The Wind in Your Hair, the Sun at Your Back and the
Wide, Open Road...
Vespa riders have had a long and historic love affair
with their vehicles. Vespa enthusiasts for more than
half a century have taken their wasp-shaped scooters on
the road en-masse for sightseeing excursions, sharing
their passion and love of the Vespa. The Italians even
have a word for it, vespaizzari, which means to get
somewhere on a Vespa.
  
Today, the tradition of the Vespa clubs is alive and
well thanks in part to a 21st century update from the
VIA EPIA Mini-ITX and Luca Barzelogna, the president of
the Italian Vespaonline Association, who has equipped
his vintage Vespa scooter with the VIA EPIA MII12000
mainboard, transforming his scooter into the ultimate
VESPA-PUTER.
The small form factor and extensive connectivity of
the VIA EPIA MII12000 make it ideal for use on a moving
scooter. Its slim design allowed Luca to integrate the
mini mainboard along with dual hard drives on the step
board, reducing the amount of space taken up by the
system. Because it's wirelessly connected, the
VESPA-PUTER can function as a GPS navigational system as
well as provide access to the Internet to locate the
nearest gas station or motel wherever he happens to
be.
Luca fitted an 8" touch screen monitor and a USB web
cam on the handlebar, allowing him to upload photos to
his ftp server in Italy, providing his friends back home
with a first hand view of his trip. For areas too remote
to access wireless networks, Luca has enabled the system
to use a satellite phone.
 Through Luca's imagination and the
versatility of the VIA EPIA Mini-ITX, the VESPA-PUTER
opens up a whole new avenue for mobile applications.
Small and rugged enough to be used on a motorbike and
wirelessly enabled to be connected from virtually
anywhere, the VESPA-PUTER has the ability to
dramatically change our concept of the road trip. Paper
maps and 25 cent postcards have now become things of the
past, thanks to the digital brilliance of Luca
Barzelogna and VIA EPIA Mini-ITX!
The Italian Vespaonline Association was founded
in 1997 as a way for Italian Vespa lovers to meet over
the Internet. Since then, they have taken their Vespas
on over 15 different sightseeing tours, or "Raids"
throughout Italy. The next rally takes the concept a big
step further in distance and endurance: the Raid of the
Desert.
 VIA is proud to sponsor the October
"Raid of the Desert " across the American Southwest,
where 24 members from the Vespaonline Association will
travel through California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, a
trip of over 3,500 miles.
From the Mojave Desert to the Grand Canyon and Zion
National Park, Luca is taking his VESPA-PUTER through
some of the most inhospitable and inaccessible terrains
of the world. During their trip, VIA plans on hosting
live images from the event on our website, as well as
commentary from the members along the way. So, stay
tuned in October and see VIA EPIA Mini-ITX conquer the
desert!
Update:
And they're
off!! The Raid of the Desert is underway. Take a look at
some pictures and commentary uploaded from the
VESPA-PUTER as the Italian Vespaonline Association make
their way through the American Southwest at VIAArena.com.
For the complete
schedule of events for the Vespa Raid of the Deserts,
please contact Colin
Brix | 
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