Thursday, June 30, 2011

How to Find Vento ZIP products?

Comments: I am a private person I cannot find a ignition key lock set for my vento zipr3i I need help

Hey Susan, the part numbers on our website under repair manuals,

Go to the Vento ZIP manual same Hurricane by Keeway or TNG LS 49 and get the part number.
MRP has all the TNG and Keeway parts in our system so make sure to email us back.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkpEZotZwB0

It's really easy thanks to MRP to find the QJ Vento Keeway Benelli part you are looking for.

Manuals
http://www.martinracingdealer.com/WSWrapper.jsp?mypage=Manuals.htm

Stocking Dealer locator
http://www.martinracingdealer.com/locator/index.php

MRP distributes OEM parts for TNG (CMSI) select models of CF Moto Daelim Motors Korea ( parts should appear on website by mid July) Malaguti of Italy (www.Malaguti.com) Keeway Southeast (Keeway Vento QJ Andretti Yamati models) CPI Taiwan Powersports Factory Brands PSF Diamo Cubik (matches OEM Vento part numbers) as well as QJ and ZNEN (who manufacture bikes for a variety of scooter importers) such as FlyScooters Lance BMS Qlink models that were ZNEN corresponding to matching TNG parts.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Insurance Companies spending money marketing to Scooter Riders in the US

In the past two years we've seen some really aggressive marketing towards dealers, distributors, and consumers for better scooter protection.

Most states don't require insurance on 50cc units, but that hasn't stopped Geico, Progressive, and All State ( who has the best ads by the way with Mr. Mayhem ) from pushing the scooter trend. I think its great and it brings more people to the table to become aware of this form of inexpensive transportation. Today we saw another press release on PR Newswire from All State worth looking at because it's aimed at women.


NORTHBROOK, Ill., June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- As gas prices challenge historic highs, the Motorcycle Industry Council announced recently that sales for motor scooters jumped almost 50 percent (49.6) for the first three months of 2011.
Allstate Insurance internal data suggests female riders may be leading the trend. Almost three times more women requested quotes for scooter insurance in 2010 versus men.
With the lines blurring between motorcycles and scooters based on engine size - some "maxi" scooters are equipped with up to 800cc engines - the primary difference between motorcycles and scooters is the "step-through" frame of the scooter.
"Americans continue to look for ways to trim their budgets and more are deciding two wheels cost less to drive than four," said Keith Rutman, vice president, consumer household unit for Allstate. "While economical and fun to drive, scooters can cost several thousand dollars. Adequate insurance coverage for the scooter and the driver are important and often-overlooked aspects of ownership."
To help ensure drivers new to scooters don't sacrifice safety for savings, Allstate recommends the following tips:
Scooters are quieter and less visible than motorcycles yet can reach the same speeds. Defensive driving is more than a good idea, it's a must.
Most scooter tires are smaller and thinner than motorcycle tires, making them and their drivers more susceptible to damage and crashes on potholes and other road hazards.
Despite the warmer weather, protective clothing like leather, heavy denim and certified helmets used on motorcycles are a safer bet than typical summer wear, such as flip-flops, shorts and T-shirts.
Just because a scooter can access some off-road surfaces doesn't mean it's legal to operate there. Know the local laws before driving a scooter somewhere--and that includes restrictions on bike or similar paths.
Scooters typically cost less to insure than motorcycles, but there are factors to consider that can drive the price up or down, including age of the scooter, the experience of the rider, driving record and whether the driver has taken a safety-driving course. Owners should contact a local Allstate agent to learn about all available protection and savings options for their new or existing vehicle.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Zombie GoKart Companies who will survive?

A few months ago I posted at the height of the financial crisis what was going on with the "Zoombie" Scooter companies. http://martinracingperformance.blogspot.com/2009/07/zuma-125-performance-and-racing-parts.html

The president of GoKart company just wrote me to tell me the same has happened in the Go Karting industry the last two years. Some companies continue to live by cannibalizing other karting companies and dealers. MRP saw a huge increase in the Go Kart business in 2006-2008 and then it just dropped. We still have some great dealers buying, but most are competing directly with two or three guys that work from home and drop ship all day long. The Chinese importers since they have no other recourse are selling to everyone.

