Want to buy Yamaha Nmax 155

[DavidFL]

The old GTR fellah is looking to buy a small automatic scooter for 6 months.
The bike I'm after is a Yamaha Nmax 155.
Ideally the price should be 40-50,000 baht, with the bike having less than 50,000 kms on the clock.

I'm still recovering with a broken leg from my crash 6 months ago & how the time flies by.

Ooops done it again. A David Unk crash.

Time for a quick cuppa on the Khong it's a 16 kms meander upstream to 1 of my favorite coffee shops, Enjoy on the Mekong. Enjoy Coffee has a magical relaxing atmosphere, but it was a boiling hot day when I left Enjoy to gently meander home. An old rustic house with a magnificent tree on the...

www.gt-rider.com

I reckon it will be another 6 months before I'm ready to ride the 650 Vstrom again = 1 year from the time of the accident. OMG!

I'm renting a 100,000 kms old Nmax at at the moment but it is proving to be a bit tiring to ride as it is so clapped out.

The price is right @ 4,000 baht a month, but I dont want to be throwing away 30,000 baht + by the time I'm ready for the Vstrom.
So buy is the new masterplan, & sell in 6 months, hopefully for a loss of 15,000 baht.

I had an interesting experience in Chiang Rai the last few days trying to buy a bike, without success.
I tested 3 x PCXs on suggestions to buy a PCX instead of the Nmax, but riding a PCX with my build felt like sitting on a pumpkin.
In Chiang Rai city, I found a wheeler-dealer mc repair shop with multiple bikes for sale that included 3 PCXs & all for the same price, lucky number 53,900 baht, despite different kms on the clock that varied by 20,00 kms.
The first PCX squealed as he walked it out with a wheel bearing that needed replacing.
The 2nd PCX looked great, the best colour scheme, but with the most kms on the clock, 53,000 plus a few scratches & bent levers. I pointed this out - it's been in a crash. Yes, but is ok. I test rode it down the soi & it felt riding a crab. I struggled to turn it round the corner, so rode it straight back 100 metres to the shop. Big Fail.
PCX #3 had a hot exhaust & lowered suspension. Some young guys race bke once upon a time, & indeed it sound good, but was absolutely gutless having been thrashed I guess.

I did find a used Nmax at a dealer on the highway.
It looked immaculate, only 5,000 kms on the clock & with a price of 69,000 baht. A bit above my budget, but then I thought ok a new one is 92,000 baht, so perhaps you could use this one for 6 months & put 5,000 kms on the clock max, and then resell it for 55,000 baht.
I test ride was asked for, but the battery was flat & I'd have to come back tomorrow.
Return I did ready for a test ride & a closer inspection indicated the ignition seemed as worn as the 100,000 kms Nmax I was renting.
How old is the bike by the way?
Oh it is 6 years old!
Oh really & only 5,000 kms in 6 years, OMG.
I asked for the test ride, but was told I could only ride it in the shop car park.
Pass. No deal no test no buy. The 6 years & 5,000 kms really did put me off though. The front tyre had obviously done more than 5,000 kms too I thought.

So I'm still on the hunt for a half decent Yamaha Nmax 155.
The Nmax suits me riding position & style.
For me, it's got enough power to sit on 100KPH on the highway, plus enough torque for a few big hills.
I'm missing lunches in Phu Chi Fah & over nights in Doi Mae Salong / Phayao / Chiang Kham.

 

[canthai]

Wife has a car now so the PCX is just sitting.
Interested ?

 

[DavidFL]

Wife has a car now so the PCX is just sitting.
Interested ?

Thanks for the offer, but I wasn't comfortable riding the PCXs I tested. Not my style, so staying focussed on securing an Nmax for the time being. Perhaps if I tested a good PCX my opinion might change, but not at the moment.

 

[DavidFL]

An entertaining hunt. Gave up in Chiang Rai & the top North, Nmaxes are not easy to find for sale.
So on a trip to Chiang Mia for a funeral my son tips me off about an Nmax for sale 25 kms south-west of Chiang Mai.
The price is 55,900 baht above my desired budget, but finding an NMax for the right price is not easy. There are some within my budget range but hundreds of kms from home so when you add in the travel costs they are not any cheaper.
Time to bite the bullet I thought & get what you can. They can't all be as bad as my renta with 110,000 kms on the clock.
I ring the shop to make an appointment & they tell me they actually have 3 Nmaxes for sale at the same price.
That's an interesting development I thought, must be bike "wheelers & dealers."

We arrive at the shop & it's a large shed full of scooters.
3 Nmaxes are wheeled out to test.
All about the same kms 10-12,000 kms & the same price 55,900 baht.
I test ride all 3 bikes. Bike # 1 looks the best, runs the best, handles the best & brakes the best.

It gets my vote.
Bike # 2 is down on power & doesn't turn well, bike # 3 is somewhere in the middle. The suspension is naturally tired on all 3 bikes.

