Archive for March, 2009
The Lambretta SX – A Sixties Icon
The Lambretta SX scooter has always been close to my heart ever since the mid to late sixties when you had to be either a Mod or a Rocker. At that time I was just too young to ride a motorcycle or scooter but loved the whole Mod fashion thing.
My friends were in the main older than me by a couple of years which meant they were allowed to own those beautifully polished Vespa’s with chromed bubbles which are great scooters but better than that a couple of them had the stunning Lambretta 200 SX. The thing I liked most about the SX was that it seemed longer than the Vespa which not only enhanced and streamlined it but also seemed to give more room for a pillion to ride in comfort.
The whole Mod thing was great living Newcastle meant there was a real buzz however if we wanted to try these wonderful machines for speed we had to head to the country probably into Northumberland. As a passenger I felt as if we were doing 90 mph however in reality the Lambretta SX was only capable of speeds around 75mph.
I recently discovered an article about a guy called Nathan Redfearn who renovates and rebuilds scooters. The thing caught my eye was a picture of a perfectly restored Lambretta SX 200 with Union Jack side panels; it was absolutely stunning. Reading on I discovered that he had moved to Vietnam in 2003 whilst working for ICI his background being in car restoration in both Britain and America.
It was great to read that he felt he owed his existence to the Lambretta; apparently in the sixties his Mother was a young Mod cruising around Torquay on her blue and white SX. These days he has a passion for restoring and has set up a business in Ho Chi Min City formerly Saigon.
With his Vietnamese wife and a fully trained workforce of around sixty people they import and strip the scooters down to their component parts before lovingly restoring them to look like new. They replace any rusted or worn parts before putting them on a jig for trueness then finally reassemling and painting. All parts are genuine replacements sourced from the likes of Piaggio.
As a company they are aimed squarely at the motorcycle and classic car enthusiast although you can tell that his first love is the Lambretta. Restoring between 30 and 40 scooters a month they will ship anywhere in the world and guarantee satisfaction. It really is great to see someone so passionate about scooters being able to turn a hobby into a thriving business.
About the writer: The Labretta was a sixties icon. Find out more with motor scooter There is a huge range of Motorcycles mopeds and scooters together with apparel and accessories at http://www.mopedsscooterbike.co.uk
The Joy And Caution Of Owing A Pocket Bike
Watch out here comes the pocket rockets or better known as pocket bikes. What are these contraptions? Are they legal to ride on the road? First of all a pocket bike is a two wheeled powered scooter that has a seat or saddle for the use of the rider. They are definitely not chosen or contrived for highway use. To ride one of these things on the highways means you need your head examine that is if you survive the experience.
The pocket bike you have acquired or obtained is firmly prohibited from being operated on a sidewalk roadway or any other part of a highway or on a bikeway bicycle path or trail equestrian trail hiking or recreational trail or on public lands open to off highway vehicle use. A violation of this regulation may have the consequence of being prosecuted and/or seizure of the device. So much for all the legal warnings.
Now for the fun part. Pocketbikes are miniature motorcycles powered by 4049cc gasoline engines or even electric motors. They are being advertised and sold improperly as “motor scooters”. They meet the definition in many states as a motorcycle.
Some states define a “motorcycle” as any motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for use by the rider designed to travel on not more then three wheels in contact with the ground and weighing less then 1500 lbs. Since the motors on pocket bikes are usually 50cc or under they are additionally defined as a “motor driven cycle”.
These little buggers can really get up and go. It is not usual to be able to hit 40 mph or higher. You got to remember no matter how cute these pocket rockets are they are not a toy but a serious motorcycle. As such serious injuries can occur.
Most of the pocket bikes are bought for kids. Kids usually don’t have any fears of injuries so the adult that’s you have to make sure you keep them safe. They need to wear full body armor motorcycle helmet motorcycle gloves boots goggles and anything else that will provide safety to them.
Your kid is going to love their pocketbike but they need adult supervision. Make sure you are outside with them and paying attention to them while they are riding. The pocket rockets are fun and by keeping your child safe the fun will still be there.
By the way I know as the adult you want to ride this wild thing also. Once you get paste the looking like whether you are riding or having it the fun begins. Your size will make it harder to ride so be really careful. You might want to put on some protective gear and be a good example to your kid.
Pocket rockets are here to stay. Deals on pocketbikes are available onlineauctions and local outlets. They come in all colors and sizes. Remember to ride safe!
About the writer: Jerry Johnson owns the Motorcycle Clothes Store and Deals On Pocketbikes as well as several other successful webstores. Visit MotorcycleClothesStore.com and Deals on Pocketbikes for great values on your cycle apparel and pocketbikes.
The Indian Rd Design For Cars
The use of highend software in automobile design and RD has created an edge over their European and American competitors. Many of the car makers are expanding their research and design services which will help them to launch newer models in the market quickly and efficiently in future.
In the year 2009 with the investment of Rs.4.8 billion Mahindra and Mahindra will open its new automobile design and development facility called the Mahindra Research Valley MRV which will be spread over 150 acres in Mahindra World City in Chennai. Initially the RD facility will cater to MM’s design needs and later they will also consider of offering the similar highend work for other OEMs.
Presently Tata Motors has six RD centers that span India South Korea Spain and the UK. INCAT now an arm of Tata Technologies which conducts specialized RD work for the Tata Group and others was acquired by Tatas in 2006. Recently Tata Motors bought a minority stake in Pininfarina an Italian car design firm.
In April this year French major Dassault Systems tied up with Argentum Engineering Design’s AED Centre for Excellence to train automobile engineers who would design test validate and manufacture new vehicle models for domestic and international OEMs.
According to a Nasscom report the automobile and aerospace design industry is currently estimated at around Rs 6 trillion and out of which in which India’s current share is valued between Rs.124 billion and 5 billion annually. And this figure is estimated to increase over the next two to three years. By 2020 the global spending on engineering services is expected to touch around Rs.45 trillion.
Some of the highend softwares like 3D PLM and V5 which are provided by the provided by majors software like Dassault Systemes Siemens and IBM have revolutionized the way new models of vehicles are designed tested and manufactured.
The Indian car designers have contributed designs for the models like the Swift Dzire and SX4 Maruti Suzuki but still rely on Suzuki Japan for training its engineers.
Presently India enjoys a reputation as a provider of lowend research work that revolves around small cars. It may not be an easy journey for India to becoming the world’s hub for automobile design and development may not be easy but with plenty of opportunities and competition it is not impossible again.
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