Hello all. The other day my 2008 Yamaha XMAX 125 scooter would not start and I had to call recovery truck to take it home. Today I found the starter motor has gone and the cost is £170 for a new one 
:O. As you can probably tell I am amazed by the price and to tell the truth I cannot afford to pay this amount at this present moment in time. I am struggling without my scooter right now so I am looking for somewhere where I can buy one for a lower price. Can you get rebuild kits for these? Another option for me is a second hand unit currently for sale on ebay however that to me is just not a good option. My scooter only had 6700 miles on it so I am very surprised that it has failed this early. The motor has disintegrated inside so its not just a simple case of worn brushes. Advice is greatly appreciated. Pascal
seems a pretty normal price for a new part to me. get a second hand one if you can’t afford it.
My other halfs Vespa ET2 had starter problems so I took it off took it apart & cleaned it up oiled it put it back together job done
scooter starters have a tendency to go as they are in a stupid position & get all the water directed at them
Maybe your starter just seized Take it off & check to see if it turns freely if not grips & WD40 then try it worth a try & its basically free
Try a breakers either on ebay or via some of the bike breaker part search sites that are available.
You can pick up parts surprisingly cheaply this way - ask them about the condition of the part/machine it came off - if it sounds good and is cheap go for it - chances are you will be ok.
Try these guys:
Rotating Machines Ltd,
Arch 196
Bancroft Road
London
E1 4ET
http://www.rmlunits.com
Tel 02077905568
They rebuilt the starter motor on my last bike, 2004 R1 for about £30 in 2008. Highly recommended.
Try calling Scorch on this forum 
Scorch is your man
Starter motors are fairly simple things, an electric motor. Call Scorch, the man who understands these things 
Just out of curiosity how have you established its the starter motor - the only reason i ask is that your scooter is now nearly 6 years old & the battery will not be at its best anymore which is quite a common factor for bikes not starting especially after cold weather… Have you checked this first?
Also it is a genuine cost - http://www.yamahascooterspares.co.uk/genuineparts/13181/32/yamaha%20yp125r%20xmax%20125/starting%20motor?uID=0
Define ‘starter motor gone’
It would help to diagnose your problem if you gave a more accurate description of the symptoms. If the starter motor has in fact ‘gone’ then it won’t be there to repair and you’ll be needing a complete replacement assembly. If it is still in fact there check out the exploded view below
You can learn much from exploded views and tinkering
I’d take the starter motor off the bike and open it up by removing the two bolts (4) and check out the condition of the brush set (2). If I were a gambling man I’d wager on a worn brush set, note it would probably be worth replacing the ‘O’ rings (3 & 5) if you get it going.