On Any Saturday

It’s party time at On Any Moto! (Orin O’Neill photos)

The most depressing thing about being on the scooter/motorcycle beat is hearing about, and occasionally covering, stores closing. Happily, I can report on one that’s on an upward trajectory.

On Any Moto is Tucson’s Vespa/Piaggio dealer. They moved to a nice new building in April, and celebrated the addition of the Genuine Scooter Co. franchise with an open house on Saturday.

OAM carries everything from Piaggio Group, including Aprilia and Moto Guzzi. You’ll also find Ducati, MV Augusta and Zero motorcycles, and a big selection of accessories and apparel. There’s a well-equipped service department as well, and they’ll work on any scooter you might care to bring by.

Of course, the star of the showroom was the just-introduced Genuine G400C, the Chicago company’s first foray into the motorcycle market.

Unfortunately, my lack of a right ankle connected to my central nervous system rules out motorcycles and vintage scooters (can’t work the foot brake). Were I to be abducted by extraterrestrials who’d fix all my health issues in exchange for a few anal probes, I’d definitely be interested in a G400C. An MSRP under $5 grand is very attractive, as is the fact that it doesn’t look like a mutant praying mantis.

OAM had a good selection of Genuine scooter models, too.

My current fave is the Venture. Its outstanding fit and finish belie its price, and apparently derestricting it is simply a matter of removing a chip from the ECU (you didn’t hear that from me, okay? 😉 ). I’ve repeatedly asked Genuine when a 125/150cc version might appear, and they keep saying, soon, soon. That’d make it just about perfect for daily riding. I see people doing it, but I’m not inclined to ride a 50 on Tucson’s 6-lane main drags, even though drivers mostly stick to the 40-mph speed limits.

The Sky Island Riders were representin’. There was food, which included really great grilled chicken (my motto is “Eat Free or Die,” remember?).

I have said before, and I will say again, a healthy scooter dealer begets a healthy scooter scene. And vice versa. There is reason for optimism in Tucson.