Modern Vespa

I'm looking to replace my LX50. I was going to upgrade to a LX150.
When I started comparing the price, The BV-250 was not that much more than the LX150.

Any thing I should know before making the jump?

Thanks

am considering the bv250 also. Seems more comfortable to me than gts250. couple concerns are:

1. Carb
2. Windscreen - terrible optical distortion... should have been optional

Depending on what you hope to get out of the scooter (I see you already have an MP3), maybe look into the Aprilia Scarabeo 250, as well. Slight differences cosmetically and in storage, but overall, the same scooter.

You might as well test ride the BV500/Scarabeo 500 while you're at it since you already have a 250cc scooter. Who knows - you might find the bigger size and displacement is right up your alley.

Only you will know...

Best of luck!

I love my BV. No problems as of yet. I'm just glad there is much more selection out there in my "CC"-category. Just keep in mind the choice is yours. Purchase which ever scooter you are comfortable with.

And enjoy it.

Thanks for all the advise - I love the LX 50 but the few times I rode it I decided that it's a very dangerous bike because of the slow speed. With me and my old lady on it we were struggling to keep it up to 30 mph. I primarily use it as transportation behind motorhome.

When I'm home I ride the MP3 - I'm real happy with my 250cc in the MP3 so I'm sure I'll have the same performance or better with the BV-250 since it has less weight to pull around.

I was going for a LX150 but for the difference in money I'm getting a little more bike for the money.

Getting close to 6000 trouble free miles on my BV - love it!

Thanks for the reply!

I have a few questions:

How is the cold weather starting and running since it is a carb'd engine.

When your sitting on the seat is the windshield below your eye level?

Is the floorboard foot area large enough for you?

What kind of fuel economy are you getting?

Thanks!

I can't speak directly to your questions since I own an '05 BV200. But for the BV200 cold weather starting and cold starting period is not a problem at all. Just tap the starter button and up she fires. Warm starts are generally the same except if you accidentally over-fill the tank. Check threads here about this. No big deal.

My BV just has the little fly screen so I can't answer the windsheild question, but I'd bet you look over it.

I'm 6'1", 215 lbs and have no problem with fitment. The floorboard space is perfect for me- the place where your feet go is nice and wide and coverage from the front is good, the cold and bugs stay off you.

My gas mileage is usually around 72 mpg. Sometimes when I do more steady riding out in the country 45-50mph, it shoots up and when I'm doing tons of stop and go it comes down a bit. I've seen as high as 78 and as low as 68.

The scoot has 8100 miles on it and has been Toyota-like. Gas and oil/changes, the usual maintence and that's it. The tires- Michelin Gold Standards, are wearing like iron. I did 85 miles on it today, came home without any aches or pains..

Hope this helps

Bob

Since you're asking.

I've had 11,000 trouble free kilometers on my BV 250 since this March 4.
I've never had a bit of trouble starting the bike even at minus 0 C.
There's plenty of foot room.
The windscreen is well below my eye level. And I get 82 MPG imperial gallon.
That would be 67 mpg U.S.
I'm 197 cm tall (6'5") with size 14 feet. I've also had the scooter up to 150+ kph (indicated) in calm air and a very slight downhill road.
And the stability at speed is outstanding. (big wheels)
BTW the rear tire is barely worn and the front looks like new. Big savings in tires.

It's a totally awesome scooter.

Roy
Safety Officer TMSC

I just can't think of anything negative to say about this scooter considering the purchase price. I have almost 5,000 trouble free miles on mine.

Great handling and power, 68 MPG on average, 85 MPH max, good weather/wind protection, smooth engine, great stability, light weight, quiet exhaust, decent stock tires, great brakes, all day comfy seat...

If you want to carve traffic on the freeway at high speeds, that would be a mission for a more capable machine due to the suspension limitations on the BV250. This scooter does almost everything. Highly recommeded.

Your definitely gonna get better milage than whats in your avatar.

to address the carb thing - there's absolutely 100% nothing bad about a carb. In fact, at consistent altitude, a carb can be tuned to run better than FI, since FI is computer controlled and generally most people don't exactly have the gear required to re-calibrate the EFI unit to their personal specifications.

This whole "carb" thing really is nonsense. At the Royal Bastards Tahoe rally, we were above 6k feet for much of the rally and all the GTS' with EFI were bogging like dogs. It really didn't help much.

Nothing about the BV250 stands out to me as a bad choice.

I think it is more of a case of dangerous application rather than a dangerous bike. There are many LX50 owners out there who love their bikes, but understand the limitations of 50 cc. Perhaps you expected too much from the 50. It is only rated at 39mph with a single operator of average weight.

BV250 is okay. If you look for a big wheel scooter you should also consider the Scarabeo 250ie. Driving position is very good, better than the BV if you are very tall. Better passenger seat. Very comfortable and steadier ride. Bigger and more regular underseat storage.
Cons: less agile, heavier, bigger.

My 500 is exactly the same size, though suspensions, brakes and something else has been modified to fit the 39hp, high torque engine.

If you find the wind screen is too high, perhaps you could get it shaved down a bit. I don't think it's really meant for looking through.

The BV is a great scoot, no matter which size you get.

It may have been mentioned before, but my question would be: do you just want a scooter, or do you want a Vespa?

Don't get too hung up on temporary financial implications. Your first purchase, the LX50, shows me that you did want a Vespa then, when you could have spent less and gotten more scooter elsewhere.

