Recently we had the opportunity to undertake a brief test of the Piaggio Beverly Tourer 250 and 400 and while it wasn’t a complete test, we had a little taste on some varied urban routes.
A high wheel scooter, the Beverly for us is an old acquaintance.
The Tourer version has a new front with chrome finish which is all about a touch of classic style.
The chrome is Beverly Tourer’s “leit motiv”, elegant but not exaggerated.
The engines are four-stroke, four valve liquid cooled and both are Euro 3 compliant.
At first glance the material demonstrates good quality like the finish.
One of the aspects that impressed us from the beginning, like most latest generation scooters, is the ease of use.
The controls are where you expect them to be and you don’t need to look down to find them, even with winter gloves on.
The same goes for the dash: simple, clear and intuitive.
First we tried the 250.
You turn it on and go: no particular capabilities are required to ride this scooter.
It’s manoeuvrable enough and can be appreciated by someone who’s never driven a two-wheeler before.
The acceleration is not powerful but makes itself felt, and is adequate to slip through city traffic.
The comfort factor is excellent, even on the bumpiest of roads and the ease of driving is nearly embarrassing.
The braking system does its job with its 260mm front and 240mm rear discs, though we didn’t really put them seriously to the test.
The only shame is the lumbar support of the seat, which makes for a more forward driving position and doesn’t allow for taller people to sit back and stretch the legs a little.
The underseat compartment can hold two demi-jet helmets: a glass half full or half empty given that we prefer an integrated helmet.
Moving on to the 400, we repeat the same thing on the easy driving of this scooter.
Whoever has a fear of the higher power will have to think again: the Beverly Tourer 400 has the same manoeuvrability of the 250 but with that extra useful grunt for riders who are venturing outside of the banal traffic light riding of the city.
In any case, road handling is great and one can even go that little extra when cornering.
A combined braking system is available on the 400 with two 260mm front discs and a single 240mm rear disc.
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