2023 Yamaha XMAX 300 – TECH MAX | ROAD TEST

Without a doubt, the 300 scooter class is the best option for most riders.

You’re getting enough performance for most situations. They’re lighter than a maxi scooter, more nimble. They’re cheaper to buy, run and maintain. And other than three-figure top speeds you can do everything a maxi scooter is good at. They’re a perfect ‘in-between’ capacity. You get the style and presence of a maxi scooter, but all the benefits of a mid-capacity machine. They’re also still powerful enough to be ridden anywhere, and as far as you want (I’ve done Croatia and back two up with camping gear and luggage on a Vespa GTS 300). Never underestimate this class.

If you’ve never ridden one, I urge you to speak to your local dealership and see if they have a demo you can take out for a couple of hours or more.

Anyway, on with the road test of this brand new 2023 Yamaha XMAX 300…

The Italian city of Milan was to be our base for this press launch and for very good reason. If Yamaha were into product placement they couldn’t have made a better job of it than the scooter buyers of Milan. Everywhere you look there’s a TMAX, XMAX or Tricity. They have a good market share here for sure. France are their number one market in Europe, followed by Italy and Turkey. The XMAX accounts for 61% of those sales and almost half a million have been sold since the model was launched back in 2005.

Built in France

It’s worth noting at this point that Yamaha builds the XMAX family at their factory in France. In fact, on a previous XMAX launch, we rode the scooters back to the factory to watch the production line in action. None of that though this time, we were here to ride on Italian soil.

The X factor

Firstly let’s have a look at the 2023 update in a little more detail.

The XMAX comes in 125 and 300cc and there’s a choice of the standard model or higher spec Tech Max – this was to be the one we’d be riding.

The scooter still retains that family lineage, it’s unmistakably ‘Yamaha’ and with its new ‘X’ shaped headlights and taillights it’s pretty distinctive. The scooter is a mini TMAX but still has an identity of its own rather than just cloning the flagship sports scooter.

Design team

The Japanese design team were on hand to let us know what they’d changed and why (you can see Iggy being interrogated by them over lunch in the photo above). Stuff like the indicators being moved higher up towards the handlebars means they can be seen as you’re filtering through traffic (something we did quite a lot of in Milan).

The resculptured seat has a narrower front profile, a little shaving in this area means your legs are brought closer together and shorter riders have more chance of putting their feet down. The rider backrest has been moved further back, that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned. Sometimes I find them uncomfortable if they’re rubbing against the bottom of my spine for long distances. It’s a roomy and comfortable seat for rider and pillion.

It’s worth mentioning the upholstery at this point. The Tech Max’s leather seat is pretty plush and nicely detailed. The two cubby holes up front match it as well, a nice touch. The left compartment is accessed by pressing the ‘flap’ button and has a 12v point in there (no USB but you can use an adaptor. At least it means I can plug my heated gear in without faffing). The right-hand compartment is useful for small items/change and is opened by pushing the door.

Further styling touches on the Tech Max include the aluminium footplates, Tech Max embossed grips, and iconic ‘Yamaha blue’ wheels.

Yamaha have altered the profile of the body panels just enough to make it look fresh but not enough to lose the XMAX’s identity. That’s a good thing. It looks sharp, modern and is well-finished. As you’d expect. You can see more photos in the gallery above.

With a lineup of new XMAX Tech Max’ outside the hotel, our gang soon got ready to ride them to the Max.

Yamaha’s keyless ignition is simple to use, just push and twist the dial, press the starter and you’re ready to ride (of course you need to have the keyfob in your pocket as well).

We headed out into the Milanese morning rush hour, the 292cc Blue Core engine is punchy straight from the off. Good acceleration and enough power to allow you to play around and hunt for gaps in the busy traffic. Quite impressive in the city.

Luckily for us, Yamaha had a lovely route planned which would see us heading out of town towards the mountains and down to Lake Como.

Head for the hills

The A2 licence-friendly Yamaha engine doesn’t disappoint. It has class-leading power (27.6bhp) and lots of torque (29 Nm) which makes it great fun to ride. Once we’d escaped the city traffic we had a chance to test it on some seriously twisty mountain roads.

Every corner was a hairpin, switchback or fast sweeper. Point, turn, squirt, hard on the brakes and accelerate back out. And repeat. We had a good hour of this kind of fun. It was hard on rider and scooter but despite lots of braking, there was never any brake fade and the traction control helped to keep things under control. Yamaha have upped the braking action on this model to give it more feel at the lever, with the full-on sports riding we were doing it may have needed some anchors to throw out of the back at times. In normal use though those brakes are just fine.

Weekend plaything?

Just like its bigger, meaner brother – The TMAX, the XMAX has been designed to feel more motorcycle-like than most scooters and its sports focussed meaning it’s not just a tool used for trips to the office. You can enjoy riding an XMAX at the weekends too.

The tubular frame is stiff, the forks use a double clamp arrangement to provide extra rigidity. The engine is used as a swinging arm. It works, the scooter feels very stable and well-planted. You jump on one for the first time and it just feels ‘right’ you’re instantly comfortable. This translates to the riding experience. It’s a sports scooter, with Yamaha DNA running through it from front to back. You can even adjust the handlebars to two positions on this latest model, giving the rider a chance to set it up to their own liking. It’s also roomier than its predecessor.

Fast enough?

Ridden hard on challenging roads the 292cc scooter was the perfect tool for the job. It’s capable of an indicated 93mph and will get up to speed quickly. You can fire it into the turns with more than enough ground clearance (often a scooter will drag its centre stand but I never hit it on the Yamaha).

The suspension feels really plush in the city, it soaks up the cobbles and potholes very well. I’d probably go up a notch on the rear preload (it’s adjustable) for a ride like this one but it coped well with the hard time it was having during this fast and furious Italian blast. Those front forks are excellent as well.

