Scooter Review Bolwell Mio 100 World got you down? Fire up your Mio 100 and colour me pretty.
Words by JEREMY BOWDLER, photography by ELINOR MCDONALD Retro rules, right?
Talk me through the Mio 100.
Bolwell’s updated Mio is designed to take on the likes of the Vespa LX, Yamaha’s Vino and the Aprilia Mojito not to mention the host of other retro-nostalgia scooters. The new Mio is as retro as they come, and handsome to boot, with two-tone metallic paint in both 50 and 100cc.
What’s with the chameleon reference? Leopards can’t change their spots.
Whenever you turn the ignition on the dash lights up in a different colour: red, blue, green... Kind of like a mood ring. A bit of mood music on the iPod, a bit of mood lighting... and a bit of fun.
Doesn’t make it go any faster, though, does it?
Lighten up (boom, boom). We need a bit more frivolity. The 50 is, of course, speed-limited, but the 100 is quite peppy for a four-stroke. Certainly a good, traffic-friendly power-plant. The pick up is good enough to get you away from the lights with only the peak-hour drag racers ahead of you. It’s a good balance between economy and power.
But surely the 50 will be more fuel efficient.
Yes and no. At a constant throttle at the same speed, the 50 will outscore the 100, but who rides at a constant throttle at a constant speed? The 50 will spend more time with its throttle wide open and that’s not so good for economy. The 100 has enough power for you to be able to use less throttle opening and therefore less fuel.
Does it matter?
We’re talking teaspoons, not litres, but over the year it all adds up if you got into scootering for the frugality.
I like a bit of fun with my frugality.
Well, the Mio’s your cup of tea then. Easy to use, easy to ride and easy on the eye. The 10-inch wheels and 90/90 section rubber are pretty much standard in the retro scooter park and there’s no need to get your hands dirty with two-stroke oil. Filling up with fuel though, needs a bit of care, especially with the top-box. Mounting the filler cap just behind the seat might look smart, but it’s a less than friendly spot at the servo.
Anything else that’ll tip the scales in the Mio’s favour? There’s a lot out there!
True. I like the angled valve stems front and rear. They make it easy to check and adjust tyre pressures which is important. After all, the tyres are all that are between you and gravel rash. The ignition switch cover is another neat idea that is becoming more common as scooter use and therefore interest in scooter theft increases, but even nicer is a Bolwell original ignition cut-out switch hidden under the key-operated seat. Hot wire the scooter and it’ll crank and crank without firing until the battery runs down, unless the switch is flicked. Simple peace of mind...
So let me get this right: pretty easy around town, pretty secure, pretty good value and just plain pretty?
Pretty much.
As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 12/10/2007
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