SIP Customer Magazine "CURVE" 2/2013

curve edition 02|13

the customer magaZine of sip scootershop

VesPa rally, italy 2013

tre marI VeSpa a Bohemian ride out

VeSpa road trIp runs, racinG, eXhiBitions

Scooter-newS

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intro 03

Intro News-Flash Scooter Races SIP Customshow Vespa Roadtrip Blechreiz Tre Mari Vespa Raid Dates Eco Friendly Africa Travel I Love Wild Behind the Scenes Vespicture SIP In-House

04 07 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 27

Dear SIP customers,

It’s been half a year since we published the first edition of our customer magazine CURVE. Alongside our blogs, the magazine aims to keep you well informed about the latest events, parts and SIP in-house highlights. The feedback on the first issue was overwhelming and reached from amiable to exuberant: „Millimax: Very good design. I like the short and crisp articles best“ - „Stephan1976: Very nice gesture and interesting reports. Thanks a lot!“ – „Grenouille1972: Unique scootering magazine with a cool layout“.

This second edition of our magazine includes a review of the summer of 2013, which – for us – was extremely exciting and eventful. Read about our scooter trip to Southern France, the refurbishment of our shop in Landsberg – and plenty of other things that moved us. Thanks a lot for all your contributions and reactions to the magazine. We are very happy to receive your feedback and would like to thank you for your criticism, praise and suggestions.

Enjoy the second edition of CURVE.

Cheers from Landsberg, the SIP Scootershop Team

Imprint Editor and publisher: SIP Scootershop GmbH | Graf Zeppelin Str. 9 | 86899 Landsberg am Lech | Germany Phone: +49 (0) 8191 96999-60 | Fax: +49 (0) 8191 96999-70 E-Mail: curve@sip-scootershop.de | www.sip-scootershop.de Print run: 20.000 pcs (german/english) Editorial staff: Sylvia Legath, Ralf Jodl (SIP Scootershop) Photos: see respective article Layout & graphics: 24sieben | www.24sieben.net

04 flash

3 trainees completed their apprenticeship at SIP

SIP „Joyride“ July 2013

by SIP Scootershop

For 15 years SIP Scootershop GmbH has been an IHK training company. In June 3 trainees successfully completed their apprenticeship at the Landsberg based mailorder company. In the picture from left to right: Claudia Jacob (wholesale and foreign trade clerk), Marcel Mumhofer (specialist for warehouse logistics), Cristin Flehmer (office clerk) and Ing Alexander Barth (Managing Director).

On Saturday the 27th of July many scooterists met in front of the newly designed SIP scootershop headquarters in Landsberg am Lech... As if they had made an appointment.

And as they were enjoying each others company, they decided to go for a ride towards the Eastern Allgäu.

All 3 trainees have been given permanent employment contracts. Here you can find more information on training at SIP: www.bit.ly/sipjobs

Round about 100 scooters, the oldest one being over 60 years old, from 50cc to the modern 300 GTS hit the road together. After riding through the beautiful historic center of town, the ride continued along the Eastern Allgäu‘s hilly village

www.bit.ly/siptrainee13

www.bit.ly/sipjoyride

Photographic competition

Show us your Garage We want to know, where you pimp your ride, hang out with the guys, have a beer and talk fuel. Show us your garage, workshop, shed or barn. The 4 best pictures will win a brand new SIP iPhone 4/5 cover.

Send your pictures to curve@sip-scootershop.de!

streets to the Cafébar „Hallelujah“ in Kaufbeuren. SIP customer and owner Roland Hanemann was very happy about the scooter invasion and provided the riders with pizza and drinks - great initiative! The great summer weather invited to chat, check out the different scooter models or simply enjoy the sunshine. Then the tour continued towards Mindelheim to the Cafébar Signor Rossi. The lovingly furnished 50s Café was an excellent match for the scooters and made for some wonderful pictures.

For us such an awesome tour with like-minded scooterists is always a very special event and definitely one of our annual highlights! Thanks everyone for joining in!

flash 05

Landsberg am Lech

Shop Opening - SIP Scootershop During the last few weeks we extensively refurbished our shop in Landsberg. While wood and steel elements make for a nice backdrop, the assortment of the new shop includes useful and trendy accessories such as shirts, helmets and functional clothing. Our wide selection of lifestyle gadgets does not only provide you with the perfect gift for every occasion, but also includes many goodies to treat yourself to. Our new couch corner invites you to stay for a while... so enjoy a cup of Cappuccino or Espresso and make sure to watch the latest SIP TV clips on the huge video wall. On Sat., August 10 we were finally able to open the new showroom (>100m²) to the public and more than 500 guests came to celebrate with us. Check out the video: www.bit.ly/shopopening

06 flash

Bayreuth SIP - BSG‘s offical Europe sales partner As of now, SIP Scootershop is the exclusive European sales partner of tuning wizards BSG from Parma, Italy... and once again vintage Vespa tuning enthusiasts move one step closer to paradise.

Alongside Falc, Quattrini and Co. BSG offer some of the hottest tuning parts available to date. The three letters that make up the company name originate from the surname initials of high-end tuner Fabio Begani, racing legend Stefano Scauri and ET-3 boss Alessandro Graiani.

We could stop explaining right here because these guys don‘t do things by halves. Quite on the contrary BSG and the BSG supported pilots belong to the premier league of Italian scooter racing. Be it in the VPI (Vespa Pista Italia), the CIA (Campionata Italiano Accelerazione) or the new POLINI Cup. With a stunning performance of 48PS, the BSG smallframes was the most powerful scooter on the dyno at the Customshow in Landsberg 2013. It‘s clear that special components are required to rein such power.

The CNC engine case forms a solid basis for extreme performances. The guys have been working on this project for years and put the engine case to the test in countless races. By now they are ready to sell it to you.

