Scooter-geek's dream ride: Yamaha Vino scooter, fully farkled
Though it's usually the adventure touring crowd that excels at turning their motorcycles into rolling technology test-beds, we've recently run across a Yamaha Vino scooter that has been fully farkled. Featuring an on-board computer based around a VIA mini ITX form factor motherboard that's cleverly been hidden under the stock Vino's seat, this rolling geek-mobile packs in WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, GPS, FM radio, a TV tuner and a front-mounted camera in its diminutive frame. With the full-spec computer, pretty much anything should be possible right from the road using this scooter. While this is certainly a cool project, we have a few questions regarding its durability. How long will the acrylic plate that makes the structure for the computer hold up? Perhaps most importantly, how long will the scooter's battery be able to power all this technology? In the name of science, of course, we graciously offer our services for a road trip on the machine to find the answer to these all-important questions. Thanks for the tip, jared!
[Source: Thought Lab]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
dejal 5:49AM (5/09/2008)
You sure this isn't something that the clowns on CMTs "Trick my Truck" did?
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Get out and Push 10:47PM (5/08/2008)
I had a conversation the other day with a friend of mine about scooters. It went a something along the lines of this;
Me- You know, I was thinking about buying a scooter.
Friend- Why?
Me- Well I don't know. You know how much money I'd save on gas
Friend-......And dates.
This scooter seems to follow the course.
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MajorGeek 10:57PM (5/08/2008)
Thank you, I was waiting for the first comment +1. So true on all accounts, this is one of those projects that the average geek like myself can appreciate while at the same time wonder why bother. Being 40 something now, I find mopeds\scooters fun again, probably because I have driven really fast cars, great handling cars and crap but the simplicity of a moped is just fun, sort of like a golf cart. Wow, grey goatee hair too, this really sucks!
Still, this was a waste of time.
bill jackman 1:47AM (5/09/2008)
"Hey Sweetchuck, nice bike...."
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Andrew 8:15AM (5/09/2008)
I'm curious what the TV Tuner card is for? Are you going to pull up to somebody's house and steal their cable, and then broadcast is to 100' of your closest friends via Wi-Fi? Why not get some sort of satellite internet hookup to make this waste of technology relevent? I guess you could circle around a University campus repeatedly and steal their wireless connection!
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Todd in Sonoma 12:01PM (5/09/2008)
Andrew,
Did you know that you can watch TV from free broadcast signals over the air?
You don't need cable, and you don't need satellite. Television comes in free like it did in the '70s.
LloydChiro 12:04PM (5/09/2008)
Vino sucks. Get a "Buddy."
http://www.genuinescooters.com/scooters/buddy/intl.html#fragment-3
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