Modern Vespa

Hi everyone! My name is Tom. I went and looked at this scooter Saturday, and really liked it. The deal was great! Really great! The only reason I am hesitating is I am not familiar with the reliability of Piaggio scooters. I have a Taiwanese scooter that has never had a problem in the 9 months and 5K miles I have ridden it. The problem is my scooter is a 163cc motor, and I am ready for some long weekend trips. First, would you go on a vacation by yourself on this scooter (BV350) riding 400 miles and not be concerned of a sudden breakdown such as a fuel pump failure, etc. ? Second, any of you have this model and have lots of miles with no problems?

Maybe I'm blind but how many miles are on the BV 350? Piaggios are generally quite reliable.

The Piaggio is new. 0 or near 0 miles

In that case I wouldn't hesitate though you might want to ride the breakin miles and first service first. I put 4,400 miles in one trip to Amerivespa and back summer 2012 on my BV 500. Wouldn't hesitate to do the same on a BV 350 either.

Thank you cdwise! I appreciate any and all responses. You all will help me make my decision!

I thought of another question. Are the valve clearance adjustments on the BV350 easy or difficult to do? I understand that the intervals are longer than most scooters.

You may want to browse the many threads on BV 350s in general discussion using the forum search and check the wiki for manuals/maintenance tutorials.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Piaggio based on reliability. My 2005 BV200 has over 23,000 miles and except for a stator that went bad it has been perfect. I've had it since it was new. Really love the scooter. I don't seem to fit as well on the 350 as the 200 but I may revisit that again this off season. I really like the BV series of scooters. I also have a trouble-free 2005 Honda Reflex that I've been thinking of trading in on something a little bigger for the past couple of years. The 350 would be perfect if I fit a little better. The last time (only time) I sat on one was last winter and I had on a big winter coat. That may be the reason I didn't fit so well...

Good luck with your decision.

Bob

Hello there,
I have driven 23000 km (14000 MI) driven with out any problems. My longest trip is about 250 km (155 MI).

Gr. Michel

There are lots of high mileage Vespas on MV. They are also made by Piaggio and the engines in the large frames, with minor changes, were all shared with the BV until the 350.

I wish that they would put the new 350 into a large frame Vespa but it doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon.

I have almost 54,000 miles on my GT.
It was quite trouble free until 40,000 miles.
It had a camshaft issue at that time. That and a rocker arm were replaced.
Since them I have had to change the steering bearing and carburetor.
With that, it has never run better.
I am planning to ride it on the Scooter Cannonball Run 2014.

I've hsd my BV350 for 18 months and covered nearly 10,000 trouble free miles. Service intervals are pretty long for a scooter.
John W.

I did 10,100 miles in 34 days with no problems.

Great information. Thanks to all of you for the replies! This helps me a lot. I think I may go ahead and buy this.
I'll do some searching and look to see what I can find out about the valve clearance check. I prefer to do some of my own maintenance such a as fluids and the valve checks.
This looks like an active good forum. Reminds me of the Kymco forum. The SYM forum has very little activity. I posted a questing over there too as I was considering a Citycom 300i. I think I'd be happier with the BV.
Thanks again everyone!

Had mine for about 4-5 months and have 6,000 trouble free miles. Its my go-to scooter for long range commuting and touring.

That's a serious trip? Where did you go and when?

https://modernvespa.com/forum/topic114778

Download the pdf workshop manual & take a look

http://manuals.wotmeworry.org.uk/Beverley/BV350/

You rock super-fly! I wasn't actually able to see the process till I downloaded the PDF, in spite of my searches. It doesn't look too bad even though it uses shims. A couple of MCs I've owned were shim under bucket which required lifting the cam shaft. If it were that complicated I wouldn't do it. This looks like something I could handle.
Thanks everyone for your help! This is a good forum!

