Reactions to story from MSNBC

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  Scooter Sales on the Rise with Fuel Prices

  http://iscoot.org/2008/07/scooter-sales-on-the-rise-with-fue...
  64 days ago in iScoot.org | For Scooterists - By Scooterists · No authority yet

  So, if you’re here, you know that scooters get much better mileage than most other vehicles on the road today. You can’t turn on the tele or open a newspaper today without finding some news about the sharp rise in fuel prices or the state of our national economy. We’ve managed to find a few articles on the increase in scooter sales, and we’re interested in hearing what scooter people think about the current situation. Here’s an entry from MSNBC: High Gas Prices Driving Scooter Sales Up Let’s hear your comments…
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  BMW: Don’t knock bicyclists to make 28 MPG look good

  http://www.dontdrinkthekoolaidblog.com/really-bmw-28-mpg-is-...
  73 days ago in Don’t drink the koolaid | Bailey Gardiner Blog · Authority: 4

  While stretching at the gym yesterday following my bike commute to work, I had the pleasure of watching BMW’s new commercial. I couldn’t hear the announcer because the volume was turned off, but I could easily see what moronic message the company was sending. Essentially, a BMW drives past business people commuting by bike, on bus and on a scooter, who all longingly watch the car drive by. And then it speeds past a gas station selling gas at astronomical prices. The info screen then says something about all the versions of BMWs that tout 28 MPG or more on the freeway. 28 MPG? Are you kidding me? My high school ride, a 1983 Chevy Nova, got better gas mileage than that. BMW, please step into the real world. Stop investing money in trying to make last decade’s product appear to fit the needs of today’s consumers and begin investing your money in a car that doesn’t need gas, or that has triple digit MPG or that actually does something to benefit our environment. And do not think for one minute that the business man on that bike looks at your BMW and thinks, “If only I could…” Because in all actuality, he looks at cars on the road and thinks, “Man, if only that driver was as smart as me to be out in the fresh air, saving money, getting fit and using zero gas.” And if 28 MPG were enough to convince consumers to buy your car, this wouldn’t be happening. Share This
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  Gas price increase drives scooter sales - MSNBC article

  http://www.motorcyclescansavetheworld.com/2008/06/gas-price-...
  95 days ago in Motorcycles Can Save the World · Authority: 7

  An MSNBC article on the effect gas prices are having on scooter sales. Quite frankly I think some scooters are cool, and I think everyone would agree the more people on two wheels the better - in addition to the fuel savings (and life savings if you believe that the war in Iraq is related to gas, which is the subject for another post on another day) more people on two wheels can only lead to better cagers as they'll be familiar with the feeling of vulnerability and may actually *GASP* turn their head to check their blind spot BEFORE changing lanes with that triplequadruple venti ubervanilla nonfat half soy latte in their hands.
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  Americans getting on 2 wheels in favour of 4

  http://blogs.sun.com/avalon/entry/americans_getting_on_2_whe...
  101 days ago in Darren Reed's Weblog : Weblog · Authority: 3

  Americans getting on 2 wheels in favour of 4 In a story titled "No Radical Change Yet", Jim mentioned that Americans are still getting to work the same as they have been. Alas, there is already a change in the works: people are buying scooters to replace the car as the means to get to work. While there has been more coverage of this recently (see below), the issue first popped into the papers back in 2004 - "U.S. Scooter Sales Thriving With Gas Prices High". So change is afoot, as evidenced by just this story, Vespa sales are on the rise, where a local Vespa dealer (in Ohio) has sold as many scooters in one month (April 2008) as he did in all of 2007. And it is happening throughout the country - Milwaukee: Vespa Scooter Sales Soaring On High Gas Prices. But there's one other catch here: the sales, at present, are all occurring during the American spring/summer. In some of these states, such as WI and OH, use of the scooter during the colder months comes with additional challenges: the roads are more slipery and you're more exposed to the elements. All figures below are in US Dollars. So what are the economics involved? If the car is kept and the scooter added to the stable, there's an outlay of around $2000-$4500, depending on the model of scooter and local taxes. You may also need to get a motor cycle licence (add in some lessons plus the cost of the test.) For the sake of simplicity, lets say that the new price of super-inflated fuel for your car is $4/gl and the old "ok" pice is $2.50/gl. Some people report spending $80/week (vs $50) with the new prices, for me, it is now around $50 (vs $31.) For those now spending $80, the additional outlay is $1500/year. Given that the price will not go down between now and 2016 (8 years), the simple math is to say $32,000 is the cost of fuel over the that period. If a Vespa can do a week of travelling for $10 where the car is $80, that's a saving of around $3500/year, assmuing that maintenance costs are the same (and they may not be) - see below. Insurance also needs to come into play here, but I have no idea what this will be nor do I have any worthwhile references. To cut to the chase, the $4500 scooter may take upto 2 years to break even in cost effectiveness if the price of fuel remains the same. If the price of gas continues to increase, and there is no reason to suspect it won't, then the time frame for cost recovery comes in. If you can sell the car and live with only a scooter, then the equation shifts dramatically in favour of the scooter. But it isn't necessarily a bed of roses either, as one owner in San Francisco has found out, with their blog "Vespa Lx150 total cost of ownership". And lets not forget something else very important - safety. References: High gas prices are driving scooter sales up Some are enjoying high gas prices ( May 28 2008, 02:52:12 AM PDT )
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  アメリカのガソリン価格高騰はスクーターの拡販に繋がるか

