It’s very nearly a year since my little accident, and I’m thinking of getting a scooter… I really need to get back on 2 wheels
I don’t know much about these things, and I want a cheap one, as it’s going to cost me to get it adapted, and I might find I can’t balance properly anymore, or enjoy riding it… it’s also got to cost pennies to run as I’ve got two cars to finance…
I was thinking about one with a bigger engine, but as I’m not commuting to work on it , it’s not strictly necessary…
There is a glut of 250cc maxi scooters around at the moment so prices are depressed making this a good place to start. The only one I have a lot of experience of is the X9 250. Should be fairly easy to adapt as the front and rear brakes are already linked. It is a very forgiving bike and very easy to ride.
The Piaggio engined model (Evo models 04 onwards) has a smoother more powerful engine and better fuel economy than the earlier Honda engined version. 80mph at 80mpg is possible. If that works for you you could move onto a 500cc scooter at a later date although these are much more expensive to run (doing well over 100mph at nearer 55mpg). The X9 500 even has an electric centre stand which may be a benefit. The X8 and Xevo are similar but newer and therefore more expensive and were never made as 500s as the engine was reduced to 400cc to bring it below the 33bhp restriction.
There are alternatives to the Piaggio models I mention, but I know less about them.
Don’t know anything bout scooters but just gotta say this is great news , i was very co-incidentally thinking about you yesterday and wondering if you had given up on the idea of getting back on 2 wheels …best of luck with whatever you get
I’ve had a look on bike trader and seen an 02 x9 250cc for £1k with 30k miles, at Carl Rosner. I appreciate that this will have the Honda engine but will it still suit my purpose of getting back on to 2 wheels cheaply? Will the mileage be a problem? What sort of things should I be looking at?
I could get a 1000cc GSX-R, but I’m pushing my luck with the wife, family and friends in trying to get back on any type of 2 wheels including a pedal cycle…
I’ve got a Burgman 400 on a W plate which i picked up for not much more than a grand with 7k miles on it. It’s black too, so slightly less ridiculous looking than some of them.
Does 85mph very comfortably, keeps the wind and rain off, but i wouldn’t say it was fun through the twisties
Linked brakes - though the right lever does front brake only, left lever does front and rear (i’m sure you could get them swapped across though).
Twist and go, 60mpg, very easy to live with.
You should be able to get a better deal than that on the 02 250 with that mileage. The Honda engined bikes are a bit gutless, but the engine is indestructable as long as it has had the required fresh oil every 2000 miles. If properly looked after 30,000 is nothing on these bikes. I sold Lemoncella at 30,000 and had not had a single fault since buying her at 18,000 and I know she is stil lgoing on a 6 mile each way commute. I only sold her as I had access to another 250 with only 9,000 on the clock.
Garret bought one earlier this year so can give some feedback from someone used to faster machines.
You best bet might be to get out and physically look at some of these so you can get some idea of what would be involved, even if you are not activley shopping for one. They are quite large bikes, but that can be deceptive as they have a very low centre of gravity for their size etc.
As before, let me know if I can help. I can give some advice on what to look out for if viewing maxi scooters.
