Yamaha Morphous 250

Ok.. addressing the "bad" from other writers. Windshield. Yep.. the stock plexiglass sample is not adequate. I bought an aftermarket. For a while i used a handlebar mount shield from my previous bike. That worked great. But it is certainly no worse than any other bike i have owned.

Acceleration. Nope.. not a drag racer. I have never been a speed racer. So no problem there.. it is adequate for its mission. You can change the weights in the variator to change the character of the "gear changes".

You can bit pick all you want. But i have ridden this 30,000 miles in 7 years. It is smooth, reliable, comfortable and quiet. It is "boring". Meaning that it starts, runs perfectly, and stops when you want it to.. no drama, no hassle. For around town it is great. For highway it is perfectly fine! I have had 3 scooters. This, a helix and a Majesty 400. All 3 have different points better than the others. But the morphous is Rock solid in side wind, smooth on the road and carves turns like it was on a solid rail. While the power is not spectacular (a 300 might be nice? And others have installed the maj 400 with great results) it is perfectly fine. " Buttery smooth" is how many describe it. I call the bike a delight to ride.

I have done 800 mile days (don't do this) and 2300 mile trips. As well as many 200 to 500 Mile trips. Good for touring at 60-65 all day long. For multiple days. Any motorcycle seat sucks after a few hours. So do most car seats.

I think it is the best, or tied for best, motorcycle ever built.. but i. Like small bikes..and scooters. So.. if you want a sport bike.. or a Harley, go somewhere else. If you want a great reliable, useful bike. This is it.

I am one of a handful of lucky people to have owned a Yamaha Morphous, or to have even known what they are for that matter.

I loved mine for the past six years, and for most of that time the Morphous was my one and only vehicle; rain or shine. I bought it used at right around 3,480 miles on the odometer, and stupidly sold it last week on this day with 23,610 miles exactly. Mine was # 701, and am eyeing another for the future.

Loved it's rare, strikingly good looks and the low-cost to operate. $8 of fuel would top the Morphous from near empty, and would go for at least a week and a half commuting to and from work 10 miles with tons of stop lights.

Especially appreciated the fact that it was so well engineered that a moderately technical person could access all of the essentials that will wear out or need replacement (oil fill locations, coolant, CVT filter and drive belt, air filter element, spark plug, battery to name a few).

Liked that you could customize this bike through Webike Japan. With that being said, I installed a leather seat that eliminated the driver backrest and upholstered the passenger backrest myself using a part from Webike that I had to modify. Also added heated grips to mine and a thicker rear bumper. Though not necessary, it was fun to be able to soup it up some!

Ergonomics were pretty good; the longest and lowest scoot of all time has it's advantages. You could get sure footing on the road and quickly thanks to how low this bike rides. At 6', I felt a little big for the bike, but there were some things that fellow reviewers had pointed out that I too had found - no numbness in the hands (unlike my 680cc Honda), but on 250 mile highway trips my upper back got quite sore; probably from all the wind buffeting and weight in my backpack for belongings that would not fit beneath the seat or trunk, also probably tense with all the speeders and psychos on the road where I am now.

Engine and CVT were dependable and quiet. The only issues I've had was a failing spark plug, dead battery, and a leaking fork tube. Oh, one other thing, don't ever buy Avon Viper Strike tires for this bike... long story...

The passenger grab handle came in so much handy for objects that were either too large to fit under the seat or could be worn in a backpack. I was able to transport an 8' collapsed faux Christmas tree once with blankets and bungee cords with the Morph!!! That was a feat that no other bike I've had so far could pull off!

As for drawbacks, storage is limited, but maximized within its design and the use of bungee cords.

Definitely has to have a taller windshield for protection from wind, rain, rocks and sand. Unfortunately, in my opinion, most tall windscreens take away from the look of this bike.

Having the bike serviced at a certified dealer was always a spendy affair with this one, mostly due to labor hours and parts availability; lots of panels to peel off and my dealership never stocked parts for the Morphous because there are so few of them...

Engine is a bit under powered for the Morphous's heft; was interested in the 400cc Majesty engine swap that some mechanics have done with this bike.... That was the main thing about the bike that would have been better if it had more displacement to give more perk and feel more confident at high speeds and acceleration. Sometimes, speed can be your friend on a bike, especially in a sticky situation; unfortunately the Morph cannot and will not launch you out of a bad situation all that quickly. Even a 300cc displacement would have given it just a bit more to cruise comfortably at 75 mph, maybe 1-2 MPH quicker in accelerating.

