Hi
I am new to forum and presently run a vespa gts 250 and a lammy auto but I have just sold my big bike of which I had for 13 yrs but just haven't used in the last 3 yrs as I prefer riding my scoots. I now want to buy a big scoot. I definitely want a t max 500 of the gilera gp 800.. Can any one please advise what one is better (pro's and cons)as I have been trailing through reviews etc and it's doing my head in as I still can't make up my mind.
I prefer the looks of the tmax but the power of the gilera appeals to me. Any advice what be appreciated as I have never owned a big scoot before...help
poldark wrote:Based on unreliability and well documented failures cannot recommend the GP800, would be TMax every time.
I'm no great TMax expert, but listen to owners as to best version to get, though your budget will clearly influence the options.
What are the unreliability issues and failures with the gp ??. is there any one on here with a gp that has had no issues ??.
My dilema is between two for sale at the moment .
A 08 tmax (Ithink thats a mk 4 ??)) at around £4000 with 12,000 miles
or
A 08 gp at £3,600 with 12,000 miles ..
Well - I'm a TMax fanatic, so I'm biased! And I haven't actually ridden an SRV /GP800, so I can only deduce what magazines say about it.
The unique selling point of the SRV is the amount of grunt - I test rode a Mana (same engine) and that was fun, accelerating anyway. If you want to cruise the Autostrada or Autobahns, the SRV is better as it'll reach around 115mph. On the other hand I found the Mana a pain in the arse at slower speeds as there seemed to be a lag between opening the throttle and any power reaching the wheels - I kept rolling dead into corners. I've read that some people have experienced this on the SRV. The SRV is a V-twin, so vibey - you may find this provides interesting 'bike-like character' or a pain! The SRV has been criticised for slow handling, though apparently its better than the GP800, but it sounds like a main road cruiser rather than a back lane scratcher (wind protection is good, apparently). The downside appears to be practicality - the luggage space is poor, with apparently not even all full face helmets fitting in. And there's the matter of the final chain drive...if you've had bikes, you will be used to chains, but it puts me off big time. And the chain and sprockets need changing every 12000 miles at a cost of £200-250, and of course the CVT belt will need changing around then as well. I read a letter from an owner in MCM - he said he really enjoyed his, but maintenance was very expensive. And I hope Aprilia have improved their spare parts service from when I had an Aprilia....
So to the TMax...it has enough performance, is reasonably practical (room for a full face helmet plus quite a few other things), reasonably comfortable, though the standard screens on the mk1-3 versions are all awful. Its strongest point is its superb handling and sense of balance and is generally reliable. It is fun to ride and does give most riders a special feeling. It does everything pretty well, with few flaws, though fuel consumption has never been a strong point. The mk1-3 had a chain in oil bath final drive, which worked well, and requires very little maintenance, whilst the mk4 has a belt drive - we shall see how that works out! The Tmax parallel twin is very smooth. Maintenance costs are so-so - I find its not the maintenance costs that are expensive, but the consumables - tyres, drive belts, brake pads.
Put it this way, Yamaha have sold 180,000+ Tmaxs over the last 10 years, and its always been something like the 5th best selling PTW of any type in Italy, whilst only tiny numbers of speed crazy Italians could be persuaded to buy the GP800/SRV. Go figure....
There again, the TMax is outrageously over priced, whilst the GP is a relative bargain at £8000 or so!
iang wrote:
My dilema is between two for sale at the moment .
A 08 tmax (Ithink thats a mk 4 ??)) at around £4000 with 12,000 miles
or
A 08 gp at £3,600 with 12,000 miles ..
?????????????????????????
An 08 is probably a mk3 (though there were a load of mk2s that were dumped on the market after the mk3 was announced, so could be a mk2). Mk4 came out in 2012.
Mk3 and I highly recommend getting a TMax. They are beautiful beasts. If you can get that Mk3 and maybe talk the owner down a smidgen it will be a bargain.
Past Bikes: Piaggio B125, Gilera Nexus 500, TMax MK3 in White, TMax MK3 in Yellow, TMax MK3 in Yellow, Honda NC750x in Blue...
iang wrote:
My dilema is between two for sale at the moment .
A 08 tmax (Ithink thats a mk 4 ??)) at around £4000 with 12,000 miles
or
A 08 gp at £3,600 with 12,000 miles ..
?????????????????????????
An 08 is probably a mk3 (though there were a load of mk2s that were dumped on the market after the mk3 was announced, so could be a mk2). Mk4 came out in 2012.
Can you tell me what the main difference between the mk3 and 2?
