Phoned Rocket Centre, aswell as both parts of my license they need recent utility bill and a swipe of my credit card £500 deposit, will ask Su if she fancies going to have a spin on Saturday as Blackpool Honda didnt get back to me about the DCT Crosstourer 1200 test ride on Saturday.

R1K SU wrote:Maybe mount it like a proper motorbike ?
You can get a topbox that will fit 2 helmets, so storage shouldnt be a problem, you can put your coats and pants under the seat, helmets in the box.

If a full face helmet will barely fit under the seat, I think you'd struggle to get a bulky armoured jacket in there - especially with a decent sized back protector in it. It is possible with the TMax, but the TMax has quite a lot of additional space besides room for a helmet.

Just my problem Ric-Su, i can no longer mount a motorbike, due to back problems, the main reason i now ride a scooter. I am well known at the Rocket Centre probably why they didn't ask me for all the docs they want off other people.

Asked Su if she wanted a ride to Blackburn, she said she wouldnt go that far for a test ride....women !!

iv'e seen one in the flesh at frasers of glocester,an it does look nice. but still don't make it good..how many gp800's did you see ? not many..nuff said..you can polish a turd ,but it will still be a turd..

Shh you're not allowed to have any opinion unless you own and ride one for at least two years FYI it is mega reliable, has great storage and excellent weather protection and can be serviced at home with only an elastic band and a teaspoon*

*Standard Muppets Disclaimer No. 648 - The preceding post was an attempt at humour, no arguments please!

RTFM I presume thats the GP800 ?

My previous comment had a large dose of sarcasm

AFAIK the GP800 and SRV are pretty much the same machine under the different styling.

If you like the engine but not the ergnonomics then the mana/mana GT are worth looking at too as they share the same engine.

Was it you that was thinking of the ugly scoot, I'd recommend a test ride on that too if you can get one as it has tons of torque, good mpg and decent service intervals? And as others have said, it looks better in real life too.

phantom309 wrote:iv'e seen one in the flesh at frasers of glocester,an it does look nice. but still don't make it good..how many gp800's did you see ? not many..nuff said..you can polish a turd ,but it will still be a turd..

By "turd" are you referring to the bike, or Frazers?
I don't know the bike, but I do know Frazers...

rtfm wrote:My previous comment had a large dose of sarcasm

AFAIK the GP800 and SRV are pretty much the same machine under the different styling.

If you like the engine but not the ergnonomics then the mana/mana GT are worth looking at too as they share the same engine.

Was it you that was thinking of the ugly scoot, I'd recommend a test ride on that too if you can get one as it has tons of torque, good mpg and decent service intervals? And as others have said, it looks better in real life too.

In typical Italian style they fix the looks, but leave the utter impracticality of thing totally unmodified.

Here's what they should have done...
1: Shaved 25 kilos off the weight
2: Dumped the chain drive or at least fully-enclosed same
3: Given it a centre stand tat doesn't preclude the addition of panniers (see the c/s lever in piccies - if you mount panniers (and they don't offer any), you're buggered)
4: Changed the seat unit to provide at least 50 litres of underseat storage
5: Reduced the fuel consumption by 40%
6: Reduced the seat height by at least 2 inches
7: Provided adjustable ergonomics - handlebars, seat, screen
8: Added heated grips and seat as standard
9: Quadrupled the service intervals
10: Decided whether they want to make a scooter or a joke.

Of these the only decision they seem to have made appears to be #10...

What they have done is
1: Prettify the front end by stealing from the parts bin. Fucks up the aerodynamics at high speed (mpg drops from 50 to below 40 so it's got the drag co-efficient of a parachuted brick but hey, it looks luvverly...)
2: Added ABS and a rudimentary traction control system. A big thumbs up for that (but they have to add ABS for 2016 anyway thanks to Der Zafety Nazis)
3: Boosted the mid-range. Again, recognising that top end is irrelevant why make an 839cc scooter in the first place? The BeeEmms, Burgmans and Tmax's offer 90% of the performance with far better fuel consumption and user practicalities.

When the Piaggio Group already recognises the goal in 2012 is to change every single one of those things, as evidenced by the new 350 scooter motor, the best thing they could have done with the SRV is throw it in a skip and fahgettabahtid.

If they really wanted to make a showcase they should have avoided doing a half-arsed job and made something genuinely innovative that focusses on the performance potential - lower, lighter, faster, more frugal and a styling stunner, a breakthrough product not a breakfast work over.