Allen Drysdale

Summary

The Downtown 300 burst onto the scene last year with two key points of difference. One was that it boasted a full 298.9 cc engine, not so common in a school of in-betweens. Secondly it's only one of a handful of scooters to come with ABS standard. So in Part 2 of our winter challenge, we take the Downtown for the ride of its life.... 

Specifications

What better way to test a mid-capacity scooter? The Downtown, Melbourne to Sydney, mid-winter, and some of the best roads in Australia. We picked up the Kymco Downtown from Scoota City in Melbourne, absolutely no K's on the clock, a brand spanka. First thing you notice is the Downtown struts an executive-type pose, smart clean lines, a real classy machine. This one's the ABS model, full title is Kymco Downtown 300i ABS.
 
Lets knock over the big features first. The engine/transmission has been developed by Kymco in-house, codenamed G5. The 298.9 cc engine cranks out 22 Kw of power, which on paper topped our travelling partners, CF Moto's Jet Max and Piaggio's X7 300. The single cylinder engine is liquid cooled, fuel injected and runs a 4 valve head.

The other big feature, ABS Brakes. For many of us ABS should be a standard choice, a basic safety requirement. The Downtown is a unique individual, the only scooter under 400 cc in Australia available with ABS as an option. The front wave rotor is 260 mm in diameter whilst the rear is 240 mm, both front and rear employ ABS. Wheel size on the Downtown is favourable, 14 inch on the front and a 13 inch on the rear, this helps with storage, also easy sizes to source for replacement. The rear suspension is a beefy looking dual adjustable set-up, again very easy to access.  

The seat is two tiered, the passenger sits nice and high, the rider is supported by a backrest. The seat opens off the ignition and is held up via a handy gas strut. The storage area is long but loses some of its practicality by being a little thin in width. I found the grab handles for strapping items onto the seat particularly handy, especially when in touring mode. Some helmets fit easily under the seat but this really depends on the design of the helmet. You can use a D-clasp helmet wire(not supplied) to lock your helmet outside the scooter, the Downtown has two of these hooks available. The underseat storage area contains a light for those darker moments.   

The Downtown, like all scooters in this configuration, has a raised floor tunnel. It's wide and flat so it actually makes it handy when you're hanging bags off the hook provided. The tunnel houses the fuel filler which makes refuelling a breeze. Another storage option is the weatherproof bin which resides on the dash and houses a 12 volt charger. The dash itself has a very European feel about it. Analogue gauges for both speed and revs, digital gauges for fuel, ODO, trip meters and time.

Weight is posted at 166 kg but it feels much lighter on the road. And although it runs a maxi type configuration the Downtown does feel thin, the figures say 810 mm wide. The fuel tank holds 12.5 litres and this was good for well over 300 km's in the saddle. Basic fuel consumption over the trip was somewhere between 25 and 30 km's per litre. Pretty good going considering the type of riding being conducted.

Other nice ergonomic features include: A front screen that is adjustable for rake. A nice set of handgrips that are well positioned for ease of reach. A smart looking twin headlight configuration that works. Centre and side stands. A short note on build quality, this ones from the top shelf.
 

On The Road

When we first picked up the Downtown it was fresh, and I mean fresh. Both the X7 and Jet Max left it for dead. Which was surprising given the specified power output and true 299 cc capacity. By the time we'd performed our first stop just outside Marysville, the Downtown was like a bullet. It would easily out-accelerate our two colleagues, and from this point on with a few hundred K's on the clock the Downtown became king. Easily cruising at 110 km/h plus, easily keeping steady speeds even over long inclines. This is a scooter that will hold freeway speeds all day long, overtake with ease. The Downtown was overall 10 km/h quicker in top speed in comparison to the X7 and Jet Max. In favourable circumstances and given plenty of room, the Downtown will see a GPS measured 140 km/h.    

