Scooters are perhaps the prime example of individual urban transport, designed to be light, easy to ride and fit into holes in the traffic where other bikes dare not go. That scooters are popular in urban areas amongst new riders and commuters isn’t a mistake.
By design, scooters are basic transport, meant to take a rider and his or her gear, wherever they need to journey in the urban jungle. Most manufacturers know this, and, serving to fill a market niche, have some sort of automatic scooter in the range.
Even BMW Motorrad does it, with its maxi-scooters, while Kawasaki has just brought in the J300. Taiwanese manufacturers Kymco and Sym are also well-represented in the middle-weight scooter stakes.
But, where the money in the market lies is in the small-displacement scooter segment, where engine capacity falls between the 100 cc to 150 cc range. This market segment is filled with young working adults and college students, and hence, reliable, easy-to-use, cheap transport is the paramount consideration.
Boon Siew Honda saw this niche, brought in the PCX150 a few years ago, and it proved to be a strong seller. Not wanting to be left behind, Hong Leong Yamaha Motor (HLYM) has now entered the fray with the NMax, its offering to the 150 cc scooter class.
If you include the underbone (kapchai) market in Malaysia, alongside the scooter, the place is crowded. It takes a lot for a particular machine to stand out with all the big guys having a product or four in the range to satisfy specific customer needs.
But, in the 150 cc automatic scooter class, the dominant model over the past two years has been the Honda PCX150. Svelte and stylish, there was a lot to like about the PCX150’s design, except its price. With a five-figure price tag (RM11,446.94 including GST), it was a lot to swallow for what was basically urban transport.
HLYM intends to address that issue with the 2016 Yamaha NMax, direct competition for the Honda PCX150. Carrying a 155 cc liquid-cooled, four-valve single-cylinder “Blue Core” engine, with variable valve actuation (VVA), the 2016 NMax is rated at 14.8 hp at 8,000 rpm and 14.4 Nm at 6,000 rpm. That compares favourably against the PCX150’s 12.5 hp/13.1 Nm 149 cc motor.
While it may not sound like a lot, and it isn’t, but remember, for urban transport, these figures suit the NMax appropriately. The VVA, which switches intake cam lobes depending on engine speed, makes for quick take-offs from traffic lights, leaving the mass of traffic behind.
The thing of it is, the 2016 Yamaha NMax runs out of grunt somewhat shortly after, topping out at 124 km/h – maximum. Maybe if the author went on a bit of a weight loss diet a month before, we might have been lucky to see 127 km/h, maybe.
So, romping down the highway is not in the 2016 NMax’s suite of tricks. We wouldn’t recommend it anyway, unless getting run over by an express bus is on your bucket list.
Stick to the surface roads, and the NMax will do fine. Which is what it is meant to do anyway. The daily commute, the college daily trip, the quick run out to the shops or market, that is well within the NMax’s performance envelope.
Getting on the 2016 NMax is easy, with its 765 mm seat height, and it isn’t particularly wide in the footboard area, as scooters go. With a wet weight of only 136 kg, the NMax will be super easy for anyone to manage.
The seat felt to be adequately supportive, although we didn’t take it for any extended journeys to put the padding to the test. While broad across the beam, the length of the NMax’s seat was not that accommodating at the rear, especially with a pillion passenger on board.
We found ourselves settling into one position, and living with it. While our pillion didn’t find the rear seat uncomfortable, it was noted the splayed-out leg position was a little alien to her, and said that wearing a short skirt while riding the Yamaha NMax would be an exercise in modesty.
Riding the the Yamaha NMax was quick and fun, and ride stability was acceptable. This was helped in part by the 13-inch wheels and 110/70 front and 130/70 rear tyres.
While handling was somewhat stable, for a scooter, the suspension was a little harsh. With no adjustment except rear pre-load available, options were limited in terms of customising the ride to suit the rider.
This is expected at the price point for the Amax, where cost of purchase tends to over-ride mostly everything else. This included the lack of ABS on the Yamaha Nmax. To be fair, the Honda PCX150 is not fitted with ABS either.
It was explained to us, when we returned the NMax, that buyers in Malaysia preferred a cheap scooter, as opposed to paying approximately RM3,000 for ABS.
The brakes did work as advertised though, bringing the NMax to a stop with no fuss or drama. Again, bearing in mind the purpose to which the NMax would be ridden, we weren’t expecting Brembo levels of stopping power, but we were not disappointed.
Cruising city streets and splitting lanes on the Yamaha NMax was done with no issues, save that the slightly wide-set mirrors needed some extra margin in order to safely negotiate its way past car wing mirrors.
The generous under seat storage on the NMax was enough to swallow a full-face helmet, and during other times was put to good use carrying miscellaneous items around. The 6.6-litre fuel tank resides under the foot board, and is accessed by a locking filler cap. Fuel range was a somewhat reasonable 150 km or so, and your mileage will vary.
Up top on the instruments, a singe LCD circular panel displays all the rider needs to know. The speedo number was clear and legible, and the fuel and fuel consumption gauges fill in the speedometer on either side. The trip meter and odometer fill in the top and bottom, respectively.
