Motorcycles.

[PaMtbRider]

I've been spending more time on the moto as well lately. Last week the Mrs. and I took a ride through orchard country to pick up some apples. After leaving the fruit stand I knew something was wrong immediately. We seldom ride two up but today was one of those times. Having a passenger changes the way the bike handles but not this drastically. We picked up a nail in the rear tire. Of course my plug kit was in the other motorcycle.

We limped a few miles down the road to a gas station. Two cans of fix a flat later I had enough air, and the hole sealed well enough to make it home.

I ordered another dynaplug kit for the motorcycle and a motopump.

https://www.amazon.com/Dynaplug-Moto...gateway&sr=8-3
Definitely worth carrying one of these.

[gary_a_gooner]

Just an observation/update on the BMW GSA. Dang, it is quite capable. I've moved it to our campground in Floyd, Va and am riding with a pal who is a pro moto instructor. Boy howdy are we having a blast. My pal knows every twisty road in the state. What a hoot. I've missed riding motos.

That sounds damn fun. I'm hoping to do a ride up through VT to the F1 Montreal GP next year.

Are you also on advrider?

[PaMtbRider]

I'm back on a BMW. My last one was a 2004 R1150RS. We bought a new R1250RT yesterday. They sure have come a long way in the last 15 years. As I mentioned before we have been riding 2 up on the motorcycle lately. This should make that a lot more fun.

[Too Tall]

Oh this is going to be goooood. Congrats on a fine move. It is almost weird to see a BMW without $10,000 worth of farkles.
Resistance is futile.

[monadnocky]

The RT has been my consistent favorite in the lineup since the late 90's. A stellar motorcycle, if you have the sheckels. Have fun - looks like a blast.

[rwsaunders]

Alley stalker outside of Mae Phim on Pike Street in Seattle.

[Blue Jays]

"...Alley stalker outside of Mae Phim..."

One supposes the bright red bungee cord holds the inverted fork together?

[pdxmech13]

As a Ducati fan boy, even I'll admit that they have had a few dogs over the years.

This bike certainly has either been used a little or found at the bottom of the sea.

[Too Tall]

It's wintertime, I'm riding the Moto when the sun shines with my pal but that's all about to change "real winter" is coming.
My 2012 BMW GSA shocks need a freshen up. Time to install an upgrade ;)
Gotta say for a 600 lbs pig it sure handles well.

[rwsaunders]

It’s been a while since I spotted a cool bike on the street...

[PaMtbRider]

I've yet to see a new super cub on the street. They look awesome. It uses the same 125cc motor we have in our Honda Monkeys so it is appropriately under-powered.

I keep threatening to buy a Vespa GTS300. If a used one comes up at a decent price locally I probably won't be able to resist.

[sk_tle]

I've yet to see a new super cub on the street. They look awesome. It uses the same 125cc motor we have in our Honda Monkeys so it is appropriately under-powered.

I keep threatening to buy a Vespa GTS300. If a used one comes up at a decent price locally I probably won't be able to resist.

I bought the Piaggio branded version, hence without the Vespa tax, and it is perfect for my urban + a wee bit of highway usage.

[PaMtbRider]

A local Harley dealer recently started carrying Vespa. We stopped in today to check them out while we were riding our Honda Monkeys. After looking at and sitting on a GTS 300 for about 10 minutes we were completely ignored by any sales staff. They were busy chatting among themselves, not helping other customers. We left and won't be back. It's unfortunate because the next closest dealer is over 2 hours away.

[sk_tle]

The vespa gts300 still has those tiny wheels right ?

[PaMtbRider]

The vespa gts300 still has those tiny wheels right ?

yes

[sk_tle]

I would totally go with a Piaggio Beverly 300 or even 350. IWith its larger wheels it doesn't have that vintage vespa look but it has the contemporary italian flair and it is a much better bike for equivalent or cheaper money. It is too bad they don't produce anything like the Carnaby 300 I own. It has roughly the same length and agility of the Vespa GTS 300, but with the same big wheels as the beverly. And it still somehow has a vintage look and the nicest part : a flat area to put the feets or any kind of bag. It was basically a liberty 125 with the grunt of the beverly/gts 300:



If you find one second hand, it is a good choice as it is very reliable from what I understand. Only thing that is missing is an ABS.

[NYCfixie]

I owned both a Yamaha 125cc air cooled that could barely do 35mph and had 10" wheels and a Honda SH150i water cooled EFI (was built in Italy and outsold Vespa in Italy) that could do about 55mph and had 16" wheels. I put about 8,000 miles on the Yamaha over 4 years and road it almost every day in the Northeast unless there was snow or ice on the ground. When I had the Honda, I put about 9,000 miles on it over 3 years and also road it almost everyday except when snow or ice was on the ground. The Honda was so much better because it had more storage (under seat and via OEM rear trunk), better suspension, larger wheels, was faster, and I felt safer on it in an urban environment with crappy roads. Unfortunately it did not sell well in the USA becasue the price was to close to a comparable Vespa even though it was better in every way.

