The Story of Orangina

In 1995 an Arizona bandit by the name of Gim Inney was taking a cruise in his newly purchased cherry red Honda Elite. The Elite served Gim's bandit career well. He never bothered taking it to the DMV for plates so there was no identifying his scoot, and he proved to be a small and hard to catch target for vigilantes. The cherry red color, however, was becoming a problem. In the glaring Tucson sun, the color made him stick out like a giant amongst a gang of midgets. As he stared at the burnt orange dirt beneath him, the solution became clear. For the next 6 months he put his scooting bandit career on hiatus as he baked his cherry red scoot in his backyard, slowly but surely fading the color to none else but a dirty burnt orange - the perfect camouflage and interestingly enough, Arizona's state color.

Having had some time to plot out his debut robbery on his burnt orange Elite, he trekked out to Tucson's own "Gazooks! Toys", the oldest independently owned store in town. As he ran in using his swiftest movements, it seemed he hadn't skipped a beat since his hiatus. As the cashier went to hand over the bag of cash, Gim had been distracted for a moment at the selection of Pogs and Slammers "Gadzooks!" had to offer in their last chance bin. By the time he snapped back to it, the cashier had used the lapse to his benefit and came at Gim with his coveted 1891 Mosin-Nagant bolt-action rifle. As Gim ran out of the store and onto his Elite, the cashier shot at him, puncturing the Elite and its side panels. Gim was apprehended and the scoot was later resuscitated by none other than LTD member, Tom Mankowski, as he was roadtripping his way back home to Long Island, NY. Heeding to his fathers advice, Tom used the two most important tools a man can have: duct tape and needle nose pliers, to patch a few bullet holes and get the Elite back on its feet. Having had consistently bad luck with automobiles, Tom ditched his 1997 Pontiac Grand AM and hopped on the Elite and headed back to CA. The newly titled “Orangina” is still in need of some TLC, but is officially LTD. If Tom's awesomeness had not intervened, we would never have such a gem a part of LTD. Continually inspired by Orangina, Tom has initiated a band called Tucson, fully equipped with synthesizers and keytars. In Tom's own words “If awesome was my job, I’d be overqualified and underpaid.” We couldn't agree more. LTD.

The History of Scoots

Scoots have been around for hundreds of years! That’s right friends...the history of motor scooters begins in the 1800s with the first well-documented successful example being the Hildebrand & Wolfmueller, which was patented in Munich, Bavaria in 1894.

Characterized by the typical scooter step-through frame, and using a twin cylinder water-cooled engine, the Hildebrand & Wolfmueller, though not a significant commercial success, nevertheless led the way in shifting from pedal to power driven transportation. It was not until after WWII, however, that further progress was made. The modern motor scooter tracks to France in 1902, where a French inventor designed the auto-fauteuil.The auto-fauteuil maintains the step-through frame and a rudimentary engine in the back. From 1902 to 1935 the history of the motor scooter in America basically follows small scooter firms that were lackluster in performance. In 1936, Salsbury introduced the Motor Glide, which was the beginning of the motor scooter craze in the United States.

Cushman, a competitor, developed the similar Auto-Glide and a fierce competition developed between the two.

There were developments such as self-shifting transmission (1938) and new sleeker models like the Salsbury Model 85 (1948) but for motor scooters, no great history continued to happen in the United States. In Italy, the Second World War brought the economic situation into disarray. Many of the large factories which had made weapons were forced to change over to new products including the motor scooter.

Piaggio, a former military aircraft firm, was directed by Corradino d'Asciano towards a new motor scooter, the Vespa. Check out this video from 1990 on the history of The Vespa. The Vespa had many new features, easy-to-change tires, better protections from the elements, and a hidden engine. This new motor scooter was well ahead of its time in history.

The Vespa was originally made of pressed steel to help utilize stock from the war and made solely in Italy. In just a few short years, however, Vespa production had spread throughout Europe (Germany, France, and England) and into Asia (India). Each manufacturer helped to shape the history of motor scooters in their respective regions. In the late 1950's and early 1960's two more scooter makers in history began production of motor scooters. These were the 1958 Honda Cub and the 1960 Harley Davidson Topper (which was the only scooter with the Harley Davidson signature).

