Yamaha TMAX Front Tire Life

Recently, I had to take my 2009 Yamaha TMAX into Heyser Cycle for a routine oil and filter change. Oil and filter changes have to be done every 3,125 miles or 5,000 kilometers. While there, it was discovered I needed to get a new front tire for my TMAX due to normal wear. I found out front tires apparently last approximately 8,000 miles on the bike. The bike uses either Dunlop GPR-100F or Bridgestone BT011F tires for the front tire. I ended up buying a Bridgestone tire as it was the cheaper of the two. It cost me $125 not including the labor to get it installed. I suspect the front tire on the bike is going to wear out faster than the back tire because that is where the majority of the braking is done on the bike. I'll post another post when I have to replace the back tire so TMAX users can have some idea how long the back tire will last. Happy safe riding all!

Shorai LFX Battery Review

As I previously reported, I've had problems with my Yamaha TMAX battery dying on me in cold weather or when I accidentally ran it down. Because of this, I decided to get a better battery for my bike. The battery Heyser Cycle recommended to me was the Shorai LFX battery. The battery is supposedly a lot tougher and wouldn't have any problems starting my bike in the winter. It would be over 6 months before I'd get to find out how true that was.

We had a really bad patch of cold weather here in Maryland where I wasn't able to ride my TMAX for 2 weeks. I hadn't forgotten my previous battery problems and so was concerned when I was finally able to ride my bike again. Initially, it looked like my fancy new battery was going to fail. The electronics flickered on my bike and, I thought "oh shit!" Then, the bike kicked over. The new battery had proved itself worth the money. I'm certain that if I'd had the old battery in the bike, I would've had to re-charge it. If you're going to ride your TMAX in the winter, you might want to think about getting a Shorai LFX battery for it. It sure beats the hassle of having to re-charge a dead battery. Happy riding all!

Yamaha TMAX V-Belt Change

Recently, I got a nasty surprise concerning my Yamaha TMAX motorbike. I finally put over 12,500 miles on my bike. At that point, you're supposed to get the v-belt checked on the bike and replaced if needed. The v-belt is critical to the bike as it's what changes gears on the bike vice the rider doing it. I found out the v-belt will cost you roughly $198 alone and, it'll take at least 2 hours of labor to have them replace it. Also, it sounded like it's pretty standard to replace the belt every 12,500 miles. So, any TMAX riders will be in for a hefty service bill when they hit 12,500 miles. Barring the v-belt, the service charges on the bike haven't been too bad. Oil and filter changes won't be cheap because the stuff is so jammed in there on the bike. I remember when I had to get the battery changed on my TMAX. That's when I found out how complicated things can be on the TMAX. To change a battery on a car is nothing but, on the TMAX, they have to take off the mirrors, the windshield and the face place just to be able to get to the battery! With the v-belt, it would be worse as they have to get to the engine and take it apart.

FYI, on a different subject concerning the TMAX, Yamaha realized its 2014 motorbike line-up in the United States. To my surprise, they're still selling the 2011 version of the TMAX. Yamaha has come up with an updated version of the bike which they're selling in Europe where they increased the power of the engine by 30cc's. Big whoop in my opinion. I still hope Yamaha will eventually come out with a 750cc version of the TMAX. Until then, I don't think it's worth whiled for any TMAX owners to trade it their 499cc TMAX for the 530cc version.

Dead TMAX Battery

Today, I encountered a problem I wasn't expecting with my TMAX but, I was thankfully prepared for. The last couple days, the battery on my TMAX had been acting kind of strange. It seemed like it was low on power but, it would start the bike. However, this morning, the battery wouldn't kicked the engine over and quickly died.

Back in July 2012 (ref my July 12, 2011 post), I managed to kill the battery on my TMAX by leaving the power on for 10 minutes but not running the engine. I ended up having to get the bike towed to Heyser Cycle where the battery was replaced. While there, Heyser recommended I get a fused ring terminal with quick disconnect hooked up to my TMAX's battery so, if the battery ever died again, I could hook a battery charger up to the ring terminal and re-charge the battery. They apparently recommended having this done on all the motorbikes they sold. I agreed to have it done though it ended up costing me over $100.

