I am planning on going on Friday (tomorrow). I will try to remember to snap some pictures as I attempt to cash in on this free offer. It will be a mob scene I am sure. It should be interesting.
Okay… so I exaggerate a tad here. It is not EXACTLY called the Yamaha Fuck-me, it’s just PRONOUNCED that way. It’s real name is the Yamaha FC-me (see what I mean?). It was one of a number of concept bikes shown at the Tokyo Motor Show. To quote the article I found it seems that we may see some of these bikes on the road soon, even if only in Japan:
We’ve explored before the potential for hydrogen and electric motorcycles (as well as the current popularity of electric scooters and mopeds), but the Yamaha concept bikes really expand the boundaries of what the motorcycle of the future could look like. The “Gen-Ryu” hybrid motorcycle looks like something out of Akira (and Yamaha claims it performs like a 1000 cc sport bike, so it goes as fast as something out of Akira, too), while the “DEINONYCHUS” electric bike actually changes its height and length to conform to rider and road conditions. While the Gen-Ryu and DEINONYCHUS still look like prototypes, the HV-01 hybrid gasoline-electric and the “FC-me” methane fuel cell scooters look like bikes that could be on the road today. As it happens, the FC-me (and, again, run the English names past an English-speaker, please — the Yamaha “F*ck-me”?!?) will have limited lease availability in Japan by June of next year. I wonder how much longer we’ll have to wait before a commercially-available hybrid-electric scooter or motorcycle hits the market — I’d guess we’ll see one by 2007, if not sooner.
I got a response from the author who wrote the article I mentioned here.
Neil….Thanks for your note. I appreciate your points. But you’d be better off directing them to the insurance industry and the traffic-safety guys in Olympia. They’re the experts.
gh
I sent back to him:
No need to thank me, I know I am a pain in the ass, but you and I have two different things to do. I am here to promote scooters and scootering out of a personal belief in that form of transportation for the American city. I truly believe that over the next 10 years the American Urban Landscape will change because of these vehicles and gas prices. (Follow me here, there is a story in it!)
I have to disagree with you about where my points belong. The insurance industry has it right. They have a formula that works, your motorcycle rate is based on: engine displacement, rider age, rider experience (prior accidents?), rider training (have you attended a safety course?). I think this would have been VERY useful to your readers, ad far less alarming. This would display that the 20 year old owner of a Vespa with the $800 quote could get a $400 quote if he were over 30, and a $300 quote if he was riding for 10 years, never had an accident and had taken a safety course. By the same token, that 30 year old could see a $3000 quote for a Ducati 1000cc displacement bike. So in my mind, the industry has it VERY right, I just think you failed to provide the details.
Also, the state traffic-safety guys have it right. I have no doubt they show stats that display a motorcycle being 26 times more dangerous than a car. But that really is of no use when there is such a wide range of safety between a Vespa (which you used as the only example in your article) and a Ducati 1000cc bike. In this case, only using the Vespa, that 26 times more dangerous than a car stat goes out the window. In statistical terms it is the MEAN AVERAGE only. It just doesn’t apply across the board if your aim is to educate people on the real dangers with scooters specifically.
I would be more than happy to provide further information on small displacement motorcycles (which as a category, scooters fall into). I doubt you wish to write another article. Kudos to your paper for writing a separate article here (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/244088_scooter11.html?source=rss) on scooters that was longer, and included more accurate and in depth information.
I am at a loss as to why your assignment desk would have given you that topic when it is already covered in the paper (as well as on your paper’s blog) unless it were meant as a companion piece. But if it was a companion piece then why not be as informative as the other article?
Sorry to take up your time. I will post your response on my blogs, thanks for reading my comments (I really do hope you read them).
What the fuck? You killed Smurfette!!! You bastards!!!!
Can we declare war on UNICEF now for this? Aren’t the Smurfs a protected indigenous people living within the United States? Doesn’t that mean that we can now bomb someone back??
No… I have not gone crazy. Unicef is REALLY showing a commercial (in Belgium? who knew that was such a Smurf hot spot) that shows Smurf’s being bombed.
Click here for article
Click here for video
Correction: After reviewing the wikipedia entry on Smurfs, it turns out that even though the smurfs speak perfect English, they are actually from Europe. Oh well, Europe gets bombed from time to time, what are you gonna do?
This article simply had me steaming after I read it. So, of course, I have no choice but to publicly rebuke the author. The open letter I wrote to the author on Vespaway is a MUST read for pure entertainment factor, to speak nothing of the valuable safety information contained within. I will, of course, be sure to send a copy of the open letter directly to said news reporter. Then the REAL fun will start!
…of news articles about the gas prices and how people are turning to scooters as an alternative way of getting around. Read it here.
My comments on the subway warnings in New York City and why I am glad I ride a scooters.
Also check out a new series I will write from time to time: Things I’ve carried on my Vespa.
Two major Internet backbone companies are feuding, potentially cutting off significant swaths of the Internet for some of each other’s customers.
On Wednesday, network company Level 3 Communications cut off its direct “peering” connections to another big network company called Cogent Communications. That technical action means that some customers on each company’s network now will find it impossible, or slower, to get to Web sites on the other company’s network.
William Steele, a senior network engineer for Syncro Services, said his company noticed the problem Wednesday morning.
“There are some people I can’t send an e-mail to,” Steele said. “At home, I have Road Runner as an ISP, and wasn’t even able to remotely connect in order to manage our servers.”
And you don’t know where the nearest machine is? No problem, just visit the Dance Dance Revolution Freak and use his machine locator.
So it’s not exactly just a scooter item, but here is a neat way to experience riding on two wheels without all that bother of being injured.
