Masala wrote:
How was that TMax?
I can only compare it to our recently sold and traded pair of 650 Burgmans, but that's a good bike to measure this model against...though the ride was only twenty minutes and there were really no curves to speak of, which is an area where the T-max will probably show some superiority to the much larger (physically) Burgman, I was able to accelerate hard on the interstate ramp and run the Yamaha up to 80 mph (Indicated) and cruise I-90 for the seven miles back to the Sturgis test area.
It's aceleration seems to be very close to the 650 Burgman's even though the Yamaha has about a 150cc 'handicap' from the Suzuki. It cruises the interstate with surprising ease and like the Burgman never feels 'stressed' doing it, which is something that always amazed me about the Burgmans. Being 500cc's the Yamaha's engine spins faster than the Burgmans at any given road speed, but it does it with little fuss or 'drama'. By comparison, a Yamaha 650 V-Star will feel like it's going to blow up at 75-80 mph and will have little (if any) reserve for hills, headwinds, and load.
It seemed a little crowded in legroom compared to the 650 Burgman, and the seat felt like it had a rounded profile from side to side, which may become a pressure point before too many miles, but I may be wrong about that too, there just wasn't enough time on the bike to get more than a brief first impression.
I DO know that I like the Yamaha's analog instrumentation a lot better than the LCD cluster of the Burgman, though I don't think the T-max had a tachometer, and even though one might question the practical usefulness of a tach on such a bike, it was still nice to see what the Burgman's engine was spinning at.
I still think the T-max is overpriced though (as is the 650 Burgman IMO), and I'd have a hard time not buying a 650 V-Strom with all that scooter money....heck, we just bought a brand new 2009 Concours 1400 for $10,000 even. Apples and oranges maybe, but!.......