vintage scoot in Cafe Puro TVC with Sandwich
In case you haven’t caught it yet, here’s the Cafe Puro ad airing on local TV. It features the band <S>andwich rewording of their hit, “Betamax.” Raymund Marasigan does the vocals but it the band’s drummer, Mike Dizon, who got to ride in style in the ad. Check it out!
The vintage Lambretta seen above is owned by Vestsinoy. In the scootering community, the scoot’s ‘pedigree’ levels up once it make it into an ad like this. Congrats Charlie!
Thanks Dansoy & ProjectV for the heads up. 
Vespa Club of the Philippines Grand Eyeball 2!
Come party with us for our annual Vespa Club EyeBall II!
Date: Friday, July 30, 2010
Time: 7:00pm – 11:00pm
Venue: North Hall, Corinthian Gardens Clubhouse, Madrigal Avenue, Corinthian Gardens, QC
• SWAP MEET
- Bring new or used Vespa related items that you want to unload
- Tag a price to it, label with your name and mobile number
- Leave the items at the swap meet table
- We will help you sell them at the event
• CHARITY AUCTION
- Donate any item that you want to unload. Does not have to be Vespa-related.
- We shall auction off these items during the party
- Proceeds will go to club funds and to our chosen charity projects
• SCOOTER SHOW – Awards will be given to:
- The best automatic
- The best geared
- The best classic
- The people’s choice/most popular scoot in the party
• EVENT SPONSORS – Special thanks to the generosity of the following companies:
Kitakits!
~ABET RANA
Scoot! Magazine features Manny’s Lammy
Scoot! Magazine — America’s No. 1 scooter magazine — recently featured the the custom-built Manny Pacquiao scooter in its April 2010 issue. Wawel Mercado, president of the Vespa Club of the Philippines, tells the story below how the publication got wind of the project. Also included in this blog post are hi-res scans of the three-page feature which consists of a Q & A interview with Elmer Reyes of the Laguna Choppers who custom-built the scooter. Read on….
The attention that the Vespa Club of the Philippines generated for “Manny’s Lammy” in the local scene and in the world wide web last January 2010 led to a call sometime in February 2010 from San Diego, California-based Scoot! Magazine to Elmer Reyes, the artist behind the custom motorcycle shop Laguna Choppers.
The Vespa Club had visited Elmer in mid January 2010 on rumors that he was building a Pacquaio-themed Lambretta. We were not disappointed. Consequently, the photos we posted on Vespinoy were picked up by the top motorcycle blogs in the country: Bimbo Isidro’s Motorcycle Philippines (MCP) and Abet Rana’s Who Rides a Vespa? The excitement around the scoot consequently led the Vespa Club to organize a scooter unveiling at Eastwood City together with the country’s foremost mod band Juan Pablo Dream.
Scoot! wanted to feature Elmer’s latest creation in their magazine. So an interview was arranged, and photos of the custom painted Lambretta was requested. Fortunately, Vespa Club of the Philippines Ride Director Tops Marin had just visited Laguna Choppers in January 2010 at the inaugural ride of the Vespa Club of the Philippines, and had lots of good photos to share with Scoot! Tops generously agreed to support Elmer by giving him access to his photos, and sent his images by email to Scoot! Anything for a scooter buddy!
The feature on this proudly Philippine made scooter came out in Scoot! Magazine’s April issue, and now we can finally read the article and see the gorgeous pictures once again.
To our brother Elmer Reyes: You make us proud to be Pinoy scooterists, dude! This may just be the first scooter in the Philippines to be featured in Scoot! And our hats off too to Tops Marin, for his generosity in sharing his photos, and the great achievement of seeing his photos published in an international scoot magazine.
Scoot! Magazine is North America’s #1 Magazine for Vintage and Modern Motorscooters. Scoot! is an 80-page full-color, bi-monthly magazine dedicated to the appreciation of vintage and modern motorscooters. Scoot! is available throughout the US and Canada with distribution also in the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Australia, Sweden and Vietnam.
Click on the thumbnails below to read the 3-page Scoot! Magazine article.
www.vespausa.com now sports a new look.