The Honda Cub, known as the big little giant, has gone through some minor changes, but is in essence still produced today the same way it was in the 1950's. The Honda Cub motor scooter has sold over 50 million units in its 50 year history.

Most people think scoots are most popular in Italy....WRONG.

More scoots have been sold in Asia than anywhere else on the planet. In some Asian countries, the population owns more of these fuel-efficient, relatively cheap motor scooters than they do cars. Buying a motor scooter can save you a lot of money and is something to look into. You can’t go wrong with owning a scooter. And I don’t think there exists a person who has been on a scooter and hasn’t fallen in love with it!

LTD!

LTD in Thailand!

LTD member and good friend, Chris Marsh, is traveling the world right now, experiencing the beauties that overwhelm this earth. Right now he's in Thailand, and Living The Dream. LTD's Godfather, Charlie Duarte, recently posted the LTD logo on Facebook, in which Chris Marsh commented with: "I love it ;) I've been scooting (LTD) around Thailand... This place is the land of scooters." Once again, LTD has gone international. We will do our best to get pictures of Chris in action on a scoot around the world and we'll post them here! In the meantime, visit his blog to keep track of his adventures: www.lostinasia2009.blogspot.com. LTD!

LTD in Hollywood!

A short time back a couple LTD members were visiting Amoeba Records off Sunset in Hollywood to see a sweet band play. Upon arrival they walked by 2 beautiful Buddy scooters. Always prepared

to spread the love, they put LTD business cards on the scoots. Through that they were introduced to a gem of a rider, Chris Donham, who emailed LTD in response to the business card. Chis is

an artist/designer/biker/scoot-er/lover and a fancy dresser living in Hollywood. He has been riding for about a year and lives by the moto "two wheels down, smiles up!" He now rides a black Buddy he calls Ekko.

He spends his spare time making art, dancing, loving, reading, philosophizing, and playing in "the bouncy castle we call life."

What a glorious connection we now have...one that would not exist had it not been for a mutual love for scoots. That's what I call Living the Dream! To find out more about sweet Chris, visit his website: www.chrisdonham.com.

LTD in KOREA!

LTD's beautiful friend Keith Walheim lives in Korea right now and is teaching English. A quick bio on Keith: he's originally from Simi Valley, CA, and is an amazing photographer who loves literature and art. He's witty and down to earth...a real gem! Recently he bought a scoot and encouraged a couple of his friends to do the same. We are proud to announce that LTD is now alive and growing on the other side of the globe in Korea. This is a glorious moment my friends...

LTD has become international! We plan on revamping our business card and designing a Korean version for him to use in his city to spread the love of LTD. We'll do our best to keep you updated on how LTD is doing in Keith's foreign land. This is the gem he purchased.

Friends on Scoots

Riding a scoot is a dream. Riding a scoot with your friends is an even better dream. LTD is blessed to have some incredible friends who have supported them and encouraged them, all the while adding to the humor and wit of all that resonates LTD! Check out our pics, (click here) to see some of our friends on scoots!

Scoot Adventure to Santa Clarita

A few weeks ago Lauren and Becky set off to scoot from Woodranch in Simi Valley to Canyon Country, through Valencia and Newhall, and back home. The ride went through the Santa Susana Pass, dropping them off on Topanga Canyon. Topanga took them to Rinaldi, which followed along the freeway to Balboa. They took Balboa to San Fernando Rd. and scooted alongside the 14 freeway. The ride took about an hour and a half. After meeting up with Jenny the group headed to Shooters in Newhall for some sweet darts and pool. Wonderful tunes, like Beyonce and John Melloncamp, rang from the Jukebox. It was good times. The ride home from Newhall to Woodranch was a breeze and a lot of fun. Enjoy some sweet pics posted on flicker (click here). Doing what we can to LTD.