Misplaced Pages

#433566

74-637: The Triumph Tigress , also sold as the BSA Sunbeam , was a scooter designed to have good performance and handling for the motorcycle enthusiast. The entry of the BSA group into the scooter field was announced by Edward Turner in October 1958. The 250 cc model would have a cruising speed of 55 to 60 mph (89 to 97 km/h) and petrol consumption of 120 miles per imperial gallon (2.4 L/100 km; 100 mpg ‑US ). A prototype 250 cc BSA Sunbeam

148-442: A kick scooter with a seat, a floorboard, and small or low wheels. The US Department of Transportation defines a scooter as a motorcycle that has a platform for the operator's feet or has integrated footrests and has a step-through architecture. The classic scooter design features a step-through frame and a flat floorboard for the rider's feet. This design is possible because most scooter engines and drive systems are attached to

222-458: A spare wheel . Many recent scooters use conventional front forks with the front axle fastened at both ends. Some jurisdictions do not differentiate between scooters and motorcycles. Though some jurisdictions classify smaller engine scooters (typically 50 cc or 3.1 cu in maximum) as moped class vehicles rather than motorcycles, meaning these scooters often have less stringent regulations (for example, 50 cc scooters can be driven with

296-435: A 12 volt (not 6 volt) electrical system. The 250 twin sold well and could do 70 mph (113 km/h) with efficient suspension and good roadholding despite having only 10-inch wheels. The weight was low in comparison to other scooters (100/110 kg). The only problem was build quality: it was sometimes said that a Tigress was a joy to own so long as someone else was paying the repair bills. The 250 cc four-stroke model

370-416: A car. Licensing requirements for scooters are easier and cheaper than for cars in most parts of the world, and insurance is usually cheaper. The term motor scooter is sometimes used to avoid confusion with kick scooter , but can then be confused with motorized scooter or e-scooter, a kick-scooter with an electric motor. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines a motor scooter as a motorcycle similar to

444-452: A classic game consoles . What constitutes a vintage or retro machine is sometimes open to debate, but typically, most retro gamers are interested in Commodore 64 , Amiga 500 , Atari 2600 , NES /Family Computer, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive , PlayStation , Nintendo 64 , Dreamcast , SNES /Super Famicom, and classic Game Boy games and consoles. Emulation often plays a part in retrogaming if

518-776: A convenient 'shopping basket'. Scooter (motorcycle) The global popularity of motor scooters dates from the post-World War II introductions of the Vespa and Lambretta models in Italy. These scooters were intended to provide economical personal transportation ( engines from 50 to 150 cc or 3.1 to 9.2 cu in). The original layout is still widely used in this application. Maxi-scooters , with larger engines from 200 to 850 cc (12 to 52 cu in) have been developed for Western markets. Scooters are popular for personal transportation partly due to being more affordable, easier to operate, and more convenient to park and store than

592-469: A few hundred such bikes were built, and the high price and technical difficulties made the venture a financial failure for both Wolfmüller and his financial backer, Hildebrand. In France, the Auto-Fauteuil was introduced in 1902. This was basically a step-through motorcycle with an armchair instead of a traditional saddle. Production continued until 1922. The motoped entered production in 1915, and

666-500: A footboard, and is therefore not a scooter. Retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from the past, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture , the " nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 years ago. The term retro has been in use since 1972 to describe on the one hand, new artifacts that self-consciously refer to particular modes, motifs, techniques, and materials of

740-631: A joint-venture with Piaggio in 1983, LML, in addition to being a large parts supplier for Piaggio, produced the P-Series scooters for the Indian market. In 1999, after protracted dispute with Piaggio, LML bought back Piaggio's stake in the company and the partnership ceased. LML continues to produce (and also exports) the P-Series variant known as the Stella in the U.S. market and by other names in different markets. Since

814-548: A normal car drivers license - or by adults aged 18+ years without any license (other than a valid liability insurance) at all as in case of at least Denmark - in many jurisdictions, and might pay less road-tax and be subject to less stringent roadworthiness testing). For all legal purposes in the United States of America, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends using