Today, that money turned out to well spent. I remembered the terminal they hooked up to the battery as well as the Battery Tender Junior they sold me for $40 (lists for $39.95 on their website: http://batterytender.com/battery-tender-junior-12v-at-0-75a.html). I broke out the re-charger, hooked it up to my TMAX and waited to see if it would work. To my relief, it did.

The Battery Tender Junior has a light system that indicates what's going on with the re-charging. Flashing red light means the re-charger is receiving AC current, solid red means it is re-charging the bike's battery, flashing green means the battery is over 80% charged and solid green means the battery is fully charged. The re-charger went through the various stages as bike's battery was recharged. At 1 point, I tried to turn my TMAX on and, it came on which showed me the re-charger was working.

I don't know what caused the battery to start acting up. The only thing I can guess is the hand grip warmer I had installed on the bike. The warmer heats up the hand grips on the handle bars helping to keep my hands warm during winter riding. 1 down side to the warmer is that it doesn't automatically shut off when the bike is turned off. This means I have to make sure I turn the warmer off otherwise, it'll drain the battery. I can only guess I accidentally left the warmer on after I turned the bike off and later did turn the warmer off but not before it drained the battery down some. Thanks to the ring terminal I had hooked up to my TMAX's battery, this ended not being a disaster. I would recommend others have this done on their TMAX. Remember, the battery on the TMAX isn't easy to get to. You have to remove the mirrors, windshield and front plate in order to get to the bike's battery. Having that ring terminal installed can save you some major hassle if your TMAX dies on you battery wise. Happy riding all!

2012 Yamaha TMAX

I've been a big fan of Yamaha's TMAX maxi-scooter since I bought my 2009 TMAX. Each year, I search the internet to find out what changes they'll be making to the bike. For 2012, they made some considerable changes. For starters, it will get a slightly more powerful engine. The size will increase to 530cc vice the previous 499cc. To me, this change is a major disappointment. I was hoping for a TMAX that would have a 750cc engine. There were considerable rumors that such a bike was in the works. Sadly, those rumors proved false. The bike supposedly has a more comfortable seat (someone apparently noticed that the previous seat wasn't very comfortable especially after a long ride on the bike), a redesigned instrument panel, different lights and a different drive chain. Also, the bike has a more rugged look. From what I've seen on the internet, it looks like a nice motorbike but, all the improvements in my opinion aren't enough to get me to trade in my current TMAX. Still, I hope that Yamaha will come out with a more powerful TMAX. That would get me to want to trade in my current TMAX. We'll see what Yamaha ends up doing.

Bike Problem

Yesterday, I encountered an unexpected problem with my Yamaha TMAX. I decided to chat with an acquaintance who lives in my neighborhood. I was riding my TMAX at the time. I pulled up to where my acquaintance was working on one of their cars. I turned off the engine on my TMAX BUT, I left the bike's electronics ON. After chatting for about 10 minutes, I tried starting my TMAX only to find out to my dismay that I'd run the battery down so much it couldn't start the bike. The TMAX only has electronic ignition vice having also a kick starter like my previous Vino Classic had. This hadn't been a problem till now.

I let the bike sit overnight hoping the battery would get enough of a charge back that I'd be able to start it in the morning. No such luck. I figured I could get someone from Heyser Cycles to come jumpstart the bike. I found out you don't jumpstart a TMAX and, it isn't easy to charge the battery. For starters, it's a major job to get to the bike's battery. You have to remove the 2 mirrors, the windshield and the front faceplate just so you can get to the battery. Crap!

The solution ended up being getting the bike picked up and taken to Heyser so their mechanics can work on it. To prevent such a major hassle in the future, I found out you can get an electrical connection connected to the battery which leads to a plug that you can connect an extension cord to. What you would do is plug one end of the extension cord into an electrical socket and the other end into electrical lead which goes to the bike's battery. You would let the dead battery charge overnight and presumably the battery would have enough power to start the bike the next morning. Another plus to this electrical plug is that it's not super expensive (at least for the TMAX anyway). So, while Heyser is getting my battery recharged or replaced, I'll had one of these electrical leads installed to so I won't have to go through this again. Lastly, I won't leave the bike's electronics on when I'm not riding it. That way, I won't end up with a dead battery again (hopefully).

