I booked my bike on 5th May and received it on 22nd May. I will try to give a unbiased review of the bike and I will go through each and every major part of the bike.
Design:
Yamaha YBR 125 is a pretty bike with plastic shrouds around its fuel tank. It gives people the impression of a higher cc engine bike yet it is 125. It comes in three colours which are red, blue and dark grey and mine is in blue. Photos don't do it justice, blue looks quite striking in person.
Engine:
Yamaha ybr has a 124cc SOHC single cylinder engine. The engine pumps around 11 bhp. The international version has EFI but our bike has a diaphragm carburetor to reduce the cost and as our local mechanics have got no experience dealing in EFI engine, it would have been a disaster with local mechanics and they would have deemed this bike a failure. It has good acceleration and I will update the post with top speed after the break in period. The best thing about this engine is that it also contains an engine balancer which reduces the engine's vibration a lot.
Engine sound:
The bike is surprisingly muted. In low rpm the sound is even lower than normal 70cc bikes however when you rev it up you will find that it makes roaring noises. The db noise canceller in the Exhaust is keeping it from showing its true sound. I like its muted sound for a smooth comfortable ride however there should have been a little omph from the engine not like the usual dug dug of our local bikes but something with a little bit of bass.
Fuel tank:
The shrouds and the shape of the fuel tank is pretty but the fuel lid is hideous. Yamaha missed its chance here and they should have put a sporty fuel lid.
Instrument Panel:
The instrument meter comes with standard speed-o-meter, rpm meter and indicators found in most commuter bikes in Pakistan. It has additional fuel gauge and shows gear position which is a nice touch. The plastic quality is good I guess nothing special.
Visor and head lights.
Visor is good enough but the plastic glass vibrates at high wind and speeds. Some people prefer to have a rounded light instead of this but I am okay with it. The lights however are very good and the road at night is very nicely illuminated.
Brakes:
Brakes are quite good but one must be careful using the front disc brake as the bike can slip if the brake is fully pressed. So follow the guideline in the manual which says to avoid accidents use front and back brakes together and only use one finger to press the front brake lever.
Road grip, bike balance and wheels:
The bike's grip is very good and has excellent balance. You can weave it around just like a super/heavy bike. I tried going lot more sideways than usual and felt comfortable that it won't fall. The wheels are alloy and are very sturdy and feel high quality. The tires being used are by service and they are of good quality.
Comfort:
I use my bike to daily travel from Rawalpindi to Islamabad and I must say I am impressed by the very low engine vibration. This really is a long travel commuter bike and I don't feel rider fatigue or restlessness at all after my trip. The suspension is excellent and bad roads are quite easily handled by it.
My verdict:
I have driven many bikes, including few heavy/super bikes and I must say at this price this machine is a steal. I was considering buying a super bike and was saving money for one but I saw YBR and thought why don't I give it a go. And well color me impressed, it is such a well-balanced and wonderful bike. I am still going to save money for a super bike and willing to wait for Yamaha to release one here until then this will satisfy me.
Bike's Price: 1,29400RS
Total Maintenance Cost as of 14-06-2015:
First oil change at 300KM: 450RS
Second oil change with free tuning at 1000KM: 450RS
Total: 900RS
Total km traveled as of 02-06-2015:
518KM
Fastest speed achieved:
Before 500KM with rpm limit at 6k and 5th gear: 70km/h
After 500KM with rpm limit at 7.5k and 5th gear: 90km/h
Top speed achieved by DJNOMI: 110km/h
Fuel average:
Cannot disclose yet because I am pushing the bike in the break in period. After 1000KM is done I will drive it normally and get an accurate fuel consumption and will update the post accordingly.
How I am "breaking in" the engine:
I am following both the motoman's engine break in procedure and the manual recommended procedure. I push my bike in all gears till 6k rpm and then rapidly decelerate it. After 500KM I will push it to 7.5k rpm.
Planned Modifications:
1. Sporty Exhaust without "phat phut noise"
2. Brake and clutch lever
3. Sporty Fuel Lid
4. Engine modification from 125cc to 250cc by changing the engine when the warranty of the bike has expired.
Please feel free to ask me any questions regarding this bike and I will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.
Photos:
These were taken by me with my cellphone, on Sunday I will go to my friend's home who is an excellent photographer and have him take some good quality shots.
