Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn Bhd (HLYM) has launched the Yamaha NMAX, a bike aimed at the growing Malaysian market for small capacity scooters. While it’s not the first automatic transmission product for the brand in Malaysia – Yamaha already sells the Ego S, Ego LC and Nuovo LC, the NMAX is the first ‘proper’ Yamaha scooter to be officially sold by HLYM.
The MAX name will be familiar to fans of the Yamaha TMAX and X-MAX, but instead of carrying a huge price tag, the NMAX is set to be tentatively priced at around RM10,000 when the first units arrive in authorised showrooms in April this year. Of course there’s a reason for that, aside from it being locally assembled, it also uses a small capacity engine.
Small doesn’t mean weedy. The NMAX is powered by a 155cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder motor featuring Yamaha’s BLUECORE engine technology. Essentially, it optimises the combustion process (via engine design and precise fuel metering) to produce more power while using less fuel doing so, which is something any scooter rider can appreciate. Claimed outputs are 15hp at 8000rpm and 14.4Nm at 6000rpm, which is at least 10 per cent more than most rivals can claim from their 150cc scooters, so don’t be surprised if one comes zooming past you on the highway.
Having sufficient power from a small capacity engine is important but perhaps more vital to making a sale is how a bike looks. Yamaha has styled the NMAX with lines derived from its bigger stablemates, which should make it standout against other scooters. Therefore, it gets all-enveloping bodywork, a sharply styled front headlight with LED running lights and generous wind protection courtesy of a large fairing, which looks particularly good in the red colour option.
Other features like a large under seat storage compartment, LCD instrumentation and a large 6.6L fuel tank are a given for a modern scooter, but of rather more interest is the use of dual disc brakes. 230mm rotors can be found at both ends and though ABS won’t initially be available for Malaysian market bikes, the situation could change once the cost of fitting it comes down. At least the handling should be better than on most scooters with the use of 13-inch wheels and a fat 130/70 rear tyre.
With total motorcycle sales in Malaysia contracting again in 2015, the NMAX has arrived at an opportune time as it gives HLYM an affordable new model to sell in what is expected to be another tough year for the industry. If it can duck below RM10,000, it should prove to be a strong seller, but even if it doesn’t, there’s more than enough here for it to sell on merit. Wonder what the response from its competitors will be.