Extended Warranty & Service Contract

The week before last, I decided to take Yamaha up on their offer of extending the warranty on my Yamaha TMAX. The original warranty is only good for 1 year. With the extended warranty, you have the option of extending the warranty 1, 2 or 3 years. I opted for the 3 year extension which cost me $600. Under the extended warranty, everything is covered except for items that would have to be replaced because of normal wear and tear such as tires. Interestingly, because the TMAX has an enclosed clutch, even parts of the clutch are covered under the warranty. Another nice feature of Yamaha's extended warranty is it's transferable. If you sell the bike to someone else, they can pick up what's left of the extended warranty contract.

Another way I found out I could protect myself from expensive motorbike bills was to buy a 3 year service contract with Heyser Cycle. The contract covers all classes of servicing (there are 3 classes - A, B, and C). Just a normal Class A service can set you back over $100. A Class C servicing can cost you $389 plus taxes, parts and waste disposal. Depending on how much you ride your bike, you could get all your money back on this during the life of the service contract. As I plan to ride my TMAX year round, I felt this would be worth doing.

My TMAX continues to impress me with its performance and handling. Last week, after checking for any cops, I took the bike up to 100 mph. The bike handled fine. I've heard the bike supposedly tops out at 110 mph though the speedometer shows 120 mph. Between its speed and handling, it can hold its own with most motorcycles out there. Thanks to the extended warranty and the 3 year service contract I bought, I won't have to worry about any problems with my TMAX for the next 3 years. I'll be able concentrate on riding my fun ride. Cheers all!

Update on My 2009 Yamaha TMAX

I thought it was time to post an update on my 2009 Yamaha TMAX as I've given their touring windshield and wind side deflecters a decent try out on the bike.

One of the things I noticed with my TMAX at higher speeds is considerable wind noise. It really roars when you ride 80 miles an hour plus. Yamaha claims that their touring windshield for the TMAX significantly reduces wind noise. After giving the windshield a good tryout, I can affirm that Yamaha wasn't lying. The windshield does make a big difference in that area and, it also cuts down on some of the buffeting you'll take at higher speeds. In my opinion, the touring windshield is worth the $224.95.

I can't say the same for the side wind deflectors. I haven't noticed that much improvement from them to make it worth the $199.95 Yamaha charges for them. Another thing those considering buying these 2 accessories should consider is the cost of installing them. I got a bit of a surprise when I got the labor bill from Heyser Cycle. It cost me $255 to get them both installed. Still, I think the touring windshield is worth it.

There are 2 things I wish Yamaha would do something about on the TMAX. First, I wish they would come out with a better seat for long rides. After about an hour of straight riding, I've found myself trying to find a softer spot on the seat and, there ISN'T one. Second, I wish they would come out with something to deflect the wind around the handlebars of the bike. This would help considerably when riding during the winter. I've looked with envy on the various Harley glide bikes as they offer good hand protection from the wind during the winter. The only solution I've come up with so far is wearing electrically powered heated gloves. These help some but, the batteries don't stay charged forever. I know there are gloves that will hook up to the bike's battery but, I'm very leery of doing that.

Another issue I thought I'd blog about is the 2011 TMAX. Yamaha finally released details on it sometime recently. I can't say exactly when as I wasn't checking their website every day for the info. Yesterday, I did find out they'd posted details on the 2011 bike. To my disappointment, I didn't notice any great improvements over the 2009 and 2010 models. The only differences I could see was a different color - the 2011 will come in what they call Raven which is another word for black and, the 2011 will cost an extra $100. Because of this, I was glad I pushed to buy my 2009 TMAX as that means I saved even more money buying one of those vice a 2010 or 2011 model.

Lastly, I noticed that Yamaha will be getting rid of its Majesty scooter in 2011. The Majesty is a scooter that is one step down from the TMAX. It has a 399cc engine vice the TMAX's 499cc. It advertised that it could hold its own on the highway just like the TMAX but, it doesn't have anything like the TMAX's sporty looks or presumably its handling. I suspect Yamaha decided that the Majesty was some what redundant and, I think they're right. With the TMAX, there really isn't any need for the Majesty bike.

