Aprilia SportCity 250

About 3-4 weeks ago I sold my Ducati. I survived a few years on it with only one crash the day after I bought it. Ah yes, that was fun. It was a great bike: black, sexy, loud, very cool, and very fun to ride. I jumped right into this 900cc Monster straight out of the motorcycle riding class. I really couldn't handle it and I realize I was lucky I didn't kill myself on it.

This past year I rode confidently and felt like I could handle the bike, but then I had a bit of a close call on I-90 and realized I've never been fully in control of the Monster. It was just too much bike for me and at a bit over 550 lbs, very heavy for me. I was sad to see it go, but secretly relieved. I also sold it to someone with the means and ability to give it the TLC it greatly needed.

After only a week though, I missed my wheels, so I considered buying a smaller bike like a Rebel. Then I thought about scooters. Never in a million years did I think I'd end up going from a 900cc Ducati sport bike to a scooter, but it happened, and I couldn't be happier!

I started test riding scoots, but wasn't super impressed. I found most of them scarier than my Duck! They were sketchy as hell on those tiny little tires. I decided after researching scooters that I was going to get a little Aprilia Scarabeo 200. I stopped by Cycle Works in Renton on Monday to put a deposit on one from their next shipment and had an interesting turn of luck.

As I browsed the bikes, I noticed this little black scoot, the Aprilia SportCity 250, sitting right out front. I'd never seen one and was intrigued. The guy at Cycle Works couldn't stop raving about it and said I had to test ride it. That's all it took for love at first test ride.

Not only did it look like a little baby Aprilia sport bike, but it had big, wide, motorcycle-like tires, dual front disc brakes, lots of pickup, and even a little charger jack in the front storage compartment. Slick! The second I hopped on it I felt totally at ease and the little scoot handled just like a big bike. Amazing!

Then the bad news: it had a deposit on it already. Damn! But, the salesman at Cycle Works said a girl put the deposit on it a few days ago and hadn't come back to get it. He was a little irked to have already turned people away from buying it, so he called her and she opted out of the purchase. So...it was mine! They claim the SportCity is impossibly hard to get, especially in black, so it was certainly my lucky day.

I really can't say enough good things about the crew at Cycle Works. They were AMAZING! Not only did they sell me the bike, and I mean sell me the bike as in, "Here's the features, here's how it handles, here's what it does, etc", but they took the time to help me get the hang of the center stand, threw in $100 of accessories, answered all of my questions, and were a very fun and helpful group to work with. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a scoot or motorcycle.

I had the great fortune of riding home in the rain and it handled flawlessly. I never rode the Ducati in the rain as the power on that bike scared me on wet roads, but the SportCity is great! I brought it home Monday and have already put nearly 75 miles on it.

I work in Bellevue, so Tuesday I ventured across 520 to see how it handled, and was thoroughly impressed. At one point I was cruising close to 70 during one short stretch and the scoot just purred along. Again, handling is amazing with those big tires. Twice this week my 520 commute has been quite windy, but it handles the wind beautifully. It's really no worse than the Duck would have been. It's got enough pickup to leave most cars in the dust, the brakes will stop you on a dime, and it's just plain fun!

The biggest difference between the scoot and the motorcycle is probably suspension. I definitely feel more bumps on the scoot and I have to watch out for large bumps or potholes for fear of bottoming out, but I'm getting used to it. Only negative I have so far is that the under-seat storage won't fit my full-face helmet. Other than that, this little scoot is amazing! Nimble in town, fun to ride, fast off the line, great brakes, bright sport headlights, nice styling (though depends on your taste I suppose), and fast enough for short jaunts on 520. Hell, I'd even consider taking it on I-5 for short stretches.

It supposedly maxes out around 80mph, so it'll pretty much get me just about anywhere I need to go. If I had known scooters were this fun, I would have gotten one long ago!