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BJ, thank you for the reply and the update on your activities since selling SRM.   Sorry to hear about the collison and I hope that you've healed completely.  I'm also glad that you are back to riding scooters and writing about them.

I posted a link to your current book on the BurgUSA forum in the "General Discussion" and "Aftermarket & Accessories" sections.  It sounds like the travel reports in your book are the ones (or similar) that I read in SRM several years ago.  I really enjoyed reading them and have read them several times.

But it will be nice to have them on my Kindle eReader to take with me where ever I go.   I hope that you make announcements when your other books are released.

You will certainly receive a favorable review from me on Amazon!

The roads east of town are built on levees and I guess the movement has a tendency to undermine the road surface.  South and west of town are the roads that I prefer but that's where they are building hundreds of the huge wind turbines.  As the work continues (indefinitely?), the large trucks & trailers and equipment tear up the roads.  They only "patch" the roads and have "assured" us that once the have finished installing the turbines, they will repair the roads.  We'll see......

I actually do not have a problem with the suspension on my Burg 400 and the 07 Silverwing that I traded in for my Burg.  Both were quite good for my purposes.  Some of the many, many motorcycles that I've owned since 1962 have suffered from bad suspension but others were just fine for me - no complaints.  After all, they aren't Cadillacs.

And I am probably more sensitive to road roughness because I have a very bad low back.  I've had two surgeries so far.  I can definitely tell the difference in the suspension between the S250 & my Burg.  The SH150i that I had was even worse!

Bandit,

The electric grip wraps I have are from Aerostich (Rider Wearhouse) and cost $45 plus shipping.  They plug into your Battery Tender battery harness for electrical power (but they come with their own harness if you don't have or use a Battery Tender).

For the "cold weather" that we have in this area they work great!  The wraps have an on & off switch.  I only turn them on for a short time to warm up my hands and fingers and then turn it off.  I keep doing that during the ride so it keeps from using too much battery power, although I don't think that it would run my battery down even if I left it on during the entire ride.

After I get back home I unplug the heat wraps and plug in the Battery Tender to keep the battery charged.

My Burg 400 has the first set of grip wraps that I orginally bought about 7 yrs ago for the Silverwing that I rode then.  The on & off switch on the new wraps is much easier to use than the switch on the old set. 

By the way, my "Winter Gloves" are from Aerostich also.  They are thin deerskin gloves that are lightly insulated so they offer great feel for the controls.

Yep, I know about the suspension adjustments - that's the first thing I did on it - set it to the softest setting.  I've also added a Butt Buffer seat pad to the seat.

  Unfortunately, the local roads here have been destroyed by the equipment and trucks that are constructing the hundreds of large wind turbines in our local hills.  So I'd have to ride standing all the time because of so many pot holes, ruts, and strange curvy deep gouges on the roadways.

I've added the electric grip warmers to my S250 to help keep my hands warm when I'm riding.  And I bought a Battery Tender to help keep the battery charged.  I alternate riding my S250 & my Burg 400 and ride both of them at least once a week for at least half an hour each.   

Actually, even with smaller wheels, the Burg handles very well and is very manueverable.  The suspension and seat are much much better than the S250's, so it's much more comfortable to ride.  The Burg is stable on interstates and freeways, although it gets blown around more than my Silverwing did. 

I also like & need the extra power for the times that I ride up in the Sierra Nevada Mts along Eastern California - some of the inclines can be challenging.  It was a breeze on my Silverwing but my Burg occasionally struggles.  I'm anxious to see how the S250 does.  It is fun to ride.

Well, today I finally passed the 500 mile mark on the odometer of my S250.   I've only been doing short rides due to this "cold" and mostly wet weather in our area here in Northern California. 

I have also been riding my Burg 400 for short trips.  I'm trying to keep the batteries charged by riding the scooters.  And also trying to use the crappy California winter gas so that I can refuel with fresh gas.

The nearest Kymco dealer had a GTi 200 when I was there checking out the S 250 that I eventually bought.  But I liked the i 200 better.  I liked the looks and the seat was more comfortable than the S 250's seat (I have a bad back too).  And it came with a top case already mounted.  No underseat storage to speak off but it does have a glove box (nice touch).

The dealer wouldn't deal on the i200 though so I bought the S250 which I got a great deal/discount on.  It was a 2009 model, new with zero miles on it. And it has a two year warranty.   

Before buying the S250, I went to or called the eight Kymco dealers closest to me and none of them had a GTi 300, only the Downtown 300i.   

Earlier this week I took my S250 in for its first service and the i200 was gone.   I was told that it sold soon after I bought the S250. 

I bought the S250 because I wanted a higher speed than 70 - 75 MPH and the S 250 has that.    But I would have preferred a scooter with FI like my Burg 400 has.

fshfindr, I'm sure you'll like it.  I liked mine so well that when I bought a 2nd scooter, I ordered another Wrist Rest for it too.

I leave mine on all the time so that I can use it on long straight stretches of road and not just on long rides.  In town or thru the twisties, I rotate the small paddle out of the way so that I can use the throttle normally.

I figured that the screen wasn't made specifically for the S 250 so that's why modifications are needed. Also, someone said that it was thinner than the OEM screen - not good.

I've decided that I will try to get used to the stock screen and if I decide to keep  the S 250,  get a Laminar Lip because I will need a little more wind screen for riding on the freeways and Interstates.

There is definitely a severe lack of aftermarket accessories available for the  S 250 and most other Kymco scooters.  Should have been a clue to me but I didn't really look into that before I bought mine.