Bike Yamaha X-Max 250
Rider Nick Gibbs
Pictures David Smith and Nick Gibbs
My neighbour is plotting to buy a Piaggio MP3 three-wheel scooter to take his five-year-old daughter to her new school. His elderly Fireblade will see its annual mileage dramatically cut, but he professes not to care.
I believe him. He might not have 10,000rpm at his disposal, but buying a scooter means he can solve his school run problem and keep him on two (well, three) wheels. His wife mollified by the extra stability offered by the Piaggio, it’ll mean the five-mile school run is slashed from a worst-case 40 minutes to a reliable 20 minutes, plus he can continue to work in central London (impossible in a car).
I recognised in his enthusiastic explanation of the benefits that unique man-joy at finding the perfect tool for the job. For many motorbikes are a toy, but to just as many riders (and this is where scooters come in) they’re a terrific saver of both time and money. I got a dose of that addictive satisfaction a couple of weeks ago when I parked the Yamaha X-max for free in the Stansted Airport bike park close to the terminal building in the otherwise very pricey short-stay. It was understandably busy.
The neighbour chat began after spotting his Fireblade hidden behind a large hedge in one of those overworked scraps of land that London estate agents call front gardens. I lost my garage in the recent move here, and now park the scooter just outside the front door. Luckily the guy we bought the place off also rode a scooter so I paid him not to take his Abus ground anchor with him. Hidden under a cover, so far it’s been fine, even in dodgy Lambeth.
No drop kerb though. The first time I parked it, I stopped at right angles to the six-inch cliff, tried not to worry and gave it plenty. Thankfully there was no scraping, but how do you even work out whether I would have done? Buy a 4x4 and the manufacturer tells you what angle ridge you can attempt before you’ll beach it, but ramp-over angles aren’t part of the Yamaha spec sheet. Turns out they have sensible ground clearance.
I did think that when it gets sold, the description now can’t include the words “always garaged”. It’s a comforting phrase that, when you stop to think about it, really shouldn’t be. For a start a garage is usually damp. Now my Yamaha’s undersides are regularly aired with a fresh breeze. Even more so with the exhaust melting that bit of the cover.
Out of interest, I called up price experts CAP to find out what the Yamaha X-Max 250 would be worth. They don’t differentiate between garaged and non, but if I kept it well, then its trade-in value would be £2000 after two years and 5000 miles. That’s a loss of over half from its £4399 price new, but not too bad compared to a motorbike equivalent. The nearest would be the Yamaha YBR250 commuter, which drops from £3799 to £1750. The cut of 54 percent is identical to the X-Max, which shows scoots can match the bikes for residuals. Despite the UK being, according to CAP Green Book editor Alan Elsworth, “not a scooter country”.
However if, like the Piaggio MP3, they can pack in enough car-related safety technology to satisfy bike sceptics like my neighbour’s wife, there’s surely enough appetite out there from bike owners for a utility machine that’ll do the school run. The kids are already sold.
Start mileage: 16
Current mileage: 1913
Costs this month: £21.21
Average mpg: 65.2mpg
What I’ve learned
Despite its low-slung appearance, the X-Max can mount a kerb without scraping.
School runs are must less hassle on a scooter (secondhand info)
The Yamaha holds its value as well as an equivalent motorbike
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