October 2012 Archives
These were sunglasses that you could buy directly from your Vespa dealer in the early 80's. I've seen them in the old accessory catalogs, but never seen a pair in person. Very cheesy, very awesome. I'd totally rock a pair of these bad boys!
This is one of those neat accessories that you just don't see for sale very often - a fuel gauge. Of course, it is something that people didn't buy, because it isn't necessary. It fits where the fuel tank cap goes, and you can just look down to see how much gas you have. Of course, you could just look down in the tank yourself to see how much gas is in there too... which is why I guess they didn't sell too well. This one is quite cool, with the Lambretta logo on it, and the fuel measured in gallons. Find it for sale here on eBay. How much will it sell for? I predict somewhere around $80. What do you think?
This weekend I went to my favorite car/motorcycle show. It is the All-Italian Day show on Alameda Island, across the bay from San Francisco. I really like the show because it brings out some really amazing vehicles in an environment that minimizes the pretension that some of these types of events can sometimes have.
This year, I eschewed my normal scooter steed, and rode my 1957 Gilera 150 motorcycle. The ride there from my house didn't really make up for missing the California Moto Giro this year, but at least I got the bike out of the garage!
As usual, there were some truly fantastic cars and motorcycles out for the show. On the motorcycle side, the highlights for me were the collection of 50's MV Augustas, and the treat of seeing more than one "round case" Ducati 750SS at the same spot. The cars were just as stunning as they always were. You know you are in someplace great when the 60's Ferraris are so plentiful that they sort of blur into one beautiful unobtainable blob. My favorite car was slightly more pedestrian (if just as unobtainable for me), a 60's Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce in blue. It was a very tidy and very wonderful car. I doubt I'll ever be able to afford one... Oh well, I guess I get to see some of the best every year at this show!
I took quite a few photos. If you would like to check them out, click here.
Well, there is a bit of buzz going around that Piaggio will FINALLY do what they should have done 15 years ago... make a four stroke automatic version of the classic Vespa. Supposedly, they are going to be selling it in the US as well. Crazy awesome if true. If they are lucky, it will sell much better than the classic PX150, that was a big dud here. I'd say part of the reason that the PX didn't sell was that it was crazy expensive. If they price the new four stroke PX similar to what has been reported ($3500 for a 125, $4000 for a 200), it will be a big seller.
You can find more information here.
This guy is committed... I hope he still loves scooters 15 years from now...
In honor of last weekend's inaugural Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride, I give you a snappy-dressed guy on a fast Lambretta. Yeah, I know the ride was really for cafe racers, but hey, what's a bunch of posh rockers without some mods to mess with?!