IU Locations

Piggyback ECU/ ECU flash

Final Drive belt adjustment

Brakes Part 2 Part 2 on brakes: Let's talk about what was missed out the last post. It's not being mentioned as it's a chore to get aftermarket pump to work properly with the new generation Tmax due to the cruise control and its safety features. Furthermore, previous gens had a cover on the handlebar which makes it a hassle to fit in aftermarket master cylinder/pump. So I'll explain here the many ways to circumvent the issues and various ways to dress up. Master cylinder/ Master pump There are many types of master cylinders and pumps in the market but I'll only focus on Brembo here. Most common ones used are RCS and Corsa Corta. Each got it pros and cons; but the latter cannot use mechanical way to overcome the cruise control. Being said that, using electronic way to bypass the cruise control issues means you can literally use any master cylinder/pump on your prized Tmax. Attached is the 2 different master cylinder/pump that you can consider: 1. Brembo RCS: Cheap and easy to find, use 19 for right, 16 for left. W 2. Brembo RCS Corsa Corta: slightly more expensive, more setups and adjustments. Can't use mechanical adapter. The mechanical switch made by Overtake Taiwan is the only product in the market to convert your RCS to work seamlessly with your mechanical brake switches to maintain the function and safety of your cruise control. Note: be careful during installation due to the small springs and ball bearings. Electronic module Using this module, you can literally use any master cylinder/pump. Brake reservoirs When you changed to aftermarket master cylinder/pump, logically should also pimp up your brake reservoir too. Look how will the normal boring brake reservoir looked like and compared to the rest below. Of course then I advocate the holy grail: Motocorse reservoirs that flawlessly integrate with the RCS without any hose. Now that the 8th Gen Tmax had a naked bar setup from factory makes it easier to modify your master cylinder/pump to aftermarket ones. Despite this, there are still some issues due to mirror relocation, IU location etc. I'll try to explain that in another post. Do note that you will need to have longer lines when changing to RCS, therefore a good time to change during your brake hose upgrade!

Throttle body modification, etc

Comparison in owning a Tmax versus XADV Costs Based on current $12000 COE and its average OTR prices. Average of 20k km per year. Most of the big ticket items are counted in. Sparkplugs value is the same as both have the same number of cylinders, thus not counted in. Do bare in mind that XADV machine price is cheaper in other countries compared to Tmax. XADV is more expensive in SG due to the ARF because of its capacity. Hence, XADV is cheaper to own and maintain in other countries if compared with Tmax. But in SG, due to the initial prices, it is slightly higher to own a XADV. Disclaimer: This is just a simple illustration to compare. It doesn't show real figures or actual prices.

Radiator and cooling issues Radiator Guard One of the first few accessories for a new bike is definitely a radiator protector. But for Tmax, I strongly urge anyone not to buy any radiator guards. Without the guard, the radiator will be free flowing and will have minimum debris. I have seen a 9 years old Tmax having a nice radiator. This photo shows a radiator guard that traps debris, restricted air flow. Needless to say, the fins there is damaged. I had done the same to my first Tmax, installing a radiator guard thinking that it will protect my radiator. But I will never do the same for my subsequent Tmax. Coolant Manual states to change coolant every 3 years, check coolant level every 10k km. It doesn't matter what type of coolant was used, it will be good to change it every 3 years or so. Most commonly available coolants can be used for our bikes, most of the different colours of coolant are just colours and doesn't affect much performance. But do take note of the specific coolants that do not have anti freeze or contained special chemicals which are mostly made for European bikes. Always remember not to use tap water to flush your cooling system due to the presence of minerals that will eventually form deposits in your cooling system and caused blockage. Best liquid to flush your cooling system is your new coolant. Personally switched to VP race coolant to try if their performance gains are true. After changing, I noticed a 1-2 degrees Celsius drop in my normal running temp. Bike heated up slower and cools down faster when bike is moving off from stop to moving traffic. But the price is a big turn off for anyone at $45 a bottle. I would say it's worth its price but didn't performed as I was expecting. I would recommend Toyota Life Long coolant for Tmax riders. Had been using this coolant for my previous Tmax. Good for its price.

