2011 Yamaha TMAX XP500A Maxi-Scoot

[Senna1Rossi]

Yes, you really need to get used to wearing earplugs now. obviously we didn't concern ourselves with earplugs with the typical scoots, but with anything that's freeway-able, earplugs should be considered a compulsory gear just like jacket and gloves. And also the fact that it removes of one of the senses from buffeting, it will unconsciously lower the uncomforting threshold.

[stepthrutuner]

Yeah. Earplugs are like magic. They make everything smoother and more serene. Even the suspension seems to ride smoother. I too find myself forgetting to put them in and try to keep them available in my scoots and jackets. I hate the foam ones and some of the ribbed silicon ones hurt my ears. They are a hassle so I struggle to hear sales clerks at stops since I leave my helmet on at fuel and libation stops.

[90GTVert]

I put a pair of ear plugs in each riding jacket so I can't forget. I bought them a year or more ago when Reg recommended them. I think I was resistant for so long because I'm so used to loud stuff... having a 140dB car stereo for years... playing guitar with a full stack plus another amp hooked to a PA system with 4 15"s in a 10x10' room every weekend... but this wind is different. There's just nothing pleasant about it.




While I was out there, I saw this.




My initial reaction was dismay. Thinking, "I would have bought another Chinese scooter or a Harley if I wanted leaks."

Then I came to my senses and investigated. It's got a drain on the bottom of the case. It was all gunked up till I washed the scooter the other day and cleaned that area quickly. I'm not sure that even could have leaked from the black crud that was in the tube before.




I pulled the cover off and checked the chain drive oil, which is a little over full. Hopefully that's the only issue. It's either that or there's a bad seal in there. For now, I'll just keep watch on the leak and the level and cross my fingers.

[190mech]

Is that a cable operated parking brake in the last pic?

[90GTVert]

Yeah.

[190mech]

Nice idea,doesnt use the hydraulics..

[90GTVert]

I like it. I've been used to parking brakes on my Tritons (they just have a button in the lever that locks the lever in place), and they come in handy when you can't find a flat parking spot. I was glad to see this scoot had one. They use a lever that you flip out. I never really thought about it having one before I saw it, as other bikes I've been around haven't, but I guess you gotta have something there when you can't put it in gear.

[Florida Antique]

Apr 18, 2017 8:14:19 GMT -5 90GTVert said:

I like it. I've been used to parking brakes on my Tritons (they just have a button in the lever that locks the lever in place), and they come in handy when you can't find a flat parking spot. I was glad to see this scoot had one. They use a lever that you flip out. I never really thought about it having one before I saw it, as other bikes I've been around haven't, but I guess you gotta have something there when you can't put it in gear.

It's kinda funny the stuff they come up with since these scooters have centrifugal clutch automatic transmissions with no parking pawl. That's the reason Aero did not have a side stand and the scooters that did had a switch that would kill the engine when the stand is deployed. I thought seriously about bypassing my sidestand switch on the Reflex but then I got a garage door opener so now its not a problem. 

[joeorange]

riding with earplugs is extremely dangerous, sure it keeps the wind noise down, but it also blocks off all the other sounds that you need to hear as well, like car horns, sirens and the noises from the bike as well. wind noise while riding is one of those things you have to put up with unless you have a windshield that can redirect most of the wind.

[Senna1Rossi]

Apr 18, 2017 17:08:47 GMT -5 joeorange said:

riding with earplugs is extremely dangerous, sure it keeps the wind noise down, but it also blocks off all the other sounds that you need to hear as well, like car horns, sirens and the noises from the bike as well. wind noise while riding is one of those things you have to put up with unless you have a windshield that can redirect most of the wind.

Fallacy.

[90GTVert]

I'm expecting it's much like what I experienced when I used to play drums. The drums sounded more clear with some sort of hearing protection than they did with "naked" ears. It just kicks things down a notch, but stuff still cuts through quite well. I picked up on what a friend playing guitar did better with protection. It seems wrong, but that's what I experienced. Noise cancelling headphones or earbuds blasting music directly into your ears; that's another story.

[Moat]

Apr 18, 2017 17:21:15 GMT -5 Senna1Rossi said:

Fallacy.

