If yer the kinda guy who’s ok with riding around with a scooter skirt (and who isn’t), then you’ll probably be just fine riding around with a vacuum hose blowin’ up yer jacket. EntroSys is betting on it with this new luggage rack mounted air conditioning system.

So now it looks like you’ve got a couple of options for not catching heat stroke on long rides in 105+ degree weather. You can drink a crap-ton of water and wear ventilated gear, being sure to pull over every half hour or so to replenish your liquids or you can spring for one of these things and a camel back.

Of course REAL men just sweat it out in a wife beater and flip-flops with nothing to protect their granite-like skulls but an American Flag bandanna and some loud-ass pipes!

Thanks to a little site called engadget for the scoop. ;)

My rice cooker is a Zojirushi and it’s lasted me the last decade, so I imagine this baby is pretty good. Better still, why rely on my imagination? Why don’t you read the four and five-star reviews from some 70+ Mr. Bento owners at Amazon.com.

And, if you think THAT’S not enough to convince you, you can always shift through the photos from the legions of Mr. Bento fanatics at Flickr. Over 1,800 photos from rabid Mr. Bento Boys/Girls! I have a distinct feeling I’ll be joining the Mr. Bento Brigade before long.

OH! And to answer the “WHERE THE F#*K HAVE YOU BEEN!?” question… I have to apologize for not filling everybody in, but I took a trip out to Indi gather some footage for “The Scooter Scoop’s Best of the Indi Dealer Expo 2007″. It was 4 days of motorsport madness and mayhem and involved me walking about 21 hours without a break so that we could give you the entire Indi Expo experience. (and the whole time I didn’t have internet connectivity. I don’t know how I survived!)

It was a lot of work, but it was well worth it and we hope to have the episodes edited and posted in the not too distance future for your viewing enjoyment.

Thanks to Trish for the scoop on the Mr. Bento!

Today I saw a post from Dudel in Seattle mentioning the 12v Stebel Nautilus Compact Dual-Tone Air Horn which generates a whopping 139 dB’s of tire-screeching, heart-attack inspiring, pedestrian pants soiling, audio waves for your defensive driving enjoyment. She appears to be a very popular option for the 2-wheeled crowd and would definitely get someone’s attention.

Steve Morris over at the ModernVespa forums was kind enough to document the step-by-step installation process as it pertains to his Vespa LX150. Looks like a pretty painless job. You can even go to Steve’s site and listen to a wave of the Stebel Nautilus in all its teeth shattering glory.

TwistedThrottle has ‘em for about $36 if yer interested and on their site they say:

These horns are really freakin’ LOUD….

…Keep this in mind: sound energy doubles for every 3 points you go up in the decibel scale. It means that the Stebel Nautilus horn, which produces 139 dB of sound, puts out 800% of the sound energy of the more expensive FIAMM Freeway Blaster, which only produces 130 dB of sound energy.

You will not be dissapointed – just make sure you wire the included relay properly, as replacement horns used without a relay don’t get enough electrical current to be fully effective.

Fun for the whole family!

You can take your PX from plain to eye-popping and it doesn’t have to be permanent. Consider a set of funky-fresh decals from PimpMyScoota.com. This isn’t the run of the mill stuff you find at AutoZone… NO! PimpMyScoota (PMS for short?) has gone through the trouble of tracking down artists from around the globe to give your scoot a look that stands out from the crowd… unless everyone in your club has ‘em.

A variety of styles from pop, to graph to just “out there” there’s over a dozen designs to choose from a variety of artists hailing from such far away places as Africa, Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, Italy, France and Orlando; and each person has their own “info” section that tells you where they came from and where they’re comin’ from with their design style.

They are designed to last at least 5 years when applied correctly and can be removed if you get tired of them before then. You might even be able to get ‘em fitted on your Stella or Chetak. Click on the title link to check out the selection.

Oh, and not to spoil the review for ya, but I really did like the Scala Rider. Too bad I didn’t have one when my wife was preggers with baby Max. Much more affordable than the Momo. If you’re in the market for a helmet headset solution I’d say that’s the thing to spend yer well earned holiday loot on.

We welcome feedback on this episode. If you have suggestions or comments leave them here or shoot me an email at thescooterscoop@gmail.com .

Thanks for tuning in!

Oh, and I found this little bit of info at TechDigest:

The Scala Rider can pair with a GPS device! I’ve got it communicating with a Garmin Zumo 550 without any difficulty, and Cardo Systems have tested it with a Garmin 2820.

Posted by: bodge | December 21, 2006 11:07 AM

I didn’t have a GPS to test that for myself but if it works, Cool!

***UPDATE*** The video has been changed. I originally said the headset could be found on the street for around $100, but after digging around I found that the Scala Rider FM actually goes for a bit more than that. My bad… but I wouldn’t want you waisting your time hunting around for a $100 deal that doesn’t exist, right?

And if your too cheap for a BT Headset, you could always go THIS route. Thanks to
benandangie for sharing.

One thing Steve has going against him is a pair of genetically “frostbite prone” hands. It’s always recommended that you have a fully available and functional pair of hands when riding a scooter. Therein lies Steve’s conundrum. He needs his hands to work the gas and brakes, he needs an EXTREME pair of gloves to keep his hands warm AND he is not a fan of electrical doo-dads.

In Steve’s latest post he reviews a pair of Black Diamond Mercury Mitts to see how well they do the job. I’d let you know the outcome, but you really should browse “Scooter in the Sticks” and enjoy the prose for yourself. He makes for quite an entertaining read. (Love the image of sitting around the muffler!)

So, what’s the deal Steve? You thinkin’ about a decked out MP3 with the winter package?

I think it’s really cool. Sorta what you’d expect the professor to make Gilligan so he can safely put around the island on his coconut oil burning scooter. Prices yet to be announced.

Thanks to Motoblog.it, Motorbiker.org and CyberScooter for collecting the details!

(Sarah went for the DIY approach. GREAT effort Sarah! Um… just do us a favor and hold off wearing this while your scooting, umkay?) See more DIY examples here.

Right in time for the holidays! Crystal Waters over at Girlbike.com does more than just blog scooters from a girls perspective, she makes a MEAN scooter seatcover! They’re each custom made for all the popular models and in more fabric styles than you can shake a stick at! As for the FIT? LIKE A GLOVE!

What’s MORE is that U.S. orders placed between NOW and midnight November 26th get it shipped to the house FOR THE FREEZIES!

Deals like this don’t come around very often, so I’d take advantage of it if’n I was you! She has a slew of payment options and really, For the PRICE? You can easily afford make your scoot stand out from the rest of ‘um.

Go check out what she’s got at www.scooterseatcovers.com and tell her Steve gave you the scoop ; )