SIP Team-Blog

SIP AID - Help for flood victims in Deggendorf

2013-06-18T07:20:00Z

When Eastern Germany war drowned by a great flood in September 2002 – or customers donated for the victims. We doubled the total sum and forwarded the money to Waldheim, the twin city of Landsberg. SIP AID was born - Based on the wish to share our wealth with others and donate a part of our earnings to charitable organisations. For more than ten years we have thus been donating on a regular basis to the SOS Childrensvillage, the Arche and the Red Cross. Eleven years after the beginning of the project, Germany is once again under water. And once again, we're ready to help.

Our customer Matthias from Deggendorf was particularly affected by the flood. Seven scooters and a complete warehouse were swamped in June 2013. 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' 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.

Web-survey and raffle 2013

2013-05-14T06:41:00Z

From newly produced spareparts for the Farobasso to the latest Modern Vespa accessories... Each day we expand our product range. Exploded views are completed, search functions refined, downloads provided, videos uploaded. Quite a challenge for the creators of our website. To help them design the page as perfectly as possible, we asked you to participate in our latest web-survey at the beginning of the year.

2255 scooterists from more than 50 countries did so in the end. Most of them visit our website every week to order parts, look up technical details or exchange views with other scooter enthusiasts. Some of them even visit the website every day. Almost half of the participants, so the survey tell us, found out about SIP Scootershop via the internet. One more reason to make our appearance there as appealing and user-friendly as possible.

By now the survey is finished and evaluated and we are very happy that by and large the results are very positive. Nevertheless we are especially grateful for all the interesting ideas and suggestions on how to further improve our appearance on the web.

Just in time for a belated beginning of spring, Corinna (from Essen) recently had a special reason for joy: She is the happy new owner of the 50cc Vespa we raffled off. "I can't believe it", she chuckled at the handing over, "I never won anything in my life. And now such a phantastic prize. I have been looking for a Vespa for months now and I couldn't have chosen a more beautiful one". So far only enthusiastic pillion rider, Corinna is now bound to discover her very own world on two wheels. Enjoy your new hobby and always ride safely!

SIP Customer Magazine "CURVE" out now!

2013-04-17T07:40:00Z

Some of you might already have found a copy in their latest delivery or picked it up in our shop in Landsberg: we are proud to present the first edition of our customer bulletin ‚CURVE‘. We would like to share some highlights of the last few months here at SIP with you. Including rallies, ride-outs, personalities and (of course) scooters! Finally a tactile alternative to our long established online blogs! Alongside letting you know what inspired and fascinated us of late, this is also a more convenient way to inform you about innovations in our shop and improvements to our service, such as new payment methods (Hello Amazon Payment!). This first issue will give you a look behind the scenes here and you’ll find a report on the SIP team's tour to Sardinia on our vintage Vespas. We plan to release a new edition of ‚Curve‘ two or three times a year. The magazine is free-of-charge and will be available in our shop in Landsberg, as well as included in all parcels we ship. We hope you enjoy the reports and pictures and would like to hear your opinions, ideas and general feedback. Enjoy the read! Oh, before we forget, the reason for the name of our new publication is simple: The curves of a coastal road are infinitely preferable to the geometry of your common motorway! Apart from that who can forget the curves of the beautiful Vespa herself and the “Bella Donna” who inspired them?

SIP Scootershop´s Factory visit to MALOSSI 2013

2013-02-28T11:52:00Z

La Famiglia – when it comes to the closest kinship, we usually think of home, tradition and sometimes also passion. That’s exactly what the 65 participants of the MALOSSI factory visit were able to witness in perfection on their trip on 25 and 26 February 2013. Being the German importer of this Italian cult brand, SIP Scootershop wanted to offer its dealer partners, team riders and press partners the opportunity to get their own picture of the production of Multivar, cylinder, exhaust and Co.

Once the participants had overcome the exhausting journey to Landsberg am Lech, they were welcomed Monday morning with a little reception at the SIP headquarters as well as, on request, a guided tour through the premises. However, the reception was followed by part two of the crossing of middle Europe in the form of a 9 hour bus trip to Calderara di Reno near Bologna where the headquarters of the company founded by Armando Malossi in 1930 are located.