Carbon Fibre upgrades Carbon fibre is a material made from thin filaments of carbon atoms bonded together in a crystalline structure, which results in an exception strength-to-weight ratio. The manufacture of carbon fibre material involves several complex steps that transform carbon-rich precursors into spools of fibres. (Source: https://dragonplate.com/what-is-carbon-fiber) Carbon Fibre is generally used to enhance the strength and reduce the weight of a specific part of motorcycle. In recent years, it had been actually used to improve the aesthetics of the motorcycle. There's many ways to make carbon fibre for motorcycle applications: overlaying, molding, cast, etc. For Tmax, there are a few brands of ready made CF in the market, namely MOS, AliExpress and various manufacturers from Europe. MOS make good quality CF but their products mostly are just pasting over the original parts. Do take note of the quality, over duration of time and exposure to weather, the resin may yellow and crack. Prices are quite reasonable and brings the aesthetic level of your Tmax to another level. Most of the CF you see on scooters in SG, uses a method called "overlaying". The process of laying CF cloth on your original body parts, then apply adhesive and resin, followed by finishing, allowing the part to be in gloss or matte. Depending on the location of processing, the quality of the CF and finishing differs. Personally, I had been using FinCarbon Thailand. Their quality is superb and finishing lasted very long time compared to China and Indonesia ones. CF does not just comes in boring weaves anymore. They comes in many different forms of weaving and colours. There's definitely a colour or pattern that you will like.

Spare key / FOB and activating emergency sequence Starting from 2015 Tmax onwards, keyless on/off was the new feature. Key FOB (Frequency Operated Button) just need to be near the bike to operate. This convenience had bought many joy and sorrows to all Tmax riders till now. These FOB comes with a set of 6 digit PIN that is your Tmax's PIN to pair new FOB or start emergency sequence; make sure you have this 6 digit PIN saved in a secure place when you buy a new Tmax, request this PIN from shop or seller if you buy 2nd hand Tmax. Without this PIN, you will not be able to pair new FOB or start emergency sequence in the event if you lose it. If you have yet made any spare key or FOB, please go make spares after reading this post. Having a spare key/ FOB can save you many troubles in the event of lost key/ FOB. I will cite a few real life examples of people losting their FOB, accidentally off it, placed in the top box etc. 2015-2016 Tmax key FOB looked as attached below. 2017 onwards Tmax key FOB looked as attached below. Noted that the physical key that comes with it can be duplicated easy using normal Yamaha key blank as shown below. There's no more immobiliser chip inside the key hence just go keysmith to get it duplicated. Tmax OEM FOB is very expensive costings in the $200+ region. However because the frequencies are similar to Xmax, you can always buy a Xmax FOB to duplicate. Not only Xmax FOB is cheaper, it's also smaller than Tmax FOB. Only downside of this XMax FOB is that the premium looks of the nice Tmax FOB isn't there any more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the event of lost FOB, you will need your key to open the seat to activate the emergency sequence. Therefore, it is more sensible to keep the physical key separated from the FOB. Tmax till 2021 will need the physical key to open your seat for the emergency sequence; whereas 2022 Tmax onwards do not need the physical key anymore. Good luck if you lost your FOB and key, and not having your PIN. The painful way is to buy the CCU and change the key lock which comes up to about $2K plus from agent. But all is not lost, there are some experts in this field that are able to recode your CCU. Just pray that you will not come to this stage. So, do keep your key and FOB properly. And your 6 digit PIN too. If you are selling/ buying Tmax, make sure to provide/ ask for this 6 digit PIN too. REAL LIFE EVENTS of losing key/FOB 1. Rider lost his only FOB with his key in it. Rider do not have 6 digit PIN. Rider goes the heartpain way, buy new CCU and lock. Lost use of bike for about 2 months waiting for the CCU, FOB, key and locks to arrive. 2. Rider accidentally off his FOB and placed it under the seat. Bike can't start due to FOB being off. Called his brother to deliver the key half way round island to open the seat. Rider managed to retrieve the FOB and turns it on to ride home. 3. Rider lost his FOB together with his key along expressway. Went home and park happily as he remembered he had his 6 digit PIN, so can always pair new FOB. He was wrong as he did not make a spare key thus not able to open the seat to start emergency sequence to pair new key. Waited for about a week to seek expertise and paired new FOB successfully.

Air filters and Intakes aka Velocity stack Airfilters are commonly the first few things a biker will change to improve performance. There's a few well known brands in this area such as K&N and BMC, however do not belittle Taiwan brands like Simota and Level 10. See the noticeable differences between BMC filter (left) and Level 10 filter (right). Level 10 Filter had made its filter in a non conventional way to increase the surface area. By far, this brand of filter is the "go-to" in Tmax Realm. The velocity stacks are right after the air filters. Many sportsbikes owners would not be unfamiliar with this modification. Changing the velocity stacks will improve the airflow and changing the air/fuel ratio. The following photo is an example of a 560 changing to aftermarket velocity stacks.

In Taiwan, they recommend to change it every 40k km. The drive belt isn't cheap. If properly maintained, can be use for as long as 80k -100k km.

Hi, do you have any idea what is the recommended mileage to replace the final drive belt?

scooter has to look for scooter specialist.. I see TikTok and some place does service scooters.. Just search and should be able to find..

