Do you do a long freeway commute on a scooter?  By  davidji (Read 2,859 times)

Not to bash Chinese scoots but I would take the long look at sym kymco or tgb (Taiwan golden bee),,,first choice being kymco,,,sym is great but  hard to get parts for,,,,,also you may look at the Yamaha smax,,,(kymco made),,,fast great brakes,,,but you pay for it,,,but in the long run worth every penny,,,and there are some great deals to be had second hand or even a year or two leftover,,,(that's how I got my genuine Stella )

Here's my take.

Any of the Piaggio based scooters are going to have around 6,500 mile oil change schedules and valve adjustments will generally be good for around 25,000 miles between checks. The BV350 will have the edge on fuel economy due to its boxed stroke wet clutch engine plus the ergonomics will be better for someone with a mild disability then a Burgman. I found the SilverWing to feel very top heavy compared to either the BV350, BV500 or Scarabeo 500ie. The older Scarabeo 500GT has very limited underseat storage and is also a bit top heavy while the newer Scarabeo 500ie is better on the weight and has much more underseat storage along with a more modern fuel injection system (similar to the BV350/500) than the older 500GT(Big Beo).

You may want to look at the Honda CTX700 DCT or Honda CTX700N DCT (N for Naked without the extra fairings). I found that in traffic the NC700X DCT put the foot pegs in my calves when stopped which got irritating after a while yet the cruisers did not so even though I am not a big cruiser fan I found them a nicer ride. Add to it that you can get the naked CTX for thousand less than the NC and many thousands less than the Africa Twins makes me lean towards the naked CTX. The other plus to the 700cc DCT bikes is that while they are better equipped for interstate travel they get better fuel economy than a 250cc scooter in town or on the highway not to mention that you will be riding on longer lasting motorcycle tires.

This Cager on Two Wheels review is interesting since I believe he owns the NC700. Note his reaction once he gets settled in on the CTX:

The CTX700N has a 3.17 gallon fuel capacity which at around 60 mpg will give you a 180 mile range. The Scarabeo 500 GT does have a 4.5 gallon tank fuel economy will only be around 50 mpg so range will be slightly better however unless you are a tall person you may not find it easy to ride in the city. You have to play Goldilocks to be sure.

If your round trip is 100 to 150 miles round trip you will be filling up at least daily with most scooters or other automatic bikes.

If you found a properly set up BV350 too unstable then you would likely only feel comfortable on a 650+ lb machine. The Big Beo GT would be more to your liking then or maybe and older Atlantic 500 otherwise it would be and Burgman Executive 650 or maybe a Wing or possibly the BMW in a scooter. The SR850 would be nice however they do not import it to the US so the Mana 850 rated at 130+ mph would be the closest to that in an automatic motorcycle.

Rain groove issues will be tire related and could be due to improper inflation of the tires on the demo bike. Many dealers either severely under inflate the tires on scooters to give them a heavier smoother feeling ride or over inflate them for slightly zippier performance. If the bike was used there is the possibility that the tires need replacing or that the previous owner cheaped out and simply put a very bad choice in tires on the bike. Also check the preload setting on the rear shocks. Just about any Piaggio/Aprilia product from the 125cc on up will have about a 460 lb weight capacity so chances are the dealer will have set them to the lowest setting for the softest ride which will impact highway manners. The steering head angle on a scooter is set for manuverability so anything that impacts the balance of the bike such as tire pressure or rear shock preload can have a major impact on highway manners.

For reference what speeds are you looking to maintain on the highway? While the BV350 is considered a Highway Touring Scooter capable of cruising nicely at 80 mph it would not be up to solid + mph operation for extended periods of time.

Myself I am used to touring on a 250 that with the Sport Fairing is capable of 100 mph and does well for me on the Interstate however I am used to riding light bikes on the Expressway. I would not consider riding a 150 though on the Interstate or even a 65 mph State Road.

Depends on the 250. On a low compression twin 600 it will be torquey but won't have the top end that you can get from a high compression 250 single.

Suzuki had a major shock when they sold Aprilia some of their bare 250cc blocks and saw Aprilia build them into 150+ mph rockets instead of the barely ninety mph slugs people were used to seeing from Suzuki.

I rode for a while on one trip being followed by a young man on a 600cc Suzuki Bandit and when he finally caught up at a stop light his first question was if I was riding a 750 and after he found out it was just a 250 he wanted to know if I realized how fast I was going. I pointed to the fact that the bike did have a speedometer. I believe his was an older low compression carbureted 600 compared to a high compression fuel injected 250 with a 4 valve head. Besides that his bike was the more naked version of the Bandit with no windshield or fairings.

The right sport fairing can also make a very big difference in top speed and how long it takes to get there. When I put the Puig Sport Fairing instead of a windshield on my 250 it was an Oh Wow! moment as I wondered "Why did I wait so long?"