2012 Piaggio Beverly Sport Touring Maxi Scooter
This spring, one of Piaggio’s most famed maxi scooters, the Beverly Sport Touring (BV) 350, arrives in America.
One of the best performers in its class, the two-up BV 350 scooter arrives stateside after Piaggio revamped the 2013 model; the newest model features numerous upgrades to the engine, frame and body work.
Not only is the BV 350 more powerful, but it’s a visual “Standout,” Piaggio says, from “its smoked windshield to its sporty gray/flat black sporty exhaust and doubled five-spoke wheels with glossy black rims.”
The 2013 BV 350 features Piaggio’s brand-new, single-cylinder 4-stroke, 4-valve 350cc electronic injection and water cooled engine that “thinks and acts big – while offering the weight savings, more efficient fuel consumption and lower emissions of a smaller 300cc model but made to obtain the power of a 400cc.”
This new engine arrives with 33.3 horsepower, and has a top speed of 90 mph, making it the most powerful scooter of its class. With the added power arrives added mechanical efficiency, also; the engine was designed to reduce internal friction through the use of timing rockers that have rollers, which also reduces noise.
The BV 350’s engine is hooked to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), which features a new multi-disc automatic clutch in oil bath for consistent and reliable performance, regardless of high thermal stress. Piaggio says the new automatic lubrication system guarantees constant cooling of the system in any operating conditions.
Particular attention was given to reducing internal friction during design of the new engine: the timing rockers now have rollers, for added noise reduction and mechanical efficiency.
The Piaggio BV 350’s chassis was also redesigned to achieve “agility, efficiency and riding pleasure at the highest levels.”
The BV 350 features a double-cradle frame in high-strength steel and pressed sheet metal sports a conventional fork with 35 mm stanchions up front, while rear suspension is handled by a pair of double-acting helical-spring shock absorbers with adjustable spring preload offering 4 different positions, “ensuring optimal absorption of road bumps while delivering a neutral response and accurate handling.”
The Sport-Touring scooter arrives with five-spoke light allow rims, 16″ x 3.00″ up front and 14″ x 3.50″ at the rear) and large tires (110/70 and 150/70 respectively).
And as stated, this is a two-up scooter with amenities added for both rider and passenger. The BV 350 features a helmet compartment large enough to hold documents and up to two helmets, a practical luggage rack, with integrated passenger grab handles is incorporated in the leg shield back plate with a retractable bag hook.
The Piaggio BV 350 is available in two colors: Shiny Black and Matte Silver and has a MSRP of $5499. It arrives in USA showrooms in April.
For additional information, visit piaggiousa.com.