Overall fit of the plastic body panels was good, with no obvious gaps or bad fitting. The LED lighting on the NMax is a nice touch at this price point. While not being the absolute brightest, the lights were perfectly adequate for safe navigation of city streets at night.
Coming in two colours for the Malaysian market – Power Red and Frozen Titanium – the 2016 Yamaha NMax retails for RM8,812, including GST, but excluding road tax, number plates and insurance. This compares against the RM11,446 including GST that Boon Siew Honda is asking for the 2016 Honda PCX150.
In the case of the Frozen Titanium Yamaha NMax in the pictures, the tall windscreen is an original Yamaha accessory imported from Yamaha Europe at the owner’s cost, and was included in the gallery for comparison purposes.
So, who needs a 2016 Yamaha NMax? If you’re a new rider, a short- to medium- distance commuter, or just want a simple machine to run around on and do the occasional trip to the shops, the NMax will do all these things admirably well. That it rocks in below the price of its nearest competitor does count in its favour.
For the cost-conscious commuter, the NMax does it in a stylish manner, like the PCX150, and the specifications list between the two is almost identical, save for the PCX150’s Idlestop mode. At the end of it, the consumer is the one in charge, and the choice to be made is a hard one.
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It is for safety purpose u moron
He don’t know what meaning of safety is… Pitty him.
For him, it’s better to be badly injured in an accident rather than be “kelakar” while riding. Unfortunately an opinion shared by many riders in Malaysia.
I bet he’s mat rempit or anything
Lagi kelakar kalau you naik motor pakai t-shirt dengan short, jatuh, mati sebab kecederaan :-P
Because his life is priceless that’s why. Unlike you. Idiot.
Okay, you don’t use those safety suits and when kemalangan is ahead, you crashed by kereta, how do you do?
I wear my flip up helmet ridin on my scooter… its for safety ahead of convenience… whats ur problem..?
the defining moment of stupidity
where safety is a joke to them
tho I dont like your words, the scooter rider can use better gears, to accomodate the weather and humidity we live in, try lah to cilok2 in heavy afternoon traffic then stuck in between tanker and rapidkl bus..then you know. theres a lot more suitable gears than this full racing suit.
Dude,I bet Mohan came with his Triumph.So it is kinda stupid to change his safety gear for the sake of test ride this scooter into another riding gear.And this scooter doesn’t even belong to him.
well said taboogen. No one in their right mind would wear that crap for short distance travelling. The people here are crazy. I have been riding all my life, not to mention my last 6 scooters. Its not the suit, its how you ride safely. Its how vigilant you are on the road don’t matter what bike or car. Its about courtesy.
I was window shopping the PCX a few months ago. If only boon siew cut the price to go under RM10k i would go book one immediately. Then go get a bike license
I was hoping there’d be some pics of the pillion rider with a short skirt :)
It is rather baffling that the reviewer puit this in a comparison with Honda PCX but never mention all of the Nmax shortcoming compared to PCX list of kits. The only thing you put into comparison and mention it boldly is when Nmax is on the upper hand of things. Shill much? And the only winning feature on this particular writing is one of the most annoying feature on the PCX (the idlestop) which can be turned off anyway.
You fail to compare PCX larger underseat space, larger fuel tank and the presence of the power socket on the PCX which Nmax lacks. You DO NOT compare things in a review blatantly, you do it comprehensively. You does the same shit during the launch announcement which I found baffling.
here an outline, DO NOT COMPARE if you don’t do it comprehensively. PERIOD
Yamaha NMax will not be the killer laahh… for sure… PCX150 has very high tech equipped in its system… unlike nmax… just have simple technology jusk like ego s or nouvo lc… pcx 150 comes with idling stop … combi brake sys… engine off stand… big capacity boot… and many more … nmax ??? Hurrmm all nouvo lc have it have… only diff. in cc
Well the nmax fuel tank is smaller compared to pcx and so does the mileage, pcx can easily get around 300++km with 8 L fuel capacity
If it’s 250cc, can reach 160kmh and sold below 10k ……that would be right.
160kmh? U wanna ride scooter and tailgate BMWs on hiway kah?
this person has been posting some dumb question recently
250cc 4 stroke scooter will never, NEVER I MEAN NEVER can reach those speed, why? cause they use CVT, which result in much power loss on top end (given if it even a single cylinder or parallel twin cylinder)
and scooter are meant for ease of riding, forget all those complex clutch system, and not a full on racing motorcycle
god these peasant and their pathetic 3rd world mentality
what about long distance riding in term of reliability & comfort?
always enjoyed the review. thanks and please keep the local contents (on bikes…) coming.
How can HLY said that buyers in Malaysia prefer scooter with less safety feature ?
At least HLY should give buyer choice of ABS or Non-ABS version available !
Y I prefer one with abs ? Because my first ever accident on motorcycle(scooter) is due to wheel lock. If one rides in rain or frequent rider, an ABS will be able to save u from lots of near accident .
Anyway I’m riding on CBR250R ABS with near 100k mileage on it, and abs do save me a few times from accident.
