Allow me to start this profile by featuring an artwork of this painter cum rider. In the art circle, his works are easily identifiable for the skyward perspective and split-eyes of his subjects. The artwork below is his self-portrait with his two-tone green Vespa.
Some talent, huh? Now let’s get to know more of this visual artist. Read the rest of this entry ?
It’s the weekend and time to end this series with bang! Okay, if that’s too much of a word, then maybe ‘buzz’ is the more appropriate term. 
You see, today’s profile features a guy I consider ‘the main man’ when it comes to online scooter news. In fact, he has been scooter blogging back in the days when blogging seemed too geeky a concept meant only for computer nerds and loners. Talk about some pioneering work! His site is well known among scooterists in the States, here in the Philippines, and probably the rest of the world (or at least, the English-speaking part of the world)!
That’s him back in 1995 on his first ever scooter — a vintage Vespa Primavera. Let’s get to know more about this guy and the work he’s done in the U.S. scootering scene. Read the rest of this entry ?
The next guy in this series in not a just a blogger. He’s more of a podcaster — coming up with weekly episodes about scootering and stuff. The music’s great too! I have been fortunate enough to be his guest for this week’s episode (if you haven’t caught that yet, you may listen to it here); and it was one hell of an experience for me!
He maintains a blog for the sole purpose of posting show notes for each episode and to post related images and links as mentioned in the show. Basically you just hear the guy. For listeners curious to see the face behind the voice, the only picture of him in his site is this black & white shot taken back when he was three years old. Pretty mysterious guy, huh? But for his profile here, he sent me his current picture along with his three(!) Vespa scooters — one even has a sidecar! *drool* Check ‘em out. Read the rest of this entry ?
A series about American Vespa bloggers wouldn’t be complete without seeing the name of today’s featured rider. His blog was named the “Best motorcycle or scooter blog” in the 2007 Rider’s Choice Awards by the Motorcycle Bloggers International (MBI) — an association of riders who write and maintain motorcycle blogs, which we’re both a part of.
He is a photographer by profession as evident with the scenic and postcard-ish images found throughout his blog. He has (wittingly or unwittingly) created a signature style of photographing a Vespa. In fact, in one out-of-town ride during a certain stretch where I had the chance to be by my lonesome, I took a few pictures with his style in mind. Understandably, my shots turned out way inferior since I lack the talent and all I had was a cellphone camera. 
Still, I hope to post those images in the future as an homage to this guy’s artistry.
Just how good a photographer this guy is? I’ll let his picture do the ‘talking.’
His photographs are usually like the one above: a rural landscape with only his Vespa. Strangely, his images feel so alone but never lonely; instead you get some sense of serenity and contentment. If I were to describe his pictures in a word, I’d say: SOLITUDE.
But his blog is famous not just because of his stunning photographs. He’s a good storyteller as well. I’m just glad he agreed to participate in this series. On with his profile… Read the rest of this entry ?
The next featured rider/blogger is a visual artists who is currently building his own airburshing and illustration portfolio. In fact, he says he loves ink whether it’s printed, crowquilled, rapidographed, or subdermally injected.
Having said that, let me first show you this Art Vespa below – an unassuming skin art which I first saw in a blog post of our featured rider.
That’s not our featured rider’s tat, but something he would’ve considered if it hasn’t been done already. I myself would want to get me one of that the moment I saw it. For the uninitiated, it may seem like a petty hand-doodle of some childish arithmetic. But for any vintage or classic Vespa rider, that would make perfect sense. It’s subtle and witty with just the right touch of sense-of-humor. And the placement of the design on the left hand couldn’t have been more appropriate.
Now let’s meet the guy who features interesting art, motorcycle & scooter related stuff such as that in his own blog. Read the rest of this entry ?
Since Amerivespa is coming up next week (July 12 to 15), I thought that featuring American Vespa/scooter bloggers for another round of the Rider’s Profile series would be a great idea.
Amerivespa is sort of like the Vespa Attack held annually here in Manila every December. The difference is that the U.S. counterpart is hosted by a different city each year under the umbrella of the Vespa Club of America. For 2007, the host city is Seattle, Washington.