The engine case is CNC milled from solid material. The enormous crankcase provides enough space for the BSG full circle crankshaft with 90.2mm crankwebs. In order to increase the pre-compaction the cylinder base is equipped with no more than a slot in which the conrod

moves. Of course this can also be enlarged. The bearing seats are designed for 52x20x15mm crankshaft bearings. Spacers for the crankshaft bearings are included. In order to achieve maximum performance, the crankshaft has to be exactly aligned. The engine case comes with a 19.5mm screw-on spacer that allows of extreme transfer ports. Although you can modify the engine case to use a crankshaft intake, we strongly suggest the use of cylinders with direct intake.

Suitable for all watercooled cylinders with 5464mm Ø bore and 54-56mm stroke. e.g.: FALC, QUATTRINI and PARMAKIT. Karting cylinders (such as TM, ROTAX Ø 60mm) and CAGIVA or GILERA racing cylinders are currently used to achieve maximum performance.

The engine case comes with a detachable shock mount that allows you to use rigid (drag racing) shock absorbers. Also the swing arm is detachable and provides enough room for 3.50-10 tyres.

The gearshift arm is ball bearing mounted. You can either use a conventional ignition system, or ignitions made by PVL or SELECTRA. Primary bearing, engine studs and other small parts are included in the scope of delivery. All other components can be taken from a PK engine. The engine case requires the use of a BSG crankshaft. The version with detachable cover allows of fast adjustments to the gearbox, while the engine is mounted. This way you stay flexible at 150-400m races.

www.bit.ly/sip-bsg

5th annual meeting of the VC Bayreuth Bayreuth! City of Wagner or Vespa? Within no more than 5 years, the „Vespa Club Bayreuth“ has managed to become the biggest Vespa club of Germany (they currently count round about 250 members)... Incredible!

The location of the event was very well chosen.

300 scooters from all around Bayreuth had gathered on a parking lot in front of an old brick building (once a spinning mill) which made for a really beautiful backdrop. No matter if the scooters were vintage and modern... as long as they carried the „V“, they were welcome to join the party. The „PizzaRia“ provided the guests with Italian delicacies and Angelo performed Italien classics for hours on end while the kids had a blast in the bouncy castle. Highlight of the event: The corso through the city of Bayreuth.

With more than 300 participants not only the riders, but also the crowd that had gathered at the roadside was amazed to see, how many Vespa enthusists had actually come to Bayreuth.

Yet another highlight: Photographer Alex Hofmann took beautiful pictures of the Vespisti and their scooters and put them in his dropbox, from where they are now available for download!

www.bit.ly/vcbayreuth

race 07

Racing scene Meet & Speed 2013

SIP OnlineShop

DBM race Hofstätten, Austria Austria, near Graz, surrounded by the scent of grapevines, beautiful Styria is sleeping in the morning dew. The sun is rising and dresses the picturesque hillside in a yellow cape. The birds are singing, the bees are humming and a country road lovingly winds through the landscape. Then suddenly a diversion sign. The road is closed. Completely blocked. An accident? No. But there’s something going on here… People are putting up tents. They run this way and that and mark the area with barrier tape. A chronometer is installed and mobile traffic lights are

being put up. Welcome to the MEET and SPEED 2013 in Hofstätten – The only race of the DBM championship, held in Austria. When we arrive, there are many pilots around and everybody seems busy adjusting their scooters and talking shop. Of course the SIP team must not miss such an event and in no time we are surrounded by people in SIP shirts. Food stands provide the guests with hearty suckling pig, sausages, pizza and drinks. Everything is very well organized and the event begins in perfect weather.

While the area is getting increasingly crowded and the engines start howling, the pilots are getting ready to race. The presenter is counting down 3…2…1… and off they go.

The air is filled with adrenalin and the heavily tuned Vespas are speeding up on the race track.

Each race a little wilder, a little faster. When the final race takes place, the audience is cheering like crazy. Once the riders have taken off their soaking wet leathers, they meet in the beer tent to celebrate the day while the sun is slowly going down and the band is playing. We had a blast and are already looking forward to the second edition of the meet & speed. Thanks to the organizing team for this beautiful event.

White Wine „Biancospino“ Riesling, medium dry, 2012 vintage wine, Nahe, 750ml, 11.5% vol. ,Germany part no SIP10300

9,90 €

2-Stroke Oil SIP Formula GREEN full synthetic, 1000ml, 12 pcs, bio-degradable according to CEC-L-33-A-93 part no 14407000

14,90 €

www.bit.ly/dbmaustria

SIP Road 2.0 Racing exhaust for Vespa 125 VNA-TS/150 VBA-Sprint/ PX80-150/PE/Lusso steel, black part no 24166200

139,00 €

08 race

ESC Race results, Belleben 2013 CLASS 1 #

NAME

1

Christian Kachel

2

Maik Persch

3

Patrick Russegger

CLASS 2 #

NAME

1

Markus Angleitner

2

Christian Rapf

3

Christoph Maier

CLASS 3 #

NAME

1

Thomas Lenkeit

2

Toni Fattorusso

3

Alexander Kleist

CLASS 4 #

NAME

1

Lutz Höppner

2

Jesco Schmidt

3

Stefan Kummermehr

CLASS 5 #

NAME

1

Benedikt Neuberger

2

Michael Saetzler

3

Andreas Bayer

CLASS 6 #

NAME

1

Jochen Undesser

ESC Blechkampf 2013 When we arrive at the event site on Friday, we are greeted with the words‚ no minute too soon‘. Uuhm okay... nice to see you, too? But only shortly afterwards we understand what was meant: Half of the ESC celebrities have used the training to take themselves out of the race. While Ulf waves us a happy hello despite a broken collarbone, Stoffi - who had plunged headlong into a tyre wall - doesn‘t seem too sure about who and where he is. Luckily, to set the scene, that‘s it with regards to injuries for the weekend. On raceday the ambulance is not needed and also Stoffi is fit enough to race.

