A great, comfy bike that's fun to ride. (Madison 125cc)

Member Name: barnum42

Product:	Madison 125cc
Date:	29/09/02 (2118 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Comfortable, Unique Looks, Handling

Disadvantages: For some - the body mounted mirrors, Battery is fiddly to get to, I want the 400cc model, but can't afford it!

A new job had me enduring nearly an hour sat in traffic every morning, watching the scooters filter past me. I then made the decision to join them. I needed something that was learner legal - 125cc and under - and something that was comfortable which my defective right knee would not complain about (my knee does not like staying bent at an acute angle). It also had to be second hand, as my budget would not stretch to new.

I found a two-year-old Malaguti Madison 125. Sitting on it in the dealers I realised that it was the most comfortable of the bikes I had tried. Lots of legroom, handlebars at the right height and width (position is adjustable by the dealer) and a totally unique look. There is no other scooter looks like this head on.

My only reservation, being a new rider, was it?s apparent size. But this size works in it?s favour ? it has much more presence on the road, making it easier for the car drivers to notice you are there. Non-bikers are surprised when I tell them it is a scooter. The longer wheelbase makes it more stable than it?s smaller cousins and you do not sacrifice a lot of manoeuvrability for it.

Some people do not like the car style body mounted mirrors saying they make the bike to wide to get through traffic in queues. With very few exceptions I have been able to make my way through the same gaps I can on smaller scoots. The only thing you can not do is wiggle them to get through a small gap, such as a narrow front gate, if that is where you park you machine. The mirrors serve their purpose, but they do give you a good view of your knuckles. (I believe that Malaguti are fitting them with handlebar mounted versions now)

The under seat storage is huge ? room for one full and one half face helmet, or a sports bag. It sucks up my average trip to the supermarket. There is a lockable cubbyhole between the seat and the handlebars which houses the tool kit, a lockable glove box, which is not that big and a small compar
tment to the right of the dashboard. Good for pen, paper, directions or small non-valuables as it does not lock.

I use it for my daily commute to work ? fifteen mile round trip through Bristol rush hour traffic. What took nearly an hour in the car is done in twenty minutes. I now smile on my way to work. It is surprisingly manoeuvrable given it?s size and gets away from the lights at the same rate as your average saloon car. But if someone in a car does want to race you, they will get past. Let them ? it makes it all the more satisfying when they hit the next queue of traffic and you pootle past them, slowing down to see their reaction. They usually pick this time to concentrate furiously on tuning the radio =O)

When it?s not in traffic jams the Madison happy cruises the A roads. On the flat it will chug along at sixty to sixty five miles an hour, with a little throttle left in reserve. Flat out it can register seventy-five (without a head wind).

The comfort of it has been proven when I have ridden 115 miles from Bristol to Surrey. Three hours in the saddle along the A4, a bit of the M4 and then the A322. A lovely relaxing ride. I would not want to do a long Motorway journey on it when there are A roads to be had, but the option to use it there proves useful. I was expecting on my first motorway trip to be intimidated by all the cars flying past, but most cars probably go only ten to fifteen miles an hour quicker and the Madison is matching the speed of the long vehicles, so it has not proven too bad. Just boring compared to the A roads. But anything that lets me avoid Reading?s roads can?t be all bad!

The other thing I noticed when riding at speed ? excellent wind protection compared to other scoots. With the standard screen your torso is protected from most of the buffeting. In light rain you stay surprisingly dry.

It has disc brakes front and rear, which do a great job and do not deteriorate in the rain as much as some
others I have tried.

I?ve been keeping track of fuel economy, and get about 70MPG, give or take a couple of miles, regardless of whether I?m in traffic or on a long cruise.

It has proven reliable; there was one mystery ailment where it was not accelerating properly. It confounded the dealer, other local mechanics and Malaguti. In the end it was solved with a new carburettor (done under the dealers own warranty). It has once not started, when the earth lead to the battery was loose. The battery is stored below the cubbyhole that houses the tool kit and is a little fiddly to get to. You have to keep the hinged door open whilst removing four screws that hold the cubbyhole tray in place. The batter is a tight fit and again the door gets in the way when working on it.

The following does not affect my high opinion of the bike, but the ?Madison 125? silver letters on the body are not stuck on that well. When I bought it both ?1?s had already fallen off. Recently the ?N? of MADISON had disappeared, prompting me to ring the dealer to tell him ?My big ?N? has gone? =O)

My only surprise about the bike is that you don?t see too many of them. It has the looks, the comfort, the stability, manoeuvrability and storage.

Now I would love to get my mits on the 400 version. But not much chance of that as my wallet does not run that deep!

Summary: