Yamaha Nouvo Modifications

[Orangutan]

Hello,

I am starting this discussion hoping that a TV member who posted his Nouvo modifications will return and post his list of mods he made to his Nouvo. I and others were very interested in what he did to his Nouvo. The OP requested his post be pulled because of some members "flaming and bickering". The remarks were cheap shots and uncalled for. If you are not interested in this subject then there is no reason to participate with your unwelcomed innuendos.

I am quiet interested in knowing the model and size of Dunlop TT front and rear tires he used, and what effect they have on handling. Also what is the brand of both the front and rear shocks? Additionally was the front Brembo big brake upgrade done to accommodate the bigger size tire?

Any recommendations and suggestions are appreciated.

If the OP wants to PM me, please do.

Go kindly,

-O

[VocalNeal]

OT

Whats the diff. between a Mio and a Nuovo? I found a 300cc Mio. Interesting.

[LivinLOS]

OT

Whats the diff. between a Mio and a Nuovo? I found a 300cc Mio. Interesting.

The mio and fino share the same basic structure.. Can share parts etc.

The Nuovo MX has the same bore and stroke but a couple of PS / HP more out of the engine, but all very similar design.

[Seeker1953]

I just bought a Yamaha Nuovo Elegance two days ago and I'd really like to read more about this, espcially about the shocks.

So I'm hopeful the original poster will re-post and others will add their 2 baht worth too.

seeker

[Surfing Spleen]

I changed the stock shocks on my 09 Elegance to Yamaha's OEM upgraded gas shocks and the ride is better. I don't know the specifics but they have a black "S" on them. There is also an aftermarket carbon fiber exhaust available which I may give a try.

[ttakata]

Yeah, that's sad. I would have liked to have known about these mods too.

Has anyone replaced their tires on their Nouvo Elegance yet?

I've read the stock tires are junk and rode carefully in the wet, but I recently crashed taking a 20KMH turn on a clean although slick patch of dry pavement.

I was probably only going 10KMH when I hit the ground so I only got some road rash, a sore shoulder and a helmet I have to throw in the trash.

I had proper tire pressure too; so for the record, the stock tires are crap.

After checking the Pirelli, Dunlop, Continental, and Bridgestone websites, I see nothing nice in our 70/90-16 and 80/90-16 tire sizes.

I want to get max performance all season tires.

Anyone know of some tire brands or dealers in BKK?

[Orangutan]

I also looked on the Dunlop Tire website to try and look for an alternative to the stock tires that come on the Nouvo. The fitman Guide on the site does not show the NE model so there are no recommendations. I remember the OP from the deleted thread saying he had upgraded to a bigger size front and rear Dunlop TT tire but could not find it.

BTW I am very careful on wet roads as my front and rear tires have broke free in turns. Luckily the two times this happened I was going slow and was able to recover before loosing control.

-O

[FlakeyFoont]

I and others were very interested in what he did to his Nouvo. The OP requested his post be pulled because of some members "flaming and bickering".

Agreed. Whats wrong with you flamers who can't just ignore a post you don't agree with?

[jackcorbett]

I also looked on the Dunlop Tire website to try and look for an alternative to the stock tires that come on the Nouvo. The fitman Guide on the site does not show the NE model so there are no recommendations. I remember the OP from the deleted thread saying he had upgraded to a bigger size front and rear Dunlop TT tire but could not find it.

BTW I am very careful on wet roads as my front and rear tires have broke free in turns. Luckily the two times this happened I was going slow and was able to recover before loosing control.

-O

I just had a slight accident too and am wondering if the original tires might be a factor or not.

So yes, I am interested in better tires. Also, most Nouvo Elegances come standard with 16 inch 70's in the front and 16b inch 80's in the rear. Anyone upgraded in size to 80's in the front and 90's in the back to get a little more rubber on the ground, and if so what have you noticed in improved ride if any, as well as differences in handling, and fuel economy, acceleration and top speed? With more rolling resistance from the fatter tires I'd think the bike would be a bit slower and possibly use up to 5 % more fuel but all this is conjecture.