Fortunately the Scooter Industry has gotten a little better, but go karts and buggies seem to be in a rut in 2011. Some standouts continue to be the 250cc and upward scene that are a little more profitable for the dealers and importers. So who will survive the Go Kart Zombie situation? Only time will tell. What is needed is a bigger capacity engine like the 500cc Kymco or CF MOTO in an affordable kart that gives dealers the margins they need. One company looking into this is PIT Motors. If interested in their new Go Kart lineup give them a buzz http://www.PitMotorsltd.com 



Saturday, June 18, 2011

2011 Update on brands we work with and the marketplace





Now a 2011 short update on many of the
manufacturers we get calls on:


MRP is a third party solutions provider. We are not the original importer for many of these brands we offer third party parts and in some cases original parts made by the companies that we acquired from other companies that have closed or by distributors.

Aprilia – owned by Piaggio Group. MRP carries a ton of parts compatible with Aprilia scooters. Keep in mind many of the original 2000-2004 Scarabeos, SR 50s, used the same suppliers as Malaguti scooters which we have a ton of parts for. From brake pads to carbs the original carbureted versions are the same as Malaguti. The AM6 engine on the RS50 is something we carry.

ADLY MOTO - Taiwanese brand. Formerly had offices in Texas which closed a few years back. MRP has a lot of OEM parts for both Scooters and ATVs since we purchased United Motors and some of their dealers. You can find these OEM and racing parts at the MRP website. Adly was selling to Dixie Sales, Lambretta USA, Hammerhead, United Motors and several other companies.

Yamaha / Honda / Suzuki we mostly focus on the replacement brand parts like NG Disk brakes and generic light bulbs, we carry a full line of racing upgrades for the Japanese brands.

Zongshen – MRP is a partner to Zongshen USA and we carry a ton of parts for them. We have more Zongshen ZMD parts than anyone. As of 2011 several importers of ZMD have closed including DEVON Motorcycles so MRP is the largest source of Zongshen parts in the USA at the moment since DEVON went out of business.

Hyosung - Hyosung North America has been in the USA for several years. Sold by Alpha Sports ( now closed ) Kasea Motorsports ( now closed ) and by United Motors ( Now closed ) some bikes are sold by ATK currently. MRP has a large selection of OEM and aftermarket Hyosung parts since acquiring United Motors of North America. You can find all the Hyosung parts on our website. Some faster moving parts we are importing directly from Hyosung suppliers.

United Motors of America aka UM, UM Scooters, United Motors. This company imported scooters and motorcycles into the United States for over 15 years. MRP has the full selection of parts that UM had in their warehouse since we purchased their assets. The company had more Hyosung OEM parts than anyone in North America. So if you need OEM Hyosung, UM, Wangye ( same a Mod or Baccio imported by UM ) then we have these. The company also imported CPI Scooters.

American Scooters (FL), Xtreme Scooters (IL) both distributors as of 2011 are now closed. Both imported QJ scooters now supported by MRP. We have all the Chinese scooter parts for these brands on the MRP website.


MuZ – Motorrad went out of business back in 2003. MRP has all the CPI parts for their scooters.

Cubik K aka Keeway Southeast. This was the Southeast distributor for QJ / Keeway China. MRP purchased all their assets in 2008. We have the full selection of parts for all the Keeway scooters from the Hurricane 50cc to the hard to find 150cc.

BZ – Benzhou Group sold to several importers and private label companies in the USA. MRP purchased one of their distributors in liquidation and we have many of their OEM parts.

QJ – This is a common term for Qiangjiang the company sold vehicles and continues to sell vehicles in the USA to several Chinese importers. Since 2007 over 9 of their distributors have closed including Xtreme, Diamo, Vento, TNG, among others. MRP has the largest selection of QJ parts in North America.

Vento USA – Out of business. MRP has the full selection of Vento parts from China using the same part numbers as the factory. More OEM Vento parts than anyone in North America from GY6 to the Jog Minarelli engine. Plus the hard to find QMB139 Vento versions.

Dinli has pulled out of the United States.  We are able to obtain some items from China, but this is uncommon. We recommend calling Peirspeed www.Peirspeed.com for any Dinli questions they have some inventory left.

Diamo USA – LS Motorsports - MRP has the parts for all the Diamo scooters, ATVs, UTVs, and Motorcycles.

Italjet America - MRP has the parts for all the 2007 Italjet scooters and some for the pre-2005 units.


Hammerhead parts:  MRP only does the aftermarket racing parts for this brand of kart. A few OEM parts are cross-compatible.

Carter Brothers: MRP only does the aftermarket racing parts for this brand of kart. A few OEM parts are cross-compatible.

SYM – Back in the Day MRP was Malaguti USA, we imported the first SYM Scooters in the USA. We only imported 3 models, so we are familiar with the line and dropped them. We still have some OEM parts for the DD50, Jet Euro, and other models since then we have added some more parts since Carter Brothers burned down and dealers keep looking for parts. We mostly offer SYM racing upgrades, but we do what we can to help the consumers, we get like twenty calls a day for parts for SYM.

Defunct Kart brands: Ken-bar, Brister's Design & Mfg. Co. Inc. aka BRISTERS, KenBar, Yerfdog, Kartco, KINT, Thunder Karts, USA Karts, Straight Line, Nitrous Go-Kart are ALL closed.  Some parts are compatible, but you need to track the internet for what is out there. The companies have been closed for some time. 


CPI USA – Went out of business in 2009. MRP has all the CPI scooter parts. Since then distribution has been picked up by PIT MOTORS. www.PITMOTORSltd.com who are also the distributors for the HEIST by CCW one of the more popular bikes on the market. We have a close working relationship with the company and help them with parts for the new 2011 CPI units. If they can’t get you a part we will.

Kymco – We suggest calling KYMCO USA who happens to have the largest parts warehouse in the Americas for KYMCO parts, they have the highest degree of investment of any Asian brand in North America as of 2011 they fully own the US operation and from their US warehouse supply many distributors in Central and South America. No other Taiwanese company has the level of support or investment of Kymco they are number one in Taiwan exports, production, and branding. MRP carries a wide selection of Kymco aftermarket and racing parts. We also have a ton of stock parts that are cross compatible with Malaguti and several of the GoKart brands we carry parts for. Kymco sells engines to PGO Go Karts which we support and to several UTV makers in Asia.

Manco, was purchased by American Sportworks, American Sportworks The "new" Manco.  They sell karts they manufacture, as well as some they import from China. Some units like the UTVs are carried by Tractor Supply or Home Depot. We have some aftermarket parts for select MANCO products.

Baja Motorsports:  Mainly distributed by Pep Boys and other big box retailers. Owned by a tool company and the parts are outsourced by Gardner. The company does not have parts for any units that are several years old but sometimes parts are cross compatible such as Zongshen, Hammerhead, Kinroad etc… The original president of the company is the same person who started Yerf Dog. Rich Godfrey.

ACE GO KARTS – The Ace brand was the big box brand for Carter Brothers sometimes they were Kinroads or other brands with the ACE private label.

Malaguti Scooters. Made in Italy since 1930 its one of the last Italian brands. The company as of June 2011 is on hiatus in Italy but Malaguti ricambi continues to provide MRP with parts for the units. We have all the repair manuals available at http://www.mrp-speed.com and dealers /consumers can look up part numbers. We fully support the MRP line with both OEM and racing parts for all their models.

Benelli scooters. Imported under the marketing name “Andretti” a license of Mario Andretti the company was sold by Powersports Factory. MRP continues to support the brand and we have many OEM parts that work on Benelli / Andretti scooters.


Geely – One of the first Chinese companies to come into the market MRP has a full selection on Qinqi, Geely engine parts for sale.

