350 Forza or 300 Xmax?

[MOBB]

I've decided that one of the above is going to replace our second car which goes back to the lease company next month.

It will be used for commuting 17 miles when the weather/season is too bad for cycling or using my Superduke. Really bad weather and I'll take the car :-)

Either will be brand new - has anyone ridden them and can give me any feedback?

Forza is cheaper than the Xmax by some £500 or so.

Reviews seem good on both, Forza has a bit more power but reviews say the Xmax engine is a gem. I slightly prefer the looks of the Xmax.

Hopefully going to have a look at both tomorrow.

Cheers

[airsafari87]

When I looked at doing something similar a little while back I looked at it from a cold, objective point of view.

Ultimately it was a tool to do a job, and not a bike to love and cherish.

Whichever one is the cheapest to buy, run, service, insure etc … is the one I’d go for.

Do either of them have cheap plastic tyres that you’d immediately want to change for something more suited for your use?

Any offers from the dealers for free servicing, heated grips etc?

Which is traditionally the most reliable?

Which one has better residuals after 3 years for example.

Factor all of those things and whichever one is the cheapest is the one I’d go for.

If both of them are pretty much exactly the same cost wise, then go for the one you like the look of best.

ETA: As it’s going to be a poor weather use bike, I’d also consider which has the best protection too.

Edited by airsafari87 on Thursday 10th August 10:59

[carinaman]

I looked at some reviews comparing both by Ride with Warro on YouTube over the winter. A super scooter would probably do most of what I use a motorcycle for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp4D4UM7aX8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAN41u50Ts0

Edited by carinaman on Thursday 10th August 11:02

[full_chat]

I was looking at these, and then came across the ADV350 which looked more comfortable than the Forza - better wheels/suspension I think, and stronger residuals.

In the end I got a used NC750X on the basis I didn't want to pay a premium for a new bike that would quickly suffer with year round use.

[3DP]

MOBB said:

I've decided that one of the above is going to replace our second car which goes back to the lease company next month.

It will be used for commuting 17 miles when the weather/season is too bad for cycling or using my Superduke. Really bad weather and I'll take the car :-)

Either will be brand new - has anyone ridden them and can give me any feedback?

Forza is cheaper than the Xmax by some £500 or so.

Reviews seem good on both, Forza has a bit more power but reviews say the Xmax engine is a gem. I slightly prefer the looks of the Xmax.

Hopefully going to have a look at both tomorrow.

Cheers

This was my decision, being used for 21 mile commute from rural to central London.

Forza 350 engine is stronger everywhere and rear suspension is better. The electric screen is a game changer once you fit a big Givi aftermarket one. Hot days in town, have it down, open roads, have it up and don't get wet at all in rain and a cocoon of calm around you. The engines are proven to do mega miles, similar to the Yamaha.

The ADV350 is more money and not quite the weather protection - more posey, but who cares! Riding potholed roads I find the suspension good enough for purpose. The seat on the Forza is mega comfy.

If buying second hand though and with the Forza 350 coming out in 2021, I'd buy the Xmax 300 over the Forza 300.

Can't go wrong with either really. The Forza is the slightly better bike and cheaper, so unless getting a mega discount on the Yamaha, it's the clear winner for me. Generally these bikes are in high demand so there's not usually deals on either of any significance but sometimes over winter you see a few hundred off Xmax 300s in stock at dealers.

[MOBB]

Thanks all - I'm going to have a browse at both tomorrow and it will probably end up whoever has stock and which dealer is more interested will get a sale.

They seem pretty evenly matched from what I can tell.

The "dark petrol" colour on the Xmax is lovely though.

[ccr32]

full_chat said:

I was looking at these, and then came across the ADV350 which looked more comfortable than the Forza - better wheels/suspension I think, and stronger residuals.

I was looking at ADV350's too recently, however you won't be able to get a new one until November unless you can find a dealer that has one in stock.

Ostensibly, the Forza 350 should be very similar to the ADV, what with the same running gear and engine, however the ADV does get different suspension.

I have instead now bought a nearly new BMW C400X which fits in to the same kind of category of these - it's got a few more toys than the Honda's but mainly bought on the strength of their reviews for the intended job, i.e. to ride into London and back whatever the weather so I can keep my other bikes wrapped in cotton wool whilst not having to pay South Western Railway inordinate sums of cash to use their stty service. I'll report back again once I've taken delivery and done some commuting on it.

[MOBB]

Went to look at both today

Xmax - can’t really explain why but I didn’t like the look of it in person

Forza - local dealer had one in stock in the blue conlour I preferred and had fitted a matching top box on it. Offered to chuck the top box in for free, so job done

Collect September for obvious reasons :-)

Thanks for all the feedback, here’s a pic

[EasternBlocGeek]

As you've now gone for one, I won't bother to give my opinion other than to say that they're both quite similar in one sense, but different in another. It's really swings & roundabouts & boils down to availability, deals & whether you like the dealership. Everything else is owner's preferences.

I do like the look of the Forza best though & you've chosen the nicest colour. Dobles?

