Well...looks like the blurs really are gone

[jim_0068]

I just bought the last 2007 that Scootersorks had and they only have one 2006 left and they told me that they think its sold as well. Ken told me with the upshoot in gas prices, especially in Chicago, that they sold them pretty fast. He isn't sure if they are going to import any 2008's either. So if you want one better try and find I e now while dealers have some in stock.

So far I'm liking mine. I'm comparing it to my Diamo Tracer 150. It also has front and rear disc brakes and similar horsepower. I think the diamo is a bit quicker off the line but the mid and high end range seems to be better on the blur. Will write up a full review after I have some time to ride it.

[jfrost2]

I wish they could special import a PGO gmax from taiwan, it would be cool to have the genuine warranty and coverage, but on a gmax. The paintjobs and choices are alot nicer before genuine touches the bikes. Although the grey and black scheme in the 2007's are really nice.

[jim_0068]

Agreed. The red/white gmax's look really nice.

[Racenut]

I bought an 06 a few days ago. The dealer here in Santa Cruz still has an 07 but it's a "demo" has about 230 miles on it I think.

[Tenchi]

And, out of curiosity, how much did you pay? Thanks.

[Racenut]

$3300 OTD, not exactly a stellar deal, but this is Santa Cruz and no more coming and I wasn't willing to walk away aver a couple hundred bucks.

They're an Aprilia/Ducati dealer so probably used to dealing with people who don't mind paying a lot haha. But they treated me well and I'm happy so far. I have not found anything so far that was missed during setup, it starts as soon as I push the button and everything is tight.

I did get them to "throw in" a full face helmet, so I guess I could say it was more like $3150 OTD

They have a store in San Jose too, not sure if that store has any Blurs left.

http://motoitaliano.com/

[jfrost2]

Doing some serious research, from taiwanese money to the american dollar, you can get a PGO gmax 150 for 1500 dollars out the door. Getting it shipped to the US and to your door though may cost 4-500 dollars after all the fees and taxes. But heck, If I could find a gmax 150 for around 2000-2300 final cost, I think that's a deal for a new bike from the factory direct.

A gmax 200 cost around 2000 out the door, and similar shipping cost.

[illnoise]

Don't forget the ten grand and several months for DOT/EPA homologation. : )

A Taiwan-market G-Max wouldn't be legal here, you wouldn't be able to title or register it. If it were simple and/or cost-effective to import a single scooter, I'd own a Gilera Runner and a Honda SH300i and PGO would be the last thing on my mind. : )

[babblefish]

When I was in Taiwan back in the mid '90s, I thought about shipping a 125cc 2-stroke scooter (don't remember which brand) to my house in SF. While back in the states for a few days, I called DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) to ask what the registration procedures where and if it were at all possible. Here's what they told me - I can ship two of them into the US and give one to the DOT for testing and certification. They would most likely fail it because it was a 2-stroke (banned in California) plus I would have to pay for all the testing. Or; I could disassemble the scooter in Taiwan and ship it into the US as "motorcycle parts", reassemble it when it got here then bring it to DMV where it would be registered as a "custom" bike simular to how some custom cars are registered. VIN number nor lack of DOT approval would not come into play because it would be considered a "custom" build. I didn't know for sure if what the DMV agent told me would be absolutely true, so I never went ahead with my plan. Maybe I should have tried because that 125cc was at least as fast as a current 200cc 4-stroke...

[illnoise]

People have used the "custom" thing to bring over vintage scooters, but it's questionable, legally, I'm surprised the DMV actually recommended it to you. That's about as legit as just sneaking it over and putting plates from a different bike on it.

Also, custom bikes still theoretically need to conform to DOT/EPA standards to be ridden on public roads, although unless you have emissions testing for M/Cs, you're never going to get called on the EPA end, and unless there was something blatantly illegal about the bike (no turn signals, no passenger footpegs, etc) you'd be unlikely to be hassled by the cops.

[jfrost2]

I do remember reading this also when I read about importing motorcycles/scooters to the US. You can just take off 1 little part classify it shipped as "motorcycle" parts and put the part back on when you uncrate the bike. It will be called custom and can be titled and such. Theres people who make custom choppers in the USA, they dont meet EPA standards, but they are legal and do get titled. Plus for EPA standards it might actually pass without any mods if it was imported the way it was, PGO makes a gmax 200 especially for europe which emits cleaner, you can buy it in taiwan also, it comes in the red and white design, or the blue and white design while the standard cheaper gmax 200 just comes in white, yellow, and red. Otherwise the custom bike idea may work also. Just take the muffler off.