SECTION 10

#1733086344434

888-616: A part of the former Nakajima Aircraft Company , began production of the Fuji Rabbit S-1 scooter in June 1946. Inspired by Powell scooters used by American servicemen, the S1 was designed to use surplus military parts, including the tailwheel of a Nakajima bomber, re-purposed as the front wheel of the S1. Later that year, Mitsubishi introduced the C10, the first of its line of Silver Pigeon scooters. This

962-399: A rechargeable battery. Petroleum hybrid-electric scooters are available. Electric scooters are rising in popularity because of higher gasoline prices, and battery technology is gradually improving, making this form of transportation more practical —the battery size is constrained by what the frame will fit, limiting range. An underbone is a motorcycle built on a chassis consisting mostly of

1036-418: A single cylinder piston-port two-stroke engine , with four foot-operated gears and centrifugal fan cooling. The Maicoletta had a choice of engine sizes, approximately 175 cc (10.7 cu in), 250 cc (15 cu in), or 275 cc (16.8 cu in), The tubular frame was built on motorcycle principles, with long-travel telescopic forks and 14-inch (356 mm) wheels. The Maicoletta had

1110-528: A single large diameter tube. An underbone differs from a conventional motorcycle mainly by not having a structural member connecting the head stock to the structure under the front of the seat and by not having a fuel tank or similarly styled appendage in the space between the rider's knees. Underbones are commonly referred to as "step-throughs" and appeal to both genders in much the same way as scooters. Underbones are often mistaken for scooters and are sometimes marketed as such. However, an underbone does not have

1184-516: A stress-bearing structure. The gear shift lever was moved to the handlebars for easier riding. The engine was placed near the rear wheel, eliminating the belt drive . The typical fork support was replaced by an arm similar to an aircraft carriage for easier tire-changing. The body design protected the driver from wind and road dirt. The smaller wheels and shorter wheelbase provide improved maneuverability through narrow streets and congested traffic. The name originated when Piaggio's president, upon seeing

1258-713: A top speed of 70 mph (110 km/h) which was comparable with most 250 cc (15 cu in) motorcycles of the time. Other German scooters made by motorcycle manufacturers included the DKW Hobby, the Dürkopp Diana, and the TWN Contessa. In the United Kingdom, Douglas manufactured the Vespa under license from 1951 to 1961 and assembled them from 1961 to 1965. BSA and Triumph made several models of scooter including

1332-513: A two-speed gearbox, but it is more notable for its full bodywork, similar to that which would appear of second- and third-generation scooters. The reputation of first-generation scooters was damaged by a glut of unstable machines with flexible frames, and more substantial examples like the Reynolds Runabout and the Unibus were too expensive to be competitive. The first generation had ended by

1406-580: Is a sixth of the cost of a gasoline version. API were the first scooter manufacturers in India, with a Lambretta model in the 1950s. Bajaj Auto manufactured its line of scooters from 1972 to 2009, which included the Chetak , Legend , Super and Priya . The Chetak and Legend were based on the Italian Vespa Sprint . It was discontinued in 2009. Another Vespa partner in India was LML Motors . Beginning as

1480-651: Is believed to be the first motor scooter. They were followed that year by the Autoped , whose engine was engaged by pushing the handlebar column forward and whose brake was engaged by pulling the column back. Autopeds were made in Long Island , New York from 1915 to 1921, and were also made under license by Krupp in Germany from 1919 to 1922, following World War I . The number of scooter manufacturers and designs increased after World War I. The British - ABC Motors Skootamota ,

1554-540: Is distinctive from modern computer-generated styling. Contemporary artist Anne Taintor uses retro advertising art as the centerpiece for her ongoing commentary on the modern woman. Specific styling features include analog machine design and vintage television programs . A famous example of a retro pop-art character is the more generalized form of the Ward Cleaver -styled J. R. "Bob" Dobbs -esque icon which has been widely played off, copied, and parodied. Foreshadowed by

SECTION 20

#1733086344434

1628-716: Is largely done in Asia, with some assembly in Australia. The oldest scooter company in Australia is Vmoto , a Perth based company that started off importing and distributing scooters, but then started to manufacture its own electric scooters. Sydney based Hunted Scooters producers smaller numbers of niche petrol scooters, based on the customised Honda Ruckus scooters in Japan. More recently Sydney based Fonz Moto produce electric scooters and electric motorbikes , assembled in Australia, using overseas and Australian sourced components. Trends around

