2020 Yamaha TMAX 560 Review

In Australia, the 2020 Yamaha TMAX 560 has its work cut out. Put it down to machismo, put it down to our motorcycling public's traditionally conservatives tastes, but 'maxi scooters' have never translated to 'maxi sellers' in this country. That's not for a lack of trying – nor any shortcoming on the part of the segment itself.

BMW gave the maxi scooter ranks a push along last year with the arrival of its C 400 X and C 400 GT, which serve as 'middleweight-maxi' models as well as smaller-capacity siblings for its C 650 GT and C 650 Sport, while Kymco has its high-tech AK 550.

These are competent and capable machines, with some even taken out the scooter category in our annual Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards – the C 400 GT ion in 2019 and the Kymco AK 550 in 2018.

But outside of Europe it's a hard slog to sell big-buck maxi-scooters, and Suzuki is a good case in point. Suzuki ceased production of its long-running Burgman 650 in 2019 and recently also dropped the Burgman 400 from its Australian line-up. It's even discontinuing its Burgman 200, instead focussing on its 'cheap and cheerful' commuter scooter, the Address 110.

But then we come to the 2020 Yamaha TMAX 560, which is the next iteration of the model that kicked off the whole maxi-scooter segment in 2001. First unveiled at Italy's EICMA motorcycle show last year, the TMAX 560 packages a performance boost with refreshed styling.

The Yamaha TMAX 560 was unveiled in Italy alongside a higher-spec sibling, the Yamaha TMAX Tech Max – with all the latest updates plus Bluetooth connectivity, heated seat and grips, cruise control, and adjustable rear suspension – but at this stage it's only the base model that's available in Australia.

As such, the 2020 Yamaha TMAX 560 is the flagship of Yamaha's local scooter line-up, sitting above the XMAX 300, NMAX 155, and Tricity 155 three-wheeler.

The new TMAX's liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine has increased by 32cc to 562cc to produce 48hp and 55.7Nm. That's an increase of 3.5 per cent and six per cent respectively, says Yamaha, while the unit is now Euro5 compliant.

The rear end with new T-shaped taillight is new as are the 'boomerang' side panels, while the rider footboards are a bit slimmer to give easier access to the ground; the rear of the scoot is also slimmer for easier pillion access to the pillion footpegs.

The updates add to a fairly high-tech package (for a scooter, at least) that spans keyless starting, full LED lighting, switchable traction control, antilock brakes, a pushbutton steering lock and a choice of two ride modes (Sport or Touring).

The Yamaha TMAX 560 is a lot of scooter but, at $16,599 ride away, it would want to be. That's $179 more than BMW's C 650 Sport, by the way. And it's that aspect which, I think, is the biggest hurdle for the segment. Fact is, most people equate scooters with affordable commuting, but in truth maxi-scooters are closer rivals for sportstouring motorcycles than their smaller feet-forward siblings.

With its sharper looks and in our testbike's dark Sword Grey colour scheme (Icon Grey for the action shots), the 2020 Yamaha TMAX 560 looks about as racy and aggressive as a scooter can get. Its LED lighting and angular lines give it a high-tech, purposeful stance, and the view from behind the bars is pretty neat too – the instrumentation, comprising an analogue speedo and tacho split by a central monochrome TFT display, looks classy and is easy to read.

The TFT's trip computer can be cycled through the usual array of info, from ambient temperature to actual and average fuel consumption, two trip meters and the odometer.

It's a fair lump of a thing, with a 1575mm wheelbase and a wet weight of 218kg. While the seat height is modest, at 800mm, the Yamaha TMAX 560 has a very broad seat that splays your legs wide. Even though I'm 188cm tall (6ft 2in), I still can't get both feet down totally flat to the ground at a standstill.

Despite that, the TMAX 560 carries its weight low and is very easy to manage, with a healthy lock-to-lock steering range and the convenience of an automatic transmission. That in itself will lure some prospective buyers – if you have any physical impediment affecting your left foot, leg or hand, a scooter can make perfect sense.

Speaking of easy, the Yamaha TMAX 560 is also learner friendly and LAMS (Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme) compliant. As a first ride it's comfortable, manageable and yet surprisingly spirited – and capable of touring as well as commuting and longer day trips.

But Yamaha bills the TMAX 560 as a 'sports' scooter, and rightly so. Over the course of a couple of weeks I mainly commuted on it over a mix of tight city streets, faster arterials and open highway, but I still got in a couple of weekend rides in the hills and it's there it really surprises.

