I wrote this 4 years ago, but the bike is still current, so I'll park this here.
Here is my owner's report / riding impression.
Make : Gilera
Model : Fuoco ( Fire in Italian)
Engine: 500cc SOHC Fuel Injected 4 Stroke Single
Transmission : Belt CVT
HP : 40HP Claimed
Weight : 248 KG
Top Speed: 150km/h
Chassis : Underbone spar, swinging engine with 14inch Rear wheel and Two 12 inch Front wheels suspended by tilt/lockable parallelogram opposed swingarm system.
Price OTR RM42,700
My Scooter Affair
Gilera is owned by Piaggio, a big Industrial Italian Conglomerate that has a long heritage in manufactering unique product.
Well known for making the Vespa scooter range, it has also made airplane components and also complete airplanes.
Their current Corporate aricraft is the futuristic looking Piaggio Avante, that is amongst the fastest twin engine turboprop aircraft on sale now.
In recent years Piaggio acquired the Gilera brand name, and the Fuoco is one of the end result of the economies of scale achieved with the acquisition.
Sharing the same design philosophy of the 2 year old MP3, the Fuoco via the Gilera brand name is a Piaggio proposition
for a more sporting and aggresive face for its products.
I have always had a soft spot for scooters, a taste i gradually developed as I got a little older. I bought my first scooter in 1995, after 21 years of Superbiking,
a Suzuki VS100, then a Piaggio Hexagon, powered by a 180cc two stroke single. This was swiftly followed by the 250 Yamaha Majesty on which I fitted a Doken Roof,
specially ordered from Japan.
My three scooters with a Honda Helix belonging to a buddy.
The Majesty was a great scooter, reliable and economical, and it was not too bad in the twisties as well as for slow speed touring.
In fact i rode it all the way to Kota Baru, leaving my house at 8AM and arriving Kota Baru clock tower at 2pm, a total of 6 hours to cover 550 kms.
The Majesty at Kota Baru Clocktower
In 2002 I bought the XP500 Tmax, registered as the first of its kind in Malaysia.
The Tmax certainly amazed me with its sprightly performance, and i regularly ride it up my favorite roads with my Superbike riding buddies,
in the process surprising my friends as the Tmax refused to be left behind on the twisty bits.
The grip was not great as the choice of tyres are limited, the brakes are prone to fading on prolonged hard use, and the ground clearance is poor and
quite incompatible to my riding style.
After a few months I transfered the roof from the Majesty to the Tmax and until today, the bike has been serving me well,
sharing garage space with my Boxercup.
The Tmax in current colors
The Tmax can only go this low with the mainstand scraping
This brings us to the Fuoco Story............
The Fuoco
The MP3 grabbed my attention ever since i read about it two years ago. However, with only a 250cc motor doing horsepower duty,
I knew it was a matter of time before a bigger engine version will be released to the market.
I found a common trait in all the scooters I have owned or ridden; a disconcerting lack of front end feel, a sensation that seems to isolate the rider from what
the front wheel is actually doing, made even worse on wet or damp roads. The quick and light steering that works so well for slow speed town use
makes the scooter twitchy at higher speeds, detracting from the enjoyment of leaning, the very reason why we all ride two wheelers.
Although the Tmax to a large extent has made major improvement in this area, it is sill nowhere near the feel of a conventional motorcycle.
Hence when the MP3 came out with the revolutionary twin wheel tilting front end, my interest was tickled, and I knew that this setup would be a good thing.
However the 250cc motor was a major holdback factor stopping me from taking the plunge.
Late last year the Fuoco was released, and i immediately decided that this is going to be in my garage as soon as it becomes available in Malaysia.
Two Sundays ago i rode my Tmax up to Genting Coffee Bean and had a good time charging around the mountain roads with the usual Superbike boys.
As always we gathered at the Gombak toll at the end of the ride to say goodbye and there I was informed that the Fuoco is sitting at Welly Batu caves,
apparently waiting for an owner to take it home.
Last week, on Wednesday, i went to see the bike, sat on it, liked it, and paid a deposit to book the bike. After paying the remaining balance on thursday,
i told Welly to prepare the bike for collection on Friday, swapping my favorite number from my Tmax, having registered it in a day.