1702-454: Is linked to retro, but the bittersweet desire for things, persons, and situations of the past has an ironic stance in retro style. Retro shows nostalgia with a dose of cynicism and detachment. The desire to capture something from the past and evoke nostalgia is fuelled by dissatisfaction with the present. Since the 1980s the implications of the word retro have been expanding in the application to different mediums. Several fields have adopted

1776-768: The Aprilia Mana 850 automatic-transmission motorcycle and the Honda NC700D Integra , which is a scooter built on a motorcycle platform. Some scooters, including the BMW C1 and the Honda Gyro Canopy , have a windscreen and a roof. The Piaggio MP3 offered a tall windscreen with roof as an option. With increasingly strict environmental laws , including United States emission standards and European emission standards , more scooters are using four-stroke engines again. Scooters may be powered by an electric motor powered by

1850-535: The Burgman 400 and 650 models. Honda (600 cc or 37 cu in), Aprilia/Gilera (839 cc or 51.2 cu in), Yamaha (530 cc or 32 cu in), Kymco (700 cc or 43 cu in) and others have also introduced scooters with engine displacements ranging from 400 to 850 cc (24 to 52 cu in). Honda's PS250 (also known as Big Ruckus) features a motorcycle-like exoskeleton instead of bodywork. A new direction in maxi-scooters has

1924-611: The Kenilworth , and the Reynolds Runabout debuted in 1919, with Gloucestershire Aircraft Company following with its Unibus in 1920. The Skootamota was noted for being practical, popular, and economical, the Kenilworth for its electric lights, and the Reynolds Runabout for its advanced specifications, including front suspension, a two-speed gearbox, leg shields, and a seat sprung with leaf springs and coil springs. The Unibus also had

1998-579: The Mothers of Invention album Cruising with Ruben & the Jets in 1968, and the revival and parody group Sha Na Na in 1969, the 1970s and 1980s brought about a 1950s–early 1960s revival with films and television shows such as American Graffiti , M*A*S*H , Grease , Happy Days and Peggy Sue Got Married set in this time period. Retrogaming is a pastime which is becoming increasingly popular where individuals play video games on vintage computers or

2072-675: The Scomadi scooter, a retro styled UK designed and manufactured scooter. Scomadis were styled after classic Lambrettas. A number of different models at different capacity was produced. Production was later moved to Thailand. In Eastern Bloc countries scooters also became popular in the second half of 1950s, but their production was a result of planned economy rather than market competition. The Soviet Union started in 1957 with producing reverse engineered copies of 150 cc Vespa and 200 cc Glas Goggo as Vyatka and Tula T-200 respectively. They and their developments were manufactured in big numbers into

2146-701: The gearshift and clutch control built into the left handlebar . Scooters usually feature bodywork, including a front leg shield and body that conceals all or most of the mechanicals. There is often some integral storage space, either under the seat, built into the front leg shield, or both. Scooters have varying engine displacements and configurations ranging from 50 cc (3.1 cu in) single-cylinder to 850 cc (52 cu in) twin-cylinder models. Traditionally, scooter wheels are smaller than conventional motorcycle wheels and are made of pressed steel or cast aluminum alloy, bolt on easily, and often are interchangeable between front and rear. Some scooters carry

2220-516: The 165 cc (10.1 cu in) Harley-Davidson Topper scooter were produced from 1960 to 1965 using the engine from their line of light motorcycles based on the DKW RT 125 . It had a fiberglass body, a continuously variable transmission , and a pull-cord starting mechanism. After World War II, wartime aircraft manufacturers were forbidden from making aircraft, and had to find other products to make in order to stay in business. Fuji Sangyo,

2294-416: The 1950s and 1960s. It was in production for about ten years, in three engine sizes, 150 cc (9.2 cu in), 175 cc (10.7 cu in) and 200 cc (12 cu in). They could perform all day at a steady speed of 60 mph (97 km/h). Extremely reliable and very well made, many of these scooters still exist today. Maico built the large Maicoletta scooter in the 1950s. It had