Once the infamous Brenner had been conquered, Alessandra and Andrea Malossi were waiting for their l’ospiti at the hotel with a tasty Italian dinner. Hospitality is a sacred thing on the Southern side of the Alps even in times of economic recession and stand-up Berlusconis. While Alessandra is responsible for sales and distribution at MALOSSI, her brother Andrea and his branch of the company MALOSSI engineering come up with the technical innovations and their realization from idea to serial production. As the necessary manpower from developer to mould maker is right there inside the company’s walls, the development cycles of the MALOSSI products sometimes only take a couple of weeks. What a great asset in times of globalized companies. This leads to awesome products with the seal of quality “Made in Italy”.

It must have been impressive for the participants of the factory visit to realize how much know-how la Famiglia has gathered on their premises since their foundation. Supported by state-of-the-art machinery MALOSSI and their 50 employees supply the tuning scene from Vespa PX and Piaggio ZIP to the brand-new BMW 600 with shock absorbers, windshields, brake discs, racing cylinders, variators and more. The company benefits regularly from their strong support of both complete racing series and individual riders participating in various racing classes.

All SIP Scootershop partners that took part in this journey were happy to see that most members of the MALOSSI family took their time to say hello as patriarch Ugo as well as his brother Sandro and his son Ricardo were present too. Senior boss Ugo truly embodies the passion of this company as he personally unlocks the headquarters every day. Mind you, he’s beyond his 70th birthday.

At this point we would like to say a big thank you. Thank you to the company MALOSSI for interesting insights into an Italian traditional company which seems not to have run dry of their passion for scooter tuning even 83 years after its foundation. Thank you also for an awesome present for all participants of the visit, a variator which was artistically designed by graffiti artist Enko on the spot and handed over in a beautiful MALOSSI daypack. Moreover, here is a big thank you too to all fellow travelers who endured the admittedly tight schedule in order to get a good glimpse of the myth MALOSSI. Together with you we as the German importer are looking forward to the coming scooter season 2013, all part of the extended circle of the “Famiglia”.

Quite a lot of pictures to the MALOSSI factory visit can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sipscootershop/sets/72157632872969890/show/

EICMA Motorcycle trade fair 2012 in Milan - the scooter is alive!

2012-11-19T14:30:00Z

Once again, the EICMA was this year's international trade fair highlight of the two-wheeler industry and the members of this economic sector celebrated themselves in the gigantic halls of the Rho fair site. As the tense economic situation, especially in Italy, was rather obvious, empty spaces had skilfully been decorated with logos and culinary offers. For us, a walk around the event site means visiting customers and suppliers, talking about new products and improvements and of course we are constantly trying to spot new trends and styles. Being their official importer for Germany, the Malossi booth is one of the most important ones for us, of course. A number of news from Bologna will be available in 2013. You can order them from us, as soon as they are launched. Among them 'rumour mode on' an MHR version of the 210cc aluminium PX 200 cylinder with a significantly improved performance. We had already suggested this some years ago, now the production is ready to start. POLINI had a new series of carburettors with improved venturi effect, KEIHIN main jets and a compact float chamber on display. They plan to develop this sector in the future. For the PX 200, they have a new long stroke version of the new aluminium cylinder including matching crankshaft available. PIAGGIO impressed us with one of the biggest booths of the whole trade fair, where they showed the new VESPA 946. A real design icon with little utility but massive style factor. A scooter that - honestly speaking - no other manufacturer would dare to present. We liked its beautiful details, and the combination of new elements and references to the first Vespa ever. The well-disposed customer will have to save round about € 8500.- until next March to be able to chose between a variety of colours and two versions of the engine (125cc and 150cc). 'VESPA' in general was a popular theme of the trade fair and many manufacturers made use of the cult trademark's appeal. The appeal of the hostesses is quite another theme, but of course an equally popular one. Many visitors were curious to see the new BMW "C650", which is finally available by now and for which MALOSSI and POLINI already have tuning equippment available. AKRAPOVIC even have a new exhaust system for the BWM newbie on offer. LML once again impressed us with the colourful verions of their "Star". Our friend Fabrizio, founder of 70IES HELMETS presented his new metalflake selection in the CUSTOM area (exhibition hall 4), right next to the impressive mega machines of WALZWERK and PENZ PERFORMANCE. We greatly enjoyed Thursday night together with the Scooter West crew from San Diego. It will take a couple of weeks until all news will have made it into our assortment and warehouse. But despite all current doubts concerning the two-wheeler sector, we are convinced that 2013 will be another smashing scooter season. We are already looking forward to exciting new parts and unforgettable scootering moments.

