Meet the NI Workhorse: My 2017 Piaggio Beverly 350

Yes, I know. It's starting to get silly. A year ago I'd never ridden a motorbike, and now I've just bought my third one. This time, it's a 2017 Piaggio Beverly 350, which will be my workhorse for getting around Northern Ireland. As they say, the correct number of bikes to own is always N+1.

The Motivation

The decision was made after spending a month in Spain with a brand-new Beverly 400 (a post on that glorious machine is coming soon!). I put over 2,000 km on it and was completely sold on the "maxi-scooter" concept. They're practical, comfortable, and powerful enough for any road. When I got back to NI, I knew I had to get one here too.

My first instinct was to buy a new one, but that idea was quickly thwarted: there are no Piaggio dealers in the whole of Northern Ireland. Insane! This forced me to pause and think. Would I actually get the use out of it in the grim NI winter? I wasn't sure. So, I decided the sensible thing to do was to find a cheap, second-hand one to test the theory.

The Purchase

I went shopping, and in all of Northern Ireland, there was exactly one for sale. Long story short, this is it. It was cheap, but not at all rough. In fact, it came with a surprise: a full "racing" tuning kit from the Italian company Malossi had been fitted by a previous owner. "Racing" and "maxi-scooter" might be an oxymoron, but someone clearly loved this machine.

So far, I've kept all the upgrades except the exhaust. It might have been sporty, but bloody hell, it was loud. Far too loud! Thankfully, the seller had kept all the original parts, so the first thing I did was switch it back to the stock exhaust.

That's the 'racing' Malossi exhaust. These are insanely expensive, costing around £600!

Essential Add-ons & First Fixes

Other than taming the noise, I've added a new Givi B45+ top box (the old one was knackered) and a lovely Givi full-height screen. A tall screen is vital here, as it keeps the freezing wind off you in winter.

The final job on the list was to replace the shot rear suspension units. After a bit of research, I opted for some lovely Bitubo shocks. They've completely transformed the ride, making the back end feel buttery smooth over all but the biggest bumps. A very worthwhile upgrade.

Of course, there was one immediate job I hadn't planned on: a rear puncture. "No problem," I thought, "I'll just drop the wheel out." Oh, how naive! On a scooter, you have to strip the entire back end—exhaust, brake caliper, sensors, bodywork, and even part of the sub-frame!

That was fun.

That's about it for now. Time will tell if I get enough use out of it over the winter. If I do, I might just be tempted by a new 400 next year!

I've created a gallery for this bike [which is here]https://www.mostlybollox.com/gallery/piaggio-beverly-350).