Triumph Tigress/BSA Sunbeam - Misplaced Pages Continue

2368-438: The 1960s. It provided good weather protection with a full fairing, and the front wheel turned under a fixed nose extension. It had effective streamlining, perhaps thanks to its aircraft ancestry. Although it had only a 175 cc (10.7 cu in) four stroke motor, it could sustain speeds of 70 mph (110 km/h). Heinkel scooters were known for their reliability. Glas , a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, made

2442-533: The 1970s, the 1960s, or 1950s. The value of old artifacts has increased, because the objects used to be considered old-fashioned and every day. In this case ‘retro’ indicates a value, which is also partly why today's retailers produce new objects in an old style. Long before the use of the word retro , graphic design made reference to earlier graphic characteristics. William Morris can be seen as an example: for book design and other purposes he adopted Medieval production and stylistic models in 1891. Furthermore, in

2516-583: The 1980s Japan, and latterly China and Taiwan, have become world leaders in the mass production of plastic bodied scooters, most often with "twist-and-go" type transmissions (where gear selection and clutch operation are fully automatic). A popular early model being the Honda Spree/Nifty Fifty . Advertising campaigns in the USA featured popular stars like Michael Jackson (Suzuki), and Grace Jones and Lou Reed (Honda), and sales of Japanese scooters peaked there in

2590-416: The 1980s pastel revival being a rebirth of a 1950s trend). Also at this time, late 1980s-style high-waisted mom jeans made a comeback with female hipsters . In the 2010s and 2020s, 1990s fashion has made a comeback: many of the fabrics and patterns ubiquitous in that decade (such as crushed velvet and floral) are popular now, and Dr. Martens , a shoe brand popular in the 1990s, also made a strong comeback in

2664-488: The 1980s, design history emerged as a discipline and several histories of design were published. The access to these overviews and the ability to experiment with computer design programs has caused an increase of retro designed objects in the last decades. Interior design magazines often show retro style as an interior decoration of mixed styles and objects from the past, second hand and new. For example, 1970s patterned wallpapers, combined with second-hand furniture also from

2738-649: The 1980s. Both 2-stroke and 4-stroke plastic bodied scooters have been mass-produced in East Asia, with engine and transmission designs being either local designs or license built versions of European engines (eg Minarelli or Morini ). A popular 4-stroke engine in Chinese production is the GY6 engine , but electric motor-scooters are constantly increasing in the Chinese home market share. Unlike other countries, Australia had no major motorcycle companies, nor scooter manufacturers in

2812-412: The 1980s. In East Germany , IWL manufactured several own design 125 cc and 150 cc scooters (most notably SR 59 Berlin) from 1955 to 1964, when the authorities decided to switch the production to trucks. There were also produced small 50 cc Simson scooters, manufactured into the 1990s. From 1959 until 1965 there was produced the only Polish scooter, 150 cc to 175 cc WFM Osa . In Czechoslovakia, there

2886-639: The BSA Dandy 70, the Triumph Tina , and the Triumph Tigress . The Tigress was made from 1959 to 1964 and was sold with a 175 cc 2-stroke single engine or a 250 cc 4-stroke twin; both versions used a foot-operated four-speed gearbox. The 250 twin had a top speed of 70 mph (110 km/h). The BSA Sunbeam was a badge engineered version of the Tigress. The early 2000's saw the small scale production of

2960-675: The C140 Silver Pigeon, while Fuji continued production of the Rabbit until the last of the S-211 series was built in June 1968. In post-World War II Italy the Piaggio Vespa became the standard for scooters, and has remained so for over 60 years. Patented in April 1946, it used aircraft design and materials. D'Ascanio's 98 cc (6.0 cu in) scooter had various new design concepts, including

3034-632: The Euro 3 automobile standards. Approximate parity with automobiles was achieved with NOx emissions in these studies. Emissions performance was tested on a g/km basis and was unaffected by fuel economy. In 2011 the United States Environmental Protection Agency allowed motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds with engine displacements less than 280 cc to emit ten times the NOx and six times the CO than

Triumph Tigress/BSA Sunbeam - Misplaced Pages Continue

3108-569: The Goggo scooter from 1951 to 1955. Glas discontinued scooter production to concentrate on its Goggomobil microcar . Several manufacturers in the German motorcycle industry made scooters. NSU made Lambrettas under license from 1950 to 1955, during which they developed their Prima scooter. Production of the Prima began when NSU's license to build Lambrettas ran out. Zündapp made the popular Bella scooter in

