2001 Piaggio Typhoon 50 review from United Kingdom

Clutch cable broke once - less than £100 to fix. That's all.

When I got my Typhoon I had never ridden on two wheels before, not even a pushbike - I was riding with my car license allowance for 50cc scooters and had decided to get a bike as it was quicker than the tube.

It seems I could not have chosen better. After about an hour's practice I was ready to take on central London without fear. The bike was very easy to get to grips with, balanced well and had a great feel to it.

The fact that it weighed next to nothing meant that it accelerated off the blocks faster than every other 50, most 125's and all, but the fastest of cars, and also of course, that, with its single-gallon tank it could do four days of journeying to and from work - a total of over 100 miles.

Top speed (once I had the restrictor pulled off) was about 46mph, which is as fast as you're ever realistically going to ride in central London, but it was incredily agile and could corner even with my great bulk and a full load very nicely.

Finally it wasn't bad for shopping either - once equipped with a box it could carry three bags of shopping no problem and one of them could even be heavy (the one in the helmet stowage bay).

Okay, so it wasn't fantastically comfy over long distance, but who rides a 50cc moped over long distance?

Braking was not linked, but with discs on front and back it was prompt. I never spilt in the two years I rode this bike.

A lovely little thing, pity the thieves thought so too.