Let‘s get down to facts: In C1 Karoo asserts himself against Maik and Patrick. The fast C2 is dominated by the Stoffis/SIP racing team. Markus (today‘s youth!) confidently wins both races.

Unfortunately Robert (second in the first race) is kicked out of the race when he comes into collision with Rapf,

but at least this clears the way for his team mate Stoffi, who finishes on a respectable third place.

This time Alex Kleist (rpm scootering) completes the C3 podium after Lenki and Toni. Hats off... to organise such a weekend and - en passant - bring home a trophy is more than respectable. Lutz wins the open largeframe class ahead of Jesco (who had earlier that day been quite demoralised by the speed of the other racers) and Stefan. Bene (who after the race ponders if he should have picked up his Ivonne on the last straight to cross the finish line with her) once again dominates the standard smallframe class and brings home another victory ahead of Mu and Hiro. Also very exciting this time: The ladies‘ race. Julia wins her first weekend of the season ahead of Isabel. Nicole finishes third. For the first time after his baby break also Undi is racing again in the fun class.

After the regular ESC races also the ESC Endurance Cup enters the next round in Belleben. In the end it is little surprise that we see the SCK Team on top of the podium, followed by RWRT and Team Heives.

Many thanks to Alex, Stephanie and the tireless supporters for realising this fantastic racing weekend!

CLASS 7 #

NAME

1

Julia Sperandio

2

Isabel Menz

3

Nicole Picker

Text: Sylvia Legath Link: www.bit.ly/blechkampf

race 09

TOWERING TRILOGY

Modern | SIP EXCLUSIV PARTS | ClassiC These three catalogues are available in a printed form or can also be perused at your leisure online.

They cover pretty much all of the retail products we have available here at SIP. There is something there to suit every style of Vespa.

The internet address is: www.issuu.com/sip-scootershop.com Order Your catalogue: www.sip-scootershop.com

1 0 SI P c u s t o m s h o w

In the end the following scooters were awarded: Best Lambretta 36 - Lars Kirschenhofer Best Wideframe 6 - Vespa Veteranen Club Deutschland Best Largeframe 55 - sQooter Team Steyr Best Smallframe 22 - Peter Didl

pa rt

Best Streetracer 13 - Fabian Hauke

no

Best Paint 116 - Lukas Louca Best Display Tiki Bar - HĂśllenteufel SC Furthest Travelled 102 - Giacomo Salia (UK) Maximum Respect 108 - Andreas Barth Best Custom 99 - Andi Frey Best Oddity und Best of All 109 - Pulsar Project (GR) A big thank you to all exhibitors, visitors, and helpers for a fantastic weekend. We are already looking forward to seeing you again in Austria next year.

0â‚Ź

Best Non-Italian 58 - Fam. Thiele, Bella Club

551 - 14,9

Best Racer 114 - Mike Betz

9528

Best Vintage Racer 66 - Raphael Reinsch

s i p c u s t o m s h ow 1 1

SIP Customshow Landsberg, April 2013

U

sually it‘s us, who load their van each year to visit a custom show. Be it in Ried, in Antwerp or in Bridlington. But when the news reached us that there would be no custom show in Munich this time, another idea rushed into our mind: ‚A custom show in Landsberg... that would be nice. As international as possible and featuring all imaginable branches of the scooter scene...‘ While we had rather been thinking aloud than actually planning in December, only a moment later they day had come.

On Saturday 13, April 2013 the Motorscooter Customshow Landsberg opened its gates.

Within no time people from all over the world had let us know that they wanted to participate. Italian mods, French long distance riders, Austrian tuners, German collectors... They all wanted to be part of the show. Wow! But while we were more than happy about the enthusiastic feedback, we also started to worry: What if the venue is too small? What if it‘s raining?

What if the various groups won‘t get along with each other? An event of this size is always quite a challenge and our only option was to plan ahead as well as possible and trust in the momentum of the event.

The plan worked out well and a couple of days before the show, the first internation guests arrived in Landsberg. All of them had brought

stunning exhibits. From Greek Pulsar Project‘s latest work ‚Springer Sting‘ to the high-performance racers of the Italian BSG guys.

On the day of the event not only the visitors but also the organiseres were excited to see how diverse and colorful the scooter scene 2013 actually is: cross racers, rally pilots, Bella enthusiasts, drag racers, 50s nostalgics... round about 1500 visitors had come to see the 116 registered custom scooters and stroll through the fairground. Alongside impressive paint jobs and sophisticated customising, there were also a couple of oddities to marvel at (the Bastert Monotrace for instance). Often times tounge in cheek and always with the utmost attention to detail. Many guests had travelled hundreds of miles to visit the show. Some of them even by scooter. We were really impressed to see, how enthusiastic people from all over the world still get about the ‚old‘ scooters. Once again a huge motivation for us here at SIP to promote the future development of the Vintage Vespa/Lambretta sector. Alongside the exhibiton, there were also several other attractions...

Text: Sylvia Legath Complete report, extensive image gallery and a SIP TV Video: www.bit.ly/customshow13

12 story

SIP Scootershop Vespa Road Trip 2013, France

A bohemian ride out

T

he Vespa cult enthuses and unites people not only in Europe but all over the world.

No doubts about that. Some Vespisti even take it further... they board a plane in Asia und travel around the globe to join the SIP Scootershop squadron on their impressive/crazy journey.

In bright sunshine 11 highly motivated riders departed from the SIP headquarters in Landsberg am Lech. After taking the direct highway route past Lake Constance towards Chur, they crossed the Oberalp and Furka (2436m) passes during heavy rain and wound up in Swiss Münster, where the day’s trip came to an abrupt end. In his god given playful mood, a young dog jumped on the street in a tight bend and brought down one of the scooterists. After having been checked and

x-rayed at a local surgery, the crash-pilot was able to continue the trip – terrified and with a bruised foot but thankfully without any major injuries.

