Comparo 125: X9 vs Varadero

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How much does a 125 actually cost ?
The X9 125 and the Varadero against the checkbook.

Honda Varadero 125You are about to fall for a cute little 125,
sold at an attractive price. However. The
revisions are to be made every 3,000 kilometers,
it swallows 5 liters per 100, its tires wear out faster than those of a car…
What seemed at first glance to be a good deal ends
by becoming a sinkhole after a few months. Something to make you regret
this other machine, sold a little more expensive, but whose
maintenance cost has nothing to do.

Piaggio X9 EvolutionTo deal with this sensitive subject, since maintenance / consumption
is the 2nd budget item after the purchase of the motorcycle or
scooter, we chose to compare the usage budget over 3 years
of two models, the Varadero 125 and the Piaggio X9 125. We will take
assuming that these two vehicles will travel 24,000
kilometers in three years on a mixed road-city route, before
to be resold at the quotation. What to know what to expect
when we decide to buy.

The interview

To have a first estimate of what will cost
maintenance, it is essential to find out about the interval
from
revisions and their average cost. If the first
information is easy to obtain (all you have to do is consult the
maintenance), the second is more delicate. In addition to
variations in Paris / province tariffs, a concessionaire will be inclined to
the soft pedal on the announced price of revisions
so as not to frighten you. Anyway, it is – almost – obvious
than a 125 that goes through the workshop every 3,000 kilometers
will be more expensive to maintain than one who is content
one visit every 6,000.

There are four important positions to consider:

  • the frequency of oil changes and the quantity / quality
    of oil used,
  • tire wear and tire prices, fitted and balanced,
  • transmission wear (chain or variator) and frequency
    replacements,
  • various engine settings such as carburetor sync
    or valve clearance (descaling / segmentation on 2 times).

According to the maintenance records of these two machines, the Varadero has
on paper an advantage: it is revised every 4,000 kilometers,
against all 3,000 for the X9 125. The “intermediate” revisions
»Are similar: it is a question of emptying the engine block, and
gaskets and oil filters. When it comes to "
big ”revisions, the Varadero still takes the advantage,
since the X9 must theoretically change the belt and possibly
the rollers of the variator every 6,000 km while the "big
»Servicing on the Varadero takes place every 12,000 kilometers,
with valve clearance, carburetor adjustment and change
of the air filter. To simplify the maintenance of your scooters,
Piaggio has decided to market a "kit"
comprising a transmission belt, rollers, a set of pads
front-rear and a candle, sold around 100 euros.
This initiative is a good point for machine users
Piaggio
: maintenance kits are much cheaper than separate purchase
of the parts that compose it.

On the tire side, the Varadero retains its advantage, since
its rear tire forfeits around 15,000
at 17,000 kilometers on average (provided you haven’t changed the original Pirelli Scorpion tires before), while that of the X9 will start
to be well worn only 10,000 km, wheel
small diameter requires. At the front, the gap is less marked
: 14,000 kilometers for the scooter, against 16,000 for the Varadero.

Information taken from Gommes, a rapid service specialist,
a set of tires mounted and balanced on a Varadero
costs 210 euros and 160 euros for the X9. To compare these two
results, seen the different lifetimes
envelopes, let’s assume that we are going to change at the same
time the front tire and the rear tire on each of the machines.
It is then easy to calculate the number of kilometers that
we can do for every euro spent. In the case
of the X9, we cover 62.5 km per euro, while the Varadero holds
71.4 kilometers (15,000
kilometers divided by 210 euros). This little calculation allows
to see that the Varadero is more economical
for use on the tire side.

X9

Varadero

Buying price
excluding discount

4.300 €

4.700 €

Quantities

Price

Quantities

Price

Number of revisions (excluding revision of 1.000)

8

500 €
(i.e. 10 hours of MO *)

6

€ 380

 (i.e. 7h30 of MO *)

Consumption / 24,000 km (1)

912 liters

€ 1,186

1010 liters

€ 1313

Liters of oil

8

€ 80

10.5 liters

105 €

Number of front tires

2

1

Number of rear tires

2

1

Train prices

€ 320

215 euros

Number of AV platelets

4

included in the kit

2

38 euros

Number of AR inserts

4

included in the kit

1

25 euros

Number of candles

4

included in the kit

4

40 euros

Chain kit (XLV)

0

0

1

140 euros

Various filters and gaskets

included in the kit

150 euros

Repair kit (X9)

4

€ 400

0

0

Paris third-party insurance (2)

€ 586

€ 362

Third-party theft insurance Tours (3)

€ 487

253 €

Total maintenance and consumption

€ 2,486

€ 2.406

Subtotal with purchase

€ 6,786

€ 7.106

Resale (4)

– 2.600 €

– € 2,800

Total

4.186 €

€ 4.306

Cost per kilometer without insurance

17.44 cts / km

17.94 cts / km

These figures have been rounded: no need to chase after
a few cents over 3 years of use
* with an hourly rate of 50 euros including all taxes.

(1) based on 3.8 liters per 100 for the X9 and 4.2 liters
at 100 for the Varadero, with a liter of Super 95 at 1.30 euros
(2) figures communicated by AMV for a driver without bonus
residing in Paris
(3) figures communicated by the Mutuelle des Motards for a driver
without bonus residing in Tours
(4) based on the Generation 125 rating

These figures still call for some comments. We
followed the manufacturer’s recommendations for the replacement
pieces. In practice, however, it is not uncommon to see
belts last 12,000 kilometers or spark plugs resume
their place because they are not damaged. Side
consumption and wear of parts, these are averages: a furious
of the throttle will pay much more than a calm user.
Likewise, we did not take into account the price of the drop. The elements
fairing of the Varadero or the pretty mirrors of the
X9s cost a fortune to replace. And there,
no question of turning to adaptable.

