Smoothest Scooter in Your Experience

[juanzo]

Hey Gang,

 

I'm getting pretty tired of getting bounced around on my Yamaha Nmax here in Chiang Mai.

 

I'm curios about the honda ADV 150, but wonder if i want real comfort I'm gonna have to step up to something like a Forza or the new yamaha Xmax 300.

 

And direct advice you could give me?

 

Many Thanks!

[Kwasaki]

My 14 year old Honda Airblade with the correct tyre pressure is excellent.

[VocalNeal]

7 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

with the correct tyre pressure

What he said.

[darksidedog]

Yamaha Aerox is by far the nicest and smoothest bike I have ridden and I have had a few. Correct tyre pressure is a given, though very few places ever give you that. Normally over inflate you to the point of being like tyres of concrete because they don't understand the importance for handling, braking and shock absorption this has. Most bikes are actually pretty OK if you get that right. If your ride is rough and the roads are halfway OK, tyre pressure often fixes that. I do like my aerox though. Its ABS brakes are nice on dusty roads too.

[Issanman]

I bought an NMax and was perfectly happy with it. Then I bought an XMax, and it is nothing like the NMax. The XMax is much smoother and much faster. But the NMax is perfect for a run to the 7-11 or local small city driving. The XMax can do that, plus has the power to stay away from idiots on the highway.

 

I still have and still like both bikes, but the XMax is way ahead of the NMax in every way.

Do yourself a favor and go rent one and see for yourself before you buy something else.

[DaRoadrunner]

2 hours ago, juanzo said:

I'm getting pretty tired of getting bounced around on my Yamaha Nmax

If it is getting old, what condition are the shock absorbers in?

[tlandtday]

3 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

My 14 year old Honda Airblade with the correct tyre pressure is excellent.

Ariblades are great bikes and its a shame the new airblade 150 is not available in Thailand mainly because it will take away from the overpriced PCX.  The new 150 adv here is very close to being an airblade with a larger motor and bigger tires.  

 

However the nmax is a good bike and i would recommend upgrading the rear shocks.

[shdmn]

Wider tires with lots of rubber make a big difference.  Not only for ride comfort but for grip and safety, at least on dry roads.  Whatever you do don't get those thin tires that some people seem to like because I guess they think it looks cool. 

Edited June 13, 2020 by shdmn

[tlandtday]

25 minutes ago, shdmn said:

Wider tires with lots of rubber make a big difference.  Not only for ride comfort but for grip and safety, at least on dry roads.  Whatever you do don't get those thin tires that some people seem to like because I guess they think it looks cool. 

Thin tires are not the answer but to be honest the adv and the aerox are using wide tires for aesthetics more than safety.  I think both these bike may be subject to hydroplaning in wet weather due to their light weight dispersion.  The correct tire for handling, performance and safety in reality would be certainly smaller.

[Agusts]

Not sure what you mean by "getting bounced around"..., if it's very fine vibration on good paved road, then lower the tyre pressure as mentioned, even less than recommended psi, a little lower is okay and you see the difference right away...,  if off road then no scooter will be smooth, well, relatively to proper off road bikes...

 

If falling into small holes and bad road surface is the problem,  a little better shocks helps, but my experience is the biggest difference is rim sizes, bigger the better, an R16 is far better than R14, I immediately notice that when I change bikes. So try finding a scooter with bigger rims... (of course it's rim plus tyre vertical thickness added - the total diameter ).

[OneMoreFarang]

Make sure the suspension is setup for you and the road conditions.

[Henryford]

I thought my NMAX was one of the smoothest bikes i have owned.

[Issanman]

52 minutes ago, Henryford said:

I thought my NMAX was one of the smoothest bikes i have owned.

Go rent an XMax. You will be amazed at the difference.

[juanzo]

13 hours ago, DaRoadrunner said:

If it is getting old, what condition are the shock absorbers in?

I just upgraded to yss shocks and forks and it hasn't made a bit of difference.

[juanzo]

11 hours ago, Agusts said:

Not sure what you mean by "getting bounced around"..., if it's very fine vibration on good paved road, then lower the tyre pressure as mentioned, even less than recommended psi, a little lower is okay and you see the difference right away...,  if off road then no scooter will be smooth, well, relatively to proper off road bikes...

 

If falling into small holes and bad road surface is the problem,  a little better shocks helps, but my experience is the biggest difference is rim sizes, bigger the better, an R16 is far better than R14, I immediately notice that when I change bikes. So try finding a scooter with bigger rims... (of course it's rim plus tyre vertical thickness added - the total diameter ).

Thank you very much for the detailed response.

[juanzo]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Forza...

[VocalNeal]

If you want one buy one. 

[scubascuba3]

8 hours ago, Issanman said:

Go rent an XMax. You will be amazed at the difference.

Yeah i thought my BMW F800GS was smooth until i tried a F1200GS, like riding a lazy boy chair

[pineapple01]

Any one flatted by an 18 Wheeler.

[soi3eddie]

I've got the Honda ADV150 and am currently doing a tour of Southern Thailand down Gulf of Thailand coast and then across to Andaman Sea coast and up again finishing in BKK. Currently in Hat Yai and dodging the rain showers. 

So far the bike has been great on tarmac, concrete and dirt roads. It's fine for 4 hours riding a day but not what one would call comfortable. It's a firmer ride but it does handle and hold the road extremely well - no scares so far (except for a few dog chases). 

[scubascuba3]

26 minutes ago, pineapple01 said:

Any one flatted by an 18 Wheeler.

Possible but extremely unlikely. Being scared of your own shadow isn't living

[AllanB]

My stepson bought an Nmax 155 thinking it would be a step up from the Filano (new model) we bought a few years back, not so. It is pretty uncomfortable and the engine doesn't sound as smooth. I have riden a few bikes and scooters and nothing comes close to the B51,000 Filano. We did the Mae Hong Song Loop 2 up with luggage, easy peasy and real comforatble. Bought (and modified it to actally fit) a Lazada screen and a few stickers to make it look a bit better, but it is pretty much a faultless, easy to ride comfortable scoot. around 120mpg (imperial).

 

Downside.... they are everywhere and need a bit of cooling up.

 

Oh I forgot my mate has a Forza, couple of years old......REALLY dreadful.

Edited June 23, 2020 by AllanB

[Agusts]

Forza = dreadful,  not sure what you mean, is that comparing to Filano...!? 

 

And how fast can you go on a highway or up the hill with a Filano with two up and luggage - give us a shout if you need a push... lol

 

There is a saying, if you can't keep up with traffic on a bike, you will be run over by traffic...! I had a Suzuki 125cc for two years, every time looking at my mirror at incoming fast traffic, I would think my time is up, now looking at mirror on Forza I see almost all traffic disappear....

 

Filano a great bike in the city, but it's probably dreadful on the road comparing to a Forza.