Some lucky bastard is scootin' to work in Bondi Beach every day.

One of the benefits of having an Australian wife is that visiting the in-laws for the holidays means a trip down under to the flip side of the world where an NYC Winter quickly becomes a Melbourne Summer.

This year I had my scooter-eyes on to bring back a brief report on – and a few snaps of – the scootering scenes in Sydney and Melbourne.

First off, let me give a serious hats-off to anyone riding a scooter in either of these cities. Take it from someone who rides in Gotham traffic everyday, you guys, and gals, have some serious brass balls. Car drivers in Melbourne, and especially in Sydney, have a way of flipping around bends at terrifying speeds that put NYC cabbies to shame. Add to that the twists, turns, and hair-pins of Sydney’s rolling hills of traffic and it’s enough to shake the nerves of even the most seasoned rider.

Melbourne doubles-down on the danger with the presence of the city’s ubiquitous trams, slippery tram tracks and local traffic nonsense, the infamous “Hook Turn” that I swear was designed for the single intent of testing the mettle of foreign tourists.

Let’s just say that, while the balmy weather is appealing, I’m not sure I’d want to be out there in either city on a scooter in everyday commuter traffic.

Dedicated powered-two-wheeler parking in Sydney downtown (AKA The Central Business District.)

Scootin’ in Sydney
Our first stop was a few days in Sydney for New Years Eve 2011/2012.

If you’re a foreign scooterist visiting Australia, one of the first things you might notice on local Aussie scoots are the ubiquitous “L” and “P” plates and we saw plenty of both in the city.

An "L-Plater" in Watson's Bay, Sydney.

“L” (or “Learner”) plates are worn by scooters ridden by scooterists in their first few weeks on two-wheels following the passing an initial online test at the local licensing center. Riding as an “L” means the requirement to be accompanied by another rider with appropriate licensing, either riding two-up or accompanying on another scooter or motorcycle. The system works much like the provisional licensing in New York but with visible notification to other drivers (and the cops) that you haven’t quite got your scooter “Sea Legs” yet.

Once you’ve gotten some miles behind you, you can apply for a “P” plate, which includes some restrictions including not being able to carry a passenger before easing into your full license. A system similar to the one I grew up with in England, and something I would love to see introduced in the States for all drivers. I’m convinced it leads to safer streets (my comment about corner-whipping down under aside.)

Attached to these plates my wife and I saw a good range of the usual scooter suspects naturally including a healthy dose of modern Vespas, Yamahas, Kymcos, and Hondas.

It might not have been in production for long, but at least one "La Vita" made it to Sydney.

In addition, much like last year’s trip to Paris, I was also pleased to see a decent amount of modern Peugeot scooters, another company with a historic pedigree, that currently offers a terrific portfolio of bikes that are disappointingly not sold in the US.

From a vintage perspective, if you find yourself in Sydney, do yourself a favor and swing by to check out and support S.S. Scooter Engineering who have been representing the vintage love in Sydney since 2006. They’re a much warmer friendly bunch of folks than their name suggests. The S.S. recently moved to a new workshop in the Alexandria neighborhood and are the local go-to guys for vintage repair, restorations and under-the frame performance pimping.

Finally, if local ride outs are your thing, if you have a couple of days in Sydney you’ll want to reach out to the local scooter clubs before planning your trip. In Sydney, your first stop for trip planning should be the website for the Sydney City Scooter Club that houses an active forum including the usual chatter, smack-talking, wrenching, and silliness that comprises all great scooter forums.

A Peroni billboard in Melbourne tips the hat to other Italian icons.

Movin’ in Melbourne

After a quick domestic flight, a few days in my wife’s hometown of Melbourne provided a great opportunity to swing by local legend, The Vespa House in the Collingwood neighborhood.

While Melbourne has a healthy number of scooter shops these guys deservedly wear the nostalgia crown.

The Vespa House has ruled Melbourne in the very-same location since 1956, founded like all great scooter shops by a guy called Tony from Italy. In addition to being a Piaggio, Vespa, and Gilera dealership, the jewel in the crown of the Vespa House is the fantastic workshop that drips with history and continues to actively take care of the vintage and four-stroke bikes of this very busy city.

The shop, now in its third generation of the same family, includes Giovanni (Johnny) Scriba who has put in an incredible 40-plus years as the in-house Vespa mechanic.

Outside The Vespa House in 2012.

The same location back in the day. Spot the Lammy. Photo courtesy The Vespa House.

If you’re into vintage bikes of another pedigree, don’t hold-your-breath for a sight of a Lambretta however. While the workshop does service Innocentis, its website claims that the business has seen four times as many Vespas than Lammys, particularly back in the rivalry heydays.

For a sense of the history of the place, check out the gallery over at the Vespa House website which includes some fantastic images from the past 50 plus years.

Customer bikes inside The Vespa House.

If you’re looking to soak up some more Italian nostalgia in Melbourne, the city is home to some terrific Italian coffee houses that put American coffee to shame, including – but by no means exclusive to – the “Little Italy” neighborhood stretch on Lygon Street where you’ll occasionally spot a vintage scoot or two, even if it is sitting there for display purposes propping up a couple of Cappuccinos., or better yet, some of the best Gelati on the planet. Personally, operational or not, I’m always happy to see a scooter in any shape or form. Seeing an old bike as décor always brings a smile to my face.

Like Sydney, Melbourne is also home to a number of active scooter clubs including the Vespa Club of Melbourne, Melbourne Crusaders and the Vintage Vespa and European Motor Scooter Club and if you ask nicely through their forums, they’ll no doubt set you up with an experience in the city.

If you find yourself joining one of the local clubs for a ride out, you may also want to check out Melbourne Vespa Tour who offer modern Vespas to rent for city traversal.

All said and done, we had a terrific trip and I can’t wait to head back to the Southern hemisphere to check out more on the active scooter scenes of these two terrific cities. If you’re also fortunate enough to make the trip, not only will you have an amazing time you’ll also get to experience modern scooter culture at its best. A warm “G’Day” and “How yer goin’” to all our Aussie NYCS readers.

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The LX150 remains the Vespa marque's most popular scooter this year.

Back in 2008 Piaggio North America had one of its best years ever as skyrocketing gas prices provoked commuters to think twice about their chosen form of transportation. The scooter business was booming and everyone set to profit from the growth was smiling from ear to ear.

Then gas prices fell, and so did scooter sales. Established dealers were left with models on the floor that nobody wanted, and many new dealerships that had sprung up in response to scooter fever found themselves closing as quickly as they had opened.

Now, a couple of years later, US scooter sales are once again on the rise as gas prices (and the economy in general) prove challenging.

The LA Times business desk released a story yesterday highlighting scooter sales for all the major manufacturers are now up close to 30% over equivalent quarter sales from 2010. Importantly, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council, this rise in sales is above and beyond any other category of powered two wheeler.

A quick glance at Piaggio’s Vespa USA site certainly confirms that the brand is going after cash-strapped commuters in a big way with the brand continuing to push the daily savings provided by, “Vespanomics.”

Also of interest is that Piaggio in particular are seeing a rise in larger-capacity sales with scooters in the 150cc-300cc seeing significant growth as, one assumes, consumers look to bikes that can get them off the back-streets and out on the highway without making the transition to a higher capacity motorcycle.

The Times also leverages the article to introduce its coverage of the scooter exhibit currently on show at the Petersen Automotive Review. You can see photographs and read our review of the exhibition here, or click on through to the LA Times photo gallery of the show for more.

For the full LA Times article, click here.

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We’ve been guilty of spending way too much time lately talking about Vespas and Lambrettas, but if you need a reliable go-to scooter for everyday scootin’ around New York City there are plenty of other great bikes out there. And for many of them, you’re not paying a premium for the brand.

Case in point. This Washington Heights seller has a nicely priced 2006 Yamaha Vino 125 up for grabs. Just $1050 gets you one of the most reliable bikes in the business. While it’s now 5 years old it’s only done just over 3,000 miles and the bodywork looks to be in great shape.

In addition it seems like it’s been well maintained with:

Full synthetic oil, new air/oil filters,new transmission belt, new battery, new electrical switches on the left handlebar, new quarter panel.

The seller is even throwing in a 3/4 helmet and a cover. Sounds like a perfect candidate for a first scooter to me. Contact the seller via the original post.

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Parking in Ho Chi Minh City. Not a center stand in sight.

Last week I talked about my few brief days in Southern Vietnam and the scooter culture there. In part 2 we move into Cambodia. But before we move on, one last note about Vietnam:

If it’s one thing Vietnamese scooterists seem to like to do with their rides it’s customize. But not in the radical sense of a complete chop-down. More a thing here, a thing there. Almost every rider I saw had replaced some small part of their scooter with a custom part to add a little extra bling. A wing-mirror here, a fender there; and chrome is a big factor no matter the accessory. On every other street corner in Ho Chi Minh City, a scooter bauble could be bolted on to your ride for a couple of bucks. Every bike also comes with a kick-stand as standard even the latest catalog of Vespas which are sold without USA style center-stands. In part I think to help park these beasts. With parking spaces consisting of hundreds of scooters leaning onto their stands, parking a straight-up center-stand scoot would, well, just not fit in.