It's positively toey from a standing start – there's never any issue getting ahead of the traffic from the lights – and even at 100km/h, with the tacho sitting on 4600rpm, there's still some urge left for overtakes.

This would also have to be one of the smoothest parallel-twins I've ridden in some years, perhaps even a little smoother than Yamaha's remarkably refined Tenere 700 adventure bike.

There's barely any vibration throughout the rev range, whether you're wafting along on a steady throttle or watching the tacho needle sweep swiftly towards its redline, somewhere north of 7000rpm. To that end, the view in the mirrors is nice and clear, although they're on the smaller side and set quite a way forward of the rider, somewhat limiting rear vision and making them a bit fiddly to adjust.

But back to the ride, and let's take a look at this scoot's handling. Forget any notion of scooters being wobbly little things prone to being eaten whole by large potholes, because the Yamaha TMAX 560 is firmly in motorcycle territory when it comes to general on-road composure. With decent 15-inch rims shod with quality Bridgestone Battlax SC rubber, and a bike-like aluminium twin-spar chassis rolling on 'proper' suspension, the TMAX 560 can be flicked through a chicane with very little effort and it rails through bends beautifully. Not once did I find the limits of its cornering clearance and it wasn't for lack of trying.

Sports mode does lend the scoot a little extra punch over Touring but it's not a massive difference (thought it's annoying you can't switch between the two when underway). As for braking, I have no qualms whatsoever – with a twin-disc, radial-mount, four-piston format up front the TMAX 560 pulls up swiftly and securely. The ABS is fairly unobtrusive when it kicks in and traction control is yet another worthy safety benefit.

The seat is broad for both rider and pillion and the rider has a choice of two ride positions – feet forward, or feet flat on the floor boards. Being a lanky sort, I found 'feet forward' gave me decent legroom. Having my feet flat felt a little too cramped, and I found the redesigned floorboards actually pointed my feet inboard a little, like I was pigeon-toed, which felt a bit odd.

There are two positions for the (tool-adjustable) screen. Our test bike has the screen on its highest setting which, in truth, was still a bit too low for me (though fine for anyone of average height or below).

But, generally speaking, the Yamaha TMAX 560 has excellent weather protection – at highway speeds it's entirely possible to ride in the rain and really only cop some damp shoulders.

The Yamaha TMAX 560 comes with a long list of practical features. For a start, it has a proximity key fob so there's no keyed ignition – just press the start button to switch it on, and press it again to fire it up. Similarly, shutting it down is simply a matter of pressing the 'off' button, and pressing the same button again to lock the steering.

The centrestand is easy to operate and can be locked in position, and there's a decent-sized compartment near the right-hand handgrip to store a phone, wallet, house keys etc. It's fitted with a 12-volt accessories plug.

I like the pushbutton arrangement for the seat release and fuel filler cover, and the fuel filler is up reasonably high so you don't have to stoop.

The under-seat storage bay has a light and will fit a full-face lid, provided you place it upside down. You might be able to squeeze an open-face lid in there too, but it would be a close thing.

Fuel economy? The Yamaha TMAX 560 returned an average of 4.2-4.4lt/100km during its stay. With a 15-litre fuel tank, that's a safe working range of around 320 to 340km per tank.

Let's face it, most people are either into the maxi-scooter concept or they're not. If you are, you don't need me to expound the category's virtues. If you aren't, realistically there's little I can say to sway your preference for motorcycles. However, if you fall somewhere between the two, and find your curiosity aroused, I'm confident a test ride will leave you impressed with the 2020 Yamaha TMAX 560. As to whether it also falls within your budget, that's something only you can answer.

ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, four-stroke, DOHC, eight-valve parallel-twin
Capacity: 562cc
Compression ratio: 10.9:1
Bore x stroke: 70.0mm x 73.0mm
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 48hp (35kW) at 7500rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 55.7Nm at 5250rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: CVT
Final drive: V-Belt
Clutch: Automatic

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Twin-spar die-cast aluminium
Front suspension: Upside-down 41mm telescopic fork, non-adjustable, 120mm travel
Rear suspension: Monoshock, adjustable for preload, 117mm travel
Front brakes: Twin 267mm discs with radial-mount four-piston calipers
Rear brake: 282mm disc with single-piston caliper
Wheels: Five-spoke alloy
Tyres: Bridgestone Battlax SC – front 120/70R15, rear 160/60R15

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed kerb weight: 218kg
Seat height: 800mm
Wheelbase: 1575mm
Fuel capacity: 15 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $16,599 ride away
Test bikes supplied by: Yamaha Motor Australia
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres