Looking to move up in the scooter world
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 4:45 am
I've been riding motorbikes since I was 16, my first ever scooter was an Italjet Dragster 180 (2 stroke, orange with the blue frame). I'd taken my ZX6R in for a service and saw it sitting there in the corner of the showroom, got chatting to the salesman about it who let me borrow it while the Kawasaki was being looked at. It was fair to say that it was love at ride, after the test ride I came back the the showroom and bought it there and then. What a great little scoot it was, in its own way it was so much more fun than the ninja; it turned heads everywhere I went, and accelerated like a rocket! And it was so much more satisfying to race cars away from lights on. On a 600cc sportsbike car drivers knew they didn’t stand a chance, but when you pulled up next to someone on the Dragster and gave then the nod, they’d never take you seriously, until the lights turned green that is! MX5 drivers were usually the best, they’d always be game but would never win! The only car I ever lost to was an AMG Merc (I forget which model but it was a large estate), I kept up with him until about 55/60mph then he just disappeared!
Anyway, fast forward a few years, (I’d stopped riding, got married, had kids, and all that other boring stuff) I started a new job 2 years ago and soon discovered that the business park the office was on turned in one big car park come 5pm, and the 5 mile commute home was taking me over an hour some nights! Cue the purchase of a second hand Yamaha Vity 125 from gumtree! It’s not a patch on the old Italjet but its practical, cheap to run and great for filtering (and the scariest thing in the world to ride in the wet!). So after 2 years on the Vity, I think it’s about time to get something a little nicer now that I know I’m going to stick to commuting on 2 wheels. I like that look of the Xmax 300 but I don’t think the wife would let me spend that much. There are lots of J300’s second hand right now which I might consider. But that said, I had a go on the new Speedfighter 4 125 the other day while the Vity was in for a new back break and was really impressed, but are 40 year olds allowed to own a Speedfighter! (or are they solely for 17 year old chavs!?)
Anyway, fast forward a few years, (I’d stopped riding, got married, had kids, and all that other boring stuff) I started a new job 2 years ago and soon discovered that the business park the office was on turned in one big car park come 5pm, and the 5 mile commute home was taking me over an hour some nights! Cue the purchase of a second hand Yamaha Vity 125 from gumtree! It’s not a patch on the old Italjet but its practical, cheap to run and great for filtering (and the scariest thing in the world to ride in the wet!). So after 2 years on the Vity, I think it’s about time to get something a little nicer now that I know I’m going to stick to commuting on 2 wheels. I like that look of the Xmax 300 but I don’t think the wife would let me spend that much. There are lots of J300’s second hand right now which I might consider. But that said, I had a go on the new Speedfighter 4 125 the other day while the Vity was in for a new back break and was really impressed, but are 40 year olds allowed to own a Speedfighter! (or are they solely for 17 year old chavs!?)