Friday evening, at 4pm i collected my Fuoco
My Fuoco awaiting collection.
On leaving the shop my first stop was the nearest petrol station, and 11 litres went into the small 12 litre fuel tank filling it to the brim.
The first route I took on leaving the shop was the middle ring road, from Batu Caves towards LDP, a road I take every time I return from Awana for home.
I immediately fell in love with the front end, confirming my initial feelings about the bike the first time i laid eyes on it.
Riding through heavy traffic is similar to riding a big bike, the extra front wheel doesn't make the bike feel any wider. In fact, the bike is just a little wider than the Tmax.
Although heavy, it has a low centre of gravity so it does not feel top heavy. The seat height is not that high, but being wide,
riders with shorter inseams may have to stretch their legs to touch the ground.
Feet up stops requires some practice and can be easily mastered in short order. Just engage the tilt-lock mechanism before coming to a stop,
and watch the car drivers look in amazement ( or ridicule ).
And now, a little more detail in the story.....
The Gilera Fuoco.
Design, Styling and Features.
In the few days I have had the bike the reaction from onlookers is between extremeties; ugly and WoW. My wife thought that I have lost my mind,
as if having a scooter with a roof was not enough I had to get another with three wheels and a face as if DarthVader ran head-on into a brick wall, twice.
She told me she'd rather walk than ride pillion, but I know eventually when she finds out about the feet-up riding feature she'll give it a try.
By the way, she said the same thing when i bought the Smart Brabus, but now she hides the keys whenever I want to use it because she wants it for herself.
The "Face" you love to hate
Whatever the case, the look is provocative, almost aggresive. The 'bumpers' or 'bullbars' looks like it came off a small SUV that's pretending to be a jungle basher.
Five (!) lights adorns the 'face' the one in the middle being the running lights, the top two as the main beam and two projector lights providing high beam.
Looking on towards the rear, the seat, a fairly short affair allows for significant overhang which can be used to mount an additional top box.
The rear lights are like two underseat tailpipes. Twin absobers liink the rear axle to the frame. The swingarm is a conventional scooter design,
the left side dominated by the belt transmission unit, the right a huge muffler.
The Rear View
Another angle showing the huge muffler
The turn indicators looks like an afterthought, as if the designer forgot that the bike needs to have a set, and seems like a last minute add-on.
I like the way it looks, kinda like a squashed up ATV. Thankfully the bike (brike??) is blessed by a fairly long wheelbase making the side profile a little sleeker.
The Underseat space is acceptably big, long and wide but not exceptionally deep. A Full face helmet must be aligned properly for it to fit,
leaving not much space for much else. i managed to shoehorn my son's RC Heli which is an odd sized object. Opening the seat is via the ignition key,
twisting the opposite direction from the 'on' setting. Remote actuation is also available after programming the key.
The Seat
The build quality is about equal to the Japanese, all parts fitting well. The paintwork is good, although lacking in lustre a bit of polishing will bring out the sparke.
Some of the nuts, screws and bolts will rust in time ( it is after all Italian ) and i intend to swap it for better quality replacement.
The switchgear feel is better than the Japanese bikes but still a notch below the benchmark BMW switchgear. All the switchgera are positioned at common place so
there's not much to adapt and ex Japanese Bike riders will feel at home in a hurry. There is no light switch 'On-Off' button as the lights comes on as soon as the bike moves.
A rocker switch controls the High Beam
The right side switch cluster has two extra switches, one a push in type Mode switch to control a few mode displays at the meter binnacle,
the other a rocker switch to lock or free the tilting mechanism of the front steering system.
The front brake lever is at the usual position and the rear brake lever occupies the position normally meant for the clutch lever.
There is also a handbrake handle under the steering head between the riders legs. This isused to secure the bike when the bike is parkes without using the mainstand,
to stop inadvertent rolling of the vehicle.
The small 12 liter fuel tank is in the middle of the centre portion of the footwell, and access is by turning the ignition key inwards and clockwise.
The fuel tank opening is well recessed minimising the chances of overflow when filling up to the brim.
Gilera Fuoco Ride Report.