A few things to mention about the engine. It has a rough, raw, viby nature. In no way is it as smooth as the Piaggio's Quasar in comparison, quite apparent when ridden side by side. The power comes on with a fair degree of urgency and I would go as far to say that this would be probably the quickest 300 class scooter on the market. On faster B-grade country roads the Downtown was a blast, it had enough torque to power its way out of corners and is fairly deceptive when you look down for a speed check. The brakes felt strong and it just helps knowing you have ABS to help out when required. Try as hard as you like, you can't lock up a wheel on the Downtown, the lever pulsates to let you know when the ABS is in action.  

Handling is another strong point. The frame is as rigid as they come and the Downtown likes it on the throttle. The more power being fed to the rear wheel, the better it feels planted on the road. I suggest doing some dialling in of the rear suspension to suit your own personal circumstances. When scratching at a fast rate of knots the Downtown is magic. Turn in is positively quick and trustworthy, no flex in this baby. It's when you bring the speeds down and you're moving on and off the throttle that the attitude changes. In this situation things can get a little choppy as the Downtown tends to bounce its way over large bumps and potholes rather than dealing with them one by one.

You do sit fairly upright and your feet are pretty much set in place. Its not like other maxi-type scooters where you can ride with your feet forward. This could be a problem for some, as getting comfortable can be individual thing. All three participants on the trip didn't have an issue with the riding position, though after a while(2 hours) in the saddle the seat can become a little on the firm side. The frontal design does help and the Downtown offered the best protection overall from the elements. Good screen and a well designed aerodynamic front end making all the difference. 

Summary

What I look for in a scooter is ones ability to accomplish more than one role. And this is where the Downtown 300 shines. As a touring option, the Downtown gives you the capability to get out onto open freeways and hold sufficient speeds. As a city commuter the Downtown is quite thin and fast with a deceptive ability to get off the mark. And as a shop runner the Downtown can carry enough goods to feed a family for a week - I've proven it. The Downtown also gets the big thumbs up for that reassuring feeling that comes with knowing you have ABS front and rear.

The build quality is above par and reliability-wise the Kymco brand poses a reassuring prospect. At a retail value of $7490, the Kymco wont be for everybody. The value for money equation will seem like a stretch for some. Though given everything we have achieved with the Downtown this scooter could fill a number of everyday voids. A daily commuter, a weekend tourer, not too heavy, easy to live with, it's why we have the 300 class.  

From a design perspective you can see that Kymco have placed a great deal of thought into this scooter. In the land of the scooter "Italy" the Downtown resides in the top 10 scooters sold this year and it makes sense why. The Downtown looks cool(to me anyway) and offers a huge wide range of flexibility and did I mention how quick it is.

So well worth a look if you're after this class of scooter. I've put another 1000km's on the clock since our trip from Melbourne so I'm really getting used to living day to day with this one. The Downtown is a scooter I would pull out of the garage regardless of the destination. And that my friends is the sign of a great scooter.

ScooterMan

I picked up the Downtown from Scoota City with only 5ks on the clock, straight out of the crate and we were about to break all the rules of running in a new scooter. Met up with Muz and Al, filled the tank with 95ron and headed out to Healesville via a series of Melbourne’s freeways. The Downtown is really a maxi, a true 300, solid, well built, ABS brakes, audible blinkers, full screen, heaps of room under the seat. The engine was a bit tight at first and although it was fast away from the lights the Downtown didn’t want to go much more than 90 km/h. Out to Marysville along the famous Black Spur it started to loosen up and the top speed just got better and better. This road winds through some beautiful forested twisties and although the tarmac was wet the Downtown was smooth and tight, it felt like it was on rails, accelerating strongly up the hills, it was maturing into a class act.

From Marysville we headed to Alexander then out to Wangaratta and up the Hume to Albury. The Downtown proved to be a perfect touring scooter. By the end of the first day it was cruising easily at 140km/h indicated. When we calibrated the speedo on the GPS this was revised to a true 132km/h, about 8km/h out. Fuel consumption was 27 Km/l.

