[rocketman]

Hello,,

I'm Steve,i'm a maxi scooter rider but alas not a Burgman,the 650cc Burger is about 6500.00 GBP which comes out at over 11,000.00 Dollars,i have not seen to many 650's over here but there is a number of 400's around.
I ride a Piaggio X9 125cc,i will be upgrading to the 250 or 500 in the new year once the restriction on my licence finishes.When you do your test on a 125 machine over here you are restricted to a 125 for 2 years,then you can upgrade to whatever you want.I could of done a test to get me stright through to a big machine but as it is my first time on powered two wheelers i thought it best to stay on the 125 and gain experience.
An owners club for the piaggio x9 has been formed over here http://www.x9ownersclub.co.uk its no different from this site in a way really,we have a forum were all sorts are talked about,ride outs arearranged & technical advice is avalable from those members in the know.I was out in the States during September for 3 weeks,I started off in Seattle and worked my way down to Fort Bragg,i did see a few maxi scooters,but the large motorcycles seemed to the most machine.
I shall spend the next few days trawling my way through the postings.

Regards

Steve :roll:

 

[allwalk]

Hey rocketman welcome to the site! Scooters are not as popular in North America as they are in Europe. Mind you these new maxi scooters are closer to motorcycles. You've probably done the best thing in gaining more experience before moving up to a larger machine. So are you considering the 250 or 400 burgman as a possible next machine?

 

[rocketman]

Allan,

At the end of the day it all boils down to money,the 400 burgman is a little bit dearer than the X9 500 and you get a radio on the X9 500 & 250 as standard,the electric stand is also standard on the 500.The new evolution x9 has been released 125cc & 500cc,slight body difference,front indicators are set in the wing mirrors,electric seat release plus a few minor other cosmetic changes.

The 250 is due to released early in the new year(Febuary/March)now this does appeal to me the 125 gave me a cruising speed of 70 mph on the motorways(freeways)there was about another 8 mph left to get you out of trouble if you needed it,when out on a ride out with the other x9's in our club the 125s normally dropped in behind the lead scooter which is mostly a 500,the hills tend to slow the 125s.you could see the 500 going off ahead and the 250s & 500s looming up in the wing mirrors,so the new 250 will give me a top speed of 90 mph and a cruising speed of 80 mph,add to this the cheaper insurance and initial cost and the fact i'm not an every day rider the x9 will be high on my shopping list.

Having said all that since climbing aboard my first powered two wheeler only 2 years ago all maxi scooters appeal me that is why i belong to a number of different maxi-scooter sites.The big thumbs up for the scooter is getting on and off,you just put your leg through the middle so much easier than trying to throw your leg over a saddle.I have friends who have sports bikes and are always complaining about bad backs because they have to lean over the handle-bars when riding.

Regards

Steve