Have you rode a maxi-scooter?

I've had a bunch of scooters, and as other big bikes come and go they stick around the longest. Had a Majesty 400 for years and had great fun humbling many a big bike rider in the twisties. Ridiculous amount of storage space and great economy. I've had a Xmax 300 for a few years, it's probably just as fast and handles better. It's actually for sale, can share the FB link if anyone's interested.

 

LOL I sell scooters and I love the Vespa 300. Put a Leo and a tune and it does 90mph LOL on like 13's.

The newest arrival last year is the AK500 (Coolest Name too "Yea I got an AK") from Kymco. They fucking rip, amazing warranty, and holy fuck, its fast.

The best handling IMO is the BV400 from Piaggio. It looks/feels like a sportbike more than the others.

One day, though, Ill find a Yamaha Morpheus and turn it into a Cadillac. Thats my dream scooter

 

How the front end feel on a maxi scoot ? They gotta be vague as fuck in the sweepers.

 

As a former racer I could not leave the front end stock (stock forks...the horror!) so mine is revalved with thicker oil. Handles really well in any sweeper. Though dealing with 18-wheelers on the freeway can make the front end feel floaty at high speeds with so much rearward weight bias.

Also if you have a Yamaha, a '46' decal helps too.

 

Same here. I added a little preload, a little more / heavier oil to firm it up a little.

 

Yeah, the Xmax gets a little woozy on sweepers, but only at speeds no sane person should be going on the street. The Majesty felt like it had more of a hinge in the middle, but still manageable. Just gotta set reasonable expectations

 

I commuted on a big scoot for a year. It was great, but I always felt like I should be wearing a fanny pack, just to increase the levels of shame and self-loathing.

 

I see you're not using the term 'maxi'

 

That's what I was wondering...do you need a maxi pad to ride a maxi scooter?

 

Back in 1996 in Tokyo I saw a 1995 Yamaha Majesty 250 in person and thought of it as a "grandpa scooter"....but "maxi-scooter" sounds less...harsh.

 

Anybody remember the Honda Gyro?

 

My neighbor, who turns 80 this year, has a Silver Wing in his garage that he wants to get serviced then sell. I may need to make a deal...

 

I have an '07 Vespa 250. When the pandemic hit, we were staying in Western North Carolina, and I rode that scooter every chance I got. So much fun in the twistys. Like a Miata, you can use all of it, all of the time. Front end feel is a little wonky (headshake of death, random vagueness). But it's Italian, and if it didn't have quirks, it'd be a Honda.

When we were in France last Summer, we saw TMaxes everywhere (500+ cc's). Freakin' workhorses. I think they're cool looking too. Would love to ride one someday.

 

I rode my Dad's Suzuki Burgman 650 up in North Carolina. I later inherited it, but sold it off.

Like his Prius (which I also sold off), there was nothing functional wrong with it. (The Burgman) was powerful enough, practical, economical and handled okay. Certainly better than the looks would lead you to believe. I wasn't a big fan of the auto trans in something that size (which sucked away what little involvement you would have with it), but you could put it in "manual mode" and get a little bit of feeling.

Calling it a two-wheeled Prius (minus the hybrid stuff) is probably an apt description.

It was heavy and bulky, and was definitely like riding a full-sized bike in that regard. No zip around town (or pits) like a true lightweight scooter. I have a Kymco Agility 125 and can accept its failings for its light weight, small size and simplicity. But, you certainly can't go cross-country on it.

I wanted a practical bike to keep up at my parent's place (I guess it is my place now but I still consider it theirs) to keep me always having to haul a bike up there. I ended up getting a Honda NC750X (manual transmission version). It is nearly as practical, but is a "motorcycle".

Like electric cars, not a hater, just don't want one personally. Got one (and a Prius) for "free", and didn't keep either one.

Now, what I *would* go for scooter-wise is something nearer the Kymco in size and weight that made mucho more horsepower. Looked at a Vespa 300, but it is kinda heavy, complex and pricey. Turbo Kymco?

 

Still being made as far as I know in Japan (probably called something different). I certainly saw thousands of them being used as delivery vehicles over there (so certainly weren't garaged "classics"). I even got a hot-wheels sized one to bring home with me.

They are iconic in Japanese cities.

 

A lot of people who used to use motorcycles mainly for commuting have made the switch over the years. Or the same kind of people who would be on motorcycles started directly on big scooters instead. And then there are people who don't particularly care about two wheelers but parked their cars for practical and economical reasons. Between gas prices, traffic and speed cameras everywhere, scooters make the most sense for most people.

 

It's on the short list of stupid things to buy at the first decent opportunity. I've seen questionable ones for $1500-$2k. Too much. Sure would be a hoot on a kart track.

 

I love my Zuma 50 so much I'll probably never ever sell it.

 

I had one, to slow for race track