[3DP]

MOBB said:

Went to look at both today

Xmax - can’t really explain why but I didn’t like the look of it in person

Forza - local dealer had one in stock in the blue conlour I preferred and had fitted a matching top box on it. Offered to chuck the top box in for free, so job done

Collect September for obvious reasons :-)

Thanks for all the feedback, here’s a pic

Congrats! best colour too Top box a nice addition.

Mine's the last of the pre-facelifts, Oct '22.

[EasternBlocGeek]

The only things I dislike about the Forza are the flimsy feeling lid on the cubby & my local dealerships.

I think I'm going to go for one next Spring. Forza or ADV, I have no preference so it'll likely come down to availability but I'm equally open to an X-Max if there's a discount. Delighted to see scooters finally becoming popular. Look at the number of heavy, bloated, ugly SUV EVs that seem to be populating our roads these days - proof of the success of govt lobbying by car manufacturers. The govt SHOULD be encouraging economical small capacity scooters & bikes if they were really serious about their environmental credentials.

[Daniel T]

i first looked at both but then got insurance quotes which made the Xmax a none starter ( too popular too many nicked insurance was higher than for the forza)


then ended up getting a royal Enfield Himalayan.......

[EasternBlocGeek]

Insurance is crazy for scooters. I'm quoted £300-350 for a used/new Forza, similar for an X-max, yet a used CBR650F is coming in at £150.

I must be mad but I still want the scooter. The cheaper tax & better fuel economy will offset the insurance though insurance prices for scooters tend to defy the whole point of owning one.

[Daniel T]

the royal Enfield does 85 MPG- these scooters dont manage that....

and yes you are paying a premium to ride a scooter......then you have labour paying lots of time to remove panels to access the bike.....a motorbike carries less labour to service.......

[Trevor555]

Anyone comparing 300/400 scoots it's worth knowing that the ADV 350 has full length front forks.

Having owned many scooters, I'd recommend the ADV

[nordboy]

Nice choice.

Me, I've just gone through 100 miles on my '23 plate Xmax Techmax 300. It's being run in which is a bit painful, but still a load of fun. I'm enjoying it. I previously had a BMW C400GT.

[ccr32]

nordboy said:

Nice choice.

Me, I've just gone through 100 miles on my '23 plate Xmax Techmax 300. It's being run in which is a bit painful, but still a load of fun. I'm enjoying it. I previously had a BMW C400GT.

How do you find that the two compare?

[nordboy]

ccr32 said:

How do you find that the two compare?

They're both great in different ways. The C400GT had all the bells and whistles, heated grips and seat, the TFT screen is great and very easy to use. Storage space was irritating, I had a topbox on mine and that made up for it. Underseat was good if you were stationary as you could drop the storage liner to expand it, but you couldn't ride with the liner down so effectively it probably halved the storage. Rear suspension was also a bit crap but on the whole It went well enough and was fun to ride.

The Xmax is just fun, it handles better, even though it is 50cc down, there's very little, if any performance difference. It does seem to do better mpg at the moment, but I am being gentle with it as it's being run in and I've only done 120'ish miles. It's physically smaller than the c400 so that's probably why it handles much better.
Storage is much better and the scooter looks far better imo. I'm sure that is open to personal interpretation. Mine is a techmax and whilst the tech is good (the nav is very clear on the screen) it's not quite as slick as the BMW tech. I'm fitting heated grips at the next service though as it doesn't come with any.

Your C400X should handle better than the GT as it's also smaller.

[ccr32]

nordboy said:

They're both great in different ways. The C400GT had all the bells and whistles, heated grips and seat, the TFT screen is great and very easy to use. Storage space was irritating, I had a topbox on mine and that made up for it. Underseat was good if you were stationary as you could drop the storage liner to expand it, but you couldn't ride with the liner down so effectively it probably halved the storage. Rear suspension was also a bit crap but on the whole It went well enough and was fun to ride.

The Xmax is just fun, it handles better, even though it is 50cc down, there's very little, if any performance difference. It does seem to do better mpg at the moment, but I am being gentle with it as it's being run in and I've only done 120'ish miles. It's physically smaller than the c400 so that's probably why it handles much better.
Storage is much better and the scooter looks far better imo. I'm sure that is open to personal interpretation. Mine is a techmax and whilst the tech is good (the nav is very clear on the screen) it's not quite as slick as the BMW tech. I'm fitting heated grips at the next service though as it doesn't come with any.

Your C400X should handle better than the GT as it's also smaller.

Thanks! Interesting insight. Keep us posted on how things go with the Yam - will you be using it year-round or in fair weather only? Reason I ask is that I was put off a couple of used XMax's I looked at because they had gone a bit furry underneath... could just be a lack of care, but have seen similar on Tracer's and other recent Yam's where the surfaces don't seem to like being used in crappier conditions.

[nordboy]

ccr32 said:

Thanks! Interesting insight. Keep us posted on how things go with the Yam - will you be using it year-round or in fair weather only? Reason I ask is that I was put off a couple of used XMax's I looked at because they had gone a bit furry underneath... could just be a lack of care, but have seen similar on Tracer's and other recent Yam's where the surfaces don't seem to like being used in crappier conditions.

I don't need to use it all year round so won't go out of my way to ride in inclement weather. Not to say I won't get caught out and I'm not so precious about it that I'll refuse to ride in crap weather though.