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“Vespa Girl” wins gold!

November 10, 2008

vespa-girlBrisbane’s new landmark — “Vespa Girl” — seen riding high above Scooters Scooters in Wickham Street Fortitude Valley has another reason to smile and wave at passers by, having won Gold in the Australian Sign Awards on the 31st of October 2008!

The annual competition is held on a National basis and the Vespa Girl took on contestants from as far away as W.A to take out the ‘Neon bending & lighting effects’ category.

Dealer Principal Joe D’Ercole was thrilled with the award stating that “we really wanted to make a statement, and an impact with the Vespa Girl sign. People are already using the store and sign as a point of reference in the area. We believe we have achieved this, and taking out the award is icing on the cake.”

Scooters Scooters is Vespa’s showcase store in Australia featuring a full line up of the stylish, economical and environmentally friendly Vespa, Piaggio and Gilera range of scooters. [source]

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See here how the moving neon display looks at night… Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Advertisements, Photos, Shop Talk, Vespa Overeas | 1 Comment »

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A sidecar fit for the Vespa GTV (fits GT too!)

November 6, 2008

Remember the gorgeous sidecar for the classic Vespa I posted a while ago?

Just last Tuesday, Gruppo Piaggio unveiled a prototype of a new sidecar design specially made for the modern Vespa line — particularly the GTV and GT models.

gtv-sidecar-front

(front view)

If you like that, wait ’til you see how the rear looks like! Click on! Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Photos, Vespa Overeas, Vespa Spottings | 5 Comments »

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How to bring your scoot/bike from Caticlan to Boracay?

June 17, 2008

Prior to the ride, we asked several contacts in Bora if we could actually bring in our scoots to the island resort. All said it’s not easy or it was close to impossible with the strict regulations. Details on how-to were sketchy so our group settled to just leave our reliable steeds at Caticlan. But deep inside, I still wanted to give it a shot. We’ve gone all the way there, so how hard is it really to bring the scoots along on a 15-minute boat ride? But who do we talk to? The coast guards? The boatmen? The porters? We were totally clueless. I admit I was also concerned of about how much that extra trip would cost or if it was even safe to do so. On a personal level, bringing my scooter there will be a validation that this ride is indeed a Boracay Ride. I wanted it so much that I had to at least try. Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Local Scene, Photos, Rider's Tips, Rides & Travels, Uncategorized | 12 Comments »

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An Epic Ride to Boracay!

June 13, 2008

The tropical beach of Boracay lies in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines and about 315 kms. away from Manila. It’s a very popular tourist destination and is considered one of the top 10 beaches in the world.

After tackling the North Luzon Loop, the Vespa Club’s Ride Director (Adrian/Rastaman) suggested that we ride to Bora. It took months of planning as logistics were critical for this ride as it involved scoots being ferried twice in two RoRo (Roll On-Roll Off) stations before we could reach our intended destination. We wanted to actually bring our scoots in the island. But after asking around, we learned it was close to impossible with the strict environmental regulations plus the fact that we don’t know which riding club has ever done so before, that is, if there is already. So, we agreed to go on with the ride and settled to just bring the scoots up to Caticlan then try our luck once we get there.

Soon as this ride was confirmed, my wife & daughter booked a flight to Bora to meet us there. Here’s a route map how we got there.

Air travel takes just a little over an hour and with the cheap airfare for advance bookings, the cost comes out just the same compared to RoRo. But riding isn’t just about getting to the destination, it’s also about experiencing the sights and enjoying the journey every step of the way.

Here’s our travelogue. Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Local Scene, Photos, Rides & Travels | 22 Comments »

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Philippine Independence Day Ride!

June 11, 2008

Before I start talking about the Independence Ride we had in our club, let me first share with you this clip of a poignant and reflective rendition of our national anthem “Lupang Hinirang” (Chosen Land) which is traditionally played as a march.

The version below was sung acapella by the Loboc Boys Choir. Created by advertising director Mae Paner, I first saw this via the PAGASA community which my wife & I have been privileged to be a part of through the invitation of Dale, another Vespa buddy.

Here’s the video:

For more details about the above clip, just click ‘more info’ in this YouTube page.

Now about our ride… Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Local Scene, Music, Photos, Rides & Travels, Videos | 2 Comments »

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Ton & Kitty’s 6.7.8 Wedding!

June 6, 2008

Tomorrow, June 7, 2008 ( 6.7.8 ) will be the wedding of our friends Tonton & Kitty. The groom is my Vespa buddy while the bride is a W@Wie who’s been exchanging emails and text messages with my wife for their wedding concerns (special thanks to management & staff of Fernbrook Gardens and Josiah’s Catering for extending valuable assistance to our friends!)

Due to some equally important occasions within my family, Benz & I will have to miss witnessing this couple exchange their ‘I dos.’ :(

But I would not let the event pass without posting these great pictures of them. I don’t really know if they’ve seen it already. I went straight to Parc Cruz, their photographer for their pre-nup/engagement pictorial, to specially ask for these. Special thanks to him & Apot for bearing with my pangungulit just to have these amazing shots in my inbox. :)

Here’s my favorite:

Here’s another shot, this time a closeup of the soon-to-weds. :) Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Art Vespa, Photos, Pinoy Iskuterista | 8 Comments »

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Vespa Club meets The Click Five!

May 30, 2008

Earlier today, the Vespa Club had the privilege of lending our beloved scoots to the members of the American pop/rock band The Click Five who’s in Manila for a quick stop for a concert in Araneta Colesium tonight.

