When you think of making a round-the-world motorcycle tour, you usually think of an adventure touring bike like the BMW R1200GS à la Ewen McGregor and Charley Boorman in “Long Way Round“. Sean Jordan, a Canadian expatriate living in Budapest, Hungary, had a different steed in mind: a Vespa P200E scooter.

On Dec. 3, 2011, Jordan completed his 18-month, four-continent “Vespa360” journey on his beloved Vespa, nicknamed the Hamburglar, traveling 36,600 miles starting in Belgrade, Serbia and finishing in Budapest. After he completed his long journey, Jordan received a call for one final trip: to the Piaggio Foundation Museum in Pontedera, Italy.

The Museum wanted Jordan’s Vespa for its collection and Jordan obliged, taking his beloved Hamburglar from Budapest to its final destination in Italy. Continue Reading »

Back in 1993 Piaggio had developed the Hexagon, which became the world’s first so called GT scooter. Through the X7 to the all new X10, Piaggio has developed its new flagship scooter, and in Paris I got to sample the 350cc version of the X10.

Piaggio will offer the X10 as a 125, 350 and 500cc version. When I arrived in Paris I was told that the 500cc version wouldn’t hit production until in May 2012, so I had to make do with the 350cc version which proved to be a nippy tool around Paris’s busy streets. Continue Reading »

The Piaggio X10 slipped a little under the radar at the 2011 EICMA show behind other maxi-scooters such as Yamaha’s T-Max, BMW’s C650GT and C600 Sport and Piaggio’s own Aprilia SRV850. But take a look at some of the features Piaggio’s slapped onto the X10 and you’ll soon learn it’s not to be underestimated.

The new flagship of Piaggio’s “Gran Turismo” scooter family, the X10 is equipped with anti-lock brakes anti-slip regulation (i.e. traction control) and electronically adjustable rear suspension.

Piaggio has already introduced ABS and ASR on the Beverly 350 (though the U.S. version, the BV350, won’t have either feature), but electronically adjustable suspension is new. Available on the 500 version of the X10 (Piaggio’s also offering 125 and 350 versions), riders can adjust the preload on the rear suspension with a pair of buttons located on the leg shield near the ignition key. Continue Reading »

Sneakers are not appropriate riding gear. High tops or not, sneakers provide the same protection during a crash a ripped condom does during intercourse. Shorty boots are the perfect blend of comfort and protection for summertime riding and REV’IT!’s Air Blend Boots encapsulate these qualities. Recently worn and tested here at MO, the Air Blends, for $220, are a superior option to sneakers at near to the same price of a pair of Air Jordans.

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The new Aprilia SRV850 V-Twin maxi-scooter is coming to North America, likely slated to arrive later this year as a 2013 model. The Piaggio Group presented the SRV850 alongside the Vespa 946, Aprila Caponord 1200 and Moto Guzzi California 1400 at its North American dealer meeting in Miami, Fla.

Piaggio announced it will bring all four of those models to North America, though as yet only the California has a launch date, set for fall 2012. The SRV850 will likely arrive at the same time, if not earlier, as the scooter has already been launched in Europe. Continue Reading »

Suzuki issued a recall campaign for its 2012 V-Strom 650 and Burgman scooters due to a defect in the brake light activation switches.

According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, rear brake lights may not activate when the rider squeezes the brake levers of the affected models. As a result, other road users behind the affected unit may not realize it is slowing down, increasing the risk of a crash. In the case of the Suzuki Burgman 650 Exec and Burgman 400, the fault may also prevent the scooters from starting.

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BMW has started production of its new C600 Sport and C650GT but still hasn’t officially released pricing information for its two new maxi-scooters. BMW Canada however may have let slip pricing for the C650GT: CA$11,900

BMW Motorrad Canada is holding a contest to give away a C650GT, and the contest rules list the scooter’s MSRP. Of course, the $11,900 price tag is subject to change, especially as the scooter isn’t expected to arrive in Canada until late 2012 as a 2013 model. Still, the tentative pricing gives us an idea of how much the scooter will cost in the U.S. Continue Reading »

Yamaha announced it is importing the newly updated for 2012 TMax maxi-scooter to Canada.

First unveiled at the 2011 EICMA show, the 2012 Yamaha TMax received a sportier facelift and an updated 530cc engine Yamaha claims is lighter, more efficient and offers more torque at low- and mid-rpms compared to the 499cc engine found on the 2011 model. Yamaha claims the updated TMax can get up to 53 mpg, compared to the previous model’s 47 mpg claims.

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Not one to rest on its laurels, Yamaha’s sportbike/scooter hybrid, the TMax, was unveiled earlier today at EICMA with a few important upgrades to keep it ahead of the competition.

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EICMA this week, Honda has announced details about a few more models in its 2012 lineup: the CB1000R, CBR250R, Silver Wing scooter and the Ruckus, along with the cutting-edge VFR1200F that receives an infusion of impressive new technology for 2012 (which we’ll highlight in a separate blog entry). All of which are returning models from 2011. Pricing is yet to be determined. Here then are the new models, with some words from Honda.

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