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Wheelz introduction and injection of technical life

2K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Wheelz 
#1 ·
Greetings to everyone!

I'm Wheelz, and I hail from the San Francisco area of California. I got a used 2009 (MK III) Tmax spring of 2017. I have lurked on here and other sites for a long time. I am introducing myself with mixed feelings. I do value my anonymity. I have participated in forums before, and they can be consuming (and information shared can often garner little or unenthusiastic response). The reign of the earlier Tmaxes is a decade, past. We know the Tmax is not popular in the States. Regardless, I do have my unique contributions that will not be found anywhere else, and I would enjoy sharing. I am used to doing off-the-beaten-path mods, plus I've done perhaps more mods than many have. I have read a decent amount on the Tmax, albeit I have not followed much on more recent generations. I have perused the following:

http://www.maxi-muppets.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=5
https://advrider.com/f/threads/2009-yamaha-tmax-500.349424/

I've used website translators and looked at:

https://www.tmax-mania.com/index.php
http://motosrv.ru/projects/proekt-yamaha-t-max-500-turbo/

I'm familiar with Malossi's and others' offerings and the various shops:

https://scooterpartsco.com/
https://carpimoto.it/en-US/
https://www.wrs.it/en/

I will say that I love my Tmax. Many criticize its performance, its weight, and whatever other aspects they care to. I have owned a few bikes. Honda FT500 Ascot. Suzuki DR350S with a 435cc kit. Honda Helix scooter. Kawasaki Ninja 500. Suzuki SV650S. Suzuki DR650 with 790 kit and about $5k put into it. Now the Tmax. As a former tech from the early 90's I've ridden a smattering of other machines, too.

The Helix was a game changer. I put 22,000 miles on the thing in two years, commuting. The Tmax has a lot of what that had. Excellent weather protection. Lots of onboard storage. Twist and go ease with CVT benefits. Ease of maintenance and cleaning. Plus more: phenomenal handling, decent power, love the looks, and a perfect size. Concerning the size, there are larger machines that offer better performance. But, they are indeed larger. My Tmax is adept enough at lane splitting that anything larger would be a liability in this regard. It's the perfect size for me.

I love my Tmax, and I don't intend to get rid of it anytime soon.

Stay tuned!

Wheelz
 
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#2 ·
Welcome!

I too use the TMax for commuting, and it is great! The weather protection (if it's a light drizzle, I don't even get wet); convenient storage (don't have to lug helmet in to the office); ease of use, and fun!

My concern right now is a few years in the future when I'm ready to upgrade... What will it be? Looking at regular motorcycles, I don't see any that have similar weather protection or storage. It looks like BMW makes a maxi-scoot still sold in the US that has some great upgrades (ABS, traction control, electric moving windscreen); but it's fairly pricey.

Anyways, no plans to upgrade for quite a while so maybe the market will change. But with gas prices so low right now, probably won't change much!
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the welcome, BumbleBee!

I have often thought of taking other bikes and adding homemade leg shields. Width would be a limitation, plus the lack of other benefits our Tmaxes have, such as partial step-through and the CVT, etc. Our Tmaxes come from a partial Feet Forward design, hence the engine and gas tank are not in the position to hinder vehicle width so much in this regard. The Gurney Alligator is the Feet Forward design taken pretty far in terms of vehicle road/track performance, there are other FF designs that emphasize comfort and aerodynamics. I think our Tmaxes are pretty darn good, as is.

I have never considered any of BMW's scooter offerings. Whatever 600 or 650 BMW offers/has offered is a behemoth imo. Way bigger than a Tmax. Along with the higher cost of entry are the occasional complaints about various reliability issues. I also wonder if those machines use CANBUS, which would be a mega turn-off for me. They seem more complicated and hoity toity.
 
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