In its homepage is a collage of pictures of [mostly] actual riders/enthusiasts instead of the obvious in-house PR photos. But these are no amateur shots. The images seen in the page are noticeably taken by people with an eye for art. Here’s how it looks….
The first and third pictures at the bottom row are images by Cristeen Quezon, a Filipino mother and a photographer based in Cebu City. Both photographs were actually taken during the the 3-day epic ride of Vespa Club of the Philippines to Cebu where our members met with some of the local Vespa riders in the Queen City of the South. Cristeen’s husband, Michael, also happens to be a Vespisiti and is the guy in one of the chosen shots.
In exchange of the use of her pictures, Cristeen will be getting a set of limited edition Vespa shirts for her whole family. How limited? In her blog, she shared that only 1,500 of the said shirt has been produced worldwide. That’s pretty awesome! 
Congrats Cristeen!
~ABET
It’s time for Vespa Jamboree 4!
Mark your calendars!
File your vacation leaves!
Make excuses or tell half-truths just to be on this event…
…’CUZ ITS GONNA BE ONE HELL OF A PARTY!
VESPA JAMBOREE 4
(The Angono Round-Up 2010)
Date: APRIL 24, 2010 (Saturday)
Place: at the HAUNTED KUBO inAngono, Rizal
Party starts 11am onwards!
Eat, Drink and Rock ’til you drop!!!
performing bands: Milagros Dancehall Collective | Rub-A-Dub | Coffeebreak Island | Neighbors
So bent on goin‘, but don’t know the way? Here’s how…
- (click image to enlage the map)
Or you may join the breakfast ride to Pranjetto organized by the Vespa Club with meet-up points in key locations around the Metro before heading towards the happening place! (You may want to save the number of the spearhead of the group you intend to join):
- 7:00AM: Bunso’s shop along Sampaloc Street, San Antonio Village, Makati | point person: Gerry San Juan (0921.414.6958)
- 7:30AM: Moto Italia, Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills | point person: Wawel Mercado (0917.831.2582)
- 8:00AM: Shell Gas Station along Marcos Hi-way, Marikina/Cainta area | point person: Nelyo Alivio (0918.929.7923)
The group shall ride up to Pranjetto for breakfast. The plan is as follows:
- Ride as a disciplined group until we reach the bridge under repair
- Regroup at the bridge, then ride at your own pace and enjoy the twisties
- Regroup at Pranjetto for breakfast
ETA at Pranjetto will be between 9:00am to 9:30am. The group shall have a leisurely breakfast then take-off for Angono by 10:30AM.
The group is expected to arrive in Angono by about 11:45AM.
Wear your safety gears!
~ABET
Who rides a helmet?
So what have I been up to since the last time I posted here? Well, I gained a new member of my family.
Introducing... Laya Rana!
‘Laya’ means ‘free’ in Filipino. It’s also the last word in a patriotic song called “Bayan Ko“ (My Country). That’s actually where our baby’s name was lifted from.
Our baby’s picture inside my Vespa helmet was taken last weekend inside The Stork Studio when Laya’s just 12 days old. The photographers patiently waited for our baby to be fast asleep to produce this shot. The set from this newborn pictorial in this album. Shoutouts to Sofia Genato & Stanley Ong for this picture!
For now, saddle time takes a backseat while daddy duty calls.
Zzzz….
~ABET
adidas Vespa S
Now here’s one pair from the adidas / Vespa line that matches the color scheme of my scoot!
The shoe model is called adidas Vespa S, named after the retro-inspired Vespa with the square head. Indeed the shoes look like an updated version of an old adidas my brother used to wear in the late 70′s with the same familiar blue-red-blue three-stripes.
Here’s the description:
German shoe maker adidas has teamed with Italian scooter company Vespa for an year-long partnership on some interesting sneakers. The first shoe up is this Vespa S model.
The result of this pairing is a streamlined low top sneaker similar to a Samba or Gazelle. White leather is used for the majority of the upper, while blue appears on the fore and aft stripes. The collar surround has also been done in blue. The middle stripe contrast the other accents with its bright red leather construction. A metal Vespa emblem can be found near the heel. Grab yours now at Schuh-You.