3182-565: The Model 39, a three-wheeled utility scooter with a large storage bin between the front wheels. They sold 606 to the US military during the war. The Piaggio MP3 and Yamaha Tricity are modern tilting three-wheeled scooters. Unlike most motorcycle trikes, they are reverse trikes, with two front wheels which steer, and a single driven rear wheel. The front suspension allows both front wheels to tilt independently, so that all three wheels remain in contact with

3256-448: The Nazi occupation. The term rétro was soon applied to nostalgic French fashions that recalled the same period. Shortly thereafter retro was introduced into English by the fashion and culture press, where it suggests a rather cynical revival of older but relatively recent fashions. In Simulacra and Simulation , French theorist Jean Baudrillard describes retro as a demythologization of

3330-547: The beginning of the twentieth century, Gothic, Baroque and Rococo motifs were used for new products. In typography , classicism has always been an influence and throughout the 20th century, and in early woodcut printing as well. The introduction of the technique of photocomposition in the 1960s allowed typographers greater flexibility in the selection and arrangement of type styles and sizes. For example, psychedelic typefaces were developed, gaining inspiration from Art Nouveau and other cultures. Historicist styles are also used in

3404-470: The city due to air pollution . Scooter-like traits began to develop in motorcycle designs around the 1900s. In 1894, Hildebrand & Wolfmüller in Munich , Germany produced the first motorcycle that was available for purchase. Their motorcycle had a step-through frame, with its fuel tank mounted on the down tube, its parallel two-cylinder engine mounted low on the frame, and its cylinders mounted in line with

3478-502: The design to several European manufacturers including Piaggio. The Motor Glide set the standards for all later models. It inspired production of motor scooters by Powell , Moto-scoot, Cushman, Rock-Ola, and others. The Cushman Company produced motor scooters from 1936 to 1965. Cushman was an engine manufacturer that started making scooters after Salsbury found their offer to supply engines to be unacceptable. Cushman and Salsbury competed against each other, with both companies advertising

3552-464: The early 2010s, as 2011–12 was the British company's best-selling season of all time. The style now called retro art is a genre of pop art which was developed from the 1940s to 1960s, in response to a need for bold, eye-catching graphics that were easy to reproduce on simple presses available at the time in major centres. Retro advertising art has experienced a resurgence in popularity since its style

3626-582: The economy of their scooters. Cushman claimed an efficiency of 120 mpg ‑US (2.0 L/100 km; 140 mpg ‑imp ) at 30 mph (48 km/h). Cushman introduced a centrifugal clutch to their scooters in 1940. The Cushman Auto Glide Model 53 was designed to be dropped by parachute with Army Airborne troops, and was eventually called the "Cushman Airborne". Cushman scooters were also used around military bases for messenger service. Salsbury continued manufacturing scooters until 1948, while Cushman continued until 1965. Small numbers of

3700-399: The engine fixed to the frame. This arrangement improves handling by allowing bigger wheels and less unsprung weight, also tending to move the centre of gravity forwards. The trend toward larger, more powerful scooters with fully automatic transmissions converges with an emerging trend in motorcycle design that foreshadows automatic transmission motorcycles with on-board storage. Examples include

3774-418: The frame. It was water-cooled and had a radiator built into the top of the rear fender. It became the first mass-produced and publicly sold powered two-wheel vehicle, and among the first powered mainly by its engine rather than foot pedals. Maximum speed was 40 km/h (25 mph). The rear wheel was driven directly by rods from the pistons in a manner similar to the drive wheels of steam locomotives . Only

SECTION 50

#1733086344434

3848-516: The ground as it leans when cornering. A maxi-scooter or touring scooter is a large scooter, with engines ranging in size from 150 to 850 cc (9.2 to 51.9 cu in), and using larger frames than normal scooters with longer wheelbases. Typically, the dash is fixed & is not mounted on the handlebars. The trend toward maxi-scooters began in 1986 when Honda introduced the CN250 Helix / Fusion / Spazio. Many years later, Suzuki launched