Early Sunday morning found me fidddling with my compressor eargerly filling
up air into the three wheels of the Fuoco. The manual say 1.6 bar for the
front and 1.8 bar for the rear and i followed the recommendation. My
favorite pressures were 2.1 and 2.3 for my Tmax and the Boxercup but
nevertheless, this time i chose to fill as per the manual.
Turning on the ignition key, i observed the instruments doing self check
sweep and an amber light indicated that the tilt system was in the locked
position.
Starting the bike required the obligatory engagement of either brakes, and
the bike burbled to its idle RPM of 1300 with just a mere touch of the
starter button. The crisp morning air and the blue skies holds promise of
good weather, although there was some overcast towards the western side, it
was of no concern to me as Awana lies east from where i was.
I pushed the bike off the mainstand and held it steady out of habit, only to
realise it will stay upright as the two front wheels held it firmly
vertical.
The tilt mechanism can be engaged anytime the bike is below 10km/h.
It can be disengaged with a twist of the throttle or by switching the tilt switch.
However, the safety system will not allow the engine rev to rise nor the
tilt system to unlock unless it senses a rider is on board.
With my riding gear secure, helmet fastened I sat on the bike nad twist to
go. Immeadiately the bike stopped being a trike and behaved just like a
normal two wheeler.
The steering is very light without being twitchy. The front end does not
dive with the front brakes applied. The power is smooth although i can
clearly feel that 40hp is not enough to push the 248kg bike at a rate
Superbikers are accustomed to. Additionally, the bike had only 200km on the
clock and thus the engine feels tight. I did not want to stress the new
engine and adhered to the limitations set by the prcess of running in.
Into the LDP the speed gently crept up to 110km/h, the bike rock steady even
on uneven surface.
I soon arrived at Mobil.
The jokes came fast and furious. Many bikers there looked at the bike
disbelievingly with more than one telling me not to waste my time going to
Awana.
The Mobil Crowd
I left Mobil with a 08 ZX10R on my tail and he escorted me throughout Karak
Highway patiently keeping his speed below 130km/h. The Fuoco was smooth at
that speed but the lack of a windscreen and the upright riding position made
me aware of the wind factor hitting my upper body. A windscreen will be
ordered soon.
Going uphill from the guardhouse reveals a dire lack of power, especially
coming out of corners, and the only way to make progress was to keep entry
speed high.
The two front wheels are clearly great, gripping the road the way its meant
to be, and after a few corners the mainstand were grinding away at full
lean. The bike has lots to give but clearly the ground clearance is a
limitimg factor.
The rear however was another story altogether. With so much unsprung weight
due to the gearbox, muffler and engine, the back end seems to judder all
over the place, and this trait, while mildly irritating, did not endanger
progress, but will rob confidence from less experienced riders. The ZX10r
was stuck to my tail throught, unable to overtake in the corners, and not
wanting to do so on the straights.
There is a downhill section as midway between the Giardhouse and Awana and
here i pushed the Fuoco pretty hard, and after three turns, the ZX10R was
nowhere in sight. As the road opened up again the ZX10R caught up easily.
We reached Awana for some Teh Tarik.
After about 30 minutes I followed about 10 Superbikes up to Genting Coffee
Bean and had a good scrap with three of them with the rest left behind.
As the road got steeper, the three suit clad track day riders put some
distance between their bike and my scooter, and when we reached on top, they
were about one corner ahead.
We reached Coffee bean and the surprised bikers examined the bike they
thought was a joke.....
Coffee Bean
It was a fairly big crowd with lots of bikes. After an hour or so I saw a
group of Track day riders and their buddies suiting up to leave and i
followed them down. The group comprised of about 20 bikes, a couple of GS,
RTs and aso the F800 with a good number of Japanese Sportsbikes ridden by
full suit riders.
As the speed built up I found myself with two Sportsbikes ahead and proceeded toaccompany them downhill. The Fuoco, with gravity aiding progress was nipping at the back of the sportsbikes, the mainstand scraping the ground impeding fast progress. I can feel that the Fuoco was more than a match on the brakes, even though the other two bikes Akrapovics, Brembos and Ohlins. We reached the guardhouse together and waited for the others to catch up.
