Piaggio BV250 Tourer – Day 6 – Scootering has made me a better rider.

This is the sixth and last in a series of posts dedicated to living with the 2009 Piaggio BV250 Tourer.  The previous article is here. You should be never too conceited to go “small” Scooters are shorter in wheelbase, have smaller tires, less power than most bikes, and have a completely different riding position.  They serve … Continue reading “Piaggio BV250 Tourer – Day 6 – Scootering has made me a better rider.”

This is the sixth and last in a series of posts dedicated to living with the 2009 Piaggio BV250 Tourer.  The previous article is here.

You should be never too conceited to go “small”

Scooters are shorter in wheelbase, have smaller tires, less power than most bikes, and have a completely different riding position.  They serve a very different purpose than a traditional motorcycle of any type.  Scooters are meant to be city-dwellers, errand-runners, mate-catchers and general, casual, “just get me where I want to go with a dash of fun” conveyances.  

What I didn’t expect to happen during the time with my Piaggio BV250 Tourer, was, well, uh, I didn’t expect to learn anything about riding, or why I ride.

What I learned about riding:

Scooters normally operate at city-level.  They must be comfortable riding up and down small, narrow places with tight turns.  You should be able to U-turn in a phone booth.  You need to accelerate to street speed quickly.  You need to have visibility because you’re small and there are some really big dinosaurs out there that will step on you and not realize it or care. Continue reading “Piaggio BV250 Tourer – Day 6 – Scootering has made me a better rider.”