By Alfonse Palaima
Speed is king, but sometimes you need a
simpler machine for simple rides. Scooters offer highly coveted carrying
capacity as well as comfort, combined with functionality for every type
of rider. Today's scooters are growing not only in sales numbers but
engine cubes. Diminutive only in stature, the deceptive nature of
today's maxi-scooter is hidden right there beneath your ass. Some are
capable of triple-digit top speeds, while others offer fuel consumption
on par with your lawn mower.
Certainly a worthy mount
can be found for everyone in today's market, and Americans are finally
taking notice. Capitalizing on this newfound transportation prudence in
the U.S., Italian two-wheel manufacturing giant, Piaggio, sold more
units in this country during 2008 than ever before. Slumping job markets
and energy-conscious buyers are learning - and saving money! - by
adopting the two-wheeled approach to transportation. With a potential to
save $6,000 or more in cost of ownership and maintenance (see sidebar), two-wheelers are popular again.
Piaggio saw the popularity of high-wheeled
(larger wheel up front) scoots in Europe and joined the trend with its
Liberty 125 in 1991. In 2003, they upped the ante with the 460cc Beverly
500 Tourer - the very same BV500 you see here today. As my mother says,
if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The $6,299 2009 BV's spec sheet is almost unchanged - save for a few pounds - from the '03 unit Motorcycle.com's long-suffering Euro correspondent, Yossef Schvetz, tested.
There's no wonder, then, why we haven't seen this big scoot on the
stateside testing roster. But in light of the recent surge in practical
two-wheelers, it deserves another look.
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