"Skip" a review: a very bad one
idea

Faced with the cost of maintaining their 125, some allow themselves
to "skip" a review. If the quality of
motor oils have actually surged in recent years,
the casings of the Varadero and the X9 only carry a small quantity.
Even if the oil consumption turned out to be far from
the warning rating, for example 0.1 liters per 1,000, travel 5,000 kilometers
without taking a look at the level would be suicidal. Once the oil sight glass
lit on the instrument panel, it is usually too
late. Neglecting your platelets is also a great way to shoot
a disc in record time: worn down to the sole,
the pads will attack the disc, requiring replacement.
A poorly tensioned chain without grease wears out quickly. Its breaking up, well
that rare, often results in damage to the engine block, not to mention
possible leg injuries. Finally, the belt
of the X9’s dimmer is one of its weak points. Neglect his
replacement every 6,000 kilometers is taking the risk
to see that of a
towing. Scooter owners have acquired from companies
operating tow trucks a reputation for good customers,
it’s not for nothing.

In the end, insurance and gasoline make the difference

In the end, we see for these two 125 a maintenance / consumption budget
almost comparable, within 100 euros. Piaggio made the effort
to market a maintenance kit that allows costs to be smoothed out
and it is he who makes the difference. Buy the parts
retail is quite ruinous, since the set of 3 plates
brake on its own is exchanged for around 80 euros.
Admittedly, the Varadero is revised every 4,000 kilometers
and its tires wear less quickly, but its chain kit and the small
"inexpensive" parts such as gaskets and
filters come to seal the bill. And thwart a favorable a-priori
to the motorcycle as to its maintenance cost in the face of
a scooter. However, the 400 euros difference to
the purchase end up being amortized by its maintenance cost
lower and a slightly higher resale price.

For the user, the arbitration will therefore be done on the gasoline budget,
since the X9 consumes on average almost half a liter less
at 100 than a Varadero (enviable when the price per liter soars to more than 1.30 €),
and especially on insurance. The fact remains that if the passage
per liter from € 1.05 / liter to € 1.30 / liter (and a fortiori € 1.50) amplifies the advantage for the
X9, the difference in cost per kilometer only drops from 0.3 to 0.50
cts euros (€ 0.003 to € 0.005).

On the other hand, at the insurance level, the 220 euros difference
in favor of the Varadero for similar guarantees hurts the
wallet, the fault mainly due to theft, in particular
on scooters. A gap that cannot compensate
fuel consumption.

Now remains to be taken into account
the practicalities of a scooter that bury any motorcycle
qualified
of "road".

Piaggio X9 Evolution on the road

Notes…

Beware of hidden costs !

Owners of chain drive motorcycles know it
good: it is necessary to lubricate the chain regularly,
at least every 500 kilometers, otherwise it will deteriorate
quickly. Especially if it rains often or you live nearby
from the sea. The price of the grease bombs is added to the replacement cost.
of the chain kit, inflating the addition of a few tens of euros.
The situation is paradoxical: if you often grease and clean your chain kit,
it will certainly last longer, but will be more expensive in maintenance
!

In the same vein, keeping a machine clean can end up coming back
expensive: shampoo, polish, product for plastics, oil for
cables and locks, scrubbing for the rims … we
quickly arrives at a hundred euros of supplies over three years
if one is meticulous or anxious to facilitate the resale of a
visibly pampered machine.

Finally, the price of the possible parking is also to be taken
into account. In the Paris region, it is not uncommon to have to
pay 50 euros per month to have a parking space
to protect your 125 from the rain … and from prying eyes. One can
thus spend more on parking than on insurance !

Intervene yourself to reduce the bill

On many machines, it is possible to make yourself
operations that do not necessarily require
go to dealers. With a little method, a few
adapted tools and the advice of a friend who really knows about it,
draining, changing a spark plug, or even creating a clearance in the valves is not
at all out of reach. For “intermediate” revisions
»Is a way to lower the bill: a seal, a filter,
2 liters of oil, and you save an hour of labor. TO
only do this if you are sure of what you are doing and after having
informed on the conditions of application of the manufacturer’s guarantees.

In the case of a "house" maintenance, we can turn to
to adaptable parts (pads, filters) sold less
expensive than by dealers. By buying your own oil,
we avoid endorsing this "trick" practiced
by some garage owners who charge for oil at retail
while they buy it in 100 liter drums at a
very advantageous price. Oil, in concessions, is a
little wine from restaurants.

Dealer-to-dealer differences

As we recall at Piaggio and Honda, the dealers are
free to practice the rates they want on labor and
the price of the parts. Manufacturers only communicate to them a
time scale and a recommended parts price.
Depending on the contract that binds it to the manufacturer (exclusive or not) and
of its sales volumes, a dealer will obtain more or less
discount on spare parts. Hence the
differences observed from one garage to another. It
You should still know that the margins on spare parts
where the consumables are very important, typically around
from 40 to 60%. It takes that to pay the mechanics.

Useful link: www.varadero125.fr

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