[katabeachbum]

I also looked on the Dunlop Tire website to try and look for an alternative to the stock tires that come on the Nouvo. The fitman Guide on the site does not show the NE model so there are no recommendations. I remember the OP from the deleted thread saying he had upgraded to a bigger size front and rear Dunlop TT tire but could not find it.

BTW I am very careful on wet roads as my front and rear tires have broke free in turns. Luckily the two times this happened I was going slow and was able to recover before loosing control.

-O

I just had a slight accident too and am wondering if the original tires might be a factor or not.

So yes, I am interested in better tires. Also, most Nouvo Elegances come standard with 16 inch 70's in the front and 16b inch 80's in the rear. Anyone upgraded in size to 80's in the front and 90's in the back to get a little more rubber on the ground, and if so what have you noticed in improved ride if any, as well as differences in handling, and fuel economy, acceleration and top speed? With more rolling resistance from the fatter tires I'd think the bike would be a bit slower and possibly use up to 5 % more fuel but all this is conjecture.

I find the tyres with tubes on spoke wheels absolutely crap (bike purchased april 2008), but the tubeless on mags (bikes purchased september 2008) are fine for a 80 kmh scooter. Both much better than Airblade PGM Fi tyres (bike purchased august 2009).

[Orangutan]

Thanks to withnai in the post "Scooter Customization In Bangkok" for the links on bike modification shops. The first link is a good one to explore. The tires I was wondering about for my Nouvo Elegance are the Dunlop tt 900's. Also a great source for Nouvo mods is the Nouvo forum that you can get to from the first link..the form has some amazing photos of NE's.

This was the information I was looking for.

-O

Edited January 3, 2010 by Orangutan

[withnail]

I used that shop a lot when I was driving my old Fino. The wheels I bought from them were definitely the best mod I did on it. They're nice guys and know what they're doing too.

[GungaDin]

What tyres are you guys running on now? Mag wheels!

Did you change rubber?

cheers

Edited January 31, 2010 by GungaDin

[ttakata]

So I checked out the Central Siam bike show last week and saw a Dunlop tire booth.

I asked if he had tires for our Nouvo Elegance and yes he did, but at his shop.

He's in Chinatown, about a KM or 2 West of the Hua Lamphong MRT station.

The English address is 282 Thanon Maitri Chit.

As you can see on the map, his store is about 100 meters from the west side of the rotary and its on the south side of the street.

There's a guy named Boy that speaks English.

As mentioned before, I crashed on a slick piece of pavement.

I was leaning into a slow turn and the front tire slipped out and I went down.

If I had a bigger tire contact patch maybe this could have been avoided.

So I like the concept of more rubber (bigger tires) on the road even if it slows the bike down with more rotational mass and worsens fuel economy.

At least they'll make the ride smoother.

So Boy mentioned there are 3 tires available that fit our wheels but keep in mind no one makes the stock front tire size.

The stock rear size is 80/90-16 and he had a Dunlop TT900 available for 750BHT.

I decided to put this tire on the front rim only.

Since the front and rear wheels seem to have the same rim width it is safe to run this tire on both wheels for the cheapest option. 

I then opted to get an even bigger rear tire, but Dunlop doesn't make one.

So I got an IRC model SS-530F size 100/80-16 for 1200BHT.

You can see how much bigger this tire is in the picture.

Boy mentioned that Bridgestone makes a Battlax tire for this bike but it is around 2000BHT for one tire.

I used to have Bridgestone Battlax BT016 tires on my MV Agusta and they were great tires but this is a freakin scooter so I went the cheaper route.

The rubber compound on the Dunlop and IRC (Japanese brand) was noticeably tacky like the BT016s I had.

It took 30 minutes to have my tires swapped and they didn't charge me for install.