We brought a lot of pictures back home for you:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sipscootershop/sets/72157632032469640/

or on our Facebook site www.facebook.com/scootershop: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.492967624057262.107305.123765417644153&type=1

Protection of the environment and sustainability at SIP Scootershop

2012-10-12T07:04:00Z

Corporate Responsibility

“Being human means being responsible.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

This is not only true for individuals but also for us as a company. Which is why back in 2005 we started to stand up for social purposses. True to the motto 'SIP Aid: Scooterists help!' we donate 1€ per online order to social institutions like SOS-Kinderdorf or Arche Deutschland. Details about the SIP Aid project.

A responsible approach towards the environment is another crucial element of our corporate philosophy. We know that resourses cannot only be used but also have to be protected. When we built the new SIP headquarters in Landsberg, we put great emphasis on sustainable cunstruction methods and by now we work in an energy-optimised building with eco-compatible gasfired heater.

GoGreen

In 1990 the European Union decided to aim towards the reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases by 20% until 2020. The current level (October 2012: 17,5% below the initial value) allows to draw up a positive interim balance*. So far so good. SIP Scootershop keeps looking ahead of course and does its bit to make this great trend continue. With climat-neutral parcel shipment for instance. Last year alone we were able to compensate 26.3t Co2 by sending more than 52.000 parcels by DHL GoGreen. The video shows you, how this works:

Bavarian Environmental Pact

The Bavarian Environmental Pact is an agreement between the Bavarian state government and the Bavarian economy. It is a voluntary, self-responsible cooperation. The Bavarian State Government and the Bavarian economy explain the Environmental Pact as its strong belief that natural resources can be better protected by means of a voluntary and reliable cooperation between government and industry than by laws and regulations. With our actions taken we meet and exceed already the requirements of the Bavarian Environmental Pact.

SIP GREEN

For us, the protection of the environment starts with the little things of our daily (shipping-)routine. The cardboard and filling materials that we use for the parcels (the only exception here: overseas/air freight) are therefore made from recycling paper instead of bubble wrap. Now we even move one step further and eliminate plastic envelopes for the sake of envelopes made of recycling paper. With 120.000 envelopes used per year this is certainly another vital improvement towards a sustainable day-to-day working routine.

And we're just getting startet. We have a lot on our agenda as fas as the protection of the environment, sustainability and a responsible design of the future are concerned. Here, in the 'SIP GREEN' section, we'll keep you up to date with current projects. So make sure to drop by every once in a while...

Electricity from 100% hydro power

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. The green power of our regional supplier 'Lechwerke' has officially been approved and certified by TÜV Süd.

Your opinion counts!

Any ideas how we can further improve our environmental compatability and sustainability? We're looking forward to your input. Just drop us a line: green@sip-scootershop.de.

*vgl.: http://www.love-green.de/facts/warum-europa-auf-einem-guten-weg-ist-id9445.html

Origami is laaaame: Chris Gilmour

2012-10-10T09:29:00Z

While we sometimes even fail to wrap a parcel, Chris Gilmour builds fascinating pieces of art from wrapping material. All he needs for this: cardboard and glue. From madonnas to tanks, from skate boards to a dentist's chair. Chris is building bicycles, telephones, wheelchairs and cars. Life-size, with an eye for detail and with love for precision.

Born 1973 in Stockport (UK), Chris Gilmour now lives and works in Udine (Italy). 2006 he was awarded the Premio Cairo - a prestigious Italian Newcomer-Award.

When asked about the criteria by which he chooses the objects he builds, he answers: "I choose objects that have a visual appeal and evoke a cultural resonance. My pieces usually invite the viewer to interact. But here a short circuit is caused: You want to open the door of a cardboard car or turn the wheel of a cardboard bike, but of course that is not possible."

