Must buy a scooter this weekend

[Beardy]

So I became an accident victim at the beginning of October and my trusty PS125 got sent to the scrappy by my insurers. I'm all healed up and back to work but one week of bus journeys, stealing the car off the the wife or relying on colleagues, I want my independence and time back, and I want it in the form of a maxi. As per usual with these things, I have next to no money and looking to spend not much over £1k if I can help it. So, you knowledgeable, experienced lot, what are your well considered opinions? I'm in Stockport, Manchester, and for a large city, there appears to be pee all options in the immediate area. And for that money, looks like it will have to be a canny private buy or a rough part-ex from a dealer. Some ebay options are:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150864553047? ... 1438.l2648 - Leonardo 250 with high miles, but (relatively) local dealer.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121027779692? ... 1438.l2649 - Peugeot Satelis 125, looks clean, but seller is also keen to get rid, and has admitted earlier that it wasn't a starter until they got the AA out. Something doesn't sit right with this.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261129097651? ... 1438.l2649 - X8 125, again looks clean and had money spent on it, but whats this I read, not ridden since MOT in June, hmmm.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271111243092? ... 1438.l2649 - Majesty 125, looks okay, lots of info, and even a video. Seller seems to shift scooters on quite regularly.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271111356843? ... 1438.l2649 - Burgman 125, same seller as the majesty.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-YP1-25 ... 2a2588f413 - Majesty 125, first generation model, but from dealer.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUZUKI-UC125- ... 23254c97e9 - Suzuki Epicuro 125, seems good value, but never heard of this model.

[R1K SU]

Glad your back on 2 wheels, are you limited to what size you can have or do you just like 125's and the one 250 ?
I checked Autotrader for your area, not much going on, you were right
The Burgman 125 would be my choice, it looks big and would be noticed by car drivers, plus the storage.

[Beardy]

I'm a year into my 33bhp restriction, and would like a 250 if I'm honest. But there is not a lot of choice in my price bracket, and my commute is across town, so I don't have a need for a big engine. It would be good to keep the running costs down too. Seen a few 250 Majesties and X9s around but nothing lights my fire.

[Whatsisname]

If I recall, the Burgman 400 (at least the older ones) are 33bhp.

[mottza]

The Leonardo is a good bike, but the milage is a little high for my liking.

The X9 250 is a good bargain. I got mine for £1225 with 15k miles on a 03 plate.

If you get a 125 make sure its a decently powered one. There is a huge difference in the power range of 125's from about 9-15hp. The lower ones will struggle to top 60, whereas the 15hps' will top 70.

Its the same for the 250's The Leonardo/X9 250SL only have about 19hp whereas the X9 250evo/X8 has a good couple more. The Leo/X9 250SL will just about top 80.

[macp]

I would go for the Leo 250 as I think 31k is fine if it has been maintained properly. Also I sense a bargain as its been up for sale for some time as I considered it then found something a little closer.

[mottza]

mmm, my Leo had 32k kms (20k miles) on it.

They have a habit of losing screws and bolts as well.

Great flickable scoot, but weather protection is poor.

It really depends what you are using the scoot for.

[Beardy]

That Leo has been there a long time, and its the weather protection, not the miles that put me off. I think it is a bargain to be had, but I don't think it will be me. I am a commuter with a 24 mile round trip through south Manchester, all year round. My Honda PS was just fine for the town roads for the journey and topped out at around 60 on 13bhp, so I know I need to be careful to get a machine that is capable of pulling its weight, especially on a 125. What I'm after now though is weather protection as I've had it all chucked at me over the last 3 years. It would be good to have something with a little more presence too. I have the option to use the motorway to get to work so a larger engine would definitely help with that, but I do find the journey through town a lot more satisfying and it wakes me up in the morning, even if it does have a little more risk! Its also not so different on time surprisingly as the route is more direct and carving through the morning rush eliminates those queues at the lights. I think a 400cc bike is unnecessary for my needs though - I'm not at that stage of life yet where I can spend a weekend sight seeing and as nice as a Burgman or the like might be, I think I'd struggle to nip and tuck with it. In an ideal world, I'd be off to Mr Piaggio tomorrow and ordering myself a Bev ST, but that ain't gonna happen.

Great advice people, keep it coming.

[mightbesane]

I've never ridden the Burger 125 but it looks like a compressed 400 and my Burger is tops if it's weather protection that that you're after. And my 400 is a 2004, I bought it with 12,000 miles on the clock, and it's been a faithful runner for 10,000 more miles in a little over a year.

[mottza]

If you want weather protection... Go for X8/X9 kind of scoot. The X9 keeps me warm and dry even in this horrible weather. It also has a lot of presence.

If you want to squeeze through town/city traffic then the Leo is great for that. You can get a Givi screen for the Leo that improves things greatly.