I am considering buying a maxi-scooter for home/work travel and maybe some country exploring. I had the idea that only Yamaha sold the TMAX in Thailand, but now I also know about SYM and the SYMMAX 400 and this morning I was reading about the BMW scooters.

A few weeks ago I was sure what to buy, now I am not so sure any more.

In terms of dealer support and professional service I would opt for the Yamaha.

One year ago I would have said buy a Yamaha T-Max, but now I'm not so sure I would buy a Yamaha.

If I had to select one for commuting from home to work daily I would probably buy a Sym Maxsym 400i.

If money was less an issue the choice would be more difficult, the Yamaha T-Max has a history of quality and solid engineering. The BMW maxi-scooters are attractive priced (for a BMW) and outperform the Yamaha T-Max without much fuss.

Value for money, the SYM Maxsym 400i costs 209,000 THB and will probably be the lowest with resell value, the Yamaha T-Max 530 cost in Thailand 515,000 THB, which is 20,000 THB more than a BMW C600 Sport (495,000 THB ) which out performs the T-Max on all points...

Service, BMW offers nationwide warranty on the scooters, and BMW has more big-bike dealerships than Yamaha. Yamaha, as far as I know has 2 big bike dealerships.... (Bangkok and Chiang Mai). SYM has several dealers but they also variate in technical knowledge...

Personally I have not much experience with the Bangkok Yamaha big bike dealership, and therefore cannot comment about the service they provide. We have a BMW motorcycle which is serviced by one of the Bangkok BMW dealers and we have no complains about them. On the other hand they also know we run the Motorcycle Thailand website so not sure if our experience is a correct reference.

The Yamaha T-Max 530 sold in Thailand has no ABS, the BMW C600 Sport has ABS.

The SYM is good value but what about SYM's dealer network?
Are they widespread throughout Thailand?

From all maxi-scooters the Sym Maxsym 400i is with its single-cylinder engine probably the easiest to fix scooter.

Also the BMW C600 Sport with standard ABS, Upside-down front forks and other need stuff is with 495,000 THB not a bad buy. Not forget that a BMW motorcycle, or in this case a scooter, will likely hold value more than a Yamaha scooter.

The BMW C600 is pretty expensive, in Germany they sell them for 10k Euro.

Firstly I logged in before responding. (Sorry a pet peeve of mine).

Yamaha more sporty, better in traffic. BMW has more hi-so status. For commuting and occasional rides you would be hard pressed to justify the cost of either. So MaxSYM if there is a dealer near you. Maybe even a SYM 300 would fit the bill.

If you are a revhead the T-Max has the edge.

If BMW avoid Barcelona as BKK Motorcycle has the edge on customer service and service work in general.

Quote by: Erman

The BMW C600 is pretty expensive, in Germany they sell them for 10k Euro.

I checked the price of the BMW C600 Sport, and it's sold in Germany for 10,867 Euro (what is about 423,813 THB ), the same scooter costs in Thailand 495,000 THB. What is just a price difference of 71,187 THB.

Personally, if the German sales prices is correct, I find 71,187 THB not that high priced for an imported German build scooter.

" ... avoid Barcelona."

Good advice!

I have seen SYM showrooms in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Hua Hin and Ubon Ratchatani and apparently they are spreading. They are made in Taiwan and are very good quality, probably the best value maxi scoot. Don`t forget they make cars for Hyundai and have manufactured tens of thousands of Cubs for Honda. Not as powerful as the Yamaha or BMW but still with strong performance and a viable alternative. Also they are the top selling scooter manufacturer in Greece. I guess the Greeks need good value taking into account their economic woes.

How much is the Sym GTS300i Evo now?

Quote by: ChangLight

How much is the Sym GTS300i Evo now?

The Sym GTS300i EVO cost around 150,000 THB