2009 Yamaha Tmax 500!

[Tacoma]

Stopped in the local Honda-Suzuki mega dealer yesterday,,,, looked like a war zone in there,,,, where are the scooters I asked? Sold out! he said! already? yea! I am taking orders with no promice finding them, do you want one? No, I already have one, What one do you have? The Tmax, ohhh, everybody wants one of those!

[Cortez]

Same situation here.

In a country with just over 4 mil. people, last year there was about 70 sold.
The total sales figures for SW400,600, Burgman 400&650, Majesty 400 and the 800cc gilera, COMBINED are probably up to 10!

Interesting pice of info is that most people here don't make over $600/month,
and the Tmax (and Burgman 650 for example) cost over US$16.000 (the 530).

Leftover 2011 500s are around $13.500 without ABS, and that'll sell in the
next month probably.

[SteveZTV]

Stopped by local friendly bike shop and the folk were raving about how great a sales month March has been. Warmer weather, tax refunds and Spring Fever in general creates a lot of bike sales of all types. So, supply-and-demand for certain makes/models is affecting price.

Am waiting to see the 2012 TMAX in the US when Canadian owners cruise across the border, or if one can buy a new or used 2012 TMAX in Canada and import it into the US.

[rockmurf]

Local dealer, Barneys Motorsports in Sarasota, FL has 2 Tmaxs. new.

[gkgeiger]

Originally Posted by TheReaper!

Brand new one in Idaho for 5K , it's been listed twice with no bids .

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=110848055760

That's current bid, not buy it now. Bet it doesn't sell for anywhere close to that. 09's in my area are going for $6499 +frt prep.

[kebrider]

Forgive me if this has been mentioned previously. I love the max but hated the ground clearance so got to looking and there is a rubber bump stop that the centerstand rests against. I pulled the bump stop out of the bracket, took a razor knife to it and cut it in half so the centerstand now rests a 1/4 inch higher at the stop.. This means it is a full inch higher where the metal meets the road.

A word of caution regarding centerstands is the spring tension must always be maintained when the stand is in the raised (riding) and compressed (dragging) position or the spring could work loose and interesting times soon follow. For this reason you don't want to change the angle too drastically or the spring tension will change so don't just "pull the plug" (bump stop). This mod did not cause (imho) any related issue with spring tension and there is enough rubber left to allow the stand to compress slightly. That means there is still some warning you have exceeded the Max lean angle.

The ground clearance improvement is unreal. I can now haul a$$ like a sport bike with proper g-force inducing lean angle. Chicken strips are still present but one run to deals gap in the next couple of days should end that nonsense. Looks like the new centerstand drag point will coincide nicely with the edge of the Dunlops.

Took a run up 61 to Norris Dam today with a passenger and passed 2 and 4 wheel vehicles with ease and Max never complained, just hummed along nicely. Great fun!

KEB

[TheReaper!]

Originally Posted by gkgeiger

That's current bid, not buy it now. Bet it doesn't sell for anywhere close to that. 09's in my area are going for $6499 +frt prep.

Sorry but it's wasn't the current bid , it's been listed 3 times , and now on the 3rd listing it has one bid .
So you could have bought it twice for 5K , NO TAKERS !

First listing
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT



Second listing
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT



Third and present listing
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=110842955063



TheReaper!

[adoptamutt]

Originally Posted by TheReaper!

Sorry but it's wasn't the current bid , it's been listed 3 times , and now on the 3rd listing it has one bid .
So you could have bought it twice for 5K , NO TAKERS !

First listing
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT



Second listing
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT



Third and present listing
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=110842955063



TheReaper!

I'd proceed with caution on this one. A couple of weeks ago I sent the seller a question, but did not get any kind of a reply. Also notice that he has ZERO feedbacks.

Last week there was a listing for another Tmax with the MIVV titanium exhaust. Located in Hartford,CT. Well, that very same Tmax ... with the exact same photo and exact same description, was on auction on Ebay a few weeks before. It was located in Redondo Beach, Calif. I know, because I had been talking to the owner. That one sold for $4747 ... I would have bid on it except I hadn't sold my W650 yet. Rats ! I did notify the owner in Redondo Beach, and the next day the auction was pulled.

[gkgeiger]

Originally Posted by TheReaper!

Sorry but it's wasn't the current bid , it's been listed 3 times , and now on the 3rd listing it has one bid .
So you could have bought it twice for 5K , NO TAKERS !

First listing
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT



Second listing
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT



Third and present listing
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=110842955063



TheReaper!

I'll keep watching.

[Elefant]

As weather breaks and I'm starting to ride more, I've realized that backroading the TMax is a little more involved than I expected. As much as they try to sell it as a motorcycle handling scooter, it is a scooter, after all.
The front is vague as far as feedback, and the rear is so low in relation to the overall length, it makes the bike go wide coming out of a turn. I can hassle it into the turn but then the vague front shows its true colors.
Anyway, I am trying to tune up the suspension in the most inexpensive way I can think of.
For the front, I will be trying different springs and preloads with different rate springs I have on the shelf. I am also changing to heavier weight oil.

