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Post by rockynv on Oct 30, 2016 7:55:09 GMT -5
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. |
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Post by rockynv on Oct 29, 2016 11:24:58 GMT -5
If the bike was lawful then a title company may be able to assist you in getting a title. With the new law taking effect shortly there should be a number of title type companies who would be able to advise you locally.
Usually the original owner of record will be the one who would have had the easier and cheaper options for getting a title for you before the sale was completed. Do not be surprised though if the VIN when they do a search comes up with a lean on it or stolen. This is an unfortunate possibility that one does face in these situations.
Personally I grew up where if the seller had no proof of ownership of some kind on any type of vehicle regardless of whether it needed to be registered or not then it was no sale. Boat, tractor, bike, off road vehicle it did not matter. On a private sale if the seller won't let me take a cell phone picture of their drivers license as proof that I bought the vehicle from the owner of record then its no sale too.
What class bike are we talking about?
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Post by rockynv on Oct 29, 2016 11:07:28 GMT -5
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.
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Post by rockynv on Oct 28, 2016 23:20:54 GMT -5
Interesting thanks. Hadn't considered maintenance issues. The scooters that were on my radar were the BV350, the Scarabeo 500GT, and the Tmax 500. Wasn't thinking of a maxiscooter like a Burgman 650 or Silverwing. Maybe a Tmax is getting close in size? Might go ride a demo BV in the morning. I had considered a DCT bike, and haven't really ruled it out. There are few suitable ones new or used around here. The closest dealer has nothing suitable. Haven't been to other dealers, but there are some NC700X DCT and Africa Twin DCT bikes around. 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: |
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Post by rockynv on Oct 28, 2016 22:53:00 GMT -5
I hope Mahindra produces a reliable version of the Victor 441. It's more likely that they will produce a nice mid-weight twin for the US.  I hope they do however Mahindra has yet to bring any roadway cars, trucks or bikes to the US that I know of. Many of us were really hopeful that we would at least see some of their light trucks and have been waiting and watching for a number of years now on that front. V-Twins unfortunately appear to be an endangered species now as they are said to be harder to get to meet air quality requirements and are being dropped from production around the world. Many sport bikers are seeing their favorite V-Twins being dropped from production due to this. Then there is the EU push to eliminate internal combustion vehicles altogether to consider. I believe Norway has been pushing this very aggressively being a leader in the phase out and there are rumors that we may see a big change in the US on this topic within the next year at least long term policy wise. It may now already be a bad time to start production on any new line of ICE vehicles destined for Europe or the US. |
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Post by rockynv on Oct 28, 2016 22:36:45 GMT -5
Those Nissan Delta cars look wierd, with the narrow fronts, but they put up big numbers. They look like they have some stability issues at times too but they do showcase what is possible with an electric motor and a battery. Still a bit sobering to think what a 400 volt 24/30/42/54/60/etc kWh battery can do to the human body. |
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Post by rockynv on Oct 28, 2016 4:06:02 GMT -5
Depends on the interstate but I have commuted from Tampa to Orlando on my Sport City 250 which will go about 150 miles on a tank of gas and will keep up nicely with 70 mph interstate traffic (which generally travels at 80) as long as you have a Puig Sport Fairing on it and wear a full faced helmet with the face shield closed. Top speed is around 100 mph and tires are 15" while weight is about 326 lbs. The Orlando commute is around 250 miles round trip. A BV350, BV500, Mp3 500 or Scarabeo 500 would be even better without having to deal with the greater weight of a Burgman, Majesty or Silverwing.
An Aprilia Mana 850 or any of the 700cc Honda DCT Automatics would also be great choices if you prefer a motorcycle configuration.
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Post by rockynv on Oct 27, 2016 22:57:58 GMT -5
On another note, Audi has pulled out of the prestigious endurance (Le Mans) racing series and will enter the Formula E series; full schedule. That is a pretty significant decision in the auto racing world. Le Mans is a storied place where racing legends abound, but I think Audi realizes that Formula E offers an opportunity to attract a new generation of racing fans. Win on Sunday. Sell on Monday. newatlas.com/audi-wec-formula-e-2017-decision/46136/It is getting interesting. The instant quiet power can be quite addictive. Makes me want to check out a Bramo or Zero bike now. No oil changes, valve adjustments, exhaust systems, spark plugs, mulitspeed transmission (not even a reverse gear just reverse the motor itself) or torque converter/clutch so maintenance is basically check the brakes and coolant annually flushing as needed along with rotate the tires aside from an occasional wash and tire pressure check. It was eerie the first time I drove without the AC or radio on and came up to the first red light. It was dead silent generating the knee jerk reaction of "Oh No - Its stalled!" but all was well and the car jumped away from the intersection the moment the accelerator was tapped. One problem though is people wanting to take me to lunch to get a ride in it. I am going to have to watch my weight. ;> |
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Post by rockynv on Oct 27, 2016 22:34:32 GMT -5
Here is a clip of the first electric lap ever run at Le Mans:
First electric to go over 300 kph (186 mph) at Le Mans:
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Post by rockynv on Oct 27, 2016 0:29:51 GMT -5
Hopefully they will not drop BSA from US distribution like the did with their other on road brands. Mahindra disappointed a lot of folks when they walked away from the US market and limited it to just agricultural equipment. They have some sweet eco diesel cars and trucks that many were anticipating but we never got to see them. They haven't so far brought any of their other bikes or scooters to the USA either.
