I'm back on a TMax

[five50]

Thx - will take a look

[Pukmeister]

Agree with all of that Grumpy.

When I got my Tmax from Peter Hammond in the Cotswolds, I traded in my much beloved R1 as it was crippling to ride and totally bonkers ballistic for the road and had already got me points on my license without even trying.

Jumping onto the Tmax for the demo I thought it would be shit but I swallowed my pride and decided to ride it home, thinking I could always sell it later if I didn't like it. It seemed pretty pedestrian at first having jumped off a litre sportsbike.

Having then gelled with it pretty quickly, its been my daily ride for the past four years and always puts a smile on my face, its a very capable little bike. (A set of 16Gr Dr Pulleys and a Malossi yellow spring in the variator also helps.)

[five50]

So looking at used t max and reading the reviews. The 2017 530dx seems to have similar spec to a 2022 (cruise, heated grips and seat, leccy screen) and is quoted within 1-2bhp and 1-2 lb-ft.
But if I read the reviews from the time, the subjective comments re the 530 seem to say it’s ok on performance- the 2021/22 reviews seem to say the bike has a lot of go.
Did much change, like the gearing, or am I seeing ghosts that don’t exist here?
Can you give a bit more info about the Dr Pulleys and relative difference these make?
Many thanks!

[MrGrumpy]

Well..between the 2017 mk6 and the later mk7/8 (whatever we are on!), the engine changed from 530 to 560cc - driven mainly by emissions regulations. There is allegedly a little more power - but I don't beliieve Yamaha's power figures at all these days. The big mystery is why the mk6 (and presumably later ones ) go so much better than early versions, when all apparently have around 45-47bhp (apart from the mk1!). When I jumped on my mk6 I couldn't believe how fast it went -even when I was being gentle with the throttle running it in! Draw your own conclusions..... I haven't ridden a mk7 or 8 so I can't give you a direct comparsion. I suspect the difference won't be huge, though Yamaha do keep fiddling with things - I think another difference between the mk6 and mk7 was that they tweaked the suspsension to make it sportier. The difference between the mk7 and 8 seems to be an ugly restyle and a flash hi-tech dashboard.

DrPulleys.....these help the most when the origiinal variator isn't great - for instance the mk3 gave great performance at high speeds but was quite sluggish on acceleration. The previous owner of my mk3 fitted DrPulleys and they work very well. The different design and lighter weight allow it to use more revs on acceleration - the original variator could make gaining revs a slow process. On the mk6 onwards, I think Yamaha did quite a lot to the variator and it appears to me to be very well set up so I wouldn't expect huge gains. However, my mk6 is approaching new V-belt time and the OE rollers are 18k miles old, and I'm tempted to fit DrPulleys rollers & sliders instead of the Yamaha ones - if nothing else they last a lot longer than the oriignal rollers. You can buy DrPulley sliders in a wide variety of weights, so you can, to a limited extent, 'tune' your variator to your riding style

[five50]

Thank you - great feedback - seems like a 2017 530 would be on your ‘good’ list.
Will see if I can try one.

[MrGrumpy]

I don't think there are any fundamental differences between the mk6 7 & 8 (not that I've ridden the mk7 & 8). They are the same design, with a few tweaks and increasing amounts of tech (which could be good or bad!). I believe they made the handling more sporty (ie harder) on the mk7. I have a base model mk6 - I don't have the tech which I can live without, but I don't have the fab electric screen that the DX models have! Or the heated seat / cruise control etc. You pays your money etc!

[five50]

Riding through the winter on my Xmax, pretty drawn by the heated seat and grips tbh. Anyway, need to try to get a ride on a tmax to check it out.

[Pukmeister]

Regarding Dr Pulleys, it was after reading threads on here that I decided to fit some to the variator on my mk3, along with a Yellow Malossi spring in the compensator to give another 500rpm to the 'kickdown' when winding on from a steady throttle. The difference before and after fitting was literally like night and day. The old round variator weights were worn oval and were probably original, whereas the cam-profiled Dr Pulleys gave quicker acceleration due to their lower mass plus stronger top end due to their cam shape riding further out under centrifugal force. It made the bike far more easy to ride with quicker acceleration and a stronger top end plus a deeper kick down for overtakes.

The only downside was I replaced the OE Yamaha variator drivebelt with a Gates item and the width of the brand new gates belt was less than the old 8000 mile worn Yamaha item which may negatively affect gearing. At the next belt change (due soon) I will inspect and clean the variator, probably teflon spray the weights and guides then fit a genuine Yamaha drive belt.

[MrGrumpy]

Yeah - and fitting DrPulley's products is a lot cheaper and easier than fitting a whole new variator - and seems to be every bit as effective!

[roadster]

Regarding Dr Pulleys, it was after reading threads on here that I decided to fit some to the variator on my mk3, along with a Yellow Malossi spring in the compensator to give another 500rpm to the 'kickdown' when winding on from a steady throttle. The difference before and after fitting was literally like night and day. The old round variator weights were worn oval and were probably original, whereas the cam-profiled Dr Pulleys gave quicker acceleration due to their lower mass plus stronger top end due to their cam shape riding further out under centrifugal force. It made the bike far more easy to ride with quicker acceleration and a stronger top end plus a deeper kick down for overtakes.

The only downside was I replaced the OE Yamaha variator drivebelt with a Gates item and the width of the brand new gates belt was less than the old 8000 mile worn Yamaha item which may negatively affect gearing. At the next belt change (due soon) I will inspect and clean the variator, probably teflon spray the weights and guides then fit a genuine Yamaha drive belt.

You've put your finger on the likely benefits of the Dr Pulleys but the exact effects can differ between machines quite significantly. The effective belt length and the extra movement available for the sliding pulley half are among the factors that can make a difference so your observations will be very useful to other owners. Another benefit is that they seem to last longer than standard rollers and also provide the opportunity to go for higher rpm during acceleration if lighter weights are chosen. I wonder if the Gates belt would be longer on the pulleys as a result of being narrower?