Having "worn out the web", I'm down to consideration(it's a chronic disease-this 2 wheel thing!) of : Used Vespa 250/300 -250's are usually cheaper/older yr model-lots of them for sale too ,new BV350-most power,etc but none used out there so more $,mostly new Kymco People 300i & SYM 300i. I have not had a chance yet to ride any of these. The BV350 is the most expensive as even after various searches they just are not available used. The Vespa is cheaper than all of them as many out there for sale used & often with under a 1,000 miles. Interesting that most of the used Asian scoots have more miles on them. The Kymco & SYM pop up used but mostly new and similar power to the Vespa but obviously less $$$ new. All these machines are "stuck" on 22hp or buy a new BV with 32hp? (I'm no hp freak either-the vintage Honda MC 500-550's had the better ride than the more sought after 750's.) I like the Vespa styling & the new w/warranty appeal of the Taiwan scoots & the BV specs are appealing. I prefer(at this point) the larger wheels of the non Vespa choices. I may regret not going for a 400 Burgman what with the touring ability but cannot come to like the jet ski styling. Simply trying to pull that "one more thing" from you experienced scoot riders out there.
I saw the TN BV for sale-he is apparently liking the Honda 700 which is too tall for me.His BV is a 2013 but I'll opt for less miles even though I see his as a well maintained machine w/hwy miles,etc.. The Honda-even if you lower it via the rear link by 1.5" its still a tall bike @ over 31" seat height with low HP & no ABS except for expensive AT/ABS pkg-not for me. I think Honda has it wrong on that MC. I'd personally rather consider lowering the new Wee Strom with ABS standard & far better specs& prices & aftermkt options. Kalviator-the Kymco website states that the -People GT 300i has 21.1 hp. The same website says the-xciting Ri 300 has 23.5hp & that the K-XCT 300i has 21.9hp & it's the only model they sell with ABS brakes. Maybe I'm confusing the issue by saying 300i when in fact they have lots of "300i models" & yet not one of them has 28hp? No playing "gotcha" from me. Whatever, I plan to consider them P.S. the MC guy in me still likes the new WEE!!! trying so hard to stay young...
Yep on modern Vespa forum a guy is selling a bv350 for 4500. Steal it now. I bought a new bv350 10 days ago and love it. Very nice scooter. If you get it I don't think you'll regret it.
http://www.justgottascoot.com/reviews.htm A review of the BV, People and Citycom all in one place. That being said, the People 300 is what really got me looking at scooters when I first started about 1 year ago. 16" wheels, 300cc; what's not to like. I does appear to have very little storage under seat. My local Kymco dealer only had Super 8's so I never saw one in person. I went to the the Vespa, Piaggio, Aprilia dealer expecting to look at a BV350. What I did notice was that, seeing a Vespa in person for the first time, how beautiful the 300's (specifically the chromed out model) were and for a time considered getting one. Price ruled that out though. They didn't have a BV350, so I've never seen one in person. If I were buying today, I'd be buying it over any of the others. I ended up purchasing my 1st motorbike from said dealer in November last year, an Aprilia SC250 and love it. Though, again, had I know how much I was going to enjoy this "motorcycle thing", I would have found a BV350 and paid the premium. The Citycom looks like a really nice scooter. 16" wheels also. Being that it is heavier than the People 300 and only 263cc and Sym dealers are even less numerous than Kymco, I'd go with the People over the citycom. The Citycom does seem like a really well thought out scooter though. So, I basically went through this exact thing last fall. The fact that I wanted to buy locally won out. Vespa 300's and the Aprilia were available, People 300 wasn't in stock, The Vespa would have been too expensive, so I got the SC250 and don't regret it. I don't think you'll make a bad choice either. Wow! dissertation over. LOL
i've never ridden the sym, but of the other three, the bv350 was definitely the performance champ. overall, though, comfort and convenience are personal attributes, and you're best off begging for a test drive. i'd choose the bv350 again in a heartbeat -- the kymco felt like it had less pull than my sc250 and the ugly console offended my personal aesthetics, and i'd never buy a vespa again on account of the tiny 12" wheels. the bv's faults for me boil down to: a) the terrible gas gauge (seriously, it's so reliably wrong that it would be more useful disconnected); b) the wonky turn indicator; and c) the need for a 15-30 second warmup for a clean start on colder mornings. (i'm impatient.) still, sit on all of them. think about sitting on them for any length of time. play with the controls. (make vrooming noises. for the bv, make LOUDER vrooming noises. ;-) ) all your choices are good, but if your post is any indicator, you won't be satisfied until you've tried them all and don't feel like you missed something, which can make faults in the one you DID choose feel more annoying.