From the roundabout down i was overtaken by about 12 bikes in the faster sections but eventually managed to catch up to the leading pack of three bikes, with them being ahead by one corner.
At the bottom of the hill, the others caught up again, and we split, with them proceeding to BT Tinggi while i made my way home via karak Highway, never exceeding 130km/h.
I stopped at Karak Toll for a breather and checked my bike and saw the mainstand was ground away significantly.
Karak Toll
Mainstand
I must say i had a lot of fun rding the Fuoco up and down Awana Genting for the first time, and despite having the bike for just 300km,
I was able to ride it quite hard with confidence. The front tyres, a pair of Michelin Pilots, gave good grip, the brakes are the best I've had the privilege
of using on any scooter and some bikes. Oddly, the rear was shod with what can be best described as mundane tyres, with thread pattern that looks
more at home on a pushcart.
The lack of front end dive is also something I like very much. The ground clearance however is not so good, and the only way to avoid
ground contact is to hang off while cornering, something I thought made me look silly on a scooter.
I was stopped by a JPJ roadblock on the way home and the officer called HQ to ascertain if its OK for the Fuoco to be ridden with a 'B' license.
When he mentioned its a Gilera, he waved me away with a smile.
The Fuoco had one last surprise for me when I stopped for petrol. It a very economical bike.
Check out how many litres and how many kilometers covered.......
Here you have a fun machine that can carry my Laptop and SLR camera, play with Superbikes, comfortable and safe to ride, looks (ahem)
great and yet does not cost a bomb to run....
My Fuoco has no problem parking on uneven ground
I guess for now this ends my riding impression. I will post some 'leper' photos soon.
The Gilera Fuoco 500ie.
I have now covered 1200km on the Fuoco and did an oil change. Cost me less than RM100. I am now able to use full throttle.
Terribly disappointed as the top speed on the Garmin 60CSX was only 138km/h on level road, with the speedo showing 146km/h.
Some pictures of the crowd on that day......
Mobil
Koner Polis Awana
The Fuoco continues to surprise some hardcore riders on the way down the mountain.....
I fitted a Givi Screen ( RM 500 ) and a Givi box bracket ( RM 160 ) three weeks ago.
Took it up Awana and what a difference the screen makes. Relaxed 130-140km/h cruising. ( Fast boys don't laugh )
On a slight downhill managed to get an indicated 165km/h on the speedo. A CBR1000RR and an R1 who followed me was showing 175km/h on their clocks.
My GPS logged the Fuoco at 154km/h giving a speedo error of 11km/h while the Japanese bikes had errors between 20-25 km/h. As I suspected, the Japanese speedos seriously overreads as compared to European bikes.
But what makes me really happy is the ability of the Fuoco to hit a genuine 154km/h when the factory claims 140km/h top speed. This is one instance I am happy the factory specs is inaccurate.
After about 1600km i am quite familiar with the bike and it handles substantially better with 32psi in front and 36psi in the rear. With the suspension setting at position 4 of 5 steps, I am grounding the mainstand less now. These two adjustments works wonders for the bike, and the rear, which was soggy when riding hard is now a lot better.
Now with 2200km on the clock, most of which were spent on the hills of Awana, with the throttle pinned, I am very happy to note that nothing has failed. Not a screw came loose, no rattles from the bodywork, it starts with half a crank of the starter, and settles to an even idle when cold.
The rear tyre however is already 40% worn, even at such low mileage. I guess its because of the weight of the bike, at about 235 KG. Another factor is also the fact that the tyre runs hot as heat from the engine is transmitted to the rims/tyre assembly via the CVT transmission. This I noted as after a particularly 'hard' ride coming downhill from Cofee Bean, and on to Karak Highway at full throttle, the rear tyre is hot to touch at the Gombak Toll.
Overall, I am very happy with the Fuoco so far.
:
Here are some pix;
The RM500 Givi screen as fitted to my Fuoco[/B]
The Fuoco Top Speed as recorded on the GPS
Note the reading of maximum speed achieved - 154km/h.
By the way my other scooter had a recent color change;
Managed to get the Fuoco to do a few laps at the Sepang F1 Racetrack.