You actually might get the impression that Chris is performing in some sort of recycling art, when he refuses to use bronze, stone or steel to build his sculptures but gives existing, discarded materials a second life instead. The cardboard was free of the cultural, historic weight that a classical statue usually carries, he explains, and therefore left way more room for the viewers to project their own thoughts and ideas. As everybody knew the material and the themes he uses, it was easy for the audience to develop existing associations and find new ways and possibilities to perceive the world. A kind of intuitive language.

A simple thing as a common denominator across language-barriers and the borders of countries - A beautiful thought. The fact that his art is not only well perceived in Italy and the UK but all around the world supports this idea. A very similar effect by the way to that of the Vespa. The wasps are also uniting people from all over the world who share this very particular common passion for Vintage scooters. And Chris has built a Vespa, too. Of course. As well as a Lambretta and many more two-wheelers. Some wellknown, some rather exotic.

There's a lot more to be seen on Chris Gilmour's website. Right now he's busy constructing an Aston Martin and we're already excited about his future projects. Maybe he'll build a Modern Vespa, too..?

Pictures: Copyright Chris Gilmour

3rd Red Bull Alpenbrevet September 2012

2012-09-18T09:45:00Z

A day trip of approximately 140km in central Switzerland over 3 of the highest Alpine passes: Grimsel, Furka and Susten. No problem for someone who enjoys riding a vintage Vespa, probably even a nice idea. Now this was exactly the event, Red Bull had invited nearly 800 pilots to take part at this weekend in Meiringen. The tour however was not supposed to be ridden on motorcycles or Vespas but on mopeds - or "Töffli", as the confederates lovingly call them. Is that possible? And if so, how long will it take? Will the original engine of a Ciao with less than 1 horsepower be up for this challenge?

The SIP team wanted to find out for you and took 10 test persons and mopeds to the event in Meiringen. The weather was unbelievably good and we were looking forward to the passes and the breathtaking view of the 4000m summits of the Swiss mountains around Meiringen. A nightliner of 'Berlin Rock Coach' (with a driver, sleeping cabins and all!) comfortably took us there. The first Töffli-Buebn and Töffli-Meitlis arrived on Friday afternoon. In addition to the accreditation, there was a style contest going on, which is why the pilots did their best to attract attention. Alongside these fun-Töfflists we also met a lot of "real" moped riders who were obviously living the cult and did not have to dress up at all. A "Stumpä" lit between the grinning lips, they are alpine originality in one of its coolest forms.

After the party on Friday night, the riders had to rise early the next morning and get ready to start. The sight was impressive. An army of wild, colorful, rattling two-stroke pilots was already waiting at the starting point and at 10am they finally set off for the wild ride. Many fans and spectators had gathered in the villages along the road to cheer and encourage the crazy bunch on their way uphill.

Quite soon we realized that the Grimsel pass cannot be compared to the Landsberger Bergstraße. It pushed mopeds and pilots to their limits and only 8 out of the 10 SIP pilots made it to the mountain top on their own. One moped had to turn back at the Grimsel, knowing that the next pass would be even higher. A short gear reduction, a high torque engine and a continuously switching variator were the crucial elements you needed to stay in the race. The group's progress, however, was hampered by humorless Swiss law enforcement officers. Strict controls that were carried out along the way resulted in many confiscated mopeds and heavy fines. The official reasons for this were only partially comprehensible, the approach of the police unpleasantly gruff and you couldn't help feeling that the only purpose was to cash in as much as possible. But that was the only negative aspect of this top event. The riders came mostly from Switzerland, but also mopeds from the neighboring countries Germany, Austria and Italy were spotted in the field. They left no doubt that the Töffli is a cult object that represents a zest for life and a very special feeling of freedom. Frozen, with an aching butt and drawn by the pedaling effort (the final rescue operation at too much slope), many hours and 3 passes later the pilots finally crossed the finish line in Meiringen.

"Der Auspuff dröhnt, der Kolben schreit, Zweitakt für die Ewigkeit" (The exhaust roars, the piston screams, two-stroke forever) a banner at the track read. We have nothing to add to that. We'll be tinkering and tuning to make our mopeds ready for the 4th Red Bull Alpenbrevet 2013, and hope that next year all of us will be able to cross the finish line.

http://www.redbullalpenbrevet.ch

Open album to see all the pictures we took.

Check the epic video of the Hell´s Tanners Crew!