Yamati – Yamati Scooters and PSF Scooters were imported by the now closed Powersports Factory. MRP has all these parts in stock and acquired them so we could help support the dealer base. If you need PSF parts MRP has them. All the manuals are up on our site.

Hammerhead Offroad aka "Twister” MRP offers a wide selection of upgrades and select performance parts. 

We also offer many parts for ADLY Scooters, ADLY ATVs, and some of the UTVs. ADLY USA Closed a few years back and Hammerhead picked up distribution. ADLY Taiwan also sells to QLINK, Lambretta USA.


JAG Powersports – This was a company in Texas headed by several managers from Dinli USA which eventually became CPI USA. Imported TGB of Taiwan, CPI, and some ETON product. MRP purchased all the JAG parts, we have a limited number of Reimtech ATV parts and JAG ATV parts in stock.
Dixie Sales – Is now officially out of the scooter business as of 2010. The ADLY Scooters and Linhai from Sunright were liquidated.

LINHAI – MRP carries a wide selection of OEM parts for LINHAI engines for both scooters and ATVs. We have the largest selection of racing parts for Linhai in the country.

Kinroad – Kinroad USA is now closed but a new importer has started importing them. MRP carries a wide assortment of parts and easily compatible OEM parts. Many of our dealers including GoKartsUSA.com continue to support the line and carry inventory of stock parts.

Murray:  Murray filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December, 2004.  Murray was purchased by the Briggs and Stratton Corporation and they quit the Kart business.


TNG Scooters – MRP has the full selection of TNG Scooter parts. If you need CMSI, TNG Scooter parts, then MRP has them all.

Piaggio / Vespa OEM: MRP has a limited number of OEM Piaggio Italy and Piaggio China parts in original packaging made by Piaggio Group. We mostly sell aftermarket racing products for these brands and third party replacement parts such as NG Disk Brakes. We have the full selection of disks and pads for their models.

Taiwan Brands Assorted: MRP has a limited number of OEM PGO, Eton, and Adly parts that come in SkyTeam packaging. This is a third party that does logistics for many companies in Taiwan.  We mostly sell aftermarket racing products for these brands and third party replacement parts such as NG Disk Brakes. We have the full selection of disks and pads for their models by PGO, Eton, and Adly.


Chinese Brands: 
Jonway - We have a great relationship with Jonway we work closely with them. We offer many racing parts for the JONWAY lineup.

PUMA, LANCE, BMS, - Several companies that imported ZNEN branded engines and scooters. MRP carries a wide selection of aftermarket and OEM parts for the ZNEN engines.

QLINK – This private label Taiwanese owned company has imported from CF MOTO, Zongshen, Adly, 
ZNEN and other Chinese companies. We carry a wide selection of upgrades for them.

New brands such as Tao Tao, Ice Bear, Motobravo, Wildfire, Roketa, SUNL now Massimo- these price point Chinese brands are new to the market and sell mostly on price. They don't do any consumer ads and largely market themselves to the low end dealers who are looking for price value, they don't market within the industry so far when we reach out to them to educate American dealers or consumers the response has not been a positive one. So when dealers call us there isn't much we can say except we have no experience with the price point brands. We keep trying to work with any brand, but it really comes down to management wanting to reach across the board and get product into the hands of fellow industry developers this is a very difficult thing to do with Chinese management if they don't understand the industry outside of volume price based sales. Great brands in the USA are made because of aftermarket relationships. Honda, Harley are great because thousands of companies make parts for them. Same applies to the scooter industry. Kymco is the largest of all Taiwanese brands because more companies also help promote them. More companies make accessories for them. This is something these companies haven't understood yet.

CF MOTO – One of the largest OEMs in Asia MRP is a partner provider of racing parts to CF MOTO USA. We have had a working relationship with the company from day one in America. We carry both stock and racing parts for their most popular models.

MRP has the targest selection of Chinese & Asian Scooter Parts. Scooter Parts & Accessories - America's Largest Selection - Vespa, Genuine, Kymco, Honda, Yamaha, Chinese only at Martin Racing Performance!


