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Post by spandi on Mar 25, 2013 20:34:40 GMT -5
Quick question: Has your current scoot (the Gorilla) given you any trouble yet, and how many miles do you have on it?
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Post by rockynv on Mar 25, 2013 22:15:43 GMT -5
Shop around is my best reccomendation. When I bought my Aprilia (a division of Piaggio) which uses the same engine packages as Vespa/Piaggio the prices were within a few hundred dollars of the Chinese bikes and almost half of what an equivalent Honda cost with the Aprilia 250 costing less than a Honda 150. The Aprilia Scarabeo 500cc was $3,999 a few months ago and those came with a full 2 years parts and labor warranty. The 250 Sport City was $2,999 and the 200cc Scarabeo was $1,999. For the cost of some of the Honda Scooters you could even have gotten into an Aprilia Mana 850cc CVT sport bike at $5,999.
My Aprilia Sport City 250 is now closing in on 15,000 trouble free miles and has only required the scheduled 6,250 mile oil/filter changes and 12,500 mile CVT/belt/roller services. I ride daily rain or shine in South Florida and the Aprilia has been a rock solid daily ride. It has also toured me cross state on I4 and I95 from Tampa to Saint Augustine for empanadas at the Old Spanish Bakery, up to Floral City and through the hill country around it and South down I75 to Whachula and Peace River.
A run to see the African Queen now that it has been refurbished in the Florida Keys is a possibility along with taking the luncheon cruise on the Queen (same boat that Bogart and Hepburn were on when making the movie in Africa some 60 years ago). Tampa to Deals Gap and Mount Airy (Mayberry) are also doable on this bike.
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Post by SylvreKat on Mar 25, 2013 22:39:57 GMT -5
...The Piaggio might be more stylish, but nothing beats turning the key and driving off. Uhm, spandi, that's all I've ever done with my Piggy. Only problem was after sitting almost two years, he stuttered the first try, second try putt-putt-putt. Dunno how much more reliable a Honda can be than that. waterboy, my advice is always to go try out the different models that appeal to you. Sit on them. See how well you and they fit each other. Test drive them if the dealer lets you. Just 'cause you think you want the BV300 (and a fine scoot that looks to be!  ) doesn't mean you should ignore the others. You might discover that the Kymco (or Yammy, or whatever) fits you better and appeals more after trying it out. Or you might find that you were right, and there's gonna' be a Piggy in your pen. ;D >'Kat |
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Post by waterboysh on Mar 26, 2013 11:09:52 GMT -5
Quick question: Has your current scoot (the Gorilla) given you any trouble yet, and how many miles do you have on it? Nope, it hasn't given me anything major yet. Just did a routine oil change today in fact. It's only got 1400km on it, which according to Google is about 870 miles. I've had it since the beginning of December. But, the number of miles I drive each day is going to increase soon. Right now I'm working a part time job a couple days a week and I have class 1 day a week. When I start my new job, I'll be driving to work everyday (and this drive is a tad longer), plus going to class 1 day a week. I've got plenty of time to decide what to do though. The main reason I got the scooter I have now was I needed a cheap vehicle. I could have bought an old car that got 12 mpg and needed lots of repairs, or I could have bought a brand new cheap scooter that gets 80 mpg. I obviously went with the scooter. At first, it was just a way to get around, but now I really enjoy riding my scooter. I've had a few people tell me I should just get a motorcycle, but it's not the same. I feel like on my scooter I don't have to worry as much about the driving and I can enjoy myself more. It's mainly the way you sit on a scooter vs straddle a motorcycle and the CVT, not having to worry about shifting all the time. Aprilia sounds nice, but the closest dealer I can find is Daytona, which is a 2.5 hour drive from here. |
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Post by jwalz1 on Mar 26, 2013 16:10:28 GMT -5
For anybody that reads these threads that pop up you will see people argue over brands of scoots. I did lots of research before making my choice and I can say that Kymco owners had almost universal praise for the build quality of their scooters.
But so did Sym, and Piaggio, Aprillia, Honda, Yamaha, Genuine and Suzuki owners. It is hard to find someone that has run into multiple problems with these brands, and most will be problem free far beyond the original purchaser's use.
They are the respected brands for a reason. If you are thinking of any of those brands, they most likely are going to be a great product. The differences are going to be price, dealer network, availability of parts, and some minor difference in fit and finish.
If I was looking for a scooter made by any of the aforementioned that I liked and was in my price range, I would not hesitate.
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Post by DaveC on Mar 26, 2013 16:27:31 GMT -5
I was looking for a trike (for now) that didn't cost $30K (that I don"t have) or $10K i don't wanna spend.
My choices were very limited, which led me to the Icebear Zodiac.
(Any trike kit would add $4K to the cost of any scooter,which puts me back at $10k)
(I need an automatic trans)(no L leg)
Not arguing, just saying why I went with Ice bear.
And, I get to call Jim and talk crap to eachother
I did some research on the Aprilla ??700X and really like it.
May try it next
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Post by rockynv on Mar 27, 2013 4:09:05 GMT -5
Something to be said about going with a local dealer with a service department that has a good reputation. You can buy the best bike in the world however if the dealers parts and service department stinks then even small things can become big irritations. Look how many people bought bikes from Internet Distributors and had minor problems that were dragged out into major issues due to the bad (non-existent) support from the distributor.
Once I scoped out what decent brands were available locally I found that they were mostly all available at the local Aprilia dealer who is the largest in the country and also sells Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Piaggio, Vespa, etc along with Eaton. They gave me a good trade on my old Lance Vintage, which other dealers would not even look at, along with a great deal on the Aprilia Sport City giving me better financing then my own credit union. I ended up supporting my neighbors and got a bike that so far has be paid for by the gas savings becoming essentially free.
