Long Ride on Beverly

[Sheepdog]

When my father-in-law lost his license due to dementia (he's 85), ownership of his Piaggio BV-500 transferred to my wife. He had been having trouble with it boiling out batteries before he stopped riding. Over the last couple of weeks I finally got around to figuring out why. Turns out, the voltage regulator was burned out. I ordered another along with a few maintenance items and got it sorted out. Today was the big 35 mile test ride and I have to say, "I'm impressed." That rascal has great power and handles and stops quite well. After a few near stoppies when I tried to pull in the clutch (both hand levers are brakes), I easily got comfortable on the thing and had a great time. The wife will ride it and I'm looking forward to us going places together; each on our own mount. Scooters have sure come a long way since that Cushman I tried as a kid...

Below is a photo of Dorance with the Beverly during a trip we made to Colorado in 2009...

[Arizona Wayne]

That's a 500?  If it is it looks awfull light for that much power.   I have a `04 Aprilia Scarabeo 500GT scooter(really a 460) with full front fairing, saddlebags, top case.  It'll cruise @ 80 mph 2up all day if that's what you want to do for over 200 miles between gas fillups.  Also have a Piaggio 400 MP3 that will do the same for 150 miles solo before fillups.  Other riders who have never ridden these maxi-scooters don't understand what they're capable of. 

[Sheepdog]

It weighs about the same as my old BMW R60...around 425 lbs. They say that it will go 99 mph, but I've not tried. The front wheel is a 16 incher...the rear a 14". It smooths out the ride and is less "darty" than the traditional scooter format of 10" wheels. My wife is a horticulturist, and years of pruning has left her with a little arthritis is her hands. The CVT transmission is a great option for her.

[wavedog]

Nice scooter. A friend had a Burgman 650 that he used to ride from Florida to Michigan and back on a regular basis. I have ridden a few scooters and really liked them. A while back I had the opportunity to ride a Yamaha T-Max for bit and wow what a cool ride. I get why people ride and tour on the larger scooters.

[cookiemech]

I love the look of those Piaggio scooters! Every time I see a BV350 (particularly like the silver with burgundy seat) I have to exercise self-control to stop myself from having Bike #9. Apparently they have large enough wheels that they don't feel "tippy" like the smaller (say, traditional Vespa) scooters.

I am also enamored of the (newest) MP3 500 scooters. It is good that there are no dealers within a reasonable distance of me that have one, or my self-control might wane . . .

[Two Checks]

16" front wheel? That will kill you....!

[chuck peterson]

Illness forced me to sell the big blocks...got a BV250 and cranked out 8k miles last year on it...great scooter

[jas67]

I love the look of those Piaggio scooters! Every time I see a BV350 (particularly like the silver with burgundy seat) I have to exercise self-control to stop myself from having Bike #9. Apparently they have large enough wheels that they don't feel "tippy" like the smaller (say, traditional Vespa) scooters.

I am also enamored of the (newest) MP3 500 scooters. It is good that there are no dealers within a reasonable distance of me that have one, or my self-control might wane . . .

I've ridden the BV350, and also the Scarabeo 500 (but, not the BV500, though I'd suspect it is the same as the 'beo 500).

I like the BV350 better.   It is about 50 lbs lighter, and accelerates just as well up to 60, and nearly as well up to 80.   The 500's top speed is about 8-9 MPH higher, not that you'd actually ride either that fast for long, as that is not their mission.

If I was at the point where I couldn't swing my leg over a motorcycle, the BV350 would be my choice.  If I had trouble holding that up at stops, then I'd go for the MP3 with it's vertical lock (below 5 MPH) feature.

[Aaron D.]

We had an X9, like riding a lounge chair. With a big Givi topcase it was a viable car alternative and handled well enough. Incredible fuel economy for a 500, too.

[jackson]

In 2009, I bought a used BV500 with less than 1000 miles on the clock.  The engine felt rough when compared to the Vespa 250's that my wife & I also owned but I liked the power.  My only complaint was that the CVT transmission didn't work well for engine braking when coming down a mountain downgrade.
*BTW:  A common problem with the BV500 was the voltage regulator.  Mine went out within the first 1000 miles that I owned it and I've read plenty of complaints from others that had the same failure.  Don't be surprised if the voltage regulator craps out again. 
After a year of ownership, I decided to purchase a used MG Breva 750 so I sold the BV500 to the first person that came to look at it.

[Shorty]

I hope you guys have fun, Sheepdog.  Scooters are tons of fun. I love mine.

[Arizona Wayne]

16" front wheel? That will kill you....!

My 'Beo 500GT has 16" rims front & rear and I use a MC tire on the front.  400 MP3 has 2 - 12" fronts and 14" rear I use a car radial tire on it.   Both are rock solid in handling.   Even my 250 MP3 w/3 - 12" rims is solid in handling.

CVT belt drive takes a little time to get used to but as far as slowing down, it's just like a 2 stroke as far as deceleration(not much), but at the same time you have plenty of brakes for that.

As far as maintenance, CVT(belt/rollers) is a lot easier to deal with than a clutch/u-joint on a Guzzi, though more often.

[cruzziguzzi]

That'd be a hell of a tool with 60-70 liters of hard bags prettily mounted. Got more brakes than my Sportster.


Todd.

[Arizona Wayne]

That'd be a hell of a tool with 60-70 liters of hard bags prettily mounted. Got more brakes than my Sportster.


Todd.

Todd, when I ride my 400 MP3 cross country it weighs 900# with all the gear I have loaded on it + myself and still goes up 6% grades @ 65 mph and get's 65 mpg.

[cruzziguzzi]

Todd, when I ride my 400 MP3 cross country it weighs 900# with all the gear I have loaded on it + myself and still goes up 6% grades @ 65 mph and get's 65 mpg.

That's cool as all get-out.

Keep the gas mileage to yerself dammit!

I'm thinking hard about starting my Sarah out on an over-the-road worthy scooter when time comes to get here up on two wheels. Can't do it by promise till her mother passes though.


Todd.

[Sheepdog]

Jackson: I read about the regulator problem on Beverlys and asked the local dealer about it. They said that the replacement regulator is a revised part that is supposed to correct the problem. Time will tell. I hope it holds up, because the bodywork has to come off to get to the electrical connectors.

[jackson]

Jackson: I read about the regulator problem on Beverlys and asked the local dealer about it. They said that the replacement regulator is a revised part that is supposed to correct the problem. Time will tell. I hope it holds up, because the bodywork has to come off to get to the electrical connectors.

I hope that the dealer is correct and that the replacement VR has really been improved/revised.  I did the replacement on mine and yes, it was a PITA to get all the bodywork off/on.

[Arizona Wayne]

I hope that the dealer is correct and that the replacement VR has really been improved/revised.  I did the replacement on mine and yes, it was a PITA to get all the bodywork off/on.

I've heard most the  other riders whose regulators went caput have replaced them with a different aftermarket regulator that lasts. My `04 Aprilia 'Beo 500 regulator is still working.

[Sheepdog]

Well, the new regulator exceeds the old in one area: cost. The new variant is $200 versus the $100 price of the original replacement. Hopefully, the additional cost translates to higher performance.