Putting Around
I bought a BV250 Piaggio scooter a few months back to run around town as well as commute to work. My regular ride, a 2008 Triumph Rocket III Touring is a gas hog with all the traffic lights I must deal with around Portland, OR. The 66-70 mpg I get with the scooter is twice that of the big bike and a lot more nimble.
I had about 400 miles on the Piaggio when I decided to check out how it would do on a longer ride. I took it out on Highway 26W to Seaside, a 70 mile ride one way. I held the speed down to 60, although the scooter has a top speed of 75. The 135 mile round trip yielded me 66 mpg using 2 gallons of mid-grade gas. It's a blast riding this little bike and is surprisingly comfortable. I stopped once on the way to the coast for coffee as it was in the low 40s that early in the morning. The lower fairing protects my legs from the wind but the shortie windscreen does nothing to protect my head and hands. Unlike my Triumph I have no heated grips on the scooter.
Still, I had a ball. The scooter is a lot of fun to ride and is so economical I'll probably use it a lot in warmer weather. Holding 2.6 gallons of gas that 135 miles during my test runs is just about the maximum range on a ride without filling up. That's pretty respectable for a single cylinder putter. I enjoyed the ride and now have 500 miles on my new toy.