We had 3 drags on some of these Victorian back roads and the Downtown was definitely the fastest of the three scooters with terrific initial surge out of the blocks and able to accelerate all the way to top speed. On the second day when we got into the mountains and the rain turned into sleet the Downtown was the scooter we all wanted to be riding because of the good screen and weather protection. Though we couldn’t get it off Muz, who is no idiot when choosing which was the best scooter in these truly bleak conditions. Along the Hume from Gundagai to Goulburn no one was overtaking the Downtown. In one way its good to have a top speed of 140km/h, fast enough to keep ahead of the traffic but not too fast to loose your licence.

In the pure scooter touring stakes the Downtown got the points. The solid build meant little flexing at speed, great weather protection, excellent handling, tons of grunt, almost comfortable seat and excellent under seat storage, it loved the country roads, the mountain twisties as well as the freeway. After 1000 k's of hard riding the Downtown felt that it would just get better and better the more you rode it.

Muz

In 2009 I was lucky enough to travel to Taiwan and to see the factory operations and get to test ride Kymcos new test scooter, the Downtown 300i.

Working with Kymco R&D engineers we were asked our opinions on handling, engine performance, even ground clearance. In 2010 the production model finally arrived in Australia, and many of the small changes were there to be seen. Kymco take their scooter range very seriously, and getting to ride 1000 km's plus on this brand new 2011 ABS model spoke volumes about Kymco's commitment to their range of scoots here in Oz.  I really liked the instrument layout, deep storage area under the seat, (with a complimentary light), and a tall screen that was a cracker on the highway.  

Brakes are class leading, with an Anti Lock Braking system that keeps the front and rear brake from locking up and causing concern under heavy braking.  I even tested the rear alone on very wet roads and it did a great job of holding and releasing until the scooter stopped. It did a much better job than I could do without ABS.

I loved riding the Downtown around long country corners in particular.  The package was precise and direct, the suspension compliant, even over mid corner bumps with plenty of lean angle. The engine has plenty of torque, pulling me up mountain hills with ease, and as a bonus the seating system is broad and compliments a pillion rider nicely.

Kymco build quality is very good, with the body panels all meeting nicely, and I really like the sporty raked front body panel that leads nicely into the semi adjustable front windscreen.

If you’re after a great all-rounder whether it's city or highway, cruising with a pillion on board, or riding alone through your favourite corners, I can highly recommend the Downtown 300i.

Allen Drysdale

Introduction

When we first kicked off with the idea of riding Melbourne to Sydney, the CF Moto JetMax provided the initial motivation. Could we pick up a brand new scooter, freshly pre-delivered, and ride it over 1000 km's in testing conditions. Lets add into the equation that this scooter just happens to be Chinese built with a retail price of under $4000.

Our test this time involved picking up three scooters from Melbourne and riding them enthusiastically back to Sydney. Partnering me on the trip was Piaggio's X7 300 and Kymco's Downtown 300i with ABS. Two other riders were recruited for the ride, Muz from Scooter Central and our trusty scooter geek, Scooterman.

 On the Road

Remember we had three scooters on review which we will comparatively cover in separate articles. With CF Moto's JetMax 250 what was immediately apparent was the available power on tap.  A brand new scooter fresh out of the box with just a few K's on the clock.

The JetMax in numerous off the line acceleration runs was just behind Piaggio's X7 300, neither scooter could catch the extra capacity of the Downtown. Impressive for a scooter at this price point, though not surprising given the power specifications listed. Top speed testing revealed a true GPS measured 130 km/h. The JetMax was out about 8 km/h on the speedo, displaying a top speed of just under 140 km/h.

As the km's grew on the odometer so did the JetMax's ability to negotiate hills and freeway speeds. Once "run-in" the JetMax is a pretty handy freeway capable scooter. Averaging 110 km/h was a simple affair. Sitting above this speed for longer periods was doable, even when negotiating hills and inclines. The low screen fitted to the Australian model worked well at speed, seemed to spread the air consistently over the rider. This was helped in-turn by the wide frontal area.