We rode on until we reached a little refuge (1700m absl) near Martigny in Valais, where we spent the night. Btw.: The animal lovers amongst you may breathe a sigh of relief as well: The dog remained uninjured.

The next morning surprised us with a beautiful view of the valley that had been hidden when we arrived in the dark. Well rested we continued to Rocco´s Vespastore in Martigny. While the crashed scooter was licked back into shape, we were able to visit Rocco‘s new Vespa Museum, where a model (in original paint) of almost every series that has ever been produced was

on display. Crazy and absolutely worth a visit: www.vespastore.ch/. Although the Mont Blanc stayed hidden due to heavy fog, we continued through the Olympic city of Albertville. They have spectacular bumps there that will shake loose your plug connectors and make them crack like crisp bread. Riding on the highway is most fun at 40°C. In short trousers, shirts and flip-flops we’re flying past Grenoble towards our destination. We are still not quite sure if it was our highly sensitive protective gear or the menacing fleet formation that inspired our on-the-road acquaintances with such strong emotions reaching from “piqued” to “honking in jubilation”.

Once we had left the „Autoroute“, we followed the trails of the Tour de France towards

story 13

Mormoiron near Avignon. To the rally organised by the Scooter Club du Sud Est and to our friend Henry’s vineyard where we were (once again) hospitably received and accommodated. Vive le President!

The two following days were very relaxed. We went to the rally, took part in the local Joyride, marveled at the skills of Nicola „l´Impennatore“ Campobasso and relaxed at the pool. We especially enjoyed the obligatory wine tasting session with Henry‘s uncle Tonton. How nice it must be to have a winemaker in the family.

We spontaneously decided not to continue to Nice but to take the slightly longer route to the Côte d’Azur (more precisely to Marseille). Coffee

at the harbor, on we went to Cassis. Cannonball into the sea and straight onwards along the fabulous costal road „Route des Cretes“ (D141) to La Ciotat, where we had dinner at the finest place. By chance - or rather thanks to the overwhelming French hospitality - this last point on the day’s agenda was especially pleasant. As I said before: Riding a Vespa unites people and Arnaud (the boat builder and windsurfer we had met in Mormoiron) and his wife were so kind as to offer us to spend the night at their place. Merci beaucoup, Arnaud!

The next day’s tour was supposed to take us to Cannes, Nice, San Remo and Genova. Unfortunately we didn’t come any further than Menton near San Remo. A defective oil seal made one of

the PXs draw false air and had… as it seemed… damaged the engine case beyond repair. We still tried to fix it and spent three busy hours at the roadside centre-punching, gluing and praying… then we were back on the road and on our way to San Remo where we spent the night.

Past Genova the beautiful country road SS45 led us towards Piacenza and along the Lago di Garda to the Speck Stube in Malcesine where we celebrated the successful day in the Winds-Bar. The rest of the trip was business as usual...

Text: Christian Seidl Complete report, extensive image gallery and a SIP TV Video: www.bit.ly/siproadtrip13

14 story

blechreiz Vespa Rally in Reutlingen 2013

W

e already advertised it in the last edition of CURVE magazine… The Blechreiz is always worth a visit. Also this year more than 200 scooter enthusiasts had found their way to Reutlingen. Where – looking for like-minded people – they are likely to have gone in circles for a while, as the well-tried location (the local cross area) was not available this year. Not at all bad, as the Hugo‘s Motorscooters had organised an idyllic alternative location with a sensational view of Pfullingen and Eningen. Some guests had already arrived on Friday and with DJ Bumen at the decks and an ambitious team at the bar, it’s little surprise that the warm up party left the guests in high spirits for the rest of the weekend. A tight schedule on Saturday: After a seamless transition to the breakfast buffet at the bar (Tasty. Thanks!) we went on a rideout to the picturesque countryside. Once we returned to the campsite we continued straight to the cross track: In groups of three the contestants had to compete against each other to enter the next round. Thanks to

the dry, sandy ground, the pace of the race was higher than ever this year. After several hard (but fair) single combats, Silvan (Hugos Racing Team) won the race in the lead of Freggle (Hugos Racing Team) and Jan (Piston Rockers clan).

Alongside the cross-trophies, other categories were awarded, too: Kill the Hill (Achim), Skilful driver (Fischi), Best Club (Piston Rockers Clan), Best scooter (Jan‘s matt silver Px Streetracer) and a trophy for the furthest trip (which was deservedly received by Lukk, who had ridden his 50cc all the way from Lübeck). In the evening DJ Bumera once again provided smooth sounds and after 50 liters of free beer (thanks Holger) and various burnouts, there was no doubt that this was exactly the place to be: Great people - great atmosphere. Thanks a lot guys, and see you again next year!

Text: Sylvia Legath Link: www.bit.ly/hms2013

stor

SIP TV BROADCAST YOUR SCOOT! Since 2009, we have presented you with reports about scooter rallies, races and events in high deďŹ nition on our YouTube channel. We recommend that you subscribe to our channel so you will be informed automatically when we add a new clip. youtube.com/scootershop

SIP Joyride Vespatour 2013

SIP Shop Opening 2013

SIP Customshow Landsberg 2013

SIP Vespa Roadtrip France 2013

16 story

che bella!

Tre Mari Vespa Raid, Italy 2013

The modern version started out in 2005 as a revival of the classic 1950s Vespa race. This is strictly an event for classic geared scooters only, though the organisers have been lenient and welcoming enough to allow riders of the ancient rival – Lambretta – to take part. On my first visit in 2005 I was still very conscious of the Tre Mari’s sporting heritage as a time trial and encouraged the rest of my team to make a race of it. However my Italian chums refused to be hurried and eventually I succumbed. At checkpoints in ancient hill towns the views were magnificent and we were given free wine and slices of herb bread. These eventually brought home the message that to rush through from start to finish each day is perhaps to miss the point. This is an event to savour, like a fine meal or a passionate sexual encounter.

