My initial impressions of the Yamaha Majesty 250 are:
The suspension is soft which is good for comfort, although it can get a bit bouncy going over bigger bumps. The rear suspension has 7 preload postions with the standard setting being in the middle at 4. Mine was set to 5 so I've reduced it to 4 and it seems a little better (I'm quite light at around 10st). Despite it's size it is quite a light bike (the lightest bike I've had for years!) and I find it easy to get it on the centre stand (unlike the Burgman 650 which I found a struggle!).
The seat height is fairly low, which is good for short people like me. :-) The seat has a small amount of forwards and rearwards adjustment, but I think only really short people would want it set to anything other than the most rearward position. I'm only 5ft 6in tall and I would not want the seat moved forwards any further than its rearmost position, if anything it would be better slightly further back.
The underseat storage compartment is quite large. Unlike the Burgman 650, which had one large compartment, the Majesty effectively has two storage compartments under the seat. The largest area is under the pillion seat which is more than large enough for a full face helmet, and there's another space at a lower level under the rider's seat which is shaped to take a full face helmet. There's a light in the rear of the storage compartment that comes on when you lift the seat. Here's a couple of photos:
At the base of the windshield there's a lever to open or close a vent. It's designed to reduce air turbulence around the windshield, but the most noticable difference is in wind noise. Even at 40mph having the vent open noticably reduces wind noise around your crash helmet. At higher speeds you hear a loud roar with the vent closed, so it's definitely better with the vent open.
The top speed appears to be just over 80mph. I saw an indicated 82.5mph on the speedometer, and I don't think it would go much faster. Cruising at an indicated 70mph is no problem. Most of my riding is around town, e.g. commuting 6.5 miles to work, and it averages about 77mpg. On one tankful I went on a couple of longer (and faster) trips and it returned 83.5mpg. The lockable petrol tank cap is under a flap just in front of the seat.
The instrumentation contains all that you need, including a clock, although it would be nice to have a rev counter too. The oil light goes off after a second or two (before you start the engine). That seems strange until you realise that it's not a low oil pressure light but is in fact an oil change light. There's a button on the dash that you press when you've done an oil change so that it can accurately inform you when the next oil change is due (the manual says it comes on every 3,000km).
Specifications:
Engine: Engine type liquid cooled 4-stroke, SOHC Displacement 249cc Bore x stroke 69.0 x 66.8mm Compression ratio 10:1 Lubrication system wet sump Carburetor TEIKEI Y28V-1E Power 21.1bhp @ 7500rpm, 15.9ft-lb @ 6250rpm (2003 model) Emissions Catalytic converter in muffler Oil capacity 1.4L (1.2L periodic oil change) (No oil filter, just an oil strainer) Air filter wet element Fuel tank capacity 12L (1L reserve when gauge reads empty) Clutch type Dry, centrifugal automatic Transmission: Primary reduction system Helical gear Primary reduction ratio 40/15 (2.666) Secondary reduction system Helical gear Secondary reduction ratio 38/15 (2.533) Transmission type V-belt automatic Operation Centrifugal automatic type Wheels: Front cast 12 x MT2.75 Rear cast 12 x MT3.50 Front travel 100mm Rear travel 90mm Tyres: Front Tubeless 110/90-12 64L Rear Tubeless 130/70-12 62L Brakes: Single disc brake front and rear Dimensions: Overall length 2140mm Overall width 780mm Overall height 1350mm Seat height 730mm wheelbase 1535mm Ground clearance 120mm Minimum turning radius 2700mm Weight (with oil and full fuel tank) 168kg (about 156kg dry)
