Modern Vespa

I am a new owner of the 2023 Piaggio BV400 (the "Beverly") on 23December2022!
But first: the story how I got here. I had a Vespa 125 2 stroke 59 years ago here in Scottsdale,AZ & a Tohatsu 50cc, since then went through several BSAs while stationed in Europe, Back in Canada had Yamaha Virago, Suzuki 650, Honda 1100, 2 1500 & 2 1800 Goldwings and recently in Phoenix BMW 700GS, 1200GS and the C650GT maxi scooter.
At 73 I wanted to get something lighter for around town but also allow riding the Interstates. The BV 400 really fits that requirement. Weighs 390 pounds, very stable at 10 or 80 mph, skinny and does lane filtering here in Phoenix, lots of torque off the line and easily cruises all day at 80mph! and costs $8300 out the door (not including AZ sales tax). I bought it in San Diego! Why?
Several years ago my BMW dealer here In The Valley, had a fantastic display of all things Piaggio: every size of Vespa and the BV350. Then within a year they sold them all off --- like they were going out of business. Behind the scene, maybe some type of disagreement with Piaggio. In Oct this year, I went to them to try and trade in my BMW 650 for the Piaggio Liberty 150 while I wait 4 months for the BV400. They offered me a low ball on the trade in ($1800 less than what I sold it for! & I could have got even more!) Plus for the new Piaggio they Doubled the freight and Doubled the set-up/prep as listed by Piaggio and then wanted to charge another $500 documentation fee! The costs to me WITHOUT AZ license & registration fees were more than $2440 on a $3200 Piaggio Liberty 150 (and I stated I would also be ordering from them the BV400 too!). Highway Robbery! (I found someone else in Tucson who only charged me $900 for Freight,Setup & documentation for the Liberty 150)
While looking for a 2023 Orange BV400, I checked the internet and found VespaMotorsport in San Diego, 3955 Pacific Hwy near the airport. They have tons of interesting, informative You Tube videos on maintaining Vespas and Piaggios, looks like a great shop too. Called them with the color of the B400 I wanted (the Orange) and told me to go to PiaggioUSA online to order the bike and list them as the dealer for delivery. PiaggioUSA got back to me right away and stated my bike would be here near end of February, March - oh well. THEN, 1 ½ weeks ago The Bike - or one just like it came in to VespaMotorsports! A brand new 2023 Orange BV400! I had them put on the Faco large windshield (I had already ordered from their online store - this large - medium Faco, keeps the wind off my face and hands). With the Bill of sale emailed to me from Vespa Motorsport, I got a 90 day temp registration from AZ DOT to get a temp paper plate (cost me $40), arranged for Insce and flew direct flight from PHX to San Diego (using AA points) and was at the Shop by 12:30PM. Bike was outside waiting for me. Fit my back pack couple quarts of oil and the first oil change O rings and filter all under the seat - WOW! Set up my phone (google maps) with ram mounts on the mirror stem & on my way. I planned to ride on backroads for the first 600 miles break-in.
The Ride: North through all of San Diego and then east towards Brawley, California. Great roads, first in city stop & go getting used to the bike at slow speed. Great brakes with front & rear Disc. Torque is noticeable and very nice but no full throttles - take it easy, but it wants to go (& I am no light guy 250lbs). Finally out of San Diego headed east out into the country. Through a few California small towns, wine shops, lots of knick-knack stores and plenty of little "quaint" "Cafe's" & Ristorantes. All is Very Nice - all California. East of Julian I drop down into a gorge, a valley between two large hills (California Mtns) and I am flipping the bike around corners (yeah it is a motorcycle now - not a scooter), Flip it left, then flip it right and do this every few minutes for an hour (feels like). Got great break-in to the engine and also to the sidewalls of the tires. I drove slower than usual because: new bike, new tires & it was 41F and seemed to be a shimmer on the black tar (I did not want to slide out). Fantastic ride. Eventually I got to Brawley to spend the night because after sunset it was getting cold for an Arizona guy. On the next morning, the day called Christmas Eve I started off at 8am and drove through the Sahara Desert! Or at least the California equivalent. There were tall peaks of sand and between them valleys full of tracks from the off road vehicles. FANTASTIC! Still on the back roads and now in the "dips" for several miles. It was a very long roller coaster ride. Sometimes it was dips with curves. Smiling the whole way. This was a great test for the bike's suspension (again it was a Motorcycle but automatic and you could step through like a scooter)..The 2 shocks on the front tire and the 2 shocks on the rear tire all worked well while in the dips and ALSO in the combination dips and curves to give me a very stable ride! After a stop in Blythe, Ca (the closest Denny's for breakfast with my AARP card discount) I was on Hwy I-10 headed east to my Hwy US 60 turnoff for 36 miles. I was still trying to modulate the speed but It was very difficult to keep the bike under 75MPH. It felt like I was going 45 or 50 mph but looked at the speedometer and I am going 75 (the speed limit of I-10 but not the speed limit of this motorcycle!). As the traffic around me thinned out, I would slow back down to 50 and then slowly creep back up to 75 until everyone passed me (very few trucks or cars go slower than 75 on I-10). Also at this speed my Speedometer was off approx. 4 or 5 mph compared to my GPS readings. Did this for 36 miles until I could get off I-10 and take the 2 lane famous Hwy US 60. Also I misjudged the miles to my next gas stop - it was further than I had thought. Down the highway I could see the big flag flying from the upcoming gas station, I may be running out of gas before I get there as the fuel gauge stated I was empty. Luckily, I pulled up to the pump and the engine was still running. Put in 3.003 US gallons! I think I saw a U-Tube from Vespa Motorsports that the BV400 holds 3 Gallons. I think it holds a cup more! Highway driving got me 52 MPG. Slower driver gets me 65 MPG. I think, after break in, City driving will get me a little more.
It is a motorcycle that is automatic gearing, easy to get on & off, has storage under the seat & with the upgraded windshield fantastic livability (no face shield required nor heated grips) Fantastic engine, good HP, great torque, good mpg, Great suspension, Great storage (will be adding the expandable Shad 59 on the back for more storage). Electronics were good-Fuel gauge was right - I was out of gas. Would be great for 2 people who are lighter than me & my wife, but that's okay, She was spoiled on Goldwings. However I want cruise control but the problem is with motorcycle makers, they do not think we need CC until we get larger bikes.
If you can't buy a BV400, borrow one to see what you are missing. It is an Adventure Bike for paved roads. After it gets older and beat up a bit, I will then take it off road - After all I used to take my Vespa 125 off road here in Scottsdale 59 years ago (there were a lot less paved roads then)!
Also, No matter where you live, Fly to San Diego and get your bike from VespaMotorsport and then drive it home on the backroads!

