2020 Yamaha NMax 155 Unveiled. Gets Traction Control!

The 2020 iteration of the maxi-scooter was unveiled in Indonesia

• Apart from traction control, the new NMax 155 gets smartphone connectivity as well.
• The scooter’s powerplant is derived from the Yamaha YZF-R15 Version 3.0.
• Peak power gets a slight bump at the expense of torque.

Yamaha has unveiled the 2020 NMax 155 maxi-scooter in Indonesia. While the overall silhouette of the scooter has remained unchanged, Yamaha has equipped the updated model with a host of new features. To begin with, the scooter’s R15 V3-based VVA-enabled 155cc liquid-cooled engine has been updated to make 0.5PS more (15.36PS) at the same 8000rpm mark as before.

However, the peak torque has gone down from 14.4Nm at 6000rpm to 13.9Nm at 6500rpm. More importantly, Yamaha has equipped the scooter with a traction control system -- something that is unheard of in a scooter in its segment! For efficiency, the engine also gets a Stop & Start System, and there’s a Smart Motor Generator too, which is similar to the BS6 Honda Activa 125’s ACG starter.

Another notable feature is the inclusion of a new ‘Yamaha Motorcycle Connect’ system which connects the scooter with your smartphone. For this, Yamaha has equipped the scooter with a new fully digital instrument console. This feature uses a smartphone app, which is linked to the scooter via Bluetooth. With this, one can access features like call/message notification, last parked location, recommended maintenance notification and fuel consumption, among others. In essence, this is similar to the SmartXonnect feature in the TVS NTorq 125.

There are two variants in total: the standard one is devoid of ABS and smartphone connectivity whereas the other variant gets dual-channel ABS and smartphone pairing as well. The ABS variant weighs 2kg more than the standard model at 132kg (kerb). 

While Yamaha hasn’t revealed the price of the scooter yet, expect it to cost the equivalent of Rs 1.5 lakh in Indonesia. Yamaha had planned to launch the NMax 155 in the country this year but that didn’t pan out. And now with the transition from BS4 to BS6 emission norms, most of the brands, including Yamaha, are concentrating their resources to update their existing lineup. So it is unlikely that Yamaha will launch the scooter in the country any time soon.