Sweet Ride to Point Mugu

LTD met up with its newest member, Matthew Hill, for a glorious ride to Point Mugu. Taking the back roads through Camarillo and Channel Islands, sailing to the Pacific Coast Highway was a breeze. With summer slowly coming to an end, this ride was a sweet reminder of the joys that a weekend ride like this can bring. The weather was beautiful, with just the right amount of heat to make a smooth ride along the coast a dream. The ride began in Simi Valley and winded through Santa Rosa Rd. and into Camarillo. From there it was a quick ride through the fields of Camarillo, past CSUCI, and onto the PCH. Going a steady 50mph, LTD worked their way to Point Mugu, pulling over to take in the ocean breeze as waves crashed against the old road that once wrapped around Mugu Rock.

If you haven't taken your scoot along the PCH yet and experienced Point Mugu or the other wondrous beaches of So. Cal, add that to your list of things to do before you die. LTD

Spreeeeeeeeeeeee!

Honda never ceases to amaze me when it comes to scooters. Each one of their perfected scoots is a dream come true. The Honda Spree or "Nifty 50" is a prime example of this. The Spree is a 49cc scoot poduced from 1984–1987. This is a fact I would hope to hear on NPR in the morning when they mention the birth of a notorious person or invention. In 1985, the Spree logo went through a transformation that continued to change throughout is production years. The logo changed from a smaller italic font to a larger cursive font. The color of the scoot was also kicked into high gear.

The original was a glorious white. A limited edition green was offered in 1985. In 1987 the gem became available in blue. The dash, front signal lamps, and tail lamps were redesigned to a more aerodynamic shape. This is important stuff guys – so keep reading. Also added that year was a glove box… which = brilliant. It enabled riders to could carry necessary trinkets and accessories such as digital watch/calculator or pack of gum.

Let’s break it down…

Pros:

* Great logo
* Great mileage
* Beautiful gauges
* Sleek body
* Easy to find OEM parts
* Makes you look cool

Cons:
* N/A

If you have a Spree or used to ride a Spree and have pictures, please submit for us to post with this blog. What spurred this blog post into existence? Well, I’m glad you asked. Tom Mankowski , LTD member and activist, stumbled upon a beautiful Spree in Madisson, WI. Talk about LTD.

2010 Sachs MadAss 125

Check out this gem! It's brand new this year, compact and agile, yet aggressive looking. This sweet ride weighs about 220lbs, has no fuel gauge, no center stand, no storage compartments, racks or windshield. If you like bare bone simplicity, this is your kind of ride. The MadAss is a cross between a moped and a motorcycle, and would fit in nicely with any scoot rider. It has a 4-strock, 4-speed engine, and can easily get up to 56mph. With a 1.3 gallon fuel tank in a tubular steel spine frame, it also has a one pint reserve in which you've got 20 miles to find a gas station once you've tapped into it. Watch the video below to learn more!

Mullet on a Scoot

I had the luxury of being introduced to mulletjunky.com this afternoon. While I enjoyed some good laughs from the amazing images on the site, my heart didn't skip a beat until I stumbled across this gem.

I'd like to share with you the words of mulletjunky.com in reference to this photo: "Every 6 months or so a mullet submission will be sent in that is like no other. Like a piece of artwork that you can't take your eyes off of. There is SO much going on here; overweight, young, red haired mullet on a modified moped cruising in a ghetto McDonalds parking lot. It rarely gets better than this." I couldn't have said it better. I hope this inspires you all to be creative. LTD.

Tom Hanks Still needs You

So, it seems Tom Hanks is filming a new movie and needs vintage scooters and their riders. They did an open casting last Saturday, but are still looking for riders between 18 and 30-ish. So, they are going to be conducting quick interviews again, this Saturday, March 27th. You must bring your M1-endorsed driver's license, proof of insurance and registration as well as a helmet (of course). You also must have a reliable scooter and be available for filming starting around April 20 for about 3-10 weekdays and one night shoot (date to be determined). There will be a bit of a riding test as well as the usual audition-type activities. They are looking for good riders. These are paid roles, and films usually pay pretty well. So, look good and ride better! It's at Sportsman’s Lodge, 12825 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604. Drive all the way around the lodge to the back parking lot - don't go into the Sportsman's lodge. Be there anytime between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. For more information on casting, you can call Carol Grant Casting, (323) 390-9409, or check their Web site, http://www.carolgrantcasting.com/SCOOTER.html.

The greatest picture ever taken of the day!

