Gizmodo: Scooters

Motorboard 2000XR Electric Mini Scooter Will Let You Scoot Your Heart Out

Haroon Malik — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 05:26:34 EDT

The Motorboard 2000XR is to scooters what sex is to reproduction: the awesome bit that will make you accidentally do something you secretly do not want to, in this case, that would be commuting. The machine packs in twin motors with a two-hour charge time, tops out at 15 mph and weighs a portable 16.5 lbs. The battery will give you five miles of assisted scooting, but thereafter you will have to do it the Flintstone's way and kick your way onwards.

Still, beats having your battery powered car's cell run dry; how are you supposed to move that trunk of junk? ...My humps, my humps, my hu—sorry. If you have $799.00 burning a hole in your wallet, may we have your cash carrier? Failing that, why not get yourself a Motorboard 2000XR and dilly-dally into the sunset, Mr. Moneybags? [Product Page via Red Ferret]

Koreans Make Segway That's Half the Price, Many Times More Korean

Jason Chen — Thu, 24 May 2007 18:20:33 EDT

If you're still secretly thinking about getting a Segway but ashamed of having people know you paid that much for a scooter, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has something for you. The KAIST has just invented a Segway-like scooter that does pretty much the same thing as Dean Kamen's baby.

Called the Hubo-Way, the scooter balances when stopped, turns when leaning, and comes with a free copy of Starcraft 2. Well, not really, but 75% of South Korea just got erections. Yes, including the women. – Jason Chen

KAIST to introduce a modified version of Segway 'Hubo-Way' in Korea [AVING via Uber Gizmo]

Rocket-Powered Razor Scooter Launced Into the Air

Gizloco — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 09:17:32 EST

Really, is there anything better than a bunch of guys tacking on a rocket booster to a razor scooter? – Nicholas Deleon

Thanks, Richard!

Razor Home Page

Solar-Powered Scooter: Solarin Turtle

Charlie White — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 11:14:38 EDT

We like the idea of scooters around here. We've shown you electric scooters, three-wheeled scooters, and even scooters with air bags. Now we bring you the world's first commercially-available solar-powered scooter, the Solarin Turtle (this is not a real pic of it here). This Malaysian vehicle reportedly has a top speed of 55mph, and in addition to solar power it can be recharged via an electrical outlet. And get this, the price is said to be under $820.

Sounds too good to be true—could be CEO braggadocio. When we get a real picture of it and if it actually ships, we'll post the latest. – Charlie White

Local company unveils world's first solar-powered scooter [New Straits Times, via Treehugger]

Chicago Police Using Scooters To Take Bites Out of Crime, Donuts

Gizloco — Wed, 31 May 2006 13:15:22 EDT

Ah, the police. They're here to ensure all citizens behave according to the established societal norms, making sure that everyone abide by the social contract into which they have entered. Oh, and now in Chicago they roll around on scooters.

Yes, those brave police officers in Chicago will be patrolling high-priority locations, as they already do at O'Hare and Midway airports, on top of these mobile justice administrators, also known as the Segway. The city's police department is spending somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000 on the crime fighting machines, which supposedly enable officers to cover more ground while on the beat, coasting at an order-maintaing 12.5 miles per hour. Police officers also enjoy the benefits of being taller than the average person, allowing them to catch troublemakers and agitators quickly and efficiently.

Of course, Chicago isn't the only city to experiment with the Segway. Bomb squads in Ventura, Calif. and Little Rock use the motorized scooters to escort heroic officers laden with heavy protective equipment into and out of flash points, righteously protecting citizens in the process. – Nicholas Deleon

Chicago Cops Crack Heads, Ride Scooters [Defense Tech]

Vespa Goes Hybrid

Travis Hudson — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 17:12:37 EDT

Vespa has developed two scooters that feature hybrid engines to give you even better gas mileage. The LX 50 has a 50cc gas motor and a 1000W electric motor. The Piaggio X8 125 has a 125cc gas motor and a 2500W electric motor. The addition of the electric motor will give a 25-percent boost to fuel efficiency. There is even a nice option to operate completely on the electric motor for Vepsa cruising in places that don't allow combustion fumes.

Vespa Unveils Two Hybrid Scooters [Retro Thing]

IKOO Scooter - 18 Miles of Surgical Steel

johnb — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 11:53:00 EDT

My love affair with powered scooters waxes and wanes. First I like the concept of a powered scooter then I see some dope on one of those pocket bikes whirring around our block at 3am puts me off me lunch. Anyway, this may have stoked the fires again.

The IKOO, which costs $999, is made of surgical steel and can fold down into a compact package. It gets about 18 miles on one charge—enough for a couple of trips to the liquor store!—and it looks acceptably undorky that you might not get pushed over on it. Wouldn't that be nice, Mr. ~~Poly~~Pony-tailed Segway rider I saw on 23rd Street a week ago? [Thanks, Nick, for pointing out my mistakes.]

IKOO Surgical Steel Scooter [Retrothing]