Where is the blur/gmax vin plate located at? The buddy's if right by the glove box, but I;ve never seen one for the blur

[Racenut]

Where is the blur/gmax vin plate located at? The buddy's if right by the glove box, but I;ve never seen one for the blur

The VIN on the blur is stamped into the frame behind a little cover down in front of your right shin.

[CTL11]

If they really are gone I wonder if it's worth me paying a bit more for an 06. I really like the looks of them, performance, and the fact that my full face helmet will fit under the seat.

[NathanielSalzman]

If they really are gone I wonder if it's worth me paying a bit more for an 06. I really like the looks of them, performance, and the fact that my full face helmet will fit under the seat.

If I had it to do over again, I'd be willing to go to reasonable trouble and expense to grab a Blur. There really just isn't anything quite like it in the market today. Hopefully the rumors of its comeback are not an exaggeration. If not, I'll be even more grateful to have gotten one while I could.

[Racenut]

If they really are gone I wonder if it's worth me paying a bit more for an 06. I really like the looks of them, performance, and the fact that my full face helmet will fit under the seat.

I've only had one for a few days and my scooter experience is limited, but I would say yes, get one while you can. It's like a super scooter hah!

[justscooten]

well we can all hope that genuine gets smart and brings back the blur for 09 i know i love mine . everyone email phill at scooterworks asking for the blur!

[jfrost2]

The sad thing I find though, If genuine is paying around $1500 for a blur or less if bought in masses, then look at the large mark up. Let's say each bike has atleast 500 dollars worth of shipping and port fees. If the bike cost 2000 each to import, then they all sold for $3500 MSRP.

It isnt that bad actually thought, you can see some other brands who have similar bikes, but they go for 4-5k a bike MSRP.

I'd buy a gmax 150 or 200 if I could get it shipped to the US and If I had more money saved up, I'd just get the England edition which was made for emission friendly europe, it would pass the EPA since it's cleaner than what the EPA counts as clean.

Problem is, no one there answers the emails I send asking if it could be done. The only way I can see a bike being successfully sent is if someone themselves is selling it used, or you go buy one yourself, then crate and ship it yourself at a port.

[illnoise]

PGO won't sell you a bike behind Genuine's back, and a ROC dealer, (even if they're allowed to sell overseas) is probably not going to want to deal with the hassle of customs and shipping for $300 dealer profit.

Don't forget, coming out of Genuine's profit is paying their employees, training, real estate, homologation, shipping, warehousing, and most of all, business insurance. They're making a decent amount of money per bike, probably more than a dealer makes, but all that markup isn't profit.

I've seen other people do it, and sometimes it's cake, and sometimes it ends up taking years and costing thousands of dollars over the price of the bike, IF they get it through. I don't know why you'd go through that just to get a different color, if you're going to go through all that trouble, there are much better bikes you could bring over. : )

[jfrost2]

The only way I can see it done is to go myself in person and get a bike, like you said, a dealer wouldnt want all the hassle, I'd have to manually get the bike and take it to a port to ship. Maybe someday, otherwise I'm sure genuine will bring back the blur for 09 or 10. But the price would probably be 4000 dollars or more if it was a 200cc version.

[BeachBuzz]

I just started looking for a larger scooter to replace my TGB50 commuter and I stumbled across a review for teh Blur and imediately said to the wife - I FOUND THE PERFECT RIDE!!! only to discover they are no longer available?? Is it true, nothing after the '07's that seem to have disappeared?
I'm just starting to look - but I have to admit when I find what I want I usually dont wait too long to pull the trigger. Even though I was planning on upgrading next spring, if the Blur is not going to be available and I can find one reasonably close I would probably advance my schedule.

are they coming back in '09? 10?

[jfrost2]

So far, they arent coming back.

And it is true, they are gone. If you can find one at a dealer, the price will be high, and that'll be the last of what they will ever carry until we start spamming philip's email box asking for the return of the blur. It works when everyday spammed him for the stella to come back.

[jrsjr]

I'm just starting to look - but I have to admit when I find what I want I usually dont wait too long to pull the trigger. Even though I was planning on upgrading next spring, if the Blur is not going to be available and I can find one reasonably close I would probably advance my schedule.

If you can find one and it's really what you want, I wouldn't wait until next Spring unless you are planning to buy used.

are they coming back in '09? 10?

That rumor is floating around. I would bet against it, but I've lost bets before.

Again, the main thing to find one and see if it suits your needs and your riding style and if you like the dealer and feel that they will take care of you should you need them, etc.