Hi all, Apart from Hong Leong, are there any other workshops good and economical to service the Tmax? I have a fork leak and looking at doing belt checks/EO/Air Filter etc changes. Regards

U know who did them for u..

Hi newbie here. Just bought a pre-owned Tmax 530 DX 2017 model. Can anyone kind enough to advice where can I install steel braided hose? I already bought a set of hoses with all the accessories. Need someone or a workshop to set it up. Thanks in advance.

Tyres There are few brands of scooter tyres for Tmax to use. Bridgestone SC2 (comes with new 2022 Tmax) Michelin PR4 Pirelli Rosso Bridgestone SC2 and SC2 Rain Michelin PR4 Pirelli Rosso

Exhausts There are few brands of Street Legal Exhaust for Tmax DX/SX to choose from. All Tmax exhaust are full system due to the stock exhaust system being in one big piece. Akraprovic (Tmax OEM) Termignoni SC Project Arrow Tmax 560 2020-2021 have the following approved street legal exhausts: Akrapovic Termignoni SC Project Tmax 560 2022 have the following approved street legal exhausts: Akrapovic Termignoni SC Project

Factory Recalls As far as I know, there are only the below mentioned recalls for recent years Tmax. So far as of 211222, there's not yet any recalls for the new 8th Gen Tmax 560. Currently there's 4 recalls on the Gen 6 model as what I recalled.. ECU Recall (R2019030682) - this recall is fairly simple; go down to Hong Leong to have the ECU reflashed. This recall is to eliminate some engine cut off issues. Drive Belt Recall (R2019030681) - Hong Leong will change a new belt for you... The older belt will wear prematurely. The new belt is improved and can be identified with blue wordings. (see attached photo for reference) Main Stand Recall (R2020030833) - Main stand is not welded properly, thus might break prematurely. A new improved one will be changed. Brake Switch Recall (R2021020941) - Cruise control not working due to a faulty batch of brake switches. All recalls are to be done for free and no payment is needed. Do call HL and enquire then book your slots for the recall to be done. This below photo shows the newer version of the drive belt. Old vbelt had all RED fonts, new belt will have BLUE and RED fonts, or you can check the serial number as below.

Clutch issues and upgrades Although Tmax is classed and advertised as a scooter, but its clutch functions are almost as similar to any other manual shift bikes, using wet clutch plates; instead of being actuated by cable/hydraulic clutch lever, it engages by using centrifugal forces. Therefore clutch plates maintenance is essential and by far had costed many Tmax owners shocking bills and wastage of time when their Tmax had worn clutch plates. Back before the revision and update of a newer OEM clutch plates, before year 2020 OEM clutch plates had the tendency of their friction materials dropping out from the clutch plates prematurely and ultimately caused an overhaul job due to stuck friction material stuck inside the strainer causing a block in the upstream lubrication. This blockage can be easily diagnosed by looking at the oil window, and if it's similar to the attached video means the oil passage had been blocked by friction materials. oil not flowing.MOV Below are some photos of the dropped friction materials. Some shops reused the o-rings that was supposed to be changed with every clutch service. but they realised the coolant will leak, hence slapped copious amount of silicone on the water pump and pipes to prevent the leakage. After the 7th Gen Tmax was introduced, Yamaha revamped and improved their clutch plates. Hence, such cases will be rare unless your Tmax is still using old clutch plates. Aftermarket Clutch Plates/Clutch Housing There's only a few aftermarket clutch plates and housings for Tmax due to its unique clutch function and niche market. Malossi clutch plates Jcosta clutch plates and housing Jetprime clutch housing FCC clutch plates (not readily available in SG) Malossi Clutch Plates A widely used replacement before Yamaha revamp the new clutch plates. Current retail price is about $250. Buying this set of clutch plates comes with the clutch springs that can be used to change the engagement RPM. Jcosta Clutch Plates and Housing A newer brand in the market compared to Malossi. The retail price is also about $250. Jcosta also had a clutch basket that works similarly to its variator. Similar "bullet" style clutch using centrifugal forces to engage the clutch instead of clutch springs. Jcosta clutch basket will give you that initial pull during the moment the bullets shoots out. Jetprime Clutch Housing Jetprime is a experienced maker in scooter market. It also had a unique working style clutch basket to replace the OEM one. Its "Hammer" style clutch basket may shock user in the initial running in stage, but after running in for a while, the clutch basket offer lesser engine brake. This clutch basket also uses 1 lesser clutch plate and 1 lesser metal plate. FCC Clutch Plate A very common replacement clutch plates available in HK and TW before Yamaha revamp its clutch plates. Do note that most of these clutch plates and clutch baskets are advertised as racing use and aftermarket performance product. Therefore, it's normal for them to have shorter lifespan. Clutch basket is also a consumable if your Tmax have high mileage. Spring Clutch This is one of the overlooked item during a clutch service and is the result of a over used clutch. when clutch plates are worn, these spring worked harder to compress the clutch to perform engagement. You will need 7 of these springs which costs $10 each, and not readily available at parts centre. Worn out springs will cause some weird sounds during idling and may cause premature wear of your new clutch plates due to the worn thickness. Below is a photo to compare a new one and a worn one. Clutch baskets are also wear and tear part if your Tmax is a high mileage one. Although due to oil lubrication in the clutch area, springs and clutch basket are normally subjected to lesser wear and tear but when user over used the clutch, the allowance limits within the springs and clutch basket will wear down.

