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Post by fugaziiv on Aug 2, 2017 9:42:59 GMT -5
I'll tell you exactly when "we will embrace the scooter" here in America anyways (it's already happened in Europe and especially in Asia ),,,when regular gas goes to $5-6 for regular and stays there,,that's when we will realize what a nice little mode of transport the scooter really is,,,I take my dr350 for parts runs and lite duty single purchase stuff but if I have to go shopping,,I come home with a case of beer a case of water and couple three bags of groceries all on the Stella cause of the flat floor,,,a true pack mule,,, Or we move to a tiered licensing platform as they use in Europe.. but really this and high fuel prices would change the public perception. Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on Aug 1, 2017 9:05:22 GMT -5
I'm trying to do my part by creating a reliable, recognizable and trustworthy parts and accessories source for the market.
I always tell people about my transmission shaft for the Fashion when I talk about you guys Matt. Ordered at Noon Tuesday and in my hot little hands by Ten A.M. Thursday. I don't know what China can do about that. Certainly not top it. I appreciate this. Greatly. Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on Jul 27, 2017 10:42:11 GMT -5
Heck, Piaggio left the country for a decade + at one point as the environment wasn't remotely tenable. Longer than that. Bankruptcy of Vespa's American importer due to two expensive product-liability lawsuits, increased competition from Japanese manufacturers, and certain states' passing so-called "green laws" caused a withdrawal from the US market in late 1981.
During 1981-2001, despite an absence of United States domestic sales, Vespas continued to have a core group of enthusiasts who kept vintage scooters on the road by rebuilding, restoring, and adding performance-enhancing engine parts as the stock parts would wear out.
Vespa returned to the US market in 2001 with a new, more modern style ET series, in 50 cc two and four stroke, and 150 cc four-stroke
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VespaI don't see how scooters will sell when they're anonymous. I see Harley and Indian ads all over NASCAR. There are enough small networks all over the thousand channels that something should be affordable to advertise. Kymco advertised in Cycle World magazine for a year or so. I see pop up ads for Powersportsmax all the time on my computers, of all things. Occasionally Parts for Scooters too. I'm betting that the Chinese prosper from rentals in Tourist Cities causing people to think about buying one when they get home. Connecticut is crawling with 50cc scooters from the dealers there. Lol, yeah, I didn't check the dates before I posted. I also didn't know about the product liability lawsuits, I might look into those as that is some interesting stuff. I do know my PX is actually an early 80's grey market import from Canada after Piaggio left. I agree that scoots won't take over being anonymous either, but the industry is moving away from that anyway. I'm just saying that pinning the success of an entire market on one admittedly premium brand (which in the scooter market is a dichotomy unto itself) isn't realistic either. A confluence of quality branded and supported product paired with a sea change in consumer perception is what the US domestic market requires. I'm trying to do my part by creating a reliable, recognizable and trustworthy parts and accessories source for the market. It is unfortunately but one piece of the puzzle. I will add that China is working hard to undo everything I've been building. This market has never been easy here. Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on Jul 26, 2017 8:54:51 GMT -5
Vespa just celebrated their 70th anniversary. Yet in all that time they haven't moved scooters to the mainstream in America. It would seem that the Chinese with their cheap 50cc scoots have become a presence. Well, yes and no. To a certain subset of the domestic scooter market Vespa IS scooters. Period. Vespa (and by extension Piaggio) absolutely owns the over 150cc market in the US. They may not sell the most, but they dominate mindshare for this consumer. This being said, Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese 50s - 150s ARE scooters to everyone else. Unless of course you ride a Ruckus. That's a whole different ballgame. It's entirely non-traditional. At least this is what my metrics tell me. The takeaway though is that moving scooters to the mainstream the way that they are in other countries is a Herculean task that no one OEM will be able to shoulder. Pinning that on Vespa simply isn't fair. Heck, Piaggio left the country for a decade + at one point as the environment wasn't remotely tenable. While riding a scooter is awesome, it's not very 'Murica. Unless someone figures out that part of the equation, or time changes perception, they will remain fringe here in the US... no matter how smart we all know they are. Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on Jul 25, 2017 8:22:40 GMT -5
It will all become moot if Honda delivers a DCT to the sub 500cc class. Most scooter owners simply hate to shift. If Honda also puts a cargo hold where the gas tank should be, like on the NC 700, scooters will be a hard sell. A small bike that shifts itself and has a little carrying capacity will be the ticket for most riders. Imagine a 300cc Honda Integra at a 150cc Primavera price. It certainly won't help the domestic scooter market anyway. Lucky for us scooter riders, a sub 500cc DCT from Honda would likely only be 9 grand OTD. lol You're right though, the DCTs are way cool and the way forward if costs come down. Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on Jul 24, 2017 11:40:43 GMT -5
The "finger" style variator is the answer to the "roller" style variator,,,really expensive right now,,,but I'm sure prices will drop in the near future,,,as far as manual gearboxes being in need of regular service,,,I'm on my 60th bike and only one had a pop out of second problem when I got it because the previous owner bent a shifter fork,,,other than that it's been good so far with well over 500,000 miles under my belt Finger style variators are indeed neat and work very well, but unless a certain manufacturer who retains the rights to this particular kind of setup changes their pricing and adjusts their distribution requirements, I don't think we'll be seeing widespread adoption of this product anytime soon in the US domestic market. Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on May 26, 2017 8:11:33 GMT -5
I'll bring a few of these sets into my warehouse if anyone wants them.
