Who's made the switch from motorbikes to scooters?

[Russell iow]

I've been thinking about it for a while so last summer i decided to give scooters a try and i bought a little xmax250.
I really like it, apart from its lack of rear suspension its really good, super practical and quick enough for the isle of wight. Ive had my licence 20 years and have had sports bikes, an adv tourer and a plethora of trail, mx and enduro bikes.
I like an auto car and, lo and behold, i really like an auto bike. Since getting the scooter I've been dreaming of a euro trip on a scoot but my limit on the xmax is around an hour. I've ordered some YSS shocks and would like to add some foam to the seat to see what that does but really i would like to try a tmax or bmw c650gt, when funds allow, as i have read they have a bit more room for the legs.

[MrGrumpy]

Yeah - Tmax and C650GT are roomier, but much bigger and heavier! Suspension on both much better than on normal mid-sized scoots. I'll be interested to see whether new shocks help the Xmax - its possible that limited suspension travel mean they might not be too effective, or give a hard ride.

[Russell iow]

Yes there is not a lot of travel to play with. Fingers crossed it makes some noticable difference.
Edit:
It definitely seems less jarring. I was able to set the sag to 30% with my 14 stone on it.
When pushing them on the garage floor you can tell there is a lot more rebound damping.
I would say they are worth the £185 they cost.

[Orcadian]

Although I had bikes when I was 16/17, I soon moved on to cars. The real change came in 1980 (mortgage lower, salary higher) when I bought a new 250 Super Dream and that re-started a long association with bikes, gradually increasing in size until I ended up with a 1500 GoldWing. I had 6 Wings in all and did over 100,000 miles on them, having been savagely bitten by the Continental touring bug. I have collected and restored quite a few bikes, especially 70's fours from Honda, but a friend here in Orkney gave me a shot on his 300 Forza and I was hooked. Soon after (in 2023) I bought a new Forza 350, now with 9,000 miles on and this includes leading a 3,000 mile trip with 2 couples ((FJ1300 and Harley Fat Boy) and me solo from from Orkney to Austria in 2024. I'll be 77 in June and have just ordered a new ADV 350 and might make another Continental trip with that. There'll certainly be a few long distance trips in this Country too. I still enjoy tootling around on the Classics and a C125 and see no need to have another big heavy tourer. The Forza did (and hopefully the ADV will do) everything I want these days - it didn't hold anyone up on the Autobahns and returned 92mpg (admittedly on the optimistic display). I wrote an account of the trip on my hobby web site but will not include a link as the spy bots will push up the view numbers unnecessarily (pm me if you are interested)

Ian

[Ministerofsillywalks]

I can't make my mind up, so I have 2 scooters and 2 motorcycles, for touring you can't beat a big maxi scooter, if you visit anywhere people are more friendly when you turn up, and you can store the biker gear and move on.

People are more friendly when you turn up? That's not my experience at all. Every time (with a couple of exceptions) I have turned up at a biker's meet I have been totally blanked. 'Oooh a scooter. It's not a real bike.' I tend to avoid them now.

[MrGrumpy]

People are more friendly when you turn up? That's not my experience at all. Every time (with a couple of exceptions) I have turned up at a biker's meet I have been totally blanked. 'Oooh a scooter. It's not a real bike.' I tend to avoid them now.

I'd be tempted to turn up with the ADV350 - an Adventure Scooter?? That would really baffle them!

[Alan29]

I've never been one for biker meets, they just don't interest me. I prefer to ride solo too, not in a group.
But I do find that I get the nod from other bikers when I'm on the ASDV350, and I didn't expect that. Maybe its because it looks a bit more like a bike from the front, or maybe bikers are less arsey where I ride - who knows.
I made the switch last year from an NT1100. I was 75 and was finding 250kg a bit much, and to be honest I didn't see the point of 100+hp when I ride mainly in N Wales where average speed cameras rule everywhere. The ADV is just perfect for 50mph twisties- I arrive at places the same time as before, have as much fun and am saving a wedge of cash at the same time.

[roadster]

I've never been one for biker meets, they just don't interest me. I prefer to ride solo too, not in a group.
But I do find that I get the nod from other bikers when I'm on the ASDV350, and I didn't expect that. Maybe its because it looks a bit more like a bike from the front, or maybe bikers are less arsey where I ride - who knows.
I made the switch last year from an NT1100. I was 75 and was finding 250kg a bit much, and to be honest I didn't see the point of 100+hp when I ride mainly in N Wales where average speed cameras rule everywhere. The ADV is just perfect for 50mph twisties- I arrive at places the same time as before, have as much fun and am saving a wedge of cash at the same time.

My situation summarised almost exactly!

[spudwheels]

Much the same as Capitano above, various motorcycles over the years, as bikes got taller and I got older I had a Piaggio Hexagon (or 2 at different times) while working my way through various Harleys, then as hip and knee problems intensified, I sold the last Harley and bought a new 2018 400 Burgman, enjoyed it immensely for 6 years, but having had a hip replacement (and a knee replacement in a weeks time) swapped the Burgman for a new Honda SH350i last August - which is easier to get the legs through as basically a "step through" as well as being lighter - which was the only negative the Burgman had.

[Andym]

People are more friendly when you turn up? That's not my experience at all. Every time (with a couple of exceptions) I have turned up at a biker's meet I have been totally blanked. 'Oooh a scooter. It's not a real bike.' I tend to avoid them now.

I'd be tempted to turn up with the ADV350 - an Adventure Scooter?? That would really baffle them!

Depends on the group. The ones to avoid are self confirmation ones, if it's wall to wall Harleys, BMW GS, Sportsbike and leather baby grow stuff it's pointless. You get this in every subject though, I know "railway" people who'll fight like Mods and Rockers at a steam vs Diesel conversation (and join forces to duff up train spotters like they turned up wearing Lycra with 40 mates and are bunging up the buttie queue ordering spinach smoothies).

I find you get a better crowd at "biker" places at this time of year. The anoraks and club committee types don't seem to ride in the cold or are maybe a more normal away from their groups. I certainly avoid events with expectations ( and nutters who never grew out of making a noise and cosplaying goodness knows what).

The "public" seem equally variable. I do seem to attract nutters, bike or scooter. For every one who seems genuinely interested and sensible there seems to be another who thinks you are a phone snatcher. Last one I recall was a woman telling her kid I was a "biker gang" when I'm alone, wearing armored fabrics/open face lid and riding a SuperCub

Some used to bother me, now I can't be bothered.

Andy