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We tested the new Yamaha TMAX: better performance and the right changes to continue ruling scooters
We tested the new Yamaha TMAX: better performance and the right changes to continue ruling scooters

Video: We tested the new Yamaha TMAX: better performance and the right changes to continue ruling scooters

Video: We tested the new Yamaha TMAX: better performance and the right changes to continue ruling scooters
Video: Yamaha TMAX Performance Mods Tested 🛵 HUGE Gains! 😍 Variator, Exhaust, Air Filter & Fuel Controller 2024, March
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From Iwata they sell to Yamaha TMAX like the equivalent of a motorcycle but without markings, but it is not. Let's be clear: the Yamaha TMAX is a scooter, but simply since it was born in 2001 and until today the king of scooters offering more of everything and using almost motorcycle equipment.

For this 2020 and taking advantage of the arrival of the Euro5, the Yamaha TMAX 560 It has been renewed to reduce its emissions, improve its power and consumption figures and, incidentally, give itself a facelift with a new aesthetic that is even more successful but just as recognizable.

Yamaha TMAX 560: the evolution of the king

Yamaha Tmax 2020 001
Yamaha Tmax 2020 001

The Yamaha TMAX is one of those scooters that define a category. A passerby may not understand the world of motoring but if you ask him about a compact sports car he will probably say "Volkswagen Golf GTI". The same goes for the TMAX, which has transcended the limits of its sports maxi-scooter niche to become an icon.

Yamaha considers this 2020 the seventh generation of the TMAX and, although in reality there are fewer, it demonstrates the constant evolution to which it is necessary to submit to a reference in the market. And this scooter is one of the fundamental pillars in the Iwata range, a bestseller despite being a high-priced product. It is pure brand image.

Yamaha Tmax 2020 002
Yamaha Tmax 2020 002

To get an idea of the magnitude of its success we are going with some figures. Since the TMAX began to be sold 18 years ago they have been sold 330,000 units in 87 countries worldwide, of which 276,000 have been awarded in Europe, which is 84%. Within the European market, Spain plays a fundamental role, accounting for 20% of its sales.

Trailing behind the TMAX came the rest of the MAX family progressively and inspired by the maxiscooter, a family that has sold a total of more than 2 million units worldwide with 415,000 XMAXs and 1.3 million NMAXs.

Yamaha Tmax 2020 015
Yamaha Tmax 2020 015

Precisely this brand image, this image of similarity is essential for Yamaha customers, since according to data from the company itself the repetition rate is increasing: whoever retires a TMAX, in approximately half of the cases they buy a TMAX again, but more modern. Hence the explanation of the new TMAX 560 and its renewed aesthetics.

On the other hand, most customers have opted for the more equipped variants, so of the three versions of the TMAX of 2017 (TMAX, TMAX SX and TMAX DX), one of them has been deleted. The entry TMAX is now more equipped than before and the more equipped variant has been replaced by the name Tech Max.

The access trim of the TMAX includes keyless start, two levels of traction control, two driving modes as notable equipment. About this the Tech Max adds electrically adjustable screen, heated seat and grips, cruise control, interior trim for the shaft, lockable glove compartment, adjustable rear suspension, aluminum logos and connectivity through the MyTMAX app.

Very successful cosmetic changes

Yamaha Tmax 2020 014
Yamaha Tmax 2020 014

On the outside, the new Yamaha TMAX is a scooter just as big as the previous one, but it rethinks some of its elements. The forms of Boomerang on the chassis they remain as the identity symbol of this scooter (now in black), but there are aesthetic changes both in the more pleasant and modern front and in the rear.

It is precisely at the rear where we find a greater evolution. The tail is sharper and now it integrates a new optical group that replaces the previous divided headlight with a T-shaped LED assembly where the horizontal part is the position light and the vertical part acts as the brake light.

Yamaha Tmax 560 2020 10
Yamaha Tmax 560 2020 10

The seat is new too, but what's underneath is more important. The central part has narrowed to allow us to better reach the ground. Yes, it is now more accessible but it is still wide. With our 170 cm of height we arrive with the tips of both feet to the ground if we sit in the front part of the seat. The seat height is 800mm, not particularly low.

A front part that by the way is still a large piece of plastic where the buttons for opening the seat and the tank are integrated. They're no longer those cheap-looking glossy plastic buttons, but they still look like a strange and uncomfortable place to locate them.

Yamaha Tmax 2020 007
Yamaha Tmax 2020 007

At the controls of the Yamaha TMAX 560 we feel we are on board the same large scooter with a huge dose of longitudinal space for the feet thanks to large platforms. The same thing happens to us in the seat and if we bring our butt to the small lumbar stop we will be even further away than necessary to be seated in a natural position. Something that the taller riders will appreciate.

Ahead we have a handlebar that is very familiar to us, with some control knobs that stand out for their quality and touch, a screen with considerable dimensions and electrical regulation (in the Tech Max version) and a natural position. The dashboard is the same double dial set with a monochrome digital display in the center.