Forks & suspension When Tmax was first introduced in 2000, the unique rear shock design makes a big difference in its better handling and shorter wheelbase compare to other scooters. The unique pull shock eliminates the usage of conventional dual rear shocks as seen on most scooters; this important design had helped Tmax gain its popularity for its nimble and stable cornering. However this pull shock design was proved more expensive to manufacture and even aftermarket suspension replacements were no where to the word cheap. Then in 2017, the debut of the new rear suspension design using a arm relay, conventional dog bones and simple flick of the suspension upwards, it changes the need of the "pull" shock and now it becomes a normal "push" shock. This significant change in the shock design had lower costs; an Ohlins with preload and rebound adjustment for as low as $950. Higher options with compression adjustments at $1800, additional preload remote adjustment for $2400. Tmax have the following options: Ohlins Bitubo YSS Matrix HyperPro RPM/MSP (not readily available in SG)

Aesthetics upgrades There's a few well known brands in this department, namely: Gilles Tooling (Official accessory) Rizoma Lightech Deprettomotto BCD Evotech Puig Aliexpress/ China replicas Each brand have their own accessories and good in their own design. Do your own research or ask me during meetup for each of its good and/or bad.

CVT/Torque Driver Issues and upgrades Do religiously maintain your CVT as the V belt can break from over usage. Recommended mileage is 20,000km (12,500miles) These broken belt not only will spoilt your day but may also do some damage to your CVT components. As these vbelts broke, they will scratch the smooth surfaces of your CVT components, inevitably may cause some weird sounds when your new vbelt goes over that area; worse will be premature wear and tear of your vbelt. Therefore, it is very important to take care of your CVT servicings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most scooters will have the V belt indicators lighted up when the mileage is reached. Before this indicator lighted up, you should have prepare the consumables for your CVT servicing. If you are using stock variator, the following are needed: V belt (Different years will have different part numbers) Rollers aka weights (Different years will have different part numbers depicting different weight) U-clips aka sliders (same thru out all 530 to 560 models) Right side Round filter (same thru out 530 to 560 models) Left side square filter (2012-2016 are different from this attached photo, 2017 till 2021 is the same, 8th Gen is totally different) The left and right filters are commonly left out, these 2 filters gets quite dirty. Above photo shows the left side CVT filter. This side there's no reusable one, this piece costs $40 without GST. However the right side round piece have after market one that washable and reusable. This filter have minimal performance indication, the purpose for these filters are just to cool down your CVT and prevent debris from going in. Costing $40 for OEM, it's definitely economical to buy this Malossi one at about $80.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aftermarket Variators Currently to my knowledge, there's Jcosta, Malossi and Polini in the market for 530 and 560. Each of these variators worked slightly differently from each other and to the stock variator. Basically an aftermarket variator changes the speed and time duration to your 0-100kph acceleration in short. When using aftermarket variator do take note of the need of its consumables and the type of belt needed. Some variators need to use their own brand specific belt, some can use back your OEM belt. For money saving tactic, I would suggest to change your variator to aftermarket kit during your CVT servicing; not only you get a new reset of the vbelt, you get to feel the difference between OEM and aftermarket variator without wasting extra money for installation.

Engine Check Light (ECL) issues One of the most common issue is the O2 (Oxygen) Sensor, the other issue will be the wheel sensor. Scenario can reset 1. Forget connect O2 sensor during CVT change 2. O2 sensor dirty (stuck lean) 3. Error reading Scenario cannot reset 1. Broken circuitry (due to heat) 2. Wires broke during CVT change With ECL lighted up, there's no way to go into menu at all for Gen 6 and above models. Not all shops have the diagnostic tool to erase the ECL. Most of the time, the replacement of the O2 sensor will solve the problem. HL is selling the new sensor at $240 without GST and installation.. Hit me up if you have this problem, I have a cheaper option and have the tool to reset the fault code.

i just done some research.. not just only these differences in visual.. 560 had a better cooling, new engine block with additional water cooling.. Throttle body, manifold, injectors and throttle position sensor are all removeable unlike SX/DX models.. better transmission ratios..