A new owner's initial observations

Last October, I put a down a deposit on a new '05 Majesty. After much anticipation, I picked it up on April 6th. The Maj is my first maxi-scooter, although I have over 25 years of experience on motorcycles ranging from an Hodaka Ace 100 to a BMW R100GS. Prior to the Majesty I owned a Kawasaki W650.

I've ridden about 725 km (about 435 mi) to date. Here are some of my initial observations.

1. Making the move from a motorcycle to a maxi-scooter has been much easier than I anticipated. Getting accustomed to using my left hand to operate the rear brake rather than a clutch took about 5 minutes. The fact that I ride my mountain bike a lot probably aided in the transition to hand-operated brakes. One or twice my left foot has twitched in anticipation of making an up-shift, but I've quickly regained control of that extremity when it happens. The biggest adjustment has been getting used to the CVT, i.e., the lag between twisting the throttle and the having the automatic clutch engage, and the lack of compression braking at low speeds. Oh yes, finding the best technique for mounting and dismounting the scoot without scraping the fuel filler cover with my boots took a little practice. What works for me is to squeeze both brake levers while sitting side-saddle and then swinging my right leg through the frame.

2. For a 400cc machine, the performance of the Maj is quite impressive. On the highway (where I do most of my riding) cruising at an indicated 120 km/h (72 mph) is effortless. At age 61, I no longer have a great need for speed, but I've had the Maj briefly up to an indicated 150 km/h (90 mph), where it felt quite stable. On the highway, the Maj moves around a bit in cross winds, but never feels dangerously unstable.

3. Although a few members of this group have reported occasional (or frequent) instances of stalling at low speeds, I've not experienced this.

4. My habit has been to flip up the front of my modular helmet after stopping to refuel. Given the location of the fuel filler on the Maj, I found that I was banging my helmet on the end of the handlebars when bending down to insert the nozzle. Turning the handlebars to the side and having only the helmet visor open solves the problem. Also, locking the gas cap is made a lot easier by putting white paint on the triangular alignment marks on the gas cap and the fuel compartment. Thanks to whoever posted this tip.

5. The LCD multi-function panel provides a lot of useful information. I wondered about the need for two trip meters, but now find it handy to use one meter to record the distance of the current ride while the other records the distance since refuelling (yes, I know there is a fuel gauge, but some old habits die hard). As others have mentioned, when riding into the sun, the display can be difficult to read.

6. I checked the accuracy of the odometer over a measured 10 km distance and found it to be about 1% optimistic. I haven't checked the accuracy of the speedometer yet.

7. I'm 5'8" with a 31" inseam and find the Maj's seating position quite comfortable. The rider's backrest is a nice feature. The stock windshield directs the airflow at my helmet visor. Since I always wear ear plugs, the noise level is okay. I've taken one ride (about 100 km or 62 mi) with my wife as passenger. Like most bikes, with a passenger aboard the steering is a lot lighter at low speeds. My wife really enjoys the Yamaha accessory passenger backrest and reported that the seat remained comfortable during our 90 minute ride. Her only complaint is with the location of the passenger footrests: she has a 28" inseam and finds that because of the width of the Maj, she only can get her heels on the footrests.

8. Fuel consumption has averaged 4.4 L/100 km (64.2 mpg IMP or 54.6 mpg US). That's about what I got with my W650 (which had the same wet weight as the Maj. and similar power output [39 hp vs 34 hp*]). *I found this figure at www.yamaha-motor-europe.com.

PS. I've cross-posted this to the Yahoo Majesty group.