2009 Piaggio BV 500

FAULTY STEERING MECHANISM, VERY HARD TO CONTROL AT LOW SPEED. BOTH I AND THE MECHANIC CHECKING SCOOTER AT PURCHASE(USED) THOUGHT THERE WAS NO DEFECT. WE JUST THAT THE "NOTCH" IN STEERING WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS JUST THE WAY SCOOTERS HANDLE, OR A SELF-CENTERING STEERING FEATURE, AND THAT WITH TIME I WOULD BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO IT. 1,000 MILES LATER, STILL DANGEROUS TO RIDE. I HAVE LOST CONTROL AND ALMOST CRASHED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS...SEVERE WOBBLE WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEED. THEN I CHECKED THE INTERNET...THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH NOTCHY, PREMATURE WEARING STEERING HEAD BEARINGS. A VEHICLE WITH LOW MILES SHOULD NOT HAVE A HIDDEN DEFECT LIKE THIS. PIAGGIO SHOULD RECALL AND FIX THIS DEFECT. *JS

WHILE DRIVING IN LONG STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ABOUT 15 MINUTES THERE IS A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE COMING FROM UNDER THE DRIVERS SEAT. THE ODOR WILL GO AWAY IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES IF YOU RETURN TO NON-STOP DRIVING. CONCERN IS ABOUT POSSIBLE FIRE ON VEHICLE IF FUMES COME IN CONTACT WITH SPARK OR POSSIBLE EXPLOSION. *TR