New SH300i improvemnts over 'old' model?

[abitmad]

I agree the Honda is an ugly bugger but I like all of the plusses you've outlined on the Bev. I'm 5'11" with size 9 feet so it will all come down to a test ride I think. One of your negatives is the screen. Are there any aftermarket ones availible for it?

I wear an open face helmet and am 5' 8". I have two, one having just an eye level visor and the other with a much longer visor reaching down almost to my chin. When I wear the latter one, the buffeting is far less noticeable. I expect that if I wore a full face or flip-up I probably wouldn't notice it much at all. It's not a major problem. Put it this way, the windblast with the stock screen is only a fraction of what I experienced on my previous scooter, a Yamaha Cygnus X 125 that had no screen at all.

I've found some aftermarket screens. Givi has two different height versions if you scroll down the page:

http://www.givi.co.uk/My-motorcycle/?ma ... Touring-12


Or this one from A J Sutton called a Biondi. It's taller than either of the Givis but they don't show a picture:

http://www.piaggiospares.co.uk/spares/p ... el=Beverly 350 4T 4V IE Sport Touring - 3714&uid=0

Here's a picture I've found of the Biondi on an Italian site:

http://www.accessoriscooter.com/lang-en ... y-350.html


Or I've seen this spoiler screen addition on ebay Germany:

http://www.ebay.at/itm/MRA-X-Creen-Zub- ... 2a237bc210

I can't vouch for any of these, they're just examples of what I've seen online.

[MrGrumpy]

I agree the Honda is an ugly bugger but I like all of the plusses you've outlined on the Bev. I'm 5'11" with size 9 feet so it will all come down to a test ride I think. One of your negatives is the screen. Are there any aftermarket ones availible for it?

I wear an open face helmet and am 5' 8". I have two, one having just an eye level visor and the other with a much longer visor reaching down almost to my chin. When I wear the latter one, the buffeting is far less noticeable. I expect that if I wore a full face or flip-up I probably wouldn't notice it much at all. It's not a major problem. Put it this way, the windblast with the stock screen is only a fraction of what I experienced on my previous scooter, a Yamaha Cygnus X 125 that had no screen at all.

yeah but you can do serious speeds on an SH, so the total lack of weather protection becomes a real bugger!!
The Bev does look more attractive, more comfortable and more practical - I grew to dislike my SH for its general lack of comfort and space - it didn't even ride that well

[abitmad]

The only real technical advantage I can see for the SH against the Bev is that it is slightly slimmer. The official figures are 730mm against 760mm. That 30mm advantage makes the SH marginally better for slipping through very congested city traffic if that is important to you. On just about every other technical feature though the Bev is superior, and in some cases far superior, or at least equal. I can't see much apart from width where it is actually worse.

Of course there are other considerations than the merely technical, such as looks, comfort and that indefinable quality of how it feels to ride which will vary between people. Another point is the proximity of reputable dealers and so on.

[DougL]

I also have a BV350. In the past I have had an original 08 Honda SH300 and also a later 2011 model. The Piaggio is just as well built as the Honda, has traction control, ABS and MASSIVE underseat storage. Read helmet and jacket. It also has 33 bhp to the Honda's 29. It's a much better (and better looking) scooter. Both are made in Italy. Another advantage of the BV is its wet clutch. The Honda has a dry centrifugal which on mine was prone to the strngled sealion noise when hot. The BV is much smoother and softer riding than the Honda too.

[EDW]

My new SH300 is fast and the suspension is superb, brakes eye-popping.

Best scoot you can buy in the midi range IMHO