inspiration behind its newer, bigger cousin – the Vespa S150.

The bike has been regularly serviced and has had a number of operations under the steady hands of Scooter Bottega over the last year:

- Rebuilt front hub (including brakes and fork)
- Rebuilt carburetor
- New Gas Tank
- New Crank
- New crank oil seals

I Saw a lot of these beauties on my trip to Paris last year. Perhaps you could be bringing a bit of the Frenchy feeling to NYC this spring with the purchase of this scoot?

$2200. Located downtown. Learn more at the seller’s original listing.

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Genuine Scooter Company Stellas pop up regularly in the New York City area CraigsList pages but what won’t pop up regularly is a limited edition “Atomic Fireball” model.

Back in the Spring of 2005, Genuine Scooters got together with Ferrara Pan Candies to put out a limited run of one hundred and fifty Atomic Fireball editions of their flagship scooter in honor of the famous Atomic Fireball.

What you’re getting here is however a little bit of fireball and a little less atomic. Unfortunately due to a previous owner the bike has been stripped of it’s unique fireball livery and decals.

Fortunately the atomic end of the business extended beyond the paint job in the special edition with a special up-gearing that helps it achieve a slightly faster top-speed as stock.

The bike is number 59 of 150, still carries the limited edition plate and only holds a very respectable 2,655 miles.

Find the full listing here. $2200, Astoria, Queens.

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Image courtesy of VespaUSA.com.

PiaggioGroup Americas have begun their latest promotion. This time to encourage new riders for the 2010 season while allowing local dealers to work through their stock of retired carbureted models.

The promotion will help clear the way for the company’s recent introduction of the “i.e.” fuel injected models which run cleaner and at lower fuel consumption while allowing potential riders to pick up some fantastic machines at a discounted price.

Through July 15th, anyone purchasing a new or unused 2008-2010 non fuel-injected Vespa S150, LX150 or LXV150 at local dealers will get $500 off the MSRP.

For more information, click here.

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Inside Vespa Jersey City's showroom.

Yesterday was my first (long over-due) visit to Vespa Jersey City as part of the NY Scooter Club’s BlockParty weekend. Man what a great place. They have a beautiful showroom, and they are literally only two minutes ride from the Holland Tunnel exit. Couldn’t be easier.

May 21st could be your first visit. Vespa JC are celebrating their spring line up with DJs, food, drinks, and deals – unveiling the 2011 Vespa lifestyle gear and pre-orders on new helmets and selected gear.

This weekend they had some great deals on apparel which will no doubt continue through the 21st including 30% off on all Armadillo Scooterwear. The dealership is also now stocking Corazzo jackets.

I picked up an Armadillo Parka on sale, so there will be a review coming soon, but first impressions of this jacket are that it’s very well thought out.

To keep up to date on the deals on the 21st, visit VespaJC.com or their Facebook page.

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Initially the purpose of the site was to track my progress to getting back on to two wheels in the US after a number of years of absence since riding scooters as a teenager in the UK. But the ambitions of the site quickly outgrew its inception.

In the past twelve months the site has grown from strength to strength, gaining recognition from local scooter riders, local dealers and local organizations; brought in guest writers and interviewees; and has expanded to cover everything and anything to do with riding scooters in New York City.

To celebrate our one-year anniversary let’s take a look back on some of most significant stories of our first year month-by-month.

Taking a break during last year's Basic RiderCourse

March 2009
In March we covered my experiences taking Motorcycle Safety School’s three-day Basic RiderCourse on their range and in their classroom in the Bronx. The course is considered the perfect way for beginners to get comfortable on two-wheels with expert instruction; and walk away with a DMV test-waiver at the end of the course.

Parking NYC style.

April 2009
April brought us two milestones. First was the introduction of the Deals on Wheels section of the site, and in particular our first “Today on CraigsList” helping local scooterists find diamonds in the rough. Our very first posting was for a 2001 Vespa ET4.

Second, one of our most successful stories ever, our look at the do’s and don’ts of parking on the streets of NYC. The story looked into keeping your scoot safe from harm, and your pocket safe from tickets.

May 2009
May was filled with sorrow and joy. On the joy side, after multiple bureaucratic delays (which have since been removed entirely) my test-waiver finally arrived following my completion of the Basic RiderCourse allowing me to finally get on the road legally.

In the sorrow category, May was the month we bid farewell to Nick and the crew at Brooklynbretta, a local dealer who though in existence for a relatively short time made a hugely positive impact on the local scooter scene. We still miss you Nick.

Revellers at the NY Scooter Club Block Party '09.

June 2009
In June we covered our friends, the NY Scooter Club, as they celebrated their annual bash, the NYC Block Party including ride-outs to Coney Island and Flushing Park Meadows. It was fantastic to see so many great scoots on display and meet so many great folks. The NY Scooter Club have recently announced the date for this year’s bash, the 5th annual Block Party taking place a little earlier on May 14th and 15th and you can be sure we’ll be sharing plenty of news on this date as we get it.