For 2013 the event had been extended to 820km divided over three days of riding with almost 180 people taking part. Most came from Italy but included were riders from France, Germany, England, Belgium and Greece. The event alone might seem like a long, hard ride to some, but the journey is made bearable by easily the best organisation of any scooter event I’ve ever encountered.

The Vespa club of Bari’s motto for this episode was ‘in Vespa at low cost’, and they weren’t joking. The fee of 135 Euros per person not only covered the event entry, but also two nights hotel accommodation en route, two evening

buffet meals (with wine on the tables) as well as a stuffed thermal goodie bag. In terms of value for money, it can’t be beaten.

The Bari VC guys have also perfected their logistics system; with each goodie bag containing a pre-printed tag to attach to your luggage which you leave with the back-up van each morning.

Miraculously the bag is waiting for you in the lobby of the hotel each night. As such there’s no need to tackle the rides over the mountains with an overloaded scooter, or to miss out on a fresh set of clothes for the evening.

Brilliant! Central to the event is your spiral-bound ‘road book’ which not only contains detailed maps of the route, but also photos of specific junctions and areas where you should obtain stamps at each checkpoint. The road book also contains the phone numbers of all the organisers and every other competitor. In the event of a problem there is a ‘sweeper’ vehicle following the route and helping out with breakdowns.

What Do You Need? The most important thing is a

Story 17

OK so you’ve crossed off Euro Vespa and Euro Lambretta.You’ve caught the excellent Elba rallies and Holiday in Holland rallies while they were on. Isle of Wight rally is a ‘must do once’ but after that, what next for event where scooters are essential to the theme? If you fancy pushing the boundaries a little further then Vespa Club of Bari’s Tre Mari (three seas) event should be an essential tick in your ‘bucket list’.

reliable scooter with good brakes and tyres and preferably a comfortable seat. This is not a place for fibreglass race seats and dropped handlebars unless you know a friendly chiropractor.

A tuned motor is not essential, but it can make the roads more fun. One of our team – Mango – did the entire journey on a standard PK125 ETS, but you wouldn’t want anything slower than that or the hill climbs will take forever. Favourite tools for the job were T5s or Rally 200s along with many Vespa PXs. As part of a the Lambretta Cyclone 5 team I was privileged to be loaned the Rimini Lambretta Centre demonstrator: a GP fitted with a standard 225cc TS1 kit, Franspeed Super Tourer exhaust and various other goodies such as Dunlop TT92 race tyres on SIP tubeless wheel rims and an SIP digital speedo. Apart from the 34mm Dellorto’s insatiable thirst – using double the fuel of a standard Vespa – it was a perfect scooter for the job. I don’t mind using twice as much fuel when I’m having double the fun, carving through the dry and bumpy hillsides with Mickey from RLC on his 5-speed TV250 and leaving the frugal PXs in our dust.

One thing you don’t need is a Sat-Nav. It is enough to have one person in your team who can read a map because the road book is sufficiently detailed to navigate from. Those who did try to use GPS systems found that they were constantly being suggested to leave the prescribed route and follow major roads.

After a hot and sunny morning, halfway through the first day it began to rain, but nothing that couldn’t be kept out by a good set of waterproofs. I declined the Italian Vespisti fashion for wrapping your feet and legs in plastic sacks and taping them on. Riders prepared that way looked like they were ready to either be put in the post or dropped into the recycling.

Suddenly the already challenging mountainous route from Bari to Scalea on the opposite coast became all the more intense with little room for error. In the evening we heard that Bepe from the Lambretta club of Calabria had slipped off in the wet and broken his leg. His team were disheartened, but with no way to help after he was taken to hospital, they were persuaded to carry on.

Make no mistake, even without racing to each checkpoint, this is still a hardcore riding event that demands skill and any mistakes will bite you.

The only thing lacking on this event – from a traditional scooter rally perspective – are really raucous parties. After an en-masse buffet in the hotel we stayed out drinking until the small hours on the first night in Scalea, but it was still fairly reserved. ‘Tomorrow’ meant a 07.30 start to drop your bags off before breakfast, and then 206km back over the mountains to Crotone located on sole of Italy’s boot-like shape...

Text: Martin Round (Sticky) Complete report: www.bit.ly/tremarivespa

18 dates

07/12/13

12/06/14

12/06/14

SIP Advent Shopping

AMERIVESPA 2014

VESPA WORLD DAYS MANTOVA

Landsberg (Bavaria): Christmas already? On Saturday, 7. December we will celebrate another very special Advent Saturday in our store in Landsberg:

The upcoming Amerivespa (12.-15.06.2014) will once again be held in New Orleans. Jointly hosted by the Big Easy Weekender United, a conglomerate of the Nola clubs, ‘Amerivespa New Orleans’ equals four days of scootering fun for scooter enthusiasts and general public.

As the largest annual motor scooter rally in the United States, the Amerivespa 2014 will receive more than 1,000 guests.

It’s finally official: The upcoming edition of the Vespa World Days will take place in the homeland of the Vespa.

20% on ALL PARTS* in the shop Mulled wine and wafers Fire barrel Contemplative fuel-talk with our team Scooter videos of the 2013 season Come by scooter and get a surprise for free! * Only on parts on stock, only in our shop in Landsberg, only on Sat 7/12/2013, 10am - 2pm.

Also valid for gift vouchers!

While its origins are rooted on the iconic Vespa scooter, the VCOA welcomes all scooter enthusiasts regardless of what they ride. SIP Scootershop will be one of the main sponsors of this event and we will write a report for you directly from the Mississippi.

www.bit.ly/adventsip2013

www.amerivespa.org

From June 12-15, 2014 the Italian city of Mantova will experience an invasion of two wheelers and we’re already looking forward to being part of it. More information will soon be available on the official VWD website.

www.vespaworlddays2014.it

story 19

Vespa Alp Days 2013

SIP OnlineShop

Zell am See

“Retrospective Scooters” analogue photographs of VESPAS by Paul Hart, German/English/Italian, 120 p., DIN A4

The Vespa Alp Days are - without doubt one of the annual scootering highlights, thus the organizing team was once again able to announce a record attendance.

