It was when my trousers disappeared on the Long Ashton bypass that I finally found something not quite perfect with the Piaggio X8 400ie.

Up to that point, the Italian super scooter from Fowler's in Bristol had behaved perfectly. Nippy, comfortable and easy to ride, the motorcycle bore no resemblance to the scooters I had driven when emulating Quadrophenia in the 1970s.

Powered by a 399cc four-stroke engine, it was also far more powerful than the Lambrettas and Vespas I'd experienced in the past. I found it easily kept up with the commuter traffic on the A38 out of Bristol, and allowed me to overtake at will whenever the traffic slowed down to 40 or 50mph.

At speeds of over 60mph it felt slightly unstable, especially when encountering cross-winds. There is also an undeniable feeling even on super scooters, that cornering at high speed is a little bit… well, top heavy. You do feel that you can't lean into the corner as you would on a motorbike. This is a matter of experience and certainly on straighter roads and motorways, I found the bike very stable.

It was also considerably quieter, smoother and vibration-free in comparison to those icons of Mod youth culture I had experienced previously. Scooters used to be dismissed as hairdryers by bikers – a term which helped to polarise the chasm between Mods and Rockers.

This Piaggio maintains the feeling that riding a scooter is only a step away from driving an open-topped car. Because of the wind screen, you can almost ride one in the summer with just a helmet and gloves rather than the whole leather gear. And women have always appreciated that you can ride a scooter wearing a skirt.

Taking a pillion passenger slowed the ride down, but I took my unwilling passenger up Hillside in Axbridge, off the A371 (a one-in-three hill) with no problems. Economic on fuel, easier to park than a car and with a windscreen and farings that give protection from the worst of the elements, the Piaggio is a viable alternative to driving a car when the weather is mild.

My commuting time was slashed from one hour ten minutes to 50 minutes in the rush hour. That's more than three hours a week extra time at home. It beats sitting in a traffic jam.

The price – £3,849 – , is much lower than buying anything with four wheels, and of course fuel efficiency and running costs are nothing campared to a car.

For several years I used to have a motorcycle as my only form of transport, and I distinctly remember going to Sainsbury's in Bedminster to do the family shop. Bags of nappies were secured by rubber bungies and loaves of bread were stuffed down my jacket. It wasn't easy, despite my bike having a top box and paniers.

By comparison, the Piaggio has oodles of built-in storage. A neat little compartment opens on the front forks and under the seat is a cavernous space that even allows a helmet to be stored away. All of this space I quickly filled with my usual clobber, including my wet weather gear.

The space under the seat could also be accessed via a hatch that flipped up at the back, meaning you didn't have to lift up the seat for smaller items. This very practical edition was also my downfall – leading to my aforementioned loss of trousers.

Fowler's had lent me a very comfortable pair of waterproof trousers for the test ride. One evening, I decided to zoom into Bristol for a night out. Since it wasn't too cold I popped the trousers into the "boot" and set off. Little did I realise that the button to flip the boot is next to the automatic ignition button, which meant that with thick gloves I hadn't realised I had opened the boot when I fired the engine into life.

Somewhere between Axbridge and Clifton there is a pair of waterproof trousers. I did retrace my journey on several occassions and found all sorts of black pieces of material in the verges and hedgerows of the A38, but, alas, not my trousers.

Our Steer

An ideal commuting bike that will slash travel time in the city and cut bills. Comfortable for longer journeys, it's also light enough for most men and women to handle and park.

Fact file

Engine: 399cc single-cylinder, water cooled, four-stroke.

Maximum power: 34 bhp at 7,500 rpm.

Ma at 5,500 rpm.

Transmission: Continuously variable with centrifugal clutch.

Brakes: front twin 240mm discs, rear single 240mm disc.

Dry weight: 198 kg.

Seat height: 790mm.

Tank capacity: 12 litres.

Economy: A full tank will do around 300 miles.

Price: £3,849