Just came across this....

http://www.cyberscooter.it/dx/news_aziende/index12b.htm

Apparently Yamaha have already sold 4000 new model Tmaxs in Italy since the beginning of the year , making it the top selling PTW of all - even obviously way outselling the Honda SH! It seems that the price isn't putting off the Italians!!

Pretty good going.

IIRC the MK3 sold well too so it's probably no surprise to Yamaha.EU.

The SH range sold 25000+ per annum for the last 2 years which is a tad above UK sales!

I think the TMax is selling mainly on the good reputation it's built up over the years. I guess it also goes to show that if you can give the impression of premium quality you can charge a big premium

The reverse is true for the Piaggio group scooters which is a shame bacause they're not all bad. Despite my initial misgivings about buying the Xevo I'm glad I did as it's been totally reliable and fun too. I won't be buying the X10 though as I'd want the 500cc version and that looks to be the same old 500cc they've used for yonks.

My hopes are now pinned on either the Honda 700x or maybe the new 2013 Burgman (if it's a major redesign and not just another bit of heated tat bolted on). Or the BMW 650gt if they drop the price by 3k

rtfm wrote:
My hopes are now pinned on .....the BMW 650gt if they drop the price by 3k

And when that happens, you'll be mown down by a squadron of flying pigs and hell will have frozen over......

I suspect you're right

Good! We can plan a maxi-muppets trip to italy in a few year's time to go and grab some used tmaxes for cheap and import back to blighty then

rtfm wrote: The reverse is true for the Piaggio group scooters which is a shame bacause they're not all bad. Despite my initial misgivings about buying the Xevo I'm glad I did as it's been totally reliable and fun too. I won't be buying the X10 though as I'd want the 500cc version and that looks to be the same old 500cc they've used for yonks.

My hopes are now pinned on either the Honda 700x or maybe the new 2013 Burgman (if it's a major redesign and not just another bit of heated tat bolted on). Or the BMW 650gt if they drop the price by 3k

So true. In particular the UK division has been failing for years, I get the sales figures pumped through to me on a regular basis and the numbers, or lack of them should be a major cause for comcern for Italy. In fact I believe the Vespa range is the lifeblood for the UK and even they are not imune to quality issues. Why a £4000 plus GTS300ie should suffer rusty exhausts a few weeks into ownership is downright apalling. And the quality of the Gilera Runner ST125 I have just sold has atrocious build quality, peeling decals, ill fitting panels on a scooter with a premium price tag shows how far the Gilera name has fallen from grace...

Demand for small capacity scooters is so far this year outstripping stock levels (Sym in particular) so why is Piaggio wallowing in the sales chart gutter?