Peugeot Geopolis 250

Although not very popular with British riders, big wheeled scooters represent a commuter proposition. Peter Henshaw argues the case for Peugeot's Geopclis
What is it about the British and big-wheeled scooters? A nation that seems quite happy to ape our Transatlantic cousins when it comes to bigger being supposedly better, prefers its scooters with tiddly 12 or 13m wheels. Which is a shame, because big-wheeled scooters handle far better than the small-wheeled ones, and one's first ride on a big-wheeler can be a revelation of stability by comparison. Just three inches on the wheel size makes that much difference. A lot of motorcyclists say the reason they don't like scooters is that they don't handle very well on their little wheels. And yet they don't buy big-wheeled scoots either, and nor do many of the commuter types, who you'd think would welcome the extra stability.
So why are sales of big-wheel scooters so minimal in the UK? Maybe it stems from a distant folk memory of C9U field bikes -that's right, the world's most successful powered two-wheeler of all time was£ a big-wheeled scooter. Actually, there are several more practical reasons. Space is a precious thing on a scooter, and the rear end will have wheel size, luggage space, suspension movement, the engine and seat height all struggling to make use of the limited dimensions. So, using a bigger wheel compromises the underseat space, dictates a higher seat height and makes a feet-forward riding position more difficult to accommodate.

Whatever the reason, it doesn't put off the Continentals, and five minutes in Rome or Paris is enough to demonstrate that the national scooter pioneers are just as fond of big-wheeled scooters as they are of small ones, if not more so. Which is why Peugeot couldn't ignore this particular market and why, alongside the long wheelbase feet-forward Satelis [which we tested in issue 562], there's this, the Geopolis that uses the same mechanical basis as the Satelis in a shorter wheelbase chassis with lGin hoops. Peugeot is a big company, but even they can't match the manufacturing might of Piaggio when it comes to scooter bits, so the Geopolis 250 uses the Italians' well known four-valve four-stroke LEADER engine.

The Geopolis uses a twist and go transmission, plus Peugeot's own ABS-PBS braking system, which means linked front-rear braking via the left-hand lever, and servo assistance. Or at least it does on the £3699 Executive version. The Geopolis Premium (£3299), as tested, makes do with conventional separate brakes [though still a disc at each end] that will lock up if you're foolish enough to slam them on over mud, ice or gravel. Importers Three Cross say they're concentrating on the top-spec Exec in the UK, which also comes with an integral Abus chain.
There are two ways to test a scooter. One is to turn up at the importers at a civilised hour, meet the photographer, do pictures locally, have a quick ride around and give the scooter back before lunch. The other way (the MSL way] is to use the thing, and it so happened that my three and a bit days with the Geopolis coincided with the need to cover around 700 miles. So that's what we didE I picked the Peugeot up from Three Cross in Ringwood, then rode down to Cornwall to cover a tractor rally (as good a reason to go there as any]. Next day it was up to a JCB factory in Cheshire and back home to Dorset, before returning the well-used Peugeot to Three Cross next morning. Somewhere in that tot I met snapper John Wilkinson and he took a lot of nice pictures, but for the life of me I can't remember when or where.



Is this unrealistic use of a scooter? Well not if it's a 250, which surely is intended for longer commutes as well as providing more oomph than a 125 away from the lights. What you don't get is the feet-forward, straight-leg riding position of a Burgman or X9, or for that matter, Peugeot's own Satelis, It's an upright stance that feels natural, though there's no room to move your feet around, and the seat gave me bum-ache after an hour in the saddle. Not many scooters will be ridden for more than hour at a time [unless you've very long commute] but I think it's a fair enough test of a 250, At least part of the unforgiving rear end appears to be down to the rear shock, which even on its softest pre-load setting of five crashed its way over potholes and manhole covers. Two-up, with a combined weight of 18 stone (that's around 114 kilos if you live in the 21st century) it felt about right. So either Peugeot expect Geopolis riders to be lardy types, or someone miscalculated.

Not that it mattered much on my long motorway trip up to Cheshire, On a naked scooter this would have been quite a trial, but the Geopolis is blessed with a decently high and wide screen as standard, which does a very good job of keeping the elements away. Riding through some torrential rain, my hands got wet, but feet, legs and everything else up to chest level was well protected. Some testers have complained of turbulence from this screen, but it suited my 5ft Gin very well, and I could even ride visor open behind the screen, up to an indicated 65mph or so.

Being a 250 [there's also a 125) the Geopolis is able to hold its own on the motorway, with an easy 70mph and the ability to creep up to 35 on the speedo, though it won't hold that on motorway hills, when you're back to ES again, and overtaking from 50-55 on A-roads took a fair bit of room. But that's what you expect of a 22bhp scooter, and really Piaggio's 250 motor is a gem, very smooth and extremely economical. A mixture of motorway and A-roads saw us average 82.2mpg, with over90rnpg on one occasion. That's pretty good, as many 250cc scooters will dip down to the mid-60s at motorway speeds. It's also a side effect of use of fuel injection to meet Euro 3 emissions legislation - more efficient fuelling than a carb. The fuel tank is a generous 13.5 litres, and I would usually fill up at 150-160 miles, which is a pretty good range for a scooter.

It may sip lightly, but the LEADER is also punchy enough in town, with the right amount of perky acceleration to get away from red lights. I got into the habit [after filtering to the front of the queue) of givingit a quick blast to get safely ahead, then back into tootling mode, and the little four-stroke is quiet enough to do all of that without upsetting anyone. The Geopolis is well balanced at low speeds with nicely controllable brakes (ABS or not], so filtering is easy. It handles well too. The ISin wheels mean it's not as quick steering as small-wheeled scoots, but maybe that's no bad thing, and it can still be flicked through roundabouts and feels stable at high speed. The Brazilian made Pirelli GTS tyres hold on well.

A scooter wouldn't be a scooter without luggage room, but the Geopolis doesn't have much of it. Under the seat (there's no strut to hold it up, so it has to flop forwards) there's only space for an open-face lid, which I suppose is the price one pays for those bigger wheels. There's no light, so you'll be groping around for the house keys. There's also a front lockable compartment, which looks promisingly capacious, but is a real disappointment. Opening the large lid reveals a tiny space just big enough for a pair of waterproof trousers, but not much else - the experience is a bit like entering Dr Who's tardis, but the other way round, if you follow me. And don't leave your keys in there, because they're liable to sip down into the hole between the lid and bodywork, disappearing into a black crevice behind the radiator. If you have a nimble-fingered friend on hand to retrieve them, then you're OK. How do I know all this? Don't ask.

There's a basic but readable set of instruments - speedometer plus digital fuel and temp gauges and a clock, all of them easily readable - and the Geopolis comes with a two-year warranty. It might be lacking in a little in the luggage department, but Peugeot's big-wheeler is sharp looking, economical and fast enough, with fine weather protection into the bargain. Can't be bad.