Touring Scooters

Touring scooters include the Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive, Yamaha T-Max 500, Piaggio BV500, Honda Silver Wing, and Vespa GTS 300.

Not all scooters are diminutive, lightweight, small-wheeled city runabouts. For those that crave highway speeds but don?t want to worry about messing around with a clutch, touring scooters ? or maxi scooters ? offer an interesting alternative. Touring scooters are larger than their lower-displacement cousins and can feature engines ranging anywhere from 250cc to 650cc, but they still feature the step-through design common to all scooters. Some of these larger touring scooters are nearly as capable as a full-blown motorcycle, but can be less intimidating for newer riders. Touring scooters also offer the bonus of ample storage space and impressive fuel economy.

2023 Piaggio MP3 Three-Wheeled Scooters – First Look

Piaggio announced an updated MP3 lineup, giving its three-wheeled scooters a number of technological upgrades, as well as a new range-topping MP3 530 hpe Exclusive model.

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2022 Piaggio BV 400 S Review

The saying is massively overused, but there really is no replacement for displacement. Such is the case with the updated 2022 Piaggio BV 400 S – BV being the abbreviation for Beverly. For a few years now, Europeans and Americans alike have been doing just fine with Piaggio’s BV 350, but stricter Euro 5 regulations have forced manufacturers to comply with the rules if they want to keep doing what they do; sell product.

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MO Tested: Shoei GT-Air II + Sena SRL2 Review

Has it really been six years since the Shoei GT-Air helmet was released? Well, it has, and that means the lid was due for an update – even though, when Troy tested it back in 2017, he said, “[T]he Shoei GT-Air really impresses when it comes to all-day touring comfort. It’s got all the features you’d want from a helmet, with the fit to match.” Using the previous generation as the starting point, Shoei’s designers set out to improve on the already top-notch lid. The result is the brand new Shoei GT-Air II, which ups the ante when it comes to premium touring/sport-touring helmet comfort and utility. To make the helmet even more enticing, Shoei partnered with Sena, as with the Shoei Neotec II, to create a fully-integrated Bluetooth communication system, the Sena SRL2.

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Design Filings Suggest BMW CE 04 Electric Scooter is Close to Entering Production (Updated)

BMW is inching closer to launching the new CE 04 electric scooter, as the company has filed designs for the production model with the European Union Intellectual Property Office.

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Top 5 Maxi-Scooters

If you’re looking for an inexpensive, lightweight vehicle for riding around town or completing short errands, scooters are an excellent choice. If you want something with a bit more performance and versatility, you might want to consider a maxi-scooter instead. Maxi-scooters, or touring scooters, offer larger engines and typically better wind protection, making a good choice as an everyday commuter or for longer distance rides.

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MO Tested: No-Mar Classic HD Motorcycle Tire Changer Review

As motorcycles become more reliable and maintenance intervals get more spread out, one consumable remains on a fairly frequent interval for motorcycles. Tires have made tremendous advances in the last decade, but they are still the most frequent maintenance items for motorcyclists. With the rates for mounting and balancing tires going through the roof (My local shop charges $60 for a pair of tires with the wheels off the bike.), buying a tire changer makes a lot of sense. I’d been eyeing No-Mar Tire Changers for quite a while before pulling the trigger and installing one in my garage. In less than a month and after changing a dozen tires, we’d have already spent about 35% of the cost of the No-Mar Classic HD Motorcycle Tire Changer at our local motorcycle shop, but what’s most important is how convenient it is having a tire changer in my garage available when I need it. I no longer have to load my wheels into my truck, drive to my local shop, wait an hour (or more) for them to be ready, and finally take them home to reinstall on my bike. 

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2020 Yamaha TMax First Look

The Yamaha TMax is getitng a displacement bump up to 560cc, and a new Tech Max variant. Unfortunately, the new TMax does not appear to be coming to the U.S., which isn’t entirely as surprise as it has only made sporadic appearances here since it first debuted in 2001. In Europe, however, the TMax has been immensely popular, with Yamaha selling more than 275,000 units in total.

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Gazebox Foldable Cover System

It’s on rainy, cold nights like this one that I’m glad I have a garage. Looking at your motorcycle parked outside as it’s pelted with rain, sleet, hail, mud and other unpleasantness can make you weep with impotent rage. Cover it? Motorcycle covers are a hassle to put on and remove. First, you have to wait until the bike cools to avoid melting the cover to the exhaust. Plus, they can blow off your bike, get shredded and messy-looking, and trap moisture underneath, which can cause rust and mold. Nasty!

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MO Tested: Aerostich Protekt Jeans Review

Like me, you probably know Aerostich as the company making funky one-piece motorcycle oversuits that go over your regular clothing. Well, that suit is called the Roadcrafter, there are many derivations of it, and it’s basically the class uniform for veteran moto-journalists. However, many people don’t know Aerostich also makes much, much more. Like this, the Protekt jeans.

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2018 Honda Forza 300 Scooter Announced for Europe

Honda has revised its Forza 300 scooter for Europe, introducing traction control, a redesigned chassis and a 26-pound weight reduction. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the 2018 Honda Forza 300 is coming to the U.S., where it was last offered in 2016.

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Alpinestars Launches 2018 U.S. Spring Motorcycling Collection

Alpinestars has released its Spring 2018 collection, which emphasizes lightweight and breathable gear as well as technical apparel. We are also now beginning to see more Tech-Air compatible garments for the street with a focus on touring jackets for use in all weather conditions. 

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Upcoming Motorcycle Events

Here’s our weekly guide to the upcoming motorcycle events and rides that are happening over the next several weeks.

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The Ultimate European Motorcycle Trip

Touring Europe on a motorcycle can be a trip of a lifetime, but how do you know where best to go? Well, here’s a thorough and easy to digest European motorcycle trip itinerary that will offer an unforgettable ride through five countries spanning two weeks. Many people wait for the perfect time in their lives to take a life-changing trip like the one below, but sometimes life gets in the way and it never happens. You may not have the time or you may not have the money. In my experience, sometimes you just have to go for it. Comparethemarket.com has compiled the hard part for you, bringing you one step closer to a trip never to be forgotten.

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Destinations: The Rock Store

Blessed with beautiful weather year round, weekend mornings at the Rock Store of southern California can rival the best bike shows around the globe. Eclectic characters come out of the woodwork every weekend to enjoy riding through some of the tightest, twistiest, off-camber, up- and downhill roads motorcyclists dream of. Their owners are pretty interesting, too. It’s not uncommon to see Jay Leno on one of his bizarre and rare machines or other celebrity motorcyclists such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Matt LeBlanc or Laurence Fishburne.

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2018 Yamaha X-Max 400 Announced for Europe

Yamaha Motor Europe announced announced a model refresh for its X-Max 400 scooter. American scooter aficionados, however, will likely be disappointed as the 2018 Yamaha X-Max 400 is not expected to come to the U.S. , which is a shame, as Yamaha’s American scooter lineup offers no intermediate model between the 530cc TMax and the 155cc SMax.

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2018 Kymco Xciting 400i Review - First Ride

We were snuggled into a conference room in the upscale Aloft hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, when PR man Peter Jones kicked off Kymco’s 2018 new-product launch by telling us that scooters in the U.S. market are “such a small thing, they’re not even really a thing… scooters and soccer, they’re just not a part of our culture.”

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2017 Yamaha TMax, TMax DX and TMax SX Preview

Yamaha’s TMAX scooter hit Europe in 2001, and the OG “maxi-scooter” has been hard at work transporting people and their stuff ever since. The beat goes on for 2017, with three models: TMAX, TMAX SX and TMAX DX. The TMAX is described as  a ‘blank canvas,’ for customers who want to add their own parts and accessories.  Sporting special colors and ride modes, TMAX SX is designed for sports-oriented customers. Then there’s the top-line TMAX DX, complete with extensive electronic control technology including D-MODE and Cruise Control – also an adjustable screen and heated grips and seat.