They weren't balanced but neither were the stock tires.

If you have an old bike, you should get the valvestems replaced too, but I skipped this since my bike only has 1500KM on the odo.

As the pic shows the tires have a similar diameter on the bike.

You can see how much the front fender gap has been filled by the new Dunlop.

Sadly the IRC doesn't have the cool colored letters the Dunlop does.

So for 1950BHT I have some real (sportbike quality) tires that have great grip.

With the much softer compounds and bigger contact patches, I'm confident I reduced my chances of wiping out significantly.

A pretty cheap investment in safety if you ask me.

[GungaDin]

Good post ttataka, you might have saved my arse with that post.

[thaicbr]

John.... Or saved the road if ya arse ever landed on it

Edited February 1, 2010 by thaicbr

[GungaDin]

^^^^ Pot........ Kettle....... Black.

Does my bum look big in these M & S shorts?

----------

Boy mentioned that Bridgestone makes a Battlax tire for this bike but it is around 2000BHT for one tire

Would someone explain to this tyre Dummie what is so special about the Battlax tyre?

Edited February 1, 2010 by GungaDin

[Nicholai]

I changed the stock shocks on my 09 Elegance to Yamaha's OEM upgraded gas shocks and the ride is better. I don't know the specifics but they have a black "S" on them. There is also an aftermarket carbon fiber exhaust available which I may give a try.

Hi, I have Nouvo Elegance too, and I'd like to know does new exhaust improve performance?

and where did you buy one?

If anyone knows a good shop where i can upgrade my Nouvo too, pls reply to my post.

Thank you a lot in advance

[jackcorbett]

So I checked out the Central Siam bike show last week and saw a Dunlop tire booth.

I asked if he had tires for our Nouvo Elegance and yes he did, but at his shop.

He's in Chinatown, about a KM or 2 West of the Hua Lamphong MRT station.

The English address is 282 Thanon Maitri Chit.

As you can see on the map, his store is about 100 meters from the west side of the rotary and its on the south side of the street.

There's a guy named Boy that speaks English.

As mentioned before, I crashed on a slick piece of pavement.

I was leaning into a slow turn and the front tire slipped out and I went down.

If I had a bigger tire contact patch maybe this could have been avoided.

So I like the concept of more rubber (bigger tires) on the road even if it slows the bike down with more rotational mass and worsens fuel economy.

At least they'll make the ride smoother.

So Boy mentioned there are 3 tires available that fit our wheels but keep in mind no one makes the stock front tire size.

The stock rear size is 80/90-16 and he had a Dunlop TT900 available for 750BHT.

I decided to put this tire on the front rim only.

Since the front and rear wheels seem to have the same rim width it is safe to run this tire on both wheels for the cheapest option.

I then opted to get an even bigger rear tire, but Dunlop doesn't make one.

So I got an IRC model SS-530F size 100/80-16 for 1200BHT.

You can see how much bigger this tire is in the picture.

Boy mentioned that Bridgestone makes a Battlax tire for this bike but it is around 2000BHT for one tire.

I used to have Bridgestone Battlax BT016 tires on my MV Agusta and they were great tires but this is a freakin scooter so I went the cheaper route.

The rubber compound on the Dunlop and IRC (Japanese brand) was noticeably tacky like the BT016s I had.

It took 30 minutes to have my tires swapped and they didn't charge me for install.

They weren't balanced but neither were the stock tires.

If you have an old bike, you should get the valvestems replaced too, but I skipped this since my bike only has 1500KM on the odo.

As the pic shows the tires have a similar diameter on the bike.

You can see how much the front fender gap has been filled by the new Dunlop.

Sadly the IRC doesn't have the cool colored letters the Dunlop does.

So for 1950BHT I have some real (sportbike quality) tires that have great grip.

With the much softer compounds and bigger contact patches, I'm confident I reduced my chances of wiping out significantly.

A pretty cheap investment in safety if you ask me.

