[Al Davison]

For those who've had their B-scoots for a while, I'd like to ask: Does it get a little faster and maybe better fuel mileage after a while?

What about the brakes? I had the "opportunity" to get hard on the brakes yesterday and I was a little surprised that it didn't stop any quicker than it did. I have been really cautious about the brakes because they look so massive that I thought they might toss me off the front of the bike if I really got on them but, it was really not that impressive. I was probably just short of locking up the fronts but the bike seemed to be a little sluggish on the binders. Actually, that's probably a good thing right now but as I get more experience, I'd like to think the brakes will get better.

Al

 

[pauljo]

Does it get a little faster and maybe better fuel mileage after a while?

What about the brakes? I was probably just short of locking up the fronts but the bike seemed to be a little sluggish on the binders.

Al,

The brakes do need to break in. I've had a couple of emergency tire squealing stops on my 650. It will stop **** fast. Remember, this is a 500+ lb machine. That's heavier than a lot of motorcycles. 60 lbs heavier then my 1000cc V-Strom. What impressed me with one of my panic stops, was even though I momentarily locked up a wheel (probably the rear), the scooter stayed nice and straight. I screwed up, but it bailed me out.

The answer to your fuel mileage and performance question is - maybe. If you leave the scooter stock, you'll probably see improvement in both categories. But a lot of folks start adding windscreens and trunks at about the time the machine is broken in. My big windscreen was costing me about 8 mpg, and killing top end performance. My trunk didn't hurt mileage much, but it did knock 8 mph off of the top speed of the scooter. Also, I think that as some people gain confidence with the machine, they tend to wick the throttle up a bit more often, which doesn't help mileage (but might induce more grins per mile).