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Journalism of Courage
Heist in Louvre Museum: A massive manhunt is underway in Paris after thieves carried out an audacious daylight heist at the Louvre on Sunday (October 19), taking off with eight of the museum’s most priceless treasures in just seven minutes. Also in focus are the likely getaway vehicles — two Yamaha TMax scooters.
According to French police, they were inside for four minutes and made their escape at 09:38 on two TMax scooters parked outside.
These scooters are capable of reaching well over 150mph, are extremely manoeuvrable – features that clearly came in handy while scooting off through Paris’s narrow streets. In fact, the Yamaha TMax is so popular with criminals and biker gangs that regular riders often complain of excessive stops by the police due to its reputation. As such, TMaxes themselves are common theft targets, which makes them relatively expensive to insure.
The TMax features the powerful 560cc 2-cylinder engine, has an aluminium chassis and a design that is a cross between a scooter and a motorcycle. It also has motorcycle-style components like a front fork and dual front disc brakes for a fast, yet stable, ride on Paris’ famed cobbled streets.
The scooter also has a large 7-inch TFT display with Garmin navigation, alongside electronic cruise control and traction control, features typically found only on cars. The high specification motorcycle-style frame, combined with a large footboard area that comes with scooters, perhaps added to the versatility of the vehicle, especially for a job like this.
The most important feature, though, is the large storage space under the scooter’s dual seats. Designed to accommodate one full-face helmet or two jet helmets (as Yamaha claims), the storage would have been perfect for putting in the loot before scooting off. And that sets it apart from using a motorcycle for the job, since they do not generally have a discreet storage area unless a rear storage is created by way of an aftermarket installation.
Also, since scooters are part of traffic in Western European cities, this allows some scope for blending in, though the massive size of the Yamaha TMax would have still made it stand out a bit. The TMax is particularly popular in countries like France, Italy and Spain, which dominate its overall sales. By some estimates, France is its second-largest market, making up 34 per cent of TMAX overall sales, despite the TMax being among the more expensive scooters, costing as much as €18,000. In comparison, the sticker price on entry-level car models such as the Volkswagen Up, Fiat 500 or the Renault Twingo would be lower.
Thanks to the big capacity engine and generally ergonomic driving dynamics, these maxi scooters can reach top speeds of over 160 kilometres/hour, and can accelerate from 0-100 kmph in under 8 seconds, making them ideal getaway vehicles. Being an automatic CVT “twist-and-go” machine, the TMax requires no manual gear shifting, allowing the rider to focus entirely on manoeuvring. This simplicity makes it approachable even for less experienced riders or as a quick steal-and-go option.
