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 even while cornering.

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

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.

Yesterday, Eugene, a ride buddy and founder of Scoot66 (a riding club composed of Vespistis mostly based in southern Manila) posted in vespaclubph forum a couple a pictures of another “trike” not usually seen in the streets of Manila. It’s an immaculate white Vespa PX with a bullet-shaped, Cozy sidecar attached to it. My fascination with single seater, open and roofless sidecars may have been nurtured at a very young age while watching Star Rangers daily in the late 70s. But seeing the picture of those five superheroes now, I realize that their chosen mode of transport looks no different from the mobile patrol of the Barangay tanod (neighborhood peacekeepers) in our area. hahaha!

Here’s the front view of this drool-worthy Vespa sidecar:

So could this thing fit a grown man for a side passenger? Check out the sideview photo and see the legroom.

Here’s the complete lineup of the Vespa boys who took part in the show:

And here are the Brazillian babes who modeled for the brand:

Check out how these models backride on a Vespa. No two poses are alike, I tell you.

• SEE MORE PICS HERE.

More pictures here.

The shoot was held last Sunday (March 11) along Macapagal Ave. There were about 20+ scoots which joined the shoot. That day, three scenes were shot. One with the band against a green wall for post-prod effects; the second is the scooter and Volkswagen convoy; and the last to be shot was a party scene.

>> Read the rest of the story with pics from the shoot

By Bibs

After the World Superbike Championships the QP Riders have once again gathered forces to witness a significant event in the world of motorcycle racing. The maiden battle of the MotoGP 2007 season is a historic occasion as it signals a fresh start for all the riders and manufacturers. That is why we made sure MCP will be well represented on this momentous gathering of all the worlds’ top riders.

March 10, 2007 marked the first time 800cc prototypes competed against each other from the previous 990cc machines. Everyone is ecstatic to find out how the new bikes will perform since the transition to a smaller displacement was announced last year. In the end Ducati proved to be the stronger machine while Rossi showed he is the better rider. I’m not taking any credits away from Casey Stoner as he exhibited tremendous maturity under pressure while being pursued by “The Doctor” but it was everyone’s consensus at the Grandstand that is why I said the latter. This article is written not to give you a race analysis as most of the MCP members watched the event on television. I’m sure almost every Pinoy race fanatic on MCP knows his stuff when it comes to moto gp. But being able to watch the likes of Rossi, Pedrosa, Hayden, Stoner and all the other great riders on the grid live in action gave us a wonderful experience worth sharing.

By the way, we are just a bunch of MCP members who share the same passion for motorcycles presently based here in Qatar. Credit goes to Sir Yadzky for spearheading everything when he started a database at the overseas forums for Qatar Pinoy Riders. We always see to it that the guys gather for a small EB to keep in touch and talk about our bikes and riding experiences back home whenever our busy schedules permit us. Presently there are only fourteen members (and counting) but we are determined to seek recognition from MCP and have a sub forum exclusive to the group. We look forward to the time when our club will become official and have a set of elected officers to have more organized group activities. It is also our goal to fulfill everyone’s dream of having our first group ride and owning our own bikes since only two members so far have a motorcycle here. As you can see, bikes here don’t come cheap and there aren’t plenty of second hand units to choose from.

So for the meantime, let us serve as your “eyes” here in Qatar for events like the Superbike and MotoGP. We are always willing and glad to share with you stories and pictures of our adventures. Just keep on visiting our thread. If in case you are coming here whether for work or leisure feel free to PM one of us and we will be delighted to assist you in any ways we can possible. I am not really a good storyteller so why don’t you just check out the pics and let them tell you more of our story. Thanks!

More photos and stories here.

So that’s what I did exactly. I joined though and tried my luck though I’m not from South Africa. There were six downloadable images of Vespa LX in different colors to serve as ‘canvass’ to the proposed design. The rules also demand that entries should not cover the seats, lights or any unpainted parts of the Vespa. I chose to download the Midnight Blue vespa for my entry.

The entries will be judged by Francesco Maffe, the international designer for Piaggio in Italy. The winning entry will be unveiled in Design Indaba Expo on February 23-25 at the Cape Town International Convention Center. Aside from a trophy, the winner will also recive an actual Vespa LX sporting his/her original design. How cool is that?

Each entry is required to have a title and here’s what I called mine…

They also suggest that the design be simple and practical to execute. Based on last year’s winner — jigsaw-puzzle Art Vespa (see photo inset) – it was indeed the case. As for design of my Art Vespa submision, I tried to keep it as simple as possible. Denim-finish paintjob with familiar Levi’s pocket stitch on the cowls and legshield, some simple graphics on the fender and of course, the Red Tab. Here’s how the scoot looks like.

Obijuan gives us an interesting look at their wild ride, or in his words…

The Date:
January 11, 2006

The Goal:
–Conquer the trail of “ROPA” along the Wawa route and be back before dinner to have our nails and foot spa done…

The Outcome:
–Extremely wild yet very intimate! (Ehehehe…. Just follow the trail of photos and see how it went, okay??)

Check out this thread for more pictures.

‘Old Streets of Rio’ (photo courtesy of Fernando C. Regencio, Jr.)

Both has that distinct classic lines (notice the similarity of the Vespa’s cowls to VW’s fenders) and each have long been known by the name of the insects/bugs they take after. Both are also known for their sturdy steel frame and considered icons of European designs.

When we were kids, I remember my brother Randy (aka mitlancer_gsr here in MCP) pointing to one car he called ‘Benz Wagen’ whenever it passes in our old neighborhood. When I finally got to see this car, it was a converted Beetle with the hood/front compartment made to look like a Benz complete with the classic grills and insignia/emblem that Benz’ are know for. All this time, I thought ‘Benz Wagen’ are common hybrids until I googled the word and didn’t find any relavant link or picture to back up this story of mine.

Now, imagine a Wasp converted to look like a Beetle (or vice versa if the conversion is 50-50%). That wouldn’t be a freak of nature, but an object of interest worthy of display in a motor show.

SEE IT FOR YOURSELF!

But the Philippines is on the way of being a motorcycle country too like China, India & Vietnam. With the rising price of gas, the steady increase of fares in public transportation, and the affordability of motorcycles (installment terms go as low as P1000+ per month); any minimum wage earner could now afford to have one. The downside is a lot are hopping onto one without the proper know-how or awareness on how to be a responsible rider hence the increase in motorcycle-related accidents in the past four years as reported by MMDA (there were 2,092 accidents with 51 fatalities in Metro Manila alone just from Jan-May 2006). But I digress, so let’s go back to these photographs. Here’s a sample.

That one’s a gate in what I assume is made of wrought iron. You can just imagine what else they can carry on two wheels? The succeeding images have these bikes of burden carrying anything from multiple passengers, livestock, trays of eggs, construction materials, and even a shark! But what takes the cake for me is the one carrying a mirror for delivery in a barbershop.

> See other riders and their unusual cargo here.