05 March 2026

Taking it to the Xmax

In case you hadn’t noticed, scooters are having a moment. More than a moment.

Nimbler than Riverdance’s chorus line and more frugal than a Tesco yellow-sticker stalker, they’re made for living in and getting around the city. Or large town.

Amongst the best of the current crop, is Yamaha’s XMax 300 Tech Max+ says Paul Browne.

 

There was once a time when the scooter was regarded as the poor man or woman’s motorcycle.

They were – and in certain quarters still are – derided by “real motorcyclists” who looked down their noses at the automatic drive and the step-through frames.

As anyone knows who has visited ay big city in Europe, including Dublin,  there’s an awful lot of scooters out there, in spite of these nippy machines not being as cool as a “real bike.” They really are a very big deal at this point.

Just one of these is the XMax 300, and the Tech Max+ in particular.

Plus sized up

The ‘+’ has all the toys. Not only does it come with heated grips, it’s also has a heated seat!

To get the latter as a factory-fitted item would mean spending well north of thirty grand on a premium touring motorbike.

The luxury continues with new bodywork that includes LED lighting all round. On a machine with such little weight – 187kg with a full 13 litre tank of fuel – this shaves a healthy percentage off its’ kerb mass.

X lights the spot

The design of the same is also very cool.

An ‘X’ shaped headlamp is complimented by integrated indicators.

The Tech Max+ even features an electronically height adjustable screen.

The ‘dashboard’, as Yamaha call it, has a full colour TFT screen. It can be connected, via the MyRide App, to a smartphone where it will display all the features.

Once again, this is a standard that we’ve come to expect from the premium touring end of the two-wheeled market. It’s complemented by a 2.8-inch LCD readout on the left with the basic info always on show. There’s even a USB C charging socket in the front compartment.

The underseat compartment will hold two helmets, so it’s ideal for the commute, even better for a cosy date!

Different strokes

Gone are the two-stroke engines of old.

Whilst some of us will always miss the smell of Castrol R in city traffic, the new machine has a 262cc, 28bhp, liquid cooled single cylinder Blue Core four stroke power unit.

This is engineered to exceed Euro 5 emission requirements

Stopping is done via a set of discs and calipers with ABS.

The XMax 300 Tech Max+ is available in Ceramic Grey or Dark Magma and whichever your chose shade, your scoot will come with aluminium footplates.

Accessories include a deeper comfort seat, hand guards, a keyless topbox, a lighter reg plate hanger and even an Akrapovič end can. A cooler-than-cool black one at that.

If you’re still navigating the city on a GoldWing or, worse still, an Audi, then it’s time to drop over to Jamie at Danfay Newlands and start saving hours of commuting time each week.

The new XMax 300 Tech Max+ is priced at €8,599 and available now. It can also be seen at this month’s MotoXpo show.

Our best scooter insurance quotes? Call our two-wheel team on 0818 945 950.

 

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