Piaggio X9 500 Review

“I bought the Piaggio X9 500 new. The bike was fine up...”

Written on: 05/06/2006 by roy smith

Good Points
Good weather protection

Bad Points
How long have you got
Extortionate servicing costs for warranty purpose

General Comments
I bought the Piaggio X9 500 new. The bike was fine up to the 1st service 600 miles, and then the problems started, left stranded in the city when the battery fried X 4. The garage fitted new batteries everytime but forgot to find out why the batteries were frying, turned out to be rectifier? Rear shockers leaked, and then at 11 hundred (yes 11 hundred) miles the engine blew up.I fought tooth and nail to get a new bike but Piaggio would not even talk to me or acknowledge letters, e mails etc, their after sales service is appalling. The garage who repaired my bike actually had it longer then I did for the 1st year as engine problems after the rebuild kept re occurring. I was told eventually that the fault had been there from manufacture but again I got that from the garage not Piaggio as they will not speak to you (period). I was also coming home from work last Summer when the bike suddenly started swerving all over the road and smoke was pouring out of it, when I eventually stopped it appeared that the center stand had gone through the oil filter and was spraying oil all over the back tyre causing the skid. This again was only 3 weeks after yet another expensive service, there is a rubber roller on the frame which is supposed to prevent the stand hitting the oil filter but if it becomes static this problem will occur. Again this is a known problem, again Piaggio do not want to know, would I recommend buying a Piaggio? Not a chance £5000 wasted. Fed up from Hertford..