The 2010 Yamaha TMAX, Sporty Maxi Scooter
The Yamaha TMAX has usually been considered as the sporty one among the maxi scooters and the latest model takes that concept to the next level: it's lighter and sleeker in design, still offers good performance from its powerful two-cylinder engine and the ride quality has been improved along with increased agility, comfort and everyday convenience.The new Yamaha TMAX Scooter is powered by a fuel-injected, DOHC, four-valve-per-cylinder, 499cc parallel twin, liquid-cooled engine is horizontally mounted and performance engineered with forged pistons, carburized connecting rods and ceramic-composite plated cylinders for plenty of tractable power. Also includes a horizontally opposed reciprocating balancer for uncommon smoothness.
Yamaha also claims to have upgraded its environmental friendliness by increasing the catalylic converter capacity.
The Yamaha TMAX is a really good scooter, but public relation can always go one better. Yamaha reckons that “this is a unique creation that's more like two scooters, each with its own job: to excite you like a motorcycle and to be as easy to live with as a scooter. There is a real art to creating a machine that can do it all. You could even argue that it's a more complex task than designing a machine that's focused on just one type of riding, like a supersport motorcycle or a cruiser bike”.
I haven't been able to get power figures for this new model, but despite revised fuel-injection mapping, air intake and exhaust, the power feels more or less the same as the previous engine, which Yamaha claims put out 33kW. The forward inclination of the cylinders with their reciprocating balancer delivers good use of space, a low center of gravity and low vibration.
The Yamaha TMAX does feel noticeably lighter and handier, more so than you'd expect seeing Yamaha claims only a few kilo's dropped in weight. Perhaps the new aluminum frame and body work, which also improves stability in side winds, have something to do with that. Yamaha says that they have optimized suspension settings for better handling and that together with the 15 inch front wheel and larger diameter front forks would be helping.
We certainly had no complaints about either handling or performance and surprised a few sports bike riders at the traffic lights.