More pictures after the jump. Read more…
Vespa Sighting: a scoot in Mandarin Oriental Manila’s lobby
Our website, WeddingsAtWork.com, was the online media partner of the wedding fair held last weekend at Mandarin Oriental Manila. After coordinating with Erika Aquino (the hotel’s Public Relations Manager), my wife handed the phone to me. Erika asked me if I’d be willing to lend my Vespa to the hotel for its upcoming Italian Food Festival at Paseo Uno. Though I wouldn’t normally pass up for an exposure like that, I also know that my scooter is only as Italian as Jolibee Spaghetti. 
Before we hung up, I promised Erika that I would seek the assistance of the Vespa Club through Wawel, our club president, so we could look a more suitable Vespa for their event. In the course of our email correspondence, we learned that the hotel preferred a vintage Vespa. Or a red one. Or better yet, a red vintage Vespa!
I personally felt it was a tall order considering the time constraints. But our club president was able to find the requested scoot within the day. It’s a fully-restored, vintage red Vespa S.S. (Super Sport). The scoot is owned by actor Gabe ‘Okay ka ba tyan!’ Mercado, who’s actually Wawel’s younger brother.
Here’s the Italian beauty by the hotel’s lobby.
The Italian Food Festival is happening until March 28. More info about the event after the jump. Read more…
In 2009, Vespa and adidas Originals collaborated where the iconic scooter met the trefoil & 3-stripes mark in a collection that encompasses both low profile footwear and unique cut apparel. The synergy brought two companies from vastly different industries to share their rich heritage into one tangible line-up.
Since the Philippines is a tropical country, I didn’t bother much about the adidas Originals Fall/Winter 2009 Vespa Collection.
But the Spring/Summer 2010 season brings in a new collection that’s appropriate to riding conditions here in the tropics. Here are some of the items I’m eyeing from this collection.
Vespa Graphic Track Top
description: features a big Vespa stitching on the back, contrast 3-Stripes down the sleeves, two flap pockets, a small Vespa logo across the front
Vespa Casual Lux Shoes
description: full grain leather and suede upper for comfort and soft feel; mid-cut construction for support and style; leather and synthetic lining for rich comfort; grippy rubber outsole with “Vespa” detailing
Vespa Polo
description: scooter graphic on pocket; Vespa logo on sleeve; also comes in black
Vespa Sir Bag
description: features a classic scooter print; with a cell phone pocket, card holder, and an adjustable strap
Vespa Feild Jacket
description: features Vespa logo on the front., four pockets at one’s disposal; one part mod, one part sport
The line is now available through adidas Originals retailers, and even via shopadidas.com.
Gastos na naman!
~ABET
Rumored Piaggio and Ducati merger deal intensifies
The Italian press is abuzz.
Italian newswire MF Dow Jones reported that McKinsey & Co Inc. (a management consulting firm advising leading companies on issues of strategy, organization, technology, and operations) has been contracted to study possible merger between Ducati and Piaggio, two Italian superbrands in the two-wheel motorcycle industry. But the news agency didn’t say where it got the information.
The Piaggio Group, makers of the iconic Vespa, also manufactures scooters under its own name, aside from these other brands: Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Scarabeo, Derbi, Gilera, and the French mid engine sports car Ligier. On the other hand, Ducati is a privately owned Italian motorcycle manufacturer which achieved prominence in the motorcycle industry and in motorcycle racing. The report said that McKinsey has been contracted to evaluate potential merger candidates for the struggling Piaggio Group and that the now privately-controlled Ducati is being tipped as the best option.
The Piaggio/Ducati merger is seen as the ultimate Eurobrand positioned to compete head-to-head with the Japanese Big Four (Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki, and Yamaha). Not only would such a super company have a a wide range of products, but it would also have the volume and the manufacturing capacity to tackle emerging markets in Southeast Asia.
But Piaggio Group’s top brass, in an official statement, defined as baseless, “any assumptions about possible integration of the Piaggio Group and other industry groups.” The company then goes on to deny “categorically, that they have heard of projects or documents of any kind, developed by McKinsey in relation to that hypothesis.”
Stay tuned!
~ABET