More infos and videos here: http://www.redbull.ch/cs/Satellite/de_CH/Article/Red-Bull-Alpenbrevet-2012---Die-Highlights-und-021243264269553

Visit to New York Scooter Scene

2012-08-10T14:18:00Z

The Big Apple: New York is epitomized by Broadway, Times Square, Wall Street and Nine Eleven. The arguably most vibrant city in the world is not only home to the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park and Guggenheim Museum, but also offers much more options to Vintage Italian scooter enthusiasts. Hard to believe, but in as well as around New York you can find a lively and active scooter scene which I was able to get to know better during a short visit at the Hudson River last week. First of all, I stopped by at the “Scooter Bottega”, the workshop and restoration smithy run by Robbie Rhodes in Brooklyn. Robbie has two mechanics and their shop has gained a good reputation among the local scene as one of the most recognized scooter workshops on the East Coast. Each June, the famous block party is hosted right outside his shop which is attended by several hundreds of Vespa and Lambretta aficionados. SIP Scootershop has supported the event this year, you will find a report soon in our Classic Scene-Blog at www.sip-scootershop.com. Robbie has various extraordinary scooters on display in his small showroom, amongst them a GS3 and an Italian Faro Basso. If you are planning a trip to New York, make sure to visit the Bottega. More information at http://www.scooterbottega.com. Another shop that is a household name in the scene is Scooters Originali, located in Orange / New Jersey. Unfortunately, I was running out of time so I couldn’t visit Gene Merideth’s shop myself, but the place has been in existence for more than 20 years and you can hear nothing but praise about it: http://www.scootersoriginali.com.

Generally, motorscooters have become a striking part of the cityscape of New York. The police (NYPD) are riding their scooters through the city and you can see parked Modern Vespas virtually at each corner in Manhattan, mostly GTS, GTV and S models. There is even the odd Stella (LML) as well as some old Lambrettas and Vespas popping into the picture. So New York lives up to its reputation as being the most European of all American cities also in this respect. Sales and maintenance for these modern Vespas are carried out by some representations throughout the city such as Vespa Soho, Vespa Brooklyn, Vespa Queens etc. Another highlight of the NY scooter scene can be found in the picturesque Greenwich Village, this being Grahame Fowler’s shop in 10th street. Next to British style clothing and accessories, some of them designed by the shop owner himself, Grahame is the owner of a remarkable Lambretta collection: http://www.grahamefowler.com.

Taking a look into the New York Scooter Club Forum comes highly recommended for all visitors of New York. The local scene discusses and exchanges valuable information in this forum and the members are very helpful towards visitors. As an example, I came into contact with Mike and Mario through the forum. Both of them organized an old Rally 200 for me and went along on a memorable rideout through Queens to Roosevelt Island with a breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline. Thanks a lot again for all the hospitality and the warm welcome. Mario brought the Rally and another Allstate on a more than two hours ride to New York by car with a trailer – simply awesome!

Almost forgot to mention that even on a “standard” sightseeing trip through New York you will come across a Vespa as the Museum of Modern Art has a GS3 on display.

All pictures can be found at our flickr account here!

Interview mit Mike Lam vom New York Scooter Forum:

What was your first scooter, when have you bought it?

ML: 2006, a Vespa GTS 250

How did you become interested in vintage Vespas?

ML: I started going on rides with a local club whose members had vintage Vespas & Lambrettas. I became interested after seeing many of them break down on rides! The mechanics and repairs aspect got me hooked, not to mention the beautiful designs that you don't see in modern styles.

Describe the feelings you have when you ride on one of your scooters?

ML: As cliche as it sounds, it really makes me feel free. Riding helps clear my mind and puts me in a good mood. I like to say, a bad day of riding is still better than a good day at work!

How many people would you guess is the NY scooter scene?

ML: In the NY scooter scene, approximately 30-40 active people I see on a regular basis. At the NY Scooter Club's Annual Block Party, you'll see upwards of 100 scooterists, some you see this one time a year, but there are probably 1000's of scooter riders in NYC. Most are commuters and may not be active in the 'scene'.

Do you meet up regularily?

ML: The NYSC and other local clubs have a weekly evening meet ups. Some for happy hour and others for rides to local scenic destinations or dining.

