jackcorbett

It's red with just 7000 kilometers on the clock.  With almost new Pirelli Scorpion tires.  Although there was nothing wrong with the brakes, I spent $2000 to replace them with Brembos.  Replaced the stock Pirelli Phantom tires with Pirelli Scorpions for improved handling.  Also added a center stand.   Will take 150000-baht firm.    The bike can be viewed at my Naklua residence.  Interested parties can email me at (removed) or message me through my Facebook account under Jack Corbett.    

The only reason I wish to sell my Street Twin is I am buying the new 900 Triumph Speed Twin in green.  Love that shade of green.   

About the reliability of Triumph.  I've had my Triumph Bonneville 900 c.c. Street Twin for close to 3 years now.  Perhaps someone here might help me on this one.  Although it has never let me down and always started, there is one issue I have with it that is very perplexing.  It will start straight off for several days, and then it will fail to start.  I can hear the electric fuel pump deliver fuel  and then when I hit the start button, it starts right up.  And then for no reason at all, it will fail to start.  And the reason why is the fuel pump fails to deliver fuel to the injectors.  I can hear the lack of sound.  Then I will turn the key off and back on again.  And once again my Triumph will fail to start.  When this occurs (once every three days or so) I will typically have to switch the key on and off 4 to 8 times and each time I can listen to the fuel pump's silence.  And then, voila, I can hear the fuel pump delivering the fuel and the bike starts instantly.  I have googled this issue and found out other Triumph owners report the same problem.  Various solutions are mentioned but none of them work for me while my dealer here in Pattaya tells me I'm doing something wrong.  

I am not faulting my dealer.  For one thing I think the Triumph dealer here in Pattaya is absolutely first class with customer service that is a notch better than other dealers I've dealt with (for Yamahas and Hondas).  

Other than this issue I have only good things to say about my Bonneville Street Twin.  For a big bike it negotiates traffic in Pattaya city traffic almost as well as my Yamaha Nmax.  It is extremely comfortable for one or two persons.  Has loads of usable torque.  And it delivers almost unbelievable fuel economy for a 900 c.c. bike.  I don't have to wash it very often and its lack of chrome makes it nearly impervious to rust (unlike my previous Yamaha Yamaha SR 400 which required a huge amount of maintenance keeping it relatively rust free due to my living 200 meters from the beach).  

I would listen to most of the replies here.  As already mentioned, Thailand is a very dangerous place to drive a bike.  But it's not in the top three or four countries in the world.  Thailand has the most lethal roads in the world, bar none.  

I have over fifty years of experience driving all sorts of bikes, from dirt bikes to a 140 mph BMW K-100 RS.  So, like others here I have motorcycles in my blood.  I presently own two bikes, a 155 c.c. Yamaha Nmax and a 900 c.c. Triumph Bonneville, Street Twin.  I have the Triumph because I love bikes and it is a true classic that brings me back to my younger days.  Do I need it?  No way.

I very seldom drive my Triumph at night here in Pattaya.  There are several reasons for this.  First off a bright red Triumph sends a message to any policemen in the area.  "Here's a rich falang with lots of money to give me."  So it's not a good idea to be flashing my wallet at night, especially if I've been drinking.   The second reason is a 200 kg Triumph does not drive at all like a 127 kg Yamaha Nmax.  I am used to the sharp turning ability of the Nmax and my ability to throw a 280 pound bike around.  One cannot do this with a much bigger bike such as a Triumph.  Try to do what you  can do with a "scooter" on a 900 c.c. Triumph and the weight of the much bigger bike is going to take you down.  The third reason is the "little" Nmax 155 is the safest motorcycle I can think of for driving in cities such as Pattaya and Bangkok.  It's got ABS and disc brakes front and rear, so on a 280 pound machine it has terrific stopping power.  Its handling in city conditions is supreme.  And for some reason it stays glued to the road even in the rain.  It is in my opinion the best all around bike for Thailand at any price.  You can do just about anything with it short of high speed driving on the motorways, which by law you cannot take a bike on anyway.

In Thailand road conditions the Nmax is fast.  For example, an Italian restaurant owner friend of mine has a friend who drove his Nmax from Pattaya to Chiang Mai in just 11 hours.  Google maps shows that by car you can drive to Chiang Mai in a bit over 10 hours, provided you use the motorways.  Obviously I can identity with those who feel the need for a real motorcycle that's much more powerful than most scooter type bikes.  Because I am that kind of guy.  But one should know what he's doing driving one while  being scared sh--less of all the idiots he has to share the road with .  

10 hours ago, eisfeld said:

That's 25km/L roughly. Indeed very good. As a comparison: my Ducati Scrambler with 803cc gets about 19-20km/L while weighing a good chunk less. A 500 series Honda will do ~27km/L. But I think the riding style makes a big difference, people on the Ducati will probably push the bike a bit faster than riders of the Triumph. The Triumph is much better mannered in low revs which helps cruising along. I'm with OmegaRacer regarding fuel consumption, it's very very low on the list of things I look at on a bike but of course it's nice if a bike doesn't drink so much - also good for range. The Street Twin also sounds great. Triumph really did a fine job there even tough I think a little bit more horse power would have been nice for highways. I think you'll enjoy the bike. Happy riding!

 

Edit: Found the Youtube channel. Not exactly the content I expected (hint: it's about stuff that Pattaya is known for).

Michael, a German friend of mine, now has a Kawasaki 900.  Prior to this he had a Kawasaki 800 and he commented to me, "It has over 100 horsepower".  Of course his Kawasaki 900 has even more.  So after trying out my Triumph, Michael had a huge grin on his face, and he commented, "Your Triumph feels like it has almost as much power as mine.  There is very little difference.  And I have more than twice its horsepower."   Thing about Thailand, the roads are not nearly as good as the roads in Germany or the U.S.  And we won't even speak of the drivers.  Another German condo resident owner friend of mine just bought a BMW boxer.  Can't remember the horsepower it makes but it's at least 110.  But he and his new bike are both in Germany now.  Huburtus told me his new BMW is way too big for Pattaya and its traffic.  My last BMW in the U.S., a 1985 BMW K100 RS (90 horsepower) would also have felt like a fish out of water here.  But my R-65 boxer twin would have been great here in Pattaya with its 50 horsepower, light weight and low center of gravity.  It was excellent on U.S. highways too, so long as you didn't try to cruise much more than 75 miles an hour or so all day long.  But man, you take any of these bikes and drive too fast even on a Thailand four or six lane highway and suddenly you see (or not see) a hole in the road or a huge crease or wrinkle in the pavement and you are apt to be in serous trouble.  

Just now, OmegaRacer said:

Fuel economy has never been a priority for me,  but it's a nice plus.

But yeah, the ST is indeed a great bike.

Traded my SR 400 for it.  Traded with Wachara Marine and got a pretty good price for the SR

Just now, NormanW said:

Great stuff. Do you have a YouTube channel?

Yes.  I do.  Have over 75 videos there.  But nothing on the Triumph yet

You made the right decision.  In my opinion the Nmax is the best bike one can buy for the kind of driving I do around Pattaya at any price.  It's got a superb chassis that makes it incredibly stable.  It's got superb handling.  Quickness and by far the best brakes that 80,000 baht can buy.  And it has A LOT of power for all driving conditions I encounter.  All of these qualities come together when I have a long line of slow moving cars and motorbikes ahead of me.  I can pour on the power, go into the right lane with impunity, and pass all those vehicles.  I have the acceleration to do it and if suddenly another vehicle suddenly appears in my lane, the bike is small enough that I can tuck into the line of traffic I'm passing and jump on those wonderful brakes.  Yamaha engineered this one to almost complete perfection. 

Yes.  Triumphs are to be sold in Pattaya at Watchara Marine.  Even took a picture there around one month ago.  

According to my understanding.  There were two showrooms and shop areas at Watchara Marine.  The first, which was closest to Sukamvit Road handled only small Yamaha scooters and motorcycles.  For example, Yamaha Tri Cities, 155 c.c. Aeroxes and Nmaxes, and 321 c.c. R3's.  The 2nd was and is the much larger showroom and shop area for the larger bikes and other products such as all terrain vehicles and Yamaha outboard motors.  This showroom displayed Triumph motorcycles.  On sale here are the much larger Yamaha motorcycles all the way up to the 200 horsepower R-1's.  This showroom also sells a complete line of KTM motorcycles along with several oddballs from other manufacturers.  

About 1 month ago I noticed that Watchara Marine had completely demolished the small showroom--shop facility.  And that it was now displaying the smaller motorbikes in the large showroom-shop facility.  I took a picture, and then I inquired.  

Here's the deal as I understand it.  Triumph for some time now has been resorting its entire dealership system here in Thailand.  This is why for example I could not buy Triumphs new Street twin bonneville at Watchara Marine.  My understanding is Triumph will not offer a dealership to a Motorcycle retailer unless this retailer sells Triumph exclusively.  So, sometime in November my source at Watchara Marine told me, it is likely that Watchara Marine will finally be able to sell the new line of Triumph motorcycles.  The demolished area that had been the old small shop showroom facility will be a new Triumph dealership while the bikes from other manufacturers will be handled through the larger facility that sells KTM and Yamaha motorbikes.  

My informant at Watchara Marine then showed me his retail price list for the new Triumph line.  I can get the excellent Triumph Street twin Bonneville for 390,000 baht.  I've been thinking of either selling my Yamaha SR400 or trading it in for this Bonneville which has garnered excellent reviews everywhere.  And I might still do it.  The fly in the ointment is my Yamaha Nmax 155 is such a fantastic bike for the Pattaya area that I think I won't be driving even a stellar bike such as the new Triumph Street twin much.  

Yamaha Nmax 155.  In my opinion the best for a city area such as Pattaya bar none.  At any price.  The Yamaha Xmax 300 isn't even here yet.  But it's about twice the price of the Nmax.  And from what we have heard, its brakes are good but not up to what the Nmax has.  The Aerox is undoubtedly a great bike.  Has the same engine as the Yamaha Nmax.  But its brakes are not quite up to what the Nmax has.  With just 4.6 liters of fuel on board vs 6.6 for the Nmax the Nmax will have 50 % more range.  And for most of us, it's not nearly as comfortable as the Yamaha Nmax 155.  THe handling of the Nmax is simply out of this world.  It is truly loads of fun to go around corners fast.  

Thought about getting a new Triumph 900 Street Twin for 390,000 baht when it's available through Watchara Marine.  Could sell or trade my beautiful Yamaha SR 400.  Which is a great bike for this neck of the woods.  My Nmax 155 is almost as fast.  And as good as the 400 is I can drive the Nmax faster across town.  For one thing its brakes are stupendous. 

 Example in point.  Say I've got around six cars ahead of me and they are just dawdling along.  Going say up to 70 kph I can pass them very quickly.  That's flying on these city streets.  Now suppose a motorbike or car suddenly appears in the right lane and it's heading right at me?  I got the brakes to get me slowed down RIGHT  NOW.  And with those 13 inch wheels and suspension, I can squeeze right in there, between cars or motorcycles because 1.  at 280 pounds the Nmax is small enough to fit in and 2.  it has the immediate response to do exactly what I ask it to do.  

Bottom line is, the Nmax is my go to motorbike.  So as much as I love the idea of a Triumph, it would probably capture as much dust as my SR400 does.  

I don't think anything else is going to give me the confidence to pull off stunts like this.  Bottom line is the Nmax is very fast for the kind of conditions I must encounter.  Its comfortable, easy to drive and it only costs 80000 baht.  If I bought the XMAX 300, I'm upping my motorbike's weight by more than 100 pounds.  Great for the interstate but not so good for this city's streets.  The Nmax is absolutely terrific for the kind of conditions most of us are driving in.  And it's just about as safe a machine as one can get.  
 