On a side note: when I talk about "running in", the JetMax never got a chance to be nursed into its first 1000 km's. It was on the gas from the get-go, everyone agreed this produced the best from the engine. It felt stronger the closer we got to Sydney and this could be said for all three scooters on review. A word of advice is when testing a scooter for purchase look at the kilometres travelled, low k's on the odo will never give you a true indication of a scooters speed and power.

The JetMax sits low to the ground so immediately you feel comfortable and you find this one easy to manoeuvre even at low speeds. For enthusiastic riding this can mean some scraping, though it doesn't get all that excessive. The suspension keeps up with most irregularities, you can get some crashing over potholes or over rough surfaces, but really items like this normally only get better with price. The frame wasn't as rigid as some of its travelling partners, again generally a price point, country of origin thing. For me when I found this scooters limitations I could easily ride around them. The JetMax holds an impressive heavy stable line at speed.

Brakes seemed to fair ok, remembering a great deal of riding was performed at the limit. The dual front brakes were the key to stopping, the rear was the steadier. On fast stretches you could easily get away with just using the rear brake anyway. Actually on fast sections of road, you could come into 60 km/h corners and use the CVT to slow. Once in and through the apex, full power, twist hard and away you go.   

Talking of CVT transmissions, the JetMax does sound like it could take off at any stage. The JetMax isn't silent by any stretch, letting you know it's doing its job. You become a little more comfortable once realising the JetMax comes with its own set of tunes.

The tyres do need to be replaced. Typically Chinese you would love something with a softer compound, one it would help with grip and two it would help with ride quality. The standard fitment tyres are hard and given the speeds this scooter can reach I'd like some better rubber.

All up we travelled over 1000 km's on the JetMax in an effort to ride, Melbourne to Sydney, over two days. This included a mammoth ride on the 2nd day, around Lake Hume and cutting up through the B grade roads which connect Tumbarumba and Gundagai before streaking home on the Hume Highway. What was particularly pleasing was the JetMax didn't encounter any problems apart from a loose exhaust bolt.

In short we thrashed the JetMax in an effort to break it. We're talking some fast B and C grade country roads and even faster freeway stretches, each lasting over two hours at a time. The JetMax held its own in this company and whilst not as refined as its travelling partners, it never fell behind.

Fuel usage remained in the high 20's (km/l) for the trip, all at the top end threshhold of this scooters ability. I would have to think low 30's around town is achievable. With a 12 litre tank this means an easy 300 km's.
 

Summary

So coming back to our initial statement. Could you ride from Melbourne to Sydney on a brand new Chinese built maxi scooter which costs less than $4000. Yes you can, and in the case of the JetMax with confidence.   

The ride ended up being a nice little three way comparo, though initially it was just meant as a statement. A reflection of what you can do on a maxi of this size and capacity.  

Given the cold wintery conditions we encountered, the rain, freezing winds and slippery roads the CF Moto did a tremendous job. And even though not as refined as the others, price point will always play some part in the purchase decision. A JetMax 250 could easily fulfil the role of a cheap freeway capable commuter. Easily able to stretch its legs to 110 km/h and maintain these speeds for longer periods.

Over time the initial jibes of "what do we do when it breaks down" were silenced. The JetMax had gained the respect it deserved.

The CF Moto JetMax 250 comes with 4000 Km service intervals and a 24 month warranty... 

I was sure this Chinese maxi would be dead by the side of the road well before we got to the NSW/VIC border. I'd never seen or ridden a Chinese scoot that would go much faster than 80 km/h and I wasn’t much impressed with the idea of a budget scooter coming along for the trip.

Al picked it up, straight out of the crate, and we headed to Marysville. The JetMax was a "very white" 250 with lots of chrome and these strange ugly hybrid looks, which I didn’t end up minding that much. It had come with a flyscreen rather than the full screen I'd seen in the brochures.

