Vespa News

Vespa expands its electric offering, and adds even more style-focused models to its range.

The boom in the Australian scooter market and rise in professionalism in the past few years has led to the formation of the Australian Scooter Federation.The ASF has launched a campaign to highlight the benefits available to customers who buy from an accredited seller.ASF chairperson Hollie Black said ASF members adhered to the federation's code of conduct, meaning scooterists could rest assured they would receive high-quality customer service when buying from these manufacturers."There are many companies entering the market and we are concerned that inexperienced importers may not be backing up the product they're bringing in," Black said."When a customer buys a product from one of our members, they will have access to that manufacturer's national dealer network and all the benefits that come with buying from a reputable company.""All ASF members are companies which adhere to a high level of quality, not just for their own company but with an aim to protect and improve the industry as a whole."The ASF is a member of the Motorcycle Industry Group of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and is the peak body representing the scooter industry.The ASF members that have joined forces to promote safe and professional scooting which includes; Aprilia, Benelli, Bolwell, BUG, Daelim, Gilera, Honda, Hyosung, Kymco, Peugeot, Piaggio, Suzuki, SCP, TGB, Vespa and Yamaha.ASF has also developed a set of guidelines which protect users.ASF members have manufacturers based in France, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China and Italy. All companies supplying ASF members have International Quality Assurance and all vehicles comply with Australian Design Rules.In addition to being advocates for scooter riders and lobbying the government on riders behalf, the ASF also aims to educate the community about all things scooter related through the provision of advice, a comprehensive website and other communication materials.

Some people think motor scooters are a menace. A survey by AAMI Insurance came up with that result, but it's obviously the view of people who are not looking to the future.There will soon be more scooters in Australian cities, and not only in Queensland, where car-licence holders can ride a 50cc two-wheeler.Scooters are going to become more popular as urban infill reaches its peak, petrol prices continue to rise and more people realise an easy-going two-wheeler meets their real transport needs.A short commute, ducking down to the shops or dashing to a coffee shop is easy on a scooter. I know because I've been riding a Vespa for a few weeks to see what the latest generation of baby bikes is like.The answer, at least for the 250cc four-stroke Vespa, is comfy and convenient. And it looks good, too, with a great retro style.A Vespa is not cheap. My GTS250ie costs more than $9500, but that is for a steel chassis, a classy engine, good brakes, a digital dash and even a handy hook for holding takeaway bags.A scooter takes some adjusting to. It has bicycle-style brake levers and an automatic transmission. But the 250 jumps away at the lights and cruises at 100km/h on the highway.And it is fun, the sort of fun that's being lost from a lot of 21st-century motoring.More people should put a scooter in the garage, or even the foyer of a flat, to maximise their motoring enjoyment with minimum stress and expense. They are a great solution to a lot of today's motoring needs.Yes, I am a fan. And it took less than a fortnight and a single bill for $11 of unleaded to win me across to the scooter team. Fast factThe Vespa motor scooter was created in 1946 and helped put Europe back on wheels after World War II. 

It's the latest in a series of major milestones in motoring, involving birthdays for everything from the Bentley brand to the original Mini and the DS-series Citroen.But Vespa has always been special.The cute scooter was a motoring star with Audrey Hepburn in the 1950s and the Piaggio of Italy is using the 'Still Sexy at Sixty' line for its birthday celebrations.So... Vespa has taken a naughty-but-nice line with a viral marketing program with its sixty scooter.It says the film is a 'modern and highly erotic' take on the Kama Sutra, but is still fun and workplace friendly.It opens with pictures from the life story of the Vespa before moving into a photo album with a series of short video clips starring a pair of models and the scooter. They float on wires and interact on and above the bike, in a series of positions which poke fun at sex and the scooter.The program was developed in Britain by a company called New Media Maze, which says the kama sutra connection came quickly."Strangely, all our brainstorms eventually turn to dirty thoughts, and this one was no different," says Dave Smith of New Media Maze."Quite quickly we realised that showing 60-year-old couples copulating wasn't going to be viral or sexy, so we were under pressure to come up with something else and quick. Everyone's had a bit of nookie in the back of a car, but who's ever done it on a scooter?"To see the Kama Scooter head to www.kamascooter.com

OK, one is a scooter, but the Vespa GTS 250ie is still a two-wheeled form of transport.And it's the one that gets used the most for short trips, incidental shopping and commuting, just because it's so simple.Hop on, twist and go. That's it.There is plenty of storage space under the seat for coat, gloves and open-face helmet and on the way home, I can fit a few items from the shops or any work from the office that I need to take home.It's also cheap to operate. Running at about 3.5 litres/100km, it costs less than $10 a week to do the 50km work-and-home daily commute.Practical, but is it cool?You bet. Italian retro design and it's black.But to add even more spice, accentuate the Italian origins and attract a bit more attention, we went back to Carl Merz at Performance Decals & Signage, Moss St, Slacks Creek, to design, produce and fit some tasty stickers.Merz spiced up the look of the long-term Yamaha XTX660 last year for just $200, which isn't bad for a one-off design.This time, we needed an Italian influence, a nod to the retro styling and something that shows this is now slouch.So there are green, white and red flags, and silver GT stripes that reflect the generous chrome used in the bike's design.Since there is more surface area on a scooter, more stickers were required, so this job cost $300, which is still good value for a unique design.Merz produces stickers for road and dirt bike race teams, bike shops, private riders, bike restorers and people wanting something different or a cheap fix on a scratched fairing."We're able to reproduce anything the factories do, including shaded and fade-in designs," Merz said. "A lot of people are restoring bikes and the decals are no longer available."It's a amazing how a set of decals will make a bike look like new."Prices range right up to about $700 for a full set of decals for a road bike and $350 for thick scratch-resistant stickers on a motocrosser.