Speaking of the Nmax.  Yes.  It has fantastic brakes.  Also lately been doing more two up riding and not just with my gf.  For example.  I had my gf on it and a friend who weighs more than 200 pounds so it was 3 up and the bike felt very stable considering.  Then today, had another friend on it with me.  Normally he rents PCX's.  Handled very nicely with good pickup.  And we went about 12 kilometers 2 up.  Rory weighing over 180 pounds and myself at around 170.

 Then I discussed the two up riding with another good friend who recently got an Nmax 155 and then sent his 150 PCX upcountry for family use.  Richard's take on the Nmax is it is rough riding compared to some other bikes such as the PCX.  (while the upcoming Xmax should have a really cushy ride).   This is due to the firmer suspension of the Nmax which makes it have a harsher ride.  However, he did comment that it is much better than the PCX 150 for taking on heavier loads such as I've been undertaking lately.  Richard is thinking of getting an Xmax when it is available.  But we both agree that the Nmax is a fantastic bike.  

1 hour ago, ktm jeff said:

HI jack corbett. Do you mean the Yamaha has 1.5 BHP more than the Honda , or 1.5 "times" ( 50 % ) more power ? . Thanks.

About 1.5 more horsepower which amounts to roughly a 10 % increase in power.  The displacement of these two engines is about equal.  But I do believe the PCX has just two valves whereas the Nmax has four.  The Nmax also has variable valve timing.  This amounts to the engine not working very hard at low revs to maximize fuel economy.  But when you really jump on the throttle of the Nmax the valves stay open longer allowing more efficient combustion of the fuel.  So with the Nmax you get a lot of the same kind of high performance benefits of a racing cam.   The process is explained here.

The result is the Yamaha Nmax engine has a lot of high tech performance built into it that lesser motorbikes do not have.   You will especially notice the difference when you take the two bikes on the highway.  Get an Nmax up to say 110 kph and hold the throttle open.  The engine keeps giving and giving whereas the PCX is just about done.  

And by the way, those 13 inch wheels offer much more stability than one would expect.  I had my Nmax up to 90 kph on Sukamvit today and it felt just about as stable as it felt when I was doing 40.  Factor in the very superior brakes and you end up with an incredibly capable machine that does just about everything very well.  

1 hour ago, KC 71 said:

Ithem wheels look too small - out of proportion with the bike- but each to their own- as long as you as the purchaser are happy- thats all that counts- i will stick with my pcx- after my previous Nuevo !

They do look small.  But the proof of the pudding is to actually get on and drive.  I've had mine up to 120 kph (75 miles an hour) and I felt it was more stable than my girlfriend's Honda 150 PCX at 115 (which is all it will do).  My girlfriend's PCX 150 is in my favorite color (PCX red).  I can drive it anytime I want, but I haven't in over three weeks.  I feel sorry for it.  It's an excellent bike, but I view it as the ugly sister no one wants to ride.  The Nmax is simply that good.  

A good friend of mine bought an Nmax right after I bought mine.  He loves it so much that he sent his PCX150 upcountry to be used by the family of his GF.  But--last week he told me he felt his bike had a little vibration problem so we swapped bikes to see if there was a difference. He felt my bike was much smoother.  Still, he does not find the vibration to be all that annoying--it's just something he's noticed.  

I feel my Nmax is a bit rough at extremely low parking lot speeds, especially when I compare it to my gf's PcX 150.  But it's no big deal.  Overall my Nmax 155 is simply out of this world.  In my opinion it is far in front of everything else as the absolute finest all around bike one can have for the Pattaya area AT ANY PRICE.  My gf's PCX 150 is a nice machine, but my Yamaha Nmax is a Porsche sports car in comparison.  

