Yamaha Canada is bringing back the Zuma X, a clone of the BWs with a single headlight and some interesting colours. It's a small scooter that rides comfortably on rough city streets thanks to a fairly soft suspension, and decent tire width.
The Zuma X will appeal to novices as well as urbanites looking for a compact, do-it-all two-wheeler. At $2,899, it also boasts good value.
Chassis
Built on a sturdy, large-diameter, step-through steel frame, the 2014 Yamaha Zuma X offers adequate legroom and protection against the elements. You can add a short or tall windshield if you like. Weighing just over 200lbs (93kg), the Zuma X is easy to move around and park using the convenient centre stand. The suspension has enough travel to soak up bumps and potholes without messing up the ride.
A single 180mm front disc and a rear drum brake handle braking. With 115mm of ground clearance, the Zuma X can easily ride on gravel paths and not damage its underside. Meanwhile, the 120/90-10 tires are particularly well suited to our road conditions
This new scooter offers a choice of attractive two-tone body treatments including Metallic Black/Yellow and Deep Purplish Metallic Blue/White. My particular single-colour tester was decorated at the Montreal Motorcycle Show by a street artist to demonstrate its customization potential.
Access and Convenience
While the seat is a bit high, preventing many riders from putting two solid feet on the ground, it provides reasonable comfort and ensures a good riding position when tackling city traffic. The Zuma's light weight pretty much offsets its tall profile in terms of manoeuvrability at idle.
As for storage, you can pack plenty of stuff in the 23-litre lockable compartment under the seat. The front-mounted pocket is perfect for small items like a water bottle, but it may not be a good idea to keep your cell phone or wallet in there because they could fly off the scooter when riding over potholes and speed bumps. There's also a folding cargo hook for grocery bags and the like.
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| Built on a sturdy, large-diameter, step-through steel frame, the 2014 Yamaha Zuma X offers adequate legroom and protection against the elements. (Photo: Amyot Bachand) |
Engine
Nothing new, here: The 2014 Yamaha Zuma X relies on a proven four-stroke single-cylinder engine that's liquid-cooled and fuel-injected. It comes with an electric starter and a low-maintenance, sealed battery.
Fuel consumption is pretty decent (Yamaha claims you can travel 55km with a single litre of regular gas). The muffler contains dual honeycomb-style catalytic converters to ensure a quiet ride and low emissions without affecting performance. Power is sent to the rear wheel through a CVT.
Handling
With the 2014 Yamaha Zuma X, you just take a seat, turn the key and take off. It's all very simple. The mirrors are easy to adjust and offer good visibility. The controls are readily accessible, while the gauges and lights are easy to read, especially the speedometer and odometer.
The Zuma X slowly gets underway, but once you reach 50km/hr, the engine quickly jumps to 60-65km/hr and has no trouble maintaining that speed, even when going uphill. My tester was barely broken in, so expect livelier performance after a few months of riding.
With a nicely calibrated suspension and a low centre of gravity, this scooter threads its way through (and keeps pace with) traffic like it's no big deal. There's room for a friend, sure, but you'll need to take the extra weight into account and plan your manoeuvres with extra caution. The front disc/rear drum combo delivers safe braking.
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| Nothing new, here: The 2014 Yamaha Zuma X relies on a proven four-stroke single-cylinder engine that's liquid-cooled and fuel-injected. (Photo: Amyot Bachand) |
Bottom line
The return of the Zuma X is a good move by Yamaha. It's a BWs with a slightly different twist, aesthetically speaking, but with the same level of quality. You decide whether it's worth the $200 premium.
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