All Comparisons – C600Sport, Integra or Tmax 530: which scooter for bikers? – Three maxiscooters for bikers

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C600Sport, Integra or Tmax 530: which scooter for bikers ?

All Comparisons - C600Sport, Integra or Tmax 530: which scooter for bikers? - Three maxiscooters for bikers

This year, the Tmax will be the best-selling large cube in France, ahead of the Z750! Two great rivals of Yamaha in France react: frontal opposition for BMW and its C 600 Sport, more roundabout at Honda with the Integra. Comparo maxiscoots !

Three maxiscooters for bikers

For the Managing Director of Yamaha France, questioned by Site during the last Motorcycle and Scooter Show in Paris (review our), the question of the success of the brand new Tmax was not up for debate: "Yes !", according to him, the tuning fork scooter could even become the best selling motorcycle of" more than 125 cc "in France.

Very early on, MNC’s market reports proved him right. Today, doubt is no longer even allowed: the Tmax 530 will indeed become the "bestseller" this year, ahead of the unbeatable – we thought anyway – Kawasaki Z750 !

If the Akashi Greens stubbornly refuse to take a scooter out of their factories, this is not the case for two other great opponents of Yam ‘in France … BMW and Honda in fact produced two new products in 2012, including the vocation is clear: to take market share from King Tmax.

To do this, BMW and Honda took two separate tracks. The Germans have chosen to challenge the Blues on their own ground by offering a maxiscooter very close to the Tmax … first of the name! Indeed, the C 600 Sport takes in broad outline the original Tmax.

In appearance first of all, we note that the lines of the new BMW maxiscooter are more slender than those of the Tmax 2012. Perfectly symmetrical, the appearance of the C 600 Sport is not "typical of BMW", as the manufacturer suggests. More classy than the very last Tmax, its general look is somewhat reminiscent of the less aggressive Tmax 500 (read our).

Likewise, we note that the Munich residents have chosen for their sports scooter (as well as for its GT version, read our) the type of transmission that fitted the old Yamaha, namely the chain in an oil bath, a heavy solution of course, but which avoids the user any tedious maintenance.

BMW in frontal opposition

The tubular steel frame is another feature that the C600Sport shares with the very first Tmax 500 – which appeared in 2001! -, the second generation (2008) of Tmax having gone to the all-aluminum frame in order to gain precious kilograms…

BMW could not however be satisfied with delivering a simple copy of the reference "made in Iwata". After shaking up the world of Superbike with its 200 horsepower S1000RR, the Munich firm has decided to replay the card of overbidding, and not just in terms of engine performance..

Data that bikers – the real ones! – will draw first in a technical sheet remain the maximum values ​​(see last page of this comparison). However with its 60 horses and 66 Nm, it is clear that the "Behème" imposes, and largely dominates the 46.5 hp and 52.3 Nm of the Tmax 530 !

Let us note all the same that the C 600 Sport and its twin-cylinder of 647 cc does not represent for all that the "must" in the matter since the engine of 839 cc of Gilera GP800 – and Aprilia SRV850 from now on! – outputs no less than 76 horsepower and 76.4 Nm…

But the BMW marks a new point, at the level of the front axle this time: the solid 40 mm fork is "reversed", unlike the elements that equip its competitors, which we consider the two of the day (Tmax and Integra) or the whole market! Sports enthusiasts will appreciate.

Fans of high speed trips will happily welcome the adjustable screen in three positions and in a single "glove holder"! Likewise, we congratulate BMW for having equipped its scooter with controls on the handlebars which allow you to sweep the information on the dashboard with a boost..

Looking more closely at its anti-Tmax, however, we realize that the Bavarian manufacturer has not achieved faultlessness: as proof, the coarse finish of the transmission housing or the passable quality of the plastics at the level of the central bridge. and apron, storage compartment included.

Honda goes its own way

For its part, the Tokyo firm has in its range a scooter close to the Tmax and C600Sport from many points of view: the SW-T600 (read our). Nevertheless for this maxiscooters comparison, Site preferred his young brother: the Integra…

Released last February, this maxiscooter – it is at this radius that we find it on the official Honda website – has already convinced more than 1000 French bikers (read our), that is to say twice as much as the SW-T600..

The motorcycle base, combined with a relatively reasonable price of € 8,600 (compared to the € 11,100 claimed by today’s competition!) Undoubtedly weighed heavily in the balance at the time of the purchase of this new 2012 Honda which is pushing the concept of Tmax – a scooter with motorcycle behavior – a little further.

Because as its code name suggests, the "NC700D" shares the same platform as the NC700S and NC700X: on the Integra we find the "Diamond" type frame in steel, the in-line twin of 670 cc developing in this version 51.8 hp and 62 Nm, and the two 17-inch wheels, against 15 "on the Tmax and C 600 Sport.

With a simple – but elegant – disc at the front and a swingarm much less impressive than the single-sided BMW and much less quality than the Yamaha arm, the Integra is aimed at motorcyclists less sensitive to the swashbuckling. The others, however, may be deceived by the central cover which gives itself the air of an aluminum frame. ?!

Optional on the NC700 S and X, Honda’s DCT dual clutch is standard on the Integra. Its operating mode is therefore similar to that of a scooter, but offers as a bonus the possibility of shifting gears to the trigger, on the left commodo.

Everything therefore happens on the handlebars on this "scooto": right grip for the throttle, right lever for the front brake and left lever for the rear brake … and the front brake also, via the combined ABS system also supplied as standard on the Integra.

We regret in passing that the brake levers are not adjustable on the Honda, while they are on its two competitors in this comparison (read our summary table of equipment and practical aspects on the penultimate page). Likewise, the “commuters” will not fail to underline one of the big handicaps of Honda according to them: the chain transmission which requires lubrication, watch of the tension and grease … elbow grease! Fortunately, the center stand facilitates operations.

Yamaha ready for battle

Sharpened by the Blues for a decade, the Tmax gives an image of a perfectly accomplished product. Certainly, some "maniac" Tmax will regret the abandonment of the beautiful aluminum footrests for banal rubber pads, but they will taste the "carbon imitation" plastic parts which have their effect. !

Even the rim valves are angled to make it easier to check the tire inflation. We note on occasion that on the C600Sport, BMW preferred to offset these valves. The Integra has more traditional valves, but with a single disc at the front, access remains convenient.

By taking a second look at the technical sheets, bikers this time discover the strong point of the new Yamaha 530: its weight! Because behind his new hamster face – front view, the Tmax took cheeks! – and under its full fairing hides the famous aluminum frame (superbly highlighted by Roland Sands, read).

In order to further reduce its mass, the Tmax inaugurated in 2012 a belt transmission which, although not foolproof like the old system, has the benefit of exempting the owner from too careful maintenance as required by the chain … of the Integra for example ?!

On the scale of its manufacturer, the full weight of the last Tmax is estimated at 227 kg in the ABS version that we were able to test, and 217 kg for the version without brake assist. Thus, the maxiscoot Yam ‘weighs 11 kg less than the Honda and 22 kg less than the BMW (delivered as standard with ABS as the whole "Behème" range now).

Will this difference allow the "King" Tmax to offset its deficit in terms of engine power and knock out the competition – once again! – thanks to unparalleled versatility? This is what Site invites you to discover, in the following pages !

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