| Honda planning some electric innovations of their own.

Dudel, or as we know him around these parts "Scoop Doggy Dog", has a hot scoop for ya like a big 'ole ball of sticky rice (with a side of Hawaiian macaroni salad and some teriaki chicken... Man, I need to each some lunch and I wish we had a Noho's here).

As I was saying, Honda has some electric innovations of their own that hit the patent office today. Here's what Dudel has distilled from the 28 page report containing 16 patent claims and 20 drawings.

Everybody is working on electric scooter technology. Honda patented the technology for "a drum brake unit on a rear wheel rotated by drive force of an electric motor... fins act as a heat sink to dissipate heat generated by the drum brake unit, and to resist heat transfer from the drum brake unit to the electric motor, helping to more efficiently cool the electric motor."

Ahhh, I see. A rear drum brake / electric motor that efficently keeps its cool.

Under the seat you can see the power plug and a removable bed pan. Wait, no... that's a removable storage which can be replaced with a net if you prefer to air your goods in the wind.

All I can say is I'm REALLY digging all the effort the big guys are making... With Honda, Piaggio, Vectrix and others working to produce quality electrics all we need is a serious quantum leap in electricity storage and BLAM! Electric scooters will be zooming all over your town... unless GM makes an electric Hummer first... then the dinosaurs will live on.

| World Record Attempt

Multiple scootering world record holder Julio Languiller will be riding for his fifth world record, this time along Melbourne’s iconic Beach Road for 24 hours straight.

VACC

Mr Languiller said this 24-hour challenge on an unmodified 50cc Honda scooter, on Saturday 3 March, was designed to highlight the fact that scooters are an environmentally-friendly commuter alternative for inner city areas.

He will kick-off from the Mordialloc pier car park at 10am, travelling to Black Rock and back for the full 24 hours.


“This will be a tough ride because the scooter is only a four-stroke machine travelling at 53km per hour,” he said.

“My aim is to travel 1000-plus kilometres in this time, which means I am hoping to travel close to a one-minute kilometre.”

Mr Languiller’s first 24-hour world record was on a Honda Today (a four-stroke scooter), covering 809km on the streets around the Telstra Dome in 2005.

This record was toppled by another Victorian rider, who claimed a Guinness World Record last year, riding an unrestricted (or a modified), two-stroke scooter around a race track for 24-hours covering 981kms.

“You’re comparing apples with oranges here but needless to say, I want to better that record on the city’s streets, as that’s where these machines are in their element,” he said.

“These scooters you can ride all day and they’re fantastic around the city with the 50km/h speed limits. They’re incredibly cheap to run as they fill up on 7 litres of petrol.

“With this wonderful form of transport, you don’t have to worry about traffic jams, parking fees, city link tolls, and they’re the same cost as a reasonable road bicycle.”

Mr Languiller said while he expected to fill his petrol tank every couple of hundred kilometres, and once the challenge was complete, he would know exactly how much fuel he used.

His previous world records include three world records for 24 hour endurance rides on four-stroke Hondas; 50cc, a 125cc, and a 250cc, as well as riding around Australia on a Honda Silverwing in 15 days.

| 2007 24hr Le Minz

Field Filling Fast For Energy-Packed Scooter Endurance Test

Toby Lynch, Fluid Public Relations

The countdown to the nation's most demanding scooter endurance test has begun, with only two months remaining until the green flag is waved to signal the start of the third annual Le Minz 24 Hour Scooterthon at Parklands Showground on the Gold Coast.

The September 8-9 showdown is sure to be an energy-packed occasion, so it seems only fitting that organisers officially welcomed High Roller Energy as the event's major sponsor late last week.

The newest addition to the energy drink market, High Roller Energy is sure to be in great demand from a rapidly-expanding lineup of scooter riders, teamed up or going the distance alone in the ultimate test of reliability aboard the emerging method of transport.

Mark Petersen from Exhibition and Trade Fairs said the High Roller Energy Le Minz 24 Hour Scooterthon was shaping up to be a fun-filled spectacle with unprecedented interest.

"We are excited to welcome High Roller Energy to the event and know that participants will appreciate the boost as they ride around the clock to find which manufacturer is the most reliable," said Petersen.

"It's a safe and entertaining way to compare the latest models on the market - scooters are sky-rocketing in popularity and becoming a popular choice for everyday transport."

"100 percent of the profits will go to the Autism Association of Australia, a hard-working charity that contributes so much to the community."

Half of the grid has now been filled, with a further 10 places expected to be snapped up in quick succession.

While Le Minz is a fun way to gauge the reliability and efficiency of scooters, there will also be a selection of riders seeking to break a recently-set world record. Earlier this year, Julio Languiller set an impressive benchmark, riding a Honda Today 50 a total of 1084km in a 24-hour period.

Longterm scooter arrives

Having spent a winter ignoring my Honda Benly in the garage when I should have been preparing it for Spring, it looked like I might end up relying on lifts from my girlfriend for the foreseeable future. So you can imagine how happy I was to secure the longterm loan of a Gilera Nexus 500 to get myself back on two wheels. Picking up the scooter from Walton Road Garage near Hampton Court in London, I was impressed with the sporty looks of the bright-red Nexus. It definitely looks more sports-tourer than the other maxi scooters. And I was even more impressed with the remote unlocking seat, operated from the key fob. After all, everyone loves a gadget. Looking to buy a maxi scooter or bike? Click here. Read MCN's bike review of the Nexus, among 400 bikes online. Click here. Get the right kit for riding your scooter.

Initial impressions were good once I'd reprogrammed my brain to having the front brake on the right lever, and the left lever operating a linked system which operates front and rear brakes at the same time. The 460cc automatic whisked me out of London towards the M25 without any fuss, and I started to get used to the riding position. But once on the motorway and heading to Peterborough I had more to think about. Scooter design isn't as stable as high speed as many bikes, and the screen appeared to be acting as a large sail, particularly with crosswinds from overtaking lorries. I'll be experimenting with the screen height, which is simple to move into one of three positions, to see if I can improve things. And I'll need to, because the engine will quite happily cruise above the legal limit if needed, with a top speed over 100mph if you can put up with the turbulence. It's only been a few days since I collected the Nexus, but I'm already becoming attached to it. I might get some stick for riding a bright red scooter, but it's easy and relaxing to use, easy to clean, and with a bit more practice and using the pillion footpegs, I might even start surprising a few of my bike-riding colleagues. A 250cc version has also been tested by MCN in the April 26, 2006 issue, but I'm enjoying the extra power once the automatic transmission picks up. I'd love to here from other maxi scooter owners, so please feel free to email me (daniel.thornton@emap.com), or posted on the Related Topics thread, right.