Here is my owner's report / riding impression.
Make : Gilera
Model : Fuoco ( Fire in Italian)
Engine: 500cc SOHC Fuel Injected 4 Stroke Single
Transmission : Belt CVT
HP : 40HP Claimed
Weight : 248 KG
Top Speed: 150km/h
Chassis : Underbone spar, swinging engine with 14inch Rear wheel and Two 12 inch Front wheels suspended by tilt/lockable parallelogram opposed swingarm system.
Price OTR RM42,700
My Scooter Affair
Gilera is owned by Piaggio, a big Industrial Italian Conglomerate that has a long heritage in manufactering unique product.
Well known for making the Vespa scooter range, it has also made airplane components and also complete airplanes.
Their current Corporate aricraft is the futuristic looking Piaggio Avante, that is amongst the fastest twin engine turboprop aircraft on sale now.
In recent years Piaggio acquired the Gilera brand name, and the Fuoco is one of the end result of the economies of scale achieved with the acquisition.
Sharing the same design philosophy of the 2 year old MP3, the Fuoco via the Gilera brand name is a Piaggio proposition
for a more sporting and aggresive face for its products.
I have always had a soft spot for scooters, a taste i gradually developed as I got a little older. I bought my first scooter in 1995, after 21 years of Superbiking,
a Suzuki VS100, then a Piaggio Hexagon, powered by a 180cc two stroke single. This was swiftly followed by the 250 Yamaha Majesty on which I fitted a Doken Roof,
specially ordered from Japan.
My three scooters with a Honda Helix belonging to a buddy.
The Majesty was a great scooter, reliable and economical, and it was not too bad in the twisties as well as for slow speed touring.
In fact i rode it all the way to Kota Baru, leaving my house at 8AM and arriving Kota Baru clock tower at 2pm, a total of 6 hours to cover 550 kms.
The Majesty at Kota Baru Clocktower
In 2002 I bought the XP500 Tmax, registered as the first of its kind in Malaysia.
The Tmax certainly amazed me with its sprightly performance, and i regularly ride it up my favorite roads with my Superbike riding buddies,
in the process surprising my friends as the Tmax refused to be left behind on the twisty bits.
The grip was not great as the choice of tyres are limited, the brakes are prone to fading on prolonged hard use, and the ground clearance is poor and
quite incompatible to my riding style.
After a few months I transfered the roof from the Majesty to the Tmax and until today, the bike has been serving me well,
sharing garage space with my Boxercup.
The Tmax in current colors
The Tmax can only go this low with the mainstand scraping
This brings us to the Fuoco Story............
The Fuoco
The MP3 grabbed my attention ever since i read about it two years ago. However, with only a 250cc motor doing horsepower duty,
I knew it was a matter of time before a bigger engine version will be released to the market.
I found a common trait in all the scooters I have owned or ridden; a disconcerting lack of front end feel, a sensation that seems to isolate the rider from what
the front wheel is actually doing, made even worse on wet or damp roads. The quick and light steering that works so well for slow speed town use
makes the scooter twitchy at higher speeds, detracting from the enjoyment of leaning, the very reason why we all ride two wheelers.
Although the Tmax to a large extent has made major improvement in this area, it is sill nowhere near the feel of a conventional motorcycle.
Hence when the MP3 came out with the revolutionary twin wheel tilting front end, my interest was tickled, and I knew that this setup would be a good thing.
However the 250cc motor was a major holdback factor stopping me from taking the plunge.
Late last year the Fuoco was released, and i immediately decided that this is going to be in my garage as soon as it becomes available in Malaysia.
Two Sundays ago i rode my Tmax up to Genting Coffee Bean and had a good time charging around the mountain roads with the usual Superbike boys.
As always we gathered at the Gombak toll at the end of the ride to say goodbye and there I was informed that the Fuoco is sitting at Welly Batu caves,
apparently waiting for an owner to take it home.
Last week, on Wednesday, i went to see the bike, sat on it, liked it, and paid a deposit to book the bike. After paying the remaining balance on thursday,
i told Welly to prepare the bike for collection on Friday, swapping my favorite number from my Tmax, having registered it in a day.
