Yamaha Majesty Scooter Forum banner

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

11K views 22 replies 10 participants last post by  funkycowie 
#1 ·
Well boys and girls, it was fun. My TMAX opened up the world of high-performance scootering and how much fun it could be to be a "Shiftless B**tard." Still, I'm quite disappointed in Yamaha's decision to discontinue that wonderful scoot here in the States (and apparently now in all of North America if I'm to believe other posts I've read).

I traded in my Bumblebee this afternoon for a brand, shiny new red BMW C650GT. It's everything the Bumblebee was and more. Some of my immediate sensations:

1) The staggered crank pin makes for a more pleasing exhaust note.
2) Vibration is no worse than the Bumblebee
3) This thing accelerates like a cheetah with its tail on fire!
4) No loud wind roar in my helmet anymore!!

As for the service intervals, the owner's manual just mentions "Annual Service" (no mileage specified). I read somewhere else that the CVT belt should be replaced every 24,000 miles (and if it was on the internet it must be true, right??) but I can't find anything in the manual about it.


Wishing you all miles and smiles and I hope to see some of you on the road.
 
See less See more
1
#4 ·
I need to post a photo of the C650GT next to my BMW K1200LT in the garage. Holy crap that thing is BIG!! It looks like it takes up the same space in the garage as the big BMW luxo-tourer!

It doesn't feel as big when you ride it, but... and that's without the top box (which I don't have yet, as BMW "froze" delivery of the mounting kit due to some problems reported in the field). I may not need it though, as the under-seat storage on the C650GT is just about the same as the TMAX with the accessory top box.

Funny anecdote: According to my BMW dealer (Gold Coast Motorsports in New Hyde Park, NY), I was the THIRD TMAX he took on trade this past month for one of the BMW scooters. Guess I'm not the only one discouraged by Yamaha's decision. Once you've gotten used to the handling of the TMAX, the other Maxi scooters just don't cut it. BMW actually targeted the TMAX when they designed their two scoots and I think they've nailed it.
 
#7 ·
For those keeping track, there IS one thing that the TMAX did right, and the C650GT could improve. You know those bug-antenna mirrors that everyone here seems to hate? They do a far better job of letting you know what is going on behind you than the mirrors on the C650GT.

On the BMW, the mirrors give you a great view of the lanes on either side of you, and your upper arms. Good for admiring your "guns" but useless in letting you know there's a LEO crawling up your butt...
 
#8 ·
Rode the Ramapo 500 over the weekend with the C650GT. That's a two-day, 500 mile backroads tour through upstate NY, Connecticut, and wherever else the organizers decide to send you, with a campout in between.

I was able to get all of my camping gear and a day's change of clothing under the seat, no need to bungee anything to the seat.

On some of those backroads, I did notice one thing about the Beemer that I couldn't do with the TMAX. With the Beemer, I can position my feet almost directly below me, almost like riding a sport bike. This gave me a lot more confidence when attacking the curves. With the TMAX, you can't slide your feet that far back. That also made it a lot easier to stand up on the bumpy roads. Standing up on the TMAX was an effort as you had to pull yourself forward and up (like trying to stand on a cruiser).

However, I also learned that a CVT transmission is NOT the best thing for wet grass or a loose gravel road. Too damned easy to break the rear tire loose!! If it were a manual transmission I could feather the clutch and throttle, but the CVT just wants to spin up that back wheel. Who needs coffee when you have something like that happening first thing in the morning?

I don't think I've ever ridden the TMAX under those conditions, so I don't know if it would've behaved the same. Anyone here?
 
#9 ·
buellboy9 said:
However, I also learned that a CVT transmission is NOT the best thing for wet grass or a loose gravel road. Too damned easy to break the rear tire loose!! If it were a manual transmission I could feather the clutch and throttle, but the CVT just wants to spin up that back wheel. Who needs coffee when you have something like that happening first thing in the morning?

I don't think I've ever ridden the TMAX under those conditions, so I don't know if it would've behaved the same. Anyone here?
The first time I highsided my Majesty was rolling over a patch of something slippery as I accelerated out of a corner and broke the rear wheel loose. Once it started spinning, it was all over. Tire spun up, rear end swung wide, tire regained traction when I backed off the throttle, and she bucked me off.

Same thing happened one winter when I hit a patch of ice.

