new maxi scooters

[bigears]

hi all

just bought issue 1 of a new magazine, called maxiscooter.  There are a number of new maxi scooters becoming available now or soon some of you older riders might be interested in for the sake of a more flexible and agreable riding position and of course they will be fully automatic. 

Gilera 800

bmw 800 it looks beautiful with 87 ch

kymco 700 

there are of course the current burgman 650, silverwing 400 and 600 and the yamaha T max 500 that is a moto disguised as a scooter.

I currently have a burgman 400 which has without doubt kept me going on two wheels and always with a big smile on my face.  Don't just dismiss them, if you are vaguely interested have a closer look.

 

 

[BIG MAC]

I quite like the concept and they even look ok -ish.....but they do look very long in the wheelbase or is than an iptical oppression?

[bigears]

big mac, I don't know about the wheel base, I juist know how comfortable the driving position is and how you can vary it on a run.  I like my feet well forward on the diagonally rising bit. With my 400 I can use all the performance without frightening myself, I also average 26 km/litre which must be hedding towards 70 mpg.  I have 62 litres of under seat storage (plus bits and bobs elsewhere) and a 46 litre top case so I can ride it to the supermarket most of the time instead of getting the van out.

[BIG MAC]

I am only 46 maybe in another 14 years............

[bigears]

BigMac

I'm heading for 60 and never had a motobike greater than 500, in fact the most numerous bikes I had (in my 30's) were honda 90s.  Big bikes frighten me, how you stay within the speed limit, on particularly sports bikes, is beyond me.  The problem I have with riding a larger scooters is deciding on what outer clothing to wear, do you wear the same as a motorcyclist? 

Just finishing my porridge, off to the supermarket for weekly shop (for 1, wife in uk working) I often have people watching in amazement me as I load half a trolley into my scooter. 

[powerdesal]

[quote user="bigears"] I also average 26 km/litre which must be hedding towards 70 mpg. [/quote]

 

73.87 mpg, (sad, bored, pedant that I am) [:P]

[Charlotte3]

[quote user="BIG MAC"]I am only 46 maybe in another 14 years............[/quote]

 

Cheeky sod!

 

I bought my Yamaha X Max 2 years ago at 48 after a very nasty motorbike crash, and I've never looked back!

I have lots of under seat storage and soft panniers and regularly do our week's shopping with it. It's a great big aggressive looking machine ( very Darth Vader-ish) , really economical to run, and turns heads everywhere I go. (The best bit for me is that I no longer have to change gear, virtually impossible since the accident).

It's also nice that other motorcyclists here have no snobbery about  big scooters and accept you as a bonafide "motard".

Still on two wheels,

Aly

[bigears]

hi

will be doing a 180km trip tomorrow coming back early the next day.  Will be cruising at  120 - 130 km/hr on autoroute and secound half is single carriageway, will report back as to the fuel consumption.

[bigears]

hi

trip when well, only took two hours riding time, not sure of fuel consumption as I forgot to set the computer, driving time in my transit is around 25 mins longer.  Looks to have used just a tad more fuel than normal, probably around 24 km/litre.  On the A20 autoroute I was trying always to go at the maximum (saw 140 on my speedo) and after Tulle on the Argentat/aurillac road the driving was superb although some bends on the climb up after Argentat were a bit tight for the scooter to handle cleanly.  I maintained a feet forward  riding position most of the time with arms more or less fully stretched, that suits my old back.  I have the back support set fully back and it provides welcome support.  I would now be confident of riding down to the Pyreneees in a day, probably a comfortable 5 hrs trip. 

 Two up is a different kettle of fish as the centre of gravity is much higher and the performance suffers.  The days of the female passenger putting her arms around your waist are gone on the two scooters I've had, its more like around your neck.  Also the windshield which directs the turbulance over my head hits the passenger full in the face.

Hope I have begun to convince some of you perhaps more mature riders to consider a maxi scooter.  Personally a 400 is fine for me as 200kg plus is getting too heavy, the honda silverwing 400 is around 245kg!  For anyone just riding one up a 250 is probably sufficient.as long as you can get a comfortable riding position, the yamaha x max 250s top speed is around 135 km/hr.