Scooter
Community

Does the Scarabeo 500 ie have any faults? (other than the big price tag)

Reading about it and having seen some pictures, I'm starting to think that it might be the perfect scooter.

Dare I say it (with the Vespa-addicts around here) with its retro styling and its engine capacity, in a way it could be described as a 460cc version of the Vespa GTS.

I think you're draiwng a long bow with that ColdCola. Maybe too much additive with the cola?

The Scarabeo is a nice looking machine and comes in about 500 different engine sizes. OK so it's really about 5 (50, 125, 200, 250 and 500). I think there is a flat footwell on the smaller three models but I may be wrong.

A recent article in about the Scrabeo 250ie in Scooter magazine was titled "Almost Perfect".

Just my thoughts

I have the Scarabeo 500.

Regarding the styling......I do not like the look of most modern maxi's. In fact I quite strongly dislike the look of most o them. I much prefer a scooter that is unashamedly a scooter. I love the look of vespas, but do not like some of the drawbacks that come with them. I like the bigger wheels the better storage and the more powerful motor that vespa does not currently match in any of it's models. So my thinking is very much like yours. The scarab is one of the only maxi's that is retro styled.

I get about 300km to 11litres of fuel.

My riding is a mix of freeway, local riding, and some less fequent long distance riding. I love that the bigger motor gives me the ability to accelerate strongly at freeway speeds.

I use the scarab as my primary transport, and with the 53 litre box on the back I have so much space. I have the bigger aprilia windscreen and the J costa variator, both of which I would strongly recommend.

Regarding downsides, my friends think that it is a bit too heay for some situations, but I dont find that a problem. I am just used to it I guess. Also the riding position is much more like a vespa that a maxi. This is good and bad of course. I am fairly tall and have not found a more traditionaly shaped maxi that will fit my knees yet (tried gilera, piaggio, peugeot maxi's). It is also a good scooter for pillions too, has a nice long seat for them.

As you can probably tell, I am very positive about mine, and have yet to see another scooter that I would swap mine for, even though I am regularly in scoot shops. Overall a strong recommend from the 6000km I have so far covered.

Try this forum http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=23

You'll find the common problems discussed amongst the owners, or you might want to post this question on the forum. 

 Where are all the other 500 scarabeo owners?

Right here adam , Ive only put 2000km's on my scarabeo but am about to ride it down to the GP early next month. I bought the scarabeo as a scooter i could use around town yet get interstate on. Its my first maxi and i didnt want a maxi maxi if you know what i mean.

And as it stands the scarabeo 500 has started life pretty well. Its got great power, handles most city applications easily, its comfortable and has great storage. Its completed all its duties easliy and when out on the freeway even two up then it comes into its own. 

For a 500 , my Mrs and my 18 yo daughter can even get on it and ride it and feel comfortable with the weight. So its still a scooter the whole family can use even though its a maxi. The daughter loves the power aspect and now feels slightly underwhelmed by the 125 scarabeo we currently have in the driveway.

So its been a great purchase and one that I will probably own for a long time due to its versatility.

So its big pluses is for a 500 cc its versatile, classy and comfortable. Storage is a bonus and two up is easy. The ability on the freeway is its strength.

minuses would be sometimes a bit choppy around town over bumps and for me the linked brakes allthough powerful im not a fan of linked.  

Hi Adam and Allen,

Thank you very much for sharing your observations on owning the Scarabeo 500. Almost everything you say makes me fall in love with it a little more!

Allen, what do you mean by choppy over bumps in the city? Do you mean the suspension is not as good as you'd like it to be?

And Adam, what colour is yours? (I notice that Allen's is black).

Keeper75:

I think you're draiwng a long bow with that ColdCola. Maybe too much additive with the cola?

The Scarabeo is a nice looking machine and comes in about 500 different engine sizes. OK so it's really about 5 (50, 125, 200, 250 and 500). I think there is a flat footwell on the smaller three models but I may be wrong.

A recent article in about the Scrabeo 250ie in Scooter magazine was titled "Almost Perfect".

Just my thoughts

Keeper, my cola is 100% pure. Which is why I don't understand why I hallucinate so much!

muzzie:

Try this forum http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=23

You'll find the common problems discussed amongst the owners, or you might want to post this question on the forum. 

 

Thanks, Muzzie. I'll have a look at that site.

 Mine is that dark grey colour. With matching box. Have just ordered the Gianelli exhaust, and the malossi air filter to go with the j costa variator already on there.

I will add my 2c here as I am a great big huge fan of the scarabeo 500. It's a much underestimated machine. I can't understand why they aren't going like  'hot cakes'. I think there was a review done by someone with the rear end set up wrong so he made it sound like they were hopeless in the handling department. That is crap. I woned one and traded it on mt mp3. The guy who bought it (Micktl on here) is away grey nomading now, but agrees with me it is the premium scooter. It's got the trad scooter look and is no 'arm chair'. Everyhting about it I like except the linked brakes.

 I took it a number of times on the Midlands Highway to Ulverstone and it gobbles up the hills and swallows the bends. Rather than being passed on the sections with passing lanes it does the passing. All that coupled with enough internal room to take all my wet weather gear and easof attaching extra luggage makes it a great tourer.

As an aside the side stand was always secure for me and made it easy at petrol stops when fully loaded.

I would give it my vote of the scoot of the decade.

adamtassell:

Have just ordered the Gianelli exhaust, and the malossi air filter to go with the j costa variator already on there.

let us know the results as this could be taken across the board for allot of piaggio engined scooters. Like to get some feedback on before and after  

ColdCola:

Allen, what do you mean by choppy over bumps in the city? Do you mean the suspension is not as good as you'd like it to be?

no not at all , it handles everything ive thrown at it so far, highways and freeways etc this thing is just incredible it just sits in a line and is smooth as it comes.

I need to probably just find the correct setting for my weight around town which is just a quick couple of clicks of the fully adjustable rear shocks.

The fact is that the Aprilia Scarabeo can handle both city and highway with ease as its thinner and far more nimble then most maxi scooters could ever hope to be. 

So I think its just down to a bit of adjustment over the back which i will be testing soon....... as once i have a bit more weight on the scoot or i have a passenger it just smooths things out so much more, so its getting it right for me.

My Mrs was doubling me having some fun through the back streets the other day and she was just having a ball with the power and the handling which was funny as she hadnt ridden for a while. Accelerating up to 100 easy with me on the back and just so comfortable. I think really this says it all that its just a scooter that you can get on and feel comfortable with immediately. Great seating position, Upright and comfortable, and so controllable .

coffeescoffer:

I would give it my vote of the scoot of the decade.

now that is a big wrap and it would be in the mix for sure, the whole scarabeo range shares these traits. (scooter of the decade... sounds good hey)

I think the reason they are not going like hot cakes is that most likely sitting in the showroom people cant see the value of a $10990 + scooter.....

It does need to be ridden and then once you spend time on it the scarabeo then shows its value  

 i like the scarbaro but wanted a scooter with a bit more storage, hence the satelis. still the same engine though. i will be looking for engine upgrades in the future. started already with a malossi air filter.

another modification to try is the dr pulley traingular rollers.