I found that this bike was slippery in the rain unless you are travelling in a straight line. Maybe that was due to the long wheelbase and small tires when turning, as well as that low center of gravity.

Essentially, I am glad to conclude on a positive note that the good about this bike far outweighs the bad. Definitely a memorable bike, and always will be for me. You won't forget them when you see one!

I bought the 2007 liquid silver morphous with about 2700 mi on it. I have owned it for slightly over a yecomfortablear now (purchased in march 2014) abuy a short bikend have added 12000 miles to the thing in thatbikeare time. Only down side is tires wear Yes, quickly. About 10,000 miles is about it. But that is the nature is scooters in general.

Complaints about speed are "accurate" but remember! This is a heavy scooter made for cruising and stability. If you want fast and nimble, buy a sport bike.

This scooter was designed to be reliable and smooth. The 249cc engine is tuned for a very modest 21 hp. So is vastly understressed so should be still whirring along long after the higher performance bikes are in that big race track in the sky. Yes it is not a drag racer. Duh,! What it excels at is long rides. I prefer back roads but on the super slab it just rolls effortlessly along. I took a 2500 mile trip from iowa to texas and back, covering 400-500 miles a day with no drama. One day was well over 600 miles. Um. I do not recommend this on any motorcycle, but it worked.

My lowest economy was fully loaded touring at just about 50 mpg. The next week, i managed to get nearly 70 mpg around town .

are there things i would like to be different? Sure. But the morphous is what it is. Stable, smooth ,comfortable and fast. ....enough. It will never do wheelies or crack 100 mph, except maybe off a cliff. But if i wanted something different, i wind have gotten that instead of a morph.

I like the looks of it. ..but people said the helix was fugly and i loved my helix, which is now my second favorite motorcycle ever. Go figure.

The only really bad thing is that there are so few of them. But that is fun too. I kinda like going into a yamaha dealer and have them ask, "are you SURE that is a yamaha? " value shmalue, i don't care what it will be worth, but it is nice to not see one on every street corner. If you ever see one! Buy it. You will not be sorry

I Got one of the Morphous and I was deeply touched by the perfect design , very low center of gravity, and the trouble free smooth engine,I bought mine used with 30K miles on it, had great time riding it from Palm beach FL all the way to VA , best long motorcycle (scooter) ride I ever had, Got home and was very excited to take few things apart and check it out, (Variator) and belt , filters ,etc

Everything was perfect , I agree with the gentleman who suggested to replace the roller wit lighter ones, it made big difference in picking up speed. I love this scooter, even they do not bring it to USA any more, but the Japanese people are enjoying all the new Morphous under new name (MAXAM) if you have one, keep it,, I think in few years this bike will be super valuable.

My 06 250 is not enough motor...Yamaha needs a 600-650 to compete with the Suzuki...A morphous 650 would be awesome.....

I owned an all brand Scooter sales and repair shop and have found the Morphous to be of the highest build quality and unnecessarily over engineered.

1st chance I got I bought one.

All will benefit from slightly, 1-2 gram lighter rollers in the transmissions variator. I installed Sliders. These lighter sliders increased take off acceleration a noticeable amount without sacrificing top end. Still able to cruise 70-75 indicated mph.

Although not the best of ergonomics.

A quick adjustment of the handlebars to suit will increase comfort. You shouldn't be reaching up and out hanging on to the bars but a gentle reach up to grab them.

A seat or tail bag might help support the lower back.

That and a taller windshield has allowed me to comfortably ride for hours on end without fatigue.

I own a 2008 Morphus which I brought new. I have put almost 27,000 miles on mine in highway and the city. Here is some cheap tricks to upgrade your morphus. In the air filter airbox pull out the little rubber outside air intake tube. In the transmission varator remove two roller weights. Make sure they are opposite each other so the varator will remain balanced. Mine will get up 79mph before the rev limiter kicks in. Purchase 2 short pvc pipe sections and 2 longer metric bolts to raise your backrest. You really need a bigger windshield if youplan on ridding on the highway.

I had been looking for a quality used scooter since I decided that I was ready for childhood again, 64+.

I've had two wheelers for close to 50 years but had really not had much activity over the last 20 years because I just didn't want to ride with the city crazies and had only had a 1978 Honda Express for putting around the neighborhood. But as we look toward retirement and moving to a more rural area I decided the time was right to get back into a larger scooter.

I bought a scooter rather than a motorcycle primarily because I like scooter technology. It doesn't take a lot to put a big motor on a frame and make it roar, but to get performance out of a smaller single cylinder CVT requires ingenuity.

