warning scooter content

[A500leroy]

This is a bit like telling someone your gay in the motorcycle world but.. has anyone swapped from a decent sized motorcycle to a big (300+) scooter and not regretted it?
cheers

[MrGman]

I have a 300cc scooter and love it, but I also have a couple of other bikes, would I be happy with just a scooter? I not sure, the scooter is great for my daily commute, nipping here and there but I would miss going for a ride on a bike.

[Max5476]

Having started a new job with an 80 mile daily commute down the A14, I am thinking about trading my thruxton for one of these.



Slightly worried I will miss a proper bike though, and not even ridden the thruxton to my new job yet!

[MrGman]

If I was spending that kind of money I’d go for a tmax530 handle really well and go well

[Max5476]

MrGman said:

If I was spending that kind of money I’d go for a tmax530 handle really well and go well

The problem with a TMax is economy, it will probably only get 50mpg where the X-adv should get 70, even making progress in the outside lane.

I would probably pick a big tourer like an R1200RT over a TMax.

[TonyF55]

Used a Majesty 400 & SH300 for a number of years until my employer said they will pay for my train travel as they were concerned for me commuting in all weathers. That was a nice touch and pleased the wife mucho.

I really don't miss all the faffing about getting my kit on/off, square hair

But the 400 scoot was ace, would go a get 2 bags of shopping under the seat, carry a passenger with ease and I loved the relaxed riding position. The 300 was more upright but was really slim for squeezing through the tightest gaps and was probably just as quick as the 400 as it weighed less.

I'm thinking of getting a Honda Integra 750 for pleasure as I miss the scoot.

[CoolHands]

The only thing I regret about it is the fact they constantly get nicked so you have to be super paranoid and lock up like a motherfker. And if you are commuting and locking it on the street it will still be nicked.

[GM182]

I have a Yamaha Xmax 300 for commuting. It's very easy to ride through traffic and fast enough to hold 60 mph on DC with ease. I wouldn't do without a proper bike as well even though the Xmax is enjoyable out of the city. I park mine behind a police station now and have not had it nicked in central London in 18 months, touch wood. That includes leaving it overnight in Clapham a few times due to impromptu after work beers.

I've been meaning to have a look at those Honda X-ADVs. They kind of appeal for some reason but they are chain-driven and a lot more money than the 3/400 class. If I had a longer commute with more open roads I would probably consider it.

Edit to add the Xmax gets 80 mpg regardless of how it's ridden and costs £83 per month on PCP so pretty economical transport. Garaged in the 'burbs overnight so insurance not drastic either - £250 from memory.

[squirdan]

i swapped from an R9T to a BMW C650...dont know why really, but I did regret it

for my London commute it was an excellent tool for the job, but...

- I got bored v quickly
- super scooters are seriously heavy and can be quite wide
- got less road presence than a "proper" bike even though they are pretty quick (just dont look the part in drivers minds I guess)
- the insurance was more than the R9T due to theft risk
- I had 2 clutches replaced in 4k miles...dont know about other super scoots but internet forums suggest the centrifugal clutch is just not up to the power
- it didnt make a bad noise but it wasnt the kind of bark that gets pedestrians paying attention
- i rarely left helmet or stuff under the seat as was paranoid about scrotes breaking in, hence storage space was a bit pointless

Have a Thruxton R now... only downside really is wet legs when it rains

[supercommuter]

Max5476 said:

Having started a new job with an 80 mile daily commute down the A14, I am thinking about trading my thruxton for one of these.



Slightly worried I will miss a proper bike though, and not even ridden the thruxton to my new job yet!

You will regret that instantly.

Get a Cb500x / NC750x or something. If you want the ease get the DCT variety of the NC750x...

[Rubin215]

supercommuter said:

Max5476 said:

Having started a new job with an 80 mile daily commute down the A14, I am thinking about trading my thruxton for one of these.



Slightly worried I will miss a proper bike though, and not even ridden the thruxton to my new job yet!

You will regret that instantly.

Get a Cb500x / NC750x or something. If you want the ease get the DCT variety of the NC750x...

I know a guy who traded from a fireblade to one of those because of his arthritis.
He absolutely loves it, says it's one of the best bikes he's ever had..

Try a demo on one and see what you think.

Edited by Rubin215 on Saturday 22 June 00:05

Edited by Rubin215 on Saturday 22 June 00:05

[supercommuter]

Rubin215 said:

supercommuter said:

You will regret that instantly.

Get a Cb500x / NC750x or something. If you want the ease get the DCT variety of the NC750x...

I know a guy who traded from a fireblade to one of those because of his arthritis.
He absolutely loves it,
says it's one of the best bikes he's ever had..

Try a demo on one and see what you think.

Which bike the scooter or the NC?

[LemonParty]

I went from a Triumph Sprint 955 to a Honda Silverwing 600.

It was a doddle to ride, good economy, fantastic weather protection, great storage, would cruise at 80 on the motorway and ht a ton if you needed it to. Regretted it almost immediately, but kept telling myself I was just getting used to it.

Fortunately after 3 months a mini cab did a U-turn in front of me and wrote it off. Back to a proper bike again now.

[black-k1]

I can't speak from personal experience but a couple of the Old Gits have commuted on large scooters (SilverWing for one, Burgman for another) and both have become scooter converts.They both kept a "real" bike for non-commuting use but are vocal that, for commuting, a super-scoot can not be beaten.

[R8Steve]

I changed a CBR600 to a burgman 400, absolutely hated it.

About town it was ok but on the motorway it was too buzzy, had rather un-nerving high speed cornering characteristics and the brakes were crap

The only positive was it was quite a comfy seating position and it kept your knees dry. One month later the burgman is sold and away to Poland (?!) and i've got a SV650S for commuting.

[Fire99]

Max5476 said:

Having started a new job with an 80 mile daily commute down the A14, I am thinking about trading my thruxton for one of these.

But how do they manage to make them sooo heavy?? 238kg?? That's a lot of heft for a scooter!

[MrGman]

Fire99 said:

But how do they manage to make them sooo heavy?? 238kg?? That's a lot of heft for a scooter!

Scooters are heavier than you’d think, my xmax is slightly heavier than my R1 BUT as all the weight is so low down you really don’t feel it at all.

[Max5476]

supercommuter said:

You will regret that instantly.

Get a Cb500x / NC750x or something. If you want the ease get the DCT variety of the NC750x...

I suspect that might be the case, i would definitely need to do a good test ride before I purchased one.

If I remember correctly, you were doing a mad commute on the CB500X? How did you find vibration on it. I used to do 250 miles a weekend on my SV650S, but was fed up with how buzzy it was, i only kept it as I was a poor student and couldn't afford to trade it.

To be fair I don't really know what I might get next, the list includes a Ducati 848, Suzuki Hayabusa, BMW R1200RT and many things in between.

[myvision]

R8Steve said:

I changed a CBR600 to a burgman 400, absolutely hated it.

About town it was ok but on the motorway it was too buzzy, had rather un-nerving high speed cornering characteristics and the brakes were crap

The only positive was it was quite a comfy seating position and it kept your knees dry. One month later the burgman is sold and away to Poland (?!) and i've got a SV650S for commuting.

I thought the brakes on my burgman 400 were great and it cornered well. Used it for a year in and out of London it did the job perfectly I never just went out for a ride on it though it was a tool for the job and It did the job fantastically.
I was lucky to have two other bikes that I could ride on a weekend.

[Brads67]

THIS is scooter content.