2006 Yamaha Majesty 400 - A refined machine
Written: Sep 08 '05
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Pros: Very high quality, great value, excellent performance.
Cons: Shhhhh.... these things are under-advertised.
The Bottom Line: I'm 62 and having a ball being a young retiree. I recommend this Yamaha to anyone, with or without riding experience. It's practical AND a blast!
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| gregbartos's Full Review: 2005 Yamaha Majesty |
I bought my new 2006 Yamaha Majesty 400 a couple weeks ago. This is my 1st "scooter" class vehicle. I have owned three 1100 Class Suzuki motorcycles, so I'm not a rookie rider and had high expectations for this machine, based on my research and especially the reviews right here. I am not only not disappointed, I am happy with the purchase beyond my most optimistic hopes. This is a classy, high quality machine.
To start with, the thing is flat out beautiful. Mine is silver (and flat black), and the Givi E 450 Monolock top case I just added (an excellent accessory) matches well, and is easily removed in seconds. My initial riding impression was amazement at how well this thing handles. It's stable, eats up corners effortlessly, resists gusts of wind nicely (even from the side) and accelerates smoothly. This is NOT a rocket, by any stretch, but so what, it's not intended to be. The 396 cc single piston engine idles smoothly and is pretty torquey, but acceleration is scooter like, not motorcycle like. The get up and go is more than adequate, and keeping up with any traffic is effortless, from neighborhood roads to expressways. I passed a 16 wheeler on I-69 with ease. I was pleasantly surprised (again) how quickly I went from 65 to 80 mph, and there was plenty left, but that was enough for me. Stability at that speed WAS motorcycle like, and very comfortable. I simply have no desire to go faster than legal highway speeds on two wheels. Incidentally, the side draft effect, or wiggle, you often encounter when passing large trucks with any kind of vehicle, was no different than what you'd expect in a car or 700 pound motorcycle - minimal. I braved it the first time but my concern was quickly erased and it's nice to have the confidence that you can ride this machine on ANY paved surface, just like a good sized motorcycle.
The brakes (one master cylinder for each wheel) are equally impressive. You know you can stop in a hurry if you need to.
I read in several earlier reviews that some folks think the windscreen could be larger, particularly higher. I did not find that to be the case, even with an open face helmet. Perhaps those riders are taller than I. I'm 5'9" and kinda lucky I suppose as I think they design these things for guys my size. The bit of breeze I experience over the top of the windscreen I enjoy, and part of the fun riding. All of my motorcycles have been sport bikes without windscreens (or teeny ones), so part of it is just being used to it, I suppose. When it gets colder, I'll just switch to my full face helmet.
I was going to wait till spring to buy the Yamaha, but when gas hit 3 bucks/gallon, I buzzed over to my local dealer in Lapeer, MI (Ray C's) in my 18 mpg Jeep to pick up my 60+ mpg 2 wheel machine. I calculate that, everything considered, it costs about 1/4 as much to operate the scooter as it does a car, including the compacts, like my Neon. That includes depreciation, insurance and maintenance as well as fuel. I have a feeling these things are going to get really popular really quickly.
My first tank of fuel, with a mix of local roads and highways, netted 62 mpg. With the 3 3/4 gal tank, that equates to an easy 200 miles between refills. I expect to get even better mileage after a thousand miles or so of break in, perhaps even 70 mpg on open roads.
If you are starting to think maybe I like this machine, well... you are pretty astute.
Now for better stuff...
The electronics are great. The instrumentation is car-like, with trip meter, temp gauge, etc. The tach is easy to read as is the speedometer. There's no real need for the tach, but it's fun to look at anyway. I was surprised that cruising at 60 mph or so registered over 5000 rpm, but the engine seemed to be loafing anyway. With a redline well past 8000 rpm there's plenty of top end. With the centrifugal clutch, the rpm is not always steady at a given speed, like a normally geared transmission. As you accelerate or proceed up a grade, lots more rpm is pulled, but as you settle in at a steady speed, the rpms drop back. Yeah, that's also true for gear shifted vehicles, but more so with this drive setup. If you are used to shifting gears with a foot, well... get used to your feet just going along for the ride. The running boards are long and offer a variety of foot positioning, which makes longer rides less cramping than the average two wheel machine. The seat itself is very comfortable.
I can't give real objective input comparing this to Suzukis or Hondas, as I haven't ridden those. But I have looked at them and researched quite a bit, and as a value, this Yamaha is tops.
I need to put more miles on my machine and then I'll come back and add more comments. Maybe I'll get a chance to ride comparable machines from other manufacturers. For now, the best summary I can give is that I bought this Yamaha more for utility and gas mileage but now that I've got it, I just love riding it every chance I get. The cars are sitting, waiting for nasty weather... summer's not even over and I can't wait till spring!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 6,000.00
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005
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Epinions.com ID:
gregbartos
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Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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