Couple of observations:

Went out on a nice long ride this evening and made a couple of observations regarding the scooter. As I have previously stated I have yet to fully test the top end as the scooter is still in the break in period. I have been reading quiet a bit about the hard break in technique and guess I have decided to fall somewhere in the middle. I do not push the scooter as hard as I can but given that I do use it often in a city environment I am able to vary my speeds to a greater extent. Often I will allow the scoot to get to speed quickly and then brake on its own, repeating this over and over. One of the observations I made recently was that while the scooter can easily take a car off the line it seems slightly under powered in first gear. After getting up to 10-15 mph the acceleration increases and there is plenty of power at the throttle. I imagine down the road some of the mods I would be interested in would help this out. Im not overly concerned with top speed, for one Im not that big, and also I can't imagine where I would really be riding that fast for that long. Im sure when the time comes I will be pleasantly surprised. One thing to remember is that the stock tires are only rated to 62mph. Now onto another observation regarding the suspension, at first I was rather skepticle about this as I had the preconceived notion that it would be horrible. Given the small wheels and the price of the scooter I really didn't expect much in regards to the suspension but as I have been riding I have come to appreciate it more. It is not the smoothest ride but I am not as afraid of potholes as I had been. Since riding this scoot I have run across the occasional "unavoidable" and it handles pretty well. The suspensions started off stiffer than I would be comfortable with but has since smoothed out. One thing to note is that the newer models, specifically the stradas, have gas shocks which help. Also after having to fill up the oil once I haven't noticed it really depreciating which is a good sign as you hear about the occasional oil burning machine. In general they shouldn't be burning through oil but it is important to keep an eye on it as it has been known to occur and is more likely when the engine is still new, not fully broken in. On a seperate note I am now having to plan more carefully when loading up the scooter. The underseat storage is being used mainly for my tools, cover, and chain/lock. I recently purchased a new 1" thick braided steel lock that won't fit under my seat! Im a little disappointed but its not the end of the world. I will try to take some pictures of the storage on these scooters for you folks still deciding. As a result I have started to ride with a backpack in which I can put my raingear and other miscellanious items (go figure it just started raining and I forgot my gear!). Im thinking about getting a removable trunk but really just dont like the looks, hence maybe removable. Another quick and easy option without breaking the bank is to get the spider web tie downs. There are some protruding bolts under the gear rack just for this purpose of strapping down on the back. Ok last note for now, I just saw my first Phantom r4i on the streets of Philly today while walking to get lunch. To tell you the truth I would have thought Id see these all over the place but I haven't. Most of the scooters I see are Piaggio, Kymco, and of course Vespa's. Although most of these are only 50cc models. Maybe I can find a few more riders of these scooters and start my own scooter gang...