Is there anything better than a Yamaha XMAX 250?

[Moulder]

In a wider context the answer is quite possibly yes, but for the circumstances below....

I have two commutes that are largely interchangeable for which I would like to use one bike.

Commute 1: 30 miles of which 27 is motorway/dual carriageway followed by 3 miles of busy city centre. I currently have a covered bike parking space at the office but this may change in the future so it would then be locked up in a bike bay (not London, no space issues).

Commute 2: 4 miles of urban commute, park at the station, get on the train; repeat in reverse in the evening.

The thinking behind the XMAX is:

1/ When going to the station I can wear normal office stuff (at my own risk) plus a helmet/gloves which can go under the seat.
2/ A massive lock will easily go under the seat for when I get where I am going.
3/ It should be quick enough to keep up with motorway traffic especially at rush hour speeds (though it only has 21hp which is poor, my NSR250 used to have almost 60 and that was 25 years ago, no idea how this is progress).
4/ The weather protection will be good for the shorter commute (keeping my work slacks dry) but also the longer commute.
5/ It is cheap enough that if it got scratched then I wouldn't be compelled to go on a Commando style revenge rampage.

A low mileage used one is around £1500, I could spend more than this but there would need to be a good reason to, i.e. a Vespa GTS 300 may have more elan but that is not key on the M4 of a morning.

"Fun" is not much of a consideration as I have other things to ride for this, two of which are GSXR's which should also offset any hint of perceived effeminacy.

[lindrup119]

27 miles of motorway on a 250 might get tiring. They do an XMAX 400 but there are loads of mid-capacity scooters to choose from (TMAX, Burgman, Silver Wing).

[NAS]

The xmax will do 70mph easily, but above that you can get a bit of a weave on. They are fantastically practical though. I never used a bike more than a xmax 250 I used for a few weeks in 2009.

[3DP]

Fleegle will be along soon to tell you that contracting both Syphillis and an anti-biotic resistant strain of gonorrhea are in fact better than a Yamaha Xmax 250.

To me, sounds spot on for the 2 different roles unless you can find a cheap Burgman.

[Moulder]

Thanks for the reply. Pete, I deliberately dug into my post that it wasn't London so I didn't come back to it to find a horses head in the under seat storage area.

NAS said:

The xmax will do 70mph easily, but above that you can get a bit of a weave on. They are fantastically practical though. I never used a bike more than a xmax 250 I used for a few weeks in 2009.

Any idea if the weave was because it was at maximum speed or whether it is a general wheel size/aerodynamics/layout issue?

Thanks

[NAS]

All scooters (expect for the T-max/GP800 etc.) have this issue. It's due to the fact so much weight is attached to the swingarm. We are talking 70-80mph motorway exits though so it's not much of an issue in everyday life.

[Wooderson]

I appreciate they are more money, but what about a Kawasaki J300. Non-abs second hand are about £3k or you can get new ones for just over 4k (with 0% HP on offer too).

I was considering both the Xmax 250 and the J300 for a similar commute and the Kawasaki felt much more substantial and comfortable on the M23.

[mudster]

Wooderson said:

I appreciate they are more money, but what about a Kawasaki J300. Non-abs second hand are about £3k or you can get new ones for just over 4k (with 0% HP on offer too).

I was considering both the Xmax 250 and the J300 for a similar commute and the Kawasaki felt much more substantial and comfortable on the M23.

Kawasaki J300 is a rebadged Kymco Downtown. Maybe the Kymco can be had a little cheaper. Honda Forza 300 is maybe another one to consider.

[Moulder]

Thanks again for all the responses. I have just been to pick up the below, an as new Kymco Downtown 300i.

Bit different to what I normally ride, but after remembering not to grab the "clutch" when approaching traffic lights it is actually quite nice to ride.

I can appreciate the people take some st for starting what bike(?) threads but this is not something I would have thought of getting if I had not posted here. Mudster, you win a virtual fiver....