And what better way to open this series and start the ball rolling by featuring a rider based right where all these scootering action will be! Let’s get to know him and more about his participation in this year’s event.
I intended this post to be fun, but I felt a pinch of sadness by the time I finished. May this bring smile to the faces of grownups who still know how to imagine like a child. 
rider’s name: Giffy Mimi
also known as: Mother Giffy
ride: “Vespie,” the pink Vespa
homebase: our bedroom
job: my daughter’s travel companion & sleeping buddy
more about the rider: Read the rest of this entry ?
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Rider’s Profile in here. Actually, it’s been a while since I have posted anything at all. It just that blogging takes a back seat when work or leisure gets in the way.
Anyway, I’ve found this paparazzi pic of this barefoot-Vespa rider in Malibu a few weeks back and thought of sharing it here.
He’s half of the Wedding Crashers
banging dating Kate Hudson. Some lucky guy! Find out more. Read the rest of this entry ?
It’s Friday and we’ve reach the end of this blog’s Iskuterista Series. I want to thank all these five guys for making this blogging week a fun and memorable experience for me. But this doesn’t mean it will be the last time I’ll be featuring local Vespa riders here. The local scene is full of more interesting personalities and I’ve barely scratched the surface.
Fittingly, I saved the fairest scooterist for last. I’ve been hearing her voice thru the airwaves since she’s been a DJ on FM for quite some time now. Reading her bio in her station’s website, I’ve learned that she’s also been an FHM Babe (she even has a stalker story about this guy who asked for her to autograph his FHM copy and eventually caused a commotion in the station. Link to that story below). I do remember seeing an that issue where her fellow DJs (Tina Ryan and Miles) posed for the mag, but I hate that I seemed to have missed her in there. For the lucky ones, go rummage through your collection and check out the October 2006 ish — Pam Anderson on cover! If I find that issue, I’ll post a scan here! hehehe For now, let’s content ourselves to a more wholesome (it’s a mere headshot from her station’s website for crying out loud!) of this pretty and friendly lady DJ.
Now, let’s see her answer our short Rider’s Profile questions. Read the rest of this entry ?
By this time, you may have already noticed the popularity of the PX model among Filipino Vespa riders. The three guys in this series all saddle on a PX. The observation of fellow rider, Boo Blanco, sums up why this is so….
The PX-150E is the preferred vintage scooter of our local riding scene and this is not merely due to the lack of availability of other models. The PX offers a superior balance of performance, reliability, convenience and retro-style that can’t be beaten by the rarest vintage scooter and the most advanced motorcycles. It is no wonder that the PX-150E is the largest-selling Vespa in Piaggio’s history and may no easily be found in the shadows of New York’s skyscrapers than in the back-alleys of India and the islands of the Caribbean.
I myself knew I wanted a PX from the start (actually I knew the classic look but didn’t even know what it’s called at that time). At the time I was looking for I ride, it came to a point that I actually emailed Piaggio Asia Pacific out of desperation and asked when would the next batch of PX200 will arrive. My inquiry was then forwarded to their Philippine representative and got a reply from this guy.
Nani (or Dr. Scoot to readers of Scooterista magazine) is actually one of the first people I got to talk with regarding Vespas. He entertained my ’stupid’ questions over the phone about the PX model since I really knew nothing about it. The only thing I know then is that it was the model I wanted. He told me about their Vespa shop in Leon Guinto, Manila and urged me to visit them soon so I could see the Wasps there and them firsthand. In retrospect, our whole conversation may have sounded like a consultation with a doctor. Later that day, I was able to find a second hand PX and brought it to the shop the next day so Nani could take a look and give me his assessment. The rest, as they say, is history.
Here’s Nani with some of the EuroScoot guys
So what is this ‘doctor’ like after clinic hours? Let’s find out! Read the rest of this entry ?
You are currently browsing the archives for the Rider's Profile category.
This blog was named as
Best Sports & Recreation Blog
