News

The fuel-injected Piaggio X8 250ie maxi scooter now delivers more power and performance with an exhilarating mix of style, comfort, performance and protection.The X8's new Quaser 250cc four-valve engine is an environmental gem, and meets Euro 3 standards. Elsewhere, the seat height has been lowered to 785mm, and the rear boot and underseat storage have been combined to produce a massive 56 litre "storeroom" - complete with remote key access.

Piaggio Zip 100 -price zipped! Piaggio's cute and compact Zip 100 scooter has been marked down to $1,990 + ORC, a saving of $500 off the previous price.

SanDisk chose the Laguna Seca MotoGP round to launch their new range of Ducati-branded flash memory cards and USB flash drives. When you consider both have the quickest read/write speeds of all the SanDisk range, it seems only natural they ally themselves with the fastest bikes in the MotoGP paddock!

Sydney scooter owners who are looking to save on servicing costs should check out this special offer from Scootech, where you can save 10% on your periodical or annual service costs.\nAfter you've had your scooter serviced at Scootech, all you need to do is pass on the LAST 3 DIGITS on your invoice to a friend with a scooter, have them book in a periodical or annual service quoting your name and the last three digits on your invoice, and you'll receive 10% cash back off the cost off your next periodical or annual service.

Purchase a new BUG scooter from Victorian scooter retailer and specialist service centre, Scooter Servicing P/L, and receive mid-week licence testing FREE OF CHARGE.

They may be fashionable, manoeuvrable, and easier to park than cars, but one-third (33%) of drivers nationally say motor scooters are the new menace on Australia's capital city roads.\n"Motorcycle and scooter sales have soared over the past 12 months, possibly because of rising fuel costs,road traffic and congestion, and people's frustration with crowded and unreliable public transport," saidAAMI national public affairs manager Geoff Hughes.

Already a hit with the blokes, RJays have recently improved the appeal of their 'Blade' leather jacket to female riders with the addition of a new powder blue colour, to join the existing pink and red (with black/white/gunmetal) options.\nThe matte finish of the Blade gives it the look of a fabric jacket, while still offering the protection of a leather jacket. Construction is 100% A-Grade drum dyed leather, that's thicker (race weight) than some other jackets.

For a limited time Honda have a special finance deal on the renowned touring motorcycle the Honda GL1800 Goldwing.\nThe 'balloon payment' scheme means that customers interested in getting their hands on this amazing machine, can do so for around $130 per week.

To celebrate the coming Sping - and better weather for going scootering! - Arqin is hosting a 'Spring Carnival' which will see heavily reduced prices across the Arqin range, including scooters.

Stay Upright's Intermediate Course has been designed to fine tune the skills learned in their Learner and Provisional courses. The Intermediate course gives riders the opportunity to further enhance and practice their skills at the kind of realistic road speeds encountered in everyday riding. It also addresses areas that are not covered in Learner or Provisional Licence training. This course is also suitable for riders returning after a break from motorcycling who are looking to brush-up on their physical skills. It's also a great first step for those looking to take on Stay Upright's track-based course programme.

Sticker 'em up!\nWhat you see here represents only a fraction of the wild, cartoon-style and graphic options available in the Lethal Threat decal range.

As we're looking at scooters this issue, we should also have a look at scooter gear, and a neat and practical carrybag item for scooter riders is the Scoota Bagz, from Andy Strapz.\nDesigned for an A4-size folder, which makes it ideal for carrying documents, the two inch adjustable webbing strap makes this an ideal shoulder bag, too. In addition to the shoulder strap, there is a small handle on the waterproof nylon back to hang on most scooter cargo hooks.

Arai RX7 Corsair - Col & Kenny style\nA new addition to the high quality RX7 Corsair range for 2007 are Colin Edwards and Kenny Roberts replica graphic styles. Both are certainly among the most visually attractive racer reps on the market today, but there's much more to the RX7 Corsair than eye candy.

The Arqin dealer network is also offering $300 "dealer dollars" bonus to any purchaser of any Arqin motorcycle up to September 30, 2007.\nThe $300 bonus can be spent on Arqin parts, servicing or related goods when purchasing any Arqin scooter, cruiser or dirt bike in the range.\n

BMW has purchased Husqvarna - big news for the industry, and certainly one of the biggest motorcycle acquisitions for many years. The purchase was announced on July 20, but was still undergoing final approval proceedings from the European Union.\nThe purchase marks BMW's first acquisition of a rival since 1994.

BMW is committed to improving the safety on all of its motor-cycles, as shown by over 20 years of development in anti-locking brakes.\nThe latest generation ABS is joined by Automatic Stability Control, a traction system that acts decisively to reduce wheel slip in a myriad of potentially dangerous situations, with the aim of returning control to the rider.\nThe dynamic search for the best safety systems has played a key role in the success of BMW Motorrad. BMW was the first manufacturer to offer motorcyclists its electro-hydraulic anti-lock braking system in 1988. At the time it was hailed by the media as the most important development in the field of active safety since the introduction of the disc brake. The BMW ABS system has consistently been developed and technologically updated.

Coffee MIO, one of the leading fresh coffee providers in Australia has teamed up with Bolwell Scoota for a special promotion. Until the end of 2007, every new Bolwell Mio scooter, in 50cc and 100cc capacitys, will also come with four 250g packs of Coffee MIO's Espresso blend coffee.\nThe promotion was inspired by Bolwell's new 'latte coloured' Mio 50, the latest addition to the Bolwell range of cute, retro-inspired paint schemes (classic black is also available).

In response to the need to improve parking, promote public transport and encourage use of commuter scooters, the Doncaster, VIC 'Park and Ride' facility has expanded and now offers four new scooter bays.\nManningham Mayor Ron Kitchingham and Task Force Chairman Cr Geoff Gough officially launched the new spaces in May which offer parking for up to 24 more two-wheeled machines.

Something - and someone - to keep an eye out for at the upcoming Australian Motorcycle Expo in Brisbane this September 21 - 23 will be the new 'Motostik' MX training tool, as modelled by 'Motostik Chick', the very outstanding Zilda.\nIf you can take your eyes of Zilda for a second, the Mototstik she's holding is apparently "the number one training tool for balance, agility & stamina".

In a similar vein to the X8 250, but with a decidedly 'brawnier' image, the four-stroke, liquid-cooled Nexus 500 received a comprehensive makeover at the start of the year.\nOn the styling front, that equates to a sharper looking, lower set fairing, while the dashboard graphics are totally new and\neasier to read.\nIn addition, the turn signals have been repositioned, and are now located on the side panels, rather than in the mirror pods of the

Grand Visions'\nCreated in 1946, the Vespa is one of the world's most enduring designs and the symbol of Italian style. Initially meant to be an affordable and practical mode of transport, the Vespa also became a symbol of freedom for the young. In the 20th century, however, Vespa has emerged as a cult object, an icon of Italian design that is fun to ride, stylish and recognised all over the world.

Harley custom Bobber - When it comes to one off custom bikes, the team at Doc Hogs are hard to beat.

The twin to Honda's TRX420FX - introduced earlier in the year - the TRX420TM is now available. In addition to a fuel injection system for consistent performance and improved cold weather starting, both models offer a 420cc liquid cooled engine that offers increased power on its predecessor.