How fast is the Yamaha Nmax Street Fighter with its Pollini variator from 0-30, 0-50 and 0-80 Kilometers per hour?
So just what is the Yamaha Nmax streetfighter?
It is my modified Yamaha Nmax 155 which is now 8 years old. But which I would stack up against any of the new models. If you are wondering just what a variator is, simply put, it’s the automatic shifting mechanism that drives today’s scooters and under bone bikes with a drive belt. I installed a new Pollini variator in my 8-year-old Nmax because my bike would not drive smoothly at very low speeds one encounters in parking lots. Yamaha’s newer models remedied this defect. And although I thought I could try different options to smooth out my Nmax’s drivability at low speeds, I decided my options were limited. Because rough getaways at parking lot speeds were inherent in the older Nmax model.
But when the manager at my Triumph dealer told me I needed a new set of ball bearings to smooth my Nmax out, I suddenly took an interest in replacing my standard Yamaha variator with a Pollini or J Costa variator. With both companies advertising noticeably improved acceleration and slightly higher top speeds. Along with much improved smoothness.
From what I gleaned from my internet sources I could expect a 15 % improvement in acceleration with a Pollini variator and possibly 1 to 5 more kilometers per hour more top speed. So, I did it. Ordering a Pollini variator from Italy. Which I had the main Mityon shop install for me here in Pattaya.
I didn’t like the feel the new variator gave my Nmax as soon as I drove away from the shop.
At slow speeds it felt like I was driving a five-speed car in first gear at maximum rpms. But I got used to the new feel the Pollini variator gave my machine. While it felt much faster when I opened up the throttle.
Then I decided to race Rory’s much newer Nmax. I’ve driven Rory’s Nmax a lot once he gave me his set of keys and traveled back to Hong Kong where he lives most of the time. And found it much smoother than mine at low speeds. This aside from his new model Nmax having keyless starting and that on off feature that Honda innovated with its PCX. Which amounts to the engine automatically shutting down as soon as you stop at stop lights. While the engine starts up again as soon as you start to twist the throttle. But although some of the new features are nice once you start getting used to them, I felt that my 8-year-old Nmax had more torque off the line. While Rory’s bike would start coming into its own after hitting 20 kph or so.
I had tried to remedy the harsh suspension of my Nmax by having the dealer install new shocks. But the new shocks gave just as rough a ride as the old ones did. But oh well. When it comes to cars and motorcycles you can’t have everything. And that harsh suspension of the older model Yamaha Nmax’s, gives it fabulous handling. I had also installed a new ABS braking system that cost me a bundle. But I had to because the ABS system had crapped out. The final touch was replacing the brake levers with gold plated ones I got from the dealer. The new levers were not only beautiful. They also imparted a far superior feel to the stoke brake levers.
So as soon as Rory came back from Hong Kong we raced our two Yamaha Nmaxes against each other. And each time my now Pollini equipped Nmax beat Rory’s new model Nmax by five or six bike lengths.
I also have a one year old Triumph 900 Speed Twin, which if you have to have a big bike here in Pattaya, I think this new Speed Twin is the best you can get.
But to be honest, now that I’ve got the Pollini variator on my Nmax I find myself driving my Triumph speed twin a lot less.
For me, my Triumph Speed twin is the most beautiful motorcycle money can buy here in Thailand. While it does everything so well. I won’t reiterate everything I’ve already said about this fantastic, beautiful machine, so I’ll just give you a link here. However, the Yamaha Nmax street fighter is so totally practical in this part of the world. While it offers gobs of excitement at any speed you choose to drive it.
