Bought my Xmax in April to get to work and back, a 90 mile round trip every day. I'd never ridden a scooter before so I was a little apprehensive. I bought it as I had an RSI in my left wrist making clutch operation a problem, so twist and go! Mine was a low mileage 2006 model. I added a Givi touring screen and a 52l top box. Starts first time every time. The pick up is good, I checked the belt and rollers were good. 0-60 feels fast and it will pull all the way up to around 75mph then it gets wheezy. Round town it is the dogs danglies, fast light and agile. You can flick these things around with impunity as long as you have good scoot tyres. Fuel economy is excellent, around 65mpg. It's comfortable for around an hour and a half and then numb behind creeps in due to the large seat pushing you forward away from the hump. Maintenance is easy, I'm a level 2 tech so easier for me but no problem for any reasonably able diyer. Oli change evry 2k and a light lets you know when its due. Get one,you'll be hooked!!

Have had the 250 for 3 years and its been brilliant,have now done 7000 miles. Feels really light and responsive in town while on the motorway will do 70 comfortably and can be pushed to 85.weather protection is pretty good which is useful here in Scotland. greatest asset is probably its acceleration and it leaves everything standing at the lights-you are about 100 yards away while cars are just getting out of 1st gear. Am now likely to upgrade to the 400 (had a test drive of the Kawasaki j300 but unlike the x max it felt it was made for someone much smaller -im 6ft overall i would recommend this bike to anyone

I have owned my XMAX 250 from new in 2006 soon after it was launched. I've covered 8500 miles in that time most of which has been for short 24 mile round trips in central london. That said I've also used it for the occasional longer ride of 100 miles or so into the country. I've never had a problem with my bike and it is great fun to ride. Very ecconomical at around 80-90 mpg even with lots of stop start riding. A very smooth ride from the twist and go auto transmission and spirited performance. I also ride a BMW1200 but look forward to the easy ride of the XMAX being very light and comfortable. It really is a fine machine which i intend to hang onto.

i bought 2010 x max 250 3 years ago,currently my bike had 19800 miles and within this time i had replaced 32 times of rear brake pads.so every 600 miles break pads are worn out.i tried even brembo hardest pads and they only last 630 miles,it is a good bike but this poor break pad issue is man=king me stop to buy xmax 400.someone must say something to yamaha and they should solve this problem

Been on bikes for over 18 years, and this was my first scooter. And I will probably never go back to bikes, This 250cc machine is quick enough in traffic and can out accelerate most cars at lights. Wind protection beats any bikes on those freezing mornings, making commuting more comfortable. Large storage on board means no bunjy ties and bits of string. Excellent value and 200 miles commuting costs me about £13.00 in petrol. And looks good too.
My only negative point is the suspension, potholes jar the spine.
I expect to do over 20,000 miles in two years then upgrade.

Good points:

Superb comfort
Excellent storage capacity
Handling

Bad points:

Suspension a little poor
Wind noise
Corrosion on suspension and exhaust

Purchased my X-Max 250 almost exclusively as a vehicle to do a weekly return trip to London from my home in Warwickshire for work purposes (218 mile round trip, mostly motorway) and for getting around central and south London whilst down there. It has managed this job superbly for just over 8000 miles so far - I fully expect to hit 10k within my first year of ownership. It is impossible to stress just how comfortable this bike is for long-distance riding - I do the 109 mile journey from home to work (A-roads, motorway and a rush-hour hike into Bloomsbury) without ever needing to stop for a break, and could easily imagine going non-stop between refuelling. Storage capacity is first class, fuel economy is good, reliability seems fine, performance is more than adequate for keeping up with motorway traffic.

On the minus side, wind noise is definitely an issue - I'm 6' tall and the standard screen causes nearly deafening levels of sound in my crash helmet, although the weather protection it affords (along with the wind deflectors on the grips, something that Yamaha have inexplicably dropped from the new model bike) is brilliant. I've solved this problem with a Givi screen which is larger, stronger and cheaper than Yamahas own replacement large screen(?!?). I've also had the exhaust replaced under warranty due to corrosion happening within the first 6 months, although they have refused to replace the rear suspension springs despite the having the same issue. You really do feel the potholes and bumps in the road on this bike as well, although scooters will never be as good as motorcycles in this respect.

All-in-all this is a brilliant scooter and I would recommend it for everything from city commuting to touring Europe. It's worth mentioning that a colleague of mine has been running one for a year longer than me - he's put nearly 20k on it and has had one major crash so far (rear-ended by a lorry). Both him and the bike are fine - he ended up with a cracked rib and a few bruises, the bike merely has a couple of scratches (didn't even lose a mirror). The new model bike has more intelligently positioned instruments (you have to take your eyes off the road to read the speedo etc on the original bike) but the glove-box isn't really any bigger (despite what Yamaha say), the seat seems less comfy to me and they've removed the wind-deflectors from the grips which seems inexplicably daft.

well this is my second x max and new one as well i sold my last one and bought a majesty400cc Big mistake The xmax it a fab little scooter much better than the big ones for getting in and out of traffic and the fuel economy is just superb just a fast little scooter it dose what you want speed comfort handling just about ever thing you ask of it it gives you.So if you are looking for a 250cc scooter get one of these you will not go wrong

i have owned this brilliant x max 250 since last month and i am very pleased with the build quality and riding experience. i love this machine because it is quick and stable on the road and it is very economical. it keeps up with the traffic and i can do about 70 mph at just a touch of a throtte. definately a pleasure seeking machine.highly recommended.

very good motor very useful and fast gets you to paces very quickly.
you should purchase this item

Really pleased with my Yamaha XMAX 250. Done 38,000 in 3 years. Excellent commuter and long distance tourer even two up. Only problems so far are both engine cut off's on brakes stopped working and speedo zeroed it's self at 27,000 for some unknown reason. Fantastic bike though. Will definately buy another. Have been touring to Italy, France, Ireland and Scotland.