Hi Ladies,

I'm in need of some advice here. I am looking to upgrade to a larger scoot in terms of ccs and speed. My budget calls for a used model. Right now, I'm looking at a Honda Reflex or a Piaggio BV 250 or BV 500. Can anyone give me any insight on these if you own one and your likes/experiences with them. Thanks.

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"Life is Too Short...Be Kind, Have Fun & Help Someone Along the Way"

There are a lot more Honda dealers than Piaggo, so I would check on what dealers I have close by.
And buy the brand that has a good nearby dealer.
Even though you buy the scooter from an individual, there will be times you need a dealer's expertise.


Otherwise, you will have try them out and see which you like. Both brands are high quality.
But, Kymco is also a good brand and a lot cheaper.


Scoot Safely,

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New Rider in 2010
Grand Vista 250

Thanks MaryK. There is a local dealer for both brands but they don't have any Honda Reflexes here as the models were ended in production in 2008. I actually test drove the Honda today and it was Awesome. The BV 250, I have yet to do so.

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"Life is Too Short...Be Kind, Have Fun & Help Someone Along the Way"

FoxyDiva I purchased 3 Honda Reflex's in about one months time, one for me and my hubby and one for a friend. We love them! Have put many, many miles on them! We are happy with the choice we made! Hubby has a red 03, mine is a yellow 03 and my friend has the blue 06. Be sure to check the gas tank for rust. We didn't do that and my hubby's is rusty which will cause him some trouble sooner or later.

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~Riding Miss Daisy~

"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."

Thanks Miss Daisy. Your yellow Reflex is sweet! Did you purchase all of yours locally? I don't mind going outside my area, but I would need to make arrangements for inspections and shipping. I've gotten some quotes for shipping for some I've seen online.

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"Life is Too Short...Be Kind, Have Fun & Help Someone Along the Way"

Those are popular enough models that if you are patient, you should be able to find something relatively close to you. If your budget mandates buying used, and mine always does, then your budget probably should not have room to pay crating, delivery to a terminal, and shipping fees.

Use a search engine for craigslist, maybe motorcycle trader, and search within whatever mileage is reasonable for you....you can always have a friend drive you to where the scooter is, take a bus, or rent a U-Haul yourself. But consider looking within a couple of hours, where you could go pick it up yourself, and ride it home.

One of the two biggest differences in the scoots you mentioned are that the BV is a big wheel scoot...a different animal than the Flex. Personally, I love them both.

What size scoot do you have now? There's a big difference in both cc and physical size from a 250 to a 500. A 500-650cc bike is almost more an automatic motorcycle than a scooter, although I know not everyone thinks that way.

Do you already have your motorcycle license?

Thanks Happy Camper,

I have test driven the Honda Reflex. I currently have a 150cc. However, I have yet to test drive the Piaggio. Now I did see a 2001 Reflex for sale a couple of hours away from me, but I'm afraid the 49,000 in miles is way too much. It is priced at $1350. I can easily drive there to pick it up. Seems like i missed better deals a little farther away. What do you guys think? Shipping as far as 10 hours away from door to door runs me about $295.00.

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"Life is Too Short...Be Kind, Have Fun & Help Someone Along the Way"

Is that with a ground freight company? Do they require the bike to be crated? You'll have to convince or pay somebody to do that or get the bike to a place where it can be done. Be very sure doing business long distance you have a clear understanding of the bike's condition, that the title is clear and will be available, and how it will be transferred. Buying long distance, without seeing the bike in person or being there in person to go with the owner to the tag agency, there are many, many ways to end up disappointed or scammed.

You might consider expanding your search to include a few other 250cc scoots, like a Kymco or Sym, or something like the 400cc Yamaha Majesty...or a Morphous, if it appeals to you.

The reflex is a time tested workhorse.

We are lucky to have a lot of piaggio and genuine support here, and I generally prefer Genuine because they are a bit zippier and overall have a classic look with quality.

then again, you still see 30+ year old honda/yamaha scoots, and parts are easily available.

I wouldn't go with the current bv500. it is a very big, ineffecient engine, and you could probably get a good smaller motorcycle with less effort. The BV250 (or if you won the lotto, the new 350) are great.

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I have a BV500 but we have a couple good scooter shops in downtown Chicago for service and support.

That being said, our Honda dealers are right around the corner, about 10 miles away.

I might go for the Honda for your convienence. I love my BV500, but if anything goes wrong - it would have to be trailered to a shop about 40 miles away.

BV's have a taller wheels and a more modern look, not too much storage under the seat tho.

I have seen a few used BVs online for pretty good pricing, more 250's than the 500's.

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A Dragon can be unseen or visible, minute or huge, long or short. However,
always it is great. ~ Shuo Wen (ca. 100)
Visit my new scooter blog at -
http://saltyscooterstories.blogspot.com/

Piaggio is the same company that makes the Vespa.

I've already waited 2 months for Piaggio to ship me a new front fender

(Someone backed into the scooter in a parking lot)

If they seem equally attractive, I would recommend getting the Honda.

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~~~~~ Linda ~~~~~

Take a look at the Yamaha Majesty, I love mine

I too have a Honda Reflex. I love my little Silvano. He is truely a little workhorse. I just took him for his annual safety check and had his oil, spark plug, and coolant changed. I have taken him camping several times. I had saddle bags on him at the time, but people were amazed at how much stuff I had packed on him, including a small electric coffee maker. I am planning to take Silvano up to a rally in VT in May. It is somewhere between 150 and 200 miles from home. I am really looking forward to my first organized event of the season.

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The JOY is in the journey.