In less than 2 years of daily commuting it now has 14,394 trouble free miles on it.
The guy who they sold my old 150cc bike to is still running it and you will see him at the Aprilia dealer having his services taken care of there. It was not really appropriate to my needs as I ride between 500 to 1,500 miles monthly with most of my riding at over 45 mph and involving long stretches at 65+ mph on the interstate.
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Post by spandi on Mar 27, 2013 5:49:53 GMT -5
...The Piaggio might be more stylish, but nothing beats turning the key and driving off. Uhm, spandi, that's all I've ever done with my Piggy. Only problem was after sitting almost two years, he stuttered the first try, second try putt-putt-putt. Dunno how much more reliable a Honda can be than that. waterboy, my advice is always to go try out the different models that appeal to you. Sit on them. See how well you and they fit each other. Test drive them if the dealer lets you. Just 'cause you think you want the BV300 (and a fine scoot that looks to be! ) doesn't mean you should ignore the others. You might discover that the Kymco (or Yammy, or whatever) fits you better and appeals more after trying it out. Or you might find that you were right, and there's gonna' be a Piggy in your pen. ;D >'Kat As I said, given the type of bike he wants (350cc) I'm sure he won't be crying all the way home with that "Little Piggy" |
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Post by shalomrider on Mar 27, 2013 11:45:05 GMT -5
howdy, i'll chime in here as no-one seems to have responded that actually owns the bv350. i do though with only about a thousand trouble free miles. i traded my bv500 in for it after putting on 8500 miles with no problems, no tires, no belt, nothing except the recall for fuel line and a problem with fork seals caused by improper handling by the dealer. i did also have electrical problem caused by the service mechanic pinching the seat opener wiring when reassembling after the scheduled valve adjustment. that cost me a battery. anyway, the bv350 handles far better and has better underseat storage, longer service intervals, and will go about  mph, and is quite a bit lighter. it makes approximately 33 horsepower with 330 cc engine. not bad. it gets better than 60 mpg. all in all, i am pleased with it and expect to take a thousand mile round trip the first of july and save enough on fuel for a couple nights in a motel six compared to the car or pick-up. aint retirement great? lotsa miles and smiles to ya ken |
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Post by spandi on Mar 27, 2013 13:41:09 GMT -5
Mazel tov! ...He can get the bv350
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Post by bobshaw on Mar 27, 2013 13:46:27 GMT -5
I bought a used 2005 Honda Reflex 250cc and have put over 1,000 miles on it and have never had the plastic off of it.
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Post by SylvreKat on Mar 30, 2013 8:04:12 GMT -5
ken, I'm jealous. I won't get to retire 'til I'm probably 80, the rate things're going.  spandi, that was funny. Glad you didn't mention going wee-wee-wee.... ;D While I don't have the 350, and I haven't ridden much, I've got to say I've been pleased with my BV200. Rides nice, no issues, hasn't minded sitting unused. I'm planning on ignoring poochy knees and finally RIDING it! And my Harley friend has enjoyed the ride too, the couple times he's ridden it (before I was legal). That to me says a lot for the BVs, that it compares favourably with a cruiser. >'Kat |
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Post by spandi on Mar 30, 2013 9:56:31 GMT -5
ken, I'm jealous. I won't get to retire 'til I'm probably 80, the rate things're going. spandi, that was funny. Glad you didn't mention going wee-wee-wee.... ;D While I don't have the 350, and I haven't ridden much, I've got to say I've been pleased with my BV200. Rides nice, no issues, hasn't minded sitting unused. I'm planning on ignoring poochy knees and finally RIDING it! And my Harley friend has enjoyed the ride too, the couple times he's ridden it (before I was legal). That to me says a lot for the BVs, that it compares favourably with a cruiser. >'Kat That's what they say riding their little piggies in France! ;D |
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Post by waterboysh on Mar 30, 2013 15:43:52 GMT -5
So I'll probably spend next month looking around, and if I decide to get another scooter I'll probably do it around June. It'll be a birthday present to myself  There are 2 dealers here in Gainesville I'll probably be looking at. One is where I got my current scooter. They sell Vespas and Piaggios. They have a BV 350 in stock. The other dealer sells Kymco. There are a few different Kymco models that are around the same engine size I'd like to look at. The People GT 300i and the Downtown 300i. They also sell Sym scooters, and I'd like to check out the CityCom 300i as well. |
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Post by skuttadawg on Mar 30, 2013 22:55:49 GMT -5
I learned quickly that the China scooters are not like Honda or Suzuki after buying a lemon for my first China scooter . So did research for next purchase as I bought TaoTao on a whim since it was new , cheap , 4 miles from my home and sick of putting in 80 a week in gas in my van . To me it makes more since to spend the extra money upfront to buy a decent scooter than you can enjoy riding instead of a cheap money pit in need or repairs . I bought my Echarm since it has a full 2 year warranty even the tires and light bulbs are included where Honda is a limited 1 year warranty covering only the engine and driver train . Most China stuff around me has a 30 day , day or 6 month warranty that is very limited . Kymco has a 2 year warranty and I think Genuine does too |
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mph, and is quite a bit lighter. it makes approximately 33 horsepower with 330 cc engine. not bad. it gets better than 60 mpg. all in all, i am pleased with it and expect to take a thousand mile round trip the first of july and save enough on fuel for a couple nights in a motel six compared to the car or pick-up. aint retirement great?