Also up for expansion is the Yamaha TMAX maxi scooter as the marque files trademarks for two new variants.

The motorcycle market trend appears to be shifting towards mirroring trends common in the cars market by having multiple versions of the same machine on sale at different price brackets to meet different target owners. One example of this can be seen in Yamaha’s move at filing trademarks for two new Yamaha TMAX variants – TMAX SX and TMAX DX.

If you didn’t now already, the Yamaha TMAX maxi-scooter is powered by a DOHC 530cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin that develops nearly 46hp and 52.3Nm of torque. The mill is paired with Yamaha’s V-belt automatic transmission whilst the chassis features inverted front forks and dual disc brakes up front.

The move suggests that Yamaha intends to split its segment-defining Yamaha TMAX maxi-scooter model with several offshoots. However, there are no clues just yet as what the TMAX SX and TMAX will turn out to be. Our initial guess is that one would be developed as a more ‘basic’ entry-level variant to complement the T-Max in its current form.

But the fact that there are two variants have also fuelled speculations that Yamaha intends to mirror what rivals BMW Motorrad have done with its C series twins – the BMW C 650 Sport and GT (pictured above). We could see Yamaha fielding a comparable rival against each of the two BMWs, with one set out as a sporty variant and the other as a touring-focused version.

Based on the timing Yamaha usually takes from filing trademarks and patents to product materialisation, we can expect the Yamaha TMAX SX and TMAX DX to debut during INTERMOT or EICMA later this year.

Source: Visordown