Definitely requires a gentle touch on the throttle on slick surfaces. What you'd "normally" do with the clutch lever you have to (try to) do with the throttle with a CVT. Which is why I say CVT-equipped scoots are actually harder to ride at slow speeds.
 
#10 ·
I guess if ANYTHING required Traction Control, it'd be a two-wheeler with a CVT!

By the way, what you described (backing off the throttle when the rear tire started to slide) counts as one of Keith Code's "Survival Reflexes" that are totally WRONG on a motorcycle.

When things start to go "badly" on a motorcycle, we instinctively do THREE things in response, and all three things are the WORST things you can do:
1) Roll off the throttle
2) Look down/straight ahead
3) Tense up

If you'd kept the rear wheel spinning, it would've most likely regained traction more gradually. Road racers spin the rear tire in corners all the time and rarely high-side. Easier said than done, though (DAMHIK).
 
#11 ·
buellboy9 said:
By the way, what you described (backing off the throttle when the rear tire started to slide) counts as one of Keith Code's "Survival Reflexes" that are totally WRONG on a motorcycle.
Yep. I've read his books and am a regular reader of his column in Motorcyclist magazine. Very, very good stuff.

buellboy9 said:
Road racers spin the rear tire in corners all the time and rarely high-side. Easier said than done, though (DAMHIK).
The defending MotoGP World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo, is currently recuperating from two very nasty highsides - and MotoGP bikes have incredibly high-tech traction control. Plus, I don't generally corner in town expecting the rear end to slide out for no apparent reason. :wink: So I don't feel quite so bad about my highsides, being a lowly scooter jockey.
 
#12 ·
Oh, and for anyone wondering about the battery location on the Beemer:

There are five torx-head screws that hold on the right side upper fairing cover. The toolkit actually contains the necessary torx driver to remove those five screws. After all five are removed, it's a lift up/slide forward move and VOILA! The battery and all the fuses are RIGHT there and easily accessible.

Nothing like the hellish procedure required to get to the battery of the 2009 and later TMAXes.
 
#13 ·
So here I am, six years later, admitting that trading in the TMAX for the C650GT was the single BIGGEST mistake I ever made. That POS broke down and left me stranded hundreds of miles from home THREE different times. The first two times were under warranty but I STILL had to figure out how to get the scooter back home after it was repaired and I had to do that on my own time and money.

The third time happened two years out of warranty. The failing component was a part that had been replaced in a recall campaign which was supposed to have prevented what happened: The timing chain tensioner failed causing the timing chain to slip which resulted in the valves self-destructing against the pistons. BMW's response: The bike is too old, we won't do anything for you! A new engine would've cost me $4,000.00 alone, not including the labor charges to replace it. The scooter itself was only worth $5,000.00 if it were in PERFECT condition!!

BMW has lost a long time, loyal customer. I will NEVER buy another vehicle they sell no matter HOW many wheels it has. There is a reason they are at nearly the BOTTOM of the Consumer Reports reliability rankings. BMW decided at the beginning of the millennium that they no longer want to sell bikes that last forever; they want to sell to those people who replace their bikes every few years. Their bikes are designed to last only a year or two past the warranty period and that's it. With that in mind, anyone who buys a USED BMW needs psychiatric care. Speaking to people who have owned BMW cars, this is not unique; almost every one I spoke to said that after owning a BMW they would NEVER buy another one. Expensive, high-tech GARBAGE built to a price point.

I'm back in the Yamaha fold. I wish Yamaha would sell the TMAX in the States again. I read the specs on the new TMAX-DX they're selling in Europe and all I can do is drool. In the meantime, I bought a 2019 XMAX 300 and I'm LOVING it.
 
#14 ·
Well, Jaime, I must be an idiot then. :) Last year I acquired an '02 R1150RT with 64K miles on it. The only major maintenance was a new clutch, which went in just before I bought it. I've since put several thousand trouble-free miles on it, and have two multi-day tours scheduled this summer with it, where I expect the same behavior.

I've owned one other BMW product - a Mini. It's Peugeot engine developed a failed wrist pin at 118K miles. I replaced the engine with a rebuild and ran it another 70K before selling it.
 
#15 ·
That's a 17-year-old BMW, built when BMW made great, reliable bikes, before they started having as much crap as they could subbed-out to China, et al. :roll:

(Jaime's Boxer BMW has over 300,000 miles on the ORIGINAL ENGINE. That is why he took a chance on the C650 Scooter...)
 
