Nothing went wrong in the three months I owned it, but then I doubt I really gave it time.
In my second bike I was looking for something to continue the commuting capability of my little Typhoon, but something that was also capable of being ridden in place of driving the car at the weekends.
I knew pretty well instantly when I did my bike test that I was never going to get used to manual gear-change after two years of scootering, so a big auto bike was the only option, and after finding a Silverwing uncomfortable, I went for this.
First the good points - it was fantastically comfortable, blisteringly quick (for a scooter), almost as easy to handle as my little Typhoon (though it coudln't quite get in the same gaps) and it had a vast array of gadgetary (including an automatic centre stand for goodness sake). Fuel economy was okay, in the 50's round town.
There was only one bad point, but in the end it proved fatal, and that was the fact it was a bit top-heavy and the wheels weren't quite big enough for the weight (190kg unladen on 14's).
One day another bike did an emergency stop in front of me when an old lady stepped out into the the road without warning. I swerved to avoid going into the back of him and the bike went over - and that's when the bike's other fault became apparent - all that fancy plastic work on the side didn't actually contain anything as rigid as crash protection. End of bike with all of one side ripped off.
(End of my right boot as well, the only thing that prevented it being the end of my right foot according to the paramedics).
Any bike/scooter when dumped will sustain damage. Everyone knows a scooter is pretty, but will sustain lots of damage in a wreck. That's the price you pay for pretty. Better thing is to drive more aware so you aren't put in situations like this... sorry you wrecked the X9, mine, thank God, is still in one piece...
You cannot blame a machine for sending you down the road when it was clearly a rider fault. You were not aware of what was going on around you and were riding too close/fast to make a controlled emergency stop.
I ride a Burgman, which is 185 Kg, but on 13". Well over 30,000 miles over 4 years - not a single problem...
Big auto's are useful tools in the right hands!!
I've got a 250 X9, I find it useful, but boring, maybe I need a 500?
I've ridden many bikes of all different shapes and sizes, and find the X9 a bit unstable in poor weather conditions.
I think that the digital dash is prone to go wrong, and it would be better if made simpler. All you need is what's provided in the analogue set up.
It's also got the image of an old man (and woman). I would rather have a Vespa 200, which proved for me a much better bike.
Not sure where about's you are, but here in the land of Oz, if you run into the back of another vehicle, you don't blame the bike. It seems someone wasn't paying attention.
But on an X9 that can happen, they are a dream to ride.
Where can I obtain a service manual for this bike?
Piaggio x9 500cc 2003.
Try the X9 owners club website, I believe they have a PDF manual, which you can download & print off.
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