Maximizing the Yamaha NMax Turbo's Y-Shift Between Merapi–Merbabu

KatadataOTO – PT Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing once again held its annual Editor on Wheel event (November 26–27, 2025), involving several editors from national automotive media, including KatadataOTO. This time, the journey took the route from Yogyakarta to Semarang via Kopeng–Salatiga.

"We chose the NMAX "TURBO" as the main vehicle for the Editors because it has many features that support touring performance and comfort, such as YECVT, a navigation system, a relaxed leg position, and a performance damper on the TechMAX variant which improves handling quality," explained Rifky Maulana, PR Public Relation, YRA & Community Manager of PT YIMM.

The Yamaha NMax Turbo was once again used for a relaxed tour, but it traversed a route with quite interesting terrain and rainy weather for almost the entire journey on the first day to Salatiga. And here, KatadataOTO felt it was the perfect time to maximize the use of the YECVT (Yamaha Electric Continuous Variable Transmission) system on this motorcycle.

For your information, this system no longer uses mechanical rollers like in a typical CVT system. An electric motor (ECVT motor) drives the primary sheave back and forth, controlled by a Transmission Control Unit (TCU), meaning the transmission ratio changes automatically depending on the throttle opening and road conditions.

Photo: Courtesy

The rider can intervene with this system's operation through the Y-Shift feature. It allows for manually selecting 3 acceleration levels to suit riding needs and feel, specifically for changing the deceleration or engine braking level, for quick acceleration, and for maintaining speed to assist with braking.

This system also has 2 riding mode options: T-Mode for daily use or S-Mode for a sportier performance or a more aggressive throttle response.

The route from Kaliurang to Kopeng, with rainy and foggy weather, was the first part of the journey. The long uphills and downhills and wet roads became an opportunity to fully utilize the Y-Shift feature.

Almost every time entering a corner and then climbing, KatadataOTO used the engine brake manually by downshifting 2 to 3 acceleration levels (as needed). On the wet roads, we tried to reduce the workload of the ABS braking system by using engine braking to maintain engine revs so that the momentum to get through the uphill sections could be achieved with maximum engine power.

Photo: KatadataOTO

The same was true when going through long downhill sections. Engine braking could be applied manually as needed, thus systematically supporting the braking performance.

Honestly, KatadataOTO found a unique pleasure in maximizing the Y-Shift during the journey. Because besides making the ride easier, the roaring sound of the engine during engine braking brought its own enjoyment.