3922-485: The median Tier II bin 5 automobile regulations. An additional air quality challenge can also arise from the use of moped and scooter transportation over automobiles, as a higher density of two-wheeled vehicles can be supported by existing transportation infrastructure. In Genoa, 2-stroke engine scooters made before 1999 are banned since 2019. In some cities, such as Shanghai , petrol scooters/mopeds are banned and only LPG or electric scooters are allowed to be used in

3996-605: The mid-1920s. E. Foster Salsbury and Austin Elmore developed the Salsbury Motor Glide, which was a division of Northrop Aircraft , a scooter with a seat above an enclosed drivetrain, and began production in 1936 in California. In 1938, Salsbury introduced a more powerful scooter with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). This was the first use of a CVT on a scooter. It was such a success that Salsbury attempted to license

4070-421: The original hey day of scooters in the 1950s and 1960s. Scooters were mostly traditionally imported from Italy, and then in the 1970s and 1980s, from Japan and Asia. Australian scooters have only appeared in the last 20 years or so, and many of them relating to the recent advent and viability of the electric engine. Australian scooter companies design, market and manage the company from Australia, but manufacturing

4144-418: The past emerged and a broader range of objects from the recent past was used for new designs. Before the word retro came into use in the 1970s, the practice of adopting old styles for new designs was already common. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, designers borrowed from the past, for example, classicistic style. The difference is that since the 1960s, people started to refer to the recent past. In

4218-518: The past, distancing the present from the big ideas that drove the modern age. Most commonly retro is used to describe objects and attitudes from the recent past that never seem modern. It suggests a fundamental shift in the way we relate to the past. Different from more traditional forms of revivalism, "retro" suggests a half ironic, half longing consideration of the recent past; it has been called an "unsentimental nostalgia", recalling modern forms that are no longer current. The concept of nostalgia

4292-522: The past. But on the other hand, many people use the term to categorize styles that have been created in the past. Retro style refers to new things that display characteristics of the past. Unlike the historicism of the Romantic generations , it is mostly the recent past that retro seeks to recapitulate, focusing on the products, fashions, and artistic styles produced since the Industrial Revolution,

4366-465: The promotion and packaging of food and household products, referring to childhood memories and domestic nostalgic ideals. In logo designing, retro logos have been highlighted. Brands have incorporated retro logo designs to highlight their brand's voice and message: clean, classic, and reminiscent of the recent past. In the 2000s and 2010s, there was a revival of pastel and neon colors, stereotypically associated with 1980s and early 1990s fashion (with

4440-669: The prototype, remarked "Sembra una vespa" , "It looks like a wasp". Months after the Vespa, in 1947, Innocenti introduced the Lambretta , beginning a rivalry with Vespa. The scooter was designed by Innocenti, his General Director Giuseppe Lauro and engineer Pierluigi Torre. The Lambretta was named after Lambrate, the Milanese neighborhood where the factory stood. It debuted in 1947 at the Paris Motor Show. The Lambretta 'A' went on sale on December 23, 1947, and sold 9,000 units in one year. It

4514-419: The rear axle or under the seat. Unlike a conventional motorcycle, in which the engine is mounted on the frame, most modern scooters allow the engine to swing with the rear wheel, while most vintage scooters and some newer retro models have an axle-mounted engine. Modern scooters starting from the late-1980s generally use a continuously variable transmission (CVT), while older ones use a manual transmission with

SECTION 60

#1733086344434

4588-407: The subject of multiple studies. Studies have found that two-stroke 50  cc mopeds, with and without catalytic converters, emit ten to thirty times more hydrocarbons and particulate emissions than the outdated Euro 3 automobile standards. In the same study, four-stroke mopeds, with and without catalytic converters, emitted three to eight times more hydrocarbons and particulate emissions than

4662-522: The successive styles of Modernity . The English word retro derives from the Latin prefix retro , meaning backwards, or in past times. In France, the word rétro , an abbreviation for rétrospectif , gained cultural currency with reevaluations of Charles de Gaulle and France's role in World War II . The French mode rétro of the 1970s reappraised in film and novels the conduct of French civilians during

4736-514: The term from the design field. Until the 1960s, interiors were often decorated with antiques . During the 1960s in London, shops started selling pieces of second-hand furniture. These shops differed from the previous antique shops because they sold daily life objects from the recent past. These objects used to be seen as junk: Victorian enamel signs, stuffed bears, old furniture painted with union jacks, bowler hats etc. A new way of producing and consuming

