+ Click to Enlarge SCOOTER A LA MODE: A case of distinctly European styling allied to a robust Japanese motor. Pictures: DAVE ABRAHAMS

April 18, 2002
By Dave Abrahams

If you think the Yamaha Nitro 100 looks like no other Japanese scooter you’ve ever seen, you’re right. Apart from its motor it's almost entirely European: the suspension, wheels and brakes are Italian and the bike is assembled at the MBK plant in the French midlands – which is also responsible for the tubular steel frame and plastic body panels.

Is this the first “world bike”?

No, just a successful hybrid. Small European companies have been putting strong, reliable Japanese motors into stylish, fine-handling chassis for many years but they're usually expensive, exclusive sport bikes (Harris, Bimota). This is the first attempt to marry reliable Oriental power with French styling flair in a budget scooter that IOL has checked out. Mostly, it works.

The motor is Yamaha’s familiar 101cc, fan-cooled, two-stroke single. It’s fed by a 16mm Teikei slide carburettor tuned in this application for 5.5kW at a leisurely 6800rpm. Torque is 8.8Nm at 4500 revs.

The centrifugal clutch takes up early and there’s enough grunt to pull the Nitro quite smartly up to its maximum velocity of around 105km/h, depending on the prevailing wind.

Unusually for a single-speeder, the Nitro has a rev counter and it confirms that, if you crack the throttle wide open, the revs shoot straight up to just above the torque peak and stay there until road speed catches up at 70km/h. After that the revs rise more slowly to 8100, at which point the motor is way past its power peak and rapidly losing interest.

MBK doesn’t say whether the tail can houses a catalyser. Given that it never gets as hot as most cat-crackers, I don’t think so. Nevertheless, it smokes very little when cold and burns absolutely clear when up to temperature. Modern ash-free two-stroke oils make it safe to run mixtures lean enough to have wrecked the old pre-mix motors in short order.

The downside is that the motor refuses to start from cold without the choke then idles unreliably for a minute or two. It’s also one of the few single-speeders that can be made to stall, although only when it’s cold and even then it takes practice. Half a kilometre on the choke and a firm hand on the twist-grip will soon have you buzzing off to work – or wherever else you go at the crack of dawn.

Yamaha has provided a kick-starter on the left side of the transmission case. I tried it once just to prove that it works but the Nitro started every time on the button, despite the minuscule dimensions of the 12V 3Ah battery.

MBK calls the U-shaped tubular chassis an “underbone” – descriptive, if ungrammatical. The centre section of the footwell is considerably higher than usual because the battery and oil tank are between the rider’s feet. This makes it a bit harder to climb aboard but offers the manufacturer a golden opportunity to stiffen the chassis at its weakest point.

Unfortunately, the designers dropped the ball. The bike flexes noticeably under heavy braking despite the extra depth in the centre of the frame and occasionally picks up a weave on fast corners (read: flat out) which I’m sure is caused by the less-than-rigid chassis.

The Nitro is the lightest bike in its class at 87.5kg dry but a few extra kilos carefully applied would have yielded worthwhile gains in chassis integrity.

That said, around town the bike is remarkably stable, with steering as quick as a scooter’s should be. It will hold its line within the limits of the frame and it’s one of few scooters that can be ridden at highway speeds with one hand.

The shortcomings of the chassis are only revealed by the stresses imposed by the better-than-average suspension and, particularly, brakes.

The springs at both ends are by Paioli and, in European fashion, this designer label is proudly on display; Japanese manufacturers are often a little coy about exposing the sources of their components, maybe because “Nippon Gakkei” just doesn’t have the same ring.

Decent front brake

Snob value aside, the suspension is distinctly firmer than I’m used to on mini-wheelers. A lot of road shocks come through to the rider’s hands and on poor surfaces the Nitro can become a pain in the proverbial. Still, you always know exactly where the wheels are and you can brake to the limit of the tyres without excessive front-end dive.

The Nitro is one of the few scooters IOL has reviewed that has a decent front brake; due to their rearward weight bias and the perception by the manufacturers that most autobikes will be ridden by (at best) semi-skilled riders has led them to fit front brakes without much bite, relying on the rear – often a relatively primitive single leading-shoe drum – to do most of the work.

Brembo’s position as the world’s foremost supplier of brakes for performance machinery (Ferrari, Porsche, Ducati…) wouldn’t let them do that and the Nitro boasts a 190mm front disc with a twin-pot opposed calliper that has bite to spare. Grab a handful and the little Yamaha will stop hard enough to have both 13” Pirellis squeaking.

The handlebars move away from you disconcertingly as the braking forces are transferred directly to the frame – but the bike holds its line and you get used to the frame flex.

The Nitro’s bodywork is a little narrower and deeper than most Oriental offerings, much like Gilera’s aptly named Runner. It’s an odd mixture of gentle curves and austere straight lines and finished in a classy metallic blue with a textured black plastic finish on the lining of the footwell and the sections below the floor.

Side elevation is fussy

The leg shield curves round at shin height (mostly, it seems, to give them somewhere to put the graphics), making the bike look like a high-tech running shoe and there’s an angular grey plastic moulding below the saddle meant to look like an alloy frame member.

It succeeds only in making the side view of the bike look unnecessarily fragmented.

It’s a very pretty little scoot but the side elevation is a little fussy. It seems to have too many design elements in a small space. Can’t fault it on practicality, though; the underseat storage will hold a full-face helmet and the moulded foam rubber has built-in grab handles. It’s also stiff enough to double as a carrier that won’t scratch your designer briefcase.

Seat height is a little tall at 828mm but on the move the position is comfortable –though you’ll find yourself hunched over the instruments on freeways, as always with mini-wheelers. Despite the ultra short 1259mm wheelbase there’s enough space in the footwell for even my size 10s, not the case on some considerably larger scooters.

Incorporated into the rear seat is a beautiful aircraft-style filler cap; access to the two-stroke oil tank is through a little hatch under the nose of the saddle, all opened by the ignition key.

Tradition has been well served in the instrumentation, however; a neat double binnacle houses three analogue needles in two round dials. On the left the rev counter (unusual on a scooter) dominates the larger face with the accurate fuel gauge neatly inset.

Strong streak

Odometer and speedo take up the smaller face, with three warning lights set below. It’s a neat and surprisingly compact installation, as is the typically French switchgear that is chunky and very positive in operation, more practical than some cute little Italian offerings.

And that’s what the Yamaha Nitro 100 is all about; the French flair for design has always included a strong streak of practicality. Despite its less than solid frame, the Nitro is intended to be ridden everywhere, in all weathers, and to look smart while doing it.

Price: R17 975.00.

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Test bike from Magson Marine Yamaha, Cape Town.

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