Yamaha Xmax 125 test: the return of the king of scooters 125 ?
Destroyed by the Forza 125 in 2015 after 10 years of undivided reign, the Xmax 125 wants to recover its crown in 2018. To do this, the Yamaha scooter "made in MBK" receives a number of developments that Site has been able to test: direction Versailles… and its castle of course !
Xmax 125 test page 3 – Royal route for Xmax IV
Taking a seat on the 2018 Xmax 125, Site notes that the padding of the saddle is rather firm. The observation is also confirmed by briefly putting the buttocks on the Xmax 400 2017 of one of our guides: the "Xmax IV" imposes a dry regime.
The seat of the new Yamaha scooter is both high (795 mm) and wide, which prevents riders of less than 1.70m from simultaneously putting both feet on the ground. Rather than offering two handlebar positions – which MNC has not experienced – Japanese engineers should brainstorm to change the height of the saddle !
Not very accessible to small riders therefore, the Xmax 125 accommodates adults well: the cutouts in the floor allow 1.80m riders to get on their machine serenely, while the high handlebars and the apron provide good space for the knees..
Conversely, it is impossible to fully extend the legs when driving, pushing your tiptoes into the small cavities at the bottom of the fairing or wedging your heels just above to adopt a potion. more relaxed, if not lying down.
The front axle is light and neutral, especially given the mass of the animal: 175 kg all full, two kilograms more than the previous model. The weight also goes unnoticed when the scooter is placed on its central stand: the effort to be delivered is very modest.
The rather unsuspected agility of the machine ensures instant "glove" grip for holders of motorcycle licenses (A1, A2 or A), fast for B licenses used to motorized two-wheelers or previously trained (7 hours for neophytes ).
With its center of gravity placed flush against the tarmac and its generous wheelbase (1525mm), balance on the Xmax is at the same time easy to find and maintain, even when wielding it in busy traffic, such as ‘is the case of MNC in Paris !
Several passages on the cobblestones of the capital this time highlight the good work of the suspensions: the wrists and buttocks are not – too – hammered! There are hardly any potholes – incredibly numerous in the Bois de Boulogne, hence the success of 4x4s in the 16th arrondissement and Neuilly ?! – which damage the lumbar, packed by the small backsplash.
Still in city driving, we also appreciate the braking of the scoot "made in MBK": the front is as dosable as it is powerful. The fork does not crush excessively, so that the trajectories at the entry of the curve are not changed too much.
Short parenthesis – and warning ?! – by the way: MNC is talking about the right lever here because as a reminder – or for info ?! -, the controls of mopeds and scooters are reversed compared to those of bicycles. Unless of course your dad, as biker as he is benevolent, has tweaked the brakes of your successive BMX and mountain bikes (thank you Major Dad!).
Actuate the left lever – the rear brake on scooters, therefore, the clutch on motorcycles – allows the vehicle to be seated significantly thanks to its bite. By pulling with both hands simultaneously, the "scooter driver" can quickly stop his machine. Probably faster than he imagines or dares to do elsewhere.
To test the ABS elsewhere, the Journal moto du net must insist heavily because in the dry, the grip of the original mounted Michelin is excellent. The interventions turn out to be quite gentle and the stopping distances are not much extended..
Likewise, the TCS (Traction Control System) is not used when driving on dry roads. It is only in the dirt parking lot of the Palace of Versailles that MNC can wake up the new traction control of the Xmax 125 2018. Much less thin than the TCS of the R1 (!), It is effective..
The value of traction control seems very limited on a machine of 15 hp and 12 Nm. Nevertheless, all it takes is a beast slip when accelerating on a cold / greasy / wet tarmac to regret its absence: falls riding scooters end up with huge bills because of the plastic. And we only talk about the material…
Note that if necessary – "technical control" on a roller in the workshop for example – or if the urge is felt – "burnout" to celebrate the birthday of the mother-in-law? -, the TCS can be deactivated. The operation is done in two steps three straight pushes.
Extremely close to the Xmax 300, the Xmax 125 seems a bit under-motorized. But the law is thus made, scootomobilists must be satisfied with the 11 kW maximum provided by the 4-stroke single cylinder. Those who are already mounted on MP3 500 or C-Evolution may be a little disappointed…
Another complaint about the – small – Yam-minarelli engine: its very basic sound. It can be improved with the Akrapovic "silencer" available in the accessory section of the Yamaha dealer, but this will necessarily increase the number of decibels, which is rather unwelcome in town.
In use, the 125 shows a slight lag when opening the throttle – centrifugal clutch requires -, but the responsiveness of the throttle control is good. Likewise, if the character of the engine is quite flat, the transmission shines with its smoothness..
The main thing to remember is that this 2018 Xmax 125 starts up strong enough to get ahead of the flood of cars, vans and buses when the light turns green. Another important point: it has good times on "fast" roads limited to 90 or 70 km / h.
The "necessarily" modest performance of the engine does not risk overwhelming the part-cycle which ensures the scooter impeccable road holding, and that no regulatory text fortunately comes to restrain !
The stability on the angle is both appreciable for seasoned motorcyclists and reassuring for novice motorists. On bridges, cross-road fittings are convincingly absorbed, even when the scooter is full angle / funny tilted. The compromise between sport and comfort is well found.
Likewise, the Xmax offers good protection for the legs, despite its reduced width – over the years, the models had widened – and its central bridge still as smooth. The calves are sheltered from the wind, as are the hands thanks to clever deflectors.
The torso and half of the helmet – of a 1.80m pilot who does not always stand very straight despite his mother’s repeated remonstrances when he was young – are unstuck. It would be even better with the screen / windshield raised by 5 cm but this operation requires a screwdriver. Not convenient on four-lanes !
Good point for the Yamaha scooter, its driver and its possible passenger: no vibration runs through it, whatever the engine speed or speed … In terms of speed precisely, Site could not panic the meter…
In traffic that is a little too busy – and on a motorway limited to 110 km / h … -, MNC takes a small peak going down from the Palace of Versailles towards Paris (the Tuileries, the Louvre … the Bastille and the place Revolution / Concorde): the needle exceeds 130 km / h on the odometer when the speed limit drops to 90 km / h. Better to cut !
A few minutes earlier in the opposite direction – therefore uphill – the same needle was struggling to reach 120 km / h. MNC was then driving at the same speed as motorists and bikers anxious by the announcement of automatic controls alerted, for their safety, of frequent radar checks…
At the end of this contact, the table of our test Xmax (259 km at the start) indicates: 76 km covered in 3 hours 35 minutes, or an average of 21 km / h. More importantly, the consumption estimated by the on-board computer is 3.2 l / 100km.
A little more economical than its colleagues whose average consumptions were around 3.7 l / 100km overall, MNC is therefore half a liter above the consumption announced by Yamaha: 2.7 l / 100km which may ‘be hard to find in traffic jams in large cities … On this subject and to conclude, could the "stop and go" system not have been able to reduce this consumption? ?
Why this system – present on the current "king" Forza 125 – was not retained on the new Xmax 125 2018? "Our scooter is not useful because its engine is already one of the most sober on the market", answers Vincent Thommeret, general manager of Yamaha Motor France, who hopes to see his prince "Xmax IV" go up. on the throne next year. To be continued, in the MNC market reports !
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