Modern Vespa

had a tw200...vanvan is esentially the same bike...i miss my tw...so much fun

Do any of our Xmax owners know if the 2014-2017 comfort seat is physically the same as the 2017-2018 one. What that basically means is will the latter fit my 2014 model.

Part numbers seem to be thin on the ground, plus they might have changed them for a new model bike, even though they might be the same.

Ta

Not sure, but I would visit your local Dealer or Call Yamaha customer service.

Already done that, they don't know either. On there system the seat has a part number but has no reference to the year, they showed me the screen.

Oh yeah. It's a fun little bike.
I've got it in bits now and waiting for a wheel and the rubber.
I'm going this route with it. Standard motor with a pipe and tires.
The front fat wheel is just a standard rear wheel. It's a cheap build for a beach cruiser.

That's gonna be awesome. Keep us posted on your progress.

Had it out for paint and powder coat and the wheels came back looking trash. The powder coat is a bad job so I'll sand blast them and start again. Very disappointed. Very limited for choice on this island and it will be two weeks before the powder coater has time to do mine again. Once done I'll be posting pics.

So to keep me busy in the meantime, I sold my Sprint and got me one of these.
Only 100 built. Moriwaki & H2C Super cub C125.
Came modified from the factory. Every part H2C makes and a Moriwaki pipe that sounds great. The build quality is just amazing.
Been tearing around like a boy who just got his licence. I love it.

Thats stunning!

That's cool! Before I sold my VanVan200, I did consider keeping it for some light modding and forest trashing - the fat front tyre is a killer for rideability, but looks nasty

It's lazy, symphatic machine with a bit of vibrations when riding "fast" (relative with this bike), but it goes anywhere, is super easy to ride on any terrain, has the comfiest seat on the earth and surprisingly good ergonomics, if a bit scarse on leg room. The engine has no character as such and is gutless, but it and the whole bike oozes build quality that makes it an easy keeper.

I'm quite like you with this. Ergonomics is a big factor for me, and I too find many maxi scoots uncomfortable to ride. That's a bit ironic, as they are supposed to be mile munchers... but yeah, being a person with short legs and hands, legs forward, arms stretched and back bend is not my idea of having fun.

I would welcome the UJM design back anytime... I can hop on to almost any 70's Japanese motorcycle I feel comfortable right away. Most of the ADV bikes the same thing, some with handbar risers as my arms are too short - but many of them are too difficult to handle at stand still because my feet won't touch the ground It's simply too much hassle to always jump off and push the bike around, I prefer bikes where I can move it at least with my toes.

Amen. I, too, miss the ergos of the UJMs. The marketing split of bikes into cruisers and racer wannabees in the last 20 years has left me with few choices, other than refurbishing older bikes. Most of the ADV bikes are too tall for me to swing my leg over, unfortunately. The GTS has been a real plus to keep me riding comfortably for a few more years.

I agree with this. That has been my experience as well. In the 60s and 70s, I owned a Honda Cub, a Honda CB160, a Honda CB350, and a Honda CB450 at various times. All had a comfortable riding position and I readily took each and every one of them on multi hour rides including the Cub. Heck, I even rode the CB160 across the US!

My two favorite bikes in the garage are a 1983 Kawasaki Spectre and a 1991 250 Nighthawk. Both have you sitting upright with the pegs directly under you in the standard position.

Yeah. It was love at first sight.
Threw down a deposit and went straight to sell my Sprint that day.
The handling of this thing is amazing. It unbeatable in the corners. Haven't touched any of my other scoots all week. I can't seem to stop riding it.

I love the look mainly. I bought it to ride on the sand and dirt trails. It's definitely a cruiser. It's not meant to go fast at all. It's got nice torque for cruising around town. Fastest I've ridden it about 80kph. Couldn't see anything in the mirrors with all the vibrations. Lol.
It's probably one of the easiest motorcycles to ride on the market today.

You must have some really short arms. The XMAX is like sitting in a chair at a desk. I'm sitting upright and arms nowhere near stretched out.
How tall are you?

I'm 5'8", but it's more about arms than my whole torso. Honda SH300 and scoots like that are excellent for me, Vespa was too. I can't really remember how XMAX was to me, could well fit nicely.