Decals are also big here and I saw several shops that specialized in letting riders pick from a thick catalog of decals and have them applied “while-you-wait.” Brand new Vespas in particular seemed to be targets for these embellishments with entire cowls, fairings, or leg-shields jazzed up with Manga characters, flowers, swirls and other patterns. Want your helmet to match? No problem.

A vintage Vespa used as an art display outside a restaurant. Note the PX in the background. A dying breed here.

With four days in Ho Chi Minh city behind me it was time to hit the road to Cambodia.

Scooter prevalence, of course, continues into Cambodia and the route we took there revealed some other interesting facts about scootering in this part of the world. For one, you never drive more than a five mile stretch of highway without encountering some form of scooter service, whether it’s a gasoline stop, repairs, or an opportunity to purchase a brand new scoot.

Rather than counting on full-service gas stations, make-shift gas stops litter the side of the highways with gasoline sold by the liter in re-used soda bottles. In fact, it took me a few times of seeing pee colored Pepsi to figure out that these stalls were selling gas and not refreshments.

One of a small handful of vintages spotted on the road to Cambodia.

Scooter repair is generally indicated by two or three sixteen inch tires tied together into a makeshift pyramid and placed road side. Whoever was the first to think of this, I don’t know, but it has certainly become the scooter equivalent of the barber’s red and white pole to telegraph repairs. It is not unusual either at the side of the highway or on street corners in the major towns and cities including Ho Chi Minh to see a couple of guys set up on stools and working on scoots right there and then on the sidewalk. Usually the guys had a simple set of tools, a couple of spares, and a wire-brush which seemed to be the ubiquitous solve to all scooter ills.

After a few hours of driving we arrived in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Phnom Penh is also the home of the Cambodian Tuk Tuk, a recent introduction to the country according to the locals. Rather than its more famous Thailand cousin, the Cambodian Tuk Tuk is not a complete unit vehicle similar to the Piaggio Ape, but rather a colorful passenger trailer that is connected to a pivot welded to the back of a normal scooter. During off-duty hours it was not unusual to see these scooters buzzing around the city without their trailers, no doubt taking the taxi driver home at the end of his shift.

Phnom Penh is also home to the famous Russian Market, a sprawling undercover market so called because it is the market most frequented by foreigners rather than locals who up until recently were mostly Russians (remember Cambodia has a troubled Communist history.)

As is typical in this part of the world, the market, like the streets, is divided into sections specializing in particular goods. Also like everywhere else in this part of the world, one of those goods is scooter spares. The scooter section is overwhelming with close to one hundred back-to-back stalls hawking scooter spares. Some gently used, some not-so-gently used and others brand new.

Every imaginable part can be purchased here including full chassis and engines although don’t expect said engine to be new. Much like Vietnam, the Honda Cub and various Asian clones rules the roost of scootering here. Syms, PGOs and Yamahas being similarly popular.

Sixteen inch wheels are in and, sadly, eight and ten inch wheels are most definitely out. In fact in my five days in Cambodia I didn’t see a single vintage Vespa or Lambretta. Maybe they never made it here in any significant numbers, I don’t know. Without the French colonization that was part of Vietnam’s past but not Cambodia’s. Cambodia or Kampuchea as it was once known never had a European connection.

Why uncrate scoots at the dealership when they sell faster than you can unpack them?

In the section of town specializing in selling new scooters however modern scoots were plentiful and were literally being sold directly out of the crate at many dealerships. A Cambodian I spoke to told me that a new scooter is typically close to a year’s wages in his country so it’s no wonder that these bikes become a critical part of the family and are kept running at all costs.

That’s it for this week. Next week in the third and final part I’ll wrap up my adventures in SE Asia with a few days in Bangkok where I finally found what I had personally been looking for, vintage scoots aplenty.

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Spotted in the East Village. The scrapes on the front fender and legshield indicate that this scoot has gone for an unexpected slide at some point.

This week: the Yamaha Vino 125

MSRP: $ 2899
Color options for 2010 models: Raspberry Metallic, Silver

Ahhh. The Yamaha Vino. It’s what you get when you wrap Italian styling around the reliability of a Japanese engine. While the copious use of chrome is a little chintzy for our taste, the Vino is a very capable scoot and offers an affordable alternative to that well known scooter starting with a “V.”

Available in 125cc and 50cc models the Vino is a twist-n-go automatic built on a single-cylinder two valve, four-stroke engine. Similar to other two-wheelers in its class, the bike is set up with a disc brake front, drum brake rear.

While the Vino is not known for it’s torque in the pull-away which might concern some New York city riders looking to drive out of trouble, its top speed of around 60 miles an hour, 50-55 mph cruising means that the 125cc can handily compete with other scoots in the same class and telescopic forks on the front, and a single shock on the rear means that the suspension has what it takes to handle the city’s poorly maintained streets. The bike also comes with a two-up seat as standard.

