This past weekend was the International Motorcycle Show, Scooterville had a space there that I worked at on Sunday, so unfortunately I misses most of the Superbowl.

We had the new TN'G Baja on display there. I think it is the Milano 150 with the covers off and a couple of other modifications. The styling is definitely something that either you like or you don't. It is a factory made rat bike that is not as refined as the Honda Ruckus , and I think that that is the point. The Baja also fits pretty well in the market because it is a 150 cc scooter capable of 60-65 mph. The Honda Ruckus is a 50cc four-stroke that has a top speed around 30 mph and a price of $1999 plus the other fees. The Big Ruckus is a 250cc stripped down version of the Reflex. It will probably hit close to 80, but even I know you don't want to be going that fast without a windshield. The $5500 price tag makes me wonder who is this scooter aimed at? The people who like the Baja are most likely the same people who like the two Ruckus and that is male between the ages of 15-25. What person in that age group has $5000 for a car? So I think this makes the Baja that much more appealing a 150 for $2500, which is pretty cheap. One person at the show said, "I couldn't make one of these for less." That is very true. I will never be caught dead on it, but there are people whose dreams are a scooter like this.
Scooterville also had 6 different Kymco Scooters on display from the 50cc Super 9 and People 50 to the new 250 Grand Vista. Dumb scooter trivia: The Grand Vista is known in other parts of the world, as the Grand Dink . I guess there was months of explaining by Kymco USA to the folks in Taiwan that they cannot sell a scooter called the Grand Dink no matter how good it is. Scooterville also had the Kymco Venox 250 motorcycle there too. Yes, it really is a 250.
A white Stella in black accessories and a green Stella with chrome accessories were on the turntable. As usual they drew a lot of looks, but by far the biggest attraction at the booth was the Bajaj Auto rickshaw .It might have been the biggest attraction at the show. As Bob liked to say, “It’s like the elevator at the Sears Tower, three get off and another 3 get on.” This was really true. The 175 cc, street legal, 3-wheeler isn’t like anything that one usually sees in the US. It has handlebars and a front fork like a traditional scooter, but it has a roof and a back seat.

I drove the thing home from the show; it was about 20 degrees but the big windshield kept me fairly warm. Pulling out of the parking lot, my left mirror fell down so I could see even less that usual. Driving through downtown Minneapolis was a riot. I had to keep in mind that I wasn’t driving a car and the steering is very touchy. Taking a turn at 20 feels like 45. You wouldn’t believe the looks you get when driving it. I am used to some driving on a scooter, but that is nothing. It would be possible to use one of these as a form of daily transportation, but you would have to be prepared for people hopping into the back, or stopping you at every corner.
Next time I will talk about the other scooters at the show including the Diamo scooter with a roof.