Piaggio X10 Executive

I purchased an X10 last July after owning a 2006 model Yamaha R6. Being that I owned big sports bikes all my life I've always been cynical about scooter ownership. The fact that I was knocked off my R6 and smashed my left ankle left me no option but a large scooter.

I was pleasantly surprised by the torque, especially off the lights. The bike has traction control as standard so if it's raining and I want to get away first from the lights without spinning up then there's not many other bikes that will keep up for the first 100 metres, it's really that quick.

Also the grip on long sweeping 60 mph corners is uncanny and inspires much confidence. Again I shocked a BMW K1200RS rider by passing him on his/her outside on the roundabout underneath the A40. This is down to the excellent Michelin 2CT tyres that have dual compound grippy edges, whereas the middle is a harder compound (funnily enough the same tyres I had on my R6).

I love its low speed manoeuvring and I passed my advanced riding test on it in the company of 1000cc bikes that were struggling to pull off similar moves, so in traffic it's excellent (bar the mirrors).

I haven't used the ABS in anger yet but I often test it out in the rain in case some dingbat pulls out on me. It works! The bike has a charger for sat navs and a USB port which I haven't got around to using. I love the functions on the large LCD screen where you click a button on the throttle mounting and it tells you your average mpg; your average speed; your current mpg; how much tea you've had that morning plus much more.

The seat's more comfortable than my sofa (seriously) and the screen is tall enough to keep all the rain off my helmet (I'm 5"10). I've only seen 87 mph on it but it easily holds 70mph if I'm going up the motorway. The only downers after 9 months of ownership riding mostly through the winter are how much it gets buffeted in high winds, and I had to take it back to the dealers because a coolant pipe came loose and sprayed coolant all over the A40 on the way home (the mechanic reckoned it was continuous riding over potholes that loosened it but I reckon they didn't tighten it properly in its assembly). I also hate the mirrors with a passion! Not only are they useless, they restrict you from getting past a combination of two vans next to each other if you are negotiating slow traffic.

All in all a good spend of £5k. When I bought it I thought I'd keep it a year then get another sports bike, but now... I really don't know?

Lance
London