PARTS DISCLAIMER:
MRP is not an agent nor is it affiliated with the companies mentioned in its videos or website. The names of the brands are merely used to explain compatibility or the company that manufactured them. For example "for use on a Malaguti scooter or manufactured by Malaguti." That means the part is an original part made by Malaguti Spa of Italy and sold by MRP or is a part sold to be used on Malaguti vehicles made by another party, all Malaguti original parts come in the original Malaguti packaging and were not produced nor made by MRP. This applies to all the parts sold and distributed by MRP.

MRP is a third party solutions provider. All trademarks, logos, markings, are owned by their respective owners. Parts are sold as is where is and are manufactured by their respective OEM. MRP is not affiliated with Piaggio USA, Inc. or Piaggio & Co., S.p.A. Hyosung Motors America HMA, Diamo USA Inc, TNG Scooters CMSI, CPI Scooters, Malaguti Spa, United Motors of America, Keeway North America. All these names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Bertoni licensed "Vespa eyewear" is sold and distributed in the USA by MRP. MRP is not affiliated with Piaggio USA, Inc. or Piaggio & Co., S.p.A. Vespa is a Registered Trademark of Piaggio & Co., S.p.A.

MRP is an outside channel "non-affiliated" distributor or parts. We are not the original maker nor manufacturer of the parts, we are re-sellers of these parts to third party channels.

In addition MRP has OEM manuals available for stores for TNG – CMSI Scooters, QJ, Benelli, Andretti, Cubik K, Powersports Factory, Vento, Diamo LS Motorsports, Italjet America, Malaguti Italian Scooters, Linhai, Pit Motorsports, MH, Xtreme Scooters, CPI Taiwan, CF MOTO, Daelim, Hyosung, Zongshen, Keeway private label units. There are also engine repair manuals, charts, information on tire sizes, spark plugs, and much more

MRP is a third party logistics supplier and solutions provider. We are in no way owned or affiliated with any of the above companies. We provide parts and keep people on the road. MRP is not affiliated with Piaggio USA, Inc. or Piaggio & Co., S.p.A. Vespa is a Registered Trademark of Piaggio & Co., S.p.A. All the names, brands, and trademarks belong to their respective owners.
MRP is the premier Chinese scooter & ATV parts wholesale dealer pricing center http://www.mrp-speed.com

The companies mentioned that have gone out of business or any assets obtained of said companies means that we only “Sell” their parts. We do not offer warranties or have anything to do with the sales of said vehicles.

LED Light Bike Grips for Scooters



MRP the premier distributor of scooter Parts & accessories in North America is proud to introduce our full line of LED Light Grips for both Scooters, ATVs, and Bicycles. You can connect them to the scooter battery or use the new version that uses tripple A (AAA) batteries.

BLUE MOTORCYCLE LED GRIP DIRECT TO BATTERY CONNECTION New 2011 Design Small with battery pack portable light grips Neon grip lights for scooters, atvs, motorcycles comes with adaptors, switch and cables. Universal for any scooter. Pimp out your scooter with the coolest lights ever.



MRP has the targest selection of Chinese & Asian Scooter Parts. Scooter Parts & Accessories - America's Largest Selection - Vespa, Genuine, Kymco, Honda, Yamaha, Chinese only at Martin Racing Performance!

The one-stop shop for Wholesale Scooter parts, Parts for Dirt Bikes, ATV, Off-Road Kart Parts! MRP offers Scooter Parts for 150cc, 49cc, 50cc, GY6, QMB, CF 172mm, JOG 2-stroke, Yamaha 4-stroke, QMB139, parts for all brands of 50cc, 90cc, 125cc, 150cc, 250cc 2-stroke and 4-stroke full-size street legal scooters! We offer hard to find Tank, Keeway, Jonway, Linhai, Sunright, Andretti, Benelli, CPI, United Motors Qingqi, Geely, Lifan, Verucci, Diamo, Italjet, Aprilia, Vespa, Malaguti parts and more! http://www.mrp-speed.com