Let us know what this setup does for your ride and "to" your fuel economy and acceleration/speed. You would by the way get noticeable better fuel economy if you could somehow fit a larger tank into your Nouvo, say the 6.2 liter size the PCXi has which would be up from the Elegance 4.8 liter fuel capacity. I don't think many of us care whether or not we spend a few pennies more for gasoline. But getting a bit more range would be nice.

[GungaDin]

Pssst! Jack, no need to post the whole thingy if you're not quoting from it, try using the <snip> method.

[GungaDin]

Well, my LC 135 arrived this morning..... Woohoo!

It's in the tiled car bike port waiting to be ridden.

I think I'll just perv on it for a few days and RTFM.

Very different to my old 1100 Shafty.

It's like learning to ride all over again.

A note of thanks here to Jusme for going to a lot of trouble to get the Eng-manual .pdf to me, it wasn't easy.

also to Thaicbr for his advice on the paperwork and transfer hurdles.

Last, but not least, Graham & Tai for getting up at 0400 to bring the bike up to KrathumLom today. (without a GPS)

-----------------

-----------------

Can anyone tell me the cost of Mag wheels and what rubber I should try out?

Is there a forum in Malaysia for LC 135 owners? URL?

I need 3 Coolmax skullcaps, nothing on E bay & Paddock's prices are ridiculous for a $10.00 item.

cheers,

johnno

PS, Where can I get stabilisers?

[GungaDin]

Top box ordered.

[CHdiver]

Thought your bike is the one on the left side

[ttakata]

PS, Where can I get stabilisers?

Glad to hear you got the bike, its pretty cool right?

I figure you're kidding, but when I visited Likit Racing on Soi Lat Phrao 48 they built a showbike for one of the Yamaha dealers and it had an Ohlins shaft type steering damper on it.

Being Ohlins, it will be very expensive but they also had other mods like shocks, bigbrakes, and cosmetic stuff.

Their website has little info but they do have lots of hop-ups at their store.

I also see they have a header for this bike now, you could build an exhaust for more power.

http://www.likitracing.com/

FYI, Steering dampers are usually for sportbikes that have steep, twitchy steering geometry.

It's doubtful the Nouvo or any scooter would ever suffer headshake/tankslappers or people would have complained about it.

Unless you're racing, I don't think you need a steering damper on a scooter, but it will sure look cool.

Even though its a scooter, there's nothing wrong with making a bike blingy, so post pics if anyone gets mods.

Edited February 7, 2010 by ttakata

[thaicbr]

TT. Gunga meant the stabilsers that go at the back . the little wheels on arms like the kiddies have so they dont fall off. He aint ridden for a while.

[GungaDin]

I knew you'd understand Plain English.

I'm looking closely at the 3 yearold's bike down the soi....

[crudski]

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.th/Accessory/View.aspx?GroupID=14

[GungaDin]

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.th/Accessory/View.aspx?GroupID=14

No black luggage racks..... BooHoo....

[ttakata]

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.th/Accessory/View.aspx?GroupID=14

No black luggage racks..... BooHoo....

Ah, my bad, we call them "training wheels" in the US.

Anyway, if you want storage, check out http://www.dr-bikebangkok.com/

When I got my Shad 40 storage bin from them, they sold me a black steel rear luggage rack for 600Bht too.

They have a big assortment of bins which are great for locking your helmet in and of course hauling stuff around.

Upon reflection, I should have gotten the 50 size bin since I sometimes bring a jacket on long rides.

You can never have too much storage space.

[GungaDin]

^^^^

TT,

thanks for the link to Dr-Bike.

600bt is a good price!

Does the rack look like this?

How much was the Shad size 50 box?

Oh, here's my "stabilisers".

BTW, Panda will post via EMS, Xena disc Alarms.

Send an email with your address, and pay at your nearest ATM.

Great service, if like me, you don't like going into madhouse BKK.