Wow, that does look nice.

I sat on a new Super Cup recently and it felt just right even at stand still. It manages to ooze quality in a way that is not typical for small bikes.... it looks and feels just plain fun!

Pricing is a bit steep around here though - it's pushing close to a "left over" last years cheapest brand new Vespa GTS 300... I'm afraid it won't sell here much.

Just serviced my Xmax, new comfort seat and sports screen.

Cant find Yamalube 10w-40 fully synthetic in US. Do i need to put synthetic, manual calls for regular oil. Also 10W-30 for gear oil...

I'd go by what the manual says.
Normally I would have the dealer do the first service,. and from then on DIY.

So long as you use the grade the manual says and from any half decent recognised brand, it'll be fine, plus... its only going to be in there for 3000 miles.

Final drive oil is often the same as the engine oil rather than gear oil on Japanese brand scooters.

The manual doesn't specify whether to use semi or full synth and it says engine oil or gear oil for the final drive casing.

Page 9.1 https://cdn.yamaha-motor.eu/owner-manuals/Scooters/PB74F8199E0E.PDF

would you use regular oil for the first service to give it a good break-in or go directly to synthetic? 600 Mile first service.

Wouldn't use full synthetic till 6,000 miles unless the manual specifically mandated its use.

I also had an X Max 250 year 2011 and it was fine but at that time my father was sick and for his peace of mind (he thought it was a dangerous vehicle) he convinced me to sell it ... sin, I was fond of it. He has been dead for four years and this year I bought the Yamaha Tricity 155 because it was a bargain, it is a used scooter with 450 km (!) And three months; EUR 1000 less than the list price. The driving position is identical to that of the Vespa with the footrest completely flat. Good engine (15 hp) and right speed (max 110 kmh). What more do you want ..? Visible by pressing the www icon.

It doesn't make a difference. The idea that you get a "better" break in from using non-synthetic oil in a modern engine is one of those half baked ideas that still makes the rounds of the internet by people who heard it somewhere, and really can't tell you what is measurably better about breaking in an engine with non-synthetic oil. If there were oil threads on 4chan, this is the sort of information you would get.

Motovista ... I believe, indeed I am sure that you are an expert in motors so I ask you if it is possible that the correlation between the use of materials that support the connecting rod (bearings and / or bushings), the type of oil pump engine with different filter systems (retina or cartridge), lubrication path can lead to different design specifications. This is why I think that, while respecting the specifications of the oil (grade and API / JASO) it must continue to be as much as possible recommended by the manufacturer (synthetic or semi-synthetic, minerals are now only used on vintage engines)

Corvette, Porsche, Mercedes, and a huge list of other vehicles including our Vespa came from the factory with synthetic oil and they broke in fine.
That is a myth.

But Yamalube in 10W-40 in not synthetic but still a top quality oil and that is what I would use.

This thread has been around for a while, starting as a question regarding the preference between three different scooters.

I came out supporting the Vespa, because I know what fine scooters I have in three GTs.

But I bought a Yamaha Xmax because it was faster, more practical and less expensive than the new Vespa.

But I rode a new 300GTS today in Wisconsin. What a great scooter. I ran a dew drag races with my son on my Xmax, and the Vespa was slightly slower, but so close that it may have been the 50 less pounds Sam weighs.

The suspension was much more compliant too, smoothing out bumps better.

The Xmax still has more storage, larger fuel tank, better gas mileage and a dealer in every town, but the new GTS is so much sweeter.

Bill

Or maybe it was the extra weight on the Vespa. Would have been nice to see a video of the race.

What'd they do to the suspension?

I came across this thread while searching for info and comparisons with the C400X. My wife and I got to ride one from BMW's demo fleet at the Sturgis Rally. An impressive scoot! Enough so, that my wife ordered one from our dealer friend right after the demo ride.

It arrived at the dealership about 10 days later... along with a "stop sale" on it from BMW. I am less than happy with the way BMW did this: sending off a sold order, knowing that the customer couldn't pick it up. I feel for the dealer (who has been a friend for about 30 years) - his hands are tied with that "stop sale" and he knows that we are getting short on time here... in a couple weeks, we will head south to our home, about 1700 miles away.