Motorcycle beater

We were able to pass most bike riders who got into our sights, they wondered what was happening as a dozen matching scooters overtook them from all angles. It was like the first corner at a club racing event. I can honestly say that a scooter of this calibre is all you need for a ride like this. Great fun, powerful enough and as capable as anything else we came across. The perfect companion.

Of course, a scooter is infinitely more practical than a bike as standard, thanks to the built-in storage space beneath the ample seat.

Tech Max dash

It’s worth mentioning what puts ‘The Tech’ into Tech Max. On the entry-level model, you get a single 4.3″ LCD screen with most functions you need and phone connectivity. The Tech Max gets twin screens. The upper is a 3.2″ speedo and clock, whilst the lower is a 4.2″ TFT which does everything else. It’s linked to the MyRide app so you can get all the trip data and info you’ll ever need. More importantly, it also has Garmin-powered navigation. This feature alone makes it worth pushing the boat out and buying the higher-priced Tech version.

The nav screen can be used all the time to give real-time info on the roads, street names, fuel stations, or of course, plot a route. You can zoom in and out using the buttons on the switchgear (see the video above for full details).

There are other functions as well with graphics for Tacho, Eco and a speed limit visualiser that uses GPS to tell you if you’re exceeding the speed limit. The brighter it gets the naughtier you’re getting. Of course, it’s also connected to your phone to alert for calls, messages etc and you can take calls and play music if you’re using an intercom. All good stuff. We’ve done a video (above) to show you around the functions and menus, as well as the keyless ignition. One thing I must say though is that the tech is all really intuitive, very easy to learn and use. Without reading the instruction book you can work everything out.

Minor gripes

If I were to be picky, I’d say the screen itself could have been a bit bigger. Maybe combining the two screens into one would have been better. Also, the angle of it can make it tricky to read at times when the sun is behind you. The Yamaha design and development team were at the launch and were happy to take feedback from the journalists, which is good.

My only other complaint was that on a couple of occasions, the right-hand storage compartment popped open over bumpy roads. Not a biggy but worth noting. Those two storage compartments are useful though. The left one has a lid operated by a button and a 12v socket (preferable to a USB to me). The right one has a push-to-open cover.

Although this is a sports scooter in essence it still retains the practicality you expect from a scooter.

Underseat storage is a godsend, the space has been redesigned on this model and is very slightly smaller now but is still able to take two full-faced helmets (depending on style). There’s a light under there, which is useful. I’d have liked some carpet rather than it being just plastic though to stop stuff sliding around.

Big on accessories

Yamaha are big on accessories and there are over 50 to choose from for this model. Everything from top boxes to lap covers and different screens to heated grips. You can download the Yamaha MyGarage app and build your dream scooter with all the accessories you’ll need, once you’re happy you can order it online for your local dealer to build for you.

The standard screen works quite well as it happens. It’s adjustable by 50mm but needs tools to adjust it. Not that that’s a major issue, once you’ve sussed out the height that suits you best you’ll not need to do it again. Adding an electric screen as standard adds to the cost of the scooter so Yamaha can be forgiven for saving money on that particular feature on what is otherwise a well specd scooter.

Rider modes

Quite surprisingly in this day and age, the XMAX doesn’t come with switchable rider modes. Not that it’s an issue to me, I’d always run in full fun mode anyway. Some riders may like to have the option though. It does come with traction control (as mentioned earlier). It can be turned off if you wish but I left it on all day and it wasn’t at all intrusive.

The ABS is also very competent, there to help avoid an issue under extreme braking but doesn’t stop the rider from having fun. Running on Michelin City Grip tyres the 15″ front and 14” rear wheels gripped well and helped to give a quality feel to the ride. Bigger wheels equal a nicer ride.

Take it to the Max?

Heading back to the city after a beautiful lakeside lunch of fresh rainbow trout we took the direct route. On the motorway we had the chance to take the scooters to the Max… well almost. It’s nice and stable at speed and the screen isn’t overly noisy, although I’d probably raise it a bit if I owned the scooter.

You’ll see around 150 kmh on the clock (that equates to 93mph), it felt quick as well, although I didn’t get a long enough clear stretch to max it out. Of course, the speedo is switchable to mph as well as km/h for your local requirements.

Summary

To sum up the Texh Max and the whole riding experience I’d say that Yamaha may not have reinvented the wheel with this updated model and they didn’t need to (the existing scooter is already very good). What they have done is tweaked and refined it into an unmistakably better 300-class machine. It does everything you need in a mildly better way. Improved brakes, ergonomics, styling and tech make this a scooter well worth having.

The whole 174km test ride was very enjoyable, the scooter behaved impeccably and was a great tool for the job. Fuel economy and range are also excellent, we weren’t hanging around and still had over half a tank left when we got back. Yamaha claim 400km to the tank and I believe that’s possible. It runs at 3 litres per 100km.

Give a scooter a try

As I said in the accompanying video, if you’re a biker watching or reading this you really need to give a decent mid-capacity scooter a try. You really will be very surprised at just how much fun they are, how practical they are and how much use you can get out of one. There’s no messing about with a scooter, ride it, put it away and forget about it until the next time you fancy a ride.

With a bike you have a chain to lube and adjust, you’ve got lots of nooks and crannies to keep clean. If you need to call at the shops you have nowhere to store your shopping. On a scooter, you can wear whatever you feel like, no need to go for full leathers. Just jump on and nip to town, pop to the office. Load it up and head off a few hundred miles for the weekend. Arrive at your destination in comfort, with no aching wrists, back or neck. That really does make a massive difference. Give one a try, you’ll wish you’d done it years ago.

Words and video edit: Iggy

Photos/video: Yamaha