It was a cold, rainy Winter day last February, the air smelled of oranges and apple sauce when John-Paul Gutierrez (of JPedia fame) and scooterless LTD member Tom (no fame) took a little ride to Bristol Farms. There they enjoyed some good cheer, a delicious peanut butter cookie, and the beautiful sounds of West Lake Village I think or it could still be Thousand Oaks...I digress, and whilst the panni’s were delicious, Tom had the Santa Fe minus the cheese (please see previous entry regarding NDC), JP had the Italian (he’s getting married in Italy and thinks it’s clever to eat only Italian things, ps, it’s clever), nothing was better than seeing this trooper, Curtis Theodore ‘Scoots’ McGee, on his way to Barnes and Noble. Finding their way over to the discount books on Geiger, they approached Scoots for a little one on one time. A man of few words, when asked where he got such a gem, Scoots replied, ‘the getting place’, to which Tom replied, ‘Nice, I loved that movie.’ Scoots said only, “Old Country was a book first there Trevor, put down the remote, you’re in B&N.” A true life lesson here, take note campers. LTD.

*Nothing in this post actually happened other than the sandwiches and some guy who’s name was prolly Bill had an awesome scoot and never replied to my Missed Connection on Craigslist…ok I didn’t post to craigslist either and this post prolly makes no sense and hopefully Becky will cut it down to “guy on sweet ride”

An Update on Orangina

The repairs to Orangina continue. The sweet Elite will soon be under way, and in perfect timing for summer. This gem of a scoot has undergone quite the construction, changing her from the inside out. Check out our latest pics on flickr (click here)! LTD

A run-in with Paul Teutul Sr.

An Interview with Tom by Tom:

Tom: Tom, nice of you to sit down and chat.

Tom: Thanks Tom, and can I say that you look great.

Tom: You too, lets dive in. Word on the street is that you had an encounter with a celeb at the Los Angeles International Airport, what you call LAX in the buis.

Tom: Ah yes, that’s true.

Tom: Well, can you tell us about it.

Tom: Sure

Tom: Do you have to be so difficult, just tell us the story, why do I need to pull this out of you.

Tom: Don’t yell at me, you didn’t even make me coffee this morning.

Tom: You’re right, I’m sorry, let me get that for you.

Tom: Do you have NDCs**?

Tom: You know where they are, please just tell us about your encounter.

Tom: Ok, so there’s three things you need to know, 1. blink 182 is the best band ever. 2. Mankowski’s love TLC/A&E/DC, etc. 3. OC Choppers is the West Coast Choppers of the East Coast.

Tom: Blink is pretty great, please continue.

Tom: Well, I’m getting coffee, and who do I see leaving the line, but Paul Sr.

Tom: Paul Sr, as in Paul Tuetul from Orange County Choppers

Tom: That very one, please stop interrupting. Anyway, I walk back to my seat, open my card holder and take out one LTD business card provided by the lovely Lauren and Becky

Tom: so you

Tom: I said stop interrupting, we, I mean I have a call in 20 minutes.

Tom: Sorry, continue.

Tom: I’m sipping on my coffee, which FYI was Starbucks, 60 cents for soymilk, buy Coffee Bean free NDC, and United makes the call for 1k, global alliance, and premier executives to line up. As you know, I’m premier executive.

Tom: Everyone knows, it’s not that cool and you kind of sound like a jerk when you bring it up.

Tom: Really, well maybe you want to fly in the back, you know what, I’m ignoring you.

Tom: What a waste of time, I’m going to make oatmeal.

Tom: No let me finish, so I get up to the line, and Paul Sr., who is obviously flying first class is standing a few people ahead of me.

Tom: Us, ahead of us.

Tom: Me. So I walk over to him and say, “I don’t want to bother you, we’re huge fans, we have a great little scooter club, here’s our blog”.

Tom: what did he say?

Tom: He says, “What’s that?”

Tom: Hah, that’s cause you mumble.

Tom: That’s hurtful. I say to him, “Scooter Club, Living the Dream” to which he says “Cool man thanks” and takes the card.

And I say “LTD”

Tom: That’s a great story, I’m really glad you didn’t just write a 4 sentence paragraph.

Tom: Whatever, that wasn’t NDC I used, so enjoy the stomach ache.

** Editor's note: NDC = non-dairy creamer for all you amateurs.**

Vespa Restaurant - NYC

Tom Mankowski (the owner of Orangina) and his brother Tim are living the dream in New York this weekend. They stumbled across a sweet gem of a place, the Vespa Restaurant. Why does a glorious establishment like this not exist in CA? Some questions we will never know the answer to. Vespa is located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan and serves a variety of tasty treats. If you're in the area or out of the area...do what you can to make it to this place. Imagine the wonderful feeling that would come when scoots pull up to Vespa for a friendly meal? To all scoot riders in New York, this should be your goal for 2010. LTD!

[Photo courtesy of Tim Mankowski]

Scoots raved in the New York Times!

A not-so-recent article was published in the October 22 printing of the New York Times in which our friends at South Bay Scooter Club were highlighted. Hats off to our fellow riders. Check out the article when you get a chance (click here). It's informative, it's about scoots, and it's worth the read. Keep living the dream!