Tanshanomi's Snap Judgments

Yamaha Morphous

Fri, June 10th, 2011


2006–08 Yamaha CP250 Morphous
Performancewww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.com
It's a 250cc four-stroke single pushing power through a typical scooter belt-and-pulley CVT: it does the job but won't make you giddy from the g-forces. It is geared rather tall; you'll have a bit of roll-on kick at freeway speeds, but it will take a while to get you there.
Handlingwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.com
It's ridiculously long, so it steers slowly and wallows at slow speeds, yet the small scooter wheels don't have the gyroscopic inertia for straight-line stability. Braking is quite good, but cornering clearance is limited, even by scooter standards.
Lookswww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.com
Very few scooters capture my imagination. The striking lines of the Morphous transcend the classification, looking more like a Futurama concept car from the 1930s. It's simultaneously radical, yet elegant.
Reliabilitywww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.com
About as troublesome as a Honda Accord.
Practicalitywww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.com
It should be an ideal commuter, but its not. The tiny windscreen creates horrible turbulence, none of the four different storage compartments are big enough to be very useful as a cargo hauler, and the chopper-esque seating position will keep you from taking it on long trips. The low seat height limits visibility in traffic, but might be a plus to short-legged riders.
Desirabilitywww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.com
It looks cool, it just doesn't work well enough to back up the looks.
Overallwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.comwww.dyerware.com
It looked all the biz on the showroom floor, but out on the road it was a disappointment.