#16 ·
Sku-Torr said:
That's a 17-year-old BMW, built when BMW made great, reliable bikes, before they started having as much crap as they could subbed-out to China, et al. :roll:

(Jaime's Boxer BMW has over 300,000 miles on the ORIGINAL ENGINE. That is why he took a chance on the C650 Scooter...)
Actually, I have a "Flying Brick," not a Boxer. It'll be 20 years old next month and has 215,000 miles on it. Only "engine work" done was replacing all the non-metallic seals and gaskets at 180,000 miles. I had a 1985 flying brick K100 that had 158,000 miles on it when it was stolen ten years after I bought it. Those old flying brick "K" engines are probably the most indestructible engines ever put in a motorcycle.
 
#17 ·
I had a chance to ride 5 different BMW bikes last weekend, from a G310 to a K1600. The only one I didn't like was the 310GS, as that was too tall in both seat height and first gear. I didn't mind its Rotax engine or that it was assembled in India. And my favorite among the test group surprised me, which was a 1200RT. I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did. It's a completely different bike from mine, and each difference was distinctly better.
 
#18 ·
Funny you should mention Peugeot engines. I only learned a couple of years ago that the BMW "Flying Brick" was a repurposed Peugeot automobile engine! That explains why so many of the parts are made in France. I still love those bikes. One of my friends said that the late editor of "On The Level" (the magazine of the BMW Rider's Association) had posted a column almost two decades ago saying that BMW's new management realized their future was NOT in selling 400,000 mile "K" bikes. They've AGGRESSIVELY pursued "Planned Obsolescence" since then. They seem to be trying to emulate Honda, the problem is, Honda does it FAR FAR better and their bikes remain reliable long past their warranty period.
 
#19 ·
Hi

buellboy9 said:
I traded in my Bumblebee this afternoon for a brand, shiny new red BMW C650GT. It's everything the Bumblebee was and more. Some of my immediate sensations:
I hope its a good change for you :)

I was interested in your point about wind noise and indeed have changed windscreens in the past to get rid of that. Strangely wind noise on my T-Max is less of an issue with an Open Face than a Full Face ...

I too will be interested to hear of your experience with the "Other Scooter"

Best Wishes
 
#20 ·
pellicle said:
Hi

I hope its a good change for you :)

I was interested in your point about wind noise and indeed have changed windscreens in the past to get rid of that. Strangely wind noise on my T-Max is less of an issue with an Open Face than a Full Face ...

I too will be interested to hear of your experience with the "Other Scooter"

Best Wishes
I can tell you haven't read the REST of this thread...
 
#22 ·
buellboy9 said:
So here I am, six years later, admitting that trading in the TMAX for the C650GT was the single BIGGEST mistake I ever made. That POS broke down and left me stranded hundreds of miles from home THREE different times. The first two times were under warranty but I STILL had to figure out how to get the scooter back home after it was repaired and I had to do that on my own time and money.

The third time happened two years out of warranty. The failing component was a part that had been replaced in a recall campaign which was supposed to have prevented what happened: The timing chain tensioner failed causing the timing chain to slip which resulted in the valves self-destructing against the pistons. BMW's response: The bike is too old, we won't do anything for you! A new engine would've cost me $4,000.00 alone, not including the labor charges to replace it. The scooter itself was only worth $5,000.00 if it were in PERFECT condition!!

BMW has lost a long time, loyal customer. I will NEVER buy another vehicle they sell no matter HOW many wheels it has. There is a reason they are at nearly the BOTTOM of the Consumer Reports reliability rankings. BMW decided at the beginning of the millennium that they no longer want to sell bikes that last forever; they want to sell to those people who replace their bikes every few years. Their bikes are designed to last only a year or two past the warranty period and that's it. With that in mind, anyone who buys a USED BMW needs psychiatric care. Speaking to people who have owned BMW cars, this is not unique; almost every one I spoke to said that after owning a BMW they would NEVER buy another one. Expensive, high-tech GARBAGE built to a price point.

I'm back in the Yamaha fold. I wish Yamaha would sell the TMAX in the States again. I read the specs on the new TMAX-DX they're selling in Europe and all I can do is drool. In the meantime, I bought a 2019 XMAX 300 and I'm LOVING it.
I know someone who bought a new one about the same time I got my 2015 Tmax. I think he said his BMW scooter had 7 recalls in about a year. There's a reason Consumer Reports rates BMW 2 wheelers at the very bottom in reliability.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top