July 2009
Like you, in July, we spent less time sitting in front of our laptops and more time out riding, so while the local news slowed, we still managed to get some great stories; this time from our neighbors in Boston and Philadelphia. Both cities revamped local scooter laws with Philly commencing its installation of official motorcycle and scooter parking and Boston cracking down on 50cc owners who had previously avoided license plate and parking restrictions.

DJ Josh Link.

August 2009
August brought the sad news that local DJ Josh Link was killed after his vintage Vespa failed him on the Williamsburg Bridge. While Josh’s death was sadly not the only scooter related death of the year, it brought us all closer to the reality of riding our idiosyncratic machines among the cabs, buses, SUVs and trucks of the Big Apple.

On a happier music related note, later in the month saw the Brooklyn Soul Festival that unearthed forgotten soul legends and brought them to our city. Fingers crossed for Brooklyn Soul Festival 2010.

Some of the insightful Gear Up! Project data.

September 2009
September was a busy month here at NYCS Towers and among all the scooter related news we began to place a lot of emphasis of scooter maintenance and repair articles.

In particular, a new addition to the family in the form of a 1985 Vespa PX150e began a series of restoration, or if you prefer rebuild, posts over the following months as I slowly brought the scoot back to its former glory.

September also saw our interview with safety advocate Kate Rhodes, founder of the Gear Up! Project which has been founded to draw scooterists’ (and motorcyclist’s) attention to the importance of wearing the right safety gear for the road.

October 2009
October saw fashion label, ScooterGirls sweep the first prize award during LA’s Fashion Week. The woman’s wear that goes a long way to ensure fashion doesn’t have to suffer at the hands of safety has since go on to a strong showing at the Dealer Expo in Indianapolis earlier this year and should begin appearing on local dealer’s shelves soon. We’ll keep you posted.

The month also saw a local Middle School teacher bring vintage Vespa restoration into the classroom as a teaching aid. We were there to scoop some behind the scenes photographs from NY Times coverage.

Finally, October was the month that we here at NYCS threw our two cents into the ongoing heated debate over restored vintage scooters emanating from Asia and their reputation as dangerous bodge-jobs: The NYCS Viet-bodge 101.

4 strokes under the hood.

November 2009
As the weather began drawing the 2009 riding season to a close, we were treated to some exciting news in readiness for the 2010 season as LML unveiled its 4-stroke iteration of the Vespa P-clone, the Star 4. Since we caught the story, Genuine have confirmed and begun prepping their 2010 Stella manifestations of the Star 4 for shipment and they are expected to arrive at local dealers in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for our first local sightings and review.

December 2009
In the continuation of scooter news out of India, the final month of 2009 saw Bajaj announce its withdrawal from the scooter business, bringing an important piece of scooter heritage to a close. The move came in part due to increased competition from its rival, and manufacturer of the Stella, LML.

January 2010
In January, local scooter parking advocates from the New York Motorcycle and Scooter Task Force made local headlines as they drew attention to NYC’s poorly thought-out Muni-Meter Zones as they pertain to two-wheeled parking. And while the parking debate continues on without definitive action, it’s always good to bring more attention to the issue. We’ll keep you up to date in 2010 as the discussion continues.

Photograph courtesy of Carbon Negative.

February 2010
Finally, last month saw the Williamsburg branch of Vespa SoHo reinvent itself as Carbon Negative, continuing to sell and maintain scooters but expanding their reach to covering the two-wheeled categories less gas, no gas, 100% human. We look forward to bringing you more news from Carbon Negative as we enter spring.

So that’s it folks. It’s been quite a year. We look forward to seeing you out on the streets of New York, New York State, Long Island and New Jersey as the rain and snow subside and the sunshine arrives. Don’t forget that we’re expanding the team and looking for your input in the 2010 editorial calendar.

Thanks for your support over the past year, and we look forward to you jumping in with more of your insightful comments in the year ahead.

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Original posting here.

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Motorsport Scooters specializes in supporting Vespa and Piaggio models, but also has a wide selection of all things Yamaha, Kymco, Aprilia, Genuine, Bajaj and more.

In addition they have a new page that allows you to quickly find parts and accessories, both original and after-market on a scooter-by-scooter basis using their scooter finder.

Visit the Motorsport Scooters website for more details.

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One of the nicest finds we’ve dug up on CraigsList over the past year. A partially restored 1977 Vespa Rally 200. Some minor suface rust but the engine has been rebuilt with new piston, head, seals, tires (incl. spare), cables, tail light and fuel tap. The bike also includes the original 6V electrical.

$3500. Hartsdale, NY.

For the full posting, click here. Additional photographs from the owner can be found here.

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$1600. Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. From the post:

Vespa P125X, this scooter was purchased from scooter bottega a couple of years ago and was never put on the road. It has about 10,000 miles on a rebuilt engine that was upgraded to 175cc by scooter bottega in Brooklyn. It has a manual transmission and is a two-stroke. It did not come with a title but I have all the necessary paperwork to do so.

Click on through for photos and the full listing.

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