Friday evening, at 4pm i collected my Fuoco
My Fuoco awaiting collection.
On leaving the shop my first stop was the nearest petrol station, and 11 litres went into the small 12 litre fuel tank filling it to the brim.
The first route I took on leaving the shop was the middle ring road, from Batu Caves towards LDP, a road I take every time I return from Awana for home.
I immediately fell in love with the front end, confirming my initial feelings about the bike the first time i laid eyes on it.
Riding through heavy traffic is similar to riding a big bike, the extra front wheel doesn't make the bike feel any wider. In fact, the bike is just a little wider than the Tmax.
Although heavy, it has a low centre of gravity so it does not feel top heavy. The seat height is not that high, but being wide,
riders with shorter inseams may have to stretch their legs to touch the ground.
Feet up stops requires some practice and can be easily mastered in short order. Just engage the tilt-lock mechanism before coming to a stop,
and watch the car drivers look in amazement ( or ridicule ).
And now, a little more detail in the story.....
The Gilera Fuoco.
Design, Styling and Features.
In the few days I have had the bike the reaction from onlookers is between extremeties; ugly and WoW. My wife thought that I have lost my mind,
as if having a scooter with a roof was not enough I had to get another with three wheels and a face as if DarthVader ran head-on into a brick wall, twice.
She told me she'd rather walk than ride pillion, but I know eventually when she finds out about the feet-up riding feature she'll give it a try.
By the way, she said the same thing when i bought the Smart Brabus, but now she hides the keys whenever I want to use it because she wants it for herself.
The "Face" you love to hate
Whatever the case, the look is provocative, almost aggresive. The 'bumpers' or 'bullbars' looks like it came off a small SUV that's pretending to be a jungle basher.
Five (!) lights adorns the 'face' the one in the middle being the running lights, the top two as the main beam and two projector lights providing high beam.
Looking on towards the rear, the seat, a fairly short affair allows for significant overhang which can be used to mount an additional top box.
The rear lights are like two underseat tailpipes. Twin absobers liink the rear axle to the frame. The swingarm is a conventional scooter design,
the left side dominated by the belt transmission unit, the right a huge muffler.
The Rear View
Another angle showing the huge muffler
The turn indicators looks like an afterthought, as if the designer forgot that the bike needs to have a set, and seems like a last minute add-on.
I like the way it looks, kinda like a squashed up ATV. Thankfully the bike (brike??) is blessed by a fairly long wheelbase making the side profile a little sleeker.
The Underseat space is acceptably big, long and wide but not exceptionally deep. A Full face helmet must be aligned properly for it to fit,
leaving not much space for much else. i managed to shoehorn my son's RC Heli which is an odd sized object. Opening the seat is via the ignition key,
twisting the opposite direction from the 'on' setting. Remote actuation is also available after programming the key.
The Seat
The build quality is about equal to the Japanese, all parts fitting well. The paintwork is good, although lacking in lustre a bit of polishing will bring out the sparke.
Some of the nuts, screws and bolts will rust in time ( it is after all Italian ) and i intend to swap it for better quality replacement.
The switchgear feel is better than the Japanese bikes but still a notch below the benchmark BMW switchgear. All the switchgera are positioned at common place so
there's not much to adapt and ex Japanese Bike riders will feel at home in a hurry. There is no light switch 'On-Off' button as the lights comes on as soon as the bike moves.
A rocker switch controls the High Beam
The right side switch cluster has two extra switches, one a push in type Mode switch to control a few mode displays at the meter binnacle,
the other a rocker switch to lock or free the tilting mechanism of the front steering system.
The front brake lever is at the usual position and the rear brake lever occupies the position normally meant for the clutch lever.
There is also a handbrake handle under the steering head between the riders legs. This isused to secure the bike when the bike is parkes without using the mainstand,
to stop inadvertent rolling of the vehicle.
The small 12 liter fuel tank is in the middle of the centre portion of the footwell, and access is by turning the ignition key inwards and clockwise.
The fuel tank opening is well recessed minimising the chances of overflow when filling up to the brim.
Gilera Fuoco Ride Report.
