Until recently, scooters were not that popular in the USA. But somehow your grandma could always associate Vespas with Italy. Have you ever wondered how?

It is all because of the 1953, William Wyler movie, Roman Holiday. The award winning movie starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, was a big hit throughout the world in the 50s. In fact, the actors riding through the streets of Rome on a Vespa caused not only the gluing of the words Vespa and Italy together in millions of minds, but it also resulted in more than 100,000 Vespa sales.

If you haven’t seen the movie, watch the trailer here.

The post Audrey Hepburn & Gregory Peck on Vespa first appeared on scootcats.

It can be easily described as one of the most stylish, unique and sexiest mopeds known to exist…

The Sachs MadAss is a product of German Engineering. And, no, it is not manufactured by one of the companies that recently popped up with the scooter/moped boom. In fact, SFM GmbH, the manufacturer of MadAss, is one of the world’s oldest motorcycle manufacturers. The company, initially manufacturing only bicycles, started doing business as early as 1886. Moving to motorcycle production in the early 1900s, today they are still in business and known as the manufacturer of one of the coolest bikes in history, the MadAss!

The Sachs MadAss moped is available both in 49cc and 125cc. For more info visit http://www.sfm-bikes.de/.

The integration of the fuel tank into the bike's frame and the exhaust hidden under the seat gives it a bicyclish look.

Watch the fun MadAss commercial video below.

And some MadAss stunt!

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BMW Motorrad Concept Vehicle BMW E-Scooter. Innovative development study with electric drive.

Space is becoming increasingly scarce in the major conurbation centres and traffic density is growing continuously. Political and social conditions are changing. All these factors coalesce in increasing demands in terms of private transportation. The concept vehicle BMW E-Scooter with electric drive provides an innovative look at changing urban mobility needs.

While the currently available, purely electrically-powered scooters have been almost exclusively used inside towns and cities to date due to their perform- ance and range, which makes them suitable for short distances only, the concept vehicle BMW E-Scooter offers a much broader spectrum of use.

High range and excellent performance figures.

Since it was conceived as a future-oriented vehicle for commuting between urban areas and the city centre, therefore attracting funding from the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development, there were two main requirements for its development: dynamic figures comparable to those of a maxi scooter with a combustion engine and a high range in realistic conditions of use.

The concept vehicle BMW E-Scooter provides the necessary sustained output and maximum speed for safe and reliable overtaking on urban motorways and also when carrying two people. It is also easily capable of managing hill starts on steep slopes with a pillion passenger.

The development study also has the necessary maximum output to be able to achieve acceleration figures within the important 0 – 60 km/h range, which are at the level of current maxi scooters powered by a 600 cc combustion engine.

The high storage capacity of the battery allows a daily driving range of over 100 kilometres. In this way, the BMW E-Scooter concept vehicle provides a long-term, zero-emissions urban and suburban travel option which is suitable for everyday use.

Fast charging at conventional power sockets.

The E-Scooter concept vehicle’s battery is charged at regular household power sockets as found in Europe, the USA, Canada and Japan, so no special charging station is required. When the battery is completely flat, the charging period is less than three hours. However, practical experience has shown that the battery rarely runs out completely, so charging times are generally shorter.

Frame.

Unlike existing maxi scooters with combustion engines, the concept vehicle does not have a main frame. Instead, the aluminium battery casing — which also contains the electronic system required for battery cell monitoring — takes over the function of the frame. The steering head support is connected to it, as is the rear frame and the left-hand mounted single swing arm with directly hinged, horizontally installed shock absorber.

Electric machine, power electronics and charging device.

Due to its high output, the BMW Motorrad development study has no hub motor with direct drive or planetary gearbox. Instead, the high-performance electric machine is mounted behind the battery casing. The secondary drive consists of a toothed belt from the electric machine to the belt pulley mounted coaxially on the swinging fork pivot with drive pinion. From here, power transmission occurs via roller chain to the rear wheel. When the E-Scooter is decelerated in trailing throttle or when braking, the energy re- leased is recuperated, thereby increasing the vehicle’s range by between 10 and 20 per cent depending on driving profile.

The electrical components required for the electric drive are installed on the top of the battery casing. The external battery electronics system perma- nently collects and monitors data such as the temperature and voltage of the battery cells, both during travel and while charging. The power electronics acts as a control system and controls the electric machine. The charging device includes a charge cable which allows the battery to be recharged at a conventional household power socket. In addition to the other components like an ISO insulation monitor, high-voltage indicator and a high-voltage distributor, a DC-DC converter is included. It is required to change high voltage to low voltage power to supply the 12 volt vehicle supply and especially for the control units.

Cooling system.

During travel, the electric machine and power electronics are liquid-cooled, as is the charging device during charging. An electric coolant pump ensures coolant circulation through the radiator. While a coolant is commonly used for the battery in electrically powered cars, the E-Scooter concept vehicle uses an air cooling system in order to save space.

Safety.

BMW Motorrad is one of the very few motorcycle manufacturers to be able to draw on its own experience and expertise in the automobile field in the development of electrically powered vehicles. Synergies are derived from the development of the BMW E-Scooter concept vehicle not just in the ready availability of technical components but also in the area of high voltage engineering and the associated safety requirements. Here for the first time, standards established by the leading automobile manufacturers relating to high voltage safety (> 60 volt) and functional reliability are being applied to a two-wheel vehicle with electric drive. (Source: BMW Group)

Watch the videos below to see the BMW E-Scooter in action.

Also see related posts:

BMW’s Concept C in Paris

No Comment… BMW’s Scooter Concept C Video

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Have you seen Vespa Daniela? This amazing handcrafted wooden Vespa was built by Carlos Alberto, a carpenter from Portugal. The whole process of building the Vespa Daniela is available on Carpintaria Carlos Alberto’s website.

The post Portuguese Carpenter’s Wooden Vespa first appeared on scootcats.

In the old days, there was a time when young knights had to prove themselves through scooter jousting! May the best win…

The post Vespa Knights- Scooter Jousting! first appeared on scootcats.

Love is my message!

Did you know that in the early 1980’s Michael Jackson did a bunch of scooter commercials for the Japanese Suzuki Love scooters?

See for yourself…

The post Michael Jackson’s Japanese scooter commercials first appeared on scootcats.

Red Bull Alpenbrevet took place in Switzerland on June 18, 2011. 750 moped racers rode 82 miles over the three Swiss alpine passes – Grimsel, Furka and Susten. The aim of the race was not only to finish the ride on time, but also to score points for style with the jury. Here is the teaser video.

The post Cult Mopeds race over the Swiss Alps first appeared on scootcats.

This year’s AmeriVespa was held in New Orleans, between June 16 and June 19. For those who couldn’t go, this youtube video is bringing the Gymkhana and Slow Race events at this year’s AmeriVespa to the computer screen. Enjoy!

The post Gymkhana and Slow Race events at AmeriVespa first appeared on scootcats.

RYNO Motors‘ comes up with a self-balancing, one wheeled electric scooter. Its looks kind of resemble BPG Motor’s U3 in dicycle mode, but the design is yet more industrial, something I could imagine seeing in a Mad Max movie. This ongoing revolution in ground transporation technology makes me wonder what kind of crazy vehicles we will be seeing on the roads in a few years from now…

PT II

The estimated retail price for the Ryno scooter is around $3500, still much more expensive compared to a regular scooter, which can be purchased starting at $1000. Maximum speed is 25mph, you can go up to 35mph with a regular 50cc scoot. But on the other hand, this vehicle is all electric, so you don’t need to spend bucks on the gas. Also, it is light weight and small, so no need to worry about parking. The bike’s LiFePo4 battery has a charging time of 1.5hrs and a range up to 30 miles. Watch the video below to see how it works.

The post RYNO baby! first appeared on scootcats.

Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts riding a Yamaha Riva

Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts are riding a Yamaha Riva scooter in their latest movie. In his latest movie, Tom Hanks becomes part of a colorful scooter community. Larry Crowne,  is opening in theaters July 1, 2011.

The post Tom Hanks rides a Yamaha Riva in his new movie first appeared on scootcats.