Ok, heres my story. Some of you whom have followed me know that I was bitten by the scooter bug 2 years ago after renting a Chinese 50cc 4 stroke scooter while at the beach on vacation. I promptly followed that up by purchasing a newly new Yamaha Zuma 125. I loved everything about the zuma and scootering with the exception of the 55 mph topspeed. That was fine most of the time, but I needed more to feel a little safer on my commute. I thought I was ready to buy an 08 Aprilia Sportcity 250 that was about 120 miles away from me so I sold my zuma for a low price so I could purchase the sc250. After getting the money from the zuma in my hand I got cold feet on the zuma for a couple of reasons. 1. I tend to get rid of my bikes fairly quick after purchasing, usually a year after buying and the aprilia has been for sale a while. I am pretty sure I would have trouble selling it also and take a bad beating financially as compared to a more common scooter for my area. 2. As far as I know there is no Aprilia dealer in my state (Alabama). The closest Vespa/Piaggio dealer is dropping Vespa at the first of 2013 and going Kymco only. While they would work on the Aprilia if needed no parts will be stocked for the Vespa family of scooters. I would have to oder all parts online. I have a SYM and Genuine dealer in my hometown along with Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha. I can do basic wrenching, but not sure if I would want to tackle the valves on the sc. 3. As mentioned, I change bikes like underware and if I get the aprilia now, no telling what I will want by Spring, but I also get caught up in the "buy it now" mentality and tend to strike while the irons hot. 4. I really like riding with a full windscreen, my zuma had a great set-up with the oem windscreen and handguards. I have not really seen a great windscreen set-up for the sc250. The puig looks good, but is not tall enough. I would have to try one of the Slipstreamer Scoot series to get the coverage I desire. Do any of you think any of my reasons for not pursuing the sc250 are valid? My scooter budget is in the $2500 range which permits me from just plonking down $5K on a new Kymco 300GTi or for that matter a used Tmax. True, there are used burgmans and silverwings out there that are close to my budget and plenty fast, but I am not really into the maxi look and still want a nimble handy scoot. Maybe a used reflex would suit me?
I will tell you that I love my SC250. I will also tell you I'm new to two-wheels though. As for your reasons: 1. If you aren't too worried about loosing money when you sell it then that's not too big of a reason. 2. The AF1 forum http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?24-Aprilia-and-Piaggio-150cc-350cc has some pretty good stuff along with the actual store, AF1 Racing, which has been great with parts and their customer service is spot-on. http://www.af1racing.com/store/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=1111 3. That goes back to #1 in my opinion, if you can afford to change bikes regularly then do it; It's a wonderful bike. 4. I just installed the Puig and havent' had a chance to really give it a go. It does blow wind right into my helmet so it's loud. I do plan on playing a little with the angle and that sort of thing to see if it helps. So, to answer you true question: Yes be afraid if you are concerned about the $ and Yes be afraid if the windsreen is really a deal breaker. That being said, I think you would really regret not knowing how great a bike the SC250 really is.
I'm not sure where in Alabama you are located, but if you are in the northeast area, Atlanta might not be too far away. There is an Aprilia dealer there where you could get service, if needed. And, for parts, you can always order them from AF1 and have them shipped to you.
Sportcity 250 rider here and I love it as well. My only issue is the market for windscreens, either to short or to tall and being a bit closer to where the screen would be compared to maxi scooters it is a factor. Oh and it doesnt look like a Triumph Bonneville which is sexy as can be but that is a different subject. My gut tells me resale isnt going to be great because in all honesty there are a ton of the SC 08-09 models around. Is it possible to do multi-state tour on it? yes. I havent yet but people here have.
These things are so easy to work on, I wouldn't worry about dealer support. :) Looks like the whole aprilia forum chimed in here, lol.
While I love my Sport City, for your location and situation I would recommend looking for a used Sym HD200 or Kymco 250. You may even be able to still find a new, leftover Kymco 250 if you are really lucky but since you tend to resell bikes often, used would be the best way to go. If you do end up getting the Aprilia, I can probably help you with the Valves. One great thing about the Aprilia is that the interval between complicated service is longer than most scooters so you won't be doing it often.
My husband rode our 2008 Sports City from Colorado to California summer 2010. The only issue was the noise at 75+ on the freeway but he didn't have a windscreen. My son has been riding it at university and its his favorite of all the scoots we've owned. My brother's ex-fiancé adores her 2009 Sports City with OEM windshield. It topped out about 88 (gps) on I 15 between Vegas and San Diego so get up and go is good. There are several folks in our Houston riding group that ride Sports City 250s mostly 2009 since the local dealer got quite a few of the NOS last year and they flew out the door. I've not heard of any problems with any of them. I know ours and my brother's fiancé have been 100% trouble free. FWIW, we have used an independent motorcycle mechanic to service the Sports City when it was in Colorado instead of the dealer. It is apparently an easy bike to work on. I don't wrench so I can't say from personal experience.
I had a Scarabeo 500 for a while and having a local dealer didn't do much for me. The parts took 2 months to get and it cost $30 for oil change stuff (and I changed it myself!). The scoot performed very well. The Aprilia's have a nice solid feel but if you want resale value the Japanese are the best and Vespa is not far behind. Kymco makes a great scooter but resale is a bit weak, which makes them a good deal on the used market (if you can find one used).
My $0.002: Based on your criteria its hard not to recommend staying with the Japanese brands. Availability, resale, parts, service options - its a pretty stacked deck in their favor. My ownership experience has been with SYM - Mio 50, Piaggio - MP3 400, Yamaha - TMAX, and Honda - Reflex & Silverwing (current ride). In my experience, the Honda & Yamaha are far easier to own, have serviced/parts and resell. My Suzuki Burgman owner acquaintances seem to share the same viewpoint. No diss is intended to any other brands, thats just my experience here in central MD. I just clocked my 7th year in scootering and hopefully have many more to go. Any future purchases will be either Japanese or possibly a BMW. I don't do any wrenching or service work. I have a pro mechanic do house calls for service at about 35% of the cost of dealers and buy parts on the Internet. It was much easier to find a mechanic experienced with the Japanese brands than any other (to the extent thats useful, it very much is if you needed MP3 service). Having babbled all that - my suggestion for your consideration is reaffirming your Reflex choice as a primo selection for your needs. They are a fine "mini-maxi", okay (but definitely not great, in high speed traffic) for slabs and very fine on secondary roads. Just my personal prejudice - if you go that route, take the time to track down one with ABS. Its a life saver.
Parts not in stock for my Aprilia and Piaggio/Vespa products have come in within 1-5 days with the exception of the speedo unit that went out while under warranty. That took 4 weeks since I had to wait for the Italians to come back from August holidays. :) For routine maintenance parts I've had to wait just as long and sometimes longer or Suzuki parts when I had a Burgman 400. I can get parts online from AF1 Racing for the Aprilia just as fast as online for any other scooter. Oh, and the Suzuki dealer wanted more for the Burgman oil change than the Vespa dealer for the GTS oil change.
