Genuine Blur SS220i - initial impressions

I took delivery of the first Blur SS220i in Michigan yesterday and I'm pretty much on top of the world. The new version of Genuine's (produced by PGO in Taiwan) Blur is a serious performance scoot.

After my visit to Dealer Expo, I was very interested in the Genuine Blur SS220i, as it presented very well; it looked like a quality piece, it felt well engineered and it featured the one thing that the original 150 cc Blur, lacked, power. I studied and I read everything about the Blur that I could find on the net. I considered what my ideal next scoot would be - something the same physical size as I had, yet something capable of a little touring and with a little more power for the daily commute. Also, since I was on an entry-level scoot, I wanted a little more in the fit and finish department. Pretty early on, I decided that the Blur was the choice. I began to stash away some some funds, and I asked a local dealer to order one up.

Fast forward to yesterday - I picked up my Blur from Blackbeard Powersports in Clinton Twp. Michigan, and rode it home. Here are my first impressions:

The Blur SS220i is a serious performance scoot - The fuel injection and monster motor make the Blur into a sort of mega-scooter. It rides firm, the seat is firm and the tires (low-profile 13 inchers) are stiff. It all adds up to something that I've not experienced in a scooter - precision. My other scoots are friendly, wag their tail, funsters. This one feels tight, firm and ready to pounce. It's a Porsche to their MG. Don't get me wrong, I like 'em both, but the Porsche screams race-bred confidence, and I've not experienced that on a scooter until now. I'm sure that the Blur is capable of every bit of the 75 MPH that Genuine promises, but what's even better is it's low-speed handling and the ability to lean it right over to negotiate a turn. I can enjoy that right now as I break it in.

The Blur features stunning quality - There is nothing on the Blur that seems cheap. It features brilliant white paint. The components are of high quality. It's feels solid and rides like a bigger "bike", yes, this is a scooter that rides like a motorcycle. It whines like a motorcycle, it stops like a motorcycle and you have to hike your leg over, just like a...

It's changed for the better - The old Blur 150 was a scoot that everyone who rode one loved. The problem was that very few people rode one. Add in the built-in greatness of it's stable mates, the Buddy 50, 125 and 150 and you have some tough rowing for the more sophisticated and expensive, yet no "faster" Blur 150. In addition to the big, fuel-injected motor, Genuine has changed some details since Dealer Expo. The calipers on both discs match (red), the faux carbon fiber on the front panel and the exhaust cover have been replaced with black panels (in gloss and matte finishes respectively), and the central spring on that wonderful sportbike rear suspension is now red instead of white. The emblems and Genuine stickers are of higher quality, too.

The Blur is full of surprising touches. When you turn the ignition on, the lights on the dash turn on and the rev counter does a full sweep. The dash lights then go off if you are in daylight. At night they come back on automatically. The same thing with the underseat storage light and tiny LED marker lights in the headlamp nacelle. I was concerned that the storage lamp didn't seem to come on when I took delivery, but sure enough, on a ride last night, the light came on automatically when I showed off the underseat storage. It doesn't sound like much, but these little things add up to a truly special scooting experience, and I'm loving it.

To avoid sounding like a Genuine commercial, the seat is too hard and one's tailbone seems to sit on the bubble designed to clear the helmet in the underseat storage. Speaking of which, my full-face Fulmer helmet doesn't fit in the large-looking underseat storage on the Blur. What else? I'm nitpicking here but, the scoot is too fast and the brakes and handling are too good. I foresee a visit from the police unless I can train my brain that I'm on a much more capable scoot. Just like that aforementioned Porsche, you glance at the speedometer and you are going much faster than you thought that you were. The Blur SS220i is a great scooter, one that needs to be ridden, some more, right now. I'll see you out there!

What's next: Lunch on two wheels