In my opinion it's been totally engineered from the ground up to take advantage of its 13 inch wheels.  As everyone knows here I am not a fan of smaller wheels.  I love those 18 inch wheels on my Yamaha SR400.  But the Nmax is a different breed of cat.  I believe Yamaha paid extremely close attention to detail and balanced this machine just right for the smaller wheels.  The struts are just right that strengthen the chassis.  Then there's the superlative brakes.  Disks on both front and rear with anti lock.  (which is unprecedented for an 80,000 baht "scooter type machine"  (it's an underbone , not a scooter per se)  So the smaller diameter wheels are able to initiate a turn very quickly.  And the driver knows he's got fabulous brakes so he tends to be braver going through turns.   The bike is extremely responsive and agile with loads of usable power on tap.  So the driver simply tends to go faster in all conditions.

I drove my friend's Aerox which he loves (of course).  It's got massive (for a 150 c.c. underbone bike) front and rear 14 inch tires that make the Nmax's tires look rather small by comparison. Compared to my Nmax the bike seems more planted.  You can feel those heavier wheels at work, which is the way things should be.  But the Nmax really wants to dart from side to side and turn turn turn while still being very stable.  And, unlike the Honda Click I test drove a couple of years ago and put my results on You Tube, the Nmax with its 13 inch wheels is MUCH MUCH more stable at 100 kph and above.  The (Click has 14 inch wheels but its tires are narrower).  

In my opinion the  best bikes for Pattaya and the immediate surrounding area are the Honda PCX 150 and the Yamaha NMax 155.  Although I've seen a lot of good reports here about the Yamaha Aerox 155, its riding position is not equal to the NMax's.  Only a few months ago, I bought my girlfriend a new PCX 150 and she loves it.  Needless to say, I can drive it anytime I want, but I don't.  

The reason is my new Yamaha Nmax 155 is so much more fun to drive. And safer due to its anti lock brakes and disks on both the front and rear.  Also, a good friend of mine who is a follow condo co-owner in my building used to love his Honda PCX 150.  Then he bought a Yamaha Nmax 155.  I got the word from him yesterday that he sent his PCX 150 up to Issan for his brother in law to use.  So here you have it.  The PCX 150 is an excellent bike for all around use, but the Nmax 155 is simply spectacular.  

Absolutely.  I just came back from Washara Marine having the oil changed on my Nmax 155 and while they were doing it, I went to the main showroom, looked at the big bikes, and also talked to a young salesman.  He owns the Grand Filano.   It will only do 100 kph, if that, which is what I heard from other sources.  He is hoping for the Yamaha 300 X Max to become available in Thailand but he is now thinking, November, not April.  The reason is he can tour Thailand, driving to Koh Chang for example.  I'd much rather drive to Koh Chang in my Honda Civic than any bike.  But this trip is much more doable with the PCX 150 than a Grand Filano, and it's even more doable with the new Yamaha Nmax 155 although if you gotta do it on a bike, it's better to have at least a 300.  But anything short of this long a trip, the PCX 150 can do it all, while the Nmax 155 can do it all even better than the Honda PCX 150.  Even with those (fat) 13 inch tires, the Nmax is even more stable on the highway than the PCX 150, it has the best brakes in the business compared to anything anywhere near this price range (80000 baht), and it has a more powerful engine due to the variable valve timing and four valve head to the PCX's 2 valves.  It also has a lower center of gravity and much more responsive steering.  But at least the PCX and the Nmax are close while the Grand Filano is entirely out of this league entirely.

17 minutes ago, Happy Grumpy said:

Well, I put alphapro Jackcorbett into google.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=alphapro&oq=alphapro&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=alphapro+jackcorbett&*

 

And all I see is his guides to strip clubs.

I didn't mean to send you to all those places I used to hang out in.  I have my own private google setup on my web site.  So if you were to go to my alphapro main page or many other pages on the site  there is a search engine box at the bottom.  YOu can use it and type in Yamaha Nmax 155 or you can go to the main Google search engine (outside my site) and type in "Honda PCX 150" or "Yamaha Nmax 155"  In both later cases I should be in the top 10 of Google.

5 hours ago, Happy Grumpy said:

How's the acceleration compared to other scooters? 