Wife has a 2006, BV250 with a Carb. 21000 miles and the only problem were the steering bearings and the fuel sender in the tank. Both were not under warranty and spent around 400.00

In May, I filled in my lower 48 "States Ridden In" Map, averging about 330 miles a day, 85% off slab. 40 states, 32 new. I included RT 66 (I could have skipped that), Natchez Trace, Blueridge Parkway, Skyline Trail, Grand Army of the Republic Highway, Hwy 2 up from Nebraka to the Dakotas, Beartooth Pass and Yellowstone, Pacific Coast from Coos Bay OR down, Yosemite (in the west side, out the east) and countless farm roads. I did not ride in Utah, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Colorado, Nevada, (and did not count CA). I owe a trip report. Unless I take a trip with a daughter, I will be hitting Alaska, BC to Nova Scotia, NOLA and the CO Rockies next Spring. It's a great light tourer.

I had a Piaggio LT 150 and compared to my Vespa LX 150 (same innards) it was more reliable. LX wants to be pampered but the LT just runs. Had a bad accident in '07 on it. The cops lost my bike. A few months later i get a letter from a tow yard saying that's it's being auctioned off. Quick call to the police lawyer and they were 1k poorer and i went to pick him up. Laid on it's side the whole time but when i got him home he started right up,evap crap still intact too. My LX would still be bitching. I'd get one. Good luck

Thanks, how'd I miss that?

Just got home from the dealer with my new Piaggio BV 350! Yippee! New toy!
I had the opportunity to test ride the SYM Citicom 300i too back to back with the Piaggio.
Citicom: surprisingly good roll on acceleration. I was expecting the Piaggio to be night and day better. The Piaggio was definitely better, but not dramatically so. The seat was just as comfortable as the Piaggio, but it put me too close to the handlebars. I could live with that, but the Piaggio ergs were better. I'm 6'1" with a 34 inseam. The windshield was good.
Piaggio: WAY better acceleration off the line. Fantastic transmission. Better headlight. Better brakes. Smoother motor. Lousy windshield.
I have researched my potential scooters for hours and hours on the web. Some things that surprised me. The Piaggio's turn signal operation and cancellation is not awkward at all. In fact I think the feel is great! Even better than my Kymco Like, although the Like turn signal switch is fine. Another thing, the Piaggio doesn't have fantastic engine breaking. It might even slow slower than my Like, although I only rode the P for 20 miles.
Thanks again everyone for all your help! I look forward to contributing to this community!

Congratulations on your new ride. Enjoy!

I am puzzled by your statement above. I have ridden quite a few CVT scooters - Vespa, Piaggio, Aprilia, Yamaha, Honda, Kymco, Genuine, Sym, Suzuki, BMW, etc. I have never ridden a CVT scooter with more pronounced engine braking than the BV 350.

Nor I. As good as any geared motorcycle IMO.

Nor three. I'm still getting used to it (only) 2600 miles in.

The worst I've read about the 350 with ABS is, that Piaggio makes you replace, not just inspect, the brake pump every 15,000 km (9,300 miles). That's a costly part.

They say it is a safety precaution because of the higher wear of the pump due to the high pressure the ABS uses.

Make me #4 on the engine braking prowess of the BV 350. I see it outstanding compared to the other bikes I've ridden (a small sample size I admit).

the BV350 isn't really old enough to have a 'long term' report, but given that older tech versions of those engines from both Piaggio and Aprillia are very well received, I'd say the bv350 would compliment your smaller scoot without issue.

I'll get back to you all on the engine breaking comparison. Funny you guys comparing the BV to a motorcycle. Other than the light weight in regards to handling it really does feel more like a motorcycle than a scooter. I didn't ride to work today. Rainy day here.
The Kymco does break well. A lot of times I only apply the breaks when the engine braking already has me down to 5 mph or so. That's in light traffic and no one on my a$$. I didn't feel that with the Piaggio last night, but there was a lot of traffic, and maybe it's just that I was riding faster. Or perhaps all the excitement of my new ride.

Well, that is a problem we don't have in the US . No ABS on the BV or any other Piaggio/Vespa scooter here.