Modern Buddy

i am looking at a bigger scoot sometime in the future. and was wondering which is faster and better. the sym 300i or the new blur220i. i know i can get the sym for around $3400 on sale. but there is only one dealer in the state of wi that has a blur. he is all most 2 hr drive away. i have head the 300 sym is very heavy. and i am not sure if i like where the gas tank is and it has too big of wheels for city driving. How fast does a blur220i go top end with a rider of 200lbs? any help would be great

The Citycom is faster. Larger wheels are fantastic in any city that's let it's roadway budget slide (potholes and surface scars). The Citycom has a ton of storage under the seat, but it's all horizontal space (no helmet under there for Large+ helmets). The Citycom has a much nicer windshield for longer distances. I really didn't get the impression that it's a heavy bike. The Center of Gravity is a little higher, but it's not at all unmanageable.

The Blur is currently supported in the US (biggest advantage over the Citycom). The brake to weight power is phenomenal (Citycom stops with impressive force for it's size, so don't count it out). The Blur is light and agile. The Blur looks and fits like a small frame modern scoot.

There are other differences as well. If the Citycom dealer is offering to support it then you've got a great contender. If not, then the Blur is a no-brainer.

What he said. The Blur is more of a sport scoot, the Citycom more of a cruiser. Based on reviews I've seen, the Blur will get better mileage and perhaps be just a tick slower at top speed, but probably a bit faster in the mid-range. It's really up to how your going to use the scooter - speaking from experience, the Blur is good for both commuting and pleasure riding, and is perhaps a little harsh on broken pavement. It's not the most relaxed high-speed ride, but it does fine for the few miles I put it on the interstate every so often.

I would sit on them both to get an idea of what feels comfortable to you, and it would be great if you could get a test ride. The Blur is a hell of a ride, but I've never sat on (or even seen) a Citycom.

Blur shines best in two areas, for a scooter:

1) Handling. Good God, even with stock tires it's amazingly light and precise. Think CBR or R6 (if you've ever ridden either of those. With some stickier rubber and a hair more power, I would take it to a very tight, twisty track day, because NOTHING would be able to keep up in curves except maybe a SuperMono, and only if he was steering with the rear end of the bike.

2) Mid-Range Grunt. The ss220i is a bit slow off the line in stock form compared to a Vespa 250GT, but ONLY the Vespa. Once you're at speed, whacking the throttle open gives you a satisfying burst on level pavement. Going a gram lighter on the variator weights would probably make that power delivery damn near perfect.

Seriously, for in-city maneuvering and carving up traffic, there is nothing better on this planet than the Blur ss220i. Hell, if I didn't work from home and had a commute, I wouldn't even be selling it, because I would ride it to work every single day, and ride the BMW on weekends.

It's truly awesome. I just don't NEED it anymore.

killbilly wrote:<snip> It's truly awesome. I just don't NEED it anymore.

Since when has needing something been a criteria for wanting something?

my first scooter was a derbi gp1 wow what a scooter very fast then a bought a aprilia sr50 factory very nice bike how does this compare to the blur 220i

ggs34 wrote:my first scooter was a derbi gp1 wow what a scooter very fast then a bought a aprilia sr50 factory very nice bike how does this compare to the blur 220i

It's like comparing apples and fighter jets.

Here's my review of the Citycom:
http://2strokebuzz.com/2009/05/31/citycom

I ride a Blur 150 most of the time and I compare it to the Citycom a bit in the review. Quality is great on both, but they're very different bikes, it really comes down to how/where you ride. The Citycom is a much larger bike but it's comfy on the highway and for longer rides, the top speed is higher but unless you ride on the highway a lot or ride 2-up a lot, the Blur 220 is plenty fast for city/suburb riding. The Blur is sporty and handles great and it's more fun to ride, but the Citycom is more luxurious and comfortable.

does anyone know if the new blur 220i has 4 vavles like the sym 300 does?

I don't think so, if it was, you'd think they'd brag about it in the specs.

That's another thing. Genuine sure is hush, hush about a lot of things, aren't they?

http://www.pgo-scooter.com/products_inf ... 338e6c22b9 check this out does the blur have a 4 valve over seas? am i reading this right?

The 150 EVO G-Max engine is a 4 valve EFI engine - but that is not the engine used in the 150 Genuine Blur.

The 220i is an EFI engine - The Euro version even has the famous NASA cylinder - you can't be sure this is the same engine available in the US, but odds are good. But there is no mention of it having 4 valves.

docjones wrote:That's another thing. Genuine sure is hush, hush about a lot of things, aren't they?

I don't think it's a big coverup or anything, it just doesn't make sense to brag about it NOT having 4 valves.

The 4-valve asian 150 doesn't seem too common, I think it was maybe a small run, Genuine probably figured the added expense wasn't worth it. I know when they were looking at the 200, the decision was made that the added cost wasn't worth the performance increase (especially because the performance increase of the 200 was reportedly negligible), so they went back to the 150, which was a more sellable price/performance point.

well i was just wondering it say 4T 4V Force Air Cooling and Oil Cooler does the 4v mean 4 valves? so is this only for Taiwan ?

Not trying to be flippant here - I'm genuinely curious (no pun intended):

Why does having 4-valves matter? In bikes with these performance envelopes, it would seem extraneous.

it must matter all of piaggio veapa and aprilia and even some of sym engines are now staring to have 4 valve even most cars have it now more performance for smaller engines

the way i understand it (which means little, typically) is that using more/smaller valves just increases the efficiency of the engine, balances the fuel/exhaust delivery a little better, and reduces stress on each valve for better reliability. Basically just splitting up the workload and getting more fuel/exhaust in/out of the engine more efficiently.

But on the other hand, it's higher production and assembly cost, and more parts that can break or come out of alignment, and more expensive to service.

It's maybe a big selling point to gearheads, but I'd argue, from a cost/benefit standpoint, for a small-displacement commuter moped, it's sorta overkill. It's like "DOHC," or "Hemi," it sounds good for marketing, and certainly is a benefit (or at least a novelty) but most people off the street could care less and don't need it. I'm really glad they added the fuel injection, that's a improvement that's definitely worth the added cost as far as I'm concerned.

back to the original question: to me, it might come down to application ...

if you are wanting a scooter for short, adventurous rides, then the blur is the easy choice.

if you want a big cushy seat and ride for longer distance commuting or travel, then the sym is the one.

i own both brands and have had no negatives with either ... both are solid.