Maxi Scooter Riders Club :: View topic

parcel

Well having ridden bikes 30 yrs ago, I starting looking around for a machine that was comfortable, economical, and easy to use. I found it in a maxi scoot.
So I got myself a Benelli 125 Adiva (roofed scoot), then went for my test, passed it, got a 400 Burgy, rode that for a while, then got a Piaggio X9 500, I am back to a 250 Burgy at present, I have since ridden a Burgy 650, a Piaggio Mp3 250. a GILERA FUOCO 500ie
and various others.

I am looking forward to trying out the Gilera GP800.

Vroom, there it goes

Thats a wrap!
Parcel

lazydaisy · Addict

Went back on 2 wheels (peugeot Vivacity 50cc) after a month on the train after starting current job in 2001. Same year on holiday in Austria saw a Burgman 400 and fell in love. Finally last year moved to a Honda 250 Foresight. After 3 months decided I wanted something bigger and treated myself to the Burger 400. Love it and wish I'd done it much sooner although I wouldn't have been able to afford it before..... have a full licence but really don't care that it's twist and go. Laughing

Grau Adler · Last edited by Grau Adler on Tue Jun 17, 2008 21:46; edited 2 times in total

In my case it was losing interest in motorcycles generally, I'd been riding over 20 years at the time. I'd done everything I wanted to do on MZ's in the 80's, which is when I first started touring, had gone through a BMW GS phase in the early 90's. In 1996 I was riding a BMW K75 RT, and a MZ ETZ 250, and I realised to my dismay riding was no fun anymore.

At the time there were a few letters in Motorcycle Sport about the Honda CN250 Helix, and the Best Feet Forward Motorcycle Club which interested me. I bought a copy of a long defunct magazine called Grey Bike which had a long and interesting article on the Helix, and decided I wanted one. The Helix was only imported into the UK between 1989 - 91, and cost £3500, so not many were sold. I joined the BFF, sold my BMW locally to an old boy, and managed to find a brand new US spec Helix from a dealer in York. I went down from Cumbria on the train to collect it, and as soon as I sat on it, fired it up and rode back home, I knew I had made the right decision, feet forward scootering was for me. Back then the BFF had a newsletter, only about a third of the members were online, and it was as refreshing to read their views then, as it is to read these forums now.
Through contacts made in the BFF, I attended a couple of Helix rallies in Germany, one in the Harz Mountains and another in Northern Germany at Travemunde on the Baltic Sea coast. I've been back to the Harz for the last two years, on my 400 Burgman K5. I quite like having an 'exclusion zone' round me on the outward and return ferries, courtesy of my fellow bikers. I still don't have any desire to return to a 'proper' bike either.

Thanks for all the welcome messages

Grau

DrChip · Nimble-knuckled

I was in London in a place called Vauxhall (think thats how you spell it) and the wife was with female friends shopping, I had a choice, cut my throat walking with them just looking but not buying anything (YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA) or I could walk around and do my own thing..

So there I was and there was a scooter place called Metrapolis (spelling again) and so I walked in.

There was huge big scooter, looked nice, started talking to the bloke working there, said I was from Ozz and wasn't buying, just looking, he was fine with that.. started talking about bikes, I don't like small wheels he said .. "have a look at this, its a Evo X9 with 14" wheels, would you like to try it out?".. So I did and was wrapped, I ordered one as soon as I arrived in Ozz.

Not looked back.

mr magoo

Sold my last bike in 1977 to finance bedroom carpets when I got married.
In 2007 my boy bought a Yamaha Thundercat and awakened an itch that wouldn't go away so I started looking around for something suitable, but at my age I was finding it difficult to get a leg over Embarassed

so when a second hand majesty came up I grabbed at it and am having the time of my life on it.

Bob · Forum god

I have to say that the first Maxi I saw was a Burgman 400 and I thought WOW. Until then all I'd seen was the hair driers that the kids rode around and Lambrettas etc.

I just knew that one day I have one.

capitano · Addict

Never not had a bike on the road since I ws 16 through good financial periods and very bad ones.

