Scooter – New Tmax: the offensive continues! – Soft, hard and crazy

New Tmax: the offensive continues !

Scooter - New Tmax: the offensive continues! - Soft, hard and crazy

Marketed at the end of 2007, the new Yamaha Tmax maxi scooter immediately established itself as the second best-selling over 125 cc in 2008. The least we can say is that it was quickly adopted! Let’s go back to the reasons for this success. Test.

Soft, hard and crazy

In town, the Tmax is all that at the same time! After a hard day’s work or in the rain, he knows how to be gentle and accommodating by moving smoothly, on a trickle of gas between the cars. But the temptation quickly returns to play with this very playful machine. Under these conditions, it will be necessary to keep a cool head so as not to multiply eccentricities….

If we are not careful, the legal 50 km / h in the city are very quickly exceeded without the knowledge of the driver, because of the good protection and the automatic transmission which smooths the sensations of acceleration. !

In urban areas, driving pleasure does not improve significantly compared to the old model, which is already very pleasant.

Only the new braking brings added safety and serenity: powerful, biting and perfectly dosable, it is much more successful than on the previous vintage, especially in its ABS version whose handle was quite spongy and gave a not very engaging feeling..

A very light better in engine

The 500 cc twin is ultimately the element that has evolved the least on this new vintage of the Yamaha maxi scooter..

At the start, it retains its relative softness over the first five meters, the time to wax its clutch. A little disappointing in town, which is why many Tmax owners solve this problem by installing a more efficient adaptable drive.

Then, the new Tmax tears off in a virile and linear thrust of 20 to 120 km / h, just like the old model. It is finally at high speed that the maxi scooter progresses the most.

It shows better reach and shows good health up to 160 km / h, whereas the previous vintage started to run out of steam after 140. The top speed remains unchanged, around 170-180 km / h speedometer, depending on the care taken in running in the machine…

The Tmax was already the most rigorous of road scooters. This 2008 vintage is still progressing to offer a rather incredible compromise between handling, sportiness and comfort … even compared to recent motorcycles !

Even more road !

With its rigid but not uncomfortable frame, it is healthy and easy in all circumstances. Efficiency is indeed there whatever the pace of the pilot and the quality of the coating.

Very stable on the angle, the Tmax is lively and intuitive, accepting improvisation without complaining. The front axle even absorbs the braking on the angle without locking or getting up in the least. It will really take the big attack to tickle the limits of the ground clearance in solo.

In duo, however, the lugs of the central stand rub quickly enough, without this being really destabilizing or dangerous. The original tire fitting, Bridgestone BT-011 at the front and BT-012 at the rear, has proven to be free from criticism in both dry and wet.

In short, no offense to die-hard motorcyclists who don’t want to hear about automation, the Tmax is a very serious customer on small, bumpy roads. !

While its engine performance remains quite limited, its overall ease and efficiency make it a terrible tool in expert hands. A good hearer…

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