For more than a decade, Yamaha has been the class leader in the maxi-scooter segment with the TMAX. Over the course of several years, the scooter has gone through numerous iterations, and continues to pack more and more tech and performance. That being said, other manufacturers have been tapping the maxi-scooter segment, with a good number of Chinese entrants making their way to the global market.
One up and coming Chinese brand you may have heard of is Zontes. Having made its way to neighboring Asian countries as well as Europe, Zontes' products usually have beginners and commuters in mind. Up until recently, the brand's offerings were mostly from the 125cc to 300cc segment. This time around, however, the brand has stepped up its game with the launch of the ZT500, a large maxi-scooter that looks like it's ready to lock horns with the Yamaha TMAX – on paper, at least. The Zontes ZT 500 is based heavily on the brand's ZT 350 scooter which was launched in 2022, and has made its way over to Europe. Check it out below.
From a styling perspective, Zontes has taken a modern approach, bestowing the ZT500 with sleek, flowing lines and angular bodywork. Proportionally, it's about as big as the TMAX, too, and looks more than ready to hit the open road in style and comfort. Zontes is known for its performance-oriented engines, making use of in-house technology to develop its products. In the case of the ZT500, it's packing a rather large single-cylinder engine displacing 491 cubes. It cranks out 46 horsepower and about 38 pound-feet of torque. That said, don't expect it to run as smoothly as the TMAX, as it's down a cylinder when compared to the Japanese machine.
Zontes claims that the ZT500 has a top speed of 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), although I'm almost certain that the vibrations at this speed would be far too much to provide a comfortable ride. It's probably most comfortable traveling at around 60 to 70 miles per hour. Nevertheless, the ZT500 flaunts some impressive componentry in the form of J.Juan radial disc brakes complete with dual-channel ABS. The scooter rolls on 15-inch wheels front and back, shod in tires measuring 120/70 and 160/60 respectively.
As of this writing, it's yet unknown whether or not Zontes has any plans of selling the ZT500 outside of China. As mentioned earlier, the Chinese marque has established a presence in markets outside of China, and given the growing popularity of maxi-scooters, could very well prove successful for the brand.
