The design of motorized scooters has been influenced by cultural, spiritual, and symbolic representations. The motorized scooter coming out of WWII served as a functional mode of transportation for its gas efficiency. Today the motorized scooter is idealized for its efficiency, functional design, and fashionable appeal.
The damage of WWII left Italy without reliable roads or transportation systems, as well as a serious fuel shortage. These demands and needs led to a trend toward a smaller, affordable, and fuel efficient transportation and established the zeitgeist that allowed the scooter to succeed as an industrially manufactured product.
In 1946, Piaggio, an Italian aircraft manufacturer, recognized these circumstances and decided to use two of their existing factories to pursue the creation of a simple vehicle for all in postwar Italy. The new Vespa scooter cost only a few hundred dollars and was helped realized in 1946 by Corradino D'Ascanio. The scooters often repurposed various airplane parts like landing wheels and airplane motors, giving the Piaggio Company an opportunity to restart their dramatically slowed post-war production while using their existing manufacturing processes. Years later, the Vespa scooter quickly became popular because it met the population’s demand; it was affordable, fuel efficient and small. The Italians received their particular motor scooter as “both a symbol of reconstruction after the war and an icon of the working class” (Gallagher 210). After selling thousands of scooters in Italy, the Vespa scooter spread throughout Europe and America. The motor-scooter is now a globally embraced form of transportation.
While function and need certainly were a major factor to the motor-scooter’s initial...
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As a teenager, he became interested in motorcycles. As a gift, his father purchased him a fire-red, Italian motorcycle. He sped everywhere on it and became the envy of his classmates. He soon began racing motorcycles, for many of the local factory owners had racing teams. He...
I have always been a sports car lover, but when my family increased in size to the point that finding a sports car that would meet my needs would be almost impossible, I decided to consider a minivan. While a sports car was an unrealistic possibility, giving it up would not be easy. The sports car and the minivan would both fulfill the basic requirement of reliable transportation, but I had to consider the differences among size, maneuverability and affordability.
The design of a bike originated from a device called the Draisienne. It was made in 1817 by Baron von Drais. He made this machine so he could get around his gardens faster. The machine was made completely of wood and had a bar that ran between two wheels. He would straddle the bar and push off the ground in order to move. The front wheel was steerable so he could maneuver around the gardens. This type of the bicycle died off...
4)Rosenstein, Nathan Stewart., and Robert Morstein-Marx. A Companion to the Roman Republic. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2006. Print.
Over the years, transportation has come a long way. However, before the time of automobiles, there were just a few options for transportation such as the horse, horse and
Published at the beginning of a new century, Motor Show is Opened served to inform the general public of the technological awes that were currently underway. That is, the advancements of automobile technology. Throughout the article, there were mentions of tricycles, race cars, electric engines, and even an early attempt at an automobile that was reminiscent of an iron locomotive. The author also described Being published in the New York Times, the article was written with the
The Ducati will get success on its entrance in the cruiser market, which is the Harley Davidson niche market and also a profitable segment in the motorcycle industry, because of Ducati’s brilliant history and great experiences in the bike industry. The Ducati can attack the Harley’s cruiser niche by using its brand loyalty, goodwill, and differentiation strategy; because, before 2000, the Harley-Davidson was the sole producer of cruiser bikes and their other competitors was involved in different segments such as Off-road, Touring, and sports segments. So, the Harley
This paper will discuss some of the physics involved in bicycles. Specifically, mountain bikes with suspension. A bicycle is a very energy efficient vehicle. Its wheels allow its rider to make full use of inertia and gravitational potential energy. The basic design of a bicycle has been around for over 100 years and compared to other things, has changed very little. Some of the topics that will be covered are: frames, wheels, suspension forks, suspension frames, brakes and how all these things affect speed, momentum and stability.
Segway could have also started by targeting niche markets initially, giving Segway PT’s to bicycle clubs, skateboarders, extreme sport stars, college polo teamsetc , for free and see how they like it. If, for instance, that bicycle people are the first people to like it, they could open rental offices by the bicycle shops so that it can be rented at tried before being bought. The bicycle shop could have also been used to service Segway PT’s.
Japan struggled through the early 1950’s, and in 1955 the “Post-War Era” officially ended. With the G.H.Q. out of the picture the Ministry of Transportation announced the People’s Car Plan, which gave Japanese auto manufacturers an excellent opportunity to develop new original cars of their own. The plan was eventually be scrapped because the manufacturers thought that proposal’s requirements would be “impossible to manufacture with the performance and sales price requested” (Shimokawa, 1994). The People’s Car Plan did influence competition to market new products and it gave primarily three-wheeled vehicle makers a way to enter the four-wheel market. Suzuki, Fuji (Subaru), Mitsubishi, and Toyo Kogyo (Mazda) all entered small cars into the market almost immediately.
Piaggio is the European leader for motor scooters, with a market share just over 50 percent. Annual production of Piaggio motor scooters exceeds 850,000 vehicles. Looking at some statistics referred to the first four months of 2007, an increase of + 10,7% has been registered with compare to 2006. Especially the scooter market is showing a drastic increase in numbers of new matriculated vehicles; during year 2006 62.1% of the totals were scooters.
The first successful bicycle with pedals was constructed in 1869 and was named ‘The Boneshaker’ after its rigid components. It consisted of a stiff iron frame and wooden wheels, which were surrounded by iron tyres. Though it was not the most comfortable way to get around, and was almost useless on anything but a smooth flat surface, this innovation was a breakthrough in transportation development. Since The Boneshaker, the structure of bicycles has come a long way in comfort, but also in safety as the development of braking technology was sparked.
“The History of the Auomobile” The Impact of the automobiles on the 20th century. Web. 13 December 2014.
Through our project we intend to analyse the current trends of the motorcycle industry, where it is heading and what place Ducati occupies in it. Once we understand the whole picture we will go in depth, analysing it and decomposing it into bits and pieces to better understand why it occupies this place, and what strategies it must take to maintain and improve its position and itself as a whole.