Aprilia Scarabeo 500 IE-Likes/dislikes/problems

I'm Scooter-curious. I see several people reporting that the Beo (as well as other larger scooters) has enough power for the highway and accelerating from a stop, but are they stable at highway speeds? Are they good on rougher streets?

I'm interested in possibly getting a scooter one day. To explain where I come from I used to own a Honda Rebel 250. I found it to be nimble in city traffic but never great accelerating from a stop and though several owners would say you could take it out on the highway, I found it terrible at maintaining any sort of highway speed except when going downhill or on flat ground. I also found it to be rather unstable at highway speeds with the bike reacting more than I found comfortable to any rut or tar strip in the road. I later sold it for a Suzuki C50 (an 800cc-ish cruiser) and found a night and day difference with the larger, wider front tire much less sensitive to imperfections in the road.

I've only owned the Aprilia Scarabeo 500IE a few days but I can tell you its a great ride, it will out pull most cars from a stop and will climb right up to 80-90mph if you keep on it..

Most owners say it will top 100mph!! I was two up on the freeway doing 85mph (keeping up with traffic) and it still had plenty to give for passing. She rode stable and I was confident and comfortable at those speeds. The large wheel size is the key to this, I've had small wheeled scoots 8"/10" and going over 50mph can get twitchy:eek1

I'm in love with this scoot, its acts/rides like a motorcycle..
SCOOTERCYCLE!!!

Go test ride one and you'll see... It's all good.

One of the advantages of the Beo is the large wheels which give it tremendous stability and the capacity to soak up or ride over bumps. In the Seattle/Kitsap area, I would not take a 250 cc anything on the freeways or Highway 3. You should probably be looking at a minimum of a 400 cc maxi-scooter.

I actually find that due to the weight and low center of gravity, my Beo is more stable on the freeway than my DR650. The DR can get blown around a bit, which certainly increases the pucker factor at times!

Beo500, BV400 (Peugeot Gepolis 400), X9 500 (Peugeot Satelis 500),
a few of which I've had a ride on.. all have better handling/suspension
then my Ninja 650.

Any new Scarabeo 500 owners?


Seems they put the new(er) 493cc piaggio master engine (from the
fuoco/mp3 500, bv500 cruiser) in it.. and I've been eyeballing a used
one localy..

Anyone want my Kwak?

I don't own one, but I know a few who have. All I can say is overall they are REALLY nice scoots.

They are the ultimate mix of both worlds of scooters. While they are big scooters with 500 cc motors, they aren't nearly as big as your typical maxi scooter like a Burgman 400 or 650. They are lighter and far less bulky overall, and without any saddle bags or trunks, etc they look more like a 250 cc or 300 cc big wheeled scooter. This makes them a lot more practical for around town riding, and more fun in the twisties.

BUT they still have a 500 cc engine, higher ratio transmission, suspension, frame, etc of a 500 so they can handle interstates with ease and have plenty of power. They top out at around 100 MPH, which is enough for almost any highway riding.

So all in all, I would check one out. Keep scanning Craigslist, once in a while they pop up for around $3,500 around here.

For $3500.. you can't get a good used 250 here..
Check my location..

But thanks for the thumbs up.
I'm not sure if I can make myself get a non-ABS bike yet.

Oh, I forgot about that. That kind of sucks. How much are they going for new over there? They go for about $6,300 MSRP here, which is completive.

BTW as for the ABS there is an ABS version of the Burgman 400, don't know if you'll get it over there or not. But good luck finding a scoot!

Thanks, I'm all over the place looking at BV/Beverly 500 Cruiser, Scarabeo 500
(493cc), the Downtown 300i and Xciting 500Ri..

The Scarabeo 500 I.E. (new) is more or less $8600, which is already above my
budget. :huh, ABS version was never available here.

Burgman 400 is over $11.500 without ABS!
My bike (ER6F/650R ABS) was cheaper then that..

Like that's not enough.. most of us work for less then $600/month.
Different thread..

No problem. I understand your situation. The Burgman 400 regular version costs $6,599 and theres a sale on it so its only $5,599 brand new right now! The Burgman 400 ABS has a bit of a heafty price tag at $7,499, but its not that bad with the $1,000 off it is $6,499. Thats sucks that they cost that much there! The 650 only costs $8,699/ $7,699 with sale here. Thats a LOT of money of a 400 cc scooter! Who has that kind of money for a scooter?

I also don't have a lot of money either right know, but I am hoping I will be making some soon. But I unfortunantly now have my eye on a used Road King/ or another Touring model Harley! And THEN a Burgman 400 maybe, and who knows whats next?

Your looking into a bigger scooter though? I mean if bikes are cheaper than big scooters over there, then maybe a bike that meets your needs better? Or find a good deal on a used scoot. I personally love scooters, but if a bike costs less and makes more sense, I won't have much of a choice.

No, bike's are as expensive as scooters generally, but the burgman (and
majesty/silverwing) is a special case for some reason, they're hugely overpriced.

All Jap bikes (and scoots) went up in prices in the last 2 years by a lot.. only
Kawasaki remained about the same.

I really enjoy riding my ER6F, but other then it being fun, it's not checking
any of the other important boxes (cheap to run, practicality/storage, 2up
comfort, wind protection, no-gears smoothness for around town etc) and
I can only afford to keep one bike, and even that is streching it a bit if
it's anything over 250cc.

I should just probably get the Downtown 300 and be done with it, but I've gotta
sell my Kwak and my car first, and no one even called in 2 months that they've
been in online ads!

When I was thinking about getting a freeway-capable automatic motorcycle (I hate the term scooter to describe such bikes), I looked at a really nice new Scarabeo 500 at a local dealer who handles Aprilia, Kaw, Suzuki and Ducati. The machine is very handsome and well-built, IMHO, but the sales guy, who is a personal friend of mine, mentioned that parts availability was often problematic. I ended up with a used Silverwing, which has been an excellent machine capable of local and touring expeditions, but I must admit that I still like the Scarabeo. It's still there.....

No parts problems here (never was one) since Italy is right next door..

Yea, I think a Downtown 300 will work well for you. If its a decent price, then I'd say go for it! I sure like the new 300!

Also is a SYM an option over there? The RV 250 is cheaper here, but it is a serious 250 scooter. It has the performance of almost a 400, acceleration is about the same, and top speed is close at 91 MPH as SYM claims.

But if its not, the Downtown is a fantastic scooter, everyone wants one! Or any of the other scoots available.

Sym is available at my Kymco dealership, but I don't see a model that would
fit me better then the Downtown, and I seriously doubt the RV's 23,4hp
engine would do 90mph :huh Being a 250,6cc engine puts it in the same
tax/insurance category with the Downtown here, there's no ABS option available
etc.. anyways, I'm sure it's a great scoot but I like the Downtown better.

EDIT: Just checked, we also get the EVO version of that Sym scoot with 300cc and upgraded
stuff.. and it came in 6th out of 7 scooters in a group test in a local mag, behind the xciting 300
(5th). The Downtown won that review in every single part of the test.

I don't know, I do here the RV can do 90 MPH. But then again, the only thing to consider is that it very likely has a very optimistic speedo, so maybe its more like 80-85 MPH, which is about the same as the Reflex 250.

But yea, the Downtown is probably a better overall scoot.

Hi I bumping up this thread to see how life is with your Beo 500ie? I just bought a new 09 a few weeks ago and other than the vibration I get in the hand grips I really like it.

I owned one of these for a year. I used it for daily commuting on a mix of freeway, expressway, and city streets. I did a couple of long trips and a couple of two-up rides. Here are my observations:

1. If you want a freeway commuter, it is excellent. Plenty of power, good mileage, excellent storage (I'd add a top box, though). IT will out-accelerate most of the traffic and can hang out in the commuter lane, no problem. The automatic transmission is great in rush hour traffic, but the stock windscreen is terrible. I had that tall screen shown, made by Givi. It protects you, but is so tall you have to look through it. Also, your legs are somewhat protected by the leg shield, unlike on a motorcycle. Nice in the winter. But a Vespa 250 protects you better.

2. In town, it's easier than a motorcycle due to the automatic transmission, but not as easy as s smaller scooter or motorcycle (say, a 250) due to the extra weight. If your commute is only on city streets, it's more than you need.

3. If you want to ride the twisties, it is not ideal. It handles fine. The problem is the automatic transmission. It lags and bit and doesn't let you accelerate quicly out of a corner. Frustrating if your riding partner is on a motorcycle!

So, it doesn't do everything well. It is a decent scooter (once you fix the fuel clamp issue mentioned above) if you don't need something sporty. I ended up selling mine because my Vespa 250 is a better in-town vehicle, and buying a used Suzuki 650 V-Strom for longer trips and mountain riding.

No problems on twisties with my Beo. Better than many of the bikes I ride with, worse than others.

As for the vibration in the handlebars, I don't have it but I have heavier bar ends due to my Givi trunk. You may want to try some.

Im currently trying to find some. A guy on another forum stated the his weigh 2.75 lbs each. I find that a little hard to believe unless they are made out of lead. Would mind telling me how long yours are? That will help me in my search. I have installed a GIVI box.