The shoot was done at the 5th level poolside of the Crowne Plaza where the band is billeted for the duration of their stay. We actually had to get the scoots through service elevators just to get there. The shoot was fun and the band members were friendly. It’s a good thing that three out of five TC5 members have their own Vespas back home so they’re used to riding scoots.

Prior to the shoot, I wasn’t really familiar with their songs (I mean I know some of their songs but I didn’t know they sung it) but I know that my niece is a mad fanatic seeing pictures of the members in her multiply site. So my wife tagged her along to check out the shoot… and boy, was she in for a treat of a lifetime! hahaha! :D

Here’s my niece Pao with TC5 frontman Kyle Patrick and my beloved Pyke.

Here’s a group shot of the Vespa Club boys with The Click Five. Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Celebrities, Local Scene, Photos | 8 Comments »

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Magazine Feature: Riding the North Luzon Loop

May 16, 2008

The epic ride we at Vespa Club did got an 8-page exposure in the May 2008 edition of Homestyle magazine (P150/National Bookstore). Special thanks to Mon (our club’s VP) and Vanni (the mag’s Managing Editor) for making this glossy feature possible.

Below are soft copies of the page layouts which appeared in pages 114 to 121 of Homestyle’s current ish.


click thumbnails for a bigger display of the 8-page spread

I’m reposting the entire article below. Some of the photos may differ from those which appeared in the magazine as some text in the article are actually photo captions of specific images. :)

Read on…

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J0HNRANA

john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com


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John Rana and friends ride their scooters through 11 provinces in four days, amassing enough moments of pure camaraderie and unforgettable sightseeing to easily outlast the memory of their stinging backsides.

The North Luzon Loop is one of the three main Tourism Highways recommended by the Department of Tourism (DOT) for anyone who wants to explore the breathtaking sights of the Philippine countryside; the other two being the Pan-Philippine Highway (a 2,500-kilometer arterial road network from Manila to Davao in Mindanao via Bicol in Southern Luzon and Samar and Leyte in Eastern Visayas), and the Nautical Highway (which covers 919 kilometers of land and 137 nautical miles of sea travel through routes utilizing the RORO network of ferry terminals and vessels).

The Loop is the shortest of the three and involves inland travel throughout, making it a popular long-ride route for local bikers. There’s even the annual Iron Man Challenge for big bikers that require them to do the trip in less than 24 hours. But for a rider to truly experience the beauty of the countryside, we knew it would be best not to hurry.

So that was exactly how we at the Vespa Club planned it. We scheduled a four-day ride (February 28-March 2) to complete the adventure which took us around the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan Valley, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija and back for Thursday until Sunday.

As luck would have it, another scooter club have planned the same long ride to Pagudpud within the same time frame although their route had them starting from the opposite (east) side. When EuroScoot president Cliff Certeza and I (his counterpart in Vespa Club) talked about the timely coincidence, we agreed that the two Manila-based groups should meet up north for a fellowship night of sorts. So a higher purpose for this long ride was born. It also helped that some officers and members of another scooter club (Scoot66) decided to come along with our club to be our guest riders and made this epic ride at the tip of Luzon even more historic. (Our odometers clocked 1,400-or-so depending on where exactly in Manila we are based.)

Here’s the story of this epic journey as told through pictures. Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Art Vespa, Local Scene, Personal, Photos, Rides & Travels | 11 Comments »

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CaliRana Ride: Scooting by Lake Caliraya!

April 14, 2008

Yesterday, I got an early morning text from my mom & dad saying that our lake shore resort — CaliRana — in Lake Caliraya is part of the “10 Awesome Family Destinations“ list as featured in Sunday Inquirer Magazine. The piece was written by the guy behind popular travel blog: One Awesome Planet (thanks, Anton!).

That reminded me to tick off one item in my looong list of To-Dos: blog about the CaliRana Ride we had last February with my Vespa buddies. We weren’t the first group of riders to get there though. My brother’s mates in Xplorer Philippines had been there twice before (see their club gallery: March 2007 | Nov 2007).

Here are some pics from that weekend trip with the Vespa boys.

At the CaliRana parking lot. My wife has always been fascinated with the way riders park the bikes/scoots in line and facing just one side. She once asked me if we talk about the way were suppose to park every single time and I told her no since we just follow how the first guy parked. The reason why the scoots face the same side is because that’s the way to lock the handlebar.

Here’s the view from the parking lot. Lake Caliraya is actually a man-made lake built by American engineers in the 40s. The water is pumped-up from Laguna de Bay to this mountain reservoir to generate hydro-electic power in the area. Read the rest of this entry ?

Posted in Local Scene, Photos, Rides & Travels | 21 Comments »

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Has backriding gone to the dogs?

April 11, 2008

Although we Filipinos are not nearly as ‘talented’ as our Vietnamese brothers in fully utilizing the two-wheeled vehicle over and beyond its intended use, the image below just yearns to be shared.

The photo was taken with a phonecam by a rastaman while driving his SUV along C5 road (a national highway, mind you!) this morning. He said, the bike was running at around 60-70 kph and never slowed down while cornering.

It looks dangerous though. I bet it’s like watching a circus act. Dangerous but amusing none the less!

Pinoy biker and his dog

Here in Manila, a helmet is required by law for all riders and backriders. The thing is, the law didn’t specify if it applies to other species in the animal kingdom as well. :D

Awwoooo!

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J0HNRANA

john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com


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Posted in Local Scene, Photos, Topic Off-Vespa | 5 Comments »

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