So, I was looking for a Honda Elite or Helix but just hadn't found any that turned me on because you see them every day on the street and I was looking for something a little different. Then I saw a picture of a Yamaha Morphous and it fit the bill. Apparently the looks of it didn't turn on American buyers enough to keep it in production so I knew I wasn't going to be seeing one every day. As a matter of fact I've yet to meet another on the road. I found a website that showed what the Japanese have done customizing the Morphous that was cool so that kind of finished it off for me. So to find one. All I kept finding were black and one a dark dark purple and I wanted something a little more visible so when I found one 3 states away I had my neices husband take a look and it was enough to impress a Porsche driver so I bought it.

Right at 6,000 miles on it and it looked like new. Ran good and looked great right up till the first time I took it out of the garage and I thought I had it on the center stand and knocked it over scratching a couple of panels.

We brought it to Florida for the winter and have been riding every day, generally with 2 up, pushing pretty close to the bikes weight limit of 400 pounds (225 + 130). Town and rural riding has averaged 62.5 mpg. Acceleration is consistent but not necessarily blinding. It will keep up with everyone at a light that's not racing and moves well in traffic.

I've had it up to 65 with more to go and two of us up to 60 with a little left but my preferred speed range for my pleasure is 40 to 55 and preferrably in rural spots so I can really enjoy.

I've put about 700 miles on it and am very pleased with my purchase.

I have something wrong with my body in that I can not sit with my legs close together and this is agrivated by the riding position of the Morphous. I tend to ride with my knees pretty far outside the windscreen panels. But there are multiple places that I can place my feet so I'm able to minimize discomfort and I generally stop for a stretch about every hour.

This sucker is long, 93+ inches. I doubt it would fit in a pickup for hauling and is too big for a bumper hitch on anything but a fifth wheel rig so putting it on a trailer is the most logical for long distance hauling although I would like to try the Scooter Cannonball run on it.

Dislikes, only two. The first is that the instrument cluster is hard to see in some lights. Riding in to the sun even with a colored face shield it is next to impossible to see.

I'm not sure the second really qualifies as a dislike but here goes. I have yet to master turning the thing around. The rural areas we've been riding has led to numerous dead end and cul-de-sac roads with soft sand as shoulders so not wanting to get off in the sand makes it seem like the old 60's song "Give me 40 acres to turn this rig around".

With Yamaha dropping the Morphous and Honda the Helix the Japanese have abandoned the 250cc market to the Italians and Chinese. I think they made a big mistake. Honda Elites and Helixes have held their value very well and the Morphous value is holding up well in the used market as well.

Everyone who sees it asks what it is.

Not a Vmax but for the size engine Id call its acceleration "Lively" It rides smoothly, looks great, all one hears at speed is the wind.

The only downer on it might be the lack of seating space for the driver but that is rider specific.

I purchased the 2008 with only 600 miles for 2700 , so at that price Id call it a keeper

Pros.

* extremely smooth riding.

* low center of gravity.

* extremely stable at speeds.

* available torque above 40mph that other 250cc don't have.

* because of it's stability smoothness and torque band. It makes a very decent HW bike at speeds of 60-65mph.

Cons,

* Like virtually all maxi scoots,the lack of a decent backrest is a liability. The sitting position on most large scooters is comfortable for short rides but the feet out front position leaves you holding your self up a bit which effects your back after a while. I use a backpack bungied for a backrest.

* slow acceleration compared to other 250cc scooters.

* poor hill climbing on steep grades.

* poor passenger performance.

* clutch engagement/initial-low speed engine torque (not sure which it is or both)causes slight rumble/vibration upon initial acceleration and very slow speeds (under 10mph) (I've ridden three morphouses.. all three performed the same and had the rumble/vibration.

Overall a great scooter for a single rider who is not too concerned about acceleration and who does'nt live in the mountains. It's a super smooth ride and you feel very safe because of the stability and control.

Not a the best choice if you live in the hills or plan on carrying a passenger.

I would sum the morphous up as a good scooter with many attributes but which suffers from an engine that is a bit too small for it's heft.

I'm interested in the Kymco downtown 300i, which is supposed to be available in the USA at any time... but with the economy.. who knows if we will ever see it. This scooter is a 300cc (299cc to be exact) and weighs just 367lbs which is about the same as a Honda helix. The performance, according to motorcyle usa beats the Kymco 500cc in terms of quickness and handling and absolutely trounces it in gas consumption. (average 75mpg over 200 miles according to the the reviewers)