Yamaha X-MAX400, Suzuki Burgman 400 and MaxSym 400: post-comparative reflections

Often in the first 500 meters of driving a vehicle you have already understood everything, or almost everything. However, this does not mean that it would be permissible to stop after a trip around the block to write a road test. In fact, if the "500 meter rule" is valid in most cases, sometimes you find yourself overturning a judgment (or more simply smoothing it out or enriching it with new nuances), perhaps even after having driven for hundreds of kilometers before understanding where there is reason. Also for this reason, every now and then I like to take a look, for example at the Facebook pages of the owners of a particular vehicle, to try to share their impressions and compare them in the field with what emerges from our road test. It may also happen that you come across users who come in “at length” in the comments on articles or videos, either confirming or denying the opinions expressed by us.

Here, the three-way comparison, with the single-cylinder 400s from Yamaha, Suzuki and Sym, has created quite a debate (mainly on social media, but also in the comments on the video), especially among the detractors and supporters of the two Japanese. A debate that in most cases has been fueled by supporters of the Burgman, who believe it is better than its competitors, but strangely also by some X-MAX owners who are not at all happy with their purchase.

What if the X-MAX 400 was a “straw-tailed” winner?

In our comparison (here you will find the link to the article) we tried to put two approaches together. In the video and in the first part of the article we have in fact remained as objective as possible, trying not to judge, but to enable you to evaluate the three scooters, based on the information we have provided. At the end of the article we have instead expressed some more personal opinions, drawing up a ranking. The verdict, born from the comparison of the three testers involved, saw MaxSym paying for a somewhat dated project, which despite the adaptation to Euro 4 regulations and some other innovations, such as the 2018 colours, led it to the bottom step of the podium . A decision also resulting from the prices of the three scooters involved, but it must be said that, compared to the price lists (remember that the Sym is at 6.400 euros, the things change a bit. Both the Taiwanese company and Suzuki discount their scooters by over 6.790 euros, leading the differences to widen in the first case and close in the second. Thus the Maxsym becomes more attractive, given that the 7.899 euros of its promotional price are over a thousand less than those needed for an X-MAX, while the "middle" Burgman (between 400/600 and 5.750) drops to 125 , therefore only 200 euros more than the opponent of the house of the tuning fork.

Perceived quality and real quality

Up to this point, however, nothing new compared to what we had already had the opportunity to highlight, what we instead tried to verify in the field, after publishing the comparison video and article, was the issue linked to quality. And it is here that we enter potentially minefields, because sometimes quality requires time and a significant distance traveled to be judged correctly, in both cases much more than the 15 days and a few hundred kilometers of a our road test.

The challenge becomes two-way

Let's start by saying that the comparison is twofold, given that the Maxsym fails in some aspects and, also from the point of view of perceived quality, it pays for the somewhat dated approach of its project. The two Japanese models, however, are both very well looked after, differing above all in their different approach: the Burgman is a little more traditional, the X-MAX is very modern and sporty. Some would say too much, given that the comments we have read have sometimes led to a judgment on its aesthetics, which apparently not everyone likes. The angularity of the Yamaha scooter is not convincing, expressed not only in the shapes, but also in the delivery and calibration of the transmission and mechanics. In this we would like to give you confirmation, if on the one hand when you are in a hurry the noisy, but not in the sense of the pleasant sound that a sports bike might have. It is a noise that makes you think of gears working in a non-optimal way, a sensation that clearly emerges when you go from the Burgman to the X-MAX and vice versa, following the same route. The Suzuki single-cylinder is not only fuller at medium speeds, where you end up using the engine mainly on a daily basis, but it is also much more fluid and rounded, without any excessive noise, demonstrating in the field the advantage of that "100% made in Japan”, which Suzuki was keen to underline at the press presentation last July.

The Burgman on the field justifies all its more demanding price list

The more you discover them, the more you study them carefully, the more it emerges that those 1.109 euros that separate them in their respective list prices, which even to us seemed almost excessive, are instead justified by a slightly different approach. It almost seems that the ”, proves to be very concrete and capable of not disappointing in the long term. Yamaha aims to amaze with traction control and a rich set of features on its 400, but then the , where instead the Burgman mono with PRO LINK connection proves to be a decidedly more effective and refined solution which however has a significant impact on production costs. An almost risky choice from this point of view, in a world that makes price the main driver of a purchasing decision, but we are sure that, in the long run, whoever chooses the Suzuki 400 will appreciate this choice quite a bit.

Changing verdict?

In light of more prolonged use and a more accurate study, in our opinion the two Japanese scooters exchange positions on the two top steps of the podium, also thanks to the abundant 600 euros that Suzuki puts into play, with what was born as a launch price, but which in fact seems to have become the lever with which to move a needle in the balance, which rewarded the home opponent Yamaha too much. The X-MAX 400 is in fact cheaper, both in price and in some technical and production choices. The Burgman 400, on the other hand, truly makes "100% made in Japan" its philosophy, perhaps sacrificing economic convenience, but guaranteeing medium and long-term satisfaction, which for the Japanese brand seems to be an essential and fundamental value.

Tester clothing Matteo “the businessman”:
Jacket: Tucano Urbano Urbis 5G
Gloves: Toucan Urban Tetris
Helmet: Scorpion Exo City Wind

Clothing of the tester Paolo “the motorbike tourist”:
Jacket: OJ Revolution J
Pants: OJ Revolution J
Helmet: AGV K5 Jet
Clothing of tester Gianluca “the sportsman”:
Jacket: Alpinestars Marshall Drystar Jacket
Pants: Alpinestars Crank Denim Pants
Gloves: Alpinestars C-30 DRYSTAR GLOVE
Shoes: Alpinestars Lunar
Helmet: Caberg Uptown Gear