With the primary era Yamaha X-Max 250 taking the Malaysia scooter market by storm, the up to date 2023 Yamaha X-Max 250, priced at RM23,998, was positioned within the arms of the paultan.org crew for evaluation. That the X-Max 250 is standard can’t be denied, with consumers complaining of lengthy ready lists and lack of inventory from Hong Leong Yamaha Motor sellers.

There may be additionally the difficulty of above retail pricing on the seller stage however as distributor Hong Leong Yamaha has identified, pricing is advisable retail and it has little management over sellers who want to cost a premium. However that could be a story for one more time and what we wish to see is what’s new, what’s improved and the way is the second era X-Max totally different from its predecessor.

The scooter market in Malaysia has exploded since 2022, with distributors and sellers reporting excessive gross sales numbers within the 2022/2023 interval. Issues may’ve cooled down considerably since then as life returns to normalcy.

Apart from a sure phase of the Malaysian car inhabitants who’ve come to grasp there’s a particular profit to using a two-wheeler, most particularly a scooter, as visitors returns to the extent of lunacy it was at earlier than the pandemic.

Site visitors however, the X-Max is a well-liked selection with Malaysian scooter riders for its versatility and ease of use. This time round, with the upgrades obtained, we predict the bar has been raised a bit increased for 250 cc phase scooters in Malaysia.

Most blatant on the first strategy is the bodywork and LED headlights of the X-Max, the panels now coming with barely extra angular and aggressive styling. This provides extra emphasis to the traces of the X-Max, making it maybe enchantment extra to the “youthful” crowd.

The household similarity is apparent to the earlier era mannequin, however now makes the X-Max barely wider each entrance and rear. Some have beforehand mentioned the X-Max’s large rear finish makes slicing by visitors a bit troublesome, however there’s a compromise between underneath seat house, passenger consolation and the power to “cilok” by metropolis visitors.

One other main change is within the entrance flip indicators, now high-mounted within the “ears” on the entrance cowl that have been beforehand left clean. This does clear the entrance finish of the X-Max up, giving it a purposeful look.

Contained in the cockpit, the dual LCD screens exchange the twin analogue gauge and centre LCD display setup. New for the X-Max 250 is on display navigation utilizing Yamaha’s Y-Join app and the rider’s smartphone with Bluetooth connectivity.

We tried the connection and after the clumsiness of the preliminary setup as a result of downloading time, pairing and such, the system works. Utilizing the free Garmin Avenue Join app and Y-Join, the rider will get on-screen navigation instructions, together with management of factors of curiosity like petrol stations utilizing the handlebar pod mounted buttons.

One downside we discovered is after switching the scooter off, reconnection was generally a bit hit or miss. We don’t know if this was as a result of creator’s (out-of-date) handphone or a problem inherent within the system itself, however we discovered getting the telephone to talk to the X-Max was a bit troublesome necessitating disabling and enabling Bluetooth then going by the pairing course of.

Mixed with the helmet comms set we use, it was good utilizing the X-Max 250’s bar swap to regulate calls, music and the like, one thing we discovered a comfort and now can’t stay with out, just like the X-M

For braking, the X-Max is as we remembered from the primary era, performing with out fuss or drama and hauling the 181 kg weight all the way down to a cease rapidly and confidently. Two-channel ABS is what we count on for any two-wheeler on this class today and for the X-Max was unobtrusive.

One other security characteristic new to this era X-Max is traction management. No fancy trip modes and stage settings right here, simply the selection of getting the system on or off.

If you happen to’re asking why would anybody want traction management off, keep in mind the X-Max 250 is primarily designed for the European market. In sure chilly circumstances the place there may be snow on the highway, or in inclement circumstances, the power to wheel slip (slip, not spin) is critical.

This could doubtless not be vital in native using circumstances save through the all too typically flooding we get. Nonetheless, we don’t advocate you attempt turning your X-Max right into a sampan, Yamaha makes a greater bike for that sort of using and it’s referred to as the Tenere 700.

In any other case, issues stay unchanged for the X-Max 250, with the identical single-cylinder engine producing 22.8 PS at 7,000 rpm and 24.3 Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm. We did discover the brand new era X-Max was barely faster at take off than beforehand, one thing we used to our benefit in visitors, however the distinction is sufficiently small as to make no by no means thoughts for many riders.

We additionally observed barely extra vibration within the handlebars of the up to date X-Max 250 however would put it all the way down to manufacturing tolerances greater than every other factor. The large underneath seat storage is there, sufficiently big to swallow two full-face helmets.

So, who wants the up to date Yamaha X-Max 250, with small adjustments – bodywork, lighting – and massive – TFT-LCD display with onscreen navigation and Bluetooth connectivity? The all-rounder nature of the X-Max remains to be there, able to doing the every day commute and medium-distance journeys properly.

Add the consolation of the seat which is now reduce narrower for ease of footing for each rider and pillion is a particular plus. If you happen to’re in want of a do-it-all scooter able to freeway jaunts, you can do worse than getting an X-Max 250.

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