Communication is not an issue, the daughter Miss Min, has been to Australia to study English & work as a barista
A deposit is paid & we agree to meet at the DLT @ Nong Hoi the next morning, & I get a verbal 1 month warranty.

So what's the score with the shop?
It's a small family run business that has been going for 30 years.
Every month dad goes down to Bangkok & buys repossessed scooters from the auction.
He doesn't deal in big bikes, only scooters that he can tidy up, & resell to students.
I'm reasonably happy with my bike, it ran well, turned well, braked well & only needed a new front tyre.
Anything was probably better than the clapped out rented Nmax I had.

At the DLT the transfer was done quickly straight into my name with a yellow house registration (tabian baan) book & a pink temporary Thai ID card. NO immigration Certificate of Address was required!

Time to head back to Chiang Mai with the great Ughetto, who very kindly brought me down to Cnx in his minivan for the funeral & subsequent bike purchase. Luca you are an absolute star with your generosity & kind help. I sincerely hope you enjoyed your time in Chiang Mai - the restaurants, cafes & pubs we went to. Thanks man.

The Nmax was left in Cnx for a checkup & for my son Jason to ride up, swap bikes over & ride the rented bike back to Mr Mechanic.
A quick service & checkup was required on the newly purchased NMax before the trip North. It at least needed a new front tyre.
The # 1 Scooter Shop in Chiang Mai is CM Biker & they know their stuff.

CM BIKER (à¸à¸µ à¹à¸à¹à¸¡ à¹à¸à¸à¹à¹à¸à¸à¸£à¹) · 47 Patan Rd, Patan, Muang, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand

âââââ · Store

goo.gl

Back in Chiang Khong I get a call from Jason & the shop, the drive suspension is somewhat knackered & needs a few bits replaced.
A surprise not, but that's "situation normal" buying a 2nd hand vehicle from a "wheeler & dealer" shop in Thailand.
The damage is 7500 baht & the bike is good ready to go.
CM Biker reckons the bike is only worth 40,000 baht. Why did you pay that much? Easy, because I could not find one for 40,000 baht & needed to get something while I was in Cnx & to stop paying rent. "Problem" solved for a price.

Miss Min gets a text message, photos & phone call - the bike is not perfect & needs some work before it can go on a long trip.
She's not impressed & neither is her father, questioning his service & workmanship. But Miss Min get's an explanation.
I am a professional biker, not an ignorant student who is not aware of parts that are worn out.
I like to keep everything in good working condition.
My plan is not to ride in the city but in the mountains Doi Mae Salong, Doi Chang, Doi Tung, Phu Chi Fah.
Beforehand the bike needed a proper service to check everything.
Some of the drive parts were close to worn out. I could ride it in the mountains then it could break down & cost more money
It is better to be sure before.
I'm not complaining, but if you would like to help, before I do my shop review, it would be most appreciated.
If you don't want to help is up to you.
And I got a refund of 2,000 baht & have no complaints about the shop.
TQ Miss Min @

รà¹à¸²à¸à¸à¸³à¸à¸à¸à¹à¸¡à¸à¹à¸à¸à¸£à¹à¹à¸à¸à¹ สารภี · San Sai, Saraphi District, Chiang Mai 50140, Thailand

âââââ · Motorcycle shop

goo.gl

Did I pay too much. Yes I thought so, but getting a good bike for the right place is like finding a needle in a haystack & time is not on your side when your renting & just burning money.
I was actually interested to buy Mr Mechanic's bike for the right price but......
1. They didn't want to sell, Gung the owner saying it was too old & not worth buying. Well, I thought if it was cheap enough, I could fit it with YSS suspension & rebuild the motor all for 10,000 baht & I'd have a good one that I knew & understood? But no deal!
2. The Yamaha service shop mechanic in Chiang Rai said don't buy it whatever the price! Nmaxes with high kms are only constant trouble.

All of this got me thinking.
Where & how to buy a reliable Nmax, or any bike for that matter.
All the bikes I tested obviously had much higher kms than registered on the oddometer.
The shops are all proficient at winding the clocks back.
I actually asked Miss Min, if she knew the real kms on the bike. Did they make a record when they got the bike? No, that's how they all come from the auctions - already wound back significantly? A trick of the trade I thought.
So more than likely if you buy direct from a private individual, the chances are it is the real kms on the bike.
Buying from a shop more than likely means the real kms are not showing?
By looking at the tyres & the wear on the key ignition may be an indicator that it has done way more kms than indicated.
Another thing I thought was that maybe a bike from Bkk may not have been thrashed in the mountains so much, because there are no mountains in Bkk & therefore the motor may have had an easier life. But then again it may have been ridden in some serious flooding too.
Your guess is as good as mine & in the end it's just the luck of the game.

Coming home the 100 kms from Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong 2 days ago, my "new" Nmax, sat on 105kph nicely, so I'm currently a happy punter, looking forward to tackling a few hills - Phu Chi Fah & Doi Mae Salong next.

 

[DavidFL]

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