Daily motorbike news, views & reviews
As panic buying sets in over the coronavirus, bans are placed on large gatherings and Italy goes into lockdown, motorcycling looks set to be one of the victims. MotoGP and World Superbikes are scrambling to reschedule their calendar, factories are scaling down and accessories such as helmets may soon become short in supply. (THIS ARTICLE …
Ducati and Piaggio (Aprilia, Vespa, Moto Guzzi) have closed their museums due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus (coronavirus) in Italy, but their factories are still operating. Chinese motorcycle factories were closed for a prolonged period over the Chinese Lunar New Year, but many, including Honda and CFMoto, have now restarted. In the case …
Italian motorcycle and scooter company Piaggio has lost a landmark battle with Chinese scooter manufacturer Zhejiang Zhongneng over copycat designs. The case began in 2014 and has just been concluded with Piaggio over their Vespa LX scooter which has been around since the end of World War II. China didn’t decided the winner, either. It was …
The best thing about the Vespa Elettrica electric scooter is that it is almost a complete mirror of the iconic petrol-powered retro model. And, of course, just like the standard Vespa, it is twist-and-go-throttle so there is one less hurdle among scooter riders crossing over from an internal combustion model to an electric. Vespa Elettrica …
Italian scooter brand Lambretta returns to Australia soon with six models that undercut the prices of countryman Vespa. They will come in 50cc, 125cc or 169cc models in V and V Special variants differentiated by the front guard. Lambretta V has a conventional “flex” front guard that moves with the steering like most scooters. V …
The 10th annual national Motogiro cross-country rally for small-capacity Italian-made bikes and scooters is on this August with a special anniversary dinner and display. The organisers are Italian bike collectors Pete Morrow and Trevor Fryer who live in South East Queensland and use the beautiful region to stage their annual event. They started the untimed …
Vespa has released a limited-edition Vespa 300 Sei Giorni to honour the model built for the 1951 Sei Giorni Internazionale di Varese regularity competition. It is based on the GTS 300 Super Sport, but adds black highlights, a special edition serial numbered plate, dual-coloured saddle with piping and contrast stitching, exposed metal pipe and a …
The new Vespa GTS scooter range includes stop-start technology to switch off the engine when stationary and automatically restart when the brake is released. Stop-start technology has been used in many cars for several years now and was introduced by Honda on the PCX 125 scooter in 2010. Yamaha has added it to their Janus 125 …
The world’s oldest Vespa that was also used in the classic 1953 film, Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, has sold at auction for more than a quarter million dollars. There were 21 bids for the working scooter which was hand-crafted in 1946. It was estimated to sell for up to €300,000 ($US324,492, …
While many riders wish they could ride around the world on a motorcycle, there are few that would consider doing it two-up on a Vespa scooter! But that’s exactly what Greek couple Alexandra and Stergios are doing on their Around the World on a Vespa trip. Since 2013, their laden 2003-model PX200 Vespa scooter has …