Out on the scoot this morning. Literally, the scoot - I took Joan's Xmax for a run on Iron Mountain Road and the other fun twisties.
It has been quite a while since I've ridden that bike. When I had the Vespa, I would take her bike on occasion, because it felt like a sport bike compared to the Vespa. Now, after spending just over 5 months with the CTX, it gives me a chance to do a comparison, especially after riding the Xmax for a couple hours.
The CTX is significantly bigger and heavier. You notice that when moving it around and also on the road. The Xmax has that scooter "flickability" that scooter riders like. That is a plus and a minus, since the CTX feels more planted on the road. I think the Xmax may be a little faster through the tightest curves, but that may be the rider. I use trail braking coming into the corner with the Xmax, and engine braking with the CTX. No question the CTX will accelerate faster out of the curves.
The CTX is more comfortable for me; Joan still hasn't ridden it, but she likes the way her Xmax is set up.
A short stop for a photo op...
When I first got the CTX, I felt like I had been riding a horse after the first lengthy ride. It didn't take long for me to get used to having that tank between my knees - and it was noticeably absent on this ride. In spite of the differences, I had fun riding her bike. I was out early enough that the traffic was very light; the only "hold up" came from two very slow moving UTVs - they took the fun out of two of the three pigtail bridges before a healthy application of throttle moved me around them.
Yep, still a scooter boy.
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