Renaissance commuter 2017 YAMAHA X-MAX 300

Yamaha’s new X-MAX 300 aims to single-handedly redefine the middleweight scooter class with superior performance, style and green credentials. Has it worked?

Florence, the capital of Tuscany was the birthplace of the European Renaissance that began in the 15th century. Art, politics and culture all underwent a massive revolution – bringing about changes that helped make much of the modern world possible. Six centuries on, we’re in Florence for a far smaller revolution – but one Yamaha hopes might shake up the middleweight scooter class.

The tuning fork guys reckon that the over-125cc-but-under-400cc scooter sector of the market is growing – quite literally. Their research suggests European folk are buying more 300-class machines in preference to 250s: 300 and 350 sales increased from 5% in 2008 to 16% last year, while 250s dropped from 28% to 12%. And Yamaha also thinks that these buyers are looking for more premium products – the average value of scooter units has increased over that period. So, it doesn’t take a genius like Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo to work out a plan – make the X-MAX 250 into a 300, and ratchet up the tech and the design at the same time. And that’s what we’re here in Tuscany to ride today.

The new scooter looks pretty smart parked up in the hotel foyer. I’m not dead set on the chocolate brown ‘Quasar Bronze’ scheme, but the white looks ace, and there’s a subtle dark charcoal grey on offer too. The presentation made a big deal of the quality design and equipment, and close up it all looks pretty well put-together. You can’t argue with the practicality either: the smart key ignition switch is clever, and easy to use once you work it out. The seat, fuel cap and ignition are all operated by one dial – you just keep the keyfob in your pocket.

That underseat space is big for the class – two full-face lids is the promise – and there are two cubbyholes in the front legshield, with a 12V socket in one. ABS is present and correct of course, but the X-MAX also gets a novel traction control system. Now, I’m unsure how essential such a setup is on a 300 single scoot – but the Yamaha folks reckon it’s a real asset on slippery city cobbles, and important for the target market too.

Safety sells to these folks, who might well be on their first over-125cc machine and unused to the extra grunt. Those extra six ponies and the 6lb-ft torque boost over the old 250 comes from a 1mm overbore, and 9.1mm longer stroke, bumping capacity from 249cc to 292cc.

Of course, the main attraction of the middleweight scoot class is that they’re able to work in the tightest of city backstreets, while also delivering the performance needed for A-road and motorway work. A 125 scoot is perfect for cutting through the traffic-snarled streets of a busy town like Florence – but it’s a real trial battling down the Autostrada with 10 or 12bhp. Conversely, a megascooter like Yamaha’s T-Max can be a bit unwieldy in very tight traffic conditions. Yamaha’s keen to give us a proper taste of the 300’s capability, so we head off from the hotel, and straight into the maelstrom that is Florence in the spring.

Now, the Tuscan capital city is an amazing place – truly gorgeous, dripping in art, history and culture. But it’s a bit of a disaster to get about in. Loads of teeny tiny alleyways, zombie-hordes of apparently braindead tourists, and the locals driving like extras from Mad Max: it’s a recipe for disaster. Luckily I live in London, so I’m used to these conditions, and am straight on the offensive. Hesitate and you’re dead, so carpe-ing the diem is the secret for success here.

And the X-MAX copes brilliantly. The long-stroke 300 motor is packed with low-down grunt, and the chassis is light and nimble. Brakes are strong and controlled, with that ABS safety net underpinning it all. I’ve not managed to provoke the traction control when pulling away yet – but it cuts in once or twice over some of the very worst bumpy sections. Nothing naughty – just a brief hiccup

in the power as I gassed it away from the lights and hit some potholed cobbles. It’s enough for me to turn it off though: the roads are warm and dry today, and I reckon it’s more important to stay ahead of the fray than get held up by attempts to arrest any minor traction woes.

The seat is a bit high for my stumpy pins at a standstill – maybe the extra underseat storage space (18% more than the 250 apparently) needs the seat to sit a bit higher? On the move, it’s fine, but shorter riders might find it a bind. While we’re on the subject of rider ergonomics, the handlebars and screen have two positions, letting you tune the riding position and wind protection a bit to suit your needs. The screen is a simple five-minute screw job – but the handlebar move is a bit trickier, and might be a dealer job if you’re not used to spannering. On the downside, the brake levers are missing span adjusters – something I always like to see with my short, fat sausage digits.

We’re finished in town now, and the Yamaha test rider leads us up into the hills and out of Florence. I’m looking forward to stretching my legs a bit, as it were, to see what the X-MAX has on faster roads. I’ve got a Suzuki Burgman 650 as my everyday/winter hack at home, so I’m not expecting too much from the little 300 – but it’s much better than I hoped. Twentyseven (ish) bhp is a decent output, and the X-MAX is light, so she goes well. The single cylinder motor has a new mounting system designed to cut vibes, and it does indeed feel much smoother than many other single-pot scoots I’ve ridden over the years.

The chassis feels up to the job too. Those brakes are just as strong out of town as they were in the city, and there’s plenty of ground clearance if you’re feeling sporty. The Yamaha engineers reckoned the bike-type front forks and new, lighter steel tube frame have sharpened up the handling, and it does feel impressively agile, yet stable in sweeping bends. The Dunlop ScootSmart rubber has stacks of grip too, and the overall impression is of a sharp, lively little scoot – more sporty than you might expect from the stock styling.

That’s proven by a dice with the test rider actually: he’s mounted on a 400 X-MAX, with 5bhp more power and 35kg more mass. But he can’t get away from me on the 300, and the big 400 ends up tying itself in knots as he tries to pull away from the smaller bike. I’m giggling into my lid as I carve my way through super-twisty hillside roads, right up the 400’s chuff, as it decks out and understeers its way round. Definitely a case of less is more – at least until Yamaha gives the 400 a bit of a makeover.

Yamaha does offer some sport-styled add-ons for the new bike, and one of the test bikes has been gussied up into a ‘sport’ version. There’s a short screen, some alloy footboard trims, a backrest, and an Akrapovic can, which looks much sharper, but doesn’t really add anything to the sound (there’s no removable baffle either, booh!) There’s also a range of more touring-biased mods: top box, tunnel bag, hot grips and muffs, apron, high screen and comfort seat.

After a very pleasant lunch stop in the Tuscan hills, we head back to Florence, and get the chance to take in some motorway. I manage to get the 300 flat-out for a mile or so, and it quickly got up to around 100mph, with a little more to come – so you’ll be able to keep up with most British road conditions. She didn’t feel totally at home here though; cruising around 80-90mph felt much more relaxed.

Once we slow down a little, I get the chance to play about with the LCD dashboard too. There’s a load of info, and it’s easy to access from the handlebar switchgear – you can check on average and instantaneous fuel consumption, air temperature, traction control settings and the usual time and trip settings.

We’re finished for the day now, and I park up the X-MAX and head to the hotel bar for a cold Peroni. I’m sad to leave the little 300 – the design and equipment levels have impressed. But it’s the performance that I’ve enjoyed most: for a sub-400cc scooter, it goes really well – even better than Yamaha’s own X-MAX 400 on twisty roads. And while it’s not quite as serious a game-changer as Florence’s mediaeval Renaissance, it seems more than ready to give the middleweight scooter sector a bit of a shake-up.