Passes & Canyons Blog

I had this idea that it would be fun and interesting to get my hands on a scooter and go everywhere on it for one week. I’ve always liked scooters, and have thought for a long time that they make more sense for short errands than just about any other vehicle, but I’ve never owned one or had a chance to ride them much.

So I called my friend Sue, who scoots, and asked if she was using hers, and if not, could I borrow it. No way, she said, she rides it all the time. But she suggested I contact Tai and John Beldock at Erico Motorsports to see if they would loan me one. I did, and Tai was very nice about agreeing to it.

On Tuesday I picked up this Piaggio Fly 50. It has some mods that give it more power so it does actually get up to decent speed. It didn’t take me long to feel comfortable on it and off I went.

There are a few things I’ve had to adjust to. The speedometer shows kilometers very clearly in white, with miles very hard to read in red. So I’ve figured out that with the needle straight up I’m going about 35 mph. If the needle is sitting on the white 40 that’s about 25 mph. At 65 in the white it equals approximately 40 mph. Close enough.

After getting the Fly home the first errand I ran was to the grocery store. I wondered if I should be conservative on what I bought but I figured I’d go for it. The bag on the back swallowed two gallons of mile, a honeydew melon, and a bunch of other stuff. Not a problem.

When Judy got home I loaded her on the back and we went to pick up my car where I’d left it. It may be a 50cc scoot but we still managed to exceed the posted speed limit riding two-up.

The next day Sue and I went out on our respective scoots and I had a chance to ride hers to compare. Yes, it has more power, but hey, on city streets how fast do you need to go? And the Fly goes as fast as the traffic.

I was possibly going to need to go to Boulder today, and that would have been a journey, but it didn’t happen. On Saturday, though, I am going to go with Sue and her scooter club on a ride they have planned. Figure I might as well get right into the scooting culture.

So I’m having fun. I’d never want to trade my motorcycles for a scooter but don’t knock fun. Scooters are fun. And for running around in town I have no complaints at all.

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Biker Quote for Today

If you ride, we are friends.

I saw a Piaggio MP3, three-wheeled scooter the other day here in Denver for the first time. We saw a lot of them in Europe when were there this summer but this is the first one I’ve seen here at home. This photo is one I shot in Paris.

This little baby is a scooter that comes in three sizes, 250cc, 400cc, and 500cc. The marketing materials describe it saying “The Piaggio MP3 provides safety, road grip, and stability levels that no two-wheeler can match. Its power, performance, and ease of use make for a very entertaining ride.”

Let’s face it, one thing that puts off some potential motorcycle and/or scooter riders is the inherent instability of the things. If you hit ice or gravel or a patch of oil when you’re leaned over on a curve those two wheels can go right out from under you. And unlike other three-wheelers you may have seen, with one wheel up front and two in the back, this scooter leans like a normal motorcycle, up to 40 degrees, according to the company.

Priced at $7,200, the MP3 250 has a liquid-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke, four-valve engine with electronic fuel injection. It has a top speed of 77 MPH. As with most scooters, the transmission is “twist and go” automatic. Front and rear brakes are disk. The tires are 12-inch tubeless. The bike weighs 450 pounds and holds 3.2 gallons of fuel. Under-seat storage is large enough for a full-face helmet plus one open-face helmet.

The MP3 400 sells for $8,700 and the MP3 500 is $8,900. The 250 reportedly gets about 65 MPG, while the 400 and 500 only get around 50. Top speeds on the 400 and 500 are 89 and 92 MPH respectively.

Other features include the following:

• An electro-hydraulic suspension locking system that makes it unnecessary to set it on its center stand, even on sloping ground, and making it possible to park the two front wheels where there is a height difference of up to 8 inches.
• Two dual effect hydraulic shock absorbers, a helicoidal spring, and four-position preload.
• Linked braking.
• Splashguards on either side of the front shield protect the rider and the vehicle.
• A remote control button on the ignition key opens the seat lock and the rear boot lid.
• Ergonomical seating.
• A dashboard including a speedometer, fuel gauge, coolant temperature indicator, clock, trip and mileage odometer, fuel reserve indicator, oil pressure, turn signals, low and high beam, seat or boot lid open warning, and an Immobilizer LED.

So. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, but another example of motorcycle designers who are looking beyond the basic two-wheeled concept. I’d like to ride one just to see what it’s like.

Biker Quote for Today

I’d trade all my motorcycles for one flying dragon.