Collected the x max 400 at last but.......

[bugsy]

Hi all,

Well I finally picked up the x max 400 on Saturday having waited 6 weeks for a yamaha box carrier to be available. Said a sad goodbye to the Piaggio X10.

Having ridden away from the dealership to fill the tank I noticed the transmission sounded like it had a bag of nails in it and returned it immediately. They tried it and agreed there was something wrong which they thought to be a noisy engine bush. However the saleman thought otherwise and asked me to treat it hard for 50 miles, he said he had come across this before on a t max and other x Max's. Sure enough it disappeared after that milaege.

So how are we going well I notice they forgot to fix any tax disc holder despite the PDI showing one fitted. The back box is damaged. Badly scratched on one side. Another ordered
The front tyre seemed low on pressure and having looked carefully at the wheel and valve I see the valve is leaking air. The old spit test gave it away together with a fizz when you relase the dust cap. Guess it's back to the dealer tomorrow for that one. What annoys me is then must have had to pump that tyre up on the PDI and why didn't they question the low pressure then. I've only had the bike two days. It's only hot 1.5 bar in it now.

100 miles on the bike what are my first impressions. Well it's good to have a proper speedo in mph. The bike is more manoeuvre able amongst traffic but you have to be careful of the muffler exhaust it' sticks out a bit further than you think.
Despite the increase in cc, 395 rather than 335 the X10 seemed quicker on acceleration but not as comfortable at speed as the yamaha. The X10 seemed to wallow around bends which the yamaha takes in its stride. The yamaha is easier to turn in the garage being shorter and feeling lighter.

I like the thought of having a instruction manual which explains simply how to remove all the panels for maintenance and these seem simple. The X10 was covered in so many panels it took the dealer an age to fit items like a the new wiring for the indicator switch that packed up. Most of the front fairing had to be removed. Bulb replacement is easy except for the headlamps which the dealer is supposed to deal with.

The stand is more stable and heavy duty, much better positioned and sprung.
The seat is hard for both of us but my wife says the foot pegs are far batter than the X10's passenger foot rests, which she could only get her Heels to.

I like the riding position and wind noise and deflection is probably a little improved over the Piaggio. I do miss the lighted handle bar switch controls.
Mpg so far has been about 74 to the gallon which I can't complain about, part pillion weight for half the mileage so far.

I will keep you updated as the weeks go on.

Bugsy

[wozza]

Congratulations on your new machine, but I have to say this the dealer's a bloody disgrace - talk about a shabby PDI!!!

I removed the tax disc holder when I collected my NC750S in March as you won't need then from October anyway..
I'll worry about it the day I get stopped for not displaying a disc.

[horobags]

Nice report, the x-max 400 is a fine looking scoot, im very interested in this new model, im sure once the niggles are sorted by the shite pdi that you will really enjoy it.

[VOZZA]

Congratulations on your new scoot, it's a shame about the slap dash PDI which would concern me about future service requirements.

[spaceprobe]

Nice review enjoy, I am very sold on these big engine scoots. Sounds like a dealer to be given the miss in the future. My SYM dealer was also a Yamaha dealer but dropped them a few weeks ago stating poor mark up on their models but especially on the T Max , so perhaps they did not feel very motivated.

[SH125Paul]

Thats another one... think thats about 8 now...
keep us posted on the Tx noises...
Clocked up 7500 miles with no real issue - next time you have the under seat tub out check the top coolant hose to thermostat jubilee clip - mine popped off! - and a rear puncture...
You can download the YP400 manual which is great for engine diagrams and chassis / engine torque settings etc, plus the Parts Diagrams on the yamaha site.
Just ordered the Dr pulley rollers and sliding pieces for the variator....
and MSA do a filter kit for the Maj £22 - Bargain! - all fit, although one of the air filters is a little tight, - they get dirty quick
http://www.msa-direct.co.uk/yamaha-yp40 ... r-kit.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Check out some of my posts for info, brake pads etc ...
What Dealer? - time to name and shame - or just inform others...
Enjoy...

[anonstarter]

Great review of a great Scoot - thanks!

What Dealer? - time to name and shame - or just inform others...

+1

It's a shame the dealers lacked a duty of care during the PDI.

[Data]

Congrats Bugsy. Enjoy the bike. You should find the engine will loosen up and give more power as the miles go on and it will then feel as quick as the X10. The X10 is quite fast off the mark though, as are many Piaggio scoots. But you should find masses of extra power over the X10 when it has a few thousand miles on the clock., especially on the motorways.

[MrGrumpy]

Having ridden away from the dealership to fill the tank I noticed the transmission sounded like it had a bag of nails in it and returned it immediately. They tried it and agreed there was something wrong which they thought to be a noisy engine bush. However the saleman thought otherwise and asked me to treat it hard for 50 miles, he said he had come across this before on a t max and other x Max's. Sure enough it disappeared after that milaege.

This is very odd. You trusted the word of a salesman over the mechanics?? It'd be more convincing if there was any similarity between an Xmax and Tmax transmissions - but they are completely different! Obviously listen out for it.....

[Hughie]

I've ridden 2 X-Max 400's so far but only put PDI miles on them. I can't really form an opinion as yet but I say it's a good,well built scooter (as it should be for a Jap scooter of that price).

What I do like is that the seat bucket can be removed whole (5 bolts I think) that gives you great access to the engine.Same as the pre-2010 250 X-Max and nice to see that feature has returned to the 2014 X-Max 125/250.

It's a shame it doesn't have the trip computer options of the 125/250 2014 models but I guess you can live with that.

As for the PDI,well the damage is inexcusable.The 'tech has to sign it off (via the PDI sheet) and at least with us the bike is then valeted by the sales guys.If they found damage they would be on to me straight away.Maybe the tyre valve got a bit of crap in it,that's just bad luck I reckon.The tyre was inflated at PDI but then slowly went down.It wasn't picked up.

As for the engine noise I just don't know.It would be extremely unusual to have a major problem on a new Yamaha.I had a YZF125 do it once but that's about it in 35+ years of PDI'ing bikes.
You could put petrol in them,inflate the tyres,check the oil,install the battery and more or less guarantee 100% the bike will be fine.That's the Japanese for you! Of course that isn't how I do a PDI