Absolutely. I find I can actually discern traffic/sirens/dog barks/etc. even better while wearing (memory-type foam) earplugs. Never ride without 'em - 50cc to 1200cc. Makes a ride far more enjoyable, safer and less fatiguing IMO (fatigue itself being unsafe).

The fact is that when exposed to loud noise, the ear invokes a protective mechanism whereas it tightens the eardrum via a muscle - limiting it's "travel" (and thus possible damage due to over-travel) - but that tightening limits the eardrum's frequency response, and therefore natural balance and sensitivity to certain sounds.

Same goes for live music, as Brent stated! (I play guitar for a living - although I use the ER-20 filters or custom-molded -15db filters for that).

Bob

[90GTVert]

I left at 6AM this morning to do some shopping when Lowe's, Wal-Mart, and Advance Auto were just opening. I had to ride 20+ miles each way because of something I wanted, some clear silicone grease (Sil-Glyde Brake Lubricant), and it wasn't in stock in the closer parts store. Picked up some PVC bits for hopefully making a contra spring compressor. Also needed more microfiber cloths. I'm thinking about suing all of the local farmers for a pallet of microfiber cloths and wax, because I can't seem to take a ride without being irrigated which makes a mess of the scoot. I couldn't even make it to the town to get the cloths without being sprayed by an irrigation system.

BTW, an XXL helmet w/GoPro attached, wallet, cell phone, tube of brake lube, 30 pack of towels, and 3 2" PVC fittings, and a thicker pair of gloves did all fit under the seat at once... just barely. I still want some more storage, I just haven't decided yet. Top box = best function/convenience for me. Saddlebags = Reasonable price and no rack needed. I go back and forth regularly, though I'm leaning toward spending the money for what I think works best vs being cheap and getting what looks best when not installed.

So anyway, I tried earplugs for the first time riding today. Forgot about them when I left, but I used them on the ride home. Of course 2 seconds after I put the plugs in, in the middle of a big empty parking lot, some guy comes up with a skateboard and tries to talk to me.

Him : Wawaawawa.
Me : Sorry, what?
Him : Wawa, happy 4-20.
Me : Oh, 'sup?
Him : I'm trying to find $5. (That part came across loud and clear.)

I told him I just spent my money at the parts store, but I really wanted to tell him to check his couch cushions or ask where he'd seen it last. Then he proceeded to question the camera on my face and tell me about some construction at 2AM in the building nearby before I hurried off... being tired of trying to decipher a conversation I didn't want to have, especially through earplugs. It was kind of like talking to the teacher from Charlie Brown... if she were high.

I got on the road and I could still hear plenty of wind, barely hear the scooter cruising at 55-60MPH, but could make out other sounds. I ran up to 80-85MPH for a minute and it was much better with plugs in at that speed. I think when it's windy or I'm going faster, I'd hear other sounds better with the plugs as eluded to by others in this thread. I think I enjoy it more without the plugs when I'm just cruising 50-60MPH, but I'll probably start wearing them when I go on the highway.

[90GTVert]

The Powerbronze smoked "Double Bubble" windshield came in a few days ago, and I wanted to get that installed.






Here's a look at the stock lower section of the windscreen sitting on the dub bub so you can see the height difference.





Since I had to take the front partially off to put the new shield on, I picked up some electrical bits to add as well. I got a panel with 2 12V outlets; one standard and one with 2 USB ports. I don't plan to use the panel, but it was cheaper to buy them in there than separately. I also got a relay, that came with a harness, to help me power up the outlets only when the key is on so I have less worries of draining the battery if I forget something.






I got a hardwire kit for the GPS, which is pretty much a USB connector with a box to convert to 5V@1.2A which ends in fused wires to the battery. I can't really connect the GPS to the 12V outlets in the glove boxes without them needing to stay open, and I want the GPS to be powered all of the time. When connected to key-on power, it will shut off when I get gas and then I'll have to wait for it to load again so batt power works best for it IMO. It's also right in front of me and illuminated, so it is hard to forget to unplug/remove it.




I plan to replace the beat up Battery Tender connection while I'm at it as well. BTW, thanks to ryan_ott for sending me a new connector.




There are plugged holes in the back of each glove box to allow 12V outlets to be installed. Yamaha sells a kit with 1 wired outlet and instructions for anywhere from $50-100 (depending on the seller). It's part number 4B5-W0789-00-00 in case anyone's interested. It is supposed to have a matching connector on the scoot so it can plug in.