[jfrost2]

Genuine imported a gmax 200 back in 2007 for the motorcycle show, I wonder who's riding it or where it is currently. Only one of them exist, maybe more if they played around with styles and paint jobs.

[NathanielSalzman]

That rumor is floating around. I would bet against it, but I've lost bets before.

Well the "rumor" is from conversations with Phil M. They're trying to bring it back. Whether or not that happens will remain to be seen. I think that those who've experienced it all agree that the Blur was simply two years ahead of its time. America is still maturing as a scooter market and buyers have to grow out of the "my scooter must be cute" mentality. As more buyers look toward scooters as very practical and economical transportation - not just leisure vehicles - then the market will quickly grow a demand for more scooters like the Blur. Which is pretty much where the mature scooter market (i/e - the rest of the world) currently is. This latest gas-price-infused spike in scooter demand found a very sudden demand for Blurs which had been sitting dormant for months previous. I would wager that if more Blurs were available, this season would see more sales than the previous two years put together and then some. The fact that more and more people are seeing the Blur, seeking it out, then are disappointed to learn that it's not available, bodes well for it's return to our shores.

[jfrost2]

Recent interviews dont with him online talk about a 200/250cc stella too, but he says they arent as efficient when running, so he said they wouldnt be using 200cc engines or higher in the stella, but that doesnt mean the rumor for PGO/LML joined bike is dead.

I think the blur will be back, maybe just not this yest year, but within the next 2-3 years maybe.

Right now, the majority of people want a retro looking scooter, but when you have people riding scooters more because of soaring gas prices, they may not be into the classic looks, so they want more bikes like the blur. Just wait a few years and you'll start seeing the transition of classic scooters to modern sporty scooters.

[EP_scoot]

And I just don't see the gas prices coming down in the future, short or long term. I think this scooter boom is going to last quite a few years.

In looking at what is going on, you have such a demand increase on the supply line for oil with China, India, etc using up amounts of resources never thought of 15 years ago. Additionally their citizens will increase their standard of living, which will mean more buying power, thus more resources needed to produce those goods. Look at what is happening with the automotive industry over there. Growing leaps and bounds. Russia will be following suit in the next decade or two. So to the pool of consumers you are adding 2.8 billion give or take a few million and out of those, probably a billion will be in coastal and industralized areas which will be the more prone to be able to consume their new found riches.

Then you have the OPEC and the rest of the oil producing countries. This is like winning the lottery everyday! They are smart. They know the limitation on the reserves for their existing oil wells and how many years they have left before they dry up. They will limit the amount of oil they produce and blame the price soaring on speculators. They are not going to go dry because they know they have nothing else. It will be civil war once the oil wells dry up and they don’t want to start drilling for more and loose control. Right now they are getting 3 times what they got 10 years ago for the same barrel of crude oil, and their method of producing it has not changed, so think of their profits. Now you know why they area able to buy real estate and companies all over the world, thanks to our insatiable need for oil.

The demand keeps growing, the supply is “rationed” so the prices will keep going up at least until we reach that breaking point that people starts car pooling and finding different ways of going from A to B. Easier to do in Europe where there is a huge infrastructure for public transportation. Here it will be a bit challenging. I think the direction the US citizens will take will be towards alternative modes of personal transportation for their commuting, be that scooters, 100% plug-in electric vehicles, small city cars, etc.

Because of that, I just don’t see the scooter boom dying this time around. Hopefully we will learn from this and start developing and funding non oil consuming ways of getting around.

Just a thought

[Racenut]

If Chinese citizens raise their standard of living, who's going to make all the cheap crap we buy? Although the way the dollar keeps falling, maybe they'll be using the US for all the cheap manual labor?

[NathanielSalzman]

If Chinese citizens raise their standard of living, who's going to make all the cheap crap we buy? Although the way the dollar keeps falling, maybe they'll be using the US for all the cheap manual labor?

That's too true to be at all funny.

[EP_scoot]

And keep in mind they will raise their std. of living within their economic environment, which is quite different from ours.

For example, they will be able to afford to buy a car, but most likely will be the TATA Nano, a $2,500 vehicle with none of the niceties we are accustomed to, but it beats the scooter on the rainy season. You catch my drift.

[jfrost2]

Actually china makes cars like we know in the USA, they're just made of crap and fail all crash ratings known to man. Every passenger in a 4 person sedan died in a 25mph accident in a test.

[Davek]

China is already starting to outsource back to the US.. I saw this recently:

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/07/so ... s-out.html

If Chinese citizens raise their standard of living, who's going to make all the cheap crap we buy? Although the way the dollar keeps falling, maybe they'll be using the US for all the cheap manual labor?