Scooter News  ADVERTISEMENT  Piaggio X8 250 i.e. Fitting a top-box to a scooter with a boot calls for some lateral thinking.
Words & photography by JEREMY BOWDLER My gut feeling is that, once the top-box is fitted, weíll just stop using the boot. Itís only been a day or so since I picked the X8 up, so time will tell. It's nice to have the extra storage room as a recent trip to the airport proved. Park the scoot, pack away helmet, gloves and jacket and then itís on to the plane as easy as pie. Reverse the procedure that afternoon and I was back in the office before the rest of the passengers had got their luggage.
Mind you, had I wanted to fly encumbered, the top-box pops off with a twist of the key, leaving a very handy luggage rack behind.
All this for $750 (plus fitting).
Odds and sods
Meanwhile, the squeaky rear brake I complained about last time has been fixed, not with replacement pads, but with elbow grease and a bit of emery paper. Cleaning up the disc and scuffing the pads to remove glazing has worked a treat. The rear brake feels better and has stopped that nails on a blackboard sound.
In other news, a spring in the indicator switch appears to have sprung, removing the push-to-cancel facility. Irritating, but fixable and the scooter's still under warranty. The sticky seat latch seems to have been cured, probably by loosening up over time, or a bit more lubrication at service time. As my eight-year-old daughter says: Whatever It's fixed.
And so...
Apart from that thereís little to report. A fortnight of annual leave and other riding duties have limited the time weíve had the X8 on the road, but it still fits like an old shoe when the time comes to wheel it out of the shed, and we all look forward to its comfort and road manners when it does. ?
Apparently, its all in the wrist action. My first glance at the X8 told me that thereíd be no optional top-box on offer since it would foul the boot lid. And that boot lid, as well as the boot under it, is one of the best features on the Piaggio.
Stupid me. Where thereís a will thereís a way and I was intrigued when Ralph from Scooteria called, asking me to drop the scoot off for the flip-up top-box to be fitted. Yep, flip-up.
The actual top-box looks pretty standard, and is. Itís practical, simple to use and does everything a top-box is supposed to. It hasnt rained while Iíve had the box fitted, so I canít comment definitively on the waterproofing, but so far so good. It even offers a padded front section to act as a pillion backrest, further increasing the comfort levels for your main squeeze.
It's when you need to gain access to the stuff in the boot that things get interesting. The framework for the top-box looks more like bridge pylons than luggage mounts, but it forms a handy grabrail in addition to supporting the mounting plate that, once released by a knob, pivots forward, taking the top-box with it.
It's a fool-proof system, though Iíd get a bit sick of the process if it was a daily chore. You have to unscrew the knob and then push it in until the plate unlatches. Then you can tip the top-box. Itíd be better not to carry anything too heavy in it, partly because weight carried high and to the back can unsettle the steering but mostly because it makes the job of tipping the box forwards more difficult and puts more strain on the hinges and fixings.
Second opinion
I really must recommend the large windshield. Frankly, I donít know why Piaggio sells the X8 with that stupid little shield, it only costs the customer money then has to be discarded.
I don't know why you like the GTS 250. I found the GT 200 to be unstable at speeds greater than 80km/h. Thatís the main reason I bought the X8.
Also, itís a real pain to manipulate the valves on the tyres of the X8 to inflate them. It's worse than the GT.
Noel Clothier, email
published 28/12/2007 |