With only a few k's on the engine the JetMax was initially the slowest of the three scooters as we headed up the hills to Healesville. Allen's not a bad rider, in as much as he can ride anything to the max. He raced the JetMax through the wet and slippery Black Spur with gusto. By the time we’d hit the open country roads between Alexandra and Wangaratta, the JetMax was cruising nicely at a real 120 km/h and getting fuel consumption readings of 27 km/l.

When we did our drags the JetMax was not last by much, this was impressive given it was the smallest capacity of the 3 scooters. What was more surprising was the fact it was keeping up with the others at cruising speeds and by the time I got my turn to ride it on the freeway between Wangaratta and Albury, it was able to cruise at a real 120 km/h for extended periods.

The JetMax is a strange beast to ride. It has a low seating position, high handlebars and feet forward, it felt like a Harley easyrider sort of posture. I found the seat comfortable. It has a very simple dash, good underseat storage, and the strangest ass. A boot we didn’t get to figure out. It also had speakers which you could plug your ipod into.  

The JetMax had a strange whine/whistle from the engine/transmission which sounded like a supercharger. It's quite low to the ground and at a couple of roundabouts Muz had it scraping the exhaust. He also reported some frame flexing when going through fast corners. For straight line freeway stuff it was absolutely fine. Allen rode the JetMax for most of the epic 700 k's from Albury to Sydney via Tumbarumba and Gundagai over some truly challenging back roads, mountains and freeways, the Chinese 250 just kept on going.

Only lost one screw which held the chrome heat shield to the exhaust pipe. When we cruised into Sydney at dusk on the second day we looked at each other in amazement.  A 250 cc Chinese designed maxi for only $4700 ride away had kept up with two quality scooters with bigger engine capacities. For two days and 1000 k's of hard riding it was still going strong, in fact it was out in front for a great deal of the trip. 

Muz from Scooter Central

I got hold of the JetMax 250 as we approached the mountains on day one, and as I sat on the scoot I noticed the low seat height and immediately thought that this scoot is an excellent consideration for the forgotten smaller riders who want to get out onto the open road.  

The lines of the scoot were nice and it was amazingly feature packed with fuel injection and liquid cooling.  To be fair the engine was the baby of the group we tested, and was never expected to see the X7 300 or Downtown 300 once on the open roads or in the hills. The brakes carried front and rear discs, and the rear shocks are adjustable to suit different weights or specific needs.  There is even a radio and speakers built in, I'm not so sure about this feature though.  Storage for a weekend away was very good, and was complimented with a shopping bag hook if needed. The instruments told me all that I needed to know, the mirrors are wide set. I’m feeling good and it's time to ride.

The new fuel injected engine was surprisingly perky, and stuck with the other two at traffic speed. In fact we didn’t start to lose the Piaggio or Kymco offerings until either a long hill, or some more serious speed was applied.  The screen did its job well, and the scooter was stable while straight lining at speed.  Through the long sweepers at the limit it was a little scary, not as refined as the other two and conducive to a little frame flex. This was the least favourite feature of the scoot for me, but the other 99.9% of the ride, it was great.

I got to do a braking test on a quiet stretch off the road.  The front and rear discs did a good job, and I always felt confident under brakes, as there was no grabbing or shuddering of note.

While the build quality was fairly good, it was still a reasonable step before it reached Italian or Japanese standards.  My conclusion was that this scoot was a real surprise, good space, brakes and feature packed. If the scoot itself was a pleasant surprise, the price tag attached was even more so. I had to constantly remind myself that this package is only $3990 plus on road costs…….a bargain. 

Allen Drysdale

The TMAX has always been regarded as one of the best sporting scooters on the world stage. In Europe sales have remained strong regardless of age, and no other manufacturer has come close when it comes to producing a scooter with the same blend of performance and handling.

Recent updates have seen small styling changes shadowing those seen on Yamaha's supersport motorcycle range. Other changes have been to tweak the frame, reduce weight and increase wheel size. All small refinements making an already exceptional package even better. So just how good is Yamaha's TMAX, we find out.....

 

Specifications

Yamaha first released the TMAX back in 2000. Since, the TMAX has stood the test of time and yet still to this day there is no other scooter that combines the same blend of performance, handling and comfort quite like the TMAX. We were lucky enough to have the WHITEMAX Edition, a model representing the 10th anniversary of the MAX.

Everywhere you look, nice touches, like special anniversary badges and graphics, carbon look panels and white bodywork. The wheels have polished outers and the seat is two-tone, white on black. The colour scheme for me looks smart and by far the best I've seen in the flesh, fitting for such a model, especially one celebrating its 10th birthday.

The frame is all alloy and uses Yamaha's own die-cast technology, saving weight and increasing rigidity. The engine that sits in the frame is as good as it gets when talking scooters, a parallel twin cylinder, 4 stroke, liquid cooled, fuel injected, horizontally mounted engine. The motor produces an exceptional blend of power and torque, 43 HP and 46.4 Nm. Yamaha claims a wet weight of just over 220 Kilo's.

Instrumentation is comprehensive with everything you'd expect from a premium offering like this. A mix of digital and analogue the TMAX covers the lot and remains easy to read, especially at speed. The digital tacho is nicely integrated under the analogue speedo, the usual suspects like fuel, temp, time and odo are all present.

On the last upgrade in 2008, Yamaha made some additions which helped refine an already capable machine. The TMAX now runs 15 Inch wheels front and rear with larger diameter motorcycle-type front forks. The exhaust is now mounted high for extra ground clearance when cornering, and follows the lines of the tail, which it too had a little touch-up to reflect the ongoing progression.

The brakes on the TMAX are straight off the Yamaha parts shelf with a 267 mm disc at the front with four-piston calliper. A single 267 mm disc resides on the rear, levers are both fully adjustable. Take note: the brakes are not an afterthought.

Storage is worth noting as being fairly adequate for a scooter of this pedigree. The illuminated underseat storage area is sufficient for a few shopping bags or will easily take a helmet and more. The TMAX comes with a handy external helmet cable if you need some extra room under the seat whilst parked. The key to accessing every inch of storage is the reverse opening seat, held up by twin gas-struts, and giving the TMAX that premium feel. Other nice touches are the twin gloveboxes which provide a handy amount of additional storage.

Other points worth noting are items like the side and centre stands which work a treat, the fuel tank which sits low and central, holds 15 litres in total. The pillion accommodation is probably some of the best out there, great set of grab handles, wide seat and flip-out foot pegs, all combine to make one very comfortable seating position.

On the Road

The secret of success has always been centred around the motorcycle type handling that comes from the all alloy die-cast frame. The motor is centrally positioned, and together they both combine to provide a rigid balanced behaviour.

I have two things really worth noting here, and they were both immediately apparent. The first being a balanced low speed manoeuvrability that makes the TMAX incredibly easy to live with. The 2nd being at higher speeds the TMAX remains rock solid, and by this I mean as speed climbs, the TMAX remains constantly planted and you would be hard pressed picking the speeds you're doing.

The engine is worth mentioning. Power from the parallel twin is abundant, especially up and over the 40 km/h mark, under this the TMAX can feel like it wants to break the shackles and get on with the job. At 100 km/h you have just under 5000 RPM on the tacho, at 120 Km/h you are carrying just over 5000 RPM. The engine will make its best power at 7500 RPM and redlines at over 8000 RPM, you do the maths.

From a set of lights the TMAX would be as quick as most 300 cc machines on the market today, still quick but just to give you some kind of comparison. At 60 km/h and the TMAX would say its goodbyes, never to be seen again. The ability to gain speed is the closest thing this side of a fairly capable supersport motorcycle, the growl is just as good.

Through a tight twisty section of road the TMAX does an amazing job. Always in control the TMAX can be pushed easily in and out of corners, the combination of having torque on tap, razor sharp handling and class leading brakes all adds up. The TMAX is supersport capable, a machine that can stick with the best when the going gets hot.

On the other hand when things settle down the TMAX can also be a very capable tourer. The screen and bodywork both combine to offer excellent wind and weather protection. The screen whilst not adjustable still does a great job at higher speeds and as previously mentioned sitting at legal highway limits is no challenge at all. The seating position remains comfortable, even after a few hours in the saddle.

On reflection it's easy to see why the TMAX is so popular in Europe. First of all you have a scooter that handles low speed commuting with confidence, a well balanced individual even when crawling. On the flip-side the TMAX will handle high speed autobahn style riding with a rock steady attitude, and its got the power in the right spots to be comfortable in doing so.

Summary

So there you have it, the 10th Anniversary TMAX WHITEMAX from Yamaha. I wish I'd actually found this one a little sooner, it really is a scooter you need to experience once in a lifetime. Yamaha have performed a magnificent job in developing the TMAX into what has to be one of the best (maybe the best) all-round scooters on the market today.

Ongoing rumours suggest that Yamaha has a bigger and better version of the TMAX coming, though Yamaha is probably well aware of just how good this machine is already. It will be a hard job to produce a better blend of performance, balance and agility.

The only negative on the TMAX front would be that servicing can get a little expensive down the track, especially if a few panels need to be removed. This and probably resale, which still shocks me with some of the 2nd hand values I come across in the market.

That said, its a shame that many Australian's wont get to ride the TMAX, often its discounted as just another scooter. On a world stage the TMAX has a fine reputation to back it up, a huge range of performance parts and everyday accessories are available, and if your thinking it, I bet its already been done.

The Yamaha TMAX is currently on-sale at $11990 Ride Away with an additional free fuel card. The Yamaha TMAX performs its role very comfortably, and after 10 years of tweaking, it has to be regarded as the best supersport scooter currently available.

The ScooterMan Says,

The WHITEMAX is uber chic. With angular and raked sporty lines, the white and black livery looks sensational. Its quite some machine, in fact, I reckon the TMAX is the Ace of scooters, the best maxi scooter on the Australian market by far. It looks like a modern sports bike, hits the ton easily, stable at speed, brilliant power, superbly well balanced with a low centre of gravity, excellent brakes and most importantly, freakn awesome through the twisties.

Sure the twin cylinder 500cc engine sounds like a snowmobile, but it is very powerful and with a twist of the wrist the scooter just wants to leap away. Also the fact that Yamaha mount the engine to the frame and not to the swingarm helps, gives the Tmax its sports bike handling through the tight twisties.

I don’t think that scooters come much better than the Tmax. It is really an auto sports bike dressed as a maxi scooter. Not as good as the Mana but better than anything else around.

 

Allen Drysdale

Summary

See www.vespa.com.au to find your local dealer.

The ScooterMan Says,

Allen Drysdale

Introduction

What you may not know about TGB is that the name "TGB" actually stands for something.  The "Taiwanese Golden Bee" company was formed back in 1978. Since then TGB has been developing its very own blend of scooters, motorcycles and ATV's for various export markets. Being an export company with a huge customer base in Europe, TGB continue to develop models with these larger markets in mind.

In Australia we also share our own unique history with TGB. Models like the 101S 50 have spent a fair amount of time in the spotlight as Australia's number one selling scooter. So welcome the TGB Tapo 50, a new model by TGB aimed squarely at the youth market of Europe. Do we benefit from this? You bet we do.....

Allen Drysdale

Allen Drysdale

** The Mana 850GT with ABS is now on sale in Australia, only in the configuration shown above. The manufacturers list price is $15,990 and this model replaces the previous naked model. For more information please see www.aprilia.com.au.

Service Intervals

• 1000 (Minor)
• 10,000 (Minor)
• 20,000 (Major)
• 30,000 (Minor)
• and every 10 after that.

Major service is at every 20,000 km's. CVT belt is changed during this service. Labour time for belt is around 2 hours.