Same situation today. I only say, don't buy because you like the price, buy the scooter that you like.

Well the truth of the matter is I used to own a Vespa some 40+ years ago. I have owned up to a few months ago a Tomas 50 cc which I had for around 12 years. I traded the Tomas on a Vespa 50 to get a bit more comfort for my second rider.

While I was there I caught my first sight of the MP3 and ended up buying one a week after. After riding the MP3 I decided that a 50cc at 25-30 mph on public roads in this day in age is too dangerous with all the idiots out there.

This is the only reason I'm selling it.

-Cold weather starting - no worries
-The windscreen is well below my eyeline (5'10")
-The floorboard area is large enough - I would prefer more, but that's not an issue
- averaging 65mpg (mostly city driving) - have been up to 70+ on long, easy rides.

Hope that helps.

Jim

Well I made the jump and got a BV-250 I love the machine it runs great. I have a few questions:

First what did you mean when you said suspension limitations.

The second question is does anyone else get a light poping noise ( light bacfiring) from the exhaust when slowing down?

I noticed my idle speed is real low - could this be causing the problem?

The same characteristics that make the BV 250 a joy to ride at 40 MPH on a bumpy road due to compliant suspension makes the BV 250 oscillate unpredictably in a turn at high speeds on an uneven surface.

Although the pre-load on the BV 250 rear shock is adjusted via a notched collar on the shock, the shocks do not offer a damping adjustment. Adjusting the pre-load alone to solve this problem will only transfer the oscillations to a different frequency.

A machine designed to handle bumps at high speeds in a turn will have both a damping and pre-load adjustment.

As for the popping in the exhaust, this is just the secondary air function performing its job properly by burning any fuel that made it past the combustion chamber. I wouldn't worry about it unless it develops into a full blown backfire.

Enjoy your scooter; it is a fine machine.

I love my bv250. I have had no problem with the suspension on the interstate. I wouldn't recomend maximum lean on a bumpy road at 85mph but other than that it's great. I know what your talking about with the exhaust. There is a fuel vapor thing under the false bottom in the trunk that uses manifold vacuum to suck fuel vapors out of the tank. This is only needed in california. apparently it doesn't effect fuel injected scoots but it makes a carb engine run like crap. If you take out the false bottom you will see a black box and a valve. The hose to the black box needs to be sealed.the easy way is to fold it over and tighten a couple hose clamps on it which I did first and it worked fine. I wanted something cleaner so I I took it off and capped the manifold. While doing that I split a fuel line and had to take the bike apart to replace it. The vacuum hose from the valve needs to be able to breathe. stick a cheap inline fuel filter in it and direct it to the bottom of the bike. there is a clear hose which runs back to the carb this also needs to breathe put a fuel filter in it to. You will be amazed at how much better your bike runs, starts, and sounds afterwards. Plus your trunk will be much bigger. You will have the same trunk the rest of the world has.

Hey thanks for the info - While I would doubt if you would ever see me going in hard turn at 85 mph, I thought it rode a bit hard - so what your saying is due to the stiff suspension the tire is airborne part of the time on a bumpy surface and this is the reason the tire loses grip?

Regarding the CA emmision would you or do you know of any images on the net that show the mod you performed? When I bought mine, the cover was left loose and I seen all the garb under there.

Most important, does that stop the poping when you let off the throttle?

Just one more question - you said the dampening is not adjustable on the BV-250 - do you mean the shock is not adjustable. On my Scarabeo 500 it's not adjustable either however I don't hear anyone complain about the handling though.

Not sure exactly what the problem is.

Thanks

I just posed some images on the mod on the main discussion board!

BV-250 Emission Removal

There are pictures of vapor thingy removal for a fuel injected bv500 in the technical library the only difference being that for the bv250 there is a clear hose which goes to the carb that needs to breath. You can't adjust the dampening but you can adjust the preload. your bike should have come with a tool that is a lever with a half circle on one end to rotate the stepped watchamacalit on the bottom of the rear springs. The bv250 does have pretty stiff springs in the back. I am a pretty big guy 190lbs and every motorcycle or scooter I have ever had I always kept the preload as stiff as it would go but on the bv250 I keep it on the second shortest step which is as just about as loose as the springs can get and it still handles like it's on rails. Even whith a passenger I wouldn't go past the third step.

I was under the impression that if you tighten the preload (spring) it would only make it ride harder and bounce more. I was looking for a way to loosen the spring to let the tire stay on the ground more.

If you want a bike that has a ride, it's the MP3. It's smooth, stays on the ground and feels great. Looking at he spring size, it looks simular to the springs of the BV-250 - the difference is the MP3 weighs much more giving it more load on the springs.

I also noticed the BV-250 rides better with a rider on the back.

I want to tour a lot, I make highway jumps from Hollywood to Venice, CA. I've been reading all these forums trying to get a feel, I used to have a people150 it was great but a little too small for my tastes. Im 6'1 170 pnds... Any suggetions, I know, they are all great scoots!

Ps, they are all great scoots!

Basically I can get a 2007 bv250 1400 mi. for 2400$ w/top case that is carbed

Or a

Gts250 2007, no case for 2,500 w/ 3,600 mi.

Or

A Kymco People 250 2006 for 1900$

I live in hollywood, lots of potholes but lots of city traffic, carbed

I'm leaning toward the bv due to the extra low miles