Friday, June 17, 2011

Amerivespa 2011 Promo



All our friends are driving with the guys from Kymco USA to the Big Easy this week. To celebrate Amerivespa we are giving away Vespa hats, backpacks, sunglasses, and pins to our stocking dealers. Place a stocking order on Friday or Saturday June 17 - 18 2011 and get a free Vespa gift orders of $500 or more http://www.mrp-speed.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqmHiocjpTA

AMERIVESPA 2011

EV Neo from Honda the first European Electric Scooter

Honda's first electric vehicle to hit the road in Europe will be a scooter and here's the first video. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBE3-FeNeRk


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEGvF2VmWNI

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Moto Morini Auction moved to next month





So a new lower price of about a million Euro less and Moto Morini is back up for grabs.
http://www.moto.it/news/moto-morini-nuova-asta-a-meta-luglio.html reports that there are some interested parties including Hyosung Motors of Korea.

Nothing really new to report here, much like Malaguti this Italian brand has been in limbo for quite some time. The best part of the article is a Dr. John Bass a Milan investment manager trying to get a group of investors to navigate the waters of Italian auctions.


I doubt they are anything like an American auction. When my father and I found ourselves at the Diamo auction in 2009 things went by so fast that by the time we knew what was said we had purchased the company. Italian auctions seem to come with a little more red tape. 


I imagine someone can still pull this off or like all the Chinese factories they are waiting until it goes for cents on the Euro.

65 years of Vespa dominating Hollywood!

The key to marketing worldwide is Hollywood. Nobody has done this better than Vespa where the name basically means scooter.

Here's a cool promo video they put out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5jOWfHdrSg
 
65 years of Vespa dominating Hollywood!

Custom Vespas Made to Order

 Cool story from Vespa. You can now customize your bikes online. It would be even cooler if you could upload your logo like Nike and make it one of a kind like a giant skull or your favorite band logo.

From now until July 31, customers can get a 2010 LX 150 painted with any one solid paint color for a starting price of $4,300. The program is taking place at more than two dozen Vespa dealers across the U.S.

http://www.dealernews.com/dealernews/LATEST+NEWS/Vespa-USA-launches-custom-scooter-program/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/727557?contextCategoryId=48447

Malaguti Parts Still available an update on the factory

MRP will continue to import and sell the Malaguti Scooter range of parts. Malaguti Spa has a new division called Malaguti ricambi which is a parts support company that will operate while the company continues to look for investors. The manuals and parts lists are still available at http://www.mrp-speed.com



So far the only word is that there are only 28 employees left in the new parts company. The fate of the 170 workers from the factory remains unclear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doToyGMEFjs

The factory so far has refused American investors and it seems the plan involves exporting the molds to Asia and restarting the brand that way. Sounds like a huge mistkae which is what several Italian brands have done.

Garelli, Benelli, Italjet, all these brands continue to be sold in Italy but they are now made by ZNEN, Zongshen, CF MOTO, and Benzhou Group respectively. This more than likely is the trend for all of Europe as Piaggio Group has been lobbying hard to bail on the Derbi factory and more scooters get made in Asia. Already more Vespa's are made in Asia than in Europe. New models from Zongshen-Piaggio and Jincheng ( for Aprilia ) continue to imported into Italy.

Now Malaguti continues down the same path. So far the only Chinese partner that has been confirmed is CF MOTO. It will be interesting to see what happens when you have a new Italjet made by ( CF MOTO ) next to a new MALAGUTI made by (CF MOTO ) and the only difference is the exterior plastic. Not exactly the future I would see for an entire industry.

In the meantime Malaguti still has several thousand units it is looking to liquidate in the months to come www.Malaguti.com


Malaguti founded in 1930 continues to service over 3,300 dealers in Italy and export parts. The future of Italian Manufacturing remains to be seen.

Kymco Scooters Their Story, Factory Video

More on Kymco in honor of Amerivespa and the Scoot to Big Easy Ride.