Do you attend to scooter rallies or meetings?

ML: I was very active in a local club for a time and met many wonderful people, many of whom I still hang out with or attend scooter rallies with. I try to attend as many rallies along the East Coast USA as I can every year.

SIP Horse Power Dyno App

2012-07-31T09:31:00Z

You always wanted to know if your adjustments to the engine are actually improving its performance?

Then the SIP Horse Power Dyno App is just the right thing for you!

The app works similar to the software of a dyno, but the test runs are conducted on the street. Instead of accelerating a massive metal roller, you speed up on the street. In plain language: Hop on and go at full throttle. The faster your scooter accelerates, the more powerful it is.
The software hast to figure out, how quickly the scooter is gaining speed and it does so by digitally processing the engine noises. Now some of you might think 'the louder - the more powerful, we already know that'. But we all had to learn that this is not quite the case right at the beginning of our tuning careers. The loudness is more or less irrelevant. The SIP Hore Power Dyno registers the RPM level of the engine. The faster it rises (given equal circumstances), the more powerful the engine is. Luckily our classic scooters keep the same transmission ratio unless you shift gears. The speed can thus be calculated by means of the rotations per minute and the registered change in speed (i.e. the acceleration) suffices to calculate the power. To make sure that the result is realistic, you have to enter the overall weight of the scooter, the tire circumference and the transmission ratio. Unlike other apps, that are currently available on the market, the SIP Horse Power Dyno App does not use a speed sensor or a GPS signal, but only the RPM based on the frequency of the engine noise. If you know the Windows programms GSF Dyno and SIP Dyno, then you know how accurately these programms work. Stefan Pledls' Google+ site also shows a direct comparison with a P4 dyno.

The following restrictions apply to the app:

1. Only suitable for manually shifted scooters. Won't work with automatic scooters.

2. Might now work with cars that have a good acoustic isulation.

3. The GSF Dyno delivered satisfying results with cars and motorbikes. W

This is a very technical app. Use the ?-button if you need additional information about the respective sections of the app.

As some older mobile devices won't support the high audio recording quality, we designed a test-app that should be downloaded and testet in advance: „hpd test“

Supported by SIP Scootershop GmbH

The SIP Horse Power Dyno App is available on the Android Market as of now. IOS version for iPhone and iPod touch coming soon.

SIP Team goes Sardegna - Vespa Roadtrip 2012

2012-07-23T08:00:00Z

Sardegna, how beautiful it is there. Miles of sandy beaches, crystal water, winding country roads that lead along the bosom of the island, headlands that seem to tickle the Ligurian Sea, and the sun is continuously shining. With these lush images in mind, the 11 glorious SIP disciples set out towards their first milestone: Milan. On their Vespas they crossed the Swiss passes Flüela, Albula and Maloja - through rain, wind and snow - to pick up their Austrian friend and companion Zini.

Warmly welcomed by the local Vespa Club Milano at the Piazza Castello, they enjoyed the atmosphere of the southern metropolis with an aperitivo, homemade pasta salad and conversation in broken English. A big thank you to the club for accommodation, entertainment and food. Santa might come early this year and drop a 'VorFreude' package for you.

Genoa is the next target on the map and except for a mysteriously vanished selector box gasket and a blocked gas cable the journey runs enjoyably smoothly. The boat is swaying heavily and the night on deck of the ferry to Olbia is accordingly unpleasant. Arriving on the island the next morning, the guys are heading right to the nearest beach to make up for the deficit with ass bombs, cold drinks and lying on the beach. Spantaneously and at a bargain price, they find a beautiful 3 star hotel overlooking the sea in Posada (Nuoro) and decide to spend the night there.

"Zini Zini, Arbatax, Zini Zini, we're departing!" Armed with this hymn, the SIP team continues to Arbatax, where they are welcomed by the 3rd president of the Vespa Club Arbatax, who shows them their lovely accomodiation and accompanies them to a fish restaurant close to the harbor. Except for sawdust they also had delicious pizza and tuna there. The guys spent two days in this picturesque area, lying on the beach and riding through the hilly countryside. Grazie Marco.