That review in JustGottaScoot makes a good point about scooter functionality. There are many reasons to buy a scooter and horsepower rating is just one of them. I'm sixft 4 and 240 and I've never had a situation here in the mountains of British Columbia where I wan't very pleased and satisfied with the performance of my Citycom. I like the room, weather protection, comfort, handling and reliability of my Com, not to mention the large undersea storage and the fantastic handling. Neither the BV or the GTI have quite the same fine balance of those qualities that the SYM is blessed with. Would I give that up for a few more HP? Not a chance. Lets put it this way. I have bigger faster bikes, in the case of the 1000 Strom, much faster. For real world enjoyment, I consider the Citycom the best money I ever spent on a bike in 44 years of riding.
Aha! I missed that HP fact. Once I get on several the ergo stuff will vbe revealed but I'm thinking that even on a tall scoot is there not room to slide forward off the front tip of the seat & flat foot it? That's what I gleaned from other comments r.e., tall scoots(I am short) The wheel size is a concern. My day is coming when I'll not have a MC to hop on for more speed-I want a scoot to see me all the way through my senior years, even after MC's.
The HP quoted would be the amount that the GTi 200 is rated at. Big wheel scooters like these three do allow a rider to 'scoot' forward easily if needed. The riding position on my Com is very much like an old time standard bike. When I got my Citycom I found myself reminded in many ways of riding the 84 BMW-RT that I had for 10 years in terms of the upright ergos, the position and size of the windscreen and the handling. Unlike some of the flat floor bikes I haven't been able to detect any flex in the chassis when pushed and the relatively long wheelbase allows the rider to scoot forward on the seat when I want to have some serious fun. When I do so, the scoot becomes dead stable even in high gusty winds and the cornering is transformed from scooter to magical; more agile and stable with steering that feels like it is connected to my brain. i'm not saying it's a racer; but it feels better in the corners than any bike I have ever ridden. This combined with the comfort makes the Citycom a wonderful distance machine and a backroad monster. The goodness of the ride is something that isn't going to show up in the specs or the daily commute, but for the expert rider, it's there. I don't miss riding my big bikes a bit.
Howdy, So we can assume you have a Vespa/Piaggio dealer a Kymco dealer and an SYM dealer nearby? If so, you are one lucky person! In that event, do your research and get the bike that looks/feels best. Simple. OTOH, if you don't have a dealer for one or more these bikes handy, cross them off your list. You'll need the support of a good dealer. Dealer first, bike second. This is all MHO and YMMV, as usual. Good luck! PS: I've got a great dealer to support my Honda SH150i, for example.
If I were buying tomorrow and looking at new, I'd be considering the same 3 scoots. I'll be interested to see what you decide upon and why.
I have been riding a one of several BMW MC's for over 10 years & never been in a dealer(went in the one in Mexico City in 2011 with a friend there for his purpose) for that brand. Warrty. work would take me to them(maybe if close enough & pricey parts or large teardown involved) but then I've never owned a new one. I pull my own wrenches(I'm a former pro wrench) so more interested in the machine that grabs my interest & parts support is obviously a desirable given. Nearby dealers-that's interesting to someone that lives in county with no red lights, no fast food, no box stores, few people 7 those few have no money...I don't live in dealer land. Kymco is 50RT & Vespa is 120RT, SYM is farther yet. The Kymco People GT 300i is high on my list but I can only ride a 200i at the nearest dealer.
Lots of people do routine maintenance & a few operations beyond that by some. It's a matter of time, interest & some cases training or willingness to learn. I suspect most routine maintenance is covered these days on you tube. The fact remains that certain skills don't come from a video or web notes. For me , living in a rural area, it would be more trouble/expense to get free repairs(in some cases) a long ways off than do them myself. I have recently read on a scooter mfg's website that owner repairs were discouraged but your right to perform them-or independent shop- in fact, is federally protected by law. Jump in...
