Scooter Review Bolwell Scoota G-Max 250 The G-Max 250 is sporty, and more fun if you’re a shorty. Lead us not into temptation
Deliver us from traffic $6490+orc
Words by JEREMY BOWDLER, photography courtesy of BOLWELL So this is the big G-Max. 250cc’s a bit lame, isn’t it?
They race 250s in the Grand Prix. I rest my case. Besides, the 250cc capacity puts the sportiest scooter on the market in the grasp of learners nationwide.
And that’s a good thing?
You bet. It’s a scooter, so it’s easy to ride and because it handles so well it’s safer. The brakes and suspension are seriously good.
Isn’t that just a great temptation, given the market it’s aimed at?
A little temptation is a good thing. The Great Temptation was a crappy TV game show. Let’s not go there. Anyway, at 250cc, it’s not like the G-Max is a ballistic missile. It’s so forgiving you can get out of the trouble you can get into.
Tell me more.
The G-Max has most of the scooter pros – full-face underseat helmet storage, fully automatic ‘twist and go’ CVT, fuel economy to burn, a catalytic converter to make you feel better about your emissions – along with a few cons. The chassis layout incorporates a large central frame member that puts paid to a flat footwell to the point where you have to decide whether to lift your leg over the seat or hoist it through the centre. There’s no glovebox or bag hook, but the bike’s aimed at fun, not shopping.
Could I care less?
I wanted to know about the handling. Like it’s on rails. Well thought-out geometry and 13-inch rims make the scoot steer, front and rear disc brakes make it stop – quickly! – and the chassis is good at keeping everything in line while the components do their jobs. The test scoot had its centrestand removed. Apparently it just got in the way of enjoyment. The suspension is class-leading, but the rear suspension highlights a problem. Although there is preload adjustment facilities on the rear shocks, the left-hand adjuster is inexplicably – and
inexcusably – completely covered by the air-box. It’s a job for service time, more’s the pity.
That’s more like it. You’re tall, how did you fit?
Aye, there’s the rub. Sports machinery, almost by definition, is compact. I, by any definition, am not. I didn’t fit. The major problem is the inner leg measurement when bent by the high footboards and seat necessary for ground clearance and good fun. While it was fi ne for everyday riding, I couldn’t get my legs to work properly without interfering with the handlebars when it came to out and out scratching. It’s a seat, ’bars, boards thing and I’m not part of the magic triangle.
Hah! I’m 170cm.
See you on the traffi c light starting grid then.
As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 27/04/2007
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