Early Sunday morning found me fidddling with my compressor eargerly filling
up air into the three wheels of the Fuoco. The manual say 1.6 bar for the
front and 1.8 bar for the rear and i followed the recommendation. My
favorite pressures were 2.1 and 2.3 for my Tmax and the Boxercup but
nevertheless, this time i chose to fill as per the manual.
Turning on the ignition key, i observed the instruments doing self check
sweep and an amber light indicated that the tilt system was in the locked
position.
Starting the bike required the obligatory engagement of either brakes, and
the bike burbled to its idle RPM of 1300 with just a mere touch of the
starter button. The crisp morning air and the blue skies holds promise of
good weather, although there was some overcast towards the western side, it
was of no concern to me as Awana lies east from where i was.
I pushed the bike off the mainstand and held it steady out of habit, only to
realise it will stay upright as the two front wheels held it firmly
vertical.
The tilt mechanism can be engaged anytime the bike is below 10km/h.
It can be disengaged with a twist of the throttle or by switching the tilt switch.
However, the safety system will not allow the engine rev to rise nor the
tilt system to unlock unless it senses a rider is on board.
With my riding gear secure, helmet fastened I sat on the bike nad twist to
go. Immeadiately the bike stopped being a trike and behaved just like a
normal two wheeler.
The steering is very light without being twitchy. The front end does not
dive with the front brakes applied. The power is smooth although i can
clearly feel that 40hp is not enough to push the 248kg bike at a rate
Superbikers are accustomed to. Additionally, the bike had only 200km on the
clock and thus the engine feels tight. I did not want to stress the new
engine and adhered to the limitations set by the prcess of running in.
Into the LDP the speed gently crept up to 110km/h, the bike rock steady even
on uneven surface.
I soon arrived at Mobil.
The jokes came fast and furious. Many bikers there looked at the bike
disbelievingly with more than one telling me not to waste my time going to
Awana.
The Mobil Crowd
I left Mobil with a 08 ZX10R on my tail and he escorted me throughout Karak
Highway patiently keeping his speed below 130km/h. The Fuoco was smooth at
that speed but the lack of a windscreen and the upright riding position made
me aware of the wind factor hitting my upper body. A windscreen will be
ordered soon.
Going uphill from the guardhouse reveals a dire lack of power, especially
coming out of corners, and the only way to make progress was to keep entry
speed high.
The two front wheels are clearly great, gripping the road the way its meant
to be, and after a few corners the mainstand were grinding away at full
lean. The bike has lots to give but clearly the ground clearance is a
limitimg factor.
The rear however was another story altogether. With so much unsprung weight
due to the gearbox, muffler and engine, the back end seems to judder all
over the place, and this trait, while mildly irritating, did not endanger
progress, but will rob confidence from less experienced riders. The ZX10r
was stuck to my tail throught, unable to overtake in the corners, and not
wanting to do so on the straights.
There is a downhill section as midway between the Giardhouse and Awana and
here i pushed the Fuoco pretty hard, and after three turns, the ZX10R was
nowhere in sight. As the road opened up again the ZX10R caught up easily.
We reached Awana for some Teh Tarik.
After about 30 minutes I followed about 10 Superbikes up to Genting Coffee
Bean and had a good scrap with three of them with the rest left behind.
As the road got steeper, the three suit clad track day riders put some
distance between their bike and my scooter, and when we reached on top, they
were about one corner ahead.
We reached Coffee bean and the surprised bikers examined the bike they
thought was a joke.....
Coffee Bean
It was a fairly big crowd with lots of bikes. After an hour or so I saw a
group of Track day riders and their buddies suiting up to leave and i
followed them down. The group comprised of about 20 bikes, a couple of GS,
RTs and aso the F800 with a good number of Japanese Sportsbikes ridden by
full suit riders.
As the speed built up I found myself with two Sportsbikes ahead and proceeded toaccompany them downhill. The Fuoco, with gravity aiding progress was nipping at the back of the sportsbikes, the mainstand scraping the ground impeding fast progress. I can feel that the Fuoco was more than a match on the brakes, even though the other two bikes Akrapovics, Brembos and Ohlins. We reached the guardhouse together and waited for the others to catch up.