On the way back to Olbia, they encounter numerous wildfires and several highways were blocked for safety reasons. This shows once again how dangerous these endless days of sunshine can be, burning not only careless German skin, but also the surrounding area. Genoa, however, remaines unharmed and the guys strike out for home. Some of them directly, some with a small pit-stop in Vicenza. Grazie a Cao and Nicola!

In retrospect: a dream! Except for two clutches, a selector box gasket and a bottle of gearbox oil no spare parts were needed. The breakdown breaks were tolerably short and the SIP band was tightened by another weld. Anyone who believed that it was not possible to ride 2000km on the old scooters during a long weekend, was once again disabused... for the Vespa is rolling and will roll again next year. "Zini Zini, we're departing!"

Christian (SIP-Scootershop)

For the rest of the pictures go here: Click click!

And here's the video:

Heinkel scooter in „Pitt's wall of death“

2012-06-05T10:27:00Z

In the run up to the Oktoberfest 2011, the traditional fairground ride 'Pitt's wall of death' and the Heinkel-Club Germany e.V. repeated the daredevil experiment of riding a 9.5 PS Heinkel Tourist up the steep face.

For almost 75 years now, foolhardy men and women have been performing in bold acrobatic acts on the steep face. Family owned since the 1930s, the steep face has been lovingly restored two years ago. Since then, the old wooden construction of the encircled area - 8m high and 12m wide - shines in the splendour of the past in its original colours red and ivory. Hardly anybody still remembers that in the early 60ies, in the heydays of the economic miracle, the company 'Heinke had tried to draw the public attention to their Tourist model by means of spectacular marketing campaigns. A steep face seemed the ideal location to demonstrate the scooters sturdiness and reliability. 50 years after this happening, the Heinkel Club Germany e.v. initiated the re-enactment of the historic moment on Pitt's wall of death. One of the Heinkel-Club members had found old photogrphies in the archive, showing Heinkel scooters on the steep face. The first thought was: 'This is so cool. We have to do it'. It took almost a year to let the idea become reality. But back to the beginning of the story: Luckily the logo of the fairground ride was recognizable on the historical pictures. After extensive research, the Heinkel Club got into contact with the current operator of 'Pitt's wall of death'. Now started the most difficult part of the project for the members of the club. How could you convince a steep face performer to ride a Heinkel Tourist up the wall? 'What exactly is a Heinkel scooter?' was the first question, of course. Normally heavy Indian motorbikes with rigid frames are used for riding up the steep face. With only 9.5 PS and the small tyres a real challenge for man and machine. But 50 years ago, the Heinkel Tourist had already proven that it was possible. If the performers of today would also be able to conquer the steep face on the Heinkel remained yet to be proved... The Heinkel Club members were told that the historical steep face is no longer travelling, but is only put up once a year at the Oktoberfest in Munich. So they invited steep face rider Jagath Perera to take a closer look at the scooter. The steep face is putting a high pressure (in fact three times higher than normal) on rider and scooter. A real challenge for the Tourist's suspension. Would the ground clearance be high enough? As the steep face was not yet built up, you were not able to test it in advance, but had to test it right on the spot. Nobody knew if the scooters were prepared for this action or not.

The members of the Heinkel Club had three month to prepare for the event, to coordinate the escort team, a photographer and agree on a date. With a speed of more than 50 km/h on a narrow wall, taking good pictures was definitely a job for a professional photographer like Volker Rost, who is specialised on this type of action shots. As nobody could tell if the experiment was going to be sucessful, the happening was kept a secret within the inner circle of the Heinkel Club. On thursday, one week before the Oktoberfest started, the secret mission to Munich started. The next morning, the photo shooting started right during the MOT's certification of the steep face. First the tyre pressure was increased, then the tread was modified with the angle grinder to make sure it would provide a good grip. After a short test on the ground, the scooter was rady for the wall and after only a couple of roudns it was clear: it would not work like that. The scooter's stand was grinding into the freshly restored surface of the steep face at the transition to the 45° slope. So the stand was demounted and the tyre pressure was increased again. Also the initial speed had to increase in order to reach a right angle between scooter and wall as quickly as possible. The Heinkel succeeded! Alongside the pictures that the photographer took in a truly artistic manner, there was also an onboard cam installed on the scooter to record the daredevil experiment from the rider's perspective, who's pleasure to ride a more than 50 years old scooter in the steep face. increased with every round.