I was going to lower the front an inch or so, but then I ran into posts advising against it due to clearance issues.
Further inquiring with Mr. Google turned this

http://www.scootparts.nl/Shockabsorb...product/75908/

which is hard to justify (at least for me) for a pair of machined aluminum pieces. More so when I can get a bitubo shock for 500 or I can ride up to the Penske manufacturing plant in Reading (not too far from Philly) and have them manufacture one for the same or less.

Anyway, since I have no issues with the rear other than the height, I was wondering if anyone may have hopefully found an less expensive way to accomplish what I'm trying to do. Wishful thinking, perhaps........

[Elefant]

Grow up! (No disrespect intended).

I am (or was) known for riding relatively unusual red italian twins which, ever since I bought the Tmax, rest peacefully in the garage during the week. I used to go to this place where we meet on Tuesday nights in downtown Philly, where the minute I rode in and parked most people would gather round and admire whatever I may have chosen to ride in. Wanna be euroidiots, I call them. Well, like I was saying, I bough the TMax, and never put any of those bikes (or myself) through the torture of riding into downtown Philadelphia again, where there is no lane splitting and every traffic light you approach WILL BE RED. EVERY TIME.. I rode the scooter. Because that's what makes sense. That's what I bought it for. To ride to work and during the week, and stop and go traffic. Well, time goes by, new guys come in and join the crowd with their flashy new Ducatis, and café "racers", and such. Few "old timers" left anymore, (I don't even go that often) so I would show up on my Tmax and they would look and point at me like "what's this idot doing here"? type thing....he doesn't belong here....

I used to go for camaraderie and good times. Real motorcyclists and no posers. WE are gone. Newly "coined" posers and wannabes are now the norm.

FUCK THEM! I have no manhood issues and I AM imported from Europe my self, so FUCK YOU ALL !!! No pretender here! I don't need to ride a Ducati, or a BMW or a Triumph, Laverda or Moto Guzzi to "belong".... I ride whatever I feel like whenever I feel like it. And you wanna know something else assholes? The TMax is (or was, not too long ago) the best selling two wheeler in Italy. And they do know a little bit about motorcycles and motorcycling over there. How''s that for irony?

And that's all I've got to say about THAT!
Well, one more thing. It gets better when on top of it, I am still faster than them on the scooter on the twisties. That's the cherry on top on the ice cream !

IDIOTS!

Originally Posted by Tacoma

I don't mean to be insulting to other scooter owners of this forum, if you think I am I'm sorry and I never meant it that way. Its just everybody around me here think I am an outcast just because I ride a scooter, ever go to a motorcycle shop and everybody there points and laughs at you when you pull up on a scooter? Its tough! I just thought that others have shared the same experiences that I have, and it would make me feel better knowing I am not the only one with those problems out there

[CaseyJones]

Originally Posted by Tacoma

Stopped in the local Honda-Suzuki mega dealer yesterday,,,, looked like a war zone in there,,,, where are the scooters I asked? Sold out! he said! already? yea! I am taking orders with no promice finding them, do you want one? No, I already have one, What one do you have? The Tmax, ohhh, everybody wants one of those!

Why do you spend all your time shilling and spamming for the Tmax?

Do you know how annoying it is?

You DO understand, don't you, that no machine can be all things to all people for all uses? That's why many of us have more than one.

And the Tmax is a dead issue...it's no longer imported. Anyone wants to know about buying an older one, you can go slobber all over the keyboard. Other than that...you're just pissing everyone off.

[southern cross]

Feel better now yourself? er who's everyone, oh I see emphasis on ONE

[soboy]

I've been stressed out with non-stop work emergencies for the last three weeks so I decided to have a little stress relief yesterday on the Tmax. My ride to Burnt Mountain was perfect. Some days I like to ride slow and look at the scenery. Yesterday was not one of those days. I rode the Yamaha like it was an F-16 fighter jet and I was in the movie Top Gun. It was beyond awesome, a total adrenalin rush. I'll have memories of that ride for quite a while. I think I had the fastest run ever up and down Burnt Mountain. No cars, I had the road totally to myself. Truly, it was much better than sex (and I have had some incredible sex over the years). I love the Tmax.

Here are my current impressions of the Tmax now that the motor is broken in. While it does not have anywhere near the power of a sportbike, it has all the cornering and braking capabilities of my Gixxer 1000. And it is far more comfortable. I'd like more top end speed and acceleration but other than that, zero complaints. In aggressive sport riding, it corners as an excellent sporting motorcycle should. How many other scooters can do that? None.

[miboso]

I get pissed off when anybody cuts down and makes fun of the Tmax and they never been on one!

If you get pissed off, that's all on you. You can't control what others say or do, but you can (or should be able to) control your reaction to it.
You may want to study a little Zen or something. Peace.