Modern Vespa

Really sorry to hear about this. Mike was a really nice, honest guy who actually charged me LESS than his first estimate, when I had service done.

Sincerely wishing you the best, Mike.

Yes because scooters are BIG business, and running a scooter shop in North Hollywood is dirt cheap!

Your posting fails but no one questions it. Hmm....

You deserved not a single pm on this matter. Whoever sent one is a saint.

RIP, NoHo. It was good while it lasted

I wish you guys at NoHo scooters the best in your new endeavors

Best of luck to you, Mike. I hope your next adventure is amazing.

A clipping of my time at Noho. Great group of guys to work with:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapshot05/sets/72157625792319569/with/5392034591/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapshot05/sets/72157626404182778/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapshot05/sets/72157629203124675/

Well, that sucks. I was only there once. A group of us travelled up to LA for the Do Dah Parade. NoHo treated us well. Sorry to read about the closure.

I have the details I asked for but to respect the OP I'll keep it to myself.

I deserve everything I get by the way.

Bill X

Let me just reiterate, because I'm still getting a lot of PMs and questions all over about this, NoHo isn't closing because it failed. It's closing because Mike is moving on for personal reasons we should all respect.

Some people have mentioned that the shop should be sold, etc. etc. but as always it's very easy to give business advice to other people when you're not aware of all the details and so on and it's not your money and reputation on the line. I'm going to miss the heck out of this shop and will miss having such a great resource a couple miles from my house. I would also hate to see some scooter opportunist come in and take over and run this thing like so many of the "bad" shops discussed earlier.

That may be selfish on my part, though. Really, Mike is a friend and I want whatever works out best for him and his family. That's more important than a shop two miles from my house.

He'll always be known for that shop. Best to go out on a high note.

I wish him and the shop staff all the best.

Agreed!

One of the best things I got to do yesterday was take my 6 year old son into NoHo Scooters to give it one more walk around. He was amazed at all the scoots, video games, helmets and that scoot with a side car. Got to buy a much needed outer pulley fin (broke mine using a screwdriver like a dummy). But the best part was giving Mike a good 'ol hand shake and thanking him for his irreplaceable years of service.

Thank you Eric for clarifying for those that wondered, or inferred something else from Mike's heartfelt post about this life-changing decision to close his business.

Despite those that would like to think the worst, gloat, speculate, or cite any number of other reasons they *think* responsible for this decision, I'm certain that it was a decision that was made by Mike, not for Mike.

Lets simply respect him for for doing what he feels is best for himself, and his family and for the courage to move ahead in whatever manner he chooses to.

Still makes me sad. I guess they say all good things must come to an end.

Forgive me but I may well have used the wrong phraseology.

Substitute failed for closed. Sorry.

Whatever the reason it doesn't look financial which is a rarity these days.

Interesting that you suggest that selling it as a going concern could possibly lead to a negative experience.

Surely just the opposite could happen ?

Whatever, it's always sad when a business closes unless of course it's called Enron.

Bill X

Anything's possible!

I'd of course love to see someone who knows scooters and has a good head for business (how rare is that?!?) come in and open a shop in the area, as we'll now be underserved for sales and service of Genuine, SYM, Kymco, Lance and Royal Enfield. I'm sure there will be service options nearby, but a lot of people are going to have to go pretty far for sales and warranty work.

Even then, it would have to be a labor of love. There are much easier and lucrative ways to make a living. Rocket scientist, neurosurgeon...

Friends sometimes ask why I don't go into the scooter business. My pat answer is that I know too many people who have. Also, I really love my wife and hope to keep her.

Of course I am stuck here in the Mid-west so I know nothing. It is unfortunate that another dealer bites the dust. I was having a conversation last weekend about this very same subject matter. NYC is in a law suit with Piaggio now this! I am concerned about my Vespa well being. Is it just me or does it look like in a couple of years (maybe 5) Piaggio will drop the USA altogether? ***biting my nails***

NoHo is not a Vespa dealer. They do service Vespas (and have certified techs) and are the only shop in the area selling used ones.

There's been conjecture for years that Vespa will leave the USA again. I'm pretty skeptical on that. As is, N. America is a tiny chunk of Piaggio's global market. But I think they see it as kind of a point of pride. They also recently opened a new design center in Pasadena, which shows some kind of commitment to stick around.

And, well, they left once before and Vespas survived in the US.

Thanks that really makes me feel better.

So true. People sometimes say if you want to make a small fortune in the scooter business, start with a large one.

Eric.

You still have Aaron, that's more than anyone here can even hope for...

+1

Indeed and I'm always thankful for him!

Me thinks Greasy is going to be an even busier guy than he already is!

The way I understand it is Piaggio's design center is primarily for Moto Guzzi and Aprilia design inputs, not necessarily for Vespa, but it does show a level of commitment to the US.

As a guy who started his Vespa scooter career in 96 with a '79 P200E, "surviving" with a Vespa back then involved the knowledge and sourcing of parts from places like Big People Scooters, Vespa Motorsport, Scooterworks USA and others totally un-affiliated with, or assisted by Piaggio at that time.


These independent shops did it for the love of Vespa scooters, to supply a much smaller audience of orphaned Vespa owners, and with what I'm sure was a great deal of hassle to source parts and accessories than it is now.

So YES, Vespa survived in the US after Piaggio's US retreat but only thanks to guys like Mike Frankovich, Alex Cohn, Victor Voris, Phil McCaleb and others who carried the Vespa torch in the dark years, with no help from Piaggio whatsoever (in some cases Piaggio was a hinderance to these shops)

Hopefully that doesnt happen again.

If memory serves, the main thing that drove them out back then was emissions regulations that could not be met by two-stroke engines. They literally had nothing in their lineup over 50cc that could be sold in the largest part of the U.S. market (California) for over a decade and a half.

I don't foresee anything of that nature happening again.

Mike stayed in business all those years, hes leaving on top. Props. How many of us wish we could say the same.

He prob could have made more drop shipping but he didnt.

I'm verklempt

The boys are still around to service you:

I've met Greasy in an alley before 8)

Glad to hear there's still great service in the valley
Oh, one more thing, Hi Manny

Hey Karen

Me too. And damn, I still can't find my wallet.

oh great, i just dropped off my gts in the alley yesterday.....

Did you see Karen or Jess wallet.

Hi.

The mechanics from Noho Scooters have opened a new shop:

LA Scooter Service
10945 Burbank Blvd. , North Hollywood, California 91601
(818) 861-4640

https://www.facebook.com/LAScooterService

:)

I was there this weekend. Greasy and Jano have done a great job with the space. Can't argue with the location - about a mile and a half from me, even closer than NoHo was.

Cool, I'll stop by on my visit to L.A. next week. They aren't going to be doing rentals by any chance, are they?

Brendan