Text: Jürgen Weber - Edito rollerJOURNAL

SIP Open Day 2012

2012-05-23T10:44:00Z

Saturday, Mai 19th, 2012: 2 Highlights on the agenda. Open Day at SIP Scootershop - and the Championsleague Finals. Let's not talk about the soccer game. The wounds are still too fresh. The Open Day on the other hand was a huge success. After we had to postpone the original date due to bad weather, St.Peter seems to have been in a good mood this weekend. While the sun was shining brightly, the area around the SIP headquartes in Landsberg was soon crowded with scooter enthusiasts of all ages.

Just like the years before, Tim (Vollgas Motorroller/Bodensee) provided his mobile dyno on which people could put their scooters to the test for free. Julius (Alpenland) offered tasty coffee right out of his APE and Vespa Finkl brought some of the latest Vespa models that you could test ride. Leo Ernst (Deeper Shade, Atomic Café) on the record deck made sure, everybody stayed in a dancing mood. The trophy for 'longest journey' goes to Matthias and his two mates who had come from Offenbach (Hessen). But there were also scooterists from Straubing, Regensburg and salzburg. We are very happy that people make such an effort to visit us. The oldest scooter of the day was a mudguard headlight Vespa built in 1950, which the proud owner had bought for just 600.- DM from a nice old man a couple of years ago. Congrats on this one!

In the shop, we offered the usual Opem Day 10% discount and long queues formed at the checkout counter. At around 2pm, the rideout through the historic part of Landsberg started. More than 70 scooters helped to bring some Italian flair to Landsberg city. The people in the cafes and at the wayside were obviously pleased by this unexpected invasion. The tour ended in the Trattoria Italiana, where everybody enjoyed food and drinks and talked fuel. Only a little group had not yet had enough and continued their ride to the Italian Mile in Bad Wörsihofen.

Unfortunately the day ended with an accident of a scooterist from Augsburg. We wish Andy good luck and a quick recovery. Thanks to everyone for coming and spending this great day with us.

Here are the pictures we took..

And here's the Radio Top FM Jingle - thank you guys!

SIP team celebrates 5th anniversaries...

2012-05-14T09:19:00Z

It must have got about that it's fun to work at SIP. After some 10th anniversaries a couple of weeks ago, we had another reason to celebrate today. This time we honoured our long-standing employees Christian Seidl (key accounts), Joscha Blanck (retail sale), Detlev Kolberg (logistics), Toni Bruno, Oliver Schmuck (both customer care) and Kerstin Riege (accounting). In the presence of their 50 colleagues, the SIP management congratulated the 6 members of staff, celebrating their jubilee. Afterwards everybody enjoyed grilled fish on a stick and tasty pretzels bei Peter and Paul from Penzing. We'd like to thank our employees once again for their motivation and their commitment.

We also took a couple of pictures of the tasty lunch. You can see them onour Flickr site!.

Trofeo Accelerazione - SIP TV TEAM will travel to Italy

2012-05-08T09:56:00Z

Italy calling!

Next weekend the 'Trofeo Accelerazione' will fire the starting shot for 2012's classic sprint season in Parma. After the original date (May 1st) was postponed due to bad weather conditions, the season is now about to start and on May 13th the riders will finally have the chance to leave some rubber on the street.

We therefor will have to leave our beds very early on Sunday and head south towards Italy at around 3am. Poor Tony la Rocca - who we will pick up directly at a club, where he's dj-ing - will have to make up for the missed night in the bus, as he'll report from the race the next day. If all goes well on the journey, we'll reach Parma at 11am sharp and instantly begin to drag the Italian gurus in front of our lens.
We're already excited to see the tuned Italian scooters that have always been trend-setting and wonder how fast the pilots will race them on the 150 meters.

Monday morning we will leave Parma and visit the Malossi factory in Bologna. Far away from old metal, we will focus our attention on the automatic sector, because Sebastian Bauch (SIP TEAM Pilot) will receive his race scooter for the upcoming season. Of course we'll take the time to chat with Fabio (chief mechanic at Malossi) and test-ride the scooter.

More than one reason to be looking forward to our trip to the sacred halls and a glimps behind the scenes. You'll find all the reports, pictures and videos in our blog section - So stay tuned ;-)