Yamaha has just announced its latest maxi-scooter, the X-MAX 400. Alas, it doesn’t seem to be coming to North America, at least not yet.
The X-MAX’s unavailability here is really no surprise, as the popularity of maxi-scooters seems to be dropping off in North America. The biggest scooter Yamaha imports to Canada is the 155 cc SMAX; BMW only imports one of its maxi-scooters to Canada, the C650GT, while Suzuki still sells the Burgman 650 ABS. Kymco isn’t bringing in the 700 cc behemoth that was slated to come here a couple of years ago (although it still has a 500 in the lineup).
It’s a bit of an odd situation, as maxi-scooters actually make a lot of sense in North America, given our greater distances to cover when compared to European roadways.
It’s too bad, because the X-MAX 400 has some nice features, with a 395 cc DOHC single-cylinder motor (liquid-cooled), ABS, and even traction control, if you feel your scooter needs it. Find more details on the machine at Yamaha’s UK site, where they’re actually allowed to buy it …
