Twist n Gone 2012 Event Details

Scooters are really amazing little vehicles. They’re fun, practical, and (with 100+ mpg scoots being the norm, rather than the exception) more than carry their weight in the fight to ease Americans off of their oil addictions. One thing most scooters are not, however, is fast. Cue: Twist n’ Gone. Twist n’ Gone celebrates the “fast scooter” mindset, combining heads-up elimination and bracket drags for an NHRA-style event that is (in scientific terms) absolutely stupid fun! You can check out the “official” summary of this year’s event – taking place May 11 and 12 in Brown County, IN – below, taken from the Twist n’ Gone! website. Twist and Gone! In the spring of 2010 a small group of scooter enthusiasts decided to take their scooters to the track to see exactly what we they could do. Soon after NASRA and the Twist and Gone! was born planting the seed for scooter racing in the Midwest. Building upon that success we followed the momentum to host several race series, events, and track days. We even participated in the Gasoline Rally providing safe scooter races with a portable test track dyno provided by Recreational Motorsports. In hosting our third Twist and Gone! we are proud to present to you a new class structure, age limit, and registration fee that’s user friendly and offers more bang for your buck. New features: Simplified Class Structure. Now instead of registering for one heads up class you will be entered into all three race classes. Index, Bracket, and King of the Hill for one low registration fee. By the time this weekend is done your going to be sore from all the seat time you get at the track! T&G Youth. Kids 12-14 years of age will now be racing in their own version of the Twist and Gone!. These racers will be competing in index and bracket racing classes alone leaving the King of the Hill to the more experienced riders. By doing this we hope to open up the racing to the future of our sport while keeping it safe and fair for everyone. Peoples Choice Scooter Show. Everyone is welcome to enter the peoples choice scooter show. The judging will be done by ballot and the scooter with the most votes wins. The classes are Best of Show, Best Vintage, Best Modern, and Ugliest Scooter. The show will be held at the track on Saturday afternoon and the results will be reveled that night at the awards party. Burnout Contest. Racers and spectators are encouraged to bring a extra tire and head into the water box for our burnout contest. The rules for this are simple, lay rubber, get the crowd hype, and smoke em’ out. Winner will be determined by the crowd so bring your friends and get loud! I’ll be there to take some photos and shoot some video, along with some of my buddies from Scooterworks USA, who will be feeding me beers all weekend in exchange for some good links and positive vibes.

Yamaha’s Zuma 50: 132 mpg of fun!

At the International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach this past weekend, I spoke with Yamaha’s Tim Olsen about their Zuma 50 and Zuma 125, both excellent scooters for new riders and young urban commuters. The 50 gets a mind-boggling 132 mpg, and must be loads of fun to ride. I only say this because I haven’t ridden one yet, but I know of at least one very talented racer whose preferred mode of commuting 60 miles to work is on his Zuma 50.

He’s hopped his up a little, in the longstanding tradition of young Europeans looking to get the most out of the small displacement vehicles they’re limited to. This guy lapped me about a million times in the 24 hour endurance race we competed in, on 50cc bikes designed for children. So I figure if it’s fun enough for Jason Perez, it must be fun. The 2012′s are 4-stroke, making them cleaner than the previous models which were 2-strokes.

When I asked Tim if Yamaha was looking to enter the EV market, he explained that he feels it’s going to happen, but not until they’re able to introduce the vehicles at a price people expect. Once again, there’s that perception that sticker price is the only price. People are so accustomed to paying a lot for fuel and maintenance, they forget that these costs are drastically lower with electric vehicles.

I’m hoping to get some seat time on the 2012 R1, the newer version of the gas guzzling rocketship I ride when I’m not on my bicycle. Why that may interest you is that the 2012 features a chip-controlled intake manifold which restricts the air/fuel mixture as you roll on the throttle. On previous models, the fuel injectors released too much gas, particularly with an agressive roll-on. The 2012 upgrade is designed to limit the amount of fuel to exactly what’s needed, reducing the amount of unburnt fuel. I want to do a proper road test to compare it to the average MPG I get from my 2009 R1. Which I’m embarrassed to admit here. It’s less than most of the cars we feature, which is why I ride my bicycle as much as possible.

Although I’ve been saving for an electric motorcycle for some time, I may have to give in to the siren song of the Yamaha Moegi (mentioned here) if they actually produce it. It’ll get great mileage, although I won’t be able to carry as many groceries as with a scooter. There’s a rumor it may even make a live appearance at the New York International Motorcycle Show…

Source: Gas2.0