Perhaps I can add a few words having owned and ridden two X9 500s before deciding to buy an AN650.
I should begin by saying that I am 6'7'' tall and weigh about 230 lbs. I've ridden bikes since the '70s and as 2003 neared its end, I found myself owning a Honda Pacific Coast (PC800), a BMW F650 CS and my beloved 1971 Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone 500 (Military).
I fancied doing some touring. Sadly, the otherwise delectable PC somehow didn't fit the bill - it had storage aplenty, excellent weather protection, shaft drive, proven reliability but appalling fuel range on a tankful. I also found that despite my height, my hips would hurt after continually cocking my leg over the saddle of both the PC and the CS. I realised that I'd need to try a step-through design, and was excited at the prospect of an auto box as well.
A new Honda dealership opened in my neighbourhood. They had a used SilverWing and a mint condition Piaggio X9 500 SL on their forecourt and the salesman graciously offered me the chance to spend a day carrying out a day's back-to-back riding comparison.
As my first maxi scooter experience, I was frankly flabbergasted by both vehicles. I chose to trade my PC800 for the 'Wing ....
Fast forward a couple of months.
I stumbled on the X9 Club website and found that this was a treasure trove of useful maxi scooter advice. I registered on their site and visited one of their dealerships where I bumped into Dave who - spookily - said that he was looking to trade his X9 500SL for an F650CS.
A straight swap later, I ended up owning both SilverWing and X9.
After a further four months of ownership, I realised that the X9 had become my 'weapon of choice' - it's so user-friendly. It's performance was staggering for a 460cc beast. It was very comfortable - even for me - and of course it was much more economical than the Swing. I also thought that it looked (looks) beautiful in a way that only the Italians seem to have mastered. For the record, it turned out to be totally reliable and looked like being my ride for years to come.
But fast forward another few weeks to May 2004.
The x9 Evo 500 had been launched with some subtle but significant improvements. I grasped the opportunity to trade both my SWing and the 500SL for the Evo and realised that I'd made one of the wisest choices of my riding career. It's such a good maxi scooter - trust me! It never let me down for the 7k miles we shared together during the next 8 months, and even took me and a friend on a round-Britain tour back in October, covering 2,100 miles in 6 days, and including the Lands End to John o' Groats Challenge via the long way (transversing the Peak District, Lake District, the Highlands, Great Glen (along the banks of Loch Ness) and up the East Coast of Scotland to Jo'G. It purred like a tiger, shrugging off appalling weather conditions, and still managed to be one of the fastest vehicles on the roads.
So why did I decide to trade it for an AN650?
Simple. Having tempted my wife back onto the pillion as riding partner, I was disappointed to discover (rather late in the day!) that the maximum load carrying capacity of the X9 is only 180 kg. One evening, I calculated that if my wife and I rode together naked, and took no luggage with us, we would still exceed this advisory figure. I then started to worry about invalidating insurance/warranty policies etc ... and began to shop around for something more meaty.
Enter 'Arnie'.
I collect 'Arnie' on March 1st and am very excited at the prospect.
But I miss 'Roxy' the X9 Evo 500. She was magnificent, but I was too bulky, so we had to part ....
Seriously, I know of a handful, of X9s that have made it across the Pond and the owners seem to be deliriously happy. If you ever get the chance to ride one, do so and enjoy the eager simplicity on offer.
Regarding the auto centre stand: 'one more thing to go wrong', as my old Dad would say, but you'd be surprised how useful this facility was when arriving on a heavily laden scooter at a diesel-contaminated fuel pump forecourt. Press the yellow button while astride the scoot and marvel at the gentle but effective ballet movement as the scoot settles itself - securely - onto its centre stand. Magic!
Oh, and using the auto facility is not compulsory. The stand works normally by foot-power well, and is probably the best balanced of all bikes I've ever come across once up there.
I hope that I've thrown a bit of light on X9 Evo 500 ownership. Were it not for my large build, I'd still be a happy X9 owner ...
... but then again, were it not for my large build I probably wouldn't have discovered the AN650 either :lol: