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“I did a lot of research before buying this scoot and...”
Written on: 31/07/2006 by armadillorex (4 reviews written)
Good Points
Reasonably fast, a real fooler to other scooterists and motorcyclists. Will pull away from most stock Harley's. Really good brakes.
Bad Points
Sluggish on slow speed turns. The 500cc and X9 emblems are glued on and cheaply made. Best to take them off anyway. The oil dip-stick is near the muffler. Put a rag on the muffler when checking oil level to prevent burns. Should have rear view mirrors that are moveable (like on cars).
General Comments
I did a lot of research before buying this scoot and can say that Piaggio has improved on most of the earlier faults that are written about here. There is no longer a power center stand, it's foot operated and beefed up, no longer near the oil filter and heavily painted to slow or prevent rusting. The electrics have been sealed better to prevent moisture infiltration. I have a battery tender hooked up every time I park it in my garage to prevent early battery failure - something every scooterest should do anyway. I do my own oil changes and have not noticed any gas infiltration, and yes you can reset the service idiot light yourself, just look in the service manual and it tells you how to do it. You should be able to get the service and repair manuals on disk free from your dealer. Repairs and parts are expensive at the dealer, but what do you expect! It's Italian so everything is imported. Oil filters are very expensive and I still cannot find a less expensive replacement, as I believe they are specially made for this engine. The scoot came with balanced tires and wheels, which at 90 MPH prooved to run smooth and straight. Any motorcycle will wear the rear tire more quickly than the front especially if they are an Italian tire brand. So get used to replacing the rear tire every 3K or so. Continental tires will last longer but don't have the road holding power of Michlins. Personally I want the most road holding/sticky type tire made for the safety of it especially if I make a mistake. It's worth the price. The exhaust is now all stainless so should last the life of the bike. And by the way it has very little restriction so aftermarket exhaust systems will not improve performance. The sidestand leans the scoot 1 or 2 deg. more than the earlier models, so tipping over is less of a problem.
The windscreen is adjustable and was at the highest position when I bought the scoot and drove it home - 125 miles. I lowered it to the center position and it was much better in directing the wind off my helmet.
I get 65 mpg on premium gas and I drive fast! Handles higher speeds very well.
Overall I think the newer models are much better than the earlier versions, Have most if not all of the problems corrected. I believe it's now up there with the best scooters made and you can't get a scooter that is more modern technologically. Even the Japanese bikes don't have as many modern improvements, especially in the engine design. If you want to improve the performance replace the clutch and variator with a Polini brand and acceleration to 60 will be quicker. Over 60 its the same as stock. And for longer belt life go to a Kevlar belt.