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World's Smartest Helmet?: The iC-R From Intelligent Cranium Helmets

Intelligent Cranium Helmets is developing a prototype helmet with more electronic functionality than any other smart helmet available or imagined. The iC-R features twin full-color heads-up displays, twin rear-facing cameras, a LiDAR rear collision alert system, an electronically tinting visor, built-in Bluetooth communications, phone connectivity, and a solar panel to help power all this equipment. Can a helmet with this much future tech be realized with current batteries? Get approved by DOT, Snell or ECE? ICH says yes, and that the company can do it for a retail price less than $1,600. According to the most recent update (1/6/2016) on the company’s website, ICH has entered into development agreements with:

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2015 Honda NM4 Review

Man, I want so badly to like this thing, given that it seems to be my mission in life to embrace the Weird. But this Honda isn’t even all that weird, not when you compare it to blue-sky shots like the old Pacific Coast (which has achieved cult status) or the outlandish Rune, or even the Fury chopper – which is a thing I never thought I’d see Honda build. Then again, it’s pretty out there: No bike I’ve ridden before lights up the wild-eyed street people of the OC quite like this one.

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2014 Piaggio MP3 500 ABS/ASR Review

The front end of the Piaggio MP3 looks a bit like an angry Mutant Ninja Turtle or, if you stretch it, like a big scary frog. It’s a quirky scooter but the French seem to love it, having purchased nearly 70,000 of them. So, it was appropriate that Piaggio chose Paris as the city in which to launch the newest version of the MP3.

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2014 Piaggio MP3 500 ABS/ASR Review - First Impressions

Piaggio‘s MP3 has been one of the most distinctive motor vehicles of the past decade, using two wheels up front, but able to lean like a true motorcycle. And it’s attracted an amazingly large fan base. The Italian company says it has sold 150,000 MP3s since the model line’s introduction in 2007.

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No-Shift Shootout: 2014 Aprilia Mana GT Vs. BMW C600 Sport Vs. Honda NC700 DCT + Video

The manual transmission is well on its slide into obsolescence within the automotive world. Meanwhile, every major motorcycle manufacturer is developing fresh bikes to appeal to a new generation of riders, with a renewed focus on looking at ways to lower inhibitions of entry-level riders.

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2014 BMW C600 Sport Review

Occasionally, a bike will capture the collective fancy of the MO staffers to such a degree that we actively seek out new opportunities to ride it again. The BMW C650GT is one of those motorcycles, as it redefines what we expect and what is possible with a scooter. It’s so broadly capable that it has the potential to lure motorcycle enthusiasts to the scooter world.

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2013 Uber Scooter Shootout – Video

Here at MO we like scooters, especially big ones. Laugh if you want, but when it comes to practical, versatile, comfortable, and fun two-wheeled transportation, scooters often get overlooked. Well, we’re here to give them their fair share. What other motorcycle will take you to the grocery store, have room for the box of cereal, gallon of milk and six-pack of beer you just bought, then welcome the chance to take the twisty road back home – all while having your left hand free to sip a latte?

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2014 Kymco MyRoad 700i Review

The MyRoad 700i represents a milestone for Kymco. Its 699.5cc parallel-Twin engine is larger than anything the Taiwanese company has ever mounted in a two-wheeler, 200cc bigger than the Xciting 500i. The MyRoad also boasts three-way electronically adjustable suspension, radial-mount brakes and passenger footpegs that flip out to deploy in James Bond style. Hop aboard, Ms. Moneypenny.

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Best Scooter of 2013

It’s not often you’ll hear us say we were blown away by a scooter, but BMW’s C600/650 is not your average scoot. There’s nearly 600 pounds rolling on 15-inch wheels, but you’d never know it. The C-model scooters from BMW handle everything from twisty canyon roads to freeway commuting, but then ride either to the local supermarket and a week’s worth of frozen pizzas fit neatly in the under-seat storage.

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2013 Suzuki Burgman 650 ABS Review

“Wow.” I caught myself uttering that exclamation numerous times over the last few days. Bemused or befuddled, the 2013 Suzuki Burgman 650 ABS sure left me gaping.

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