Update January 26, 2014:

As I've been getting some hits on this post, I thought I'd post a little update to it. First, as any followers of Yamaha know, Yamaha came out with a new 400cc Majesty bike in 2013 at least. I don't know if they came out with it sooner than that. To me, the Majesty looks very much like a scooter. One thing that is nice about the TMAX is it doesn't. It looks like a sports motorbike. Ironically, the 2011 TMAX was the last TMAX to be offered in the United States (U.S.). I haven't found anything indicating Yamaha plans to issue the updated TMAX in the U.S. like they have in Europe and Canada. One reason may be they have a harder time selling the bigger engine scooters in the U.S. That was one reason a friend at Heyser Cycle mentioned and, it may be true. I read a nice article about the updated TMAX on Motorcyclist. Here's a link to the Motorcyclist TMAX article. I still wish Yamaha would issue a TMAX with a larger size engine. An extra 30 cc's isn't worth trading in my 2009 TMAX. Another upgrade I was able to have done to my TMAX which helps in the winter is heated hand grips. (These are standard on the new BMW maxi-scooters, a nice feature.) I forget who manufactures the kit. One downside to the upgrade is I have to make sure I turn the heater off before I turn the bike off. Otherwise, they'll continue to draw on the battery. The Shorai battery I had installed continues to be a good investment as I haven't had any dead battery problems since (knock on wood). I believe I have over 14,600 miles on my TMAX now and, I continue to be pleased with it. As soon as a bunch of the snow melts we received recently in Maryland, I'll be putting some more miles on my TMAX. Happy riding all!

TMAX Update

Today, I rode my TMAX again. I've put nearly 3,000 miles on it now. The bike continues to perform great. I'm pleased that I'm definitely getting better riding it. Remember, I've only been riding any kind of motorbike for 14 months now. I'm not so frightened by the loud noise of the wind and the buffeting you take when you go 70 mph plus. I ordered the touring windshield and side wind deflectors for my TMAX. They're in and, I hope to get them installed this Thursday. I'll post an update on what if any difference they make in regards to noise and handling. Also, I'm keeping an eye out for what the 2011 TMAX is going to be like. Will there be any difference between it and the 2010? I keep my fingers crossed that Yamaha will come out with a 750cc TMAX. I think that would be seriously cool. Plus, a 750cc TMAX would seriously fly. So far, there have only been rumors of that. I haven't seen anything definite from Yamaha. But, I keep hoping Yamaha will make one. We'll see.

My First Bike Road Trip

This past Wednesday and Thursday, I did my first bike road trip. I've been wanting to show my friend Harvey my TMAX. Finally, after checking my work schedule at the post office where I work, I decided to ride down to Richmond to show him the bike. The ride would be the longest one I've done so far. I would ride for 135 miles. Also, it would be more challenging than I expected. Riding down to Richmond, I encountered rain 40 miles outside the city. The rain wouldn't let up till later that night. The second problem I encountered was it getting dark. That can create problems if I accidentally fog up the face shield on my helmet. At times, I've had it where I couldn't see outside my helmet.

Once I arrived in Richmond, I checked in with my friend Harvey. I briefly showed him the bike and then, I followed him to the hotel where I was staying. It was a Holiday Inn close to some Kroger Convention Center I think. The hotel was very nice and, I would enjoy my stay there.

Once I changed out of my riding gear, Harvey and I drove to an Outback Steakhouse restaurant he's eaten at a number of times. This would be my first time to eat at one of those. I'd heard good things about the restaurant chain and, it would live up to what I'd heard. Their bloomin onion was outstanding and, the porterhouse steak I ordered was excellent. Also, I got to try out a James Boag lager which is an Australian brand. It turned out to be a good lager and, I particularly enjoyed getting to have some real Aussie beer.

The next morning, Harvey and I had breakfast at the hotel's breakfast buffet. The buffet reminded me of previous buffets on Globus tours I've done. I can't wait to go on the Ireland tour I've signed up for. The buffet was good and, I was able to get very filled up.

After finishing breakfast, I gathered my stuff, checked out of my hotel room and loaded it into my bike. Then, I thanked Harvey for a nice time and told him I'd try to make it back to Richmond in a couple months. It's always a pleasure seeing him. After that, I got on my bike and started it up. I waved good bye and drove off to the nearest gas station where I tanked up the gas tank. After that, I hit the road and began my trip back.