After taking off some panels and the battery, I pushed the rubber plug out of the left glove box and the hole was too small for the outlets that I had. I use the Foredom and a carbide burr to enlarge it to about 1.125". Because the back of the glove box is deep in there, I set the speed on the Foredom's controller and held the motor in my hand with it's switch off. Then once I got the burr in place, I turned it on. That way I didn't chew up the glovebox blindly looking for the hole with a running tool.





I put a couple of wires on the outlet and installed it.





The other side looked like a real pain. Looking from the front, you can hardly see the glovebox end for wires and frame. It couldn't see much from below either and didn't know how I'd reach it to secure wires or the nut for an outlet.



It looked difficult enough that I wasn't sure if I would bother with the other outlet or not. Yamaha is supposed to have a plug somewhere around the front to allow one of their outlets to plug in, so I wanted to find that. I didn't plan to try and power both outlets with it, but I wanted a source for a key-on signal for the relay and I figured it might as well be that.

I've read conflicting info on this. I have a technical orientation guide that says there will be a connector for heated grips and for an outlet. Then the 2011 TMAX accessories brochure says only one can be used because there's only one plug. I don't have a 2011 service manual to know for sure what is supposed to be there. Posts on forums don't pinpoint a location, just saying it's on one side or another, and some can't find the accessory connector at all.

I found it on the right side of the scooter, up fairly high. I couldn't reach it to do anything with it, but I at least saw it. I ended up taking off a few panels and trim pieces on the right side to be able to get to it. They only left a couple of inches of slack, but I guess that works OK if you buy the kit and just need to plug into it. You could probably do that without removing side panels. BTW, the turn signal panel is a pain and I'm not sure why anyone would put screws where they are for that. I would have taken off the top side panel, but they made 1 or 2 fasteners inaccessible without removing the whole glovebox and leg shield section which requires removal of other parts and you'd have the whole front end off by then. Here's where the connector for mine is.



Removing those side panels did give me a little better access to the back of the glovebox; enough that I decided to try installing the other 12V outlet. I popped that plug out and enlarged that hole. It was even more fun than the first, because I had only a small peephole to look down at the burr and make sure I wasn't going to hit any wires. I pushed the outlet in and it was hitting the wire harness, which is quite well secured and I didn't want to try and move that much.



I used a piece of 1" PVC to make a spacer so the outlet wouldn't protrude so far. I had to enlarge the ID of the PVC to 1.125" and then I cut it to about 1" thick and painted it... even though you can't see it. That gave me an additional inch of clearance in the back.



I decided that I could use all the room I could get, and wanted to use flag connectors that come off at a 90 degree angle instead of straight back. I went and got those at NAPA and made up the wires for the outlet so I could install it as one piece; thinking it would be tough to reach there and connect them later.





I slid the outlet in with it's spacer and new wires and clearance was much improved. Then I had to try and get the nut (plastic ring shaped sort of like a cog) on to secure the outlet. Let me just put it this way; I almost called the Vatican to see if someone could come out and declare it a miracle that I got it started. I used a long screwdriver from multiple spots to tighten the ring... and knocked the wires off of the back in the process. They were about as fun as I expected to get on. Some may not have a lot of issues with them, but I've been having numb fingers for a year or so off and on to varying degrees and it definitely makes stuff like this tougher.



Then I got out the multimeter to see which wire on the free connector was key-on power. I suspected the brown one would be and checked that first. I didn't have a battery installed so I just used the ohm function and made sure it had no continuity with the + battery cable with the key off and continuity with the key on. I then realized that they used a Hitachi connector, like the ones on Chinese scooter that I happen to have around. Instead of splicing in, I made a 1 wire terminal up to plug in.



I took off the handlebar cover so I could run the GPS wire up there.



I was going to start running some wires, but realized I only had small yellow, red, and green cable ties so I'll wait till I get black ones that blend in better.

This thing is fun to ride, but so far it's not that fun to work on. I'm sure the big services are gonna be a real blast when most panels have to be removed.

[Senna1Rossi]

Dang, lots more goodies you got!! I like the double bubble (butt) screen. heh