Very nice write-up. Is it safe to say you like the BV400?

Seriously though- I've got a '16 BV350 that I thoroughly enjoy.

jimbeau, welcome to MV! Most of us are very familier with Vespa Motorsport / Scooterwest.com and Robot (Jeff). He visits frends here occasionally and has been spotted careening up South Mountain on supped up vintage scoots.

If you'd like to meet more scooter folk, ride with us sometime.

Welcome from Kansas. 🤗

And thanks for sharing the detailed introduction.

Welcome from Ohio.
Nearly bought a BV in 2015 - went with the Honda Forza for the better dealer support in my area.
Glad you passed on the gouging dealer for the Liberty - $900 on top of the MSRP is about right (though at nearly 1/3rd mark-up still seemed high to me - for mine. But Piaggio is in the business to make $, not friends)

Pics??

O.S.

Welcome to MV, that was a great first post!
Happy riding in the New Year!

Hi ! This is my second BV. The first one was white BV350 and I sold her with 23,000 miles on the ODO. Fell in love from the first twist of the throttle. Almost 100% trouble free. I encountered two problems. 1. Side stand snapped. Replaced under warranty. 2. Headlight switch stopped working , I ended up changing the part myself. Wasn't easy that for sure.

Picked up a silver 400 in Jan 23. WOW ! Same scooter but with upgraded suspension, motor and ergonomics. The only issue I had was with the stock tires that the scooter came with. The Stock tires were called Maxis and they were borderline dangerous. After several months I swapped them out for Michelin City Grip and a huge difference in wet and dry handling. I also put on a Faco LG windscreen.. Major accessory upgrade. A must have.

I have about 7500 mile on her now and she is riding like a dream. Best scooter I ever owned. So that's my .02$ on this fantastic ride. Congratulations on your new scooter I know you're going to love it as much as I do.

Gas mileage ... average in the 40's .. 65mpg is a dream

H.

Hi Jimbeau,
Congrats!
Did you post a video on youTube? I recall seeing one of a fellow picking theirs up in San Diego & riding home to AZ... Anyway, it helped me focus my search back to scooters & a week ago (4/4) went to my local dealer to sit on one to see how its seat height compared to my '13 946. A tad lower, so was happy. They had silver. I thought about it overnight, watched a few more videos (all I could find actually) and I called to order the Orange. Opted to wait on the order vs try to get from another dealer as I need the time to finish building my scooter garage to house both my 946 and new BV400! (My 946 has been under a "Bike Shield" when not being ridden since I got her last July--highly recommend that if you don't have another option).

Also glad to see the recommendation for the larger FACO windscreen & tire change (thank you kdude)! Though I also liked Robot's reviews, and thinking about getting the short "sport" screen for summer, too.

Maybe someday there will be enough BVs and other scooters in the market that we can haggle prices a bit when we're looking for our 2nd or 3rd or 4th...

G'day from Australia, bought my BV400 in August 2021 probably the first registered in Australia. 2 years 4 months and 24000ks later I still love it. I agree with everything said in the review the bike is awesome

I'm having to wait a couple extra months to get mine (Ugg). I'm convinced the BV 400 has a great motor from all things I've read. I already have the owners manual ( w/help from another MV member). I think I've read it about 6 times, but I'm old so it's like new reading every time ( lol). Good to read these positive threads.

Hi Kawzak,
Tough wait, but will be worth it! Mine is now my go-to option when I need to get onto the freeway or longer trips. So far mine has had plenty of kick when needed, i.e. to pass or maintain speed on hills, and a very comfy seat. It definitely takes more intention & concentration to handle as compared to a Vespa (at least if you're about 5'4", like me), and hope your wait is shorter than you expect--I was told 3 months, got mine in about 1/2 of that!

Thanks , the anticipation is getting intense. ( even though I'm old, guess I'll never really grow up !) I think I've read every entry, comment, road test and post -and watched every U-tube about the BV-400 and BV-350……twice!