It would be nice to see some new 500 or 600cc BSA bikes here in the US.
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Post by rockynv on Oct 26, 2016 0:32:39 GMT -5
The Leaf is certainly a lot more practical than the single seat Electra trike. Toyota has been doing press releases on their enclosed, leaning e-trike prototype for a few years now. The Toyota trike seats two, so it may sell pretty well if priced competitively. A lot more fun than I ever though it would be considering what I paid for it. Most common comment is "But this is a real car!" The Electra looks like it is suffering from too long getting it to market as it appears to be behind the curve of where it should be. The Leaf has a similar sized electric motor and just about the same performance specs although it weighs almost 4,000 lbs and air conditioning and such are standard while on the Electra they are range reducing extra cost options. The Leaf also has heated seats and steering wheel. With the same size motor and weighing a fraction of what the Leaf does along with the stripped down feature set one would expect a better top end and range considering it has a 16 kWh battery. One thing to be concerned about with electrics developed too far up North is that developers don't usually give enough consideration to heat degradation when driven in hotter climates. Nissan paid dearly for that and had to build their own battery factory in Tennessee to come up with a reliable Lizard LiPo battery that did not require liquid cooling. They still had to liquid cool the high voltage electronics that regulate the 400 Volt DC systems that power the motor and charge the battery. |
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Post by rockynv on Oct 25, 2016 15:16:34 GMT -5
I would go LED if possible over HID. I have seen too many lamp housings damaged by the excess heat generated by HID bulbs. You get a ton of light from a 15 or 20 watt LED headlamp bulb compared to a 55 or 65 halogen and at much lower temperatures. Appreciate that. Just tired of changing out bulbs so frequently. I know the feeling. When I had the Lance Vintage since I was riding daily to commute I was replacing the headlamp bulb every month or two. |
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Post by rockynv on Oct 25, 2016 15:13:22 GMT -5
I started off on the Motobecane Mobyette which was had a CVT drive. It would take on hills that the others of the era would require you to pedal until your legs gave out or get off and get off and walk beside them however it would sometimes be at only 5 or 10 mph. The Yamaha 50cc Scooter that came out in the late 70's was what killed the other moped brands where I lived North of Boston. Motorcycle based components with a more torquey 50cc engine and at a competitive price at the time coming in cheaper than the Vespa. Made all the other mopeds seem like toys.
It was a fun bike for a 25 mph ride and mine had turn signals, saddle bags and a windshield.
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Post by rockynv on Oct 25, 2016 14:53:01 GMT -5
I would go LED if possible over HID. I have seen too many lamp housings damaged by the excess heat generated by HID bulbs. You get a ton of light from a 15 or 20 watt LED headlamp bulb compared to a 55 or 65 halogen and at much lower temperatures.
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Post by rockynv on Oct 24, 2016 23:52:10 GMT -5
The reason I have been absent for a while is I picked up a 2014 Nissan Leaf S plug in electric with 16,000 miles on it looking like it just came off the showroom floor for about the same price as the Elio and have been just caught up with the transition. I had harassed my employer that while he claimed the company was "GREEN" it really wasn't since there were no parking spaces with electric car chargers and green lines painted on them. Well two weeks later the electricians were there busting concrete and installing charging stations after which he asked me when was I going to plug in. Next time put it in the suggestion box signed Mr Anon Amous. It has worked out quite well since they are not charging for use of the chargers and I can commute to work for just about the whole week on one charge Monday and another on Friday. For those on don't know the Leaf is a 5 passenger plug in electric car with an eighty five to 105 mile range depending on how you drive it. The S has just about all the bells and whistles aside from navigation system and cruise control. When you take it out of ECHO mode it goes into INSANITY mode and is quite a screamer requiring traction control or you'll likely be spinning the tires too regularly. It can even be equipped with a trailer hitch not just a bike rack receiver and pull up to a 2,500 lb trailer. The weather this past summer was just getting to me as roadways were too often well over 100 degrees here and I am getting spoiled with a completely silent ice cold air conditioned ride that blows away many sports cars and smaller sports bikes at the lights.  |
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+ mph operation for extended periods of time.
