Sport City owner reports?

[TenaciousB]

Amen to that! I may go to Toledo. Glad to know that.

Yeah, so far they have been great. My sales guy is Chris (extension 25)

http://www.hondaeasttoledo.com/

They will deal with you. To clarify my out the door price, I'm actually walking out with it for $4500.50 at the dealership. Then I have to go to my BMV at home and pay tax $270, so my grand total is $4770.50

One helluva price IMO.

[fastseven]

I've had mine for about 3 weeks and absolutely love it. I am breaking in the engine properly so am not too sure of the top end. I want to say that I am consistantly getting upwards of 85mpg!! Un-frickin-believable!!! Great riding position. Wonderful power at speed. Great handling. I am an Aprilia dealer so I got the second shipment. Mine is MochaBlack. I am the only one in Houston to have one. We have 3 gray and one black in stock. We are selling them for $4500 plus $200 for freight. Texas taxes and fees also apply.
I love this scooter. I have the Givi E350 on the back and it looks great. I have ordered a sport screen, color-matched top-box and scooter skirt. Will be waiting a while from Aprilia tells me. PM me if you want any more info.
Pics Below:

[Sportcity250]

Black Sportcitys are very rare, don't know why. In Germany only the 125ccm Sportys availabel in Black. I re-paint my gray Sporty someday like this :

[Buckeroo Bob]

Nice to see some creative Photoshop work. I'm guilty of doing that also. I sure would like to see some additional pictures of that Ferrari themed scooter if anyone comes across them. I'd love to try to duplicate that.

[Rhyder]

Greetings, and here's my take.

Saw the SportCity 250 at the motorcycle show here in NYC on January 19, ordered it on the 20th, picked it up on May 5. Out the door cost (tax, title, tag, etc.) was about $5,200. Also got a $50 helmet credit, which I swapped for a service credit.

Rode it 20 miles from the Long Island dealer to my place in NYC ... and was truly astonished by the ride, responsiveness, and sound (there is none).

This is my 2nd scooter - bought a new Vino 125 in 2005 which I put 5,800 NYC miles on. The most honest comparison I can come up with (and Vino folks are not going to like this) is that both scooters will get you from A to B. The Vino, however, has a position on the ignition switch that lets you unlock the seat, where you can store a full-face, flip Nolan. Neither of these can be done with the SportCity.

Coming from a 50+ year motorcycle background (which includes racing and collecting vintage BMWs), I will also say that the SportCity lends itself quite happily to aggressive riding - a trait that for me, riding primarily in NYC traffic, is not good; I am constantly reigning myself in! Also, it's not too wide to move to the front of the line at traffic lights (aka lane splitting), and it can be ridden at safe and legal speeds on freeways, interstates, etc.

With just over 500 miles on the machine, I must say that all my expectations have been exceeded; it is stylish (I get waves from crotch rockets), confortable (especially with two up), accelerates and stops quickly (especially with two up!), handles exceptionally well, and is very quiet (I'm in the "Loud Pipes Give Me A Headache" camp).

Okay, you've been waiting for the negative - here it is.

The fuel gauge doesn't work - it's been on full since minute one.
The back fender rattles horribly.
Uses a separate lock to access underseat storage.
Can't put a full face helmet under the seat.
There is a mechanical vibration when the rear brake is applied while not moving (at a stop sign, red traffic light, etc.).

Bottom Line: As a twist-and-go with a liquid cooled, single cylinder, four valve, overhead cam, fuel injected 250 with electronic ignition, three disks, and really big wheels it's neither scooter nor cycle ... but whatever it is, I love it!

Rhyder

[tispectrum]

Welcome Rhyder, I see you found the site. And thanks for your review.

[Zolemite]

I've been looking all over for a forum for these. I just bought my Sport City 2 weeks ago. I already have 650 miles on the bike. I love it. Here is my review for the bike:

First I paid $5088 OTD for this bike. I've rode it everywhere. I live in the suburbs of Chicago. Alot of driving is 55 mph +, so I knew I needed something with a little power. I've had no trouble staying with traffic. This bike handles as good as it looks. I've taken sweeping S-curves at 70mph no problem. I've also had it doing 82mph down a slight incline. The bike cruises at 70 no problem. More than enough speed for me. I would like to have a little more acceleration but who wouldn't. This is my first street machine. Prior to this I owned a 2001 CR250 (which hauled) and a yahama warrior, and a Skidoo Mach Z 800 snowmobile. This is as fun to ride as any of those. I would recommend this bike to anybody. Although it isn't a "real bike" I'm more than happy to drive this around and don't feel cheesy at all.

