So... Which mid-size scoot for my first maxi?

[SOOTYGULL]

Might as well throw my fourpenneth in as well.

With 90% of your use for commuting in London and given that you have a child, those two up fun trips with the wife are going to be pretty minimal for now.

I would put the emphasis on a scoot slim enough for filtering but with some road presence and a large enough engine for the occasional two up trip.

Have you thought about either the Sym Joymax 300i at £4,299 on the road or the Maxsym 400i at £4,999 on the road ?

Bike trader has one year old models starting at £3500 which is within your budget.

Either of these would be up to commuting in to London (I am guessing your daily commute is between 20 and 30 miles) down busy A roads or commuting within London - which do you do ?

[johnp]

The only way to find which scoot is best for you is go out and test a few to see what works for your height and balance.

[Funkycowie]

I agree with John test a few, whittle it down to what you want, we can all give you advice on what to look for but regarding what suits you only you can decide.

I love my TMax to bits, before that I loved my Nexus to bits, and before that I loved my B125 to bits. Never really thinking of the next bike, I just went with what I liked the look of and how it felt to sit on and ride.

Each bike I have owned for around 4-5 years (TMax on going now 1 year in and will likely keep it as long as the others).

None of them have had ABS and I have had no incidents where I have needed it, maybe out of luck or just how I use my brakes.

By the way the BMW is the heaviest bike but does have ABS

[michaelphillips]

to be honest, if i had the money, i would nip over to france and bring back a brand new Gilera Nexus 500 for 6000 euros, only dreaming as have not got the money but there 1000 euros cheaper in france than italy? just thought i would put one more in the pot for you....
To be honest though, with whats available in the uk, with the tmax530 being out, you should get a good deal on a tmax500 new
you would be hard pushed to find a more versatile scoot for town use and going far and wide on.. Wide network of spare parts if bought second hand, so just enjoy...

[Steve_D]

It's very hard to find a scooter, or a car, that will cover all situations. I'm lucky enough to have a Burgman Exec for my weekend scootering and a once a year road trip in Europe and a SH300 for the commute through traffic. The Burger is next to useless for filtering in London traffic. If I had to choose just one from those two I'd definately go for the Honda and 'make do' when I rode two-up as it would make sense to have something that was practical for 95% of the time. Lugging something around that was suitable mainly for the odd trip would be like using a motorhome for the daily commute! My wife wont even get on the back of either of those scooters though (well, she did once but decided to walk the two miles back home when she'd had enough of it!) but if she was interested in the odd day out/weekend away, I'd definately consider the Honda with perhaps some side panniers for the luggage. Not for motorways although it would easily reach motorway speeds even with two people on it. You might be better off looking for something more suited to the commute but adaptable for two-up days out. As already mentioned, the Bev 350 might suit your needs.

[asparagus]

thanks all for the replies!! some fantastic advice there, and very much appreciated.

i appreciate the comments saying i should get something well suited for my main use (daily city commute) and 'make do' for secondary use (weekend trips and 2-up use). That's why i thought the Honda Forza could be a perfect solution for me, but now that it's delayed until after the summer (see the Forza thread), i've discounted that option. With the Burger seemingly a bit bulky for London filtering, I'm more and more thinking T-max. Now I know it's not a wee scooter either, but I see them often in London and they seem to be whizzing between the lanes beautifully.

now, could i ask for some t-max specific buying advice from all the experts on here? my absolute budget ceiling is 5000, which by the first look could get me an MK3 from around 2010-11 with 10k miles. However, there seem to be some good options from 2008-2009 with slightly higher milage for 4k and less. Then, there are MK2 ones out there from a few years earlier for around 3k and less. I must say i would be a happier man if i only spent 3k, and it being my first bigger bike, i dont mind if i dont start with the latest and greatest. Having said that, i'm not very mechanically minded, and couldn't really tell a well maintained bike from a bad one, and will also be likely relying on a yamaha delaer to do my servicing. what do you all think offers the best value for money given the above? are there any known issues from the different models and years? what should i look out for?

[MrGrumpy]

thanks all for the replies!! some fantastic advice there, and very much appreciated.

i appreciate the comments saying i should get something well suited for my main use (daily city commute) and 'make do' for secondary use (weekend trips and 2-up use). That's why i thought the Honda Forza could be a perfect solution for me, but now that it's delayed until after the summer (see the Forza thread), i've discounted that option. With the Burger seemingly a bit bulky for London filtering, I'm more and more thinking T-max. Now I know it's not a wee scooter either, but I see them often in London and they seem to be whizzing between the lanes beautifully.

now, could i ask for some t-max specific buying advice from all the experts on here? my absolute budget ceiling is 5000, which by the first look could get me an MK3 from around 2010-11 with 10k miles. However, there seem to be some good options from 2008-2009 with slightly higher milage for 4k and less. Then, there are MK2 ones out there from a few years earlier for around 3k and less. I must say i would be a happier man if i only spent 3k, and it being my first bigger bike, i dont mind if i dont start with the latest and greatest. Having said that, i'm not very mechanically minded, and couldn't really tell a well maintained bike from a bad one, and will also be likely relying on a yamaha delaer to do my servicing. what do you all think offers the best value for money given the above? are there any known issues from the different models and years? what should i look out for?

Now you are talking!
In your case, it looks as if having a full service history would be essential. There's not a lot of difference performance wise between the mk2 and mk3, its more a difference in attitude - the mk3 is a bit sportier, the mk2 slightly softer. One thing to consider is that early TMaxs (certainly including some or all mk2s) were made in Japan, whilst mk3s onwards come from Spain I believe, and I think the Japanese ones are better built. My mk2 had done over 30,000 miles and it was still running perfectly before its terminal accident, whilst I was a bit dubious of my mk3 when I sold that.

Now it can get very confusing as the mk2 was officially sold from 2005-7, and mk3s from 2008-11 but there were an awful lot of mk2s still being sold in 2008, (and even more mk3s being sold in in 2012!). The big giveaway is that the mk3 has its exhaust stuck up at a silly angle, and the seat is hinged at the rear rather than the front.

Personally I wouldn't bother with a mk1 (pre 2005) - only single brake disk at front, bouncy forks and rather less power than the mk2 & 3.

[Liam]

I've had a Mk 1 03 reg. and my current model is a Mk 2 08 reg.

Early models up to about 2004 had problems with the cam chain. This could be sorted with an upgrade which I had done at cmc in Notts.
Can't remember how much that was. £140 ish? But that was a few years ago.

Some late Mk 2 and early Mk 3 models had problems with the fuel pump failing. It stopped on me a couple of times and I scoured the internet for the cause.
I had the work done at cmc Clay cross, last year.
Despite the fact I had no service history, yamaha uk paid for the new fuel pump but I did have to pay 2 hours labour.

I don't think there are any other major problems.
I did have a plug cap fail on me as well. They cost £60 each!!
So parts can be expensive.
I've got a JCosta variator fitted which improves acceleration a little.
MPG varies from 57 to 62. Seems better than the Mk 1.
Just make out you're a Tmax expert (mention the possible problems) and ask if work has been done.
Haggle away and hopefully you'll get one at a good price

[ridinhigh]

Liam,why the high price for a plug cap?
its obviously not just a cap ,or is it?

[Liam]

hi Keith. Yes it was just the cap they replaced. They gave me the old one back.
It is quite big though, about 5" long as the plugs are seated well down but pricey to say my old Vespa ones used to be a few quid.