From the roundabout down i was overtaken by about 12 bikes in the faster sections but eventually managed to catch up to the leading pack of three bikes, with them being ahead by one corner.
At the bottom of the hill, the others caught up again, and we split, with them proceeding to BT Tinggi while i made my way home via karak Highway, never exceeding 130km/h.
I stopped at Karak Toll for a breather and checked my bike and saw the mainstand was ground away significantly.
Karak Toll
Mainstand
I must say i had a lot of fun rding the Fuoco up and down Awana Genting for the first time, and despite having the bike for just 300km,
I was able to ride it quite hard with confidence. The front tyres, a pair of Michelin Pilots, gave good grip, the brakes are the best I've had the privilege
of using on any scooter and some bikes. Oddly, the rear was shod with what can be best described as mundane tyres, with thread pattern that looks
more at home on a pushcart.
The lack of front end dive is also something I like very much. The ground clearance however is not so good, and the only way to avoid
ground contact is to hang off while cornering, something I thought made me look silly on a scooter.
I was stopped by a JPJ roadblock on the way home and the officer called HQ to ascertain if its OK for the Fuoco to be ridden with a 'B' license.
When he mentioned its a Gilera, he waved me away with a smile.
The Fuoco had one last surprise for me when I stopped for petrol. It a very economical bike.
Check out how many litres and how many kilometers covered.......
Here you have a fun machine that can carry my Laptop and SLR camera, play with Superbikes, comfortable and safe to ride, looks (ahem)
great and yet does not cost a bomb to run....
My Fuoco has no problem parking on uneven ground
I guess for now this ends my riding impression. I will post some 'leper' photos soon.
The Gilera Fuoco 500ie.
Part 2
I have now covered 1200km on the Fuoco and did an oil change. Cost me less than RM100. I am now able to use full throttle.
Terribly disappointed as the top speed on the Garmin 60CSX was only 138km/h on level road, with the speedo showing 146km/h.
Some pictures of the crowd on that day......
Mobil
Koner Polis Awana
The Fuoco continues to surprise some hardcore riders on the way down the mountain.....
I fitted a Givi Screen ( RM 500 ) and a Givi box bracket ( RM 160 ) three weeks ago.
Took it up Awana and what a difference the screen makes. Relaxed 130-140km/h cruising. ( Fast boys don't laugh
)On a slight downhill managed to get an indicated 165km/h on the speedo. A CBR1000RR and an R1 who followed me was showing 175km/h on their clocks.
My GPS logged the Fuoco at 154km/h giving a speedo error of 11km/h while the Japanese bikes had errors between 20-25 km/h. As I suspected, the Japanese speedos seriously overreads as compared to European bikes.
But what makes me really happy is the ability of the Fuoco to hit a genuine 154km/h when the factory claims 140km/h top speed. This is one instance I am happy the factory specs is inaccurate.
After about 1600km i am quite familiar with the bike and it handles substantially better with 32psi in front and 36psi in the rear. With the suspension setting at position 4 of 5 steps, I am grounding the mainstand less now. These two adjustments works wonders for the bike, and the rear, which was soggy when riding hard is now a lot better.
Now with 2200km on the clock, most of which were spent on the hills of Awana, with the throttle pinned, I am very happy to note that nothing has failed. Not a screw came loose, no rattles from the bodywork, it starts with half a crank of the starter, and settles to an even idle when cold.
The rear tyre however is already 40% worn, even at such low mileage. I guess its because of the weight of the bike, at about 235 KG. Another factor is also the fact that the tyre runs hot as heat from the engine is transmitted to the rims/tyre assembly via the CVT transmission. This I noted as after a particularly 'hard' ride coming downhill from Cofee Bean, and on to Karak Highway at full throttle, the rear tyre is hot to touch at the Gombak Toll.
Overall, I am very happy with the Fuoco so far.
: Here are some pix;
The RM500 Givi screen as fitted to my Fuoco[/B]
The Fuoco Top Speed as recorded on the GPS
Note the reading of maximum speed achieved - 154km/h.
By the way my other scooter had a recent color change;
Managed to get the Fuoco to do a few laps at the Sepang F1 Racetrack.