The clever under seat storage on the Vino makes it one of the few scooters in this class that can store a full-faced helmet. (Sorry Piaggio.) This is due to the sculpting of the storage area that is designed to accept the helmet upside-down allowing you to use whatever space you have left inside the helmet to put your lock and chain and so forth. Just make sure you wrap it in a plastic bag to keep the interesting and unique smells of NYC out of your helmet.

There are a number of Yamaha motorcycle dealerships in the five boroughs of which most also stock the manufacturer’s scooters, but make sure you call ahead on the Vino which is not always available in its 125cc form. Visit Yamaha.com’s official Vino page for more information. The Vino is also available in a small number of special editions.

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While for our money – a little hair-raising on the means streets of Manhattan given its low profile – Honda Ruckus fans should be proud to hear that their scoot is currently sitting comfortably at the top of the heap of Motorcycle.com‘s 2009 highest user ratings.

Honda’s fantastic scoot sits atop an eye-opening top ten that really should be a go-to list for anyone considering their first (or next) set of wheels.

While the Ruckus neatly sits at #1, Chicago’s Genuine Scooters’ Buddy really is the force to be reckoned with here, occupying slots #2 and #3 in its stock and Black Jack forms and #5 in its International Italia form. A staggering 3 out of the top 10 2009 scooters.

Yamaha follows up with two contenders in the top ten. The Vino 125 at #6 and the Zuma 125 at #8.

250cc bikes are amply represented by Asian favorite scooters Sym RV250, Kymco Xciting 250 Ri occupying slots #4 and #10 respectively.

Finally Piaggio rounds out the bunch with its flagship scoot, the Vespa LX150 sitting at a respectable but lack-luster #7 and the GTS 250 at #9.

Motorcycle’s star and user-ratings are a little arcane – glance at the top ten shows a higher rating for the Buddy at #2 than the Ruckus at #1 for example – but we’ll put our trust in the MC staff and go along.

For the full-access list, click here.

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Three very different scooters caught our eye today.

First up is a 2003 Honda Ruckus 49cc which is a scooter all it’s own. It’s got a paltry 1,300 on the clock (presumably a season’s worth) and the asking price is a square grand, roughly half the MSRP of a 2009 model. Posting here.

Second, a scoot I caught site of in Brooklyn yesterday in Boerum Hill, a 2004 Yamaha VIno 125cc, that looks a little more “loved” than the Ruckus. About 5,100 miles worth of love. The asking price on this baby is $1600 but could maybe talked down a little more given the MSRP is around $2500. Posting here.

Finally, for the vintage enthusiast, a bike that shot past me on 4th Avenue presumably on its way to its owners in Bay Ridge last night, a 1983 Vespa PK 125cc small frame. Looks like a nice bike and reasonably priced at $2200 but you’ll want to get a closer look at the owner’s paint job (which can either go wonderfully well, or horribly bad) before making that call. Posting here.

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Personally, this was a factor in me purchasing the Vespa S150, which with the removal of the glove compartment opens up the leg room for a taller rider (I’m 6’3′.)

Based on my height, the article recommends the Kymco Super 9 or the Aprilia Scarabeo but hey, I’m prepared to suffer a little lower back pain for the classic styling of the Vespa.

For shorter folks, particularly women who need to ensure their feet fall flat on the ground for safety, Naomi de la Mora of San Francisco Scooter Girls recommends the Genuine Scooters’ Buddy, the Yamaha Vino or the Honda Metropolitan.

Head on over to NPR for the full article.

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In the market for a scooter but not sure to go Italian, Taiwanese or Japanese?

During the gas crunch of last year, the La Times’ throttle jockey Susan Carpenter put together a fantastic video and written review comparing three new scooters in the 125-150cc range:

• The Vespa S150
• Yamaha Vino 125
• Kymco People 150

After spending time with all three, Susan had great things to say about each scooter depending on your requirements as a rider.

Susan had no doubt voting the Vespa S the big winner on style and performance, but also noted it as the most stable out of the three especially freeway riding. In fact, it was the only scooter out of the three that she “felt comfortable riding on the freeway.”

In contrast, Susan had the most fun tooling around on the Taiwanese Kymco People, which she found to be very nimble, but not stable at speed due to the the thinner-set tires.

Finally, the Japanese Yamaha Vino was her choice for the budget scooterist. Reliable, economical and with probably the best storage out of the three.

For the full written and video reviews, head on over to “Scooting around the gas crunch” at LAtimes.com

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$2400. From the post:

Great fun for getting around/great way to save on taxis, subways.
Like-new Vespa-style scooter.
Still under warranty.
Runs perfectly.
Includes helmet, high-end Kryptonite security chain/lock, cover.
Only 25 miles.
Garaged care.
Silver.

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