The Vento V-Thunder is one of the machines sold by Vento Motorcycles, Inc., whose range mixed scooters, ATVs and cruiser-style motorcycles, including small-displacement 250 cc V-twins. The American company assembled its vehicles in Laredo, Texas.
Vento V-Thunder at a glance
| Model | Vento V-Thunder |
|---|---|
| Brand | Vento |
| Company | Vento Motorcycles, Inc., United States |
| Name meaning | “wind” in Italian |
| Cruiser line | small-displacement, including 250 cc V-twins |
| Bodywork | cruiser-style, lighter than larger cruisers |
| Assembly plant | Laredo, Texas, from 1998 |
| Headquarters by 2006 | San Diego, California |
| Outlets worldwide | over 300 |
| Model page | no dedicated Wikipedia article; facts from the brand page |
based on one source: there is no dedicated Wikipedia page for the V-Thunder, so the article draws on the Vento manufacturer article.
History of the Vento V-Thunder
Cruisers among the scooters
Vento’s catalogue was broad: motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and off-road vehicles. Its motorcycles included small-displacement cruiser-style models with 250 cc V-twin engines. Some of them used cruiser bodywork while staying lighter than many larger-displacement cruisers, a formula that suited the V-Thunder’s part of the range.
Assembled in Laredo
The company’s assembly and quality-control plant opened in Laredo, Texas, in 1998. Components made elsewhere were brought there, assembled and checked. By 2006 Vento Motorcycles U.S.A. was described as having its headquarters in San Diego, assembly and quality control in Laredo, and a marketing, product development, dealer and distributor support centre in Melbourne, Florida.
Small engines and big markets
In the 2003 financial year Vento sold 17,840 units in the United States, while 77,600 of its motorcycles went to Chile, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Russia combined, counting highway motorcycles, scooters, utility vehicles and ATVs. In Mexico the company sold more small-displacement two-wheel vehicles than Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda and Kawasaki combined.
Design and features
- Cruiser-style motorcycle: part of the brand’s small-displacement V-twin line.
- Lighter than big cruisers: cruiser bodywork on a smaller machine.
- Texas assembly: put together and quality-checked at Laredo.
- Italian name: vento means wind.
Vento V-Thunder versions
- V-Thunder: the model described here.
- Other Vento machines: scooters and off-road models have their own pages (links below).
The Vento Reptile and the Vento Zip cover other parts of the range; the whole brand is in the Vento collection.
Video: Vento V-Thunder 250
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Vento (motorcycle manufacturer), English Wikipedia: cruiser line, company, sales