Some new models:


New People 300cc

KYMCO 700cc Maxi Scooter



FACTORY TOUR KYMCO TAIWAN





History of Kymco RETRO VIDEO INFO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyF9GlA19sA

Have you ever wanted to know more about the brand? Well we have this cool retro history video on the story of Kymco in English. It's pretty cool if a little dated.

Cool Collection of Kymco Scooter Videos

This week the guys from Kymco USA have been busy driving to New Orleans.... in honor of their trip and support of Amerivespa I'm posting some cool videos from over the years about the line. Good luck guys see you this weekend! Scoot to Big Easy with Kymco USA find out more at www.KymcoUSA.com











A Real World Game Changer for the EV Electric Scooter Industry

Finally a real game changer. The one thing all the start-ups seeking Angel investors and hedge fund money were seeking. The Big Four finally enter the market with small displacement Electric units.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVqtAazjbqU



Honda is the only company that can make EVs happen. They are number one in the world for a reason. Regardless of any earthquakes or nuclear spills they are worldwide, they can change production from one factory to another in a week, they are the best in customer satisfaction, and when it comes to adapting to changing markets as my friend who happens to be their production manager says "we create the market."  Let's get something straight Honda is serious about EVs. They didn't buy Vectrix or license tech, they developed it themselves.

Did I mention Honda is number one in Italy and Spain the biggest markets for the small displacement scooters. If they can make these work there then other companies are going to invest. The Taiwanese are not far behind in their EV units, but Hondas specs surpass anything currently on the market. This should also give a good push toVW, Mini / BMW, and others looking at EVs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezR-Co25ogw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6v6CWsDVzE



BARCELONA - June 15, 2011: In the beautiful Spanish city that is literally abuzz with tens of thousands of two-wheeled motor vehicles Honda announced today that the EV-neo electric scooter will make its European debut. A Demonstration Programme in conjunction with Barcelona City Council will get underway in early July 2011. EV-neo is a battery electric scooter with zero in-use CO2 emissions. Representing a significant development in its EV European activities, Honda will provide Barcelona City Council with 18 EV-neos for the period of one year.

Montesa Honda, Barcelona City Council and RACC, Spain's leading Car Club will work together to carry out daily research and monitoring activities on the EV-neo’s usage in Barcelona. “We are delighted to bring Honda’s EV technology to Europe for the first time,” said Yukitoshi Fujisaka, President of Montesa Honda. “Testing the EV-neo in European conditions is an important step as we develop our EV activities.”
Alex Lucille Ramos, an American EV enthusiast who is planning a visit to Barcelona later this summer for a paella fact-finding tour, is hoping to participate in the Honda test. "I've been looking into buying a reliable electric scooter for some time. A Honda version would most probably meet my requirements," said Ms. Ramos after learning about the Honda announcement and watching the new promo video. "Yeah, Barcelona, paella, and riding around on a zippy eco friendly bike; that would be pretty groovy," she added.
A wide range of incentives exist for EVs in Barcelona and with motorcycles accounting for 30% of all vehicles in the city, Barcelona was an ideal location for this Demonstration Programme.

Probably the best promotion I've seen in the business

This is probably the best promotion I have seen in the scooter industry in years. Hopefully, it will lead to a lot of interest in the scooter scene. Behind the scenes scooter riders have been talking about all the promos for this movie for the last few years. Anything that involves mainstream movies ( especially one where the scooter takes a prominent role ) leads to long term interest. Our country is not one that sees scooters as real transportation like in Italy or Spain, but gradually that can change if you had more mainstream media coverage. 


I have to give it to Genuine, their LA dealer, and to Tom Hanks for making it happen. Shame he drives a beat up old Yamaha in the movie, but it's part of the story so who can complain. The Genuine Scooter Co. is sponsoring a national campaign to promote the new Universal film "Larry Crowne" starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.




http://www.dealernews.com/dealernews/Aftermarket/Genuine-Scooter-Co-sponsoring-adverts-for-new-scoo/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/727556?contextCategoryId=48447