Bolwell Firenze 250 Review

Overall Rating

Cool.
Value.
Ride.
Comfort.
Power.

Compartment latches.

My love affair with bikes started 30 years ago when I was 20 years old and found myself the proud owner of a Honda CB250. Soon after - a CB 360. That was until an oil slick in the Broadway at Reservoir - cause an accident - ouch!
I stuck with push bikes after that until an add for a little Honda Scooter caught my eye a year ago - $2000 - this could be good.
After a little fast talking the "boss" reluctantly let me have my way. After a little research - the Honda felt a little small , but I was surprised at how much "grunt" a 50 cc machine actually had ! (I'm a bit over 100 kg).
I eventually settled on a Bug Jive. Purple. 2 stroke and cute. Got to 70 km/h at times but found wanting in the hills of Greensborough.
After 4 months I traded up to the Bolwell Arriba 125. Top bike in every respect - marvelous leg room, great motor and could cruise at 80km/h and at times get to the 100km/h mark on the Ring Road. Incredibly nimble, it had a 2 year warranty - yep a great bike - mine for the next 2 years.
That was - until I spotted first hand a Burgman - then a Majesty - saw an add for an X9 ,mate - they were the coolest scooters ever and I gotta get one !!!
Wife was really "peeved" - this would be the third bike in a year.
Checking prices of the maxis dealt a huge blow to my hopes of getting one of these beasties - so it was off again to my Bolwell Dealer - Lucio in Fairfield, as knew the Bolwell range had some bigger bikes.
Well the Le Grande caught my eye BUT the Firenze was an absolute stunner. When I got a price that was several thousand lower than the Majesty and Burgman, I knew the dream was alive !!
After a huge amount of groveling (the missus again), and that beautiful black beast of a machine was all mine!
My teenage daughter and son both wanted lifts to school on the Firenze -they recognize cool when they see it!
Make no mistake - the scoot is awesome - but first, last and foremost it is a very, very cool machine.
It is beautiful black, with the sleekest lines, awesome very cool front light with circular LED parkers, fog lights and twin headlights under and over. Super cool LED array at the rear. Huge space under the seat, (with courtesy light) cup holders, 2 other glove compartments, sexiest digital dash, easy to read and beautifully backlit, 12 volt lighter socket for accessories.Seat is great (looks good too) with great backrest, tons of room for the pillion with their own pop out footpegs. The fuel filler cap is a spring loaded affair that is operated by the ignition and the ignition has a great ignition cover to stop any tampering.
I don't think I'll ever get sick of people asking me about the bike whenever I park it :-)
OK it's cool, everyone knows that BUT what is it like ?
Running in the 50cc Bug was tough - you really wanted to "floor" it to get going - you have to be patient to run it in properly.
The Arriba being a 125cc was capable of good speeds but you still had to be careful not to push it too hard.
The Firenze running in period was a delight. The speed limit of 100 was no problem. With a twist of the wrist 130 km/h comes very, very quickly. In fact after a passing manouvre in and 80 zone I checked the speedo and I was doing 110 !! It really has long legs and the 250cc motor is very quiet and smooth and gives virtually no warning that you are going fast.
Consequently city running around with a little freeway work was perfect for running in and you NEVER get in anyones way.You can easily stay with (or ahead) of the traffic.
I have not yet mastered the art of doing 60km/h - it is very hard to tame the "beast" and get it to go that slow.
Without trying you can get away from all but the most determined "revhead" from the lights.
The bike is superbly balanced, easy to ride and although it feels like a big bike it is still nimble and easy to scoot around the traffic at lights.
The Sym dudes got it very right when they designed the mirrors that swing in to the bike and make the bikes profile even smaller to squeeze into the tightest spots. (More on the actual mirrors later).The mirrors can be flipped in and out whilst riding - great !
The lights are great for 2 reasons - They work at night and really light the way - they are great also because the bike can be really seen.
The fog lights are great "to be seen" lights and I keep them on all the time.
Low beams are great, very bright (best bike lights I've ever had) The high beam is perfect - no problems doing a 100 and lighting the way.
Very cool "parker" light - a nice LED ring !! Very BMW ish.
I've now done 3000 km on the bike and the car has been permanently junked ! I would sell it but for a 15 yo nearly 16 yo wanting to learn to drive.
My history indicates that I've now had the Firenze for nearly 4 mnths and it's time for a change BUT I can't think of a reason to change!! I have all the power, comfort, and cool I need.
Riding position is brilliant - the handlebars are perfectly placed for long comfortable riding.
Fuel economy is consistently 22-24 km per litre of petrol. That is real riding - fast city and some highway stuff.
I derive great pleasure knowing that I can load some gear in the bike and go anywhere I like - I mean anywhere - I'm thinking a road trip up north would be very nice ! Any takers ?
Fairings keep you remarkably dry in the wet - providing you are moving - the rain is not a big problem at all.
Every day in every way I look for an excuse to go for a ride.
The cup holders - still have yet to figure out how to ride and suck coffee with a full face helmet on ! However I must admit they do come in handy for cans and coffee bought at shops and taken to an event close by - and I must admit - when I get to give the grand tour to complete strangers who ask (happens all the time). They do work well - not a drop spilt.
Bad things -
The mirrors are versatile - however they leave a big blind spot behind you. I fitted 2 wide angle round mirrors to the corners of the bike mirrors - $5 well spent !
The latches on the glove compartments are poor - I will be asking for a fix under the rather marvelous 4 year warranty.
Let's get serious - if someone plonked a Burger, Silverwing, or big Majesty at my doorstep - I wouldn't say no BUT because I had to pay for the bike the Firenze is the best value Maxi on the Aussie market for sure. It is not even a compromise it's a great bike in virtually every respect.