Between 1990 and 2004 I mainly rode Harleys. A knee injury in 2004 made riding a Harley and most geared bikes painful.

Had a 3-week holiday booked in Corfu in 2005, some of which was to be spent exploring the North of the Island on a hired trail bike. The knee injury put paid to that. I stil rode but hired a Piaggio Skipper instead of a trail bike.

The combination of zero knee pain and superb fun on a step-thru ended in me buying a Gilera Nexus in '06. 3 months of great fun later I sold the Harley. I knew I'd never ride it again while so many great big scooters are being made.

wozza · Addict

I was a keen motorcyclist for 25 years before I had a go on my late father's Piaggio Sfera 80 about 7 years ago. I was surprised it went straight upto 50, and I thought, 'This ain't bad'. And so the rocky road started and I've never looked back.
In fact I've now given up bikes for scooters and it's the best thing I've done...

CapoGrandad

DrChip · Nimble-knuckled

Go have a ride on the Yamaha 400.

I had my TMax serviced yesterday and was given a 400 as a loaner.

I was totally wrapped, what a lovey bit of gear that machine is, I have ridden the X8 400 and didn't think much of it, but wow, the Majesty 400 really blew me away... and nearly half the price here.. and carry more under the seat... and a lot lower

capitano · Addict

wolf burgman · Newbie

was always a biker, then usual story got married, then the expensive anklebiters put paid to my finances for my two wheeled passion. then hit the age of 40 and did my bike test, was still on a budget so bought an old honda cb750f supersport. bad mistake and one honda quickly realised. only made for four years. was running out of readies, couldnt afford much,and came across a sym 125 shark scooter. not that fast but i loved its looks and smoothness. overtaking anything was a challenge and sometimes ended in embarrassment. went back to bikes eventually, but i saw some of the maxiscooters on offer and after much research went for my first burgman. had it four years but still went back to bikes. however it was hard to forget the weather protection, storage, economy, and comfort of the burgman, so in june i bought my second one. reckon i,ll settle for scooters from now on

Waspie · Forum god

I genuinely think the Maxi's are starting to gather popularilty in the UK now.

Until recently there was a sparse few around Weymouth/Dorset, now - on Fraggle alone there are loads. No burger talks/nods to each other but I suppose the etiquette will follow if I persist in looking like a dog in the back window of a cage. (That or my head falls off). Laughing

loonymoon

My mum was to blame for our family becoming motorcyclists/ scooterists (well apart from my brother who had to rebel by NOT getting a motorbike). As we lived in a little village 3 miles from the town and my dad had the car a lot, dad suggested mum get a moped that she could ride on her car licence. Dad had had Lambretta's in the 60's and he and mum had ridden everywhere on it.

So mum got a Tomos moped. A rubbishy little Czech moped in about 1992, but it was basic transport and got her where she wanted to go. When I turned I was offered the moped as mum had got a KH100 and was taking her motorcycle test. Of course that got dad back into motorcycles starting with an old Kawasaki Z200. Starting off a string of bikes for my dad including BMW K75 Pan European, Triumph Sprint ST.

So I got the moped, took my CBT and used to ride that everywhere until I was 17 and could get something bigger.

I got an 1981 Suzuki CS125 which looked a bit like a vespa but with a square headlight. Three speed auto with footbrake. It was quite slow....
Then I did my test and "upgraded" the Suzuki to a new (well ex-demo) Peugeot Speedfight 100. I loved the speedfight but it was very unreliable.

So eventually I decided to get a "proper" bike, and somehow in 1999 I ended up with a 1973 Honda CB350F.

Then I got a job in London, but the bike didn't come with me. I got a car.

I wanted to get a scooter as well, even sitting on an X9 at Thompsons in about 2002. But there was no way I could afford one.

Eventually in 2005 Mum helped me to buy an old Yamaha Majesty 250 - my first maxi scooter. Unfortunately my relationship with the Yamaha wasn't a particularly good one. I never felt confidence in riding it, it lasted just under a year before I sold it and bought an Aprilia Leonardo 250 which I instantly adored and had lots of fun on.

Then finally I got my X8 about 4 weeks ago - and I'm loving it. Very Happy