The trip back ended up being pretty scary thanks to wind turbulence. At one point, my bike was shaking slightly sideways while I was going 70 mph plus. I found out that if I decreased my speed, it would reduce the turbulence. However, it made the ride back longer time wise. I wanted stop and hope the winds might die down but, the weather forecast was predicting things would get worse. It was supposed to start raining again around 3 p.m. I wanted to be home before that started. I ended up gritting my teeth and calming my nerves so I could continue the ride. After 2 hours 20 minutes, I made it home. I've rarely been so glad to see my apartment.

I thought about what I might be able to do differently on my next road trip. There were 2 things that came to mind. First, I could get a touring windshield for my bike. The windshield will supposedly reduce wind turbulence and noise. Second, I could buy some wind deflectors which should reduce wind turbulence around my legs and the middle section of the bike. Because of the Ireland tour and taxes, these 2 ideas will have to wait for 3 or 4 months. Once I get those 2 items, I hope to do another road trip to Richmond. It would probably be sometime in the summer. Hopefully, the nicer weather will make for a more enjoyable ride as well. We'll see. Cheers all!

Riding

Yesterday, I got to go riding on my TMAX for the first time in over a week. Thanks to it warming up and raining Saturday, a lot of the snow and ice we got slammed with 2 Saturdays ago had melted. It was nice to get back on the road and ride the bike. It continues to impress me with its acceleration and power. It has no problem doing 80 or 85 mph. I rode by Baltimore Washington International Airport. I have the travel itch real bad and, I wanted to see some airplanes. Sadly, it's still over 150 days before I get to go on my future Globus Ireland tour. After that tour, as long as I don't buy anything major, I should be able to do 2 tours in 2011. That would be seriously awesome.

After checking out the airport, I rode home. Later, I spoke with my friend Harvey. He has the travel itch as bad as I do and like me, he can't afford to do any major travelling either. I hope to ride down to Richmond once things get slower at the post office where I work and show him my TMAX. The ride to Richmond is about 130 miles and should take about 2 hours and 15 minutes. It'll be my longest ride. It should be interesting to see how it goes. Hopefully, I'll be able to do the ride soon. Even a ride down to Richmond would make me feel like I got away from here for a little bit. We'll see. Cheers all!

My New TMAX

Thanks to the Columbus Day holiday, I was able to pick up my new Yamaha TMAX scooter. It's hard to believe the bike is a scooter. It has sport bike looks, handling and speed. The speed really surprised me. I was riding on Maryland 198 enroute to home and gave it a little gas. The next thing I knew, I was doing over 60 mph. Later, I took it up to 80 mph and, it didn't have any trouble at all with that. I suspect it could've gone a lot faster but, I wasn't up to it as I wasn't use to such speeds.

I did find 2 things that I wasn't thrilled about with the bike. First, it's tricky trying to open the storage compartment on it. I had to work the key repeatedly to try to get the compartment to open. However, I did find the compartment roomy. You can fit a full face helmet in there and a few other items. Also, it has a light the comes on so in the dark you can see what's in there. I thought that was a nice touch. Second, the turn signal doesn't appear to have any kind of clicker on it. The reason that's important is it reminds you have it on and to turn it off once you've made your turn. With it being so quiet, it's easy to forget you used the turn signal.

Overall, the bike is impressive. It has very good suspension which gives it a very smooth ride. It rides over 5 inches off the ground making it easy to pass over objects on the road as well as take tight turns. It has an excellent control panel with speedometer, trip meter, gas gauge, battery gauge and clock. It also offers a tachometer with the speedometer which is useless in my opinion since you don't have to physically change gears on this bike. Interestingly, you don't have to worry about when to get oil changes and other maintenance done. The bike is set up to where it flash various warnings when it's time to get things done like an oil change. That'll be a help. I haven't forgotten that I overlooked the oil change I was supposed to do on my Vino Classic scooter.

Anyone who is interested in a TMAX should see about getting the 2009 model. The 2010 will cost nearly $500 more and from what I've seen, there isn't any noticable difference between the 2 models barring the color offered. The 2009 comes in Dark Blue or Cadmium Yellow (for an extra $100) whereas the 2010 comes in Gray only.