Word: scootering
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Ever since Italian manufacturer Piagio introduced the iconic scooters to the U.S. in 1951, Vespas have had a devoted following. Supplies of the bikes dwindled after a 1981 California law prohibiting their smog-emitting engines led Piagio to stop exporting them to the U.S. in the mid-'80s. Yet demand has only grown, and lately devotees have transformed a cultish affection into an unprecedented vintage-scooter revival. Sales of old and restored Vespas and Lambrettas (no longer produced) have more than tripled since 1996, averaging $3,500 each...
This summer scooters have become a hot accessory, popping up in movies (American Pie, the new Austin Powers), fashion spreads, music videos and ads (Doc Martens, IBM). Especially popular on both coasts, Vespas are a favored toy of such celebrities as Ellen DeGeneres (girlfriend Anne Heche gave her one) and Jerry Seinfeld (who paid some $10,000 for his rare 1962 Grand Sport). So popular have they become that Piagio plans to return to the U.S. market with environmentally compliant Vespas in 2000. "This is the year for scooters," says Erik Larson of the Scooter Shop in Orange, Calif...
...someone who is exceptionally lazy and proud of it, I am always on the lookout for things that will make my life even more friction free, which is why the sudden proliferation of all manner of electric bikes and scooters thrills me (in a low-affect, let's-not-unduly-elevate-the-heart-rate kind of way). You've probably heard about the E-Bike, the brainchild of erstwhile Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca, which went on sale (for $995 and up) at car dealerships in warm-weather states two weeks ago. I'm certain Iacocca is on to something...
...just about everything right. You'll be able to buy one for $649 in the next few weeks at various retail stores and online at Huffy's website www.getabuzz.com) My demo came in the mail--a box neatly packed with a collapsed 48-lb. lime-green electric scooter. I groaned, thinking that hours of assembly were required. They weren't. The scooter, which is powered by a 24-volt battery and belt-drive motor, is an ingenious collection of folded-up parts and snap-on components that took me about 15 minutes to put together...
...also test-rode two models from ZAP Power Systems, a Sebastopol, Calif., company that has led the e-scooter and bike industry for years. Its popular Zappy (also $649) is lots of fun to drive, but pound for pound offers less value than the Buzz. The Zappy looks like the skateboard scooters we made as kids. You stand on it (no seat) and start by kicking off. The electric motor cuts in at that point, and you can cruise at 13 m.p.h. for about eight miles. Its throttle, unlike the Buzz's, is not variable, only on/off, which makes...