From a Cost V Reliability V Train Prices V Next New Thing etc...
I would say 5 Years-ish... My Previous scoot, Gilly VXR200, was starting to cost on replacment parts, Reg/Rec, Zorst - was gonna need shocks etc, swing arm / engine bushes etc etc after 5 years, PXed for the X-Max.. now 3 years on all is well, if it goes another 2 then thats fine (more would be better...) but from a commuter point of view 5 years makes it cheaper, inc purchae and fuel and all that and more fun and practicle than getting the train...
How long should a Maxi last?
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Re: How long should a Maxi last?
Nail on the head Mel! Despite having bought a street triple and sold it on, still love my ole Tmax haha.Meldrew wrote:I'd say another point to consider is a lot of scooters last only as long as their current owner is interested in them%.
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Re: How long should a Maxi last?
And I think it's also very much down to how much maintenance and repairs you can do/want to do, yourself! If paying dealer workshop prices then that can determine when you decide to pull the plug on your bike. If you are able to do stuff yourself and many of us do, then that will ensure your bike will pretty much keep going for a very very long time. I've kept motorcycles for years and years in the past because I've maintained them myself. Economically, it often wasn't worthwhile from the expense point of view to rebuild an engine if left to a dealer. But doing it myself often cost just one third of the cost and kept the bike in prestine condition. Most scooter engines don't really wear out these days for years and year and years if you service them on time and properly, so it is really down to whether you just get totally sick of the bike or not as to when you get rid. 

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Been riding for 55 years & owned too many bikes to list here...
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Re: How long should a Maxi last?
Absolutely. The killer is labour charge. Even regular servicing costs a fortune for not that much actually being done, but a lot of DIY capable owners still pay this on a new bike because of warranty.
Another killer of bikes is actually poor DIY maintenence and fudging thing on the cheap, and also owners attempting things outside of their skills and facilities. You also cannot properly maintain a bike parked in the road even if your skills are fine. You have to have reasonable dry, dirt free level dry ground with power and light to do any job properly other than in an emergency. If nothing else, working in poor conditions just makes the job miserable and hard work.
Another killer of bikes is actually poor DIY maintenence and fudging thing on the cheap, and also owners attempting things outside of their skills and facilities. You also cannot properly maintain a bike parked in the road even if your skills are fine. You have to have reasonable dry, dirt free level dry ground with power and light to do any job properly other than in an emergency. If nothing else, working in poor conditions just makes the job miserable and hard work.
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Re: How long should a Maxi last?
If ridden by a dispatch rider day in day out, not too long I'd imagine, but it would do an emormous mileage before it died.
Pevious maintenance is the key, together with what you're willing & able to do yourself.
I'd say 3 years to everyone, then there will be plenty of really good second hand maxi sccoters around for me to buy cheap.
Pevious maintenance is the key, together with what you're willing & able to do yourself.
I'd say 3 years to everyone, then there will be plenty of really good second hand maxi sccoters around for me to buy cheap.
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Re: How long should a Maxi last?
TmaxX9, I can be miserable and make hard work of anything anytime. Trust me, I can!!...TmaX9 wrote:Absolutely. If nothing else, working in poor conditions just makes the job miserable and hard work.


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Been riding for 55 years & owned too many bikes to list here...
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Re: How long should a Maxi last?
Trouble is, resale prices can be so low, and repairs are so expensive, that a Maxi's economic life can be very short. For instance, my 2008 Burger 200 has been giving me lots of hassle recently. I was concerned that the problems might have needed the fuel injection replacing - but that would be £700+ but the scoot is probably only worth not a lot more than £1000, so would it have been worth it?? Or would it have been better to put the £700 towards a new scoot?
In the end, the FI was fine and the problem was a corroded wire giving a bad earth, so it wasn't an issue. Of course if you absolutely love your scooter, the cost won't matter so much, but whilst I like the Burger (most of the time...) its really only a commuting tool to take all the crap and salt so that the TMax doesn't have to.
In the end, the FI was fine and the problem was a corroded wire giving a bad earth, so it wasn't an issue. Of course if you absolutely love your scooter, the cost won't matter so much, but whilst I like the Burger (most of the time...) its really only a commuting tool to take all the crap and salt so that the TMax doesn't have to.
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Re: How long should a Maxi last?
Your scoot should have plenty of life left yet!
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Re: How long should a Maxi last?
With mine I've only really used it for commuting & going to the shops. I rarely do more than 15miles a day on
it. In fact my longest distance travelled on it so far in a day was 125miles, for when I went to Exmoor Zoo. For
my commute the SYM GTS is perfect, for its all on an A-road. But having experienced dual carriageways & M-ways
the 250 does lack oomph. Enough to pass trucks and even cars on the flat, but still near WOT.
Problem is, I've became quite attached to the bike and have no intention of selling it (at least in working order). But then I also want something new and with more.. oomph. Which is why i'm thinking of (also) getting a second hand Silverwing for the longer more demanding trips whilst leaving the GTS for commuting, which in turn will take some 'pressure' off it. I've owned two second hand bikes before and didn't get attached to them and found it easy to sell them on. (Though I do sometimes wish I kept the C90! Fun little bike.)
I've now started to do most of my own servicing - fluids, air filter and spark plug as these are actually quite easy to do & access unlike some Maxi's. But with the state of some parts mainly exhaust and centre stand I can see these as probably being to much to fix when they do fail. The centre stand is attached to the chasis by two pipes that are welded on. On both sides these pipes have rusted and the centre stand has been acting quite stiff lately, it doesn't always pop up when i bring the scoot off its stand. Probably just needs lubricating for now.
But then there's the two problems, more a dilemma I face. I'm attached to the bike and would like to keep it for as long as possible - so if things do fail I can (and do) pay to fix them. But then there's the bikes actual value and the cost of fixing it. Like I mentioned it's probably only worth £1200 if sold privately. If the exhaust fails again it'll cost nearly a third of it's current value to replace. With other things that could go wrong would I end up paying more to keep the bike running than it's actually worth, money not personal feelings wise?
it. In fact my longest distance travelled on it so far in a day was 125miles, for when I went to Exmoor Zoo. For
my commute the SYM GTS is perfect, for its all on an A-road. But having experienced dual carriageways & M-ways
the 250 does lack oomph. Enough to pass trucks and even cars on the flat, but still near WOT.
Problem is, I've became quite attached to the bike and have no intention of selling it (at least in working order). But then I also want something new and with more.. oomph. Which is why i'm thinking of (also) getting a second hand Silverwing for the longer more demanding trips whilst leaving the GTS for commuting, which in turn will take some 'pressure' off it. I've owned two second hand bikes before and didn't get attached to them and found it easy to sell them on. (Though I do sometimes wish I kept the C90! Fun little bike.)
I've now started to do most of my own servicing - fluids, air filter and spark plug as these are actually quite easy to do & access unlike some Maxi's. But with the state of some parts mainly exhaust and centre stand I can see these as probably being to much to fix when they do fail. The centre stand is attached to the chasis by two pipes that are welded on. On both sides these pipes have rusted and the centre stand has been acting quite stiff lately, it doesn't always pop up when i bring the scoot off its stand. Probably just needs lubricating for now.
But then there's the two problems, more a dilemma I face. I'm attached to the bike and would like to keep it for as long as possible - so if things do fail I can (and do) pay to fix them. But then there's the bikes actual value and the cost of fixing it. Like I mentioned it's probably only worth £1200 if sold privately. If the exhaust fails again it'll cost nearly a third of it's current value to replace. With other things that could go wrong would I end up paying more to keep the bike running than it's actually worth, money not personal feelings wise?
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Re: How long should a Maxi last?
Bollocks if you were attached you would do something about it you can get pack of wire brushes from pound shop ,exhaust spray, waxoyl from halfords .Its not that hard to remove an exhaust clean it up respray it or even brush on exhaust paint if you do it every year they will last .