Piaggio BV250 scooter 250ie Tourer

2009 Piaggio BV250

I wasn’t looking for a big scooter¹ but sometimes the universe provides. This particular one is a Tourer model which denotes the retro headlight, EFI, and (as far as I can tell) a stock topbox. There was also a version with modern headlights and a carb.

I’d been thinking about a luggable two-wheeler for years and had been starting to narrow the search since about 2024. This one popped up on the Denver craigslist and I went to see it since the model checked so many of my boxes:

Pro	Con
tall enough for me big wheels (16") EFI alloy not spoked wheels can cruise comfortably at >50mph disk brakes on both ends no ABS or linked brake crap screw-adjusted valve clearance weight carried low both sidestand and centerstand bag hook	absolute weight (330lbs) no kickstart lots of body panels some $$$ Italian parts

The bike was owned by a Vespaphile with a garage full of scooters and the tools to work on them. He understood the machines, their quirks and strengths. Although it was 16yrs old the bike looked fantastic and was mechanically in excellent shape and had receipts/records. In preparation for the sale it had received new Shinkos (525 front and 568 rear), oils and coolant replaced, belt and rollers replaced. An open recall on the fuel pump had been done at the dealer. The used belt and rollers were included since they were still serviceable. A spare Malossi air filter was tossed in. I respected his knowledge and approach to the machines. Couldn’t have picked a better seller.

It started easily and with a growl (Malossi slip-on). We discussed the upcoming test ride and I hopped on to test the ergos; spacious, very nice. He cranked up another scoot and we left on a test ride that showcased how it behaved. I was convinced.

The bike was heavier than I would have preferred but, as with all scooters, carried it quite low.² A couple dual-sports I was looking at were the same weight but carried it much higher. The scoot paddled around without effort on concrete and grass, a testament to good design and execution.

details

• info
  • BV250 specs
• hitch
  • receiver hitch carrier
  • locking pin
  • stabilizer
• replacement parts
  • belt Piaggio B013360
• changes by PO
  • Malossi RX exhaust. Will need to dig in to see if there is an 02 lambda tweaker or not.
  • seat resculpted to take out passenger hump
• changes by me
  • connector for battery tender
  • USB outlet for 12v port under seat

1. The BV250 straddles the line between normal and maxi scooters. It’s either the biggest normal scooter or the smallest maxi. :-) ↩

2. In effect the engine+trans is the rear swingarm. Can’t get any lower than that. ↩