new piaggio – Chasing Motorcycles

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

Overview of the Piaggio BV250 Tourer

The Piaggio BV250 Tourer occupies a very nice space among two-wheeled transport. The BV is not a small urban scooter, but also not a big, long-distance mega-cc Maxi Scooter as well. It doesn’t try to be a motorcycle, yet has many motorcycle-like characteristics. It’s definitely a scooter for the modern, sprawling United States City, more so than the smaller-tired, smaller engined and more compact traditional scooter. For someone looking for storage, light weight, comfortable seating and weather protection that scooters provide, but freeway power and distance-eating capability, it is a viable, almost obvious choice over smaller scooters and the small-displacement motorcycle: Continue reading “2009 Piaggio BV250 Tourer – Day 5 – Likes and Dislikes”

This is the second in a series of posts dedicated to living with the 2009 Piaggio BV250 Tourer. The first article is here.

Beautiful looks and quality wrapped in a wiry, effortless package

“Haute couture (French for “high sewing” or “high dressmaking”; pronounced [oːt kuˈtyʁ]) refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted fashions … In modern France, haute couture is a “protected name” that can be used only by firms that meet certain well-defined standards. However, the term is also used loosely to describe all high-fashion custom-fitted clothing, whether it is produced in Paris or in other fashion capitals … Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.” — from Wikipedia

I never cease to be amazed at how well-built the Piaggio BV250 Tourer scooter is, how much fun it is to ride, and how easy it is to just get wherever you need to go. You get there fast, you get there looking good, and no matter what the traffic is like, you get there with no effort. It’s just easy to go places.

There are so many articles in the major motorcycle magazines addressing the “Ultimate Streetfighter”. These are bikes that have had all the fairings stripped off, very aggressive-looking and very powerful. They are evolved from the cafe racers that ran through the streets of London in the 1960s.

At the risk of being flamed by my riding friends, I’m going to go out on a limb here. What good is a stripped down, powerful and agressive-looking bike on the streets for actually getting places fast? Through my experiences, getting around fast means being seen enough to be avoided, but not incurring people’s ire by telling them to avoid you. It also means being wiry and quick, rather than big and fast.

Getting through real traffic means getting through traffic. Ride thin, to pull between all the stopped cars at a light, and ride snappy, to get across an intersection when the light turns green. Getting to 90mph in seconds is totally fun, but getting to 45mph faster than the car you’re stopped inches away from at an intersection is priceless. Continue reading “2009 Piaggio BV250 Tourer-Day 2-Streetfighter in Couture”