Acceleration of Yamaha Nmax 155 compared to Honda PCX 150 and Pollini equipped Yamaha Nmax 155 (stop watched times)
| Speed | Yamaha Nmax | With Variator | Honda PCX |
| 0-30 kph | 2.58 | ||
| 0-50 kph | 4.21 | 4.22 | 4.21 |
| 0-80 kph | 8.99 | 8 | 10.02 |
| 0-100 kph | 17 | n.a. | n.a. |
Everything started out so wrong in preparing the raw numbers for the Yamaha Nmax street fighter. So, I’m going to do it all again. And edit the results you are seeing here. But I just couldn’t wait. For one thing I want to see if my Yamaha Nmax street fighter is faster than it was before I equipped it with the Pollini variator.
The Second Acceleration Test of the Yamaha Nmax 155 with the Pollini Variator
It was extremely difficult piloting my Nmax 155 with one hand on the throttle and the other hand tied up steering the bike. Not to mention seeing the exact speed the bike was going on the speedometer. My pal, Plone, saw the problems getting exact figures, even with the stopwatch. PlOne being a high-powered computer programmer came up with the perfect solution. Which entailed pointing the Go Pro camera I had mounted on my helmet, downwards to it would video my bike’s instrument panel. I could then put the video in my video editing program and mark the start time and end time there.
Test 1
| Speed | start time | end time | seconds | Improvement with Variator | % acceleration with variator |
| 0-30 | 15.4 | 17.88 | 1.84 | N.A. | N.A. |
| 0-50 | 26.18 | 29.06 | 2.88 | 1.33 | 31.6 % |
| 0-80 | 15.01 | 28.01 | 8 | .99 | 11 % |
| Speed | Starting pt | Ending pt | Net time | difference | percent im |
| 0-30 | 42.1 | 44.01 | 1.91 | N.A. | N.A. |
| 0-50 | 3.05 | 5.24 | 2.19 | 2.02 | 47.9 % |
| 0-80 | 2.01 | 10.05 | 8.04 | .95 | 10.6 % |
How much faster is the Yamaha 155 Nmax with the Pollini Variator compared to the 2016 standard Nmax Really?
First off, there is a big difference between the two tests I ran using my video editing program instead of the stopwatch in the first tale of the tape. When I run the Nmax up to just 30 kph, there’s a lot of noise and it sounds like I am starting out in a much lower gear. But it takes less than 2 seconds to reach 30 kph or 19 mph.
Going from zero to 50 kph which is a bit more than 30 mph, it takes just 2.88 seconds in test 1 and 2.19 seconds according to test 2. This amounts to an improvement in acceleration of between 31.6 and 47.9 percent. That sounds like a lot, but 50 kph is about the top speed of a horse. Which is not all that fast. Looking at it another way, in heavy trafficked cities like Pattaya or Bangkok, Thailand 50 kph is pretty fast. I would venture to say that up to only 50 kph, my Yamaha Nmax 155 Streetfighter just might edge out my neighbors 350 c.c. Honda Forza. But after that the 350-c.c. monster will eat my 155 c.c. Yamaha Nmax alive.
I cannot vouch for the absolute accuracy of the time I stopwatched my Nmax to 100 kph. I could see my speedometer hit around 97 kph when I clicked stop on the stopwatch. That’s about 60 miles an hour and my Nmax took around 17 seconds to do it. I was able to get 122 kph top end from my Pollini equipped Nmax. And it might have done 123 kph if road conditions would have allowed me to keep the throttle wide open a little longer. That’s 2 to 3 kph better than the 120 kph my bike would do on the same stretch of route 36 I had traveled before I had the Pollini variator installed.
I would say by the time I’m hitting 80 kph there’s hardly any difference if any between a Pollini equipped Nmax 155 and a stock Yamaha 155 Nmax.
I believe in extreme traffic conditions while running at low speeds the Pollini Variator will cause the Nmax to take a hit in fuel economy. But if One is cruising at speeds of 50 kph or higher there won’t be much difference in fuel economy.
But where I live, in Naklua close to Pattaya, going over 30 miles an hour on a bike can be quite thrilling due to the heavy traffic. So, in my opinion the Pollini variator makes my Yamaha Nmax a lot more fun to drive, which is why I am calling it the Yamaha Nmax Street Fighter.