If you can find my in depth review on my alphapro web site, I have compiled stopwatched acceleration times for the PCX 150, the Nmax 155, the Honda Click 125, the Yamaha SX 125, the Yamaha Nouvo Elegance 135, etc from 0-50 kph and 0-80 kph.  The Aerox uses the same engine as the Nmax 155.  But it weighs slightly less.  This means you can compare the Nmax times on my web site to all these other bikes, and then figure the Aerox will do a tad better.  

`Look up on Google "Jack Corbett Yamaha Nmax 155"    I have done an extensive review of the PCX 150 vs my new Nmax 155.  Done some top speeds on both bikes and stopwatched times from 0 to 50 kph and 0-80 kph.  I bought a Honda PCX 150 for my gf and later got myself an Nmax 155.  I prefer the Nmax although the PCX has its advantages.  But if its performance you are after, the Nmax is definitely the top dog.

One thing I do want to mention against the Honda Forza and similar machines is this.  THey would be much more difficult to pick up and muscle around than an Nmax or PCX 150.  Three times now I've gone down to the MAX Muay Thai stadium to video the fights.  It's nearly impossible to park right in front of the stadium--it's that crowded with bikes.  First two times I was able to wrestle my Nmax over a curb and up on a small concrete slab.  Even so it was a tight squeeze between the other bikes.  The third time I had to park across the street in an area filled deep with sand.  The Nmax was just small enough and light enough that I could pull the bike through the sand, muscle it above curbs, and squeeze it between  rows of tightly parked bikes.  I do not think I could have managed this with a Forza or Sym 300, Sym 400, etc.  Also, the last time I took my gf along.  Another condo owner took his gf along but they used motorbike taxis.  Without half trying we beat the other couple to the restaurant even though the motorbike taxi driver likely knew all the short cuts.  This Nmax has a combination of features in a relatively small light machine, and it is very fast. 

I can assure everyone that the NMax is a terrific machine in heavy traffic.  My Yamaha Nouvo Elegance was the same width of the Nouvo SX, and now that I'm used to the NMax subjectively it is every bit as good at getting through the tight spots.  It's also very good at highway speeds.  Plus it has a lot better acceleration and far superior brakes so when you factor these two attributes in it's even better than an Elegance or Nouvo SX in city traffic.  And as far as the Aerox is concerned I sat on both at the dealership and the Nmax has better seating position for me.  And, it's got  better  brakes than the Aerox. That much larger fuel capacity is a very huge deal for me.   Having the best brakes could be the difference between life and death.  So based on this criterion alone it's superior to its stable mate.  

Just now, Kwasaki said:

Maybe yours needs a tune up and a good service. 

The Yam R3 @ 9,000 rpm is backed up by 41.4 horsepower and at 10,750 rpm with a possible top speed of around 112 mph.

You are not paying close enough attention to what I  wrote.  Note that my reference to the R3 is enclosed in parentheses ( ).  My reference is  to my SR 400 being said by some to be capable of 90 miles per hour.  I only referred to the Yamaha R3 as having more than 40 h.p. was to dramatize the difference between what amounts to a de-tuned 400 c.c. engine and a significantly lower displacement engine that produces nearly twice the horsepower.  I personally think the R3 represents a lot of performance for the dollar and would be loads of fun to drive.  But here you are suggesting that the R3 has a possible top speed of around 112 mph.  Well, perhaps.  But I once had a 1981 BMW R-65 horizontal twin.  It only weighed 408 pounds, was a 650 and it had 50 horsepower.  The top speed on it was about 105 mph.  And as I pointed out my Honda 450 produced 45 h.p. which is slightly more than the R-3, and I'd say about 100 mph was about it.  Now...if I weighed only 45 kg instead of the 75 I actually weight and I laid absolutely flat on the tank, and I removed the tach and the speedometer on such bikes, well maybe these inflated claims can be substantiated.  The only thing is in the real world one does not lie absolutely horizontal to the tank, etc. etc.