  http://noticiasactuales.blog84.fc2.com/blog-entry-1380.html
  103 days ago in 今朝のニュース · Authority: 4

  アメリカのガソリン価格高騰はスクーターの拡販に繋がるか 　空港に置いてあった新聞、ＵＳＡ　ＴＯＤＡＹを眺めていたらアメリカのガソリン価格表示の欄がありました。レギュラー、ミディアム、プレミアムそれぞれのオクタン価は知らないのですが、ミディアムでも１ガロンあたり４ドルを超えているのですね。記事には１週間前と１年前の価格比較も掲載されていて、どれだけ値上がりしているか見やすくなっています。 　この状態がもっと続くようだと、アメリカで（燃費の良い）スクーターがもっと売れるのではないか、一時期ハリウッドスターなどがパーティに出席する際に大きな自動車をやめてプリウスなどで乗り付けるのが流行したように、もうすぐベスパとかで登場し始めるのでは、なんて言われたりしてます。スクーター＝ベスパっていう図式もどうかと思いますが、ま、オートバイ＝ハーレーの国なので、そんなものでしょうか。 　ガソリン価格高騰とスクーター関連記事がサイトのニュースで取り上げられていますが、長い英文記事なので途中で読むのを挫折しました、興味のある方はここ。
• 

  Stop me if you've heard this one...

  http://thescooterscoop.blogspot.com/2008/05/stop-me-if-you-h...
  111 days ago in The Scooter Scoop | America's source for motor scooter, moped and microcar news · Authority: 47

  High gas prices are driving scooter sales up - Autos- msnbc.com (M.Spencer Green/AP - Johnny Scheff of Motoworks in Chicago helps a customer try out a scooter. Business is good, he says: ‘April was a terrible weather month in Chicago, and the things were just flying out the door.’) The 51-year-old restaurant owner bought a candy-apple red Honda last week as worries about the price of gas overrode any trepidation about learning to drive it. With the average price of gas closing in on $4 a gallon, many cash-strapped motorists are turning to fuel-stingy motor scooters and smaller motorcycles. Dealers across the nation report brisk sales this spring, particularly for those that get from 75-120 miles per gallon."Ninety-five percent of those who come in mention high gas prices" said Lonnie Trujillo, sales manager for Vespa of California at Sherman Oaks, Calif. "Even though we're in southern California and have ear-round riding weather, April sales were phenomenal," he added. Sales of name-brand scooters such as Honda, Yamaha, Vespa and Suzuki rose 24 percent in the first quarter of the year, said Mike Mount, spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Council trade group — noting that it's not exactly a hot sales period because of cool weather in much of the nation.
• 

  Scooting For Fun and Profit

  http://allcarsallthetime.blogspot.com/2008/05/scooting-for-f...
  113 days ago in All Cars, All the Time · Authority: 34

  I always enjoy riding the scooter to work when the weather is good and I feel an itch to ride. However, this year I’ve been exclusively riding the Silverwing and gas prices certainly have something to do with that. A recent AP article says that I’m not the only one. Sales of small displacement scooters that can achieve 75-120 miles per gallon are brisk, with name-brand scooters such as Honda, Yamaha, Vespa and Suzuki rising 24 percent in the first quarter of the year, according to Mike Mount (great last name for a motorcycle lobby, no?), spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Council trade group. Vespa has even gone so far as to launch a Vespanomics site touting all the benefits scooting provides. Bigger bikes also return decent mileage, but their sales numbers aren’t nearly as impressive. Sales of small and medium-sized motorcycles rose 7.5 percent in the first quarter, but sales of larger, more-expensive motorcycles were down 11 percent according to a trade group. I certainly believe that cost plays into that, but also many new riders may be flocking to the relatively easy to ride scooters as an easy way to save some money at the pump without the fear of having 500 pounds of molten metal fall over on you. The more motorcyclists on the road, hopefully the greater awareness by motorists for all who ride. However, as these North Carolina statistics show, more inexperienced riders could mean a giant surge in accidents. North Carolina had 183 motorcycle rider fatalities in 2007, up from 61 in 1997. This was a 200 percent increase. The nationwide increase for motorcyclist fatalities during the same time frame was 140 percent. Anytime a stat increases over 100 percent and it’s not your stock portfolio, it’s usually not good news. In general, I’m happy to see more folks out on the road. It’s a great way to either start off the day or enjoy the evening air on the ride home. Just be sure to ride safe. You can check out a few brands from the links below: Piaggio Honda Yahmaha Suzuki Vespa Aprilia Kymco
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  More News on Increased Scooter Sales Due to High Gas Prices