The timing would have been perfect: get the scoot in, have plenty of time to stack up some break-in miles, get the initial service done, and still have time to address any other "shake down" items we might come across. Yeah, best laid plans...

I have never put down a deposit on something and not followed through with the sale. The dealer understands and has said he will do whatever we want.

All that said, the BMW is a heck of a scooter. Joan asked if we should order two of them when I came back from the demo ride (yes, I am a gentleman - she went first). "Nope, I am happy with my Vespa." Which is pretty much the polar opposite of the muscular, techie, BMW.

I understand there are some folks having "mushy front brake" issues with their new 300 HPEs. New model shake-down stuff.

The Xmax was carrying maybe 50 lb less than the Vespa. It was quicker but not by much. The new Vespa is much faster than my GTs.
Bill

The Vespa and Xmax both had stock suspension. The Vespa was more comfortable on the bumpy Wisconsin roads, at least the few miles I rode it.
Bill

This entire argument is missing the BV350 which has the same hp (but way more torque) vs. the XMAS4, and is still made in Italy for those who care. I'm revisiting this thread as my '14 BV350 is getting older (though only has 13K mi) and I really want new color (as well as ABS).

It's been a year since the new XMAX come out and I've seen maybe 2 on the road where I live (SoCal) Also have only spotted a couple of Bimmers but I not the type to ever own a BMW so that's out of the question.

Thoughts on the newer BV350s vs the XMAX3? I'm surprised only one or 2 BV owners have chimed in. TIA.

Without the owners of Piaggio vehicles getting angry ... having owned vehicles of the two brands I can safely say that Yamaha produces with high quality, not only ... they often intervene even outside the warranty (and in Italy it is something more unique than rare) . Vespa, as a unique vehicle for design, there is no question but sometimes choices are made that include other parameters. Speaking of the scooter that I have now I can say that the Yamaha quality is all there and does what it was built for and beyond. Choosing only for aesthetics is an option but there are others that vary from person to person. May the choice be favorable to you or as Obi said: "follow the force!".

Sold my BMW C650 GT and bought a new 2018 GTS 300 Super. The C650 was great on the highway, but I never ride there. Prefer the elegant look and feel of the Vespa. Light, agile and looks timeless.

The double muffler is fantastic! What is it, that is, what a mark ... it seems made at home.

Remus Twin made for the GTS. Bought through Sip in Germany.

https://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/products/racing+exhaust+remus+dual+flow+_rem43028b

A few posts back, I wrote that we had ordered a BMW C400X in early August for my wife. With no date on when BMW will supply parts for the brakes so the scoot can get out of "stop sale jail," the dealer (also a friend of ours) gave us our deposit back.

Yes, my wife was disappointed. I suggested she check out the Yamaha Xmax 300, but we didn't come across one in our travels this summer. She does not like the riding position on my GTS, but I did get her to go to AF1 Racing to check out a BV350 that they had just gotten in.

I was hoping she might warm up the the GTS (AF1 has a good stock of those), but her butt barely touched the seat before she said, "Nope!" AF1 had the BV on the sales floor, but it was not set up to be able to take it for a test ride. They did, however, have a 2019 Xmax that someone had traded on a GTS. She rode it, she liked it, it is now hers...



Vespa content? We rode our scoots to AF1 to do the trade today. She is still getting used to the Xmax, but I have no doubt it will walk away from my GTS 250. The Vespa is still my choice.

Joan (my wife) has been riding for 4 decades. Over the years she has had a bunch of bikes, including a Goldwing and a Harley. She had two Yamaha sportbikes years ago, so I think it was easy for her to like that Xmax. Getting scooters was her idea 6 years ago. Due to a hip problem, I thought I was done riding (hurt too much to toss a leg over a motorcycle). At her urging, we picked up a pair of Honda PCXes 6 years ago. I recently had hip replacement surgery, and the recovery is going well. I guess she decided that we were going to continue riding, and wanted something bigger than the PCX... they were good scoots to keep us riding while I put off hip replacement.

I'm thinking my GTS and her Xmax will be happy together.