4810-462: The term motorcycle for all of these vehicles. However, while NHTSA excludes the term motor scooter from legal definition, it proceeds, in the same document, to give detailed instructions on how to import a small motor scooter. As of 2020 the US state of California has a regulatory system for 2- and 3-wheeled vehicles. It classifies vehicles with fewer than four wheels into the following categories: The emissions of mopeds and scooters have been

4884-505: The world have seen new developments of the classic scooter, some with larger engines and tires. High-end scooter models now include comprehensive technological features, including cast aluminium frames, engines with integral counterbalancing, and cross-linked brake systems. Some of these scooters have comfort features such as an alarm, start button, radio, windshield , heated hand grips and full instrumentation (including clock or outside temperature gauge). During World War II, Cushman made

4958-489: Was a development of the BSA Bantam engine but the four-stroke was a completely new parallel-twin with gear rather than chain drive to the gearbox. The contact-breaker fed two ignition coils, each of which had a lead to its spark plug without a distributor. Drive to the rear wheel was by a fully enclosed chain in an oil bath. Both versions had four, foot-operated gears. Some of the 250 twins were fitted with an electric starter and

5032-433: Was also dismantled after World War II. Heinkel stayed in business by making bicycles and mopeds, while Messerschmitt made sewing machines and automobile parts. Messerschmitt took over the German license to manufacture Vespa scooters from Hoffman in 1954 and built Vespas under from 1954 to 1964. Heinkel designed and built its own scooters. The Heinkel Tourist was a large and relatively heavy touring scooter produced in

5106-504: Was discontinued in 1964, the 175 cc two-stroke model in 1965. Later in the 1960s, despite internal opposition from those who felt that scooters would dilute the macho image of the brand, Triumph (owned by BSA) produced another scooter and a motor tricycle for "shoppers". The Triumph Tina and the Ariel 3 tricycle (BSA also owned the Ariel marque) were intended to tap into the market segment for

5180-493: Was displayed at the 1958 Earl's Court Cycle and Motor Cycle Show. Manufacture started in late 1959, but delivery difficulties were acknowledged due to problems with recruiting labour, although it was claimed that the group had a manufacturing capacity of 50,000 machines a year. The design by Edward Turner drew on Triumph 's long experience of building fast motorcycles, and was sold under two brand names to take advantage of established distribution networks. This badge engineering

5254-490: Was efficient, at a time when fuel was severely rationed. It had a top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) from a fan-cooled engine of 123 cc (7.5 cu in). The first Lambretta designs had shaft drive and no rear suspension, later designs used various drive and suspension systems until Lambretta settled on a swingarm-mounted engine with chain drive. Also other Italian firms manufactured scooters in 1950s and 1960s, like Italjet and Iso . Germany's aviation industry

5328-687: Was inspired by a Salsbury Motor Glide that had been brought to Japan by a Japanese man who had lived in the United States. Production of the Mitsubishi Silver Pigeon and the Fuji Rabbit continued through several series until the 1960s. Some series of the Fuji Rabbit were developed to a high level of technological content; the S-601 Rabbit Superflow had an automatic transmission with a torque converter, an electric starter, and pneumatic suspension. Mitsubishi ended scooter production with

5402-667: Was one of the last uses of the Sunbeam marque . The differences between the BSA Sunbeam and Triumph Tigress were entirely cosmetic - the former in polychromatic green paint, also two-tone red and cream, with a BSA badge; the latter in a shell blue or mimosa and ivory (two tone) with Triumph badging. The scooter was available with a 250 cc four-stroke twin (10 hp; 7.5 kW) or 175 cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine (7.5 hp; 5.6 kW). Both engines were forced-air-cooled and curbed to keep low petrol consumption. The two-stroke

5476-492: Was produced a unique 175 cc scooter Čezeta at the outbreak of 1950s/1960s, then there remained only small 50 cc Jawa scooter-style mopeds . Scooters are responsible for about 70 percent of India's gasoline consumption and the cost of a 100-kilometer ride is approximately 100 rupees ($ 1.30). Electric scooters are just one percent of all scooters, but this number is expected to increase to 74 percent of all scooters sold in India by 2040. The cost of operating an electric scooter

#433566