One really needs to decide on the purpose of a scooter and choose based on wheel size. While smaller wheels are in fact much easier for tight spaces and quick turns in urban environments, the versatility and stability of larger wheels is so much better as speeds increase. Initially I would have liked to own a Vespa but when I upgraded from the Yamaha, the ride on the Honda was so much better than a Vespa 150, it was a no brainier to get the Honda. I did consider the BV250cc but it was too heavy for my wife to move so I could not get it (my scooters were stored in a garden shed and needed to be moved out through a standard doorway when she wanted access to her gardening tools).

The Vespas are really nice but not having a wheel larger than 12" really limits the usefulness on anything but local roads no matter the engine size and top speed. IMHO, scooters are not safe over 35mph with anything smaller than a 16" wheel (maybe a 14" but definitely not 12" or under).

If I needed a highway-going scooter today, I would get the Piaggio BV350. If I needed something smaller for urban environments that could be parked on sidewalks and not be ticketed, I would get the Piaggio Liberty 150. As much as I like Honda durability, the current PCX150 is not a true step-through, the new ADV150 looks stupid and is probably too top heavy, and while the SuperCub looks nice, it is very under-powered.

Yamaha Vino 125


Honda SH150i

[NYCfixie]

A local Harley dealer recently started carrying Vespa. We stopped in today to check them out while we were riding our Honda Monkeys. After looking at and sitting on a GTS 300 for about 10 minutes we were completely ignored by any sales staff. They were busy chatting among themselves, not helping other customers. We left and won't be back. It's unfortunate because the next closest dealer is over 2 hours away.

I would go back if you really want one. Having owned both a Yamaha and Honda scooter, I soon realized that the sales staff, especially at large motorcycle dealerships, do not know anything about them and don't think there is any margin in them so they not worth selling. If you can get past that, scooters are fun to own and I find the service techs like working on them because they are different from the same old stuff they deal with every day. Think about it, scooters are a niche product in an already niche market so use it to your advantage. I have always been able to purchase scooters from large motorcycle dealerships near cost as they often sit for months before being sold.

[sk_tle]

There are tons of Honda SH-300 in my area as well. They don't have that retro kind look the piaggio have tut they have that flat rest that is missing in the current beverly which I still enjoy on my carnaby when doing grocery shopping. So if I had to buy one brand new I would be probably inclined toward the Honda despite prefering the piaggio look. Both are considered reliable, I think the Honda engine delivery is a bit smoother while my carnaby sometimes spin the rear wheel inadvertently if I am a bit heavy on the throttle and goes like stink at the green light.

I once rode the liberty 125 of a colleague because she wasn't keen on driving it with a passenger and while totally underpowered compared to mine it handle really nicely, feels much lighter and is totally enough for most urban use that do not need highway speed. I bought the 300cc because my office is out of nowhere and I could do the trip in 15min using the highway. My colleague who live 1km away double that time riding through the whole town. Without that parameter I would be totally fine with the liberty for most of my errands.

[NYCfixie]

They never sold the SH300i in the USA and as I mentioned earlier, consumers thought the SH150i (2010-2012 in USA) was too expensive when compared to a Vespa150 even though the Honda was so much better. The Piaggio/Vespa 125cc were air cooled and carbureted whereas the newer Piaggio/Vespa 150cc are fuel injected so you get more power from the engine. It's amazing how much more powerful my Honda SH150i was compared to the Yamaha 125cc even though the Yamaha was about 50 pounds lighter (Air cooled and carburetor versus water cooled and EFI).

There are tons of Honda SH-300 in my area as well. They don't have that retro kind look the piaggio have tut they have that flat rest that is missing in the current beverly which I still enjoy on my carnaby when doing grocery shopping. So if I had to buy one brand new I would be probably inclined toward the Honda despite prefering the piaggio look. Both are considered reliable, I think the Honda engine delivery is a bit smoother while my carnaby sometimes spin the rear wheel inadvertently if I am a bit heavy on the throttle and goes like stink at the green light.

I once rode the liberty 125 of a colleague because she wasn't keen on driving it with a passenger and while totally underpowered compared to mine it handle really nicely, feels much lighter and is totally enough for most urban use that do not need highway speed. I bought the 300cc because my office is out of nowhere and I could do the trip in 15min using the highway. My colleague who live 1km away double that time riding through the whole town. Without that parameter I would be totally fine with the liberty for most of my errands.