When the guests arrived on thursday evening, they could already work up the proper spirit for the weekend by going on a rideout to the mid station above the roofs of Zell am See. After a nice tour to the Stubachtal on Friday, Saturday brought one of the highlights of the event: The Audax-Race right up the Großglockner. In the evening, the fastest conquerors of the mountain were awarded with trophies. Besides the rideouts, the visitors enjoyed the various fringe events such as a body painting show, live music, fireworks and a lottery (where a Faro Basso was raffled off!). Also wheelie-king Nicola Campobasso had come to Zell am See again and performed in a spectacular stunt show.

part no 98879930

Of course we had also sent a SIP delegation to the mountains. Max and Oli did not only bring many parts to Zell am See, but also good news: Next week the brand new Modern Vespa catalogue will be published. The visitors of the Vespa Alp Days could already fill in pre-order postcards.

And they were happy to do so. No wonder, as many of them had travelled to Austria on one of the latest models.

35,00 €

Rim SIP Tubeless open, anti-theft protection, front & rear, ally, black, polished edge, valve premounted part no 81058100

59,00 €

As the SIP guys didn‘t make it to the Großglockner on Saturday, they were especially looking forward to the Lake&City Corso, which was ridden in traditional costumes and nicely brought the event to an end on Sunday. Back home, they are already looking forward to the next year, all the while happily whistling the official Vespa Alp Days song...

Racing Cylinder MALOSSI New! 210cc, „Sport 2013“, aluminium, 7 ports, stroke 57mm, w cylinder head, Ø 68,5mm www.bit.ly/vespaalpdays13 part no 31156180

379,00 €

20 story

Make a Difference with Eco-friendly Africa Travel

While working in Dubai, copywriter and journalist Melissa Andrews realised, that the earth was increasingly stressed. In an attempt to take action, she and her husband (photographer Christopher List) began planning a great travel adventure: A carbon-neutral scooter safari. In the end, the two of them rode LML/ Vespa scooters through the whole of South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique (9 months, >15,000 km), visiting and volunteering at permaculture projects and planting trees. Thereby ensuring that their trip was not only carbonneutral, but also beneficial to the environment and the communities they visited.

Melissa was so kind as to answer us a number of questions about this amazing project. Visit our blog (www.bit.ly/EcoAfrica) to read the complete interview.

Can you tell us a bit about the idea and agenda behind this trip?

“(…) Our mission was to raise awareness about the environmental issues affecting us and what we can do about it, promote responsible travel (while keeping our own footprint low) and support the incredible work of ‘Food & Trees for Africa’, while giving something back in terms of our volunteer work.”

Why did you choose to go by scooter?

Were you experiencing technical difficulties?

“We chose LMLs because they’re tough, they’re easy to repair and they’re proven to last for decades. They are Euro-3 compliant with a low CO2 emission level, low cost of maintenance and reduced fuel consumption. (…) But apart from the environmental aspect – a scooter is something you can just buy and go. It comes imbued with a sense of freedom, adventure and possibility – you really can just see where the road takes you. (…)

More than that – it gets people talking, it bridges different cultures and languages and really just gives you a level of connection with your environment that you don’t get with a car…”

“None other than wear and tear – we replaced spark plugs, bulbs, the accelerator cable on one scooter, clutch cable, brake pads, and tyres – but, considering the roads we were on, it’s incredible that we had no other issues…”

What was your favorite project?

“One which stands out was a project in Pimville, Soweto, where a group of 31 elderly pensioners make up a committee that tends the food garden at Thembu Primary School.

The garden grows fresh vegetables for the school‘s feeding scheme and provides food parcels for kids to take home. From a small rocky patch, the garden has flourished into verdant plots that surround the school yard - each plot lovingly tended by its own elderly gardener.

How did the (local) people react to you?

“Usually with a big grin! (…) Anywhere we stopped people would want to talk and share stories, to find out where we were going and why and to simply wonder at how far we’d travelled on these tiny scooters. (…) I’ll always remember the toddler (about 3 years old) who saw us coming from afar and started doing an impromptu street dance in his excitement, gyrating his tiny little hips with the hugest smile and thumbs up as we cruised by.”

What did you like best about the trip and did the trip meet your expectations?

“The feeling of freedom and possibilities, the daily inspiration of people selflessly working to help others, the joy of connection with people, wildlife and the environment, and the simplicity of a minimalist lifestyle. (…) It was more than we expected.”

story 21

Further plans?

This was the first test phase of a much larger trip we’re planning – Cape Town to Dubai 2015.

In the interim we’re busy working on a photographic book of our trip, a photographic exhibition, an eco route through SA, and of course, putting all the information we’ve documented together so it’s accessible to all on our website: www.eco-friendly-africa-travel.com Text: Sylvia Legath Link: www.bit.ly/EcoAfrica

Donations.

If you’re interested in supporting the incredible work that Food & Trees for Africa is doing, visit www.trees.co.za/donations. html and get involved. The contribution you make today will go towards vegetable seeds for a food garden, one or multiple trees for a school or community, or even gardening tools. we do care.

22 story

I love Wild or how I learned to stop worrying and love the island

F

lashback some weeks ago. I find a note on my desk with a callback request. The only reference on it says “I Love Wild”. What the f***? Since when are adult chat services requesting callbacks? Once I hear the voice on the other end of the line, it slowly starts to dawn on me and I have to bite my tongue not to start laughing out loudly during the call. My colleague just reinterpreted the legendary Isle of Wight scooter rally onomatopoetically in his own inimitable fashion. Thanks a bunch Andy, you just made my day.