  http://www.petrozero.org/2008/05/more-news-on-increased-scoo...
  113 days ago in PetroZero.org - Propelling Transport into the Future · Authority: 20

  Associated Press - May 15, 2008 PIERRE, S.D. - Joan Kohler is not a typical new scooter customer. But the 51-year-old restaurant owner bought a candy-apple red Honda last week as worries about the price of gas overrode any trepidation about learning to drive it. With the average price of gas closing in on $4 a gallon, many cash-strapped motorists are turning to fuel-stingy motor scooters and smaller motorcycles. Dealers across the nation report brisk sales this spring, particularly for those that get from 75-120 miles per gallon. "Ninety-five percent of those who come in... mention high gas prices," said Lonnie Trujillo, sales manager for Vespa of California at Sherman Oaks, Calif. "Even though we're in southern California and have year-round riding weather, April sales were phenomenal," he added. Sales of name-brand scooters such as Honda, Yamaha, Vespa and Suzuki rose 24 percent in the first quarter of the year, said Mike Mount, spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Council trade group — noting that it's not exactly a hot sales period because of cool weather in much of the nation. Many lesser-known scooters from China, Taiwan and South Korea also are sold in the U.S., but Mount said those sales figures are not readily available. "We believe, anecdotally, that fuel prices are definitely having an effect on scooter sales," he said. "It seems likely that that's playing into scooter sales this quarter, as well." The lowest-priced scooters such as the Chinese imports cost about $800, while name-brand bikes cost $2,000 to $3,000 and top-of-the-line models can go for $6,000 to $8,000... (source: msnbc.com)
• 

  links for 2008-05-16

  http://peripteral.com/blog/?p=39
  113 days ago in peripteral.com · No authority yet

  links for 2008-05-16 May 16th, 2008 Sewer to Spigot: Recycled Water I proposed this in my thesis, but there is always the yuck factor (tags: infrastructure design) GE May Shed Storied Appliance Unit “GE - we bring good things to life”…is this over? (tags: economics) Rescue Effort Overwhelms China I went to Chengdu, and this is difficult to read (tags: rescue) Is Debt Thaw on Borrowed Time? debt is flowing again (tags: economics) Ahead of the Tape if inflation has been abated, then won’t factory production go down? if the dollar stabilizes, then it won’t be cheaper to buy US goods abroad…this looks like a red herring (tags: economics) Fast-Rising Steel Prices Set Back Big Projects steel prices are wreacking havoc in various design/build industries, and retooling costs offset the potential for alternative materials. will we be building more with concrete now? (tags: design economics architecture) Forward Thinking - Ray Kurzweil thoughts on the future and singularity (tags: design technology) The Rise of the Mega-Region mega regions are all-inclusive and cannot be ignored, but can the principles of mega regions be applied to smaller regions as I demonstrated in my thesis as a map for growth and support? (tags: design economics technology) The Singular Question Of Human vs. Machine Has a Spiritual Side first, this smacks of dennet’s “Who Am I?” story; second, what are the percieved benefits of singularity? (tags: technology) You Are How You Live the big question in new urbanism, for me, is: how will this change the design of a car, when you neither need obsolesence based on vast use AND you need a car that is used infrequently? (tags: economics design technology) Car Dealers Set Green Blueprints green in the car AND dealership location design (tags: technology design) Teens: Does Being in the Popular Crowd Matter? haha the powerr of positive thinking applied to something that doesn’t really matter (tags: society) High gas prices are driving scooter sales up fuel prices increasing scooter sales, but will fuel prices indirectly spur accidents with people that don’t know how to drive these things in traffic? (tags: economics) The supercomputer and the books very nice Steven Holl lobby (tags: architecture design) Sofa story I agree that the sofa is incredibly important to contemporary domesticity (tags: design) Flavio Albanese. The architect as a contemporary witness or, architect as contemporary philosopher, minding personal morality with public necessity. that is sad. (tags: architecture design) Koolhaas e la casa stregata rem strikes again, plopping his ever-more-analog blocks onto the site (tags: architecture design) Eisenman’s six point plan - Building Design I need more room to properly respond to this… (tags: architecture design) Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

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