Many similarities, but even more TMAX

Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 016
Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 016

We start the engine at the push of a button and the Yamaha TMAX 560 comes to life immersed in that characteristic purr of the Japanese maxiscooter. This time the sound seems a little more mollified but it remains just as recognizable. Euro5 stuff and the new exhaust line.

We started to tour the city on a rather wet and dirty asphalt due to the autumn weather and it is easy to perceive some of its changes for 2020. The TMAX continues to show off two driving modes (S and T). In the T, the power delivery is more progressive, the traction control more restrictive and the ABS acts in a cautious way, perfect for when we ride in conditions that are not optimal.

Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 014
Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 014

You have to do a lot of work to detect the changes in this new generation, but it is true that the power delivery is carried out in a cleaner way for practical purposes. The roughness that we could find before in some transitions has been smoothed out and it is a scooter that is a pleasure to drive in urban traffic, except for its physical limitations. It is still large, at 2.2 meters long with 1.57 meters between axes.

Fortunately, the terrain quickly clears up, we leave the road markings and cobblestones behind and select the S mode, taking advantage of the fact that we come to a curvy road. This is where the TMAX begins to give us its best face, and it is that although it is a scooter as we said at the beginning, it's not just any scooter.

Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 013
Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 013

The new two-cylinder engine with a false counterbalance piston has been completely redesigned for 2020, while maintaining its particular fixed position: it does not oscillate with the swingarm as in the rest of scooters on the market. It has been increased displacement from 530 to 562 cc expanding the diameter from 62 to 70 mm, but its changes go much further.

The intake valves go from 26 to 27 mm, the pistons are a new pair of forged aluminum with new connecting rods and a lightened crankshaft. All of this is complemented by redesigned cylinder heads, resulting in refined character, livelier delivery, and power that now achieves. 46.5 hp and 55.7 Nm of torque, while cooling has also been optimized.

Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 009
Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 009

And yes, for practical purposes we find a more consistent kick to any regime. We fully open our right fist and the engine turns with joy, but it is not all the fault of the engine, because the transmission is also new. The transmission ratio has been reduced and the clutch engagement is done at 4,000 rpm, 300 rpm before the previous model.

In short, we are facing a scooter with a enviable punch, unknown to any other model on the market and that also delivers it in a velvety way, so much so that at times it seems that it does not run, but it does. And not only does it accelerate, but the TMAX is a very good recuperator.

Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 008
Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 008

On the motorway, it is capable of running at high speed without losing its hair, with enviable stability and more than enough power reserve to undertake overtaking on demand, perfectly protected behind its screen in the highest position. The same thing happens between curves of a twisted road, but with the exception that the weight and dimensions take their toll.

With 218 kg in running order and a low center of gravity, the Yamaha TMAX is not the most agile two-wheeler, but in return its precision is more than enough. Regarding the cycle part, there are hardly any changes with the previous version, which already stood out in this regard.

Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 007
Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 007

The aluminum chassis is anchored by a robust inverted fork and a rear shock they get new morons. Its demeanor is balanced, with an acceptable brand comfort for the day to day and a fantastic capacity of containment as the step accelerates. Perhaps the touch is 60% sporty and 40% comfortable.

For its part, the brake system does remain intact with a 267 mm double front disc bitten by radial anchor pliers and a 282mm rear disc. We liked the feel of the rear brake more, because the front brake, although very progressive, has little initial bite.

It's not just a scooter, it's a TMAX

Yamaha Tmax 2020 003
Yamaha Tmax 2020 003

One detail that caught our attention was the unusual elasticity of the handlebar mounts. We do not remember if there was this same flexibility in the previous model, but in any case it is noticeable that good silent-blocks have been placed to isolate the vibrations generated by the engine.

In terms of practicality, few if any changes. The cargo capacity is still ample, with a large glove compartment on the right side of the shield with a power point and a large hole under the seat that gives a lot of play but does not fit two helmets.

Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 005
Yamaha Tmax 2020 Test 005

We already know that at this point in the text you will be impatient to know the answer to the big question: how much is the Yamaha TMAX worth now? Well, the answer is clear: it is 200 euros higher in each version with equal equipment, with a price of tariff of 12,499 and 14,399 euros respectively.

The prices of the new Yamaha TMAX 560 and its Tech Max version are not affordable. Now, as a product, if the TMAX was already good before, now it is even better and is once again at the top of the evolution of scooters. Because who wants a TMAX, does not want a scooter.

Yamaha Tmax 2020 005
Yamaha Tmax 2020 005

Yamaha TMAX 560 2020 - Rating

7.3

Motor 8 Vibrations 7 Change 7 Stability 8 Agility 6 Front suspension 8 Rear suspension 7 Front brake 6 Back brake 7 Pilot comfort 7 Passenger comfort N / A Consumption N / A Finishes 8 Esthetic 8

In favor

  • Even more intense engine
  • Aesthetically more accurate
  • Very complete equipment
  • Quality of finishes

Against

  • High price
  • Wide leg arch
  • Front brake too progressive
  • No room for two integrals
  • Yamaha TMAX 560 2020 - Technical sheet

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    Topics

    • Scooter
    • Testing area
    • Yamaha
    • Yamaha TMAX
    • Motorcycle news 2020

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