While I am writing these lines, we are already on our way back to Landsberg and the SIP Scootershop headquarters. 1,400km, 2 ferry crossings, 2 days in our Mercedes Sprinter – mind you, this is only one way. There are more comfortable ways to spend your days for sure. Nevertheless, the Isle of Wight proved to be a memorable experience for us. Our SIP stand was already beleaguered by numerous interested while we were still building up. Robert, aka Hein Bellyflop aka our SIP technician, was mounting new digital speedos or troubleshooting already mounted ones non-stop. We guess he has a lot of new fans as almost every scooter that was touched by his magic hands left its owner smiling afterwards. There were catalogues for Vintage Vespa, Modern Vespa and Lambretta as well as tons of giveaways, all for free of course. Our Glorious Basterd project scoot also was at its best with

lots of visitors taking a very close look and admiring the details of this true bastard. According to the organizing team of Vfm and B.S.R.A., 6,000 scooterists flocked to the island, most of them British. In its 31st year, the IOW rally is a perfectly organized event with impressive numbers of visitors. The Sunday afternoon ride out proved to be the ultimate highlight of the rally. Pictures tell more than a thousand words so we recommend watching our SIP TV video or checking our Flickr photo album.

Time to give proper kudos to: Iggy and the Vfm for a smooth organization, Doug and Shaun for their kind help with our catalogues, Wendy for the nice accommodation, Chris, Ian, Hein and Dave for their incredible African Vespa, or rather, LML adventure, Andy aka Hans for the funny Saturday night at Smallbrook Speedway Stadium as well as all participants of the rally for a superrelaxed atmosphere.

Still figuring out though what would have been written on that callback note if we would have gone to the Isle of Man. Cheers from the bellyflopping Germans

Text: Martin Silberhorn Extensive image gallery and a SIP TV Video: www.bit.ly/enlovewild

story 23

1,400km, 2 ferry crossings, 2 days in our Mercedes Sprinter mind you, this is only one way. There are more comfortable ways to spend your days for sure.

24 Behind the scenes

How do your parts get into the parcels?

Every day we are shipping several hundreds of parcels to places all around the world. To make sure that you get exactly what you ordered, the shipping process is precisely regulated.

Here’s how it works:

Once your order has been released, the shipping employees receive a picking note with detailed information on which parts are needed and where to find them in the warehouse.

Our warehouse is logically structured and divided into various storage areas (high-bay storage, small parts, etc.). Each part is assigned to a specific storage place (Area/aisle/rack/shelf).

In each storage area, the employees are processing several orders in parallel. Once the picking is completed in their area, they pass the orders in process on to their colleagues in the next area.

Almost done: As soon as the picking is completed in all storage areas, a conveyer belt takes the parts to one of the several packing stations.

To make sure that the parcels contain nothing more and nothing less than what was ordered, each part is double checked at the packing station via scan and manual confirmation on the touch screen.

Once the parts are packed safely and in an ecofriendly and space saving manner, the parcels are handed over to the respective delivery service and you will receive a status update via SMS or email.

Background-Image: R端diger Marks

26 Vespicture

2

Do you remember our photo contest? In the last edition of CURVE we asked you to send us your best scooter pictures.

Here are some of the highlights:

#1

Michael Gaugler recently took this beautiful picture of his Vespa PX125MY at the Adolf-Pichler Platz in Innsbruck. He used a Zeiss Ikon Contaflex Super.

This is our reader Arnaud Joubert from La Ciotat (France) on his vintage Vespa ACMA.

3 Andreas Krenn took this picture of a Vespa 946 for his new book project.

If you like his work, make sure to visit his current exhibition ‚La Vespa‘ at the Cinematograph, Linz.

5 Our reader Florian Pavuk couldn’t resist using the picturesque landscape around the Großglockner as a nice backdrop for this photo of his friend Tamas’s Sprint Veloce.

4 Michel Nak from Harlingen (Netherlands) sent us this lovely picture of his 1985 PX200E

sIP in-house 27

Guestbook - lately at the SIP shop Friday 12.07.2013

Liebe SIP’s, war ne schöne Zeit bei euch,Hoffe euch gefällt euer neuer Shop!! Freue mich auf die Filialen in Tokio und New York. Wünsche gute Geschäfte & Sprit im Tank. Bis die Tage, Lars Saturday 27.07.2013

I´m Alu from Taiwan. Super awesome here with all of you guys. Hope your company gets bigger and bigger! Alu - Zelioni Saturday 27.07.2013

Greetings from Sweden, a hot Summer Day. Thanks for All your help, with my Vespa GS160 Regards Joen Crlzon Annika Oscar Hanna Tuesday 30.07.2013

привет из России SIP-Scootershop is the best! Tuddis Tuesday 06.08.2013

Coming fom London to buy a Vespa Part Very trendy Place - we like it!!! Yeah! Vittorio and Gita Saturday 10.08.2013

We had a great Time at SIP OPEN DAY. Thank you very much for having us! Hope to see you guys in Sao Paulo for a ride with Scooteria Paulista. Cheers from Brazil! Wil e Clausen Lavos Friday 09.08.2013

Da Amsterdam verso casa a Padova una tappa alla SIP non poteva mancare! Ciao Maria e Fabio Monday 12.08. 2013

Hello from Finland, Miaa-Maria Friday 02.08.2013

En-route to Istanbul if those naughty scooters stay reliable Sticky (Scootering), Tray and Sam

28 sIP in-house

SIP Aid - news Why are some people dwelling in poverty while we are so well off? Why do they have to suffer from famine, homelessness or floods while we have everything that we need. Scooterists help - for every online order, independent from the order amount.

Help for flood victims in Deggendorf Do you remember the flood disaster in June 2013? Our customer Matthias from Deggendorf was particularly affected by the flood. Seven scooters and a complete warehouse were swamped. How lucky Matthias is to have clubmates who right away helped him to limit the damages. The club originally would have held an ESC race meeting in the nearby village of Wackersdorf last weekend, but the event was cancelled and instead of racing, the Pacemakers are now shoveling, cleaning and drying Matthias‘s belongings.When asked how we could help him, he answered without hesitation: „Parts! So I can get my scooters back on the street as soon as possible.“ We are happy to support him with a € 500.- parts voucher and wish the guys lots of energy and success with the reconstruction of the workshop.

SIP Scootershop funds SOS-Children’s Village’s trip to Finland July, 2, 2013. The SOS-Children’s Village Dießen is cheering: Thanks to a €4.000.- donation of SIP Scootershop the boys and girls will be able to travel to Finland and meet their friends. They got to know each other last year, when the Finnish kids were on their way to the SOS-holiday village Caldonazzo and stopped by at the Ammersee to spend one night in the Mosaik house. SOS-area director Christoph Rublack is not only very happy about the donation (that will also help to realise further leisure activities), but also about SIP Scootershop’s continuous support. The Landsberg based company (which currently employs 70 members of staff) has been closely connected to the Children’s Village since 2005. This time Oliver Schmuck, Jarly Surivong, Hansjörg Dahmen, Ernst Gareis and Stefan Bressel paid a visit to the institution in Dießen and were very interested in the boys‘ and girls‘ daily routine at the Children’s Village. www.sip-scootershop.com/sipaid

SHIPPING FAQ ORDERING You can order from SIP using the following methods : With an ordering form or postcard, by fax, by phone and over the internet at our website – www.sip-scootershop.com. Orders received over the internet are processed immediately and where possible, despatched from our warehouse on the same day.

PAYMENT We accept the following methods of payment: Credit cards, PayPal, Amazon Payment and Cash-on -Delivery (by DHL in Germany and Switzerland but also by UPS in many other European countries) for your third successful order we can also offer you the convenience of Direct Debit.

New Paypal Express, give it a try!

MINIMUM ORDER It does not have to be a huge order every single time.

A smaller minimum order price makes the individual ordering of smaller items also possible (Germany 15 €, Europe 25 €, Rest of the world 80 €)

SIP EXPRESS SIP Express shipping. - Anyone who orders before 14.00 hrs. CET , using our SIP Express SPEED service (6 € surcharge) can be reassured that their order will be processed, packed and despatched on the same day using either DHL or UPS. It can also be sent using the UPS Express Saver service, whereby UPS guarantee the delivery of your parcel before noon on the following weekday.

sIP in-house 29

MORE THAN 31.000 FRIENDS CANNOT ALL BE WRONG!

SIP SCOOTERSHOP ON FACEBOOK (as at September 2013) Add us as a friend on your Facebook account and benefit from exclusive Facebook offers and get the latest information which we only provide via this channel.

We also ask our Facebook friends the versions or designs they like the best long before new products are planned. Get closer to the action and add our page to your Facebook account. www.facebook.com/scootershop

UPS Flatrate UPS express saver We are now able to offer a new shipping service: With UPS express saver you’ll be able to save up to 50% on overseas (USA, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) shipping costs.

Plus the delivery is super fast. As of now also the ‘€ 5.- flatrate parcels’ (across Europe) will be shipped via UPS instead of DHL: safe – fast – affordable. www.sip-scootershop.com

Customer of the month After an extensive refurbishment, our shop finally shines in new splendour.

A good reason to celebrate.

Among the party guests were Luiz and Clausen Lavos from Brazil, who would love us to visit São Paulo soon and join them on a ride through town with the local Scooteria Paulista. www.bit.ly/scooterbrazil

we do care.

Wir alle möchten in einer intakten und sauberen Umwelt leben und unserem Hobby Rollerfahren nachgehen. SIP Scootershop unternimmt eine Menge zum Schutz unserer Umwelt.

A responsible approach towards the environment is another crucial element of our corporate philosophy.

CO2 NEUTRALER VERSAND DURCH DHL GOGREEN CARBON NEUTRALITY BY DHL GOGREEN

UMWELTPAKT BAYERN BAVARIAN ENVIRONMENTAL PACT Der Umweltpakt Bayern ist eine Vereinbarung zwischen der Bayerischen Staatsregierung und der Bayerischen Wirtschaft. Er beruht auf Freiwilligkeit, Eigenverantwortung und Kooperation.

The Bavarian Environmental Pact is an agreement between the Bavarian state government and the Bavarian economy. It is a voluntary, self-responsible cooperation.

Alle Versendungen per DHL verschicken wir CO2 neutral.

Allein im Jahr 2012 konnten wir durch die gut 52.000 Pakete, die wir mit DHL GoGreen verschickt haben, rund 26.3 Tonnen CO2 kompensieren.

All DHL shipments are climat-neutral parcel shipments for instance. Last year alone we were able to compensate 26.3 tons of Carbon Dioxide (Co2) by sending more than 52.000 parcels by DHL GoGreen.

STROM AUS 100% WASSERKRAFT ELECTRICITY FROM 100% HYDRO POWER

100% ALTPAPIER 100% RECYCLING PAPER 2012 haben wir unsere Dokumentenhüllen von PEKunststoff auf 100% chlorfrei gebleichtes Altpapier umgestellt, ebenso alle Dokumente wie Rechnungen und Lieferscheine sowie Kartonagen.

In 2012 we changed all our document sleeves, documents such as invoices and other paperwork as well as paper board containers to 100% recycled, chlorine-free paper.

Nicht erst seit Fukushima hat Atomstrom sein sauberes Image verloren. Strom aus fossilen Energieträgern belastet unsere Atmosphäre mit einem immensen CO2 Ausstoss. Wir haben den Strombedarf unseres Betriebsgebäudes in Landsberg komplett auf Ökostrom aus 100% Wasserkraft umgestellt.

Nuclear power has lost its clean image long before Fukushima. Electricity made from fossil fuels harms our atmosphere by massive co2 emissions. We therefore switched the power supply of our headquarters in Landsberg to green electricity made from 100% hydro power. www.sip-scootershop.com/sustainability