Will be getting an old T-Max. Tips and suggestions?

[MjW]

I will get my first T-Max soon and I am kind of excited. But my economic situation right now doesn't allow for a newer model.
So I am looking for older models. I thought of trying to find a '04 model that has fuel injection, in the hopes of adding a power commander for that extra boost. But there are no '04 models around here atm (Sweden).

I did found a '01 in very good condition with a Givi box and only 6.2k miles on it (and a car lighter port under the seat :p ) but it's the very first version of T-Max and I'm being a bit sceptical. I don't know if it is worth waiting for a '04 or not.

Are there any big differences between '01, '02 and '03...'07 models?
Is it worth it waiting for a '04 with fuel injection?
And is the power commander really a good idea?
Anything I should watch out for when looking to buy a scooter that old? problems etc.

These are many questions and you shouldn't feel obliged to answer all of them, just dropping your opinion and advice is enough.

[halfabusa]

i have a 03 model and i'm quite pleased with it. There is no reason for suspecting any problems with an old tmax as they are so well built. If it was a less-reliable brand, i would have said go for a newer version, but for tmax i think you'll be fine.

Also on some bikes there are design issues that surface after some years of riding, such as the issue i had on my previous bike, burgman 650. Those design issues are usually ironed out throughout the years and newer versions of the same bike. With the yamaha tmax though, i never heard of such a design issue which was re-designed or fixed in the MK2 or later models.

The differences as far as i know between mk1 and mk2 are carb vs fuel injection, single vs double front disc brakes and the dashboard on mk2 is much more functional than the mk1. That final point is the biggest gripe for me as i wish my mk1's dashboard wasn't so simple. I like my gadgets and coming from a burgman 650, i miss them...

There might be other differences between the models which i don't know as i'm not that knowledgeable on the tmax, just stuff i heard about since i owned it.

[halfabusa]

oh and in terms of mileage, i bought mine at around 17k miles and it's now on 25,5k miles. I'm intending to use it until at least 35-40k miles then sell it on. They are capable of quite high miles as any other bike if ridden and maintained carefully.

[Liam]

Hi MjW,
I've owned both. an 03 Mk1 for 2 years and an 08 reg Mk2 for the last 3 years.
I didn't find a great deal of difference, in handling or performance.
The mk2 possibly a touch quicker and a couple more miles to the gallon.
Unlike Halfa.. I prefer the simpler dash of the mk1, I don't like gadgets!
I do prefer a needle pointer for the fuel gauge. I don't like the bars system as it seems a bit wayward.

The only problems I've had...
Mk1..
Cam chain tensioner was replaced. It was rattling a bit and it was an expensive fix. The bike shop charged me £180, as I remember.
It can be a problem with low mileage models. Not good for them to be used for very short commutes.
The speedo also packed up. Possibly caused at the time of a tyre change?? A plastic insert had to be replaced.
A cheap fix anyway.
Mk2..
The fuel pump packed up. This is a known problem with 06, 07,08, models.
There have been some recallls in some countries but not in the uk.
Yamaha uk did provide a new pump but I had to pay for fitting.
Servicing costs are expensive unless you do it yourself. Tyres can be dear if go for the H rated ones for the Mk2
Not sure about a power commander? Maybe for a race track??
I fitted a JCosta variator but I still can't keep up with my mate Clive on his standard Mk1!
If you're a half decent rider, you'll make it fly and might not need any tuning goodies.

I'd have no hesitation in buying a Mk1but ask/check about the tensioner.
I'd also ask questions about the fuel pump if buying a Mk2.

[halfabusa]

wanna swap the dashboards Liam?

Yes i forgot about the cam chain tensioner which is always in the back of my mind as a slight worry in case it packs up one day. However, i saw on the service history that it was changed in the infancy years of the scooter, so i "hope" it won't need changing again...

[MrGrumpy]

Personally, I much preferred the mk2 - the extra grunt makes a lot of difference. Apart from having twin disks at the front, it also had radial tyres and the front forks on the mk2 were much better than the mk1 - the mk1's bouncy front forks let the side down a bit. I eventually fitted Hyperpro inserts.

I also prefer the mk1's instruments! Much clearer! Better than the mk2's and probably better than the mk3 with its tiny strip rev counter.

BUT the mk1 and mk2 both had that essential TMax quality.

Some early TMaxs did have cam chain problems, though this was fixed for 2003 I believe. Also the speedo drive does seem unreliable on the mk1 - if its just the bit that goes in the wheel hub, that's easy (standard Yamaha part), but the bit that includes the wire is expensive.

[Wrinkly]

I have had a an early Mk.1 that was fine for 20,000m. But then a 2004 (inj) which I still have but as I have said before
I did not like the high revs per MPH (5000rev/50mph) and the fuel used. So at 18,000 I thought a first new belt and rollers
should be fitted (old belt well still inside tollerances). Good time to increase weight of rollers from 18 to 20.
Result approx 10% drop in revs and as I have not done a long run yet I am sure that the fuel has use has reduced
without any noticeable differance in performance. I would like someone to compare it with theirs.
I would not want to change the scoot for anything else. ( sad old fart)

[Taipan]

I have a mk1 Tmax and have just clicked onto 53k miles. Doesn't use any oil or water and has only had servicable parts replaced since i've had it (from 30k). I'd like a mk2 though as they are heavy and I think they'd benefit from the twin disk set up. I fitted a 4 pot R6 caliper to mine and it helped but I'd still like better brakes.

[MrGrumpy]

I have had a an early Mk.1 that was fine for 20,000m. But then a 2004 (inj) which I still have but as I have said before
I did not like the high revs per MPH (5000rev/50mph) and the fuel used. So at 18,000 I thought a first new belt and rollers
should be fitted (old belt well still inside tollerances). Good time to increase weight of rollers from 18 to 20.
Result approx 10% drop in revs and as I have not done a long run yet I am sure that the fuel has use has reduced
without any noticeable differance in performance. I would like someone to compare it with theirs.
I would not want to change the scoot for anything else. ( sad old fart)

I've basically gone the other way with a Malossi variator on my mk3, and my mk1 had one as well. The snag I found with the mk2 and mk3 was that they were very sluggish accelerating from around the 30mph mark. The malossi with lighter weights does improve acceleration at low speeds immensely (using more revs), though it doesn't affect the overall gearing, or make any difference at out of town speeds.
Difficult to judge the impact on fuel economy - my mk1 was broadly as economical as my standard mk2, and its too early to tell on my mk3, though I think it will make some impact. If you do lots of town work and use the increased performance a lot, I'm sure it will worsen economy. However, one of the subtle things will the malossi is that you can find tune your riding more...if you don't like it revving so much, you twist the throttle less, whilst you didn't seem to have that level of control with the standard variator.

[StevenM]

I also have a mk1 Tmax, it's a 53 plate with 57000klm on, yes klm as I have changed my clocks to majesty 250 italian ones, I didn't like the standard ones. (will try and put pic up imagaeshack not working). I have had mine 1 and a half years and still drives like a dream, I have added a mivi gp city sports exhaust which sounds great. I haven't had any problems with cam chain and hope it never goes wrong.

If I could have afforded the Mk3 back when I bought mine I would have, better and in my opinion better looks, even the mk2 is slightly better with the fuel injection engine, twin engine and nicer looking clocks.

In my opinion ANY Tmax is a good choice.