[ronnath]

Okay, you've been waiting for the negative - here it is.

The fuel gauge doesn't work - it's been on full since minute one.
The back fender rattles horribly.
Uses a separate lock to access underseat storage.
Can't put a full face helmet under the seat.
There is a mechanical vibration when the rear brake is applied while not moving (at a stop sign, red traffic light, etc.).

-no problems with mine - a warranty issue
-sounds like the dealer didn't do his job
-yep, i don't like that lock, either.
-yep, my FF won't fit but my other stuff fills the storage area - rain suit, tire kit, spare tools, some paperwork items. i ended up with a Nelson/Rigg rear bag for the helmet.
-dealer, again. one wonders if he took it for a test ride before turning it over to you.

[Bartaco]

There is a mechanical vibration when the rear brake is applied while not moving (at a stop sign, red traffic light, etc.).

Mine dose that too

[Buckeroo Bob]

Too vague. You can self diagnose. Start by putting your hand on various pieces where you think the sound is coming from. I trimmed my rear fender, so the remaining piece vibrated when the engine idles, but only when on the center stand. Engine rpms cause harmonic vibrations that resonate in other parts of the bike ( I know that's not the right terminology, but I hope the point is made) To eliminate the noise, I had to place a small piece of foam strip between the fender and it's support rods. Problem solved for me. These are scooters made of metal and plastic panels...they take a beating and will loosen up over time. Get out the hex wrench and (+) screwdriver and tighten things up once in awhile. And while you're at it, wipe down the scooter and get rid of grime and grease that has accumulated. Your mechanic will thank you for it.

[bikemonster]

All scooters will vibrate more at a stop when you apply the rear brake. Probably has something to do with making a more rigid platform (the calipers grabbing the rotor).
Without the brake applied there probably is more "float" and not as much vibtration transferred to the rider.

[pnovotny21]

I own a 2008 SC250 and I absolutely love it. I have about 750 miles on it to date and I live right in the heart of downtown Chicago. This scooter will beat the cabbies off the line and the handling is great. The streets aren't the best around here so the big wheels really help.

I have only a few complaints about the bike which are:

1. I wish both headlights would light up. I am tired of pedestrians telling me that I have a headlight burned out.
2. I wish the bike had antilock brakes. I locked up the front wheel last summer and dumped in while wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I broke my foot in 5 places but the scooter only had a few scratches on it. I wish I was built as well as my scooter!

3. I hate the dead spot when you go full throttle from a dead stop. The scoot bogs at about 10 mph and then opens up and achieves good acceleration.

On the bright side, it is reliable as hell, gets a lot of compliments, handles great and is just fun to ride.

[abouc]

2. I wish the bike had antilock brakes. I locked up the front wheel last summer and dumped in while wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I broke my foot in 5 places but the scooter only had a few scratches on it. I wish I was built as well as my scooter!

Not a bad idea to get into the habit of wearing more protective clothing. Boots, jacket, jeans, gloves, etc. IL has no helmet law. Hopefully you wear one anyway.

[pnovotny21]

It was a total fluke. Normally I ride with jeans and a jacket not matter how hot it is outside. I always wear a helmet and I was wearing one that day as well. People who don't wear helments are just plain stupid.

[beanoil]

I've had my SC for about 2 years now. I've got about 1300 miles on it. Hands down, the most fun bike I've ever piloted. Very quick. Consistant 76 mpg at cruise speed of 70mph. Mine has no bad habits so far. Initially, the fuel gauge fooled me too.. it does indicate full for some time before steadily dropping. That last bar goes quick at cruise speed, start looking for fuel at 1 bar. I always run premium, usually Shell, and have had no issues. Oil changes are a breeze. There is a tool available for filter removal, but it's really easy to make one from a socket and some bar stock. I'll have to check on size, but it's basically a socket that goes over the "screwhead" on the filter. Drill a hole through the end of the socket using a drill press, insert a piece of 1/4" bar stock, and tack it in place. I use Mobil Turbo Diesel Truck 5w40. Great bike whether crawling through the city, or rolling on the highway.