Yesterday I went scooter shopping. Port Talbot, shithole that it is, has two pretty big bike shops, and I thought a brief visit to them might give me an idea on larger scooters. The first visit unveiled an old (9 year) Yamaha Majesty, a bike of high standing that is worth (currently) about £900. Admittedly this one is higher mileage (40,000 miles, is that possible on a scooter???), but apart the fact it had a completely new engine only 5,000 miles ago and has a new exhaust as well, along with loads of service history, I still think the £500 they're asking is a bargain.Leaving, I already feel chuffed at the thought of such a bike and the fun to be had. Moving down the road to the second large bike place, I wait 20 minutes to ask about their offerings. Eventually I got told about a 'special deal' he's got on, with a new bike for only £1200. He's obviously been shopping on Ebay, because these bikes are Austrian in design (oooh Austria, that great motorcycling nation), and are made in China. You just know these bikes are going to be of the highest quality (!). The fact is, the £500 bike will be driven for a year, it'll be reliable, easily maintained, secondhand parts will be available, forums will exist online, upgrades will be possible, and after 12 months, it'll be worth £400. The new bike will have a guarantee on parts and labour, it'll not have any other support then the retailer, it'll probably be terrible build quality, it'll not be possible to upgrade without invalidating the warranty, and after 12 months it'll be worth £600.
It's a no brainer.
