YAMAHA NMAX 125 (2015 - 2021) Review

This is a decent all round bike. I have gone on motorways to heavy city traffic in London, to country roads.Sitting on it all day it does eventually get a little uncomfortable, but this is normal when you have been riding all day. Brakes are sharp and with ABS in the rain this will be a big help if wheels lock.

For a 125 is has all the power you need. It is faster than the PCX off the mark. It has a decent sound to it as well for a 125.

Never had a problem, and it still looks like new almost 3 years after purchase. Time can only tell, but from what it is now, I think it will last.

As I have said day to day running cost are very low, however the services are going to be a little expensive as they do a lot of time consuming things.

Only 125 I know that comes with ABS as standard, the under seat storage fits a full face helmet (upside down, which is a little tight) but there is room around your helmet for other things as well.

The ride quality is absolutely fine for commuting where you are on the bike for an hour and generally not going over 40 mph. It's very manoeuvrable. After that, the standard seat can start to be a bit uncomfortable if you're on the bike for 2 hours or more, especially when it's a hot day. At speed you start to feel the bumps, especially if you manage to find a pothole! The low centre of gravity makes cornering fine, though it's my first bike and I haven't had the confidence to lean it right over in the wet. The ABS is astounding and has definitely saved my bacon a couple of times when the odd pedestrian has decided to sprint across between parked cars and I've had to slap on the anchors.

For a 125cc the Nmax is quite punchy and at the traffic lights and junctions you soon leave most vehicles standing. The Nmax powers quite smoothly up to 50 and there is a satisfying grunt from the exhaust. I've taken the bike to 65mph but sat in the bolt upright position it's not comfortable, though the bike doesn't seem to struggle at this speed. It's a lovely ride if you take it out on country roads on a Sunday afternoon in the summer. My biggest niggle is the size of the fuel tank. It only takes 7 litres of unleaded and you soon find yourself glancing at the digital fuel gauge thinking that you may have to fill up soon. I commute 20 miles a day into and out of London and a full tank lasts almost exactly 5 days with heavy commuter traffic. I'd prefer an 11 litre tank. After a year of biking on the NMax and being regularly overtaken by proper motorcycles I'm upgrading to the TMax 530cc. Stay tuned for another riveting review.

I've driven this for a year and it's started every time except once when it was particularly cold and wet - and it had been in the garage over night so that was a pain. I left it for 5 mins and tried again and it was fine. I have not seen any corrosion and nothing has failed yet.

Servicing in the first year is more expensive as you have to have an oil change after the first 600 miles but after that it's average. Next oil change is around 3500 miles (which comes around very quickly).

The NMax has a front side pocket that's quite deep and you can put your phone in there without worrying about it jumping out over a bump. But I've left my phone in there so many times now I don't use it any more. The under seat storage is tight and will fit one full face helmet and that's about it. If you want to store rain gear then you'll have to get a top box. Yamaha's OEM stuff is very pricey and I ended up getting a Givi 35ltr and fitting kit online for £50 and spent 30 mins fitting it myself. The digital readout is fine and is permanently lit so if you go in a dark tunnel you'll notice it already on. To change anything using the buttons e.g. from Kmh to Mph or the time is a bit of a performance but do-able. the fuel gauge can have a mind of it's own. It starts with 5 or 6 bars and works it's way down as you run out of fuel. When you get down to 2 bars it starts to get variable readings, it will have 2 bars then go up to 3 and stay there for a day. The next time you start it it will be on one bar.

Brakes are solid and abs is good. Suspension is basic and you feel jolts when you go over a pothole. Small tires don't help either.

Good solid engine, top speed around 66mph. I saw 75mph going downhill. wind does have an effect on the speed.

Side panels cracked easily when dropped off side stand.

Achieving between 96mpg and 106mpg. First service is £50 but after that it goes very expensive due to high Labour costs because of intensive work needing to be done properly to keep the warranty intact.

Full face helmet fits under the seat. open compartment below brake lever but not lockable.