Official Symba Countdown!

Yes, it's finally official: The ocean freighter carrying the first shipment of Symbas is on the way, and is scheduled to get here on May 5th. That's... NOW!

Heads Up, USA, Here They Come!

Well, this certainly is a good sign! SYM's USA website was recently updated with this tantalizing graphic on the home page. I guess that means bikes are almost, "on the water", which means we could see them by sometime in May! I plan to get confirmation of this by the relevant authorities at SYM, but I doubt they'd put this message up on the site if they didn't feel pretty confident that SYM dealers will be rolling these beauties into their showrooms before long!

One thing that I've always appreciated about the way the SYM-USA group conducts its affairs: they don't say anything that can't be backed up by action, and they do not cut corners, either with the truth or the quality of their products!

Symba! Where are You?

This is getting to be like "Waiting for Godot"! I feel like I did as a kid, after ordering something from the back page of a comic book (they had cheap stuff back there that appealed to 12 year-old boys: "practical joke" supplies such as onion-flavored gum, whoopee cushions, smoke bombs, handshake buzzers, etc...) and counting off the "allow 8 weeks for delivery", which always stretched to 9 or 10 weeks with me running to the mailbox every afternoon, etc.... The good news is, we know for sure that the Symba is coming - a boatload of them! Unless the ship strikes a leftover WWII mine or something, we're going to see them soon. The wait is making my Joie de vivre go a bit groggy, though!

Just in! Video Introduction to the Symba!

Steve Guzman of The Scooter Scoop and John from Moxie Scooters give us a video overview of the Symba. It's the two of them walking around the bike, talking about its features and the "timeless, classic" design - they got that right! Click on the screen shot above to view it.

Heads-up, USA scooter market - here comes the Symba!

"...this year, after benefiting from a 40-year relationship with Honda, Taiwan's Sanyang Industry Co. Ltd. (SYM) plans to bring ... the SYMBA, to the United States."

Click on the image above to read the full article.

SYM-USA Website is Updated: Hello, Symba!

Fellow Symba fans, the day when we can zip down to the coffee shop on our Symbas has just gotten much closer. The SYM-USA website has just been updated, and the Symba is now officially part of the line up!

Last I heard, there remains one - just one more hurdle for SYM to jump before the first shipment leaves Taiwan.   They won't say exactly when the ship will sail until they are absolutely sure that the way is clear, and I respect them for that. Once I get word, the news will be posted here.

SYMBA is a Hit with Motorcycle Dealers!

It's a good thing I had a "press" badge for the Dealer Expo show - getting in an hour earlier than the dealers was the only way I could get on the SYMBA and have my picture taken without drawing a crowd. Once the doors opened, dealers flocked around the bike as if it was Jessica Alba in a string bikini handing out free beers! I took a bunch of photos, posted here, or you can view the slideshow below. Click on any image to see a larger version in a new browser tab/window.

News from Carter-SYM is good - a full line of SYMBA accessories is being prepared for us to customize our bikes, such as the longer seat, front and rear chrome racks, side cases, SYM-branded helmets and even apparel.

SYM dealerships should be receiving their initial shipments of SYMBAs in the next couple of months. I'm told that the exact timing depends on a number of factors, including how early your local dealer gets their order in - so if you want to be sure to get one, call your nearest SYM dealer soon!