Matt
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Post by fugaziiv on Apr 26, 2017 9:44:04 GMT -5
I would like to have a variator with steel parts cast aluminum gets grooves and pits so fast Or at least a variator made in America cut out of good strong 6160 anodized and heat treated. I also have no use for the fan on the face plate. Dr. Pulley makes a QMB139 variator with a fanless steel face plate. www.partsforscooters.com/169-266_Dr_Pulley_VariatorAs for a made in the USA part, how much are you willing to pay? I'd like to know, it allows me to gauge if this is something I could pursue in the future. I have a hunch that it would be too expensive to warrant. Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on Dec 16, 2016 13:04:49 GMT -5
Would like to see Kymco, Sym-Lance, Genuine, Bintelli, and Wolf offer direct online sales of a "value priced" scooter model. The Amazon reviews for the TaoTao ATM50-A1 may be a indication of how this would go . . those with some mechanical aptitude appear to prevail, compared to the "can't find the spark plug" crowd. Tesla marketing strategy. The key to the Tesla strategy is that it still requires you to go to a Tesla dealership (well, they call it a service center for certain necessary reasons) to pick up the car. I think this is an important part to acknowledge as it then isn't TRUE consumer direct, and instead the vehicle is properly prepped and ready to go prior to delivery. In the scooter world It would be an interesting agreement however as it could hamstring the associated dealer's ability to profit. It only works for Tesla because their network is wholly owned. Also (as Tesla has found out), a few states don't allow for OEM owned services centers to perform final deliveries of consumer ordered direct product in an effort to protect the established network. This is very interesting to think about logistically, but should probably be a different thread as we're about to hijack this one out from under Justin. You got my gears a' turnin'... Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on Dec 16, 2016 10:54:23 GMT -5
Justin and the rest of his crew are doing such a good job right now. I'm so glad to have him as part of the industry.
Matt
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Post by fugaziiv on Dec 7, 2016 11:15:47 GMT -5
And this is just the data report for approved vehicles. This doesn't detail the cost and effort of the actual testing. God forbid someone at the EPA arbitrarily doesn't want the bike you plan to import road legal stateside... Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on Dec 7, 2016 9:35:44 GMT -5
Cool magazine Tom. I just wonder when somebody will start importing some of those 150 bike models. It would be the shot in the arm to bring Chinese bikes and scooters into the mainstream. The SYM Wolf is a cool machine but a cheaper online version would be fun to play with. Importing the bikes and getting them certified for sale and road worthiness in the United States are two entirely different beasts. One is relatively easy, the other... a potential (and very expensive) nightmare. Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on Nov 30, 2016 10:13:13 GMT -5
I picked up a used Nissan Leaf electric Car a few months ago... I have a feeling that we'll be seeing more and more of this as Americans in general get over their range anxiety. All we need to do is take a hard look at the amount of travel we really do in an average day and all of a sudden a 100 mile or less range becomes a very palatable limit for most of what we do. Well, at least those of us that are reletivly urban. Rurally located folks may still need a bit more than that. Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on Nov 28, 2016 17:29:20 GMT -5
Its always like that. Order a belt or a tire and you have it a few days later. No chance to let anything languish. PFS pushes you right back into the "Repair Zone". You bring up an interesting point. Because PFS is primarily a wholesale distributor to dealerships nationwide, getting orders out of our warehouse and into the hands of shops around the country that are waiting on them for repair is our primary function. That means we process things very quickly. Our warehouse shipping priority doesn't differentiate between Retail and Wholesale orders however, so every order that passes though our system is treated the same. A single wrist pin bearing will process just as quickly as an order for 50 tires. All the more better for you guys. The goal is to truly stay in the "Repair Zone". I like that term, I'm stealing it. Matt |
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Post by fugaziiv on Nov 28, 2016 11:22:46 GMT -5
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