Safe ride riders.
Feel you bro.I thought there is ABS by looking at the disc brakes.Sadly there’s none.Pity cause it would make a deal breaker.Now I may need to look at other bikes.
Your 1st excident ever is bcos of your stupidity. Dont blame the brake la brader.
ahem
are you stupid? did you know what ABS stand for?
for motorcycle nowadays, having ABS is A MUST
no matter how experience rider you are, chance that brake to lock IS ALWAYS THERE
that’s why those automotive sellers in Malaysia still sell cars and bikes with less / none safety feature (which is compulsory to have in most developed countries) because our citizen don’t really cherish their life / their life worth only few cents…
well said Farlee. People just hate the truth. Coming from a guy who has been riding bikes all his life.
well, it really depends on your skill, people who ride in the track (for trackdays or race) with or without ABS, they use only front brake, very less rear brakes is used. i practice using only front brakes riding everyday. Not saying ABS is useless, ABS is good to be there. but for some riders, they can live with or without
Agreed..it’s astonishing that the cost of ABS in 2016 for a bike is 3K on what is essentially a near 30 year old innovation…. had a random convo with an engineer friend in Bosch a while back and he mentioned that the cost WITH profit margin of an ABS system these days for cars .. is RM 1K per unit while bikes are anywhere between 300 to 600 depending on class.. why charge 3-4 times the amount????
‘So, romping down the highway is not in the 2016 NMax’s suite of tricks. We wouldn’t recommend it anyway, unless getting run over by an express bus is on your bucket list.’
This line crack me up. Again a really good written review, the best in paultan i should say. Keep it up bro.
Still ok but do not complain with its speed. keep it less than 110kmh to avoid engine gettin stressful.
if travel everyday from ampang to cyberjaya,is it worth to buy nmax or pcx?
which one is better?
tq
Both should be ok… Previously I’m commuting from Ampang – Cyberjaya as well with my trusty Modenas MR1 (100cc)
now I’m commuting from Rawang – Cyberjaya also with the same bike still ok.
But for me I’d prefer PCX due to its bigger storage and fuel tank option.
But, to each his/her own…
perghh
tak sakit belakang ke…
anyways thanx bro for the feedback
get a bigger bike, 250cc perhaps…a 150cc long distance you are gonna feel the pain.
If you are into naked bikes then the kawasaki Z250SL is a great choice, its cheap and quite powerful for its size. also better riding experience than a scooter definitely.
but if you prefer scooters then try looking at SYM symphony evo 250i. quite a good maxi scooter that can keep up with traffic if you use the highway. not to mention huge storage space. price is not bad too.
will considered it
thanx bro for the feedback
I used to ride a Suzuki Nex scooter (113 cc, 87 kg kerb weight). Whooo, that thing is so light that I used to beat almost every vehicle out of a traffic stop. If it was a 50m drag race, I would almost certainly have won. And because the inertia is so small, I can ride very close to the vehicle in front and still manage to stop in time, everytime. But, all things have a down side. Yes, it was super convenient, super easy to manoeuvre through traffic, and super easy to push, but it also caused my muscles to atrophy due to lack of load on them. I rode the Nex for 2.5 years, and I got to be skinny and lost my strength in almost all my muscles.
So, in May 2016, I traded in the Nex for a Kawasaki Z250SL. It was a totally different experience. At first I was so weak that I couldn’t push the new bike (148 kg kerb weight). I fell down three times, all while stationary, because I couldn’t hold the weight. But I’m happy to report that, after more than a month of riding it, I’m now much stronger, looks fitter, can handle the bike much better, have more confidence on the bike, and is enjoying this new experience. Even my wife says I look fitter. I call my Z250SL my personal gym, because I get a full body workout each time I ride it.
If you are a person who doesn’t like to workout for workout’s sake, but still like to keep in shape, I recommend riding a bike that has a big fuel tank you have to hug (like my Z250SL). The riding position forces you to use almost all your muscles. So, you get transportation and fitness in one beautiful package. Beats the gym membership that doesn’t get used much, doesn’t it?
Bro,
You won’t go wrong with a PCX. It is quite heavy and wide comparatively; while you won’t have any problems ridding on the highway. The storage under the seat is huge enough to store a full face helmet. The combi brakes comes in quite useful.
top speed less than 130kmph…. that’s too slow…. i’m expecting no less than 160kmph.
it’s a bloody scooter
what the hell wrong with malaysian nowadays
do they expect 250cc 4 stroke can go over 300km/ph? facepalm
boughta Nmax . At 211kmh the bike vibrates like hell . Rang up HLY and was told “memmang macam ni ” . Is this true that the Nmax is supposed to vibrate even at idle ???
Which single cylinder engines doesn’t vibrate?
So,thanks for the review PT,now I know I will buy either sym evo or kymco 200, was considering until ur article popped out,thanks again. Appreciate it.
We definitely need to see an NMax